Testimonials
This course has helped me ground myself in a nourishing spiritual practice. It’s opened up new channels of knowing, sensing, and communication. Marysia has a piercingly strong connection to the plant realm and an incredible ability to hold space for others to journey with her. Under her guidance we learned invaluable life tools and wisdoms that are ready to be reclaimed. I'm incredibly honored to have these teachings passed on to me.
- Saewon Oh, 2015
This course is everything and MORE. Not only do you learn the properties of plants, but you attune yourself to truly commune with them and all living things. This course guides you to connect to your innate intuition. It slows you down. It acts as intense therapy. It reintroduces you to Earth. Essentially, it brings you back home. This is a highly transformative experience mentally, physically, and emotionally and should be a requirement for all human beings. Our world would be a much nicer place.
- Cat Fairchild , 2020
With Marysia’s guidance in plant meditations, shamanic journeys and other calming and nourishing practices, I was reclaiming, renewing and remembering my spirit and getting hands-on healing from the plants while deepening my love for nature and mother earth. Marysia taught us that in connecting to the spirits of the plants through devotion and love we would create beautiful relationships that lead to powerful medicine. I am so grateful for learning this sacred and spiritual path of herbalism.
- Marianna Gilles, 2020
Marysia is far and wide one of the most passionate Teachers with whom I have had the privilege of studying. If you approach her with an open heart, she will help you to learn far more than just the constituents and properties of herbs. She will help you to remember the community of Plant Spirits and the loving connection with all of Gaia that is our birthright as creatures of this planet.
- Katrina dela Cruz, 2020
I think what differentiates this program from any other herbalist school is the sacred practices, rituals and co-creating with the elements, the land & Mother Nature. Marysia has such a vibrant, powerful way of speaking in linear & non linear terms, meaning she is rooted in the science of the plants & their medicinal properties but at the same time she can feel the land speak and listens. Her wisdom & her love for the plants is inspiring & powerful to witness. She holds impeccable space for the group, & her commitment to this work is so inspiring.
- Michelle Lyle, 2020
“The Gaia School classes, Marysia , and my classmates have literally been life-changing for me. Not only have they connected me more deeply with the earth, which is so important to me, and introduced me to powerful plant allies, but have taught me ways to see deeper into my own needs and ways of fulfilling these to try to connect more completely with life. I will take those connections, my tools and especially my plant allies with me as I strive to live as fully and joyously as possible from now on.
— Rosemary Kaul, 2017
How does one explain the complete transformation of one’s life in a paragraph? In fact, Marysia and the beloved Gaia school community has transformed our whole family’s lives right down to our pups! I knew the plants and pachamama were calling me and when I was sitting in meditation one day and was told I needed to sit with the plants. I went straight to researching where I could learn about them. I had to wait two years before a spot opened and it was BEYOND worth it. Marysia is a true conduit of the Divine. Her beautiful spirit, intelligence, vulnerability, passion, compassion, and knowledge go way beyond the physical realms, her intuition and her deep deep love of all that is seen and unseen moves my soul and brings a centeredness to my life I have never known. I am deeply in love with the earth, the stars, the sun, the moon, all life that is here to teach us, hold space for us and heal us.
Marysia will bring you on a journey of unknown bliss, deep healing in this world and open up new portals for new and deeper conscious ways of being. Come join her on this miraculous way of being and watch yourself soar!!
— Krissy Welch, 2019
You will meet plant spirits in ways that will tickle your heart and wake your soul. They will become allies, friends and lovers and their innate intelligence will move your very being.
- Krissy Welch
If your heart has ever longed for a connection you can’t quite put your finger on…or if you have ever heard the call of the wild thru a flower, the hoot of an owl or the tug of your feet down a dirt path then this school is for you.
— Cindy Saylor
I’ve spent a lifetime in half-connection with the magical plant world around me, but never seemed to be fully connected. The Gaia school and Marysia’s loving, magical and disciplined program opened my heart, freed my mind and showed me how to be fully present for the bountiful beauty and healing Mother Earth offers to all of her children. Claim your right to walk this earth in reciprocity and abundance with all living creatures. Take your place in the circle of life as a human being that gives more than we receive. The Gaia School of Healing and Earth Education will bring you home to yourself and the sacred earth.
— Cindy Saylor, 2019
My experience in the Gaia School of Healing Apprenticeship was more than I could have ever dreamed or asked for. I came to study herbalism from a more spiritual perspective, to connect with the plants and the earth and learn about their healing and teachings. What I experienced was a spiritual journey that transformed my heart, my soul, and my life. Marysia is an amazing teacher, guide, and conduit. The magick, love and wisdom she brought to the experience was essential to the depth at which the teachings resonated within me and penetrated my being. I will be forever grateful for all that I have learned from her, from the plants, and of myself through this journey.
- Christy Rumbaugh, 2020
I’d like to share with you how I have discovered how unique this practice is. I have learned to walk the beauty way and to revere those that have gone before me. I have experienced the consciousness of the plants. The plant allies have assisted me in many breakthroughs and have raised my frequency multiple times for deep, satisfying joy. To have joy... is different than being happy. To have joy is a level of fulfillment that permeates every cell and fills the heart full with a real sense of purpose and peace, to be able to share that knowingness. To know grief and to find joy is transformative. To accept that both embody the same vehicle is much like the medicine of the plants. They come bearing their gifts, yet each gift can be different to each body, and can inflict pain and medicine, they are our ancient ones, our teachers. They have come to serve and to be fulfilled, just like you and I. I have learned from you Marysia to be bold, courageous, to walk gentle on this earth the way of beauty and to love deeply all the directions, elements, winged and legged, to fall in love over and over the plant allies... to discover like a child, to dream, to find communion with the spirits of our ancestors and to work with the unseen ones and be endowed with a wealth of medicine for my own soul. ~I have deep gratitude~
- Geri Pope, 2020
Connecting with Marysia and the beautiful plants has been so magical…a truly transformative experience that has been a catalyst for healing on a deep level. Marysia is able to create a space that is both safe and sacred, thus allowing individuals to experience the wisdom and love of these amazing plants and herbs. Marysia brings joy and passion to her teaching that is contagious. I feel like my soul and physical body have been touched with such nurturing and nourishment, that my very essence has been affected. My understanding and knowledge of healing has also greatly expanded, which is tremendously empowering!
- Dana Baer, 2015
I studied under Marysia Miernowska in a nine month herbal course along with 16 other students. Saying she is a great teacher doesn't come close to describing her. Marysia leads by example and she teaches from many modalities. We learned through direct experience and interactions with the plants, through reading and resources, through hands on making of herbal medicines and more.She draws from the wisdom of master teachers in her life as well as the Wise Woman tradition handed down through the ages. She encourages her students to take in the essence of all they come in contact with, to have reverence for nature and to be responsible stewards of the earth. I highly recommend this course to anyone that is ready to step into the magical realm of plants and be guided by this beautiful mentor.
- Sherri Delaplane
I’ve studied Functional Medicine and Nutrition for over 14 years learning through innovative and Integrative doctors and scientists in conferences, books, programs, and have received certifications and titles, yet as incredibly powerful and full of amazing tools and information to support a more holistic, root cause, and whole person approach to healing beyond allopathic western medicine, none have gone quite as deep, as rich, or as rooted in the essence of wholly healing as I’ve felt through studying with Marysia in The Gaia School of Healing Sacred Plant Medicine and Herbalism Apprenticeship. It’s impossible to describe my journey these past 10 months, only that it’s been so sweet, nourishing and sacred, feels ancient and truly a re-membering of my being and how I can better move through the world and offer a more complete web of healing support to myself, loved ones, clients, and the Earth’s body herself. My medicine is to weave these together, the potent threads of integrative nutrition and modern tools, with reconnecting us to the ancient power of our intuition, our connection to our body’s whispering needs, and using plant allies and nature’s wisdom to nourish this sweet vessel and soul. Thank you endlessly to Marysia and Sage, all my plant teachers and allies, mama Gaia, and our circle and family of witches carrying forth the wise woman tradition of healing in all our own unique ways. It is just the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the earth and her magic.
