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Plant Cunning Podcast

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Rating
★★★★★
4.9
from
52 reviews
This podcast has
247 episodes
Language
English
Explicit
No
Date created
2020/10/08
Latest episode
2026/10/07
Average duration
68 min.
Release period
9 days

Description

Plant Cunning Podcast brings together people wise to the ways of plants, fungi, healing practices, & the natural world to explore the mysteries of Nature. Co-Hosted by astrologer, gardener & musician, Isaac Hill and herbalist & educator A.C. Stauble-Hill. We invite herbalists, mages, mycologists, gardeners, community organizers, healers, spiritual seekers & all kinds of other interesting people to the microphone to share their wisdom. We like to bridge different worlds, make connections, inspire, and at times, have our minds blown by our amazing guests. Enjoy!

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Check latest episodes from Plant Cunning Podcast podcast


Ep. 247: The Diviner's Path with JoAnna Farrer
2026/10/07
Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast, witch, seer, musician and host of Coffee & Divination Joanna Farrer returns to discuss her book The Diviner’s Path. She shares why she wrote it, to map the shared “grammar” across divination systems so readers can learn new tools more easily and practice more skillfully. She explains divination as an active, interpretive process, emphasizes humility and preparation, and offers guidance on asking better questions using a “bowl” metaphor for balancing overly broad vs overly narrow inquiries. Farrer surveys tools she uses—pendulums, runes, Greek alphabet divination, cartomancy/tarot, dreams, omens/augury, and trance work as a priestess of Apollo—highlighting the blend of technique and intuition. The conversation covers spiritual hygiene, boundaries, cleansing methods like a “factory reset” of tarot, the structure and risks of omen walks, working with land spirits in farm decisions, consequences of ignoring signs, and avoiding overreliance on divination. 00:00 Meet Joanna Farrer 01:14 Why Write This Book 03:26 Shared Divination Principles 07:02 Asking Better Questions 09:55 Choosing Divination Tools 14:53 Barn Pendulum Story 17:19 Who Answers Divination 22:57 Spiritual Hygiene Basics 30:59 Cleansing Decks and Tools 32:08 Resetting Your Deck 33:16 Omens Versus Tools 34:10 Building Symbolic Lexicon 37:48 How to Do Omen Walks 42:11 Discernment and Saying No 46:28 Attention and Gorilla Test 49:35 Travel Mode Awareness 51:46 Meeting Local Land Spirits 57:19 Divination on the Farm 01:02:15 Sacred Chickens and Augury 01:04:24 Sacred Chickens Warning 01:06:06 Humility in Divination 01:06:52 Tarot Second Guessing 01:07:40 Designing With Land Spirits 01:09:20 When Systems Disagree 01:12:15 Pond Siting Case Study 01:15:33 Beavers Join the Project 01:18:10 Overusing Divination Signs 01:23:34 Agency and Future Readings 01:27:30 Where to Find Joanna 01:29:38 Why Everyone Needs Divination 01:31:16 Final Thanks and Wrap
Ep. 246: Fall Forecast '26 with ZamboniFunk
2026/09/23
ZamboniFunk is back to talk fall forecast 2026! We talk about conference season, the effects of the eclipse season we just went through, the Venus and Mercury retrogrades, Jupiter-Mars-Ketu conjunction, and a little weather prediction.
