Fungi, Foraging, Fires and Folklore
Wild wooded valley near Bath SOMERSET
5pm 20th - 10am 23rd October
Forestling
noun (fɒr.ɪst/lɪŋ)
Creature of the forest
Feasts with Earth’s rhythms
Guardian of the land
Dwells amongst roots
Join us for a wild gathering as we honour the essence of the forest.
With falling leaves, earlier sunsets and longer shadows, Autumn is a precious season which reminds us of the ever changing cycle of life. Light fades and life begins to turn inwards, inviting us to rest, reflect and let go. But this time of year is also when strange and mystical forms begin to appear from the forest floors…
This gathering is to honour the turn in the season and the time when our fungi friends flourish. We will journey through practises inspired by mycelial intelligence to celebrate the interconnectedness with all that surrounds us.
Awaken your playful nature and tune into the sacred cycles of earth.
The wisdom of these mystical organisms give us the opportunity to commune with the abundance and magic of Autumn. By remembering our kindred connection with the land and her rhythms, we reawaken the true nature of ourselves within community.
“What a beautiful inspirational model for how human beings might live: In a shared economy based not on greed but on nurturing relationships and mutual cooperation.”
― Paul Stamets
The home of the Forestling…
Forestlings will gather in an off-grid eco-village nestled in a wild wooded valley near Bath. We will sleep in lovingly hand-crafted eco dwellings, including yurts, log cabins and cob roundhouses.
Explore the old cherry wood forest and the liminal lake for a nymph-swim.
Sing and tell stories around the campfire and unwind in a luxurious woodland sauna.
Our forestling home has been lovingly designed to reawaken the senses and remember our wild nature.
What’s included?
Mushroom cultivation workshop
Fungi foraging
Shared or private forestling abodes
Local, seasonal + foraged feasts
Mycelial inspired movement and breathwork
Encounters with Lion’s Mane tincture
Wood-fired sauna + wilderness
Wild lake swimming
Fireside song + storytelling
Fungi myths + folklore
Open hearth fire cooking
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Aisha von Nahmmacher
Aisha is a documentary producer, yoga teacher and plant/fungi medicine advocate. Having been gifted the middle name of Amanita, Aisha has grown up with an ineffable curiosity in the healing powers of plants and fungi. This has led to her inquiry into ancient and indigenous practices around the world, immersing in cross-cultural healing disciplines in India, Thailand and Ecuador. Born and raised in London, Aisha always felt a yearning for the wild and love to gather folk together for magical moments of reconnection.
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Veronica Stanwell
As a multidisciplinary healing and creative arts practitioner, Veronica weaves somatics, inner-child work, ceremony and song into intimate gatherings for connection, healing and growth. She is the founder of Rooted Healing and hosts the Rooted Healing podcast, exploring ways to heal and reconnect our inner and outer landscapes. Alongside her MSc in Consciousness + Transpersonal Psychology, Veronica’s explorations into indigenous traditions of the Americas and Mother Europe’s native ways, guide her fascination with the fabric of life.
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Dr Sam Gandy
Dr Sam Gandy is a lifelong nature lover, PhD ecologist, fungi grower and psilocybin researcher. Sam has conducted research around the world and now collaborates with the Centre for Psychedelic Research of Imperial College London, with a particular research interest in how psychedelics can (re)connect us to the natural world. Sam’s growing passion for cultivating fungi has given him a longing to share what he has learnt and empower others to begin their mushroom growing journey.