- Colleen Baxter, 2019
The journey has been nothing short of miraculous in how it is teaching me about myself, my body and everything else. Relationships, attitudes, emotions and so much more. It blows my mind to see how each month coincides with what has been happening in my life and how the training has been like a supportive sidekick hiding in the shadows but always there, helping me through every situation.
I love seeing changes in myself and as I spread my knowledge, seeing changes in others. I’m still quite hesitant about stepping into the role of being a herbalist, or calling myself one. I know it’s already happening. I’m looking forward to learning more and embracing it fully. I can’t walk past a plant without noticing how it ‘feels’. Be it happy, sad, neglected, afraid, whatever it is, I love how this is now my reaction to plants. That I’m sitting at home or at work and can ‘feel’ a plant working or communicating with me. I love how this training has opened my eyes fully to the life that exists all around us. I ‘knew’ of it before but since beginning the course, I can now feel and sense it. It is one of the most profound practices in feeling at ‘home’ in ourselves, working with plants. My life will never be the same again and I am ever so grateful for it.
It has also been amazing to do this apprenticeship as a male. I believe every single man needs to do some form of training or workshop in the Wise Woman tradition. It has given me such a beautiful insight and understanding into just how POWERFUL and MAGICAL the role of a woman really is. Teachings that really would shift how the world works if every man was to sit and study them. I feel so privileged to be a part of this circle It’s hard to pick any teaching or practices that have been particularly helpful for me as I have found all of the teaching and practices to be absolutely wonderful and beneficial. I love your teaching style too, it’s fun, playful but you mean business when things need to get serious. A trait I always admire in certain shamans I meet on my travels. I take my hat off to your work and this apprenticeship! Amazing!
- Michael Rob Costine
I mostly have no words for how special I think Marysia is and how she has impacted my life. Her knowledge of herbal medicine is deep and comprehensive but her understanding of the spirit realm is even deeper. Through plant meditation, lecture, discussion, sharing, ceremony, ritual and pure love, Marysia took us on a 10 month journey into remembering ourselves as the magical healers that we have always been. She activated a “knowing” in all of us that we are here not only to tend to our own divine spirit but to never forget to tend to our beautiful Gaia.
- Monique de Loach, 2019
I have a new awareness and experience of the world - and everything in, on, and above it - as a great “whole” longing for expression and communion. And an awareness that each one of us, like each plant or tree or star in the sky, is an individual piece of the whole, wholly unique and valuable, a vital part of the health and beauty of the great web of life. The Gaia program has opened my eyes to the greater reality of the world, the planet, the spirit realm and the magic of plant-spirit-medicine.
- Sasha Watts, 2020
Marysia Miernowska is a Soul of remarkable integrity, who speaks to the process and cycles of life in ways that connect all beings to their highest selves. I took her Herbalism Apprenticeship September 2019 to June 2020, and I am floored at her boundless capacity for all she does. While teaching this course, she also successfully, and with deep focus, led retreats and workshops, cared for her family, her shop, and other collaborations, and created and maintained a consistent presence online when Covid-19 became a reality and hindered in-person magic-making. I had doubts that the class could hold the same magic, but she went out of her way to hold to her promises, and thought way outside of the box to make sure we all still got the most out of our experience with her. I surrendered to whatever would happen and I'm so glad I did. Despite the last few months being virtually engaged, I had such an amazing time as all external realities seemed to be woven into the magic loom we had created in powerful ways, that even still led me to create potent medicine, which she kindly encouraged.
Marysia leads people in the limitless possibilities of the Spirit Realm, while simultaneously connecting them to deep grounding, that one-foot-in-one-foot-out exploration. I absolutely loved the Magic she created with and for us, her incredible heart and head knowledge of the Plants and their offerings, and her gem-tone essence is so beautiful and so pleasant to be near. I highly recommend any kind of experience with her; it is bound to be extraordinary.
- Katrina Davis, 2020
For years I followed the beautiful posts from the Gaia School with my heart full of longing to live inside those images of barefoot apprentices, gathered together in fields and gardens with baskets full of rose petals and wild weeds. Finally the conditions aligned in my life to make space for this dream to come true, and it has been even more magical, joyous and empowering than I could have imagined. My heart and mind are just blown wide open upon the completion of this apprenticeship; it has been nothing short of extraordinary to witness the spiraling journey into thriving and flourishing within myself and the incredible circle of people who have become my dearest friends.
The Gaia School is a brilliantly designed 10 month portal of transformation, supported by the currents of the seasons, from the shedding of layers in the fall, to the winter dying back, spring rebirth and summer fruit. At the completion of this journey I find myself ripe with confidence and abundance; my cupboards are full of delicious, potent, natural medicine, and my heart is bursting with gratitude. As an art therapist and somatic psychotherapist for over ten years, I have lots of experience and formal training in mind-body-spirit healing, and I found the teachings of the Wise Woman Tradition of Herbalism to be a revitalizing addition to my education that has deepened my skills in holding space, nourishing my patients and empowering them to trust their own intuitive wisdom. It’s added a new dimension to my work that I am so excited about, and it’s been so cool to see all the ways that my cohort’s careers are shifting and transforming as they integrate this knowledge into their work and lives.
Marysia is a masterful teacher who has an uncanny ability to keep it real, grounded and authentic, and at the same time channel some seriously magical cosmic wisdom from the spirit realms! She is ethical, egalitarian and kind. People of diverse genders, cultures, ages, and ethnicities feel welcomed and seen in her circles. I cherish the diversity of our Gaia community. Her own deep connection to the ancestral earth-honoring traditions of her lineage reverberate in her teachings. Her commitment to environmental and social justice is unwavering; earth activism rooted in love is interwoven within the ever growing community of passionate healers that seek apprenticeship with her. In times like these, it’s very easy to feel hopeless and powerless. Marysia’s teachings, and the Gaia community, have given me back my hope and my power.
- Oceana Blueskyes, 2019
Marysia is an excellent teacher - she is a living example of her teachings and conveys the knowledge from a deeply spiritual place, with great reverence. She is also really fun to be with and makes sure to spend time with each student to build a relationship that goes beyond the material studied.
She allowed the class to grow together organically by guiding us through beautiful rituals and personal shares in our circle. It did not take long for us apprentices to form a loving, supportive, sisterly group to the point that we decided, once the program ended, to stay in touch and learn together for the rest of our lives.
Marysia transitioned into teaching us online, once we were not allowed to meet as a group anymore. Her spirit and care came through the screen, and I felt equally supported as I had before.
As a graduate, I feel that I am just at the beginning of a rich and fulfilling journey that will take me deeper into the plant (spirit) world where I can play, learn, create, and share what I learned. I feel deeply nourished, accomplished, proud, and inspired. I have participated in many teacher trainings, programs, and workshops. The Gaia School of Healing is by far my favorite and has brought me the greatest inspiration and transformation. Bless it be.
