Welcome to Heartstone Center for Earth Essentials
Located in the beautiful hills of upstate New York, we are an education & retreat center devoted to nourishing the essence of life in ourselves and on the Earth. We host an annual herbal apprenticeship program and a year long Journey of the Heart Program at our center.
We are delighted to greet you at this time of possibility in the world.
While our days are faced with significant challenges at local and global levels, we are encouraged to know that kindred individuals, organizations and communities are responding with heart & intelligence to the deep ethical imperative to care for the health of life on our Earth.
We know & appreciate the many positive ways that modern life and Western culture have contributed to quality of mainstream life in the US. Yet, at this time, we are also being called, even urgently, to reassess the shortcomings of our Western paradigms and lifestyles. As we do, we find that some important foundational beliefs and behaviors within Western culture have led us astray from living in “right relationship” to ourselves, to other peoples and nations, and within the radiant, adaptive, and fragile web of life itself.
In increasing numbers, people are being called to the Old Ways, the traditional ways of our Ancestors, to help us shift short-sighted beliefs & patterns into values and practices that respect the interconnectedness of all life. As we listen deeply, we hear an urgent call to live in better balance with other humans and with our other relatives – the plants, animals, waters and natural systems on Earth. A new wave of interest is growing among people of all ages to learn and practice knowledge and skills which have been kept alive in the humble memories of Elders, Indigenous cultures, and people living in precious margins and sanctuaries of “modern” societies.
This is a time of rediscovering the wisdom of the Green World & traditional practices of herbal medicine. We are reawakening and rekindling sacred relationships within Nature, within our circles of friends, family and human community, within ourselves, and within our deeply personal experiences of Spirit. All of these activities are helping us to Remember our place within the natural world. We find that the desire to live in “right relationship” within the web of life feels as natural as the impulse to breathe.
Our mission at Heartstone Center & Heartstone Herbal School is to carry these principles into opportunities for learning and growth, reflection and action, and to nourish gratitude for life in our programs & activities.
What we find as we open this door, is that this learning is so deeply satisfying; as if something in our bones and essential natures is waking up from an unwanted nap.
~ Kris Miller and Tammi Sweet
