Alchemy & Spagyrics Workshop in Asheville

This workshop is designed to be accessible to everyone - whether you are brand new to herbalism or have years of experience in the apothecary. No prior alchemical knowledge is required, only curiosity and a willingness to participate.

At the center of our time together is the art of spagyrics. An ancient alchemical approach to herbal medicine that honors the full being of the plant: its body (minerals), soul (oils), and spirit (alcohol). Through this process, we create remedies that are more than extracts: they are vibrant, full-spectrum expressions of the plant’s wisdom and vitality.

Alongside live demonstrations and hands-on work, we will explore:

• Animism, the birth of our Earth & the cosmos - understanding the universe as alive, and the Earth as an animate being.

• The history of alchemy - from its written roots in ancient Egypt, through Persia, India, and China, and back to Europe during the Renaissance.

• Gaia Theory and the Earth as a self-regulating, animate being and how alchemical principles mirror the cycles and feedback systems of the natural world.

• Phytochemistry and plant intelligence through a spagyric lens.

• The Spagyric Process & other classical preparations, including the Ens, Elixir, Magistry, and Oil of Egg.

• Astrological timing and planetary correspondence in medicine making.

Over the weekend, participants will craft their own spagyric tincture from start to finish, experiencing each stage of separation, purification, and recombination. Everyone will leave with their own finished tincture and the skills to begin making spagyrics at home. You don't need a laboratory to do these skills, just a kitchen!

This workshop blends theory with practice, myth with method, and science with spirit. You’ll walk away with practical medicine making skills, a deeper understanding of alchemy’s human and ecological history, and a renewed sense of kinship with the more-than-human world. Seeing the transformations of your laboratory reflected in the transformations of the living Earth.

Lead by Mo Judith, the founder of Aura La Voura and a devoted student of herbalism since 2012. Their journey into plant medicine began with a deep curiosity and a desire to reconnect with nature’s intelligence. Over the years, They've traveled across the globe—studying traditional healing systems, foraging in wild landscapes, and sitting with elders, women and medicine keepers—to understand the intimate relationship between plants, people, and the planet.

What began as a personal quest has grown into a lifelong commitment: to preserve ancestral knowledge, respect ecological balance, and make powerful, plant-based remedies that are both spiritually rooted and scientifically sound.

October 8 & 9, 2025, 9-5 with a lunch break

Held at the Ritual Botanica Studio, welcome email with details sent the week prior to event.