Ep. 245: Wild Medicine with Ali English
2026/09/16
Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast we talk with UK herbalist and teacher Ali English, author of Wild Medicine (Aeon Books), about her path from childhood gardening and Culpeper’s Herbal to formal training and later teaching in the Lincoln College herbal medicine degree program. Ali describes how the course is structured (therapeutics, anatomy and physiology, evidence and critical thinking, pharmacy/community practice, and intensive clinical training and exams), and discusses gaps like limited outdoor time. She explains her practical approach to medicine making (teas, syrups, salves, tinctures, decoctions, and combined extracts), her interest in energetics, planetary correspondences, and hedge-witch “small magics,” and how she evaluates plant associations through both tradition and experience. The conversation also covers plants like knapweed, scabious, rosebay willowherb/fireweed, and blue flag, plus dosing differences between the UK and US, and Ali's upcoming projects, consultations, workshops, and mentoring. 00:00 Meet Ali English 00:36 Finding the Plant Path 04:35 Early Herb Books 05:55 Training at Lincoln College 06:43 Making Herbal Remedies 08:37 Inside the Degree Program 11:54 Clinical Exams and Practice 15:15 Fieldwork and Plant ID 18:12 Why Write Wild Medicine 24:02 Witchcraft and Energetics 28:41 Planetary Plant Links 31:38 Local Herbs Over Imports 33:23 Harvesting Knapweed Medicine 34:18 Decoction and Double Extracts 36:48 Astrology in Tincture Craft 38:59 Knapweed as Liver Tonic 39:57 Fireweed Uses and Fermented Tea 43:26 Blue Flag Dosing and Trauma 45:53 Why Herbal Dosage Differs in the UK and the US 52:30 Teaching Energetics in Clinic 55:30 New Projects and Offerings 57:19 Consults Workshops and Farewell
Ep. 244: Dreaming, Herbalism, & Embodied Learning, with Kimberly Gallagher & Lauren Morgan
2026/09/02
Today Isaac & AC welcome herbalists Kimberly Gallagher of LearningHerbs and Lauren Morgan of Herbs & Dreams to the show. Lauren recounts starting with a botanical medicine apprenticeship and now runs a community practice, circles, an apprenticeship, and the Herbs & Dreams podcast, weaving dreams into herbal work. Kimberly describes learning herbs alongside her late husband John through apprenticeships and family healing, then building LearningHerbs with remedy kits, Wildcraft, and Herb Fairies. They discuss Kimberly’s book The Aphrodisiac and a broadened view of aphrodisiacs (including nervines and nutritives like damiana, oats/oatstraw, rose, cacao, fenugreek), plus plant dreaming, dream incubation (including mugwort), nightmares, and notable plant dreams (marshmallow and hawthorn). They introduce their 7-week course Rhythms & Relationships (Rhythms and Relationships: A Feminine Way Into Herbalism), starting the last Saturday in September, with weekly modules and live sessions, and share how it was inspired by Lauren’s dreams. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 01:01 Plant Path Origins 03:16 Learning Herbs Journey 06:50 Herbal Sensuality Work 11:38 Rhythms Course Vision 16:20 Circles Moon Lodge Rites 18:31 Meeting During Covid 21:02 Dream Weaving Course Birth 25:32 Dreaming With Mugwort 31:16 Plant Dreams Marshmallow Hawthorn 36:47 The Generosity of Hawthorn 37:58 Dream Incubation Basics 38:43 Dream Rattle Ritual 41:47 Why Dreams Matter 43:45 Nightmares as Medicine 48:40 Scary Plant Dreams 52:22 Reciprocity With Plants 54:18 Embodied Learning Path 01:00:43 Course Logistics 01:05:15 Who This Course Serves 01:08:37 Links And Farewell
Ep. 243: Temperament & Graeco-Arabic Medicine with Cameron Allen
2026/08/26
On this episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast, herbalist and astrologer Cameron Allen returns to discuss his recent travels and to share updates on his ongoing studies in Ayurveda and Unani Tibb. Cameron explains Unani Tibb as Greco-Arabic (Greek) medicine, clarifying the distinctions between elements, temperaments (mizaaj), and humors, and emphasizes temperament as a dynamic intermixture shaped by environment, time, and life experience. The conversation explores why blending medical and astrological systems can create confusion, how modern astrology often reduces meaning to psychology, and why coherence and consulting skills matter. They