- Beate Chee, 2020
Going into this course I was a total NOVICE. I knew I was called to the plants, I knew I wanted to learn, to build a home apothecary, to make medicine. But I had NO IDEA...my life would be changed forever in the best possible way I could imagine. The teachings I received from our beloved teacher, Marysia- were healing, and inspiring, and sometimes jaw dropping, mind blowing, AHA moments. Marysia is the most selfless teacher I have ever known. She devotes herself to Gaia and to her students with a deep love and devotion. She is WISE beyond her years- and so humble. So, so, so, very humble. It was a true privilege to learn from her. After my 10 month journey in this course, I did build a home apothecary. I now have tinctures, and tonics, and glycerins, and teas filling my shelves. But ALSO- my shoulders feel lighter, my nervous system is calmer, my energy has improved, my days are spent with more mindfulness and rest. My eyes are brighter and my fingernails are dirtier.
Thank you Marysia, thank you GAIA school, thank you Gaia sisters and brothers, thank you Grandmother Oak, thank you Plumcot Farm. Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again. Blessed be.
- Mimi Karsh Narducci, 2019
I say with full confidence that Marysia is the most authentic and true teacher I've been honored to be a student of. I believe we have had this transformation and opening to this holy realm not only because of the plants, but because of her unparalleled guidance.
She is present, she is passionate, she is love, and gives it to her students unconditionally.
There are practices from this course, like shamanic journeying, making medicine, the self care wheel, calling in the directions and of course, plant spirit meditations, that I will continue in my life and use forever. Thank you Marysia for this unforgettable and majestic journey.
-Natalie Holbrook, 2020
I had just finished a disagreement with a loved one. I walked to my car. Head down, tears in my eyes, sadness abound. Suddenly, I felt a presence and what followed was a whisper: ‘look up.’ I turned my gaze upward and there I saw these beautiful flowers dangling from a tree. Each one with their petals open to the source of their center. With a gentle gust of wind, a flower fell to my hand. At that moment, the tree and I had a conversation, one filled with adoration for the other: I admired the tree and how open her flowers remained, while she admired me and my flow of tears; both of us expressing ourselves. I smiled and felt so much better. This is what the Gaia School of Healing has taught me. Specifically, Marysia has shown me how to reinvigorate the connection we as humans have to nature. I have never felt so alive as I do now, largely because I feel so connected to the cycles of nature and fully know I too am one of her beautiful flowers.
This program is meant for every being to rediscover their truth and their rightful place in the garden of life.
- Elyce Talavera, 2019
The Gaia School of Healing 10 month Apprenticeship was life changing. Like really life changing. I am not the same person as I was last year and I'm very excited about. I've never known what it's like to be feminine. Growing up, everything that was remotely feminine wasn't accepted. I healed from my childhood trauma surrounding women and now I have so many Gaia sisters I love so so much. I never knew how to embrace femininity and I never knew it could feel so good. I developed a relationship with plants like no other. I take plants walks, hug trees, and started appreciating the world around me- even recognizes mother earth and father sky as beloved. I take more pauses in life. I nourish my nervous system and shift consciousness. I honor myself. I HONOR MYSELF!! I never knew that was a thing. I explored and learned about the chakra system, the elements and plant spirits. I sit with plants and can identify them in the wild. Just the other day, I was walking on La Brea and Fountain Ave in Los Angeles and I saw two Ginkgo trees. I screamed and cried in joy. The feeling of seeing Ginkgo, I hugged and embraced her. It made my day. I was introduced to the beloved Schisandra, my favorite herb. Expressing how Schisandra made me feel after a plant meditation and then Marysia confirming the actions of the herb with my experience, best day of my life. I've had the spirit of Schisandra ever since. Marysia is a phenomenal teacher. Seeing her love and passion for herbalism is inspiring. I wish all teachers were like Marysia. Her vulnerability, kindness, wisdom, love, and devotion for our planet is like no other. She's a true gift to this world and I am HONORED to have her as a master teacher. I am lucky to experience her gift and her love. I am crying as I write this but Marysia, saved my life. She activated something inside me that I never knew was there, and that's love. I replaced fear with love and I've been loving every one and every living thing since.
— Tracy Warr, 2020
I grew so much in my understanding of the plant spirit realm and in my connection to plants. I truly appreciate the technical botany articles and plethora of knowledge in the course materials that I can look through for guidance as I gain more practical experience.
I have been involved in permaculture and organic gardening for years, but this class took me into other realms to really meet the plants intimately which helped me to deepen my knowledge for healing myself and others!
- Carolyn C. Joy Dasher, 2020
This class has been life-changing. I grew up in a very logical-minded family of Western medicine doctors and ended up being a Western medicine doctor myself. Even though I had an interest in topics like chakras, energy healing, and herbalism, I really didn't know anything in these topics before the class started. I had no idea what a spiritual transformation I would be in for!
I am now more aware of the existence of the nonphysical realm in our everyday lives, and how our energy and vibration levels affect our lives and the world on the physical plane. In the class, we work with Gaia (the Earth), Spirits, and plant allies to help us become more aware of our vibrations and to shift it in order to help us and the world heal. By working with our plant allies and other tools provided by Marysia, I began to understand what it means to provide love and nourishment to myself and to the earth on different levels, including body, mind, and soul.
This class was a journey of self-discovery and self-love. I have moved away from logic-based thinking into finding a balance of using my head and my heart. I am much more aware of karmic patterns and blocks that I would like to heal. Best of all, I have so many more tools I can use to help others on their own healing journeys as well. Thank you Marysia for all you have done to help me progress in my journey into becoming a healer!
— Meghan Jain, 2020
The Gaia School of Plant Medicine and Healing is a powerful course that led me through the seasons, the chakras on a beautiful journey of plant medicine. Marysia guides us intimately into a web of connection with the earth, its plant allies and creatures. As we begin to familiarize with categories of plants and their medicinal properties, we also began to meet the plant spirits themselves. Working with the healing elementals we began to heal ourselves. I became more grounded and rooted to my town, my home and really myself as we worked monthly with key nourishing herbs. Expanding onto the nervines and adaptogens, my immune system was strengthened. My awareness and trust in my own intuition grew. I was timid at first to believe that I could help others with this knowledge but my daughter became ill and I was able to prescribe herbs that helped. Little by little I healed my chronic hip injury and became calmer and more grounded. During the corona virus my plant knowledge gave me confidence and calm under this pandemic. I am so grateful for this journey and will use this knowledge for the rest of my life.
— Cecilie Stuart, 2020
Here you will read testimonials about life-changing experiences, profundity beyond words, and miracles - this is no fluff. The Sacred Medicine Apprenticeship is a metamorphosis designed for you to heal yourself on your own terms. I am stepping into my own, finally, holding sovereignty in my life for my own healing as an earth activist. Marysia's offerings go far beyond teas and tinctures - this is a revolutionary uprising. Marysia radically asked me to trust myself, to trust my intuition, and to trust in Gaia's wisdom - this freedom granted me the responsibility to allow myself to heal. At times, I wanted a cure, a savior, an exorcism, or a way out; our society is full of these insane conventions. I am rewilding that well-trodden path and choosing another way. The Wise Woman tradition invited me to play in the garden where I practiced my strength, courage, intuition and equanimity. In turn I was granted songs of praise, personal integrity, family, and real deep nourishment.
— Lucia Santina, 2020
The Gaia Apprenticeship Course was a journey into my soul and a transformative experience. It’s hard to describe in words. It’s like entering a beautiful dream and realizing you are finally home. The yearning in my heart to connect with something deeper was realized and the ancient wisdom teachings connected me with the earth, the universe and to myself. It is a profound experience. It’s like a handbook to life and will leave you with a deep reverence for the earth and what it means to be human. Marysia is the heart of it all. She shares her wealth of knowledge while also intuitively seeing into the hearts of each of her students while humbly guiding us as we awaken and trust our own intuitive deep listening. Thank you Marysia – you awakened me and taught my soul to FLY!
