Teaching and vending at the 10th Annual Red Earth Mountain West Women’s Herbal Gathering was, no surprise, like a dream. I say no surprise because the plant for this year’s gathering, picked months in advance to the dates was Mugwort. Learning that bit of information is what actually inspired me to apply to teach again after taking a few years away from the event. By autumn 2025 Mugwort aka Cronewort and I had become closer as she grew taller and taller in my rocky patch near a gate from just seeds a spring earlier.

I started to come to her in awe, reverence and especially grief guidance that summer. As soon as I saw Cronewort would be holding the 2026 Red Earth gathering, I felt supported to return.

Keep reading for more dreamy synchronicities, memories and plenty of pictures from this iconic 10th year of Red Earth.

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The numerology of 10 encompasses: a completion into a beginning, an overabundance, and community efforts.

Going into this gathering equipped with the power power of 10 and guidance of Cronewort, felt like a pilgrimage. I knew the weekend would be a threshold to cross into maturity, vision and wholeness. It was.

So focused on following through with my commitments I didn’t bring my kids along. Rex attended when he was below the age threshold mainly in my stomach and at breast. Daphne has yet to have her Red Earth debut — I’m still dreaming of it!

Teachers of the 2026 Red Earth Mountain West Women’s Herbal Gathering

Precious Cargo

Left the house by 5:30 to pick up the one and only, Brigitte Mars, to carpool out to 13 Moons Ranch in Carbondale. It was really sweet to spend hours chatting and hear her anecdotes. She’ll be coming out with her memoir in the next few months so I received a bit of background on her “wild child” stories. I remember nervously introducing myself to Brigitte the 2nd or 3rd year of the gathering so building a relationship with her over the years and driving out together this year was truly a full circle moment.

After a re-route through Aspen, thanks Siri? we arrived to the land and got straight to setting up our joint booth in the marketplace. I was so stoked as this was also my first time vending at Red Earth and where I chose to debut my first collection of House Charms! Just one ended up selling at the gathering (see below) but y’all nearly sold them out when I returned home. St. Lucy Light Blue Spider Eye Charm is still available here.

On the road with 3 varieties of Artemesia loaded up. Brigitte gave the keynote talk on the plant of this year’s gathering.

Lindsay, collector of Yoniverse House Charm, in front of Mt. Wemagooah Kazuhchich

Tori Rerick Oracle and Brigitte Mars Nettle Power Book — Our joint booth! Brigitte Mars + Tori Rerick

Plants for Protection Class

Soon after setting up our wares, I jumped right into teaching Plants for Protection. Fittingly under a cedar tree, I covered various allies and methods for activating and applying botanical buffers for personal or community care. It catered to the women curious about auric armor, psychic security and subtle energy support as it pertains to plants.

Why protection? Read this article for the reasons I believe teaching this information fortifies women and children in their day-to-day living.

You can download a similar online teaching, Elemental Energy Protection here, if you missed the gathering this year.

It was a no burn year so no smoke/cauldron demo but I passed around seeds, sprays and salts to observe.

Mugwort Mandalas Class

I took a beat to hydrate and briefly pop in to Adrienne’s class on Flying Ointments before heading to the Girls Grove (9-16 year olds) to guide the Mugwort Mandalas Class.

Honestly, this was my favorite space to teach in. The pressure is off and earnestness is on. We can be awkward, curious, artistic, and brave together.

With the help of my graphic designer friend, Julia Johnson of Hempress Digital, the eye-shaped template of our craft came together beautifully. Shout out to her!

My hope and intent for this class was to create an emblem of symbolic protection that carries the grandmotherly love of mugwort. I wanted the girls to name what they cherish about themselves, their lives and their values as clear visual reminders to stay true.

We talked through each layer and symbol of this circular craft.

Cannabis Communion Remix

This experiential workshop is challenging to encapsulate into words. It’s ceremony that came together in the most divine way. I was given a second opportunity to host Cannabis Communion on this land and it was indeed holy. The first year I guided this at 13 Moons in 2023 was actually my first time ever doing so.

This year was different in many ways. Due to fire restrictions, we had to get creative. I say we because, Nikki G, a sister I met through Red Earth years before, pulled all the strings and pulled out all the stops to help provide a vaporizing device for consumption. During the ceremony, Nikki was my left-hand woman AGAIN. Thank goddess.

Prior to the gathering, while the vaporizor plan was being solidified, I prepared some cannabis and cronewort salve as a journey enhancement.

This year’s ceremony was also relocated to a completely different part of the land yet no less magical. The secluded space was held by a GIANT, tri-trunked cottonwood and blessed mid-ceremony by a pair of donkeys.

