Program 2026
Seminar program 2026
Information and registration:
The Fragrant Soul of Plants
Basic Course - Distillation
May 21-24, 2026
Artemisia / Allgäuer Kräutergarten
Gaiamantie I
The Power of the Landscape
May 28–31, 2026
Schweibenalp - 3855 Brienz/CH
The Magic Kitchen Table
Advanced Course - Distillation
July 9-12, 2026
Schweibenalp
Modern Biology
Paths into the Heart of Nature
July 16–19, 2026
Schweibenalp
Stars and stones
Gaiamantie Advanced Course
August 23–26, 2026
Schweibenalp
Stars and stones
Gaiamantie Advanced Course
September 20–24, 2026
Schweibenalp
Listen to the scent
Incense burning in turbulent times
October 2–4, 2026
Artemisia Kräutergarten
Seminar
The Fragrant Soul of Plants
Aromabotany and the Art of Distillation
Certified Basic Course (ISDK, International School of Distilling)
Seminar Start:
May 21, 2026, 6:00 PM
With a group dinner
Seminar End:
May 24, 2026 - After a group lunch
Course Instructor:
Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Course Fee:
CHF 420
Plus board and lodging
Location:
Artemisia / Allgäu Herb Garden
Hopfen 29
88167 Stiefenhofen
Meals:
Artemisia will offer a meal package (lunch and dinner) which can be booked in advance.
Accommodation:
You can find nearby accommodations at the Stiefenhofen Tourist Information Office at https://stiefenhofen.tramino.de/unterkuenfte/
Fragrance is the language of plants; aromatherapy listens and listens.
Then we are ready to produce highly effective floral waters and essential oils using a variety of stills and the art of alchemy.
In this seminar, we will explore aromatic plants with all our senses and decipher their fragrant language. In the expansive garden of the "Artemisia Herb Garden" in the Allgäu region, we will immerse ourselves in the world of fragrant medicinal plants and learn about their healing properties and their association with various ailments. We will allow the plants to speak to us.
The floral waters can be used for healing, skincare, cosmetics, cooking, and energy work. A touch of self-sufficiency from nature's garden and a hint of alchemical magic…
Course content:
Plants:
- Encounters with plants
- The music of plants
- Aromabotany
- Collecting, processing, and preparing plants for distillation
Fundamentals of distillation:
- Alchemy – an ancient art for modern times
- Still making
- The magic of the copper still
- Secrets of perfect distillation
- The Distilling Distillery Journal
Floral waters:
- Production
- Shelf life, testing
- Applications
- Recipes
Please bring:
Pruning shears, outdoor clothing, a mat to sit on, two amber glass bottles with spray nozzles (50/100 ml)
Seminar
Gaiamancy I - The Power of the Landscape
Seminar Start:
May 28, 2026, 6:00 PM
Seminar End:
May 31, 2026, approximately 2:00 PM (after a shared lunch)
Course Leader:
Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Course Fee:
CHF 420
plus board and lodging
Location:
Center of Unity Schweibenalp
CH-3855 Brienz
A Journey in the Language of the Earth from the Neolithic Age in the Bernese Oberland to the Present Day
In ancient European tradition and in the worldview of our ancestors, the Earth was seen as a living being. Understanding its language, obeying its laws, living in harmony with the environment and oneself – this is what Gaiamancy teaches. This ancient wisdom about living with the Earth was almost lost and is now taught only by a few initiates.
In this seminar, we will learn and experience this ancient knowledge, which remains valuable and important for our modern age. The seminar introduces the fundamental principles, the philosophy, and the experience of European landscape geomancy. This knowledge enables us to "read the landscape" and helps in finding and evaluating places of power. We will follow the flow of life energy, the "Green Dragon," in the landscape and within ourselves. The spiritual dimension of geomancy will unfold for us in theory and practice.
We will experience the landscape. The world of mountains, minerals, and plants will accompany us. This journey will take us back to the origins of geomancy, to our ancestors in the European Neolithic period. An exciting journey through time and space. Our seminar location, the magnificent mountain landscape of Schweibenalp, will support us in our explorations.
