Ancestral Apothecary

Slavic Ancestral Remembrance & Healing Circles

atava — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:05:45 +0000

Baba Yaga, powerful goddess of the Slavic world.

Date: 3/2, 4/6, 5/4, 6/1 and 6/16

Time: Friday evenings 7-10; Saturday 10-5 plus evening fire circle.

Location: 3798 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA

Facilitated by Atava Garcia Swiecicki, MA, RH (AHG)

Vasalisa the Brave

These circles are a space for exploring and remembering the indigenous mind of our Slavic ancestors. Class time will include prayer, ritual, dreamwork, genealogical work and other methods of indigenous science to help to activate our remembrance process.

This work is based on my studies and training in the Indigenous Mind Program and the pioneering work of my mentor Dr. Apela Colorado, founder of the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network. As a Master’s degree student in the Indigenous Mind Program, I deeply explored my Polish ancestral roots and wrote about my process in my thesis entitled: Journey Into My Polish Indigenous Mind.

Cost: $375

To Register: Application required and $100 deposit to secure your space. Please email atava@ancestralapothecary.com for an application.

Vyedma Baba, Slavic wise woman & healer. By Max Dashu.

Dreaming into 2012, Prophecy, Guidance & Healing

atava — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:47:54 +0000

Coyolxauhqui, Mexica moon goddess.

Dream group facilitated by Atava Garcia Swiecicki.

Session 1: 8 Thursdays, 2/23-4/19, 9:30 am- 11:30 am, Cost: $325

Session 2: 6 Thursdays, 5/10-6/14, 9:30 am- 11:30 am, Cost $250

Receive $40 discount if you sign up for both sessions.

“When you’re speaking English and you’ve been disconnected from your cultural, spiritual heritage and power for hundreds of years, how are those ancestors going to connect with us? What’s the way? We don’t have an intact tribal community to contain it, to hold it, to support and protect us. How’s it going to happen with integrity and safety? One of the main ways is through dreams.”

Dr. Apela Colorado, Founder of the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network and the Indigenous Mind Program

This dreamgroup is dedicated to remembering our indigenous ways of knowing through community dream work. The focus of this dream group will be on receiving and sharing the important messages from the spiritual world in this prophetic year of 2012. We will work with ritual, art, tarot, guided meditation, and plant spirit medicine to enhance the dreamwork process.

Application required. Email atava@ancestralapothecary.com to receive an application to join this group.

Class size is limited. $100 deposit required to save your space. Balance due at the time of first class.

For the latest updates, find this class on Facebook.

The Curandera’s Toolkit Class in Oakland

atava — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:40:35 +0000

6 Mondays, 2/13-3/26, 10 am to 12:30

Cost: $250 (includes materials fee)

Location: 3798 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA

Ancient cultural healing systems like curanderismo have much wisdom to offer us on our healing paths. In this class, you will learn the basics of holistic healing from the perspective of Mexican curanderismo.

We will explore the basic concepts of health and illness and how it impacts our body, mind & spirit. We will work with the healing energy of the sacred elements, with an emphasis on herbal medicine.

Class time includes a local herb walk so you can get to know how to recognize and use our local medicinal plants. In class you will also have a chance to make and take home many different herbal medicine preparations.

Class will be taught by Atava and a few special guest teachers. No class will be held on March 12th.

$100 deposit required to save your space in the class. The balance is due at the time of the first class.

For the latest updates, find this class on Facebook.

My first formal intern/apprentice

atava — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:15:00 +0000

This month, I have my first intern. I met Marisela Alvarez through the Institute for Civic Leadership at Mills College, where I was asked to be her mentor. I am very grateful that Marisela will be working with me. As the owner and sole employee of my small business, Ancestral Apothecary, I always have much more work than I can handle.

Also, there is a age-old tradition of young people apprenticing with healers. Much of what there is to learn about the art of herbalism, healing and curanderismo is best absorbed by first hand experience.

Much of my own training was through apprenticeship. I have been blessed to work alongside many great healers, including Choctaw herbalist Karyn Sanders, and Mexican curanderas Dona Enriqueta Contreras and Estela Roman.

Dona Enriqueta, Curandera from Oaxaca, Mexico

When I lived with Dona Enriqueta at her home in Oaxaca, I was up at sunrise to help her prepare her home for the patients she would be receiving that day. I helped by cleaning, cooking, shopping, and assisting with clients.I had a hard time keeping up with Dona Enriqueta’s busy pace, even though she is decades older than me.

Living and working with her really demystified my romantic view of curanderas. I learned that the life of a curandera is 95% hard work and selfless dedication to serving one’s community.

There are many projects Marisela will be helping me with, including:

Medicine making

Herbal inventory

Herbal gardening

Marketing my business & products

Promoting my classes

We decided to start blogging about our experience of working together. Mari has already created a wonderful blog: Remembering Ancient Healing.

Hopefully I can keep up with Mari! I hope you enjoy this special dialogue between us.

Herbal Medicine Faire & Healing Arts Salon

atava — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:13:08 +0000

Saturday November 26th

1-5 pm

3798 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA

Come out to support your local grass-roots herbalists, healers and business women as you enjoy an afternoon of free herbal and healing classes.

