Learn the Ancient, Animist Ways of Plant Spirit Work
Wortcunning • Spiritual Herbalism • Herb Magic
Courses & Classes
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Wyrtcræft · Path of the Herbwise
A three-level certificate course in our tradition of modern wortcunning. Rooted in the ancestral ways of Northern & Western European pagan animism and plant lore for the here and now.
Next course begins September 17, 2025
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The Spiritual Herbalism Program
An advanced on-demand 40-hour video course in the practice of spiritual herbalism- from perspectives and philosophy to assessment, herbs, formulations, and remedy-crafting.
Instant, on-demand access
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Leaf & Lore
Immersive connections to the sacred plants of the Old English, Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Norse, and Scandinavian herbals through botany, folklore, medicine, magic, ritual, and plant spirit journeys.
Next course begins February 12, 2026
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The Physick Garden
Learn to craft your own bioregional repertoire of medicinal and magical herbs based on place, practice, and person. Engage deeply with the herbs of your own wanderings!
Next course begins June 2026
Upcoming Events
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Medicinal & Magical Herbal Oils Workshop
Saturday August 23, 2025
Join me for a hands-on workshop connecting to the magic, medicine, and joy of herbal oils! Make two of your own blends to take home and enjoy.
FLOW APOTHECARY | Salt Lake City, Utah
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The Ways of Wortcunning • Level One
Online | Begins September 17, 2025
Part one of our immersive three-part course on traditional Wortcunning in the modern world. Join us live online with on-demand replays to learn how to work with the plants in medicine, magic, and mystery.
ENROLLMENT OPEN NOW
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Leaf & Lore • 2026
Enrollment Opens November 3, 2025
The wisdom, magic, and medicine of 16 plants- each teaching us something special about the Wortcunning ways! Come learn how to learn from the plants while creating a powerful repertoire of 16 allies.
COURSE BEGINS FEBRUARY 12, 2026
“I have always felt a call to the plants and herbal medicine, which I sadly ignored for most of my life. At the time of writing this I have been watching Josh’s free content for two years and a patreon member for nearly a year. When he began offering his Spiritual Herbalism course I immediately enrolled. I knew it was going to be incredible, but I was completely blown away. Josh is one of those rare people who has a great gift for teaching. After his classes I walk away not only feeling like I learned something, like I acquired the data, but he has this incredible way of instilling the confidence to do something with the knowledge he teaches. He presents all of his lessons in an approachable, and easily understood way that anyone can come to regardless of spiritual path or experience level. " -CN, USA
Community
Join our vibrant online community and get instant access to:
Advanced class library
Exclusive courses
Plant Spirit Journey collections
Guided meditations & rituals library
Monthly Q&A submissions
Special unannounced classes & courses
Community chat groups
Discounts on in-person and virtual programs
and so much more!
“Whether he’s discussing botany, herbalism, or spirituality there is always a wealth of knowledge presented, and you can tell he’s truly passionate about what he’s teaching. Following his methods of plant work has allowed me to enter into real reciprocal relationships with the plants, the land, and the spirits around me and has not only given me the knowledge and the confidence to craft herbal medicine, but also deepened my own spiritual practice, and helped me cultivate more peace and harmony and improve all other relationships in my life. His courses are truly something special, and I can’t recommend them enough.” -CN, USA
The Ways of Wortcunning
Wortcunning is an ancient term which derives from the sacred plant practices of the Anglo-Saxon folk. As a term, it is made up of two distinct words: wyrta and cunnan. Wyrta is any plant, but specifically the plants we know and work with in medicine and magic. Cunnan is knowledge and wisdom about something- often occult in nature. So, Wortcunning is the path of knowing the mysteries of the plants and working with them in service of self, community, and cosmos.
It can be easy to think that the old ways of spiritual herbalism don’t have a role to play in the world we live now- but the wisdom of our herbwise ancestors continues to show us that the plants are as relevant and important now as they ever were- and the medicine they bring us can speak to the most complex of our personal and collective disharmonies.
By engaging with Wortcunning, we connect to the plants the way our collective ancestors have always done; as arcane spirits full of consciousness, wisdom, and power. We draw these blessings into how we craft medicine, do ritual, create magic, assess disharmonies, and serve people. Wortcunning is an invitation to go further into the deep green mysteries and to engage person-to-person with the plants as teachers, allies, and spirits of nature.
Luckily, we have many texts, charms, recipes, approaches, and traditions that have survived mostly from the 10th century. Over the years, I have woven these bits ad pieces together into a living tradition of modern Wortcunning that can be practices by anyone, anywhere, who holds a deep respect for the ancestral wisdom contained in the teachings.
I invite you to explore the ways Wortcunning, spiritual herbalism, and the plant spirit path can bring healing, wisdom, plenty, and peace to your own life. I offer a massive library of free classes which can be found on The Green Arte YouTube Channel- and when you’re ready to get into the really good stuff, our immersive courses are a fun and accessible way to take your learning to the next level.
