Herbal Compass CSA Series

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Baltimore's Newest Ecologically Focused Healing Initiative

Step into the LIVING CLASSROOM as we navigate toward a deeper connection with the place we call home; the land under our feet & the body we hold.

Are you ready to reconnect, reawaken, and realign your body’s innate wisdom toward healing—both for yourself and your community? In today’s world, technological advancements bring countless conveniences, but they often come with hidden costs of a growing sense of disconnection. Mentally, physically, and emotionally, we’re paying the price through anxiety, depression, and physical ailments that strip us of grounding, centeredness, and a sense of belonging. We’ve lost touch with the deep, interconnected web of life that sustains us.

But what if the ancient yet ever-relevant practices of plant medicine and land stewardship held the key to restoring that connection? What if they could help us heal while cultivating compassion as a powerful form of “radicle” activism?

Join artist, plant medicine educator and clinical herbalist Alyssa Dennis for Herbal Compass CSA: Navigating Healing Throughout the Calendar Wheel, a program running one Saturday a month from March through October. This isn’t your typical CSA (community-supported agriculture), which usually offers local vegetable shares. Instead, the Herbal Compass CSA focuses on growing and harvesting medicinal plants, all while providing you with hands-on instruction in botanical therapeutics, plant ID and medicine making. You won’t just receive herbs to take home—you’ll learn how to use them, creating your own healing preparations along the way as we walk around the calendar wheel together.

This immersive program fosters both community and a deeper awareness of the lessons of seasonal cycles, plant allies, and holistic well-being. Each month, we focus on one or two medicinal plants, exploring their therapeutic benefits, crafting herbal preparations such as tinctures, salves, oxymels, vinegars, and infused oils, while learning seasonal wellness practices that align with nature’s unfolding rhythm.

Herbal medicine has always been a collective practice—growing, harvesting, and preparing together to maintain trust, transparency & sovereignty over our health and well-being. You’ll not only have the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in our lush urban garden right here in Baltimore City but also be able to taste, touch & smell each of these healing friends, learn how to integrate herbs into your daily life while expanding your own home apothecary. This year, we’ve expanded each of our in-person classes from 2.5 hours to 4 hours, with the addition of three pre-recorded 1.5-hour bonus classes (exclusive to students) in order to deepen your understanding of the material. Space is limited to 15 participants, and we’re filling up fast—don’t wait! Sign up today to secure your spot.

Most herbalists will tell you that the plant most appropriate for what ails you is a plant that grows right outside your door in-other-words within your bio-region. The earth body & the human body are one-in-the-same!

"We can support the earth by staying solid in our cycles, as much as we can, with those of the earth, moon & sun." - Judith Berger, Herbal Ritual

There are many ways in which we use a calendar;  but have you ever taken pause to reflect: that a calendar is not a timeline but an ever revolving wheel? There are cycles & rhythms of a day, a week, a month, a year & a lifetime. All of life’s vitality unfolds in cycles. There are many modern cultural impositions that keep us from leading a healthy vibrant lifestyle which are disconnected from the ever revolving cycles of the land. This class offers the opportunity to embody these rhythms through the study of the 5 Elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Wood & Metal) & how they relate to the therapeutic gifts of plants & the their catalog of dynamic application. The elements help define our internal & external environment; moving through ever revolving alchemical phases which define the nature of our health. 

For ex. Nov. is a month where we practice discernment & define boundaries before going inward for winter. Our body, mind & spirit must question; What is it that I need to let go of & where is it that I need to nourish & build? Astragalus root helps build healthy boundaries while nourishing & protecting.  

See class options below for dates. 

All sessions will be lead by clinical herbalist Alyssa Dennis, founder of Eclipta Herbal with the occasional guest teacher. 

Location: at the Eclipta Herbal sanctuary in the Hamilton neighborhood of Baltimore, MD (address sent after sign up)

**Space is limited to an intimate 15 spots** 

Sign up today!