The Celtic Wheel of the Year: Botanical Ink-making, Ritual and Folklore
Connecting to place, plant and the season.
An Online Course & Study Group With Karn John
From 30th April - 24th September
This series is a slow and deep dive into ink-making with the seasons. We shall gather around four turning points of the Celtic wheel of the year: Beltane/Calan Mai, Summer Solstice/Calan Haf, Lammas/Calan Awst and Autumn Equinox/Mabon. Exploring the folklore, history and abundant properties of these plants, we shall connect more deeply with each shift of the seasons, the places where we live and ourselves. We will make ink with wild seasonal plants such as Hawthorn, Nettle, Blackberry, Rose and Mugwort.
Each live session will be a chance to pause, write, draw, share and reflect alongside others.
Course Includes:
Four 20 to 30-minute seasonal pre-recorded ink-making demos of the whole ink-making process with the seasonal plants will be available alongside each of the live sessions.
Four live Zoom gatherings (4-5:30/6 PM BST)
Live session dates & plant focuses:
🔸 30th April – Beltane/Calan Mai | Leaves (Hawthorn, Nettles)
🔸 18th June – Summer Solstice/Calan Haf | Flowers (Rose)
🔸 20th July – Lammas/Calan Awst | Berries (Blackberry, Sloes)
🔸 24th Sept – Autumn Equinox/Mabon | Galls, Hips, Seeds (Mugwort, Oak Galls, Rosehips)
Accessibility: Closed Captioning will be available and recordings of the live sessions will be sent out after each session. You are invited to engage in the zoom room in whatever way feels comfortable. Feel free to keep your camera off and engage gently. There will be small breakout rooms for discussion around the led activities, which are optional, and each session will have a presentation at the beginning.
The recordings will be available for three months from the end date of the course: 24th December 2025
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Beltane/Calan Mai: Spring Leaves
A 20 to 30-minute video of the whole ink-making process with the seasonal plants will be available alongside the live session.
Live Session: 30th April Held via ZOOM 4 pm - 5.30/6pm BST. Flexible end point to make space for group conversation. The zoom link will be uploaded here, and emailed out to all participants beforehand.
The recordings will be uploaded here and available for three months afterwards.
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Summer Solstice/Calan Haf: Flowers
A 20 to 30-minute video of the whole ink-making process with the seasonal plants will be available alongside the live session.
Live Session: 18th June. Held via ZOOM 4 pm - 5.30/6pm BST. Flexible end point to make space for group conversation. The zoom link will be uploaded here, and emailed out to all participants beforehand.
The recordings will be uploaded here and available for three months afterwards.
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Lammas/Calan Awst: Wild Berries
A 20 to 30-minute video of the whole ink-making process with the seasonal plants will be available alongside the live session.
Live Session: 20th July. Held via ZOOM 4 pm - 5.30/6pm BST. Flexible end point to make space for group conversation. The zoom link will be uploaded here, and emailed out to all participants beforehand.
The recordings will be uploaded here and available for three months afterwards.
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Autum Equinox/Mabon: Mugwort, Oak Galls & Rosehips.
A 20 to 30-minute video of the whole ink-making process with the seasonal plants will be available alongside the live session.
Live Session: 24th September Held via ZOOM 4 pm - 5.30/6pm. Flexible end point to make space for group conversation. The zoom link will be uploaded here, and emailed out to all participants beforehand.
The recordings will be uploaded here and available for three months afterwards.
About Karn John
Run by Karn John a queer, Welsh transdisciplinary artist based in South Pembrokeshire. Their practice explores relationships to place - in the body and on the land - alongside themes of grief and care. They are driven by a curiosity for how we nurture a sense of belonging to ourselves, each other, and the natural and interconnected world in amongst systems of oppression. They work with found and foraged materials, natural inks and paints, performance, print, and the written and spoken word.
Policy on Sharing Course Content
Thank you for your interest in our programmes. To ensure a high-quality experience and to respect the intellectual property rights of our teachers, we ask all participants to adhere to the following guidelines:
Do Not Share Recording Links or PDFs: The content provided during our sessions, including recording links and PDFs, is the intellectual property of our instructors. These materials are meant exclusively for the use of registered participants. Please refrain from sharing these resources with anyone outside of the program. Unauthorized distribution can undermine the value of the content and the hard work of our educators.
Do Not Share Zoom Links: Each session has a limited number of spaces to maintain an interactive and engaging environment. Sharing Zoom links with individuals who are not registered disrupts this balance and can lead to overcrowding, detracting from the experience of all participants. Please ensure that Zoom links are kept confidential and are not shared with others.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in these matters. By following these guidelines, you help us protect the intellectual property of our teachers and ensure that all participants have a fair and enjoyable learning experience.