This is the basic course of the Geomancy Cycle, which consists of three modules.
Gaiamancy I: The Power of the Landscape
Gaiamancy II: Stars and Stones
Gaiamancy III
Seminar
The Magic Kitchen Table - Advanced Distillation Course
Seminar Start:
July 9, 2026, 6:00 PM
Seminar End:
July 12, 2026, 2:00 PM
Course Instructor:
Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Course Fee:
CHF 470
Additional costs for room and board / Schweibenalp
Location:
Center of Unity Schweibenalp
CH-3855 Brienz
Would you like to further develop your distillation skills? Be initiated into the secrets of alchemy? Learn how to produce attars using Indian distillation techniques?
Use hydrosols to create medicinal formulas and dreamy creams?
Are you ready to listen to the song of aromatic plants and communicate with them?
In the beautiful, spacious permaculture greenhouse of Schweibenalp, nestled amidst gardens at an altitude of over 1000 meters, under the watchful gaze of towering mountains and near the stone circle, we will begin our work. We don't need a perfect laboratory; the large kitchen table in the sun-drenched greenhouse will be our magical workspace.
Topics:
Aroma Plants: Healing Power, Botany, Communication
Distillation: Advanced Perfection
Alchemy: By the Fire, Transformation and the Marriage of Opposites
Recipes: Medicinal Preparations from Aromatherapy, Precious Cosmetics
Important:
This is the advanced distillation course. Participation is only possible if you have already completed the basic distillation course with Susanne Fischer-Rizzi, either at Schweibenalp or at another location.
Seminar
Modern Biology
Paths to the Heart of Nature
Seminar Start:
July 16, 2026, 6:00 PM
Seminar End:
July 19, 2026, 2:00 PM
Course Leader:
Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Assistants:
Joe Impoco
Lisa Raimund
Course Fee:
CHF 435
Additional costs: board and lodging / Schweibenalp
Location:
Center of Unity Schweibenalp
CH-3855 Brienz
Modern Biology – Paths to the Heart of Nature
Imagine a world where plants see, smell, feel, and whisper to one another. A world where they make wise decisions and gently whisper their secrets to us. Modern biology opens these doors to a "green zeitgeist," vibrant, inquisitive, and full of wonder.
We weave together the latest research findings with the ancient wisdom of indigenous cultures and familiar paths to connecting with nature. Together, we journey through evolution, forge friendships with plants, listen to their silent language, and feel how the heart of nature beats in harmony with our own.
Our methods – vibrant, exploratory, playful
- Experience plant music: We make the invisible electromagnetic vibrations of plants audible. In this way, leaves, trees, and blossoms transform into musicians, playing their own unique melodies.
- Journey through evolution: We allow ourselves to be guided digitally and in nature by images, stories, and landscapes – a vibrant journey through the development of life that fills us with wonder and connection.
- Research up close: Together, we explore the latest discoveries in modern biology, exchange ideas, ask questions, continue our research, and connect the findings with our own experiences.
Here, you are invited to marvel, feel, explore, paint, and dream – with all your senses, with an open heart, and full of curiosity. Meditations, visions, and small, playful exercises guide us deeper into our connection with plants, nature, and life itself.
We touch the quiet sources of power in the earth and the sparkling springs within ourselves, recharging our energy and growing in resilience to meet the challenges of these turbulent times with ease and vitality.
Seminar
Gaiamantie II
"Stars and Stones - The Magical Art of Connecting Cosmos, Landscape, and Life"
Seminar begins:
August 23, 2026
6:00 PM with dinner
Seminar ends:
August 26, 2026
2:00 PM after lunch
Course Leader:
Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Course Fee
CHF 420
plus board and lodging
Location:
Center of Unity Schweibenalp
CH-3855 Brienz
Gaiamantie Advanced Course
Participation is only possible after completion of the Gaiamantie Basic Course (Switzerland or Germany) with Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Gaiamantie II
Of Stones and Stars
Landscape and Humanity in Resonance with the Cosmos
There is a language older and deeper than words. With it, the Earth speaks, the stars speak to us. Our indigenous ancestors were still integrated into this holistic communication, rooted in the tradition of indigenous European knowledge. Resonating with the language of nature, they could perceive and guide its interaction.