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Peter "Chippy" Grant
Peter "Chippy" Grant is a chef with a love of flavourful, experimental food and a huge passion for using local, well sourced organic and biodynamic seasonal, healthy food inspired by cuisines from all around the globe. Chippy sees food as medicine, and is passionate about how being conscious about how we eat can strengthen our connection to the land. He consistently seeks to deepen his knowledge and has completed several courses in nutrition and herbalism, which manifest in his exquisite feasts.
food of a Forestling
Gathered, foraged, locally grown, organic, wholesome, colourful and utterly scrumptious feasts are to be enjoyed by the forestalling family, around the hearth, surrounded by the magical woods. Our food will help us weave ourselves into deeper symbiosis with the forest, each other and with a reverent respect for life, nourishment and celebration.
highlights
Mushroom cultivation with Dr. Sam Gandy
From supporting our immune system to providing mental clarity, mushrooms are beautiful works of nature which have a vast array of therapeutic and medicinal uses.
But rather than purchasing supplements, we can easily grow our own fungi for consumption. Being able to grow our own mushrooms provides us with the opportunity to be more self-sufficient, save money, become more in tune with their medicinal properties and strengthen our connection to the cyclical nature of life.
It might feel daunting to a beginner grower, but in this workshop led by PhD ecologist and fungi grower, we will learn the process of growing your very own Lion’s Mane, with techniques that can be applied across all mushroom species including those that glow in the dark! Bring along an old jar and leave with your very own fruiting chamber, ready to embark on your mushroom growing journey.
A glimpse into what we will learn:
How to use a spore print to create your very own liquid mycelium
How to construct an air box for fungi inoculations
Preparing grains for mycelium to grow in
Performing sterile inoculations
Using a pressure cooker for sterilisation
Constructing a ‘grow jar’
Taking spore prints
Recommendations on harvesting, drying and storing
“A mycelial network is a map of a fungus’s recent history and is a helpful reminder that all life-forms are in fact processes not things. The “you” of five years ago was made from different stuff than the “you” of today. Nature is an event that never stops.”
― Merlin Sheldrake
our exchange
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Single bed in shared dwelling £555
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Double bed in shared dwelling £585
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Private cabin £725 single occupancy / £555 each for two sharing double bed
Sleep in your very own cabin nestled in the forest
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Private Shepherd's Hut
Private cabin £725 single occupancy / £555 each for two sharing double bed
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Private cob house £775 (sold out)
Sleep in your very own roundhouse with private decking
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Supporter £800+
Join our gifting economy, contributing to a funded space for someone who would not normally be able to access this experience and get preference on which dwelling you sleep in.
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BOOKING
Once you’ve secured your spot with a £200 deposit, please submit your details via our booking form.
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We appreciate that this gathering requires a big leap and investment. We want to be transparent with the costs that are involved. Here is a full value cost breakdown, of which we have worked hard to create a lower priced offering, as you’ll see that the full worth is much greater. Included in our time together:
8 seasonal, local, organic meals and additional snacks (£280)
Accommodation in award-winning eco dwellings, with fire-heated sauna (£350)
Guided mushroom foraging (£60)
Mushroom cultivation workshop (£50)
Encounters with Lion’s Mane tincture (£20)
Mushroom art workshop (£25)
All other activities, ceremonies and rituals inc. meditations, movement sessions, song circles and more (£80)
Planting a native tree (£5)
Value for our logistical planning and preparation (£50)
Spreading the word so that you find this opportunity (£20)
Full worth : £940*
*See accommodation options above for the actual (reduced) price
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We offer interest free payment plans for 2-4 months and we can reduce the deposit amount if requested.
For example:
Sharing (single bed) early bird
£200 deposit + 4 x £71.25 monthly payments
or
Private cob round house (early bird)
£200 deposit + 4 x £123.75 monthly payments
Payment plans must complete before the retreat start date.
Please email aisha@rootedhealing.org to apply.
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We deeply encourage those who can afford to support others and gift forward to do so - your gift will help fund others who cannot afford to join us.
If you cannot afford to join us and would like to be considered to receive a gifted place or a partially gifted place, please apply here. We are keen to support those from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds - please consider this when you apply.
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”
―John Muir
reforest with us
Every booking plants a native, ethically sustained tree in Britain with The Future Forest Company.
