'The turning of the Seasons', Hildegard von Bingen, ca. 1163-1173.
A multisensory workshop on medieval plant wisdom.
Join herbalist and author Lynn Shore for a two hour exploration into the world of Hildegard von Bingen, weaving together medieval plant knowledge, the Embassy of the Free Mind's collection, and the living plants of its Alchemical Garden.
Beginning in the 12th century, we will trace Hildegard's world and her understanding of plants, health, and the bond between body, mind, spirit, and the natural world. Lynn will draw connections between rare texts held in the Embassy's collection and the plants growing in the Garden and throughout Amsterdam.
Together, we will examine how these plants were understood and used in Hildegard's time, what she recorded of them, and how her observations meet contemporary herbal knowledge. We will consider the many paths people have taken toward understanding their kinship with the natural world, through observation, medicine, tradition, symbolism, and spiritual practice.
The workshop unfolds as a deeply sensory experience. Participants will smell, taste, and sit with herbal infusions, exploring the traditional idea of a plant's spirit or essence alongside their own embodied response to it.
From there, each participant will craft a bespoke herbal tea blend, selecting plants according to personal need, intention, and desire. Along the way, we will consider how Hildegard's relationship with the natural world might inform our own, and how plants become a meeting point between ancient knowledge, contemporary herbalism, and the search for connection and meaning.
This workshop welcomes anyone drawn to Hildegard von Bingen, herbalism, alchemy, witchcraft, plant wisdom, or simply the stories and qualities of the plants growing around us.
About the Facilitator
Lynn Shore is a medical herbalist, author, educator, and practising Green Witch. In 2010, she founded Urban Herbology in Amsterdam, and has since spent a lifetime exploring the practical, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of our relationship with the natural world. She serves as a trustee of The Herb Society, authored The Green City Witch: Weaving a Magical Life in Urban Spaces, and writes for pagan and nature centered publications. She speaks internationally on urban nature based spirituality.
Through Urban Herbology, Lynn has guided hundreds of city dwellers toward the nature on their doorstep, through foraging, herbal medicine, community gardening, outdoor ceremony, and other ways of meeting the land. Her work joins herbal medicine, folklore, ecology, historical tradition, and sensory experience, rooted in the belief that practical and spiritual knowledge need not be separated, and should belong to all.
Lynn is devoted to helping others build the confidence and curiosity to find their own meaningful relationship with the living landscape.
Format
Workshop | Herbal tea making | Garden
Date & Time
Thursday, October 29 from 17.00* - 19.00
* Come by before 17.00, and visit our museum, price included in admission.
Language
The workshop will be conducted in English.
Price & Admission
Workshop includes museum entrance before 17.00.
€60 - Adult ticket
€53,5 - Museumkaart, Stadspas, or iAmsterdam City Card or ICOM Card
€51,5 - Student ticket
€45 - EFM Members
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Getting There
Address
House with the Heads
Keizersgracht 123, 1015 CJ Amsterdam
Public Transport
A fifteen-minute walk from Amsterdam Central Station. Prefer public transport? Take trams 13 or 17, or bus 170, 172, or 174 to the Westermarkt stop. From there, walk back a short distance, turn left onto Keizersgracht, and you will find us on your right after 300 meters.
Bike
Amsterdam is best explored on two wheels, and the EFM is no exception. Ample bike parking is available along the Keizersgracht.
Car
Parking in the area is paid (~ €8,05 per hour), and spaces can be difficult to find. The nearest parking garages are Q-park Nieuwendijk at Nieuwezijds Kolk 18 (650 meters), Q-park Bijenkorf at Beursstraat 15 (950 meters), and Q-park Europarking at Marnixstraat 250 (1,300 meters). You can also park at a P+R location and travel into the centre by public transport.
Upcoming Events
From immersive cultural experiences to distinguished academic gatherings, the Embassy of the Free Mind offers a diverse agenda open to all curious minds.
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