In this seminar, we will expand our perception, strengthen our awareness of place, and open our senses to feel cosmic forces. Stones, part of the Earth's ancient memory, will accompany us on our journey to sense these cosmic forces and integrate them into the landscape. We will learn spiritual gardening for both public and private spaces.
This knowledge empowers us to allow the forces of the Earth and the cosmos to flow together in the landscape, in gardens, and in our lives. This can contribute to the healing of the Earth and ourselves. With this experience, we can design spaces in the landscape, create gardens, integrate them into permaculture, and design urban and forest gardens. It helps us create places of power and healing.
This seminar builds upon the knowledge gained in the Gaiamancy Basic Course.
Seminar
"Stars and Stones - The Magical Art of Connecting Cosmos, Landscape, and Life"
Seminar Start:
September 20, 2026, 6:00 PM
Seminar End:
September 24, 2026, 1:00 PM
Course Instructor:
Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Course Fee:
CHF 420
Room & Board
Location:
Center of Unity Schweibenalp
CH-3855 Brienz
Gaiamancy Advanced Course
Participation is only possible after completion of the Gaiamancy Basic Course (Switzerland or Germany) with Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Gaiamancy II
Of Stones and Stars
Landscape and Humanity in Resonance with the Cosmos
There is a language older and deeper than words. With it, the Earth speaks, the stars speak to us. Our indigenous ancestors were still integrated into this holistic communication, rooted in the tradition of indigenous European knowledge. Resonating with the language of nature, they could perceive and guide its interaction.
In this seminar, we will expand our perception, strengthen our awareness of place, and open our senses to feel cosmic forces. Stones, part of the Earth's ancient memory, will accompany us on our journey to sense these cosmic forces and integrate them into the landscape. We will learn spiritual gardening for both public and private spaces.
This knowledge empowers us to allow the forces of the Earth and the cosmos to flow together in the landscape, in gardens, and in our lives. This can contribute to the healing of the Earth and ourselves. With this experience, we can design spaces in the landscape, create gardens, integrate them into permaculture, and design urban and forest gardens. It helps us create places of power and healing.
This seminar builds upon the knowledge gained in the Gaiamancy Basic Course.
Seminar
Listening to the Scent - Incense in Turbulent Times
Seminar Start:
October 2, 2026, 4:00 PM
Seminar End:
October 4, 2026, 1:00 PM, followed by a shared lunch
Course Instructor:
Susanne Fischer-Rizzi
Course Fee:
€320
Plus €12 for materials
Location:
Artemisia Herb Garden
Hopfen 29
88167 Stiefenhofen
Meals:
Artemisia will offer a meal package (lunch and dinner) which can be booked in advance.
Accommodation:
You can find nearby accommodations at the Stiefenhofen Tourist Information Office at https://stiefenhofen.tramino.de/unterkuenfte/
Connecting with the power of medicinal plants, experiencing stillness, listening to the fragrance, arriving in the present moment, opening new space for resilience within your soul: This is medicine in these turbulent and uncertain times.
The art of incense burning, valued for millennia, possesses a wealth of knowledge. At times it had almost disappeared, and now, in these turbulent and challenging times, it is re-emerging and can help us stay centered and connect deeply with nature.
It is therefore beneficial to understand the properties of incense plants in terms of quality, application, effects, recipes, and ritual.
Meditation and incense burning are combined in the Japanese Koh Do incense ceremony, which we will experience together. It offers us a deeper perception of our inner landscape in resonance with the fragrances of the plants.
Course Content:
Incense Plants: Harvesting, Processing, Qualities, Effects, Recipes, Blends
The Sense of Smell: Resonating with Inner and Outer Landscapes
Atmospheric Accompaniment of Rituals
Ceremonial Incense Burning: Koh Do and other incense rituals for balance and healing
Healing Incense Wisdom of the Bee Priestesses