Herbal Fermentations: a workshop at Radiance with Ben Weiss

Herbal Fermentations

A workshop at Radiance with local home-brewer,

Benjamin Weiss.

Saturday, April 28th, 1-5PM

Only within the last few centuries did hops become the main herbal ingredient in beer. From very ancient times until nearly the present, cultures around the world have been making fermented beverages with an incredible variety of herbs, fruits, sugar sources and other ingredients. Fermented beverages can serve as much more than just an enjoyment. These drinks can preserve the nutritional and medicinal properties of their ingredients for up to several years, and can play a key role in ritual and spiritual practice.

Benjamin Weiss, a local organic farmer, permaculture teacher, and poet has been experimenting with herbal fermentations for the past 7 years. Inspired by Stephen Buhner’s book Sacred & Herbal Healing Beers, Ben has learned to craft medicinal fermentations of many kinds using mostly local, organic, and wild ingredients.

This class will be useful for those who have little or no experience with brewing, and as a source of new knowledge for experienced brewers. Students will participate in the creation of an herbal beer as well as a mead (honey wine), and will see fermentations in all of the different stages of the brewing process. Basic techniques and equipment will be explained, as well as medicinal, nutritive, and ritual functions of brews, choosing, harvesting and obtaining ingredients, and pairing appropriate flavors. And an array of Ben’s finished beverages will be available for sampling!

To register, call Radiance, 717-290-1517, or stop in to 9 W Grant St, Lancaster.

Cost of the class: sliding scale of $40-$20.

Last Tarot Readings with Beth Until Next Fall!

Beth, who does tarot readings at Radiance during the winter, is an organic farmer, and has her days filled with growing food when the warm weather arrives.  Her last day for taking appointments until probably November is this coming Tuesday, April 24.  So don't delay, call today to schedule a reading!  

Using the imagery of the Tarot, Beth helps you explore the issues of your life, looking for synchronicities and seeking clarity for how to make strong choices for your future.  Rather than looking at the Tarot as deterministic of a future set in stone, Beth sees the images as pointing to patterns that can be changed and rewoven.  Unpacking the meaning of a reading helps you to focus on the potential choices that you can make to change unhelpful patterns of behaving and thinking or to affirm positive patterns.

Beth has been studying and practicing various forms of divination for the past sixteen years, from Tarot to Runes, and African Bones to the I Ching.  She enjoys using divination as a tool for personal transformation and spiritual development, and as a way to become attuned to the cycles of the natural world.  Along with Sarah, she also teaches occasional courses in the Reclaiming Tradition: The Elements of Magic and Rites of Passage.

The cost for a 45-50-minute reading is $45.  Call 717-290-1517 to schedule an appointment.

Readings will be held at Radiance through the winter on the following Tuesdays and Saturdays:

                    November 9, 2011

                    December 10 and 20, 2011

                    January 14 and 24, 2012

                    February 11 and 21, 2012

                    March 10 and 20, 2012

                    April 14 and 24, 2012

Experience the Didjeridu!

Experience the Didjeridu

A workshop at Radiance with local musician,

Benjamin Weiss.

Thursday, April 19th, 6-9PM

The didjeridu is, perhaps, the first instrument crafted by humankind. This traditional Australian instrument is nothing more than hollow cylindrical tube, but its sound is legendary and unmistakable. The drone produced by blowing into the instrument is said to be the sound of the universe.

Benjamin Weiss began teaching himself to play the didj ten years ago, after finding an old instrument stashed in a corner of his aunt and uncle’s home. But the instinct to play was instilled in him before birth when Ben’s mother lived Down Under for 18 months shortly before he was born, and the spirit of the place came back to North America and found a home in the heart of her son.

Ben is also a permaculture teacher, an organic farmer, a writer, and a member of the local musical group, 21^st Century Dreamtime Lions

This workshop is for absolute beginners as well as those with a bit of experieince. The class will be loose and fun, and there will be no serious expectations of the students. Participants will make all manner of bizarre sounds, and will laugh at themselves with each other!

Figuring out how to buzz the lips properly, how to circular breathe, and how to grunt and snarl into the didjeridu is comical. And yet, to play the didj is to embark on a journey of transformation; one that can be humbling, frustrating, gratifying, and transformative.

The history of the instrument will be explored, the healing and spiritual elements of the didj will be discussed, the basic techniques of playing will be taught, and some practical approaches to further practice will be offered.

To register, call Radiance, 717-290-1517, or stop in to 9 W Grant St, Lancaster.

If you have a didjeridu, please bring it to this class. If you do not have a didj, Ben and Radiance have a small number of extra instruments.

Cost of the class: sliding scale of $40-$20.