10th Anniversary Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conference celebrates herbal medicine and women’s wisdom

From a press release:

Asheville, NC—September 1, 2014—On the weekend of October 10-12, the shores of Lake Eden in Black Mountain will echo with the voices of women—over 1000 strong—as they celebrate the 10th anniversary Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conference.

This highly popular local event, run by and for women, has quickly grown into one of the largest herbal conferences in the country. For ten years, women have traveled from all over the region—and even the West coast—to attend workshops, share their stories and ideas and celebrate their relationship with the Earth, with themselves and with each other.

Conference Director Corinna Wood conceived the event a decade ago with a mission of honoring women and the Earth. “Our conference is focused on the Wise Woman Tradition. It’s about earth-based healing, local plants and women nourishing themselves, physically and spiritually. These are tools for healthy and joyful living in these challenging times,” she explains.

Wood herself is an herbalist and beloved teacher. Co-founder of Red Moon Herbs, she has helped to awaken thousands to awaken to the benefits of using wild and medicinal plants for health and healing. “The Appalachian Mountains have such a rich history of herbal medicine,” she says. “In creating the conference, I wanted to connect women with the wealth of herbal teachers in the Southeast.”

Nationally renowned instructors at the 10th anniversary conference include herbalists, holistic health professionals, poets and performers: Rosita Arvigo, Aviva Romm, Rachel Bagby, Monica Corrado, Kathleen Maier, ALisa Starkweather, Robin Rose Bennett and Jody Noe, among them.

Over the years, the event has expanded beyond herb walks, medicine making, and natural health care — although these aspects remain the core of the curriculum. The conference now offers over 60 workshops and intensives that embrace the entire life journey, from midwifery to conscious dying, sacred sexuality to self-empowerment.

Integration and diversity are key elements of the gathering and this year, in particular, there is a focus on the nurturing and empowerment of young women. For teenage girls, the conference is a deeply enriching experience. The Wise Maidens program, geared to girls 13-17, comes at a time when, as adolescents, they are establishing a sense of themselves as women.

“I’m delighted that the United Nations International Day of the Girl—October 11th— falls within our Conference,” says Wood. “We’ll be celebrating our young women—and the “Girl Rising” movement, a global campaign for girls’ education—throughout the weekend.”

In addition to workshops, participants can enjoy the outdoors or stir their creative spirit with drumming, movement and song. Evening gatherings offer music, dance, and camaraderie: myriad opportunities to engage in community and sisterhood.

Accommodations range from cabins and bunkhouses to camping. Weekend meal tickets are available and communal meals feature a fresh, locally sourced, seasonal menu that is based on “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon—wholesome, tasty and deeply satisfying.

The conference has received support and sponsorship from a number of local and regional businesses and publications that share in the event’s spirit of holism and health. They include: Red Moon Herbs, French Broad Food Co-op, WNC Woman, Traditional Medicinals, Mountain Xpress, Mountain Rose Herbs, Frontier Natural Products Co-op, WNC Magazine and United Plant Savers.

As might be expected, attendance is limited to women and girls (boys up to age nine may attend). Childcare is available during class sessions. For details and easy online registration visit  www.sewisewomen.com.