—Lisa Christensen, 2020
The journey this year with Marysia through the Gaia school of healing has been a gift beyond my wildest dreams. What I thought would be an in depth dive into folk herbalism was not only that but also a journey back to myself through the medicine of Gaia and the plants allies. It was a path to wholeness, mothering the mother, nourishing the depths of my nervous system and healing my entire being. I so trust the divine timing of this process and I am beyond grateful to call Marysia a beloved teacher and Gaia Sister. I came to class with strong new mama energy that needed deep nourishment, and was so eager, open and willing to connect with the plant spirits. This course brought me back to life and fully nourished me in ways I didn’t know possible. The plants spoke so strong and their messages so clear. As soon as the plants nourished me and my soul back to life and full vitality, I found myself pregnant once again during our journey into the sacral chakra. I can’t imagine a more magical journey to be on while pregnant physically with child and spiritually with the seed of Gaia. I revel in the fact that this is just the beginning of a lifelong journey I am on with the plant spirits, magic and medicine of mother Earth.
—Jilliane Gaffney, 2020
Tears of gratitude have just started to flow as I reflect upon the life altering year that I have experienced with the Gaia School of Healing and Earth Education in Malibu. I have always been a seeker - a lifelong learner - and as a result I have trained in many different healing modalities. From Polarity Therapy to Water Release Therapy, to a foundation year in TCM at Emperor’s College in Santa Monica, to Reiki and Sound Bath Healing but the most profound area of study has been with Marysia and the Gaia school. With a heart full of love and gratitude I thank you for the initiation into the plant world. I am forever changed and can finally say I have found my true calling as an Herbalist.
- Lara Carrigan, 2020
Learning about foraging, and the intelligence and nutrition that wild abundant plants hold was enlightening and inspiring and one of my favorite parts of class. With Marysia’s guidance in plant meditations, shamanic journeys and other calming and nourishing practices, I was reclaiming, renewing and remembering my spirit and getting hands on healing from the plants while deepening my love for nature and mother earth. I’d always had a connection to nature, plants and trees, flowers, birds and sky, but I was new to herbalism. With the first herbal tea meditation under Grandmother Oak tree at Plumcot farm I knew I was not only in the right place, but that this was no ordinary herbalism class. I was walking through a Portal with Marysia clearing the way. Marysia taught us that in connecting to the spirits of the plants through devotion and love we would create beautiful relationships that lead to powerful medicine. I am so grateful for learning this sacred and spiritual path of herbalism. I am forever changed by this passage and grateful for the many indelible experiences, and the sisters and brothers I have met along the way.
-Marianna Gilles, 2020
The Gaia School of Healing has been life changing. I feel as if the miracle of nature has opened up to me for the first time. Now when I am in nature I am excited by all the beautiful plants and trees and I see them through a new lens. Not only has it benefited me in countless ways but I have shared this wisdom with my family and friends and everyone is grateful for the deep nourishment and healing. I am forever grateful for the joy, friendships and deep spiritual journey Marysia has led us on. As a yoga teacher I feel this knowledge was a missing piece I had never learned to connect with. I was always reaching for the heavens but now that I have discovered a deep love and appreciation for mother gaia I feel balanced between heaven and earth. Gaia School of healing connects the chakras with the seasons with the herbs to infinite love and wisdom. Thank you Marysia for opening your heart and sharing your infinite love.
- Melissa Breslow, 2020
I don’t know if I found the Gaia School or if the Gaia School found me. There is no perfect language to describe the profound impact this program has had on my life. I've always looked at herbs and dreamt of knowing what they did and how they were medicinal but i never even thought to ask WHO they are. To recognize their spirits and work with them as teachers. There is so much knowledge to be gained from this class. On a basic level you learn an incredible amount. You learn how to identify plants, to know what plants heal what and support what, how to make medicines and salves and tinctures etc… You learn all of the things you want to know.
Then there is the MAGICK. The magick you may not have fully understood or even existed, but if you are called to this course, somewhere inside of you there is a tiny voice that is well aware not just of the magick of this course, but of all the magick YOU hold in your bones, the magick of your reconnection with nature, the magick of your birthright, and all of the magick this earth that we live on has to teach us. We have access to the greater teacher if we can learn how to listen. Maryisa teaches you to learn how to listen so that you may be in true communion with the earth. I came to this course wanting to know how to heal myself, through the herbs. I also thought it would be super fucking cool to know how to make cough syrup and salves. What I couldn’t have imagined or planned for was the deeper spiritual healing this class guides you through.
There have always been these faint whispers in my ears that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. A little bit of an unknown longing in my bones that i could never put my finger on, sometimes it has felt as though I am walking through life wearing a costume that makes me look human, but fuck if i know how to be human- “I don’t on this planet" I’ve always thought to myself. The world as we live in it now never made sense to me. I was a little insecure, a little out of place, and a lot brave. The brave is what brought me to this class. This class is what brought me home to myself.
Maryisa is an INCREDIBLE teacher. She is basically a fucking wikipedia page on herbs, medicines, plants, flowers, farming, landscaping, all things earth and so much more. Beyond that she is an incredible healer, who walks the path of healing herself and has been on that path for I’m sure a very long time. She has done her own work and in her doing her work, she is able to bring that knowledge back and guide others.
I like to joke that you can’t be a tour guide of NYC if you have never been to NYC. Meaning, Maryisa has clearly walked the path of self healing and because she has shown up for herself, she shows up so clean for her students, and so profoundly shows us how to show up for ourselves. That is the MAGICK of this class. Maryisa gives you what you pay for, you leave this course having a deep relationship and strong foundational knowledge of herbs. The GIFT Maryisa gives you is yourself. You fucking get to come home to yourself in a way that the society we currently live in discourages us from being at home with ourselves.
They want us to buy, spend, produce, constantly look for things outside of ourselves to bring us comfort. BUT THAT IS THE RUB! These external things will never actually fill our spiritual wells. This class IS THE FUCKING REVOLUTION! Reconnection with earth, reconnection with ourselves. To be self-sufficient, to have agency over our bodies and know that the earth provides us everything we need and we are deeply loved and held no matter what no matter what. Also great to know that lavender oil is good for burns. Thank you Maryisa! Thank you Sage!
- Sam Saifer, 2020
Participating in the Plant Medicine Apprenticeship with Marysia Miernowska has been a highlight of my life. There were so many twists and turns and unexpected miracles that happened to me and the precious group that I feel privileged to have studied with. Not only is Marysia a fountain of wisdom of all things earth, her abundant love in sharing her treasures is the magic mixture that created the community that filled my heart with new soulful friends who resonate with the same values that I hold. I am without a doubt a different human after having graduated and with that, I share this energy with all the people I come into contact with. As I call myself an herbalist now, I feel in union with the sun, the moon and the stars.
