Podcast
Plant Cunning Podcast
Hosted by Plant Cunning Podcast · EN
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!
32episodes
Episodes
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Ep. 233: The Hot Tincture Method with Mary Blue
2d ago00:55:46Tap to summarizeLearn 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 Blue02:55 Activism To Herbalism04:46 Running Farmacy Herbs06:14 Mentors And Training08:01 Teaching Solvency Basics09:55 Common Solvency Confusions11:26 Accessible Teaching Methods13:53 The "Hot Tincture Method" Explained16:19 Why It Works Better23:09 How Mary Blue almost burned down her apothecary28:01 Tincture Ratios 31:24 When Not to Tincture31:50 Comfrey Safety Debate33:12 Liniments and Compresses34:43 Glycerins and Pre Extraction36:01 Heating Oils for Extraction36:29 Classes and Farm Intensives37:46 Hosting Herbal Events39:25 Herbalism as Activism40:55 Burnout to Micro Activism47:02 Fulfillment Through Service47:58 The Future of Herbalisms52:55 Creativity and Community Play
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Ep. 232: David Holmgren on Permaculture's Origins & Building Resilient Households
1w ago01:19:46Tap to summarizeGet 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 Holmgren03:47 Finding the Plant Path06:04 Chance Meeting with Bill Mollison08:15 Permaculture Seed Idea12:12 Working with a Charismatic Genius15:31 Patterns vs Practice21:13 DIY Skills and Tasmania Culture24:27 Cycles of Self Reliance28:17 COVID and RetroSuburbia Spike30:07 Enlightened Self Interest Explained37:29 Humans as Keystone Species38:26 Hierarchy and Elite Corruption40:35 Predators and Power41:25 Fossil Fuel Hierarchy42:42 Globalists vs Sovereigntists44:11 Household Resilience Basics45:35 Health as Weak Link47:44 Bigger Households Work52:17 Household Beats Consensus55:23 Food Growing Mindset59:09 Jack of all trades, Master of One01:03:06 Why Intentional Communities Fail01:06:49 Brown Tech Uncertainty01:08:32 Tower of Babel Reality01:12:35 Long Descent Balance01:16:29 Essays and Resources01:19:30 Final Thanks and Wrap
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Ep. 231: Embodied Astrology with Gary Caton
3w ago01:02:44Tap to summarizeSign up for the free Herbal Dental Care class here: https://courses.herbrally.com/a/2148265685/vCybToz9Get The Zodiac Garden Guide here: Amazon.com: The Zodiac Garden Guide: A Handbook of Astrological Gardening: 9798253036525: Hill, Isaac Alexander, Cole, Freedom: BooksGet 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 Caton03:36 Origins in Astrology05:32 Venus Dream Awakening08:57 Planets and Plants Talk11:45 Why "Embodied Astrology"?13:59 Civilization and Planets18:12 Hermes Myth and Charts23:22 Start Embodied Astrology26:25 Venus Cycle Dates29:17 Moon Cycles and Seeds31:01 Dark Moon and Ethics34:16 Waning Moon Decrease36:08 Disseminating Phase Seeds37:15 Rudhyar Autumn Metaphor39:07 Science and Hermeticism40:38 Becoming Seed People44:58 The Elements, Love and Strife47:22 Ape Hierarchies Embodiment51:38 Sunrise Ritual Nature Healing55:37 Quiet Desert Homecoming57:31 Where to Find Gary59:47 Biodynamic Planting Calendar01:02:33 Wrap Up and Thanks
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Ep. 230: Traditional African Medicine with Olatokunboh Obasi
May 601:06:57Tap to summarizeToday 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 Intro01:45 Ola’s Life in Kenya03:50 Why Clinical Nutrition05:52 Divination and Genetics09:31 Lineages and Training11:41 Navigating Multiple Traditions16:47 Plants Calling in Kenya22:15 Healing Culture in Kenya24:40 Bone Setting and Lila28:32 Community-Based Medicine34:32 Defining African Traditional Medicine36:16 Spirit First Healing36:47 Lineage And Bioregions37:45 Cross Cultural Herbal Exchange41:37 Reclaiming Spirit In Herbalism44:02 Traditional Western Medicine45:44 Astrology, Culpeper, Hildegard50:17 Centering Over Scrolling53:07 Rest Boredom And Reading54:07 Rethinking Academia And Art58:27 Craft Culture And Kenya
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Ep. 229: Sacred Homemaking with Kimberly Steele
