Part of my trade, being a Master Herbalist, is to commit to retraining hours every year. This act is essential to keeping up with the ever changing industry. I officially graduated from Wild Rose College of Natural Healing in 2003 after completing the requirements of the program including writing a thesis. Mine was on Sustainable Wildcrafting in the Rocky Mountains. Since then I have taken various workshops in a variety of topics to keep current in my trade. But this year I am beyond excited to be accomplishing three really dynamic goals.
First off I am in the process of completing my Masters of Aromatherapy though the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy. This is such an exciting process, one that I have wanted to complete in some time. The course itself is written by Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt whose most notable contribution to the industry is the integration of chemistry and biology into the process of understanding the therapeutic effects of essential oils. He is also an expert in essential oil quality. In the past 20 years he travelled around the world to meet with growers and distillers in search of genuine and authentic essential oils thus gathered in depth knowledge on quality of essential oils and current trade practices. I am so excited to be retraining with this focus. Upon my completion of my studies I am required to write a thesis regarding my work with essential oils. This stuff really excites me.
Secondly I am in the process of becoming certified with the International Iridology Practitioners Association (the IIPA). This requires some retraining work in the way of completing a course and taking an exam. The exciting part of this goal is that I will get to travel to a Iridology seminar in the future and mingle with my fellow eye readers in a cosmopolitan situation. How fun!
Third goal or perhaps the outcome of the first two goals is to travel to Vancouver and sit in front of my “Peer-review Panel” and prove my knowledge to obtain my Registered Health Therapist (RHT) status with the Canadian Herbalist’s Association of BC.
Have I mentioned how excited I am? I love that in an industry such as mine where there is such grey area in terms of exactly what qualifies a Herbalist to be a Herbalist there is an Association such as the CHA of BC that will offer such an opportunity. There wasn’t such an opportunity for me in Alberta.
Wish me luck folks! I will keep you posted on my progress.