- Leigh Bantivoglio, 2020
The Gaia School of Healing apprenticeship in Malibu has been LIFE CHANGING for me. The Wise Woman healing tradition, taught by Marysia Miernowska, is such an important modality for any healer and earth advocate (regardless of gender identification) to deepen their understanding of, and experience first hand. This apprenticeship allowed me to comprehend, from day 1, what it means to truly embody the feminine. It’s something that I was unable to understand for so long based on growing up in our society and working in the corporate world for many years - but it was the most beautiful awakening to be able to not only see – modeled so beautifully by Marysia, my group, the herbs and all the teachings, but to really FEEL what it meant in MY body and in my energy. I have been in the energy healing space for the last several years and I kept wanting to deepen my knowledge of the chakra system - by reading different books or finding different teachers to study from outside of what I already had in the years prior - and I intuitively kept getting to wait… and it made so much sense when we started this course why – as this was the course that finally MADE SENSE to me on every level. There was no confusion about it at all and I learned it in a language that my brain/heart/body needed to hear. To be able to learn in an outdoor space for most of the program, shoes off, no phones, communal potluck, was transformative to me as well and reinforced the importance of shifting how we/our children are currently learning and how being able to commune with nature can help enhance what/how we are ingesting – regardless of the teachings or the location. One of the most impactful parts of each month were the incredible rituals that allowed us to tangibly experience what we were learning in unique and creative ways that were deeply intentioned – each and every one was so affecting and powerful.It was also incredible how we created a relationship with each herb through a guided tea meditation – it felt so sacred and profound every single time and taught us how to drop in to deep presence with something we have all done so often prior but always took for granted. I can’t imagine my initial experience in an herbalism course being with any other teacher. My expectations were exceeded tremendously. This is the type of course that everyone, at all ages, should be required to take eventually. It would shift humanity so tremendously and for that I am so grateful that each of us get to take these teachings and help share them to our communities.
- Julie Hovsepian, Gaia CA graduate June 2020
The 10 month apprenticeship with the Gaia school of healing has been a transformative year beyond belief and I don't want it to be over. I have learned invaluable knowledge about how to make my own herbal medicines, how to find and connect with my own plant allies, what herbs to use for different blockages or ailments etc I also loved learning more about how to set up sacred space, call in the directions, use sacred smokes, learn shamanic journeying and bodywork..ahh so much, it's been an epic year!! I have gone to a completely non toxic lifestyle during this year with the knowledge and inspiration of Marysia and my new found community of green witches and I would have never thought year ago that I would leave my 17-year long career in fashion to move to the countryside to nourish my body, mind and spirit with a more stress and toxin-free lifestyle. Marysia is the most inspiring teacher I have ever had and never a second was dull. She is a wise woman with knowledge beyond her years and whoever gets the chance to learn from her is blessed.Forever grateful for this year and for this new path I am on.
- Nina Wiger, 2020
The Gaia School of Healing has been so much more than a herbal medicine course. It has been a deep and profound remembrance from the amnesia that we have have ever been separate from the earth and from each other. The relationships it cultivates with the plants is nothing you could ever read from a book. This is the ancient knowledge passed down from generation to generation that has lost its way through our modernization. I can’t describe the joy that comes from reconnecting with plants that your soul has been in deep relationship with for millennia. It has been like meeting my best friend after being separated for years. I have reconnected with lost parts of myself that desperately needed to be reclaimed. I now have a deep and intuitive understanding of over 60 different plants and how to use them. I have reconnected with what it means to be a healer, and the beautiful responsibility of reclaiming this title for myself. I feel so grateful and lucky to have learned these practical and spiritual methods of healing myself, others, and the earth. This year has been completely life changing, and has peeled away so many of the layers that have kept me sleeping. My loving towards humanity, myself, and for the earth continues to grow, and I am so deeply grateful this program found me. With deepest love,
- Maria Haddad, 2020
My healing journey with the Gaia School of Healing, CA and Marysia Miernowska has been divinely guided, protected and initiated! Marysia's knowledge of the plants and her connection with them is deep truth, and truly wonderful to witness, participate in and be guided by. We (her students) were held in a powerful container of Earth wisdom, nurturing a deep and healing love of the plants, of Mother Earth and of each other. The journey has been challenging at times, the plants enabling me to face some of my deepest fears to bring forth truth. For truth is love. Love is acceptance. We are all children of Mother Earth and Father Sky and there is nothing to fear, there is only love.I encourage you, on your journey, if this message calls to you, to embrace Marysia and the healing power of the plant kingdom. We are all part of the giant web of creation, weaving a tapestry of beauty, light and love. We are sisters and brothers bringing this beautiful planet Earth back to her natural state of healing love. Mother Earth loves us so much and Marysia is her vessel of that love! Thank you Marysia. Thank you Divine Mother Earth, Father Sky the plant kingdom, my guides and teachers, and my brothers and sisters on this incredible journey!
Sat Nam,- Julie Melton, 2020
I am filled with gratitude for The Gaia School of Healing and the teachings from Marysia Miernowska. This was not only an informative apprenticeship program, but also a spiritual and healing journey that I am most grateful for. I started with not knowing a thing about plant medicinal properties and the connection that one can have with nature and spirit. And now, my life has shifted in a way that many should experience. I left with so much knowledge, support, and information that I will continue using for the rest of my life. I have much to learn and I'm looking forward to what next is offered. If you are reading this, I highly recommend looking further into any programs offered by The Gaia School and my teacher, an Herbalist, a plant spirit healer, and so much more; Marysia Miernowska.
- Diana Lemus, 2020, a Green Witch and Student of Nature
Learning from Marysia via The Gaia School of California was an invaluable and transformative life experience. I went in expecting to “just” be trained in herbalism and the wise woman tradition, yet underwent a complete spiritual journey of personal healing and reintegration of myself. The way the curriculum was structured allowed us to gain incredible, yet easy to digest insight into the tradition. Each month built upon the deep roots or foundation laid in the beginning months. Marysia embodies every aspect of the Earth goddess that she teaches about. Her knowledge of and enthusiasm for earth medicine is unlike anyone else I’ve experienced in this field. Taking this course became a complete reboot on personal and professional priorities that I so needed and am eternally grateful for. I recommend it to everyone who wants to reclaim their wild self!
- Jamie Pelayo, 2020
The Gaia school of Healing and Earth Education was an incredible experience that I recommend to anyone curious of plant medicine, with a love for the earth and spirit. This course was nourishing to my mind, body and soul in more ways than one. Incredibly healing, this course is transformational - not just with knowledge but also with life. The sense of community and love built between classmates and classes is something I will cherish forever in my heart.
- Melissa Pierce, 2020
I love this class. I love meditating with the plants. It provided a learning and a knowing that I could never get from studying alone. It has been such a magnificent journey. A journey into myself and my relationship with mother earth. A deeper understanding of who I am and how I operate in a group. Marysia, you are so filled with knowledge and joy and vitality. Learning from you is a great pleasure and your spirit inspires me. I love you and our group so much. Your “fuck yes!” has been the most surprising and powerful tool for me. We all have a great knowing living inside of us. It has taken me a long time to be honest with myself and choices and trust my “Yes.” Indecision is my burden and often a way I hide from myself. There is something so powerful for me in the simplicity of connecting to the “fuck yes” that has really helped. I wish there was more Gaia. I wish class were more than once a month. I want to continue. I want to go deeper. I feel there is some much more to learn. This class has opened a world to me I have been searching for. It is just my beginning. I am so grateful. Thank you!
- Jill Losquadro, 2018
I freaking love everything about your teachings. You lead the most kick ass meditations ever. It’s the way you talk. It's so sultry. Your love of the plants and deep knowledge of the medicine is such a gift. You have forever changed my life and I am super grateful. I love and adore you.
-Fabienne Farris-Gilbert, 2018
The gratitude I feel for you and this program is beyond words. For so long I have been searching for you and all of my Gaia family and I feel full. Fully seen, fully held, fully whole. The time we spend in the tent in sacred space together is so cherished and the plant meditations are out of this world... literally. From the curation of all the readings to the sacred rituals we have been sharing in class, everything feels perfectly aligned and so graciously offered to us. I loved the Earth Whisper ritual and was moved so deeply by that. I will continue to practice this ritual whenever called and especially on the cusp of the deep dream of winter like we did in class. The facebook forum is another incredible aspect to the class. It is such a safe space for sharing and I am amazed (but not surprised) by how wonderful and knowledgeable each member of the community is. I continue to be amazed by the way you hold space for all students and the plants in class. Your wisdom, grace, eloquence, and essence are so inspiring. Along with all of my plant spirit allies that I carry with me in my life and work I also carry you with me as one of my greatest teachers and allies. I can't imagine my life without this class, this community, and you. Thank you so!
