maia toll

lead teacher

 A culture that has lost its folk medicine, or its ability to heal and cure everyday problems with everyday materials, has lost a part of its soul.  -Matthew Wood

After many years of home-study, Maia began her formal herbal and aromatherapy training in Mullingar, Ireland under the tutelage of herbalist Gina McGarry. She learned the process of herbal medicine-making, from growing and gathering, to tincturing, to client care. Irish clients included humans of all ages as well as the cows and chickens on a neighboring organic farm. In addition, learned how to make beautiful herbal products for both body and home. In Ireland, all of the plants' many medicines were joyfully used, from flower essences to teas, from tinctures to essential oils.  Maia continues this broad use of the plant and flower kingdom in her practice today.  

On returning to the States, Maia attended advanced herbal training at Sage Mountain in Vermont. At this wonderful school, founded by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, she studied with a number of this country's top names in herbal medicine.  The following year, she rounded out her knowledge of nutrition with a year at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. 

While studying at Sage Mountain, Maia met herbalist David Winston.  After a bit of hemming and hawing and a few persuasive dreams, she embarked on three years of studies with David, focusing on the clinical aspects of herbalism as well as broadening her knowledge of herbal use in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Auyervedic practices. 

Throughout her herbal studies she has continued to be fascinated by essential oils.  She has studied with Jeannie Rose and with Wisdom of the Earth and continue to follow her nose to my next experience with these powerful essences.  Recently she added craniosacral therapy to her medicine bag.  She finds that using craniosacral work in conjunction with essential oils and flower essences is a deep way to work through enrgetic issues held in the body.

Back when Maia was beginning to dabble in herbs, she worked full-time as a teacher. She has taught second grade, fourth grade, and college classes.  She developed a poetry program in conjuntion with New York City's 92nd Street Y which was taught to kindergarten through sixth graders in Harlem. She still love teaching and offers classes on an ongoing basis. She has taught herbal workshops at The University of Pennsylvania, Montgomery County Community College, Pennypack Farms, and The Springside School.  She is currently adjunct faculty at West Chester University teaching Botanical Medicine to both graduate and undergrauate students.

bethany deflores

When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.  -Aldo Leopold

Bethany has had a deep connection with the beautiful and wild outdoors since she was a child. Growing up in a rural part of the "Garden State", she learned from and listened to the plants, animals, and earth and felt called to continue with a more formal education later on at the University of Montana where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology in 2004. Bethany's favorite classes always were those that delved into the plant kingdom, and she loved learning about how they can be such influential, vital, and healing companions. This lead her to studying more in-depth on her own and also taking online courses in herbalism and experimenting with herbs to help heal herself, friends, and family.

After moving to Philadelphia a few years later, she began studying and apprenticing with Maia Toll at the Herbiary. She also began studying energy work and completed the Reiki Master Teacher certification in 2009. During this process, Bethany realized the synergetic beauty and power of combining herbalism and energy work which lead her to develop a unique healing practice which incorporates herbs, reiki, aromatherapy, crystals, and of course love. She has been seeing clients by appointment at the Herbiary since 2010. 

Now into her third year of working at the Herbiary and studying with Maia Toll, Bethany is excited to share  this passion and understanding with her community. She focuses on being a "bridge" between people and nature, leading students to a place where they can open their eyes, mind, and spirit to start healing from within.  To make an appointment with Bethany, please email her at wildflower1211@gmail.com.

eric scott bresselsmith

Being enamored with life’s mystery has and always be my primary occupation. -Eric

Eric is an itinerant wanderer, natural philosopher, and a messenger for the trees.  We are so glad to have him including our school on his journeys around the country!

Eric’s journey began as a child in the forests of PA.  In his 20s he found himself working on a certified organic farm, operated by a meditation retreat, in Oregon.  He learned animal husbandry directly from the sheep and the dairy cows.  He became interested in natural medicines when his wife became pregnant, learning from reading, being around herbalists, and lots of practical experience.

His explorations brought him to Sedona where he met Barry Kapp of Wisdom of the Earth and discovered essential oils.  Through his relationship with these plant essences, he became aware of the deep relationship that Mother Earth had been cultivating with him since his youth.
Eric now lives in Southern Utah.  He has answered the call to distill essential oils, learning from the ground up.  His beautiful oils carry the whispers of the conifer forest, and the wisdom of the trees.