A Personal Note from From Rosemary Gladstar
For the past 30 years, Sage Mountain Retreat Center and Botanical Sanctuary has been a source of inspiration for hundreds if not thousands of people to ‘walk the medicine way’. It’s been my greatest honor to live on this beautiful wild mountain, and along with my husband Robert and a host of amazing helpers over the years, to serve as a caretaker and steward to this land. I can honestly say, it’s been one of the most fantastic relationships of my life, one that has nourished me in every way, and in return allowed me to nourish others. It was here that the dream for United Plant Savers began, the International Herb Symposium was birthed, the Women’s Herbal Conference flourished, Sage Mountain programs, apprenticeships, and intern programs were held every year, and a place where other people’s dreams were seeded, birthed and nurtured. People often came to Sage Mountain thinking they came to study herbs with me, but found they really came to learn from the wild and benevolent nature of the Mountain. She was the sage old teacher, we were her students.
As many of you may know, Robert and I have been searching for the next generation of stewards to take over the ownership and caretaking of the Mountain. It’s not that our love affair with the Mountain is over. Quite the contrary; it’s precisely because we love her as deeply as we do that we want to see the work and the vision of ‘earth awareness and forever wilderness’ on this Mountain continue; we are just wise enough to recognize the need for younger, more energetic visionaries and people as dedicated as we’ve been for the past 30 years to carry forth the work. The great news is that after a fairly long & very thoughtful process of selection, the Mountain has called those people forward.
A group of dedicated individuals under the guidance and leadership of Emily Ruff and Eleanor Kuntz, former students at Sage Mountain, have formed the Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary as a non-profit organization. Deeply committed to protecting the Sage Mountain wilderness corridor, they will be offering educational and research opportunities focused on wilderness restoration and earth stewardship with a strong emphasis on the medicinal plants and wildlife conservation. Your support in this process is deeply appreciated.
As for me…my work with plants, of course, will always continue and my involvement with Sage Mountain will continue to evolve, though in a quieter way. I plan to garden more, travel less, teach closer to home, and spend more time with my wonderful homestudy and online students. I’ve been in the process of rewriting and updating the entire home study course and hope to have it completed soon. I’ve been completing work on a book about fiery vinegars and herbal traditions with Fire Cider in the star role, of course! And then, perhaps, I’ll finish writing that great herbal novel I’ve been writing in my head for years now…my Childe Verde & The Garlic Queen tales, a story of love, passion and herbs! More than anything, I’m just looking forward to spending more time with family and friends, in the garden, and listening, listening deeply to the plants as they call and sing to me…as they always have, guiding me onwards on this magical plant lovers journey
For information and updates on my work, travels, home study course, books and other offerings, please visit our website at:
The Science & Art of Herbalism
With gratitude & forever green blessings,
Rosemary