Apr 2901:14:08Tap to summarizeIn 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
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Ep. 228: Black Paths & Green Cathedrals with Sian Sibley
Apr 2201:07:29Tap to summarizeIn 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 Sibley01:54 Springtime Blackthorn02:29 Finding the Plant Path03:07 Mugwort Opens the Gate06:06 Yew and Death Mysteries08:53 Patience and Plant Consent09:37 Blackthorn Says No13:57 When Plants Reject You14:37 Buttercup and Monks Hood17:30 Who Is Charubel 19:54 Sigils and Personal Practice22:55 Astral Safety Basics26:33 Protective Tree Allies27:41 Hazel, Apple, Elder, Hawthorn28:20 Elder Medicine and Folklore30:45 Elder Initiation Poem32:22 Pruning and Asking Permission34:37 Elder Tree Lore35:41 Hazel Nuts Wisdom36:29 Hawthorn Beltane Timing39:51 Local Time Cycles42:44 Circadian Clock Health47:13 Rest, Boredom & Imagination47:43 Eco-Spirituality Critique48:55 The Ethics of Crystals and Frankinscence 57:21 Living Smaller Solutions01:04:20 Closing Poem 01:06:06 Where To Find Sian
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Ep. 227: Alan Chapman and the Garden of Awakening
Apr 1502:00:53Tap to summarizeGet The Zodiac Garden Guide on Amazon (available in any country) Book a Vedic astrology consultation with Isaac by emailing him at askisaachill@gmail.comOn 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 Chapman02:45 Baptist's Head Era05:17 Awakening Deepens 201313:12 What I Know Sure17:29 Silent Knowing Faith21:15 Gnosticism Labels Rejected24:21 Traditions as Garden27:42 Universals and Particulars31:44 Fear and Running Away37:37 Delusion and Trust Thread44:24 Morality After Awakening46:01 Ramana Self Inquiry Myth47:09 Who Am I Inquiry48:34 Transmission Explained49:46 Seduction of Control52:24 Guru Yoga and Institutions54:43 Why Teachers Help56:28 What We Really Seek58:04 Entrainment and Dependency01:00:17 Cautionary Guru Stories01:04:42 Maps Versus Cosmology01:06:07 Let It Disclose01:07:12 Gardening the Path01:13:36 Faith and Silent Knowing01:19:13 Practice and Awakening01:22:44 Enjoying the Garden01:23:33 Extreme Awakening Chasing01:24:06 Two Worlds One Heart01:26:09 Farming Incarnation Metaphor01:27:39 Transmission Life and Death01:30:28 Minimal Tree Cosmology01:32:35 Unbinding Practice Steps01:34:41 Mounting Cosmology Stages01:36:49 Journal Envy and Comparison01:40:37 Dry Paths and Fireworks01:48:25 Cosmological Binding Method01:49:28 Unconditional States Test01:58:29 Cutting Down the Tree01:59:21 Resources Retreats Farewell
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Ep. 226: Gordon White on Cunning Traditions, Modern Magic, and Piñón Blanco
Apr 801:28:23Tap to summarizeGet The Zodiac Garden Guide.Sign up for Pam Montgomery's free class here: https://plantcunning--wakeuptonature.thrivecart.com/co-creative-partnership/699392e4e6629/In this episode of the Plant Cutting Podcast, Isaac & AC welcome back Gordon White of Rune Soup to discuss his life between his permaculture homestead in Tasmania and travel in South America, including training in Bolivia and Peru. Gordon shares updates on regenerating depleted soil, orchard yields, and plans for a first cider vintage, plus reflections on seasonal living. He describes Paraguay’s everyday herbal culture around tereré and fresh medicinal bundles, and recounts a powerful Amazonian dieta with the master plant teacher Piñón Blanco, including diagnostic Shipibo weavings and a peak mystical encounter that reframed ideas of unity, imagination, and reality. The conversation explores universals vs. local correspondences in magic, discernment amid modern “performative” scenes, and where magical culture may be headed.00:00 Welcome and Guest Tease00:36 Book and Consults Plug01:16 Pam Montgomery Gateway Herbs03:18 Gordon Returns to the Show03:54 Tasmania Farm and Travel Split07:04 Homestead Updates and Harvests08:25 Permaculture Wins and Cider Plan14:17 Why South America Calls17:15 Paraguay Mate and Herb Culture26:30 Dieta and Plant Spirit Rules27:56 Pinon Blanco God Encounter35:11 Weavings as Plant Signatures38:02 Ancestors Tolkien and the Real40:47 Same Truth Different Paths41:26 Ayahuasca Cosmic Medicine42:46 Universals Beyond Language46:21 Directions and Relationality50:21 Instagram and Right Relation53:05 Cunning Traditions Everywhere58:49 Magic After the Golden Age01:02:49 Beginner Discernment Online01:05:54 Cringe Initiation Story01:08:35 Fourth Turning Magic Depth01:11:27 Chaos Magic Reframed01:15:26 Next Wave in Magic01:19:38 Fallen World Cunningcraft01:23:21 Paraguay Lessons Letting Go01:26:00 Book Update and Farewell
