After 20 years of stumbling my way along the herbal path, I have finally committed to learning from one of my most admired herbalists mentors: Susun Weed. I chose to take my first correspondence course from her for two reasons:

1. I have always liked her philosophy of using simples, or one herb at a time healing. She also is a believer in using local herbs, the same as I am.
   
   
2. I am paying with my own pin money, and can pay monthly. This may not seem like as romantic a notion as the first reason, but it is realistic, and an achievement that renders me guilt-free over doing something for myself.

I received my first coursework less than a week after signing up. Upon opening the packet, I see not only the official binder of material, but many pages of interesting information about herbs. This is an unexpected bonus! Susun also has a clear syllabus of what information she will be covering, what to expect and also enticing information about upcoming topics. Really, I feel like I am going to be reviewing and then delving deeper into each herb and each technique we will be covering.

For lessons, I see that I do have required directions to follow. Nothing is a simple read and recite lesson. Each question she asks is more about you growing to know the herbs, moreso than being able to parrot back (or copy) something you read. I like schooling that makes you think! I can not finish the first lesson in one minute, either. Although the herb is familiar, I am going to be examining it from a different angle and finding out even more to love about it.

Although I realize that my review may seem vague at this point, I do not feel that to be fair to the obvious hard work and organization that Susun has put into the course, I can not just share every minute detail, as I receive it. I will just say that this first lesson has exceeded my expectations, and I am looking forward to learning more about my beloved herbal healing from someone more knowledgeable than myself.