-Casey Kalmenson, 2018
I come home after every class and say “That was the best class ever.” So, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for this life- changing journey that I am going to be carrying with me for the rest of my life. Also, your energy is so unique and you are such an amazing inspiration in my life! I find myself talking about the lessons I learn from you all the time.
-Jasmin Bersamin, 2018
I have learned so much in class and in the readings, but especially from the plants. I am grateful for the opportunity to drink in all of this knowledge and integrate it into my own life.
-Eliana Yoneda, 2018
Oh my goodness, I am so in love with this journey. I knew I needed to find a way to immerse myself in plant medicine and also focus on healing myself, and I knew that the Gaia school sounded amazing, but I could not have imagined how beautiful and transformative this experience would be. I love our weekends together, and only wish that I was closer to LA to be more connected to everyone throughout the month. The experiences that you share with us in class are so magickal and sacred. I also love the home practices as reminders to stay connected to the current of transformation all month. I’m so ecstatically grateful to be a part of this school, and for all that you have done to make that possible for me and for each of us. I just don’t want it to end!
-Katie Gemmer, 2018
This has been amazing. Marysia, your knowledge is incredible. I always feel grounded and inspired.
-Andrea Gargotta, 2018
I am deeply grateful for the love, healing support and guidance of these magical plants. The beauty of receiving the medicine in nature through meditation in a safe, nurturing container has been profound. The timing of this program couldn’t have been more perfect in that it’s guiding, supporting and holding me in this rich, beautiful, and challenging journey. Your ability to create and hold space with such grace and vulnerability is what makes this program so special and unique. Thank You for showing up and guiding us to deeply connect with Earth- the most powerful practice we all need to make this world a more peaceful and beautiful place.
-Sara Mangano, 2018
Well, where do I begin? You’ve taught me how to slow down, create sacred space, connect with plants, elements, beings and ancestors, and nurture myself. I’ve undergone a huge transformation, and a release of some very deep grief (I think I’m still releasing, but it’s good). I feel like I’m living the parable of the cave. You know the story – once they left the cave and experienced what was possible, they couldn’t go back.
That’s what it’s like for me. Now that I’ve experienced the world of medicinal plants, I can’t go back and live without them. They’re now a part of my life. Even though I feel like a real beginner, it’s not stopping me in any way. I am approaching this experience like a child with eyes and heart wide open. I believe that is the greatest gift that the Gaia course offers – that no matter what level you’re at, the plants will speak to you, and you’ll grow, just like they do. So, I wouldn’t change a thing.
I hope you’ll talk to us soon about Gaia Rhythms, and how we can continue on in our growth as Green Witches after we graduate in June. I hope that is the end of a chapter, but not the end of the book. May I say that I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we little green witchlings love you with all our hearts. Your amazing knowledge, grace, and wisdom is a wonder to behold! Thank you!!!
-Judy Nelson, 2018
I would like you to know the deep gratitude I have for this journey, that I find hard to put into words, So far, it is a priceless journey into self, via the planet and all of her magick. The plant meditations are obviously very potent. The home practice is so fun and engaging, from the readings, to making fire cider. I would enjoy even more at-home activities. I love Gaia school so much that I would even appreciate shortening the lunch break, so we have more time for the plants and learning… but maybe that’s just me! Love!!!
-Mary DeLorenzo-Woods, 2018
The most helpful journey thus far was going deep within the reproductive system, connecting and working with different plants in order to regulate and decrease my menstrual cycle. Being diagnosed with menorrhagia has been a challenge. If I can successfully regulate and reduce, I would love to share my experience and knowledge to the community of women who have challenges with menorrhagia as well.
-Tmesha Young, 2018
I am so appreciating and enjoying your teachings and our practices, Marysia. Your opening ceremonies are so beautiful, resonating and deeply connecting; I have never felt such an incredible connection with the elements as I do when you take us into sacred space and circle. I am feeling some sadness in realizing our journey with your apprenticeship will be coming to a close in June and I hope to be able to deepen this journey much more with such amazing souls as ours in further and continued practice. If I had to provide feedback about a challenge with our course, I would have to say that it would be about not being able to attend as many magickal workshops as I wish I could since I am limited to being able to attend only in evenings and weekends unless I take time off from work. I was able to get a half day off of work one half day to attend a loving salve and potion class that dear Liz held in her beautiful home on a Friday afternoon and I so enjoyed the time shared with others from your other classes that day, too. I am not really complaining as I understand our fellow green Gaia witches are opening their homes to support us however they may and I am appreciative for any opportunity I am able to join. I sincerely have nothing but gratitude for you and all those I have been fortunate enough to meet and practice with. I want to make the effort to support you and our beautiful Gaia loving community, and expect to be able to do more of this in the coming month. Thank you so much!
-Shawna Shah, 2018
I am really liking the class and wish we had more time for Chakra study. It’s new to me and there appears to be so much content on each Chakra and their relationship to each other. At times the chakras feel rather fluid which is not always settling with me. I also really like the Meet-ups although there sometimes are not enough times/locations to select from, for folks who work 9-5. It’s a great time to connect on a small group to other classmates. So many of the students possess a lot of insight and come from different backgrounds and experience, (in regards to herbs), that I could learn from. I would like to see some of the Sat/Sun time also spent on medicine making and connecting medicine making to ailments.
-Scott Barnes, 2018
I am so grateful. My heart has stayed full since the beginning of this apprenticeship. I am so grateful for the friendships I am making within the human realm and plant room. I love class the most because it’s fun and magical and powerful and I have been craving more feminine energy and I finally feel I’m getting it through class. I love the readings and I love the mentor meet ups though I want to go to more of them! I don’t want to miss any more of them! This journey most importantly right now has me really excited to put in work externally where in the past few years I’ve been mostly internally focused. I am so excited to be learning with Marysia and even had a dream where she (you?) married me and my future partner! I cannot believe we’re already this far into it, it's going so fast! I love you Marysia and I love the guy at school with everything.
-Reyna Lopez, 2018
This journey has been transformative. I am so grateful for all the knowledge and magic I have experienced thus far! Journeying with the plants in class is so helpful, because I begin an experiential relationship with the plant. I appreciate sitting in sacred circle, listening to others and sharing, exchanging, learning together. I learn a lot from the conversations we have in class, and I carry them with me as I continue my home practice. Plus, the google drive is abundant in incredible articles! I am so grateful to have those accessible to reference always! Overall, this journey has exceeded far past what I ever could have expected, and I am eager to continue this path.
-Leah Cohen, 2018
Taking this class has been life changing. I’m so glad I have had the opportunity to be involved in such an amazing practice. That I am able to learn and to take the time to heal myself and in turn encourage others to do the same. I have seen a lot of sadness in people, and unfortunately I have lost a lot of individuals as a consequence. My family struggles a lot with depression and addiction, over worrying, anxiety and countless other issues. The way you teach others to connect to the earth and to themselves is empowering, it instills hope and teaches respect and patience. In the beginning the meditations were difficult for me, they seemed long for someone who doesn't often like to sit too long with herself, in silence. Yet now, months later - I look at it so differently. I enjoy the home practice and the readings - it helps us to remember to incorporate healthy habits and self love into our daily lives - no matter how busy we are. I look forward to the journey inside myself. I look forward to everything that's to come. Thank you for creating an open safe space and community and thank you for encouraging me to find my voice and to use it, all while not being so hard on myself when things don't go perfectly.