examine North American “dryness” as a cultural and lifestyle pattern, discuss practical ways to work with melancholic imbalance and grief, and Cameron previews his upcoming UAC talks on luminaries in medical astrology and remedy-generation approaches.00:00 Welcome Back Cameron00:32 Summer Travels And Retreat01:36 Embodied Sexual Leadership03:32 Ayurveda And Unani Studies06:42 What Is Unani Tibb10:34 Modern Western Astrology Debate14:34 Mixing Systems In Herbalism19:22 Coherence And Elemental Language22:19 Temperament As Intermixture26:19 Core Vs Changing Constitution29:31 Environment As Medicine32:51 Consulting Skills And Teaching Vision36:12 Why We Get Dry38:08 Diet and Drying Foods38:38 Hot vs Cold Metabolism40:17 Reading Dryness in Charts42:38 Purging and Nourishing Traditions44:41 Warming Melancholic Gently48:14 Grief as Melancholic Medicine50:38 Helping Grief Move Through53:31 Saturn and Grief Mastery56:20 Temperaments Elements Humors58:57 Body Types by Temperament01:01:27 Planetary Degrees and Venus01:04:03 Planets as Elemental Landscapes01:05:35 Moon Layers Explained01:06:23 Moon Phases Temperament01:08:46 Physiognomy Rising Signs01:11:43 Reading Bodies Nonverbal01:15:14 Movement Practice Evolution01:18:34 Astrology Community Healing01:23:35 UAC Talks Preview01:26:33 Honest Synthesis Ahead01:28:56 Closing Thanks
Ep. 242: Becoming Mushrooms with Madison Murphy Barney
2026/08/12
Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast we welcome Madison Murphy Barney—doula, two-spirit Indigenous sister, public health storyteller, and author of Our Ancestors Want Us to Be Mushrooms: Wisdom for Living in Balance with the Planet and Each Other. Madison shares how mushrooms offer blueprints for reconnecting with ourselves, community, and the planet through traits like connection, decomposition, adaptability, and humility, emphasizing moving forward with “original instructions” rather than trying to return to the past. They discuss relating to ecosystems anywhere (including cities) through curiosity and noticing, mushrooms’ role in composting and rebuilding systems, and how doula work applies beyond birth and death to divorce, career change, and other transitions by honoring grief, support networks, and cycles. Madison also mentions ceremony, favorite mushrooms, and where to find her work online. 01:19 Meet Madison and Book Launch 02:27 Plant Path Origins 04:05 Why Be Mushrooms 06:26 City Nature Connection 09:00 Why Mushrooms Matter 12:53 Doula Calling and Expansion 17:20 Guiding Change and Grief 22:38 Ancestral and More-than-Human Support 24:33 Living in Cycles28:51 Cycles and Comfort 29:27 Native Plants Debate 30:37 Love of Place 32:05 Mushrooms and Protection 33:33 Adaptability and Neighbors 37:18 Humility in Ecosystems 42:01 Fungi Favorites Today 44:13 What Comes Next 45:25 Who the Book Is For 47:25 Connecting and Closing
Ep. 241: Telesmanica with Christopher Warnock
2026/08/07
Today on Plant Cunning, Christopher Warnock returns to discuss his new book, Telesmanica, an comprehensive, operative manual of astrological magic. He explains how the book expands beyond technique into worldview, methodology, causality, and the internal logic behind elections, arguing that many contemporary approaches are “bricolage,” mixing techniques without coherent structure or testing. Warnock contrasts modern atheistic materialism with traditional spiritual-first worldviews, using models like ecological “patterning” and mapping to explain how models are tested for usefulness. He outlines his approach to talismans—prioritizing timing, images, and mathematical ratios over materials—emphasizing practical constraints, rigorous selection of key chart factors, and a devotional practice focused on relationship with celestial spirits rather than guaranteed outcomes. 01:04 Why did Christopher Warnock write Telesmanica? 