Plant & Tree Attunements
This is ancient technology. Once you experience it, you may see why.
It reaches what modern ways can not.
"ME: Why am I alive?
OLD WOMAN: Because everything else is.
ME: No. I mean the purpose.
OLD WOMAN: That is the purpose. To learn about your relatives.
ME: My family?
OLD WOMAN: Yes. The moon, stars, rocks, trees, plants, water, insects, birds, mammals.
Your whole family. Learn about that relationship.
How you’re moving through time and space together.
That’s why your alive."
Richard Wagamese
If you are feeling the whisper in the wind to slow down, step out of the hustle and bustle,
and listen deeply—to the land, to the plants,
to your own spirit—this attunement may be for you.
For one week in silence, you will live simply on the land while camping and enter into a
sacred relationship with one local plant or tree ally. All meals provided.
Through solitude, ritual, art, movement, daily dream sharing, and plant communion,
you will remember ways of knowing that live in your bones.
Make time to paint, draw, colour mandalas, weave baskets and create crafts.
A big part of these attunements can be making art and resting.
You are encouraged to walk, stretch, cloud watch, enjoy the gardens, do yoga,
dance, and explore the forest.
Spend time with the stone people. The stones are the bones of the earth great
teachers of stillness.
Why Plant Attunements?
Across every continent, long before books and screens, humans learned directly from plants.
Plant attunements are ancient practices throughout Europe, Scandinavia, and worldwide.
This work is not intellectual. It is embodied and somatic.
Over the past 20 years Julie Gaia has been taking time to attune to the plants.
2027 celebrates 6 years of offering plant and tree attunements.
This Experience Is For You If…
You may feel a clear yes if:
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You feel called to connect with the spirit of local plants and trees
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You want this work to support your healing journey
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You feel drawn to ancestral or earth-based ways of knowing
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You want to experience this in person, on the land
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You are ready to slow down and go deeper—beyond books and the internet
You do not need prior experience.
You do need willingness, humility, and reverence.
What This Is Not:
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A social retreat
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A group workshop with constant facilitation
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A place for distractions, substances, or entertainment
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No ayahuasca or tobacco. Only common trees and plants
This is a sacred container for solitude, listening, and remembrance.
(Please note that these attunements are not Amazonian or Shipibo Dietas.
They have been born from 20 years of living the Herbalism path of Julie's life teachings.
No Ayahuasca or Tobacco are provided in any form.)
If you seek a Traditional Tobacco dieta in Ontario with trees I recommend working with Timmie.
Dates
Coming soon- 2027
Investment/Donation
$2100+ tax - Camping/bring your own gear
2027 Early Bird before February 1st, 2027- $1700+tax
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$700 deposit + tax required to hold your space.
To apply, please send a message through the contact link.
Wait list is available.
Plants & Trees We Work With
This is a small overview of some of the plants and trees available to work with.
Each plant’s consciousness is far too vast to put into a box. These descriptions are simply
an introduction—a doorway into meeting each plant and discovering your
own relationship with its spirit and medicine.
Yarrow — Achillea millefolium
Yarrow symbolizes protection, clarity, sovereignty, boundaries, grounding, embodiment, resilience, discernment, healing, containment, restoration, wholeness, and integrity.
Yarrow brings balance, strength, courage, and sensitivity. It supports vitality, purification, and centering. An ancient healer of wounds—emotional, physical, and spiritual—Yarrow teaches us how to remain whole while moving through life.
White Pine — Pinus strobus
White Pine is a tree of peace, compassion, boundaries, forgiveness, acceptance, self-love, unity, remembrance, humility, grace, tenderness, and openness. Pine teaches gentleness in healing and restoration. It shares its medicine of vitality and resilience, inviting us to soften while remaining strong. White Pine holds deep significance as the Tree of Peace in Haudenosaunee tradition.
Rose — Rosa spp.
Rose helps us fill with love, compassion, beauty, sensuality, and confidence.
She teaches boundaries, nourishment, femininity, and self-love. Rose tends to matters of the heart,
reminding us that softness can be a form of strength. Her medicine is gentleness and beauty.
Journey with Rose and meet her kindness.
Willow — Salix spp.
Willow helps us move with deep grief, surrender, adaptability, resilience, flexibility, regeneration, fertility, softness, and compassion. Willow is intimately connected with water and the emotional realms. She is soft, spacious, and deeply rooted in the movement of life. Come bend like Willow. Feel her beauty. Tend your inner child.
Testimonials
"The Gaia Hive Plant Attunement was one of the most profound experiences I have ever had in my life, alongside giving birth and other plant medicine ceremonies.
Mind you, this was like a medicine ceremony or giving birth for 7 days in a row. I didn't fully know what to anticipate going in, which was actually a blessing in disguise. I really didn't need to know what the journey looked like because I felt so held and cradled in the space of the land, and by the grounded, steady guidance Julie provided.
On the last day, I was already planning my next possible Attunement experience. Never had I sat so intently with myself as I did during those 7 days. I couldn't believe the experience I was having, but I heard myself repeating to myself how grateful I was to be there. It felt like a vision quest, nature sit spot, body detox, and artist residency, Vipassana, and plant journey all rolled into one.
I painted and journaled every day to stay centred in myself. I unpacked so much of my life and my most important relationships. And most of all, the relationship I have with myself.
This experience helped me touch a version of myself and a way of living I had not yet experienced—but perhaps had known as a child and forgotten.
Thank you, thank you, Julie Gaia. You mean so much to my heart now, for how you held the space for me. I am deeply and eternally grateful for you and for this blessing on my life. Aho." J.B
"I had the opportunity to attend Julie's 7 day silent plant attunement and journey.
I was a little nervous to spend that length of time in silence, but I found it a lot easier than expected. I can see how having that amount of time in solitude is necessary to create the space needed to experience distance from the external noise and go within. The space felt safe and supportive and the days allowed for a lot of rest, play and observation.
What a gift it is to live simply, move slowly and follow the pull of creativity and intuition for many days in a row. There was some ebb and flow through challenges, for sure, but I felt very held. Julie offered such beautiful sacred space and support while providing our tea and was always there to make sure we were comfortable and cared for throughout the day and night. For me, the plant provided transformational insights about the many layers of boundaries
and how to stay true to my authentic self. I am very grateful for this time and I left feeling grounded, inspired, and as if
I was experiencing life through fresh senses." K.K.
"I participated in an attunement with Julie and it was a really wonderful week to disconnect from tech and reconnect to nature and myself. I was spoiled with food that was nourishing and light. Brief conversations with Julie about my dreams which was enlightening and I loved the flower baths I received early onto ground myself. All of the wonderful little delights allowed me to relax and absorb the plant wisdom and medicine. It’s truly a great experience to isolate yourself in that manner and still be able to get pampering. I recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity." Anonymous.
"It was a good experience and it was very helpful that I had one to one time with Julie everyday and she helped me understand my dreams. It was great time to spend just with myself, no interaction with others, no phone, and no books. I journaled and drew pictures everyday. My plant showed me an abundance of love, support and celebration There is no need for fear and I am free. After the attunement I felt confident and excited for the new chapter of my life." Aya
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I attend for fewer than 7 days?
No. A full 7-day commitment is required.
Do I need prior experience?
No experience is necessary. All are welcome to apply.
How do I sign up?
Book a phone call through the contact link to see if this attunement is the right fit.
Where do we sleep?
You bring your own tent and camping gear. Camping is in a cedar forest.
Where is the location?
Near Markdale, Ontario (30 minutes south of Owen Sound).
Please reach out with any other questions.
Art below by JB.
