Plant Cunning Podcast

Plant Cunning Podcast
  • 4.9 (50)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Biweekly

Plant Cunning Podcast brings together people wise to the ways of plants, fungi, healing practices, & the natural world to explore the mysteries of Nature. Co-Hosted by astrologer, gardener & musician, Isaac Hill and herbalist & educator A.C. Stauble-Hill. We invite herbalists, mages, mycologists, gardeners, community organizers, healers, spiritual seekers & all kinds of other interesting people to the microphone to share their wisdom. We like to bridge different worlds, make connections, inspire, and at times, have our minds blown by our amazing guests. Enjoy!

  1. Ep. 234: Earth Energy, Dragons and Faeries with Trista Haggerty

    1d ago

    Ep. 234: Earth Energy, Dragons and Faeries with Trista Haggerty

    Find out more about the Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Today, AC & Isaac interview Trista Haggerty, author of When the Dark Mother Calls, about her path into mysticism after a dark night of the soul and two decades of mentoring with a German mystic while traveling to sacred sites in places such as Peru and Ireland. They discuss what makes power spots sacred, stone circles as “acupuncture,” and caves as initiation spaces, plus practices for trusting intuition through body-based discernment. Trista shares her work at Hawk Circle, a couple-hundred-acre land project where she’s building stone circle, trails, and a perfumery inspired by Egyptian temple recipes to fund youth nature programs. The conversation also explores fairies, dragons, the “threefold path,” and her upcoming talk at the Plant Cunning Conference (July 24–26) alongside other speakers. 01:38 Trista Meets Her Mentor 03:31 First Sacred Site Journeys 06:21 Earth-Based Mysticism Lessons 08:22 What Makes Sites Sacred 11:26 Primal Earth Energy Work 15:08 Mystic Path and Hidden Teachings 19:07 Trusting Intuition in Noise 23:51 Hawk Circle Vision and Land 29:51 Perfumery and Temple Scents 31:49 Essential Oils Impact 32:04 Ritual Perfumery Journey 33:11 Fairy Lore Explained 37:15 Threefold Path Teachings 40:14 Dragons and the Land 42:08 First Dragon Encounter 43:45 Connecting With Dragons 47:39 Awakening Landscape Dragons 48:38 Dragon Humor and Myths 53:31 New Earth Vision 56:41 When the Dark Mother Calls

    1h 4m
  2. Ep. 233: The Hot Tincture Method with Mary Blue

    Jun 3

    Ep. 233: The Hot Tincture Method with Mary Blue

    Learn more about the Plant Cunning Conference at:Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026On this episode, Isaac and AC welcome community herbalist, author, and teacher Mary Blue to talk about the "hot tincture method" and why applying a hot water extraction can dramatically improve tincture color, aroma, taste, and effectiveness while saving plant material, storage space, and time. Mary shares her path from environmental and protest activism into herbalism, her day-to-day running an herb shop and farm, and the mentors and experiences that shaped her teaching focus on herbal actions and solvency. They discuss safety lessons learned from heating alcohol, plant-specific considerations (including mushrooms, marshmallow, comfrey, and milk thistle), glycerins and oils, and how herbalism functions as a form of activism through accessibility, community support, and sustainable practice. 02:23 Meet Mary Blue 02:55 Activism To Herbalism 04:46 Running Farmacy Herbs 06:14 Mentors And Training 08:01 Teaching Solvency Basics 09:55 Common Solvency Confusions 11:26 Accessible Teaching Methods 13:53 The "Hot Tincture Method" Explained 16:19 Why It Works Better 23:09 How Mary Blue almost burned down her apothecary 28:01 Tincture Ratios 31:24 When Not to Tincture 31:50 Comfrey Safety Debate 33:12 Liniments and Compresses 34:43 Glycerins and Pre Extraction 36:01 Heating Oils for Extraction 36:29 Classes and Farm Intensives 37:46 Hosting Herbal Events 39:25 Herbalism as Activism 40:55 Burnout to Micro Activism 47:02 Fulfillment Through Service 47:58 The Future of Herbalism s52:55 Creativity and Community Play

    55 min
  3. Ep. 232: David Holmgren on Permaculture's Origins & Building Resilient Households

    May 27

    Ep. 232: David Holmgren on Permaculture's Origins & Building Resilient Households