08:59 Worldview and Spiritual Reality 15:02 Models, Meaning and Belief 26:40 Bricolage in Modern Astrology 33:20 Astrology as Language and Intuition 37:32 Getting Readings Wrong 38:25 When Magic Doesn’t Fit 39:17 Worldview and Causality 40:10 What a Talisman Is 41:05 Picking the Right Election 42:41 In Picatrix, Context Matters 45:50 The Cookbook Perspective 52:57 Devotional Angel Practice 54:46 Reality Warping and Limits 56:02 Camouflage Magic Explained 57:54 Modern Anxiety and Ritual 59:10 Problematic Images and Archetypes 01:02:16 Ducks and Spiritual Freedom 01:08:24 Hermetic Lineage History 01:12:52 Reviving a Lost Tradition 01:15:16 Robert Zoller's Advice 01:16:10 Daily Devotional Power 01:17:09 Tradition Beyond Social Media 01:18:36 What Traditional Really Means 01:20:20 Medieval Renaissance Lineage 01:23:32 Applying vs Separating Aspects 01:24:58 Bricolage and Chart Noise 01:26:28 Meta Perspective and Meaning 01:30:00 Why does Christopher Warnock prioritize election and image over materials in the creation of talismans? 01:32:35 Occult Virtue and Platonic Ideas 01:36:43 Practical Talisman Use and Care 01:41:58 Meaning, Nihilism, and Collapse 01:45:37 Preserving Esoteric Texts in an age of Decline 01:47:20 Consciousness Beyond Humanity
Ep. 240: William Padilla-Brown
2026/07/21
Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026 MycoSymbiotics Mushroom & Art Festival July 29- August 2d, 2026Today on the podcast, AC & Isaac Hill interview mushroom citizen scientist and community builder William Padilla-Brown about his path into mycology, from early curiosity about consciousness and “plant medicine” to diet-driven health struggles that pushed him into growing his own food, foraging, and functional mushrooms. He credits discovering online superfood and medicinal-mushroom content (including David Avocado Wolfe) as a turning point, then explains how mushroom videos took off on YouTube and led him to start MycoSymbiotics and launch MycoFest in 2015 to create a lasting community and legacy for his family. Will recounts cultivating cordyceps after finding a specimen at the first festival, rejecting the idea that it was “impossible,” and learning through observation—treating life as a readable language. He describes MycoSymbiotics’ cutting edge work: wild strain selection, DNA barcoding, cultivation, extraction, third‑party analytics, and making potent products affordable. The conversation also covers ecological literacy through mushrooms, conservation concerns like Pine Barrens development and matsutake habitat loss, the importance and diversity of native truffles (including training a dog to find tuber canaliculatum), aroma as a form of “medicine,” modern distraction and nervous-system hijacking, and adapting to AI by leaning into uniquely human creativity. He closes with MycoFest details (first weekend of August; July 31–Aug 2; MycoFest.net; Artemis, PA; code MYCOMMUNITY), plus MycoSymbiotics sites, classes, a farmer co‑op, and local projects. 00:00 Meet William Padilla-Brown 01:55 Origins in Plant Medicine 06:03 Health Wake Up Call 09:09 David Wolfe and Medicinals 11:28 Myco Symbiote to MycoFest 13:12 Nothing Is Impossible 15:30 Learning From Living Signs 21:05 Mycology Cutting Edge Today 23:44 Matsutake and Habitat Threats 25:29 Truffles as Ecological Gateway 27:16 Native Truffles in Pennsylvania 30:14 Truffles and Sensory Depth 30:41 Overstimulation and Numbness 31:54 Aroma as Medicine 33:58 Capitalism and Responsibility 36:16 Distraction Casino Reality 38:53 Using the System for Good 40:53 Social Media and Rage Bait 44:27 AI Music and Human Spark 48:55 MycoFest and Community Wrap
Ep. 239: Dreaming Herbs & Scientific Inquiry into Astrology with Will Morris
2026/07/15
Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast, Isaac and AC welcome back Will Morris, PhD, DAOM, MSEd, LAc, RH, a interdisciplinary healer and scholar whose work spans traditional Western and Vedic astrology, Chinese medicine, pulse diagnosis, sound healing, and education. Will explains his compulsive, spiritually driven path across traditions and how transdisciplinary study reveals shared underlying structures, including medical frameworks of location, process, and severity and recurring 12-fold patterns across nature and culture. He critiques mainstream scientific testing of astrology as method-driven, politically shaped, and often logically flawed, arguing the right assessment depends on the question and may require qualitative approaches. The conversation explores intuition, divination versus science, horary use in clinical settings, dreamwork and oneirobotany, mugwort’s shamanic origins, catnip’s “wind” associations, and Will’s upcoming books, including Evidence Ecology: Science and Astrology. 02:10 Why Study Many Traditions? 