-Eliza Doolittle, 2018
This class has been more than I could ever expect. I look forward to every circle and love reading the articles, doing the home practice and connecting to everyone in class. Sitting with the plant infusions in a group is a magical experience. I love journeying, listening to the talks and learning about plant properties, histories and mythology. Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and connecting so many amazing people. I feel so fortunate and grateful to be a part of this class.
-Bee Harris, 2018
What I find so powerful about the journey is how easy it is to integrate the teachings into my everyday life. The information is easy to share with others, where they aren’t intimidated about using the plants, it isn’t scary or too much for them to wrap their minds around. I love how free and un‐rigid the plants are, there is space to be creative and mix up blends and create customized blends intuitively. I enjoy the homework of working consistently with a handful of plants every month. Regarding feedback, the method of buying herbs at the end of class could be improved. I wish Paypal and Venmo was an accepted form of payment, having cash is always difficult. Also, maybe herb purchases could happen during lunchtime, it’s impossible to leave at a reasonable time when everyone is purchasing at the end of class.
-Melissa Bacoka, 2018
This journey has been amazing and I am so immensely grateful to have this opportunity to experience this. Marysia, you are one amazing being and I am always in awe in how you so effortlessly and beautifully run the class. I rave about how amazing this apprenticeship is to everyone I know. I have no doubts that this apprenticeship is a significant turning point in my life. I am excited for the unfolding of my being and the coming of greater alignment to my soul’s purpose and a blossoming of my soul’s true essence. That you Marysia for the beautiful magical being that you are!!! You are an inspiration to me!
-Nanette Duarte, 2018
I never want this year to end! You create such an impeccable container for learning and healing and sharing. This safe space has made possible an unraveling of the blocked traumas inside my psyche and my chakral programming in a way that makes me feel comfortable revealing my truest expression to community instead of doing the work and having that be a solitary experience. I wasn’t expecting this journey to be so deeply healing, but I now understand that this is the most powerful learning tool we have - to go through the motions of healing ourselves so that we are fully equipped to heal others. Thank you for the gift of being you and sharing your beautiful energy and earth mama channeling with so many! I appreciate you so much!!
-Hillary Riley, 2018
My journey so far has been really beautiful and I’ve learned so much. I so appreciate your energy, devotion and knowledge. I especially love how you hold space and create a nurturing and magical environment for us all to explore and connect to the plant spirits. I really love all the reading material in the drive from various voices and how organized the curriculum and process is. I can feel your heart-felt intentions as you teach us so thank you so much for all that you do. I also appreciate the community you’ve built and the way you’ve curated the students. I’ve created communities before so I know that careful curation is often the invisible secret sauce that holds it all together. So I honor your intuition and ability to draw the talented loving people that you’ve called into this circle. Much love and respect.
-Sharon Ann Lee, 2018
I don’t think I could’ve dreamed of a better learning opportunity. Having had a traumatic learning experience my entire life, I am beyond grateful to have found this school. I appreciate the way we do everything in community and in love. I love the structure of the course and how we start from the bottom and work our way up (literally), Experiencing plants in a way I would have never thought to experience them. The only thing I wish we had more of is more class days!
-Chris Santillan, 2018
I love this course, and everything about it. I love the way you express the wisdom and how it flows out of your being mellifluously. I love our class, the set up, the land, the energy and vibe and the teachings!! I feel grateful that I chose this herbal course as my foundation, as it resonates with the deepest wisdoms of the Earth, and I believe that's why it feels so right. I really have enjoyed understanding the elemental forces and creating balance from that aspect, as I have been feeling that is part of the key to creating balance within the earth's elements is through us balancing it within ourselves first and then mirroring that out through the collective, and then deeper throughout the universe. I also love the connection between the chakras and the major systems of the body. This is something that I have always studied, but never really paid attention to their interconnectedness. Sooo THANK YOU!
-Jade Ben-Shoshan, 2018
First off I want to personally thank you for making space for myself and everyone else to remember and give guidance back to the Old Ways. Your medicine has been life changing thus far! Before I came into the apprenticeship I began a journey of the Great Work/Jungian Shadow Work and honestly, diving into the first stage of Nigredo had been a very difficult and struggling few years. Facing them without the herb is something I will never recommend. Ever since I started working with the blessing herbs and lower chakra herbs, they have instantly made that hardship so gentle and loving, they have removed the fear of facing my Shadows and have given me a space to truly nurture them. I am amazed with how the syllabus is aligning so perfectly with what I have been personally working on. True Alchemy on so many levels! I am in love and so grateful. Thank you, thank you Marysia.
-Marianna Nichols, 2018
My journey so far has been life changing. I truly feel that I am awakening + consciously connecting to my chakras for the first time. It’s as if my entire life I was following this pre-existing plan without knowing it was written through the hands of greed. When I had my first son Dominic almost 18 years ago, the picture started coming through a little more clear. As I raised him, I learned so much about the pure nature of life + humanity itself. We all just seem to follow in the footsteps of our family, cultures, + societies. This modern American culture does not teach us to connect with any of our chakras, it’s quite a shame. These energy portals are what connects us to the natural order + bliss of life! It’s beyond amazing journeying with all of the different plants that are here to guide us into the natural way of the Earth + life itself. Not only are the plants providing their healing medicine, but being a part of this intimate group of transformative people is so healing as well. I’ve often felt like an odd duck floating from one pond to another looking for the place where I can just be my true self without any judgement. The Gaia family has provided this place. I feel at home + one with everyone in the circle, including the plant spirits. It’s like a small example of how society should really be living. It’s truth! Thank you Marysia + Sage for bringing this magical path into the consciousness of humanity again. This great healing is what ourselves + our planet need to survive. I am eternally grateful for this experience.
-Kristen Luna, 2018
I love you. I love this class. It’s been amazing. It’s been a profound experience connecting with plant energies and connecting with them as allies. You are an incredible human and teacher. So blessed to learn from you. I finally feel I’m beginning to connect with my body which is such a blessing. It only took me 45 years…Ha Ha. Better late than never. I love everything. For me the plant meditations are the most helpful because it is foreign for me to mediate with and tune into plant energy. I’ve learned so much and I’m always in awe of how we all experience so many similarities in the plants. I love all the rituals too but it’s something I’m more practiced in.
-Meredith Sloane, 2018
Marysia, It is hard to encapsulate my overall feelings of what you and The Gaia School of Healing means to me. I am already beginning to grieve the culmination of our time together even though we still have a few more months of class! I know all of us echo this sentiment when I say I wish we met more than 2 days a month. However, I am seeing how so much of this education really comes from the home practice and integration. I really have to thank you for all the ways in which you hold our container and for all the work you do-big and small, to ensure we have the most enjoyable journey. During our time in class, I really love our meditations and getting to meet the plants but I feel some of the most impactful moments have come from the rituals you infuse into each meeting. The rituals that come to mind right now: the practice of laying our burdens onto the earth, painting our sacral chakra and our fire burning ceremony. I know there is so much more I would like to say but it will have to wait until another day. For right now, I just want to offer my deepest bow of gratitude for choosing me to take part in this life-changing journey.
-Courtney Hein, 2018
This journey so far has been terrifying but empowering because we are healing old wounds and accepting parts of ourselves we didn’t know how to accept and love. Through our months so far, I have grown and accepted myself and have lost people and gained more. It made me realize what family and friends truly are. With your guidance and my plant allies I can say I’m becoming happier and letting go of what people want from me and doing what I love because I love doing it and not have an excuse as to why I’m doing something.