    Get your tickets for the Plant Cunning Conference here: Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Today on the show, Isaac & AC welcome David Holmgren, co-originator of the Permaculture concept.In this episode, David describes life at Melliodora in Central Victoria with three semi-autonomous households sharing work and produce, and recounts how he came to the “plant path” through plant ID, foraging, and early research for Permaculture One. He tells the story of meeting Bill Mollison in 1974 and how the idea of agriculture functioning like a forest became a seed of permaculture, while reflecting on Mollison’s charisma and difficulty. The conversation explores holistic thinking versus reductionism, DIY self-reliance, cycles of skill loss and renewal, COVID’s impact on interest in permaculture and RetroSuburbia, “enlightened self-interest,” energy descent and relocalization, household-scale resilience including health capacity, and where to find Holmgren’s essays and websites. 02:11 Meet David Holmgren 03:47 Finding the Plant Path 06:04 Chance Meeting with Bill Mollison 08:15 Permaculture Seed Idea 12:12 Working with a Charismatic Genius 15:31 Patterns vs Practice 21:13 DIY Skills and Tasmania Culture 24:27 Cycles of Self Reliance 28:17 COVID and RetroSuburbia Spike 30:07 Enlightened Self Interest Explained 37:29 Humans as Keystone Species 38:26 Hierarchy and Elite Corruption 40:35 Predators and Power 41:25 Fossil Fuel Hierarchy 42:42 Globalists vs Sovereigntists 44:11 Household Resilience Basics 45:35 Health as Weak Link 47:44 Bigger Households Work 52:17 Household Beats Consensus 55:23 Food Growing Mindset 59:09 Jack of all trades, Master of One 01:03:06 Why Intentional Communities Fail 01:06:49 Brown Tech Uncertainty 01:08:32 Tower of Babel Reality 01:12:35 Long Descent Balance 01:16:29 Essays and Resources 01:19:30 Final Thanks and Wrap

    1h 20m
  4. Ep. 231: Embodied Astrology with Gary Caton

    May 13

    Ep. 231: Embodied Astrology with Gary Caton

    Sign up for the free Herbal Dental Care class here: https://courses.herbrally.com/a/2148265685/vCybToz9 Get The Zodiac Garden Guide here: Amazon.com: The Zodiac Garden Guide: A Handbook of Astrological Gardening: 9798253036525: Hill, Isaac Alexander, Cole, Freedom: Books Get your tickets for the Plant Cunning Conference here: Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Today, Isaac and AC welcome Gary P. Caton, the "Hermetic Astrologer" to discuss embodied astrology—going outside to directly observe and relate with the planets. Caton recounts his father teaching him to plant by the Moon, a 1993 dream tied to a Sun–Venus conjunction, and his experience with Project Hindsight translations that renewed interest in sky-based practice. He describes conversations and synchronicities with Venus and plants, argues astrologers have an ethical imperative to know the sky firsthand, and explains practical entry points like tracking Venus’s seven Moon conjunctions and working with new/full moons for intentions. The conversation also explores ethics, seasonality, civilization cycles, and “seed people.” 03:15 Meet Gary Caton 03:36 Origins in Astrology 05:32 Venus Dream Awakening 08:57 Planets and Plants Talk 11:45 Why "Embodied Astrology"? 13:59 Civilization and Planets 18:12 Hermes Myth and Charts 23:22 Start Embodied Astrology 26:25 Venus Cycle Dates 29:17 Moon Cycles and Seeds 31:01 Dark Moon and Ethics 34:16 Waning Moon Decrease 36:08 Disseminating Phase Seeds 37:15 Rudhyar Autumn Metaphor 39:07 Science and Hermeticism 40:38 Becoming Seed People 44:58 The Elements, Love and Strife 47:22 Ape Hierarchies Embodiment 51:38 Sunrise Ritual Nature Healing 55:37 Quiet Desert Homecoming 57:31 Where to Find Gary 59:47 Biodynamic Planting Calendar 01:02:33 Wrap Up and Thanks