03:39 Life Path Music to Astrology 08:36 The Benefits of Transdisciplinary Studies 12:00 The Science Industry and Astrology 13:13 Is Astrology Divination or Science? 19:31 Testing Astrology Properly 27:59 Clinical Astrology in Practice 31:07 Book of Dreams and Yesod 32:48 Dreamwork Pulse and Herbs 36:59 Sedative Herbs Mix 37:10 Catnip and Wind Pathology 39:08 Eight Winds and Charts 40:32 Wind as Science Debate 41:23 Dream Plants: Mugwort 42:17 Dybbuk Clearing Story 44:58 Artemisia and Dreamwork 49:08 Cycles and Plant Motion 51:47 Pan Celestial Thesis 01:01:24 Land, Climate and Relocation 01:05:16 Universalism vs Relativism 01:08:15 Books and Future Projects 01:13:45 Closing Thanks
Ep. 238: Ceremonial Magic in Mexico with Jorge Nájera
2026/07/08
In this episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast, Isaac and AC interview Jorge Nájera in Guadalajara about Mexico’s ceremonial magic scene and his role leading the Fraternidad del Círculo Dorado (Circulo Dorado Web) a mystical and magical school founded in 1986. Najera recounts how a small study group grew through work with BOTA, Golden Dawn-style ritual, Freemasonry, and later affiliation with the Servants of the Light (SOL) lineage of Dion Fortune and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. He describes meeting Ashcroft-Nowicki, trips to Egypt, learning to build an “astral temple” and inner contacts, then adapting SOL material for Spanish-speaking students by creating their own structured curriculum centered on astrology, Hermetic and Sephardic Kabbalah, and coherent symbolism. He explains the school’s three-degree model, its emphasis on lived experience and service, and how COVID shifted much of their work online, including new digital tools. 01:04 Meet Jorge in Guadalajara 01:55 Founding the School in 1986 03:08 Early Growth 05:02 Joining Servants of the Light 08:11 Egypt Trip and London Temple 11:06 Astral Temple Training 13:11 Adapting SOL for Latin America 14:56 Building the Curriculum 16:07 Kabbalah as Foundation 19:22 Courses and Temple System 21:05 Jorge’s Early Influences 25:10 Astrology Awakening and Teaching 29:58 Fruits and Mission of the School 33:26 From Rituals to Creativity 34:57 Information vs Wisdom 37:34 Mystery Schools Go Digital 42:14 How does a Mystery School work in the Age of Aquarius? 46:10 The Importance of Coherent Symbolic Training 50:52 The Degrees of Initiation 56:24 The Ideal Student 01:00:02 How to Connect and Closing
Ep. 237: From Soil to Soul with Laurie Szott-Rogers: Plant Archetypes, Tarot & the Council of Plants
2026/07/01
Get your tickets for the Plant Cunning Conference here: Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Find out more about Laurie here: Laurie Szott-Rogers Bio - Self Heal DistributingThis episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast features herbalist, author, gardener, and educator Laurie Szott-Rogers discussing her new book, From Soil to Soul, and her blend of herbalism, astrology, archetypes, tarot, and dreamwork. Laurie shares how dandelion first drew her into plant medicine, her path from early interests and government work to partnering with her husband Robert Rogers, and what her current life looks like in Alberta’s cold climate gardening. She explains her “24 herbs” framework, the Plant Council concept, and how she writes from the plants’ perspectives using attunement, trance, drumming, and automatic writing. The conversation also addresses AI-generated imagery, explores dandelion’s archetypal qualities, and dives into tarragon’s dragon mythology and its King of Swords tarot association, along with practical uses like tarragon pesto.00:00 Meet Laurie Szott-Rogers00:23 Plant Cunning Conference Plug01:41 Her Plant Path Origins02:25 Dandelion First Love03:47 Astrology Meets Herbalism05:43 Life in Alberta Garden09:04 Store Products and Teaching10:17 Council of Plants Concept13:29 Attunement and Plant Rituals16:02 Writing as the Plants17:23 From Soil to Soul and AI Art21:08 Recipes and Dandelion Archetype22:42 Dandelion Resilience Medicine25:05 Planetary Archetypes in Dandelion26:43 Bitterness Shadow and Renewal28:08 Why Humans Love Archetypes29:48 Plant Surprises Mint Myth31:28 Tarragon Dragons and Growing32:55 Tarragon Pesto Kitchen Uses35:03 Tarot Links King of Swords38:42 Neoshamanic Plant Journeying41:07 Next Projects Oracle Deck42:27 Where to Find the Book43:21 Closing Thanks and Farewell
