Download the full info packet here.

The class will take place at several locations in Lancaster, Pennsylvania:          

• Urban Edge Farm

• Susquehanna Apothecary

• The Hundred Acre Wood.

• A Cemetery.

• The Dreamtime.

• Your Mind.

Schedule:  

June 23rd, July 7th & 21st, August 4th & 18th, September 1st & 15th, October 6th & 20th, November 3rd

Arrive by 9:30am. Class from 10am-5pm.

Lunch will be provided and will be made with local, seasonal, organic, and non-GMO ingredients as much as possible. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and allergen-free options will be available. Lunchtime meals will be used as a meditative exercise as part of the curriculum. The ingredients and recipes of the lunches will also relate to the topic of the daily curriculum.

Topics to be covered during the course include:

• The deepest ecology

• The language of symbols

• The interpretation of, and design of myth

• The use of sigils

• A natural state of mind and view of reality

• The cosmology of place-based spiritual practice

• Shamanic warfare

• Communication with Nature

• The dangers of Earth worship

• Deriving personal power from right-relationship with Nature

• The role of art in sustainable ecology

• Meditative presence

• Trance states

• Magic for balancing creation

• The Syllabus: Here is a summary of the curriculum:

• June 23rd: Meditation

• July 7th: Cosmology

• July 21st: Mythology

• August 4th: Dreaming

• August 18th: Art

• September 1st: Music

• September 15th: Magic

• October 6th: Madness

• October 20th: Warfare

• November 3rd: Healing

Benjamin Weiss is a certified permaculture designer and teacher, activist, herbalist, farmer, musician, and writer from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Ben studied natural building and permaculture at The Farm Ecovillage Training Center, received a permaculture teacher certification from CRMPI, studied urban agriculture at Growing Power, and has studied herbalism with Sarah Preston of Radiance, shamanic dreaming techniques with Adhi Moonien Two-Owls, and forest garden design with Dave Jacke. Ben was also the administrator and a long-time volunteer for the Lancaster Coalition for Peace & Justice, and has helped to organize many other initiatives and actions related to racial and environmental justice. Ben has facilitated many classes and workshops, has designed and managed four organic farms, and forages professionally. He owns and manages Susquehanna Apothecary and Urban Edge Farm.

In addition, Ben has been a lifelong student of meditation, mysticism, and magic. Ben has studied Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, Ghandian philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita, the B’hai Faith, Rastafari and Obeah, Wicca and other neo-Celtic traditions, the Lakota spirituality, Ayahuasca traditions, the mythology of Indigenous Australia, ancient Mesopotamian religions, the Norse pantheon, the Egyptian pantheon, the Greco-Roman pantheon, as well as the works of Gurdjieff, Castaneda, and above all, Kabbalah. Through these studies and practices, Ben has cultivated a cosmology, a meditative practice, and magical tools and techniques that center around the repair of the Natural World by those responsible for breaking it— human beings.

Tuition:

The cost of this class is two-fold: a cash payment to cover basic expenses, as well as a “by-agreement” barter.

• $250 per student covers lunches during all 10 class days, as well as other materials.

• In order to finalize registration, each student will need to work out a unique barter exchange with Ben that could be anything from work-trade to an exchange of skills or professional services, to a trade for material goods… Ben will schedule a phone call with each student to craft the details of this exchange.

Registration Deposits: A registration deposit of $250 must be submitted at the time of registration in order to hold a place in the class. This deposit, as well as full tuition, is non-refundable, however, except in legitimate emergencies.

Warnings:

• This class is not recommended for people who are struggling with or have recovered from addiction. Portions of the curriculum will include examinations of and experiments with varying types of intoxication.

• This class is not recommended for people who are experiencing severe depression, anxiety, or other significant mental and emotional upheavals because the curriculum’s explorations of the nature of consciousness, the boundaries of reality, and the crises facing humanity may exacerbate these hardships.

• This class is not recommended for people who are exceptionally religiously observant nor for those who are rigorously practicing a system of meditation or magic that has strict boundaries or prohibitions. Many of the ideas and exercises during this class may be challenging to the student’s worldview, belief system, politics, morals, ethics, and inhibitions.

Preparedness for the Class:

Students will be notified beforehand about when class will take place outdoors. In these instances, students should come fully prepared to be outdoors for extended periods in varying weather, and to participate in hands-on activities including walks through rough terrain. Not all of the spaces we’ll be in are ADA compatible but we will happily make any accommodations that we can in order for students with specific needs to participate. Please notify us of any pertinent allergies or physical limitations before the class begins. Each student will be asked to sign a “media sharing form” to ensure that everyone who participates is legally allowed to utilize media captured during the class for further educational or promotional purposes. Please notify the instructors if you plan to miss a day of class, and take responsibility for catching up with course content. On October 6th, the day of class entitled Madness, it is highly recommended that students arrange for someone else to drive them home, as this day includes exercises with intoxicating substances.

Other things to bring include :

• drinking water

• snacks

• notebook

• ·pencil/pen

• bug spray

• sunscreen

• sturdy shoes/boots

• rain gear

*Students will be notified of any other required materials as the course progresses.