“I have been interested in herbalism all my life, even before I knew it was called "herbalism." However, I felt the subject was too complicated and overwhelming for most of my life. But, when I found Josh's teachings, I felt I finally found a welcoming path into herbalism. I've taken courses by other teachers and read books by different authors, but something was always missing. Plants were usually talked about as tools rather than allies, and the nuance of each human's unique condition seemed to be ignored. As such, I was immediately drawn to Josh's deep respect and enthusiasm for plant allies. His depth and breadth of knowledge, while remaining humble and funny, have made me a devoted student of his work. All of his courses (free and paid) are insightful; his passion is contagious, and his respect for plant allies is inspiring. I highly recommend Josh's work to anyone interested in learning herbalism and wanting to explore a plant spirit practice.” -HS, USA
Herbalist Josh Williams
I’ve been a student of the plants and their mysteries for over 25 years- exploring the ways we’ve worked with the plants to create healing, harmony, and spiritual growth throughout the ages. After all this time, I still continue to be surprised all the time at who the plants are and how they show up for us.
As a full-time clinical herbalist, I am fortunate to get to work with clients from across the world and connect them to the profound medicine and magic of the plants. Over the years, I have taken my research and study around the old wortcunning ways of my ancestors and applied it to the modern world we all live in here and now. In doing so, I’ve found that their problems reflect our own problems- even though distanced by thousands of years. The ancient medicine ways still speak perfectly to our human condition- and I am so excited to be sharing traditional herbalism with you here, now.
I hope you’ll join me and our incredible community for an upcoming class or course- we offer them both live and online to make it easy for you to bring this green wisdom into your own life.
Wes Þu Hāl,
Josh
Author of Spiritual Herbalism and The Green Arte
Aeon Books, London.
The Nine Herbs Charm & The Lacnunga
You’re called Una, that most ancient plant.
You defeat three, you defeat thirty,
you defeat venom, you defeat air-illness;
you defeat the horror who stalks the land.
- Verse 2 of the Nigon Wyrta Galdor in praise of Mugwort (Artemesia vulgaris)
The is perhaps no more famous a charm from the Wortcunning world than the Nine Herbs Charm. This powerful spell invokes the spirits of nine sacred herbs- each being celebrated in verse for their virtues both magical and medicinal. The charm, beautiful as it is, conceals more between its lines than many people realize about the ways of Wortcunning.
Using the verse above as an example, we see that Una, the sacred Læce (healer) name of Mugwort, is addresses not as a thing but as a being. Their names, accomplishments, stories, and legend are called forth in this very Indo-European style of petition in hopes that not just the physical form of the plant will be present in the remedy- but that the whole person of the plant will be present!
It is the Nine Herbs Charm that gives us the greatest insight and initiation into some of the more arcane and occult aspects of our Wortcunning ancestors. This charm, and many others like it in the 10th c. text known as Lacnunga (‘remedies’) show us the vibrant approach of animism, nature-centered kinship, and sacred reciprocity.
In just this one verse of the larger charm we have our eyes opened to the ways that the herbwise before us experienced plants, worked with disease, and approached healing- and all of it is just as relevant right now as it was over 1,000 years ago!
The Green Arte places surviving texts like these in great esteem- and we lean into their wisdom to help us understand how the ancients did herbalism and how we can tap into that same living stream of power right now.
If these old charms and animist perspectives of herbal work feel right to you, we invite you to check out our incredible classes and courses. Whether curious and new or expert and in practice, we’ll help bring the cunning artes to life for you!
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You can! In the spirit of our ancestors, we share this wisdom openly to all who approach it with respect and love. Wortcunning, like our Pagan traditions, is about culture, community, and connections.
Our school operates on the virtues of the Old Ways- being anti-racist, LGBTQIA+ affirming, eager to accommodate all disabilities wherever possible, and affirming of everyone’s right to peace and plenty.
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Wortcunning is a sacred term which comes from the Anglo-Saxon traditions of animist-pagan Britain. The word means ‘one who knows the plants’- and it speaks to knowing the plants by their physical forms (botany), their medicine (læcecræft), and their mysteries.
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Spiritual herbalism is a whole-person approach to health and wellness that approaches each of us as unique beings living in a world full of other beings, relationships, and possibilities.
Spiritual herbalism also approaches and works with the herbs as spiritual beings. They are not things, resources, commodities, or unconscious matter here to serve the human narrative- rather they are fully conscious, wise, and sovereign beings in their n right whom we work with through acts of kinship and reciprocity.
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When we approach the herbs in the ways our collective herbwise ancestors have done since forever, we find that their wisdom and virtues can flow to any aspect of our lives- not just our physical bodies!
So, we can work with herbs to help create harmony and positive transformation in our lives which is quite magical.
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Josh offers a variety of ways for you to learn the green artes and the ways of wortcunning and spiritual herbalism:
Watch over 150 free classes on The Green Arte YouTube channel
Take our on-demand classes and courses
Join us for live workshops in the Salt Lake City, Utah area and at various herb conferences and gatherings
Join us for one of our immersive certification courses which happen live online!
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We strive to offer unique and immersive classes and courses that honor our herbwise ancestors and call the wisdom of the plants into the world we all live in now. Herbal medicine and magic has never been more important- and many people are turning back to these ancient ways of whole-person and whole-world wellness because the systems we have in place now simply are not working they way they could.
Whether you take a one-off topical class or join us for a full program, you will receive clear, approachable, and authentic education that will truly change your life!