Ep.236: Don't Be Afraid of the Herbs: Andrea Beaman on Natural & Spiritual Healing
2026/06/24
Find out more and get your tickets for thePlant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026 here!Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast, hosts Isaac and AC Hill interview nutritionist, health coach, herbalist, and educator Andrea Beaman. She shares how she healed her thyroid through diet and lifestyle changes and later navigated a debilitating 2012–2013 illness she associated with Lyme after recurring lung infections, joint pain, and depression. Beaman discusses fear of herbs as cultural residue from witch trials and modern medical suppression, encourages experimentation with time-tested remedies and kitchen herbs, and stresses grounding, meditation, and heart-based intuition (including muscle testing). She outlines thyroid imbalance symptoms, links many cases to nutritional deficiency and stress, touches on autoimmune thyroid issues and parasites, recounts powerful experiences with trees and ayahuasca, and invites listeners to her courses and Health is Wealth community at andreabeaman.com. 01:29 Meet Andrea Beaman 02:50 A Health Crisis Begins 06:07 How did you find out it was Lyme disease? 09:01 Breakthrough with Teasel 13:09 Herb School and Self Testing 14:16 Trusting Herbs and Tuning In 19:04 Healing Beyond Food 21:47 Thyroid Healing Origins 23:00 Thyroid Signs and Root Causes 32:41 Herbs for Mind and Spirit 34:12 Ayahuasca and Plant Connection 36:06 Do Plants Speak? 41:17 Central Park Tree Spirit 43:11 Why People Fear Herbs 45:03 Witch Trials Trauma Echoes 47:49 Reclaiming Plant Confidence 50:40 Kitchen Herbs and COVID 54:00 Fear Physiology and Hospitals 57:33 Trust Your Heart Intuition 01:01:17 Meditation Cracks the Heart 01:03:11 Rethinking Education and Nature 01:04:34 Where to Learn With Andrea 01:08:17 Simple Recipes and Farewell
Ep. 235: Summer 2026 Astrological Forecast with ZamboniFunk
2026/06/17
Find out more about the Plant Cunning Conference at Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Astrologer ZamboniFunk returns to talk about the astrological forecast for summer 2026! We discuss the Cancer Mercury retrograde as a loud season for mistakes, delays, review, and serendipity, followed by Mars entering Gemini and conjoining Uranus, trining Pluto in Aquarius, heightening anxiety, disruption, experimentation, and possible tech/cybersecurity volatility. Jupiter’s move into Leo is framed as more defensive support amid “pirate season” boundary-testing, with a key July 29 Jupiter cazimi opposite Pluto alongside a full moon conjunct Pluto, suggesting power plays and revelations. The episode closes with herbal support for stress and heart strain: harvesting motherwort, and combining it with hawthorn and rose for courage, boundaries, grief, and tension. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:20 Conference Announcement 01:17 Summer Forecast Begins 01:55 Mercury Retrograde Setup 03:38 Mars Uranus Volatility 06:25 Experimentation Pirate Season 08:41 Mercury Retrograde Lessons 14:04 Jupiter Enters Leo 20:04 Jupiter Pluto Power Plays 23:03 Nodes Shift Authority 24:18 Era of Air Metaphor 24:58 Redistribution Scenarios 26:36 Mutual Aid Power 27:19 Jupiter Pluto Togetherness 28:28 Eclipses Chaos Reset 29:37 Robots Hive Mind 31:09 Adaptability Job Shakeup 34:46 Pirate Season Skills 35:29 Motherwort Heart Medicine 38:18 Hawthorn Boundaries 40:44 Courage Against Tech Future 43:05 Delusion & Hope 47:37 Conference And Farewell
Ep. 234: Earth Energy, Dragons and Faeries with Trista Haggerty
2026/06/10
Find out more about the Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Today, AC & Isaac interview Trista Haggerty, author of When the Dark Mother Calls, about her path into mysticism after a dark night of the soul and two decades of mentoring with a German mystic while traveling to sacred sites in places such as Peru and Ireland. They discuss what makes power spots sacred, stone circles as “acupuncture,” and caves as initiation spaces, plus practices for trusting intuition through body-based discernment. Trista shares her work at Hawk Circle, a couple-hundred-acre land project where she’s building stone circle, trails, and a perfumery inspired by Egyptian temple recipes to fund youth nature programs. The conversation also explores fairies, dragons, the “threefold path,” and her upcoming talk at the Plant Cunning Conference (July 24–26) alongside other speakers. 