-Sam Ibrahim, 2018
Oh, Marysia. Where to begin? This has been the most incredible journey I have ever embarked on. Having you as a teacher to learn from and gather with in ceremony is such a gift! You are the most amazing teacher and a woman that inspires me so deeply. THANK YOU! I am just so grateful. All of the teachings and practices are helpful, no one comes to mind. It is all just perfect.
-Adrienne Fisher, 2018
I struggle with showing myself and I often feel uncomfortable in groups. I often feel the need to impress and get an answer “right” rather than just give my best effort and share myself. Gaia has been a wonderful place to safely explore going against my own bad habits. It’s been a great reminder to see that plants are just plants, the sky is just the sky, the elements aren’t trying to be anything other than what they are. I aim to follow their example and just be my true self and to know that much like elements, I am enough. I look forward to growing with this sisterhood that has been created and to further connect to the plant allies, plant spirits and spirit guides. Each one of them has a unique power and simply learning how to commune with them in a specific way has been such a beautiful part of the Gaia program. The meditations that we’ve done have been some of my favorite moments, because it really is a way to apply the knowledge of the herbs to yourself in a personal way rather than just memorizing facts and bullet points. The experience so far has been transforming and I’m supremely excited to see where the rest of the course goes. Thank you my sweet angel Marysia!
-Camille French, 2018
This course has quite literally changed my life. I came in not knowing what to expect, but with a feeling of “I am supposed to be here.” Working with the herbs through the ups and downs has been incredible. I’m blown away by the timing of everything, the teachings, the healing physically/emotionally/mentally, the openness, support/community/witch hood, love and full freedom. Gaia has come through and held me in so many ways through all my beautiful life transitions; she’s raised my spirits, eliminated depression, fatigue, sadness, created connection to myself and others/deepened relationships and guided me in supporting myself and others in the journey to healing. The parts of the teachings that are most helpful are meditating with the plants in circle, connecting to one another’s energy fields and sharing incredible experiences; learning about the Chakras, especially the root thus far and how our nervous system and immune system speak to each other and how inflammation is caused; the solar plexus work, releasing what’s is no longer serving me into the fire while in a safe supported space. I love the flow of class, the openness, the way you share about your life, the unexpected, that you’re always switching it up/never gets stagnant, the time during break to ask questions to support friends and family with herbs, walking around the grounds and connecting with the earth...I could go on and on.
-Krystle Seiden, 2018
I am deeply grateful for the nourishing herbs, and the coven community.
-Stephanie Kate, 2018
Thank you!! Class is wonderful. I love the guided plant meditations to introduce us to new plant allies (as well as ones we are familiar with but may not have met in this intimate way before). It really helps to have the door already open to connection with these plants for our home practice. I love the ceremonies, and really, just everything about class.
-Taylor Walker, 2018
It feels super empowering to learn about how herbs and weeds can be medicine. I love embodying the medicine woman vibe. I love the things we are learning. Maybe it is my left-brained background, but I most enjoy the solo plant meditations and the lecture portions of class. I love sitting in circle and learning about the plants/earth/etc., and hearing everyone's questions and different perspectives on what you are saying, and hearing how others' experiences support what we are learning. I personally don't get as much from the group activities/ceremonies, although I imagine that probably is the favorite for many people. I'm guessing I'm just weird in that way, ha!
-MacKenzie Hunt, 2018
I am so grateful. My heart has stayed full since the beginning of this apprenticeship. I am so grateful for the friendships I am making within the human realm and plant room. I love class the most because it’s fun and magical and powerful and I have been craving more feminine energy and I finally feel I’m getting it through class. I love the readings and I love the mentor meet ups though I want to go to more of them! I don’t want to miss any more of them! This journey most importantly right now has me really excited to put in work externally where in the past few years I’ve been mostly internally focused. I am so excited to be learning with Marysia and even had a dream where she you? Married me and my future partner! I cannot believe we’re already this far into it, it's going so fast! I love you Marysia and I love the guy at school with everything.
-Shantel Marsell, 2018
My journey has been miraculous. The parts of the teaching and practice that have been the most helpful for me are the team meditations, learning the rituals and practicing the rituals, the readings and the group forum on Facebook.
-Georgio Jovani di Salvatore, 2018
I have always known this was my path, but I couldn't have imagined just how deep the magic of this all would shift and change me. I remember the first few classes, I couldn’t speak my truth in talking circle, there were so many blockages. Now I feel much more open and want to be seen and heard. There are several practices that stick out in my mind, one being the practice of speaking into the flesh on gaia and making an offering, this is something i will continue in my life and am so grateful for. The magic and knowledge that I now carry with me, I am also eternally grateful for.
I wish that I had answered this question first or that I didn’t procrastinate, I feel like there is so much more to say. But infinity THANK YOU.
I love learning all of the practices, like journeying, like the meditation with the plants, the practice we did when we layed with Gaia and spoke into her flesh, the womb blessing we did… these are all practices that I will carry and teach for the rest of my life. I am so grateful. I am also grateful that you are so real with your students and show us that being real is part of standing in our power.
-Kristy Downer, 2018
This has been one of the most transformational and incredible experiences of my life. MY FAVORITE SCHOOL EVA! It feels like home and I am deeply honored to be on this path and in this community of green witches. A healing has happened just by being in a community of witches…truly. Plant meditations are my absolute favorite and the portal practices have been really beautiful. In terms of my journey so far the lower 3 chakras have always been the most challenging for me to connect to, I know that I have deeper unfoldings that are still wanting to come through, and even as we are in the Solar Plexus, my Root has been needing so much more attention and care. It is my blessing to be able to dive deeper into these parts of myself that have been needing extra care and attention. I wish this class was longer and we met more! That’s the only thing I would say :)
-Mariah Lyons, 2018
This journey and you are an absolute gift. I feel deeply grateful for it and to you. I have learned SO much and am so thrilled to be on this path. In humble gratitude for you and immeasurable gifts from our Great Mother and Divine Source.
-Cyia Batten, 2018
This journey has been very eye opening for me and I am so thankful for you and this community.
-Lacy Rae Hunter, 2018
I love everything about the program. really everything! its being by far the most healing experience of all... this journey is so powerful, so life changing... I will do it all over again if I can. I am so grateful to the plants and thank you Marysia for giving us soooooo much, and sharing your magic with so much grace.
-Val Casalderrey, 2018
Just how timely and synchronistic this journey feels, the personal growth and topics/flow of class riding the wave together. It feels just right. And there’s a deep longing in the LA/SoCal area for more. I’d really like to birth in more events for our community after graduation, to deepen our ties with each other and expand offerings out, weaving a web of conscious connection. The home practices are wonderful and necessary to learn and embody the learning, but I get so much out of our meetings (and I feel my classmates do too). I feel the creating sacred space and allowing each of us to share and learn from each other, is the life blood, the juiciness of continued transformation. Wild Love Apothecary is a fabulous way for us to continue the thread of connection and expand outward--I want to continue to be involved centrally and hope that we can hold it as a collective business. I’m also passionate about being an owner or part owner of land that can grow food and herbs, be a teaching space for herbal studies/yoga/retreats. My family business is real estate, and aside from starting my own herbal business I’m learning how we run it, and it’s my intention to invest in land / space for healing & wellness purposes.
I think more discussion on the readings would be good--so that we are held accountable for reading them and get to connect with our cohorts about them. Like maybe there is a prompt posted to the Group on Facebook once a month or a Zoom study group type discussion.
I’d like to be learning from my classmates’ experiences with the herbs on themselves and others and have some focus on the more ‘clinical’ aspects of this learning. In class we mostly talk energetically about the plants and not as much about herbal actions and there usually isn’t enough time to hear the specifics of the cases in which people are using certain herbs and to what degree of success the strategy worked. Thank you !!!
-Roxanne Malcolm, 2018