    1h 3m
  5. Ep. 230: Traditional African Medicine with Olatokunboh Obasi

    May 6

    Ep. 230: Traditional African Medicine with Olatokunboh Obasi

    Today AC & Isaac welcome herbalist and teacher Olatokunboh Obasi back to the Plant Cunning Podcast for a second interview, now speaking from outside Nairobi, Kenya. Obasi shares that she’s finishing a doctorate in clinical nutrition while working toward opening an integrative women’s health clinic, and explains how nutrition, changing food systems, and modern indoor life affect herbal outcomes. She discusses divination and geomancy, genetics as “codes” responding to environment, and how she navigates multiple traditions—Yoruba as her root, alongside Taíno and Kenyan indigenous practices—without collapsing them into one. They explore Kenyan healing culture, including lineage-based herbalism, diviners, birth workers, and bone-setting (lila) meridian work, plus a story of discovering an East African betony for headaches. Obasi also defines traditional African medicine as diverse, spiritually centered, and regionally distinct, and critiques material reductionism in Western herbalism while pointing to figures like Culpeper and Hildegard as bridges back to spirit. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:45 Ola’s Life in Kenya 03:50 Why Clinical Nutrition 05:52 Divination and Genetics 09:31 Lineages and Training 11:41 Navigating Multiple Traditions 16:47 Plants Calling in Kenya 22:15 Healing Culture in Kenya 24:40 Bone Setting and Lila 28:32 Community-Based Medicine 34:32 Defining African Traditional Medicine 36:16 Spirit First Healing 36:47 Lineage And Bioregions 37:45 Cross Cultural Herbal Exchange 41:37 Reclaiming Spirit In Herbalism 44:02 Traditional Western Medicine 45:44 Astrology, Culpeper, Hildegard 50:17 Centering Over Scrolling 53:07 Rest Boredom And Reading 54:07 Rethinking Academia And Art 58:27 Craft Culture And Kenya

    1h 7m
  6. Ep. 229: Sacred Homemaking with Kimberly Steele

    Apr 29

    Ep. 229: Sacred Homemaking with Kimberly Steele

    In this Plant Cunning Podcast episode, AC & Isaac interview Kimberly Steele about her first book, Sacred Homemaking, on making the home a sacred space through everyday practices. Steele shares her path from a casual Christian upbringing and decades of atheism into Druidry and daily spiritual discipline, including meditation and long-term practice of Sphere of Protection rituals, and discusses gratitude and generosity as transformative forces. She explains perceiving multiple “planes” (physical, etheric, astral, spiritual) and how tidying, thanking household objects, cleaning (especially the toilet), and avoiding both hoarding and sterile perfection can shift a home’s “vibe.” Steele offers practical suggestions such as removing “haunted” objects, using sprays and salt, and placing symmetrical sacred geometry patterns as “demon traps,” critiques materialism and doomscrolling, and introduces the idea of “astral pyramids” and group spirits.00:00 Show Intro and Announcements00:39 Meet Kimberly Steele01:27 Her Spiritual Origin Story05:27 Gratitude and Generosity09:09 From Atheism to Spirit10:27 Planes of Existence Explained12:45 Sacred Homemaking Basics18:44 Spirits at Home and Influence22:21 Protection and Banishing25:22 Sacred Geometry Demon Traps29:41 Order vs Sterile Living33:48 Toilet Cleaning and Money Luck35:26 Recognizing the Spirit of Place37:34 Gratitude Improves Relationships38:25 Marriage Scorekeeping Trap39:42 Sacred Beauty And Illusion40:31 Looksmaxing And Dysmorphia41:39 Ozempic And Willpower44:38 Health Complaints Culture46:10 Astral Dumpster Fire47:46 Screens With Boundaries49:08 Kids Gaming And Enchantment52:19 Kung Fu Daily Discipline54:38 Gratitude Raises Consciousness59:16 Home Vibe And Spirit Of Place01:00:56 Astral Pyramids And Egregores01:06:40 Music As Prayer And Earworms01:11:22 Book Wrap Up And Where To Find Her

