Join The Bridge and The Kul Kul Farm for a full course into the fascinating world of  Spagyrics and Herbalism. Experience first hand the power of plants with Master Alchemist Carlos Gallo, known to many, as Maestre Indio, from Escola de Espagiria in Brazil, and Mauricio Rezende, acupuncturist traditional Chinese medicine and astro diagnosis teacher.

Indio and Mauricio will guide us through the ancient practice of herbal medicine making, using the principles of Spagyrics. There will be three courses available. 

1. Essential Oil Distillation and Other Extractions -Fire/Spirit Module – “Sulfur”
2. Production and Distillation of Alcohol itself – Water/Mind Module – “Mercury”
3. Calcination and withdrawal of mineral salts – Earth/Body Module – “Salt”
   

Essential Oil Distillation and Other Extractions

Fire/Spirit Module – “Sulfur” 

FOCUS

• During this course we will be focusing on the process of distillation to make pure essential oils.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• The complete process of essential oil extraction, starting from the collection of plants in the field, preparation of harvested material and assembly of distillation equipment.
• Exploration of different ways to manage resources of the plant kingdom in order to study medicinal/therapeutic properties for practical home remedies and home care.
• Production of essential/aromatic waters and oils all following methods of Spagyrics.

OTHER THINGS YOU’LL LEARN

• The Three Principles (Fire, Water, Earth)
• The Four Elements and the Four Qualities (Hot, Wet, Cold, Dry)
• The Seven Planetary Archetypes and the macro-microcosm system (energy pulsation and zodiacal melothesia)
• What is a Spagyric Quintessence
• The concept of separation, purification and union of the three Principles: Mercury, Sulfur and Salt
• How a Spagyrical Quintessence acts: Land action and energy action

ABOUT SPAGYRICS and PARACELSUS

“What is above is like what is below, and what is below is like what is above to fulfill the miracle of one thing.” Hermes Trismegistus on his Emerald Tablet

Paracelsus (1493-1591) was an alchemist and the so-called father of Spagyrics. He believed that nature is a form of alchemy and that “heaven is man and man is heaven…we must, therefore, understand that when we administer medicine, we administer the whole world.”

To him, this meant that the whole universe was in perfect balance, and could be demonstrated by opposite and complementary principles: day and night, birth and death, the rising and setting of the sun. The sun was a primary symbol of this balance manifesting in our solar system, from it everything and every form of life derived its own motion and vital energy. The seven planets could be considered the organs of our solar system and correspond to the seven principal energies at work in the universe as well as the seven points of consciousness that correspond to our own body.

Paracelsus further believed that nature was raw and unfinished and Man had the God-given task to evolve the elements of each plant into a medicine.

Spagyrics (extraction of divine gifts) is a technique considered to be a sister of Alchemy, with which one can extract the essence of materials from a plant-based on the three kingdoms of nature (water, earth, and fire) and then recombine them to create a single ‘essence’ with superior medicinal properties. These three kingdoms of nature are based upon the three cardinal Principles of Alchemy, Salt (earth, Principle of Fixity/non-action), Sulfur (fire, Principle of Inflammability) and Mercury (water, Principle of Fusibility/ability to melt and flow). 

In order to extract each essence:

1. First, from the fire elements of Sulfur the spirit  or virtue of a plant is extracted from the essential oil of the plant.
2. Next, from the water elements of Mercury the mind or life essence of the plant is extracted by  fermention and distilled alcohol.
3. Then, from the earth elements of Salt the body or vegetable salts are extracted from the calcined ashes of the plant body.

WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT INDIO

“Indio embodies all that is beautiful on this planet. I still marvel about the time I spent in his company; with his inherent wisdom and ability to bring forth the magic and natural elements for our healing. Spagyrics is a fascinating, mystical, yet entirely practical branch of alchemy and I would welcome any opportunity to learn more about them.” Anna, Australia

 

“This course is more than a practical home remedies course. Indio is a wealth of knowledge about working with plants and plant medicine. His work is somewhat of a revival of age-old traditions in alchemical medicine that is being sadly lost. The teachings contained within this course promote the expansion of our awareness and relationship with plants and the natural world. There is mystery, intuition and clinical research that makes for a well-rounded and profound course”

THE KUL KUL FARM

We are located in the little village of Sibang Kaja in Bali, just a two minute skip away from the renowned Green School. Our farm is filled with food gardens, rainforest trees and animals (pigs, chickens, ducks, Jaga (our dog) and Malam (our cat)). Your ticket does not include accommodation on the farm. However, you can choose an accommodation option for an extra US $150 (including breakfast and dinner) upon booking. We have 8 bamboo yurts amidst our sugar palm grove. The yurts are shared and include fans, mattresses, fresh linens, lockers, composting toilets, and warm showers. Meals will be prepared fresh for you each day. Vegetarian and vegan options will be available at every meal.

INCLUDES

Farm to table lunches, herbal teas, coffee, cold infusions and snacks

All workshops and lectures

All materials needed

DOES NOT INCLUDE

Airfare and transportation

Accommodation, breakfast, and dinner

Essential oils made during the course

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS.

We are welcoming a maximum of 20 participants for this course. Please place your booking as soon as possible to ensure a spot. We understand that sometimes things happen. If you need to cancel your ticket we will give you a refund, less a US $50 admin fee 2 weeks prior to the start date of the course. Within two weeks of the course, no refund will be available, we will instead give you a credit note, less an admin fee of US $100,  that you can use to participate in a future course.