Stock up on your supply of herbs for winter and find unique holiday herbal gifts.

Taste, sample and enjoy the herbal products from Ancestral Apothecary and Community Herbalist.

Our offerings include:

Tarot readings & dreamwork

Free mini herbal wellness classes

Free Jin Shin Jyutsu Self-Help class

Flower Essence and Cordial Bar

Earth Medicine Alliance Conference, October 22

atava — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:03:39 +0000

Making offerings at Olawalu Petroglyphs in Maui

I am honored to be invited to be on a panel of speakers talking about “Honoring Ancestors as Spirits of Place” of the Earth Medicine Alliance Conference.

I invite you to join us in this special weeked of dialogue and ritual around the theme of Honoring Spirits of Place.

For more information on the Earth Medicine Alliance, visit their website: http://www.earthmedicine.org/

Dreaming with the Ancestors Starts October 28th

atava — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:46:57 +0000

Calling All Dreamers!

Do you have powerful dreams that are calling for your attention?

Looking to connect to spiritual guidance from the dream world?

I am excited to announce that a new cycle of Dreaming with the Ancestors will begin on October 28th at my Oakland office.

My intention for this group is to create a safe and sacred space to explore the ways in which the ancestors and the spiritual world communicate to us both in sleeping and waking dreams.

In my experience, these dream groups have become a place for spiritual empowerment, healing, transformation & community building. I am continuously in awe at the magic & synchronicity that is experienced in each circle.

To reserve your space in this small, intimate dream group, call 510-541-2715, or emaill me at atava@ancestralapotheary.c0m

Rare visit & talk by Toltec-Mexica elder October 22nd in Berkeley, CA

atava — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:31:06 +0000

On October 22nd, esteemed elder and Sundance chief, Tlakaelel from Teotihuacan, Mexico, will make a rare appearance in the Bay Area. Tlakaelel has been teaching about the great Meso-American cultures for over 50 years.

He will be speaking about 2012, Myth and Reality at the Ohlone Center of Herbal Studies in Berkeley. For more information, see our Circle of Ancestors website.

October Newsletter

atava — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:23:07 +0000

It’s been another busy month for me!

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of teaching the Curandera’s Toolkit Class at the Sol Collective in Sacramento.

We made delicious herbal honeys, elderberry cordial, and a wild cherry cough syrup.

The weekend included a sweat lodge and a trip to the oldest community garden in Sacramento. A special and healing time was had by all participants, including several young people who came to the class.

I will be teaching several more workshops at Sol as part of their ongoing Curanderismo Class Series which will be happening the first Sunday of the month. To keep up to date on this exciting class series, visit Sol’s Facebook page.

Fall is the Time for Berries.

Last week, I went on two herbal field trips with my herb school students. My first trip was up to the high Sierras, where we enjoyed an abundant harvest of elderberries.

Elderberries, which are strongly anti-viral, are the perfect herbal ally for this time of year. To learn more about this amazing plant and to get some great recipes, see my blog post on elderberries.

My final trip was to the coast, where we gathered the last of the season’s aralia berries and camped overnight at Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

Aralia is our native California relative of the highly esteemed medicinal plant, ginseng. I was glad to be able to gather some berries this year to add to my immune boosting cordials.

To view the rest of this newsletter, see: http://community.icontact.com/p/ancestrlapothecary/newsletters/php/posts/medicinal-berries-ancestral-dreams

Fall Blessings,

Atava

Didjeridoo Sound Healer, Friday June 17 in Berkeley

atava — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:04:32 +0000

Terry Saleh, a renowned artist & sound healer from Papua New Guinea will be leading a sound healing meditation with the didjeridoo on June 16th at our herb school. He comes highly recommended and I am helping to organize the event. He is also available for personal healing sessions.

Sound Healing Meditation with Traditional Didjeridoo

Experience the combination of ancient art of self healing, using traditional bush medicine, and crystals for balancing and harmonizing.

Friday June 17th, 6-8 PM, Ohlone School of Herbal Studies, 1250 Addison St, Berkeley.

$40

Tor RSVP and to reserve your space, call 415-892-5166 or email

atewodesigns@yahoo.com

Internationally renowned Australian artist Terry Saleh, is known by

many as kunge”kanan will be in the bay area June 7-20th for a group or

private didjeridoo mediation and healing. He is a very ancient soul in a

modern native man from the jungles of Papua, New Guinea. His artistic

visions spring from tribal ancestors whose spirit guide him in his

paintings, music and healing . With the knowledge and wisdom, that are

channeled through pure energy from the universe, he is able to transform

this into beautiful works of art and music that have a strong spiritual

universal connection. His lifelong journey throughout the world as

an artist and performer has finally grounded him as a traditional tribal

healer in a modern and ancient world , he uses his natural talents to

bridge the gap. With his knowledge of the “Yidaki” known today as the

didjeridoo he is able to use this ancient instrument as a tool for healing.

More on his work and art: http://www.terrysaleh-art.com.au/