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Ep. 225: The Cunning Farmer with Todd Elliot
Apr 101:19:43Tap to summarizeToday the Plant Cunning Podcast features farmer, and magician Todd Elliot, author of The Cunning Farmer. In the interview, Elliot describes his path from nature-loving childhood in Philadelphia to homesteading and CSA vegetable farming in Kentucky, his interest in ethnobotany and plants like datura, and key influences in farming and esoteric practice. He explains his eclectic “cunning” approach, combining ancestors/underworld, land and nature spirits, celestial/astrological forces, and angelic magic, plus reiki-based energy healing for crops. We discuss lunar timing versus weather realities, agricultural talismans, offerings to land spirits, animal signs, the state of industrial agriculture, and where to find Elliot’s website and Substack.00:00 Show and Book Updates01:23 Meet Todd Elliot02:48 Todd’s Plant Path Origins05:11 Datura and Entheogenic Plants09:09 Teachers and Influences12:07 Cunning Farmer Identity14:09 Land Spirits Awakening18:28 Sacred Farming and Ritual23:35 Corn Reverence and Monoculture30:58 Worldview and Four Realms33:44 Land Trauma and Ancestors38:46 Reiki for Crops42:47 Reiki for Seedlings43:04 Moon Timing for Planting43:43 Weather Versus Almanac46:48 Eclipses and Weed Killing47:57 Trees and Lunar Mansions48:56 Talisman Success Stories51:40 Offerings to Land Spirits54:34 Animal Signs and Omens57:24 Deer Pests and Cernunnos01:06:24 Advice for Cunning Farmers01:12:21 Protection and Haunted Places01:15:00 Ghosts and Deified Ancestors01:17:58 Where to Find the Book
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Ep. 224: The Herbal Pharmacy of Betzy Bancroft
Mar 2501:05:48Tap to summarizeToday on the show we welcome herbal educator and longtime practitioner Betzy Bancroft—co-founder and teacher at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, Sage Mountain neighbor, United Plant Savers advisory board member, and author of "The Herbal Pharmacy: The Science and Magic of Preparing and Administering Plant Medicine". We discuss distilling decades of teaching into a foundational medicine-making book designed for different learning styles. She shares her path from New Jersey to studying with David Winston, working at Herbalist & Alchemist, and being inspired by mentors including Rosemary Gladstar and William LeSassier. Betsy explains VCIH’s tuition-supported sliding-scale clinic and Zoom-based student mentoring with SOAP notes, safety, and formulation review, then covers formulation principles (triangle theory), taste in teas, extraction decisions (surface area, time, heat, solvent, agitation), vinegar/oxymels and constituent solubility, polyphenols and gene expression, subtle influences and intention in medicine making, and current plant allies like mushrooms, chaga, reishi, and self-heal, plus upcoming events and where to find her book.00:00 Meet Betzy Bancroft01:05 New Book Overview02:22 Teaching Superpowers04:03 How Betzy Learns06:53 Finding Herbalism08:47 Mentors and Lineage10:21 Founding VCIH Clinic13:49 Clinic Mentoring Process18:13 Formulation Triangle Theory21:59 Vinegar and Oxymels27:42 Polyphenols Flip Genes31:42 Extraction Tips Solubility35:11 Book Marketing And Website37:03 Subtle Energies In Medicine39:47 Astrology And Intention41:47 Tea Intention Experiments47:07 Learning Through Plant Time50:06 Mushroom Remedies And Chaga55:14 Self Heal Plant Profile01:00:28 Classes Events And Wrap Up
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