A heartfelt sharing

The last weekend of our apprenticeship was a turning point.

We had climbed to the peak. We had reached that halfway place, much like the summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest point on its journey. From here, we began the walk into the decent of our experience; into integration, into everyday life, and into discovering how these experiences will continue to live within us.

It was a time of breaking through. A time of great dawnings and profound shifts in perspective.

In this potent window, one of our apprentices was willing to share a little of her experience, the wisdom that mugwort brought to her over the weekend, and how it supported her own personal transformation.

Her sharing offers a glimpse into the depth of what unfolded during this powerful stage of the apprenticeship.

Meeting Mugwort
Reflections from my Shamanic Plant Apprenticeship

There is something very special about arriving at a Shamanic Plant Apprenticeship weekend.

Before we even meet the Plant, we gather together in a sacred circle where intentions are shared and each person is welcomed exactly as they are. The space is held with great care, respect and compassion, creating a place where people feel safe enough to be seen, to be heard and, perhaps most importantly, to be held.

It is within this sacred container that the plants are met with openness and whatever arises is received without judgement.

This month, our teacher was Mugwort.

Before the weekend began, I already felt a quiet connection with her. I loved the two Mugwort plants growing in my garden and often found myself gently touching their soft leaves or simply standing beside them. I couldn’t explain why, but I felt drawn to her.

Over the course of the weekend, that quiet connection became something much deeper.

I came to experience Mugwort not simply as a Plant, but as an ancient teacher.

Again and again, I felt gently invited to lay down the shields I had carried for so many years. They had once protected me, but I realised they had also become the very barriers that kept me from moving forward.

Mugwort never asked me to become someone else.

Instead, she quietly reminded me that beneath those old layers was a voice that had never been lost … only waiting to be heard.

One of the greatest gifts I carried home was the realisation that many of the fears I still carried no longer belonged to my present. They were echoes of an earlier chapter of my life.

By the end of the weekend, I felt that something within me had reached this natural completion, creating space for new beginnings to quietly take root.

My deepest gratitude goes to Suneet and Kim.

Thank you for the love, wisdom and dedication you pour into every apprenticeship weekend.

The way you hold the circle creates a rare and beautiful space where people feel truly safe … safe to learn, safe to be vulnerable, safe to be held and safe to grow.

What has surprised me the most is how deeply each Plant has reflected my own journey.

Alongside learning about their traditions and medicinal gifts, I have found myself learning just as much about who I am.

Each weekend has gently revealed another part of my path, inviting me to meet old stories with compassion, discover strengths I didn’t know I carried, and continue growing in ways I could never have imagined.

For that and for the care which you both walk beside each of us, I will always be deeply grateful.

Mel - Apprentice from 2026