01:38 Trista Meets Her Mentor 03:31 First Sacred Site Journeys 06:21 Earth-Based Mysticism Lessons 08:22 What Makes Sites Sacred 11:26 Primal Earth Energy Work 15:08 Mystic Path and Hidden Teachings 19:07 Trusting Intuition in Noise 23:51 Hawk Circle Vision and Land 29:51 Perfumery and Temple Scents 31:49 Essential Oils Impact 32:04 Ritual Perfumery Journey 33:11 Fairy Lore Explained 37:15 Threefold Path Teachings 40:14 Dragons and the Land 42:08 First Dragon Encounter 43:45 Connecting With Dragons 47:39 Awakening Landscape Dragons 48:38 Dragon Humor and Myths 53:31 New Earth Vision 56:41 When the Dark Mother Calls
Ep. 233: The Hot Tincture Method with Mary Blue
2026/06/03
Learn more about the Plant Cunning Conference at:Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026On this episode, Isaac and AC welcome community herbalist, author, and teacher Mary Blue to talk about the "hot tincture method" and why applying a hot water extraction can dramatically improve tincture color, aroma, taste, and effectiveness while saving plant material, storage space, and time. Mary shares her path from environmental and protest activism into herbalism, her day-to-day running an herb shop and farm, and the mentors and experiences that shaped her teaching focus on herbal actions and solvency. They discuss safety lessons learned from heating alcohol, plant-specific considerations (including mushrooms, marshmallow, comfrey, and milk thistle), glycerins and oils, and how herbalism functions as a form of activism through accessibility, community support, and sustainable practice. 02:23 Meet Mary Blue 02:55 Activism To Herbalism 04:46 Running Farmacy Herbs 06:14 Mentors And Training 08:01 Teaching Solvency Basics 09:55 Common Solvency Confusions 11:26 Accessible Teaching Methods 13:53 The "Hot Tincture Method" Explained 16:19 Why It Works Better 23:09 How Mary Blue almost burned down her apothecary 28:01 Tincture Ratios 31:24 When Not to Tincture 31:50 Comfrey Safety Debate 33:12 Liniments and Compresses 34:43 Glycerins and Pre Extraction 36:01 Heating Oils for Extraction 36:29 Classes and Farm Intensives 37:46 Hosting Herbal Events 39:25 Herbalism as Activism 40:55 Burnout to Micro Activism 47:02 Fulfillment Through Service 47:58 The Future of Herbalism s52:55 Creativity and Community Play

Podcast reviews

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4.9 out of 5
52 reviews
★★★★★
Farmer bchhh 2023/03/10
Thank you
I am so grateful to have found Isaac and AC and the Plant Cunning Podcast. They interview such interesting people. I always learn something new! Th...
★★★★★
Falcon Ark 2022/09/30
Excellent Podcast 🌎
This podcast is dope. Isaac and AC are enjoyable to listen to and have such interesting guests regularly on Plant Cunning Podcast. They helped so much...
★★★★★
SnooCrickets 2022/07/29
Easy listening and incredibly insightful!
I subscribed to this podcast when it first came out and didn’t get around to listening until recently. I wish I would have started sooner because I am...
★★★★★
binyamin0814 2022/05/09
Plant Podcast Perfection
I’m really enjoying how the hosts Isaac
★★★★★
basiliskfondler 2022/03/09
Much Love
Great guests and interviews! Really sweet couple who hosts the podcast and bring around fascinating people in the worlds of plants. I feel a strong co...
★★★★★
@fatarae 2022/03/04
Energetic Herbalism with Kay Maier
This is a wonderful interview. I learned so much and enjoyed it so thoroughly that I downloaded the podcast and then bought the book Energetic Herbal...
★★★★★
Tiny one 5 2021/12/23
Love your podcast
Fantastic interviews especially the last one with Matthew Wood. Keep bringing the power of plants!
★★★★★
dandylion29 2021/05/13
Plant Cunning Podcast
I happily stumbled across this podcast and love it!!! They have wonderful guests with amazing insights on topics of plants, magical leanings and healt...
★★★★★
28bavs 2021/04/15
Super Interesting! Great Guests!
This is one of the best podcasts that intersects magic and herbalism/ permaculture. I have genuinely enjoyed the dialogue with every guest.
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