    1h 14m
  7. Ep. 228: Black Paths & Green Cathedrals with Sian Sibley

    Apr 22

    Ep. 228: Black Paths & Green Cathedrals with Sian Sibley

    In this episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast, hosts Isaac & AC Hill talks with Sian Sibley—witch, author of Black Paths and Green Cathedrals, and founder of the Dragon Oak Coven in Wales—about building real relationships with plant and tree spirits, including mugwort as an initiator and yew as a teacher around death and continuity. Sian shares how to approach trees respectfully, how to recognize a clear “no,” and why taking plant material without permission can undermine magical work. They discuss key allies like hazel, apple, hawthorn (including timing Beltane by local hawthorn bloom), and elder’s seasonal “three faces,” plus practical astral/meditation safety and grounding. The conversation also critiques modern pagan and wellness habits that harm ecosystems—crystals, frankincense, wasteful candles, and commodified entheogens—calling for smaller, more local, less consumerist practice. 01:24 Meet Sian Sibley 01:54 Springtime Blackthorn 02:29 Finding the Plant Path 03:07 Mugwort Opens the Gate 06:06 Yew and Death Mysteries 08:53 Patience and Plant Consent 09:37 Blackthorn Says No 13:57 When Plants Reject You 14:37 Buttercup and Monks Hood 17:30 Who Is Charubel 19:54 Sigils and Personal Practice 22:55 Astral Safety Basics 26:33 Protective Tree Allies 27:41 Hazel, Apple, Elder, Hawthorn 28:20 Elder Medicine and Folklore 30:45 Elder Initiation Poem 32:22 Pruning and Asking Permission 34:37 Elder Tree Lore 35:41 Hazel Nuts Wisdom 36:29 Hawthorn Beltane Timing 39:51 Local Time Cycles 42:44 Circadian Clock Health 47:13 Rest, Boredom & Imagination 47:43 Eco-Spirituality Critique 48:55 The Ethics of Crystals and Frankinscence 57:21 Living Smaller Solutions 01:04:20 Closing Poem 01:06:06 Where To Find Sian

    1h 7m
  8. Ep. 227: Alan Chapman and the Garden of Awakening

    Apr 15

    Ep. 227: Alan Chapman and the Garden of Awakening

    Get The Zodiac Garden Guide on Amazon (available in any country) Book a Vedic astrology consultation with Isaac by emailing him at askisaachill@gmail.com On the Plant Cunning Podcast, Isaac & AC Hill interview Alan Chapman (at Barbarous Words.com) —magician, mystic, and writer—about his path from chaos magic to teaching Magia, a Western tradition oriented around awakening. Chapman describes a deepening in 2013 following awakening in India (in Tiruvannamalai) that led to his book Magia and a shift toward a more “miraculous” view of realization beyond standard nonduality frameworks. They discuss delusion as mistaken identity, “silent knowing” as the impulse behind seeking, transmission and its seductions, the limits of maps versus the need for cosmology, and a gardening metaphor for traditions that avoids both perennial “mush” and rigid traditionalism. Chapman shares how he works with students through practices that let experiences disclose their nature, and he points to his site and retreats for further study. 01:29 Meeting Alan Chapman 02:45 Baptist's Head Era 05:17 Awakening Deepens 2013 13:12 What I Know Sure 17:29 Silent Knowing Faith 21:15 Gnosticism Labels Rejected 24:21 Traditions as Garden 27:42 Universals and Particulars 31:44 Fear and Running Away 37:37 Delusion and Trust Thread 44:24 Morality After Awakening 46:01 Ramana Self Inquiry Myth 47:09 Who Am I Inquiry 48:34 Transmission Explained 49:46 Seduction of Control 52:24 Guru Yoga and Institutions 54:43 Why Teachers Help 56:28 What We Really Seek 58:04 Entrainment and Dependency 01:00:17 Cautionary Guru Stories 01:04:42 Maps Versus Cosmology 01:06:07 Let It Disclose 01:07:12 Gardening the Path 01:13:36 Faith and Silent Knowing 01:19:13 Practice and Awakening 01:22:44 Enjoying the Garden 01:23:33 Extreme Awakening Chasing 01:24:06 Two Worlds One Heart 01:26:09 Farming Incarnation Metaphor 01:27:39 Transmission Life and Death 01:30:28 Minimal Tree Cosmology 01:32:35 Unbinding Practice Steps 01:34:41 Mounting Cosmology Stages 01:36:49 Journal Envy and Comparison 01:40:37 Dry Paths and Fireworks 01:48:25 Cosmological Binding Method 01:49:28 Unconditional States Test 01:58:29 Cutting Down the Tree 01:59:21 Resources Retreats Farewell

    2h 1m
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4.9
out of 5
50 Ratings

About

Plant Cunning Podcast brings together people wise to the ways of plants, fungi, healing practices, & the natural world to explore the mysteries of Nature. Co-Hosted by astrologer, gardener & musician, Isaac Hill and herbalist & educator A.C. Stauble-Hill. We invite herbalists, mages, mycologists, gardeners, community organizers, healers, spiritual seekers & all kinds of other interesting people to the microphone to share their wisdom. We like to bridge different worlds, make connections, inspire, and at times, have our minds blown by our amazing guests. Enjoy!

Information

  • Creator
    Plant Cunning Podcast
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    234
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Plant Cunning Podcast
  • Show Website
    Plant Cunning Podcast

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