The Sacred Gardener School

The Sacred Gardener School

First Year: May 15-19 AND August 21-25, 2024
Second Year: July 9-13 AND September 17-21, 2025
The Sacred Gardener School is for those inspired to move into a deeper level of being; to live in a connected, sustainable and soulfully present way with the Earth.

Online Courses

In this 3 part hour long documentary you will learn how to mound plant corn, beans and squash using a heavy hoe, and a good deal more. From Steven’s perspective we are given a rare insight into the prehistoric foundations of agriculture. Perhaps most importantly this video claims back agriculture as a sacred art. Steven brings the viewer with him as he steps into the philosophy and practice of a 10000 year old agricultural ritual.
Included is a downloadable PDF to accompany each section in the documentary, and access to the recording of the Q&A with Steven.

VIDEOS:
– 1 Hour Mound Planting Documentary
– 1.5 Hour Recording of Live session Q&A
– Building your heavy hoe
– How to store your harvest
– How to process corn and beans
– How to Nixtamalize Corn and why you should for optimum nutrition
– Recipes for the three types of corn we grow: Tortillas,Corn Bread, Posole and more
– How to incorporate these foods into your diet

10 page PDF with additional information related to the Mound Planting Documentary

In Steven’s words: “This knowledge and maybe a bit a wisdom with it, has traveled a long way to come back to me. At first it came in small pieces through Elders, friends, books. And more still came over the decades of working with and learning from the patient Earth, wild-harvesting and growing food and medicine. Eventually the lost puzzle pieces came together. The picture it made subverts everything we think we know. From the old testament story of the garden, to the superior claims of science. As I opened to and began to act in accord with these ancient teachings the sacred world “El Mundo Bueno” opened up to me. Now my hands hold the key to that world and civilizations survival, as four hundred generations of hands have before me. I feel a duty and obligation to share the knowledge from this ancient tree’s fruit, and of my experience, because it is precisely the path that needs to be rediscovered and walked to find our way out of “El Mundo Malo”; out of our confused and seemingly terminal state.” This ecourse is the product of decades of ‘research’ and ‘field work’.

In acknowledgement of Indigenous Peoples whose land we live and teach on, and to where much of the knowledge Steven holds about mound planting and ‘the three sisters’ came from, and in our commitment to broadly disseminate traditional understandings and practices, we will be donating 10% of each sale to a local organization, The Circle Of Turtle Lodge.

In their words: “Our Circle has been reviving, promoting, and restoring Traditional Anishinabe Culture in the Ottawa Valley since 1999. We are an independent not-for-profit organization, and a registered charity, based in Deacon, Ontario, which is at the head of Golden Lake in unceded Algonquin Territory.”

“All the elements of the most elaborate grand rituals are present when we garden. It all starts with a natural setting, often a place of inherent brightness, richness and splendor, a place of moisture and life. Then, in an honourable way, we work with the land. We cultivate Her using ancient techniques passed down through the ages from the first marriage agreement we made. These deep understandings of plants were gleaned thousands of years ago when we eloped with our wild plant ‘bride’ taking her from her home.” – Steven Martyn, The Long Dance: Ten Thousand years of Gardening Ceremony

Course price is $50 (includes 1:10 min video download), PDF with synopsis of main points and additional information to that’s not in the video. You’ll have access to the recorded Q&A.

Workshops + Events

Listen • Watch • Read

Plantain: Traveller’s Talisman

Early Plantain Leaves I’ve been reading Martin Shaw’s “Scatterlings” this winter. The message is a wise old one, that “what we’re searching far and wide for, turns out... Read More "Plantain: Traveller’s Talisman"

The Venerable Hazelnut, Generous & Versatile

By far the quickest growing, and easiest going nut trees are Hazels. In my area we have the wild Beaked Hazelnut and we plant a Filbert type. Within... Read More "The Venerable Hazelnut, Generous & Versatile"

Seeding a Future of Beauty, Fecundity and Healing

Don’t underestimate the power of the seed. They are very, very small but without them life as we know it would end on the planet. The late fall... Read More "Seeding a Future of Beauty, Fecundity and Healing"

Illness and the Heart of Darkness, Our Fear

In my work as a healer, and within myself, I can clearly see illness is attached to our fears and unprocessed trauma. Through the work of people like... Read More "Illness and the Heart of Darkness, Our Fear"

Hope Springs Eternal

This spring, after having ‘lost hope’ in many ways over the last year, I have been cautiously basking in the light of ‘hope’ like never before. I’m relishing... Read More "Hope Springs Eternal"

Nettle: The Rich Prince

I was harvesting Nettle all morning and many hours later my hands are still vibrating, numb and tingling like stars in the frozen night sky. In meeting Nettle... Read More "Nettle: The Rich Prince"

Seasonal Box Subscription

$375.00

Nourish yourself with the seasons, all products are handmade with love, from plants in season, here on the sacred gardener farm. $375 for all 4 boxes Option to pick up at the farm or mailed (shipping for all 4 boxes paid at once in checkout) ~Fall Equinox ~ Winter Solstice ~ Spring Equinox ~ Summer…

4 in stock

The Sacred Gardener

Woven amongst practical lessons about gardening, supporting the soil microbiome, and the medicine of wild native plants, we were bathed in crucial and life altering teachings about our relationship to the Earth, each other, and ourselves. This was not just a workshop but a healing journey to reclaim my capacities to praise the beauty of life, honor the various griefs that come with having a heart that loves what must one day die, and discover what it means to walk with gentleness, power, and love. – Michael

The impact of the Sacred Gardener School on one’s life is hard to describe. It starts with a large amount of hands on learning and teachings that bring you closer to all the beings in our midst. Soon, the wisdom you have absorbed permeates throughout your life. The food we are served throughout the course is full of warmth, love and wild creative beauty. All I can say is that something draws me back over and over again so I can be reminded of what is important. Empty your cup and let the learning begin. -Olga

 


The Sacred Gardener School is for those inspired to move into a deeper level of being;
to live in a connected, sustainable and soulfully present way with the Earth.
The school will foster your growth over time, enabling you to embody the living skills
and ceremony needed to engage the larger spirit and ecology of the Earth,
so She may bless and redirect our collective and personal path.