Brianna Rashbaum, the Faery Garden, had donated cannabis fan leaves that I used to brush and bless each attendee as the medicine merged with our bodies.

I sang and drummed a song of spiders and witches. As I did so, I felt a tether connect from where I sat at 13 Moons Ranch to my own yard 180 miles away. Talk about a portal year!

The space was a portal for personal growth and healing with cannabis plant spirit. I was delighted to see such a large group of women circle round (again). Even a mother-teen daughter duo. Such an honor to be trusted with a delicate subject. Post-ceremony, one woman shared that even after a decade plus of working with this plant, they felt initiated through this ceremony and another shared that she was inspired to connect with their sensuality after re-connecting with the plant in a reverent way. BIG EXHALE.

I give so much thanks. To the land, to Oriana, Astrid, the Norns, the trees, the mountains, Nikki, Briana, Astrid, my higher self, all attendees and of course cannabis for such a potent moment in time.

Some of our big group who gathered in the name of cannabis.

Sharing feminine philosophies of the cannabis plant.

What a combo! Smelled so lovely. My favs fr.

Downtime

I keep speaking to a “maturity” I felt and one of the facets of this was knowing my limits and honoring rest. There’s SO MUCH offered to absorb at Red Earth. Previous versions of Tori would be trying to take it all in — academically speaking. But, especially considering the offerings I was committed to giving, I took quite a bit of downtime.

Between classes on Saturday, I enjoyed henna from Sarah Kate, catching up with my friends, visitng the Crystal river, and of course, going through the gateway.

The Sacred Gateway is where you fully arrive at Red Earth. If you’re on it, you might do it right after registration but Friday felt too packed for me. Priscilla, Nikki and I took a beat on Saturday afternoon to slowly wander through the fullness of this space.

The gateway is specifically significant to me as I had the honor of hosting the space in 2022 and 2023. It was since a torch I passed along and I was astounded by the beauty that Aiyanah + her support amplified in the space. I pulled cards, set-wrote-tied prayer flag intentions, and rested in the sweetly draped nest.

The Savage Shaman, Arwen was present while we visited and gave each of us a plant brushing. She spoke such life into me as someone who I’ve been meeting with annually at this event for nearly 10 years. She has witnessed me growing in my womanhood and we shared such a tender exchange. She’s the only person I’ve ever urticated with nettle — by request — and in the Sacred Gateway. More circular moments.

What’s better than being fed is being fed BEAUTIFULLY and WELL.

Ok, I made this sign for the organizer Astrid in like 2018-2019 and it sits at the outro of the Gateway (insert weeping emoji).

More examples of the deeply divine food.

Chakra Collages

I hosted two versions of Chakra Collages over the weekend. One was back in Girls Grove… a lot of random and meaningful conversation happened around that visit. The other was in the Faery Garden with the littles.

The littles really wanted to keep playing their imaginary game but paused briefly to share in this communal craft. One faery abandoned her collage and spent her time adorning my face with the gems instead… and honestly she slayed!

An exceptionally tidy chakra collage from Girls Grove

Reading with Shaela, Ancestor Altar, Mother Altar

Red Earth is one of the first spaces I was comfortable enough and introduced to ceremony, ritual and readings. The first oracle reading I had with Shaela Noella circa 2018 was truly unforgettable. She’s a cosmically enlightened human! It’s become a tradition and treat that I sit with her for a download and this year was no different. It typically takes some cycles and years to receive the full message so I look forward to seeing the synchronicities that can be traced back to the session.

I serendipitously met Shaela Noella at the at the very first Red Earth planning meeting in early 2016! Daphne and I joined her choir last summer which inspired the mini shrine I crafted to sit at the REHG 2026 ancestor altar. I shaped it around lyrics from her song, for our grandmother’ grandmothers… it’s such an honor to dance the spiral with this community of women and the lineages that surround them.

There was a new altar journey, the Mother Altar, set up this year along the river. The entrance was wide, round and shrouded. Spider medicine was present. It was lovely.

Nikki, Me, Lindsay, Courtney at the threshold of the Mother Altar.

The mini shrine I crafted at the Ancestor Altar

Looking Back

I’ve said this before, Red Earth is where I grew up. It took me from maiden to mother. And then, even deeper into maturity of the mother. It has also oriented me to crone. I came to know the goddess. I’ve met a majority of my web of friends and healing referrals through Red Earth. Invaluable for a spider woman.

2016 - YEAR 1 - MY FIRST YEAR - Through a friend I was staying with for my CO rotation (shout out Mia), I went to the very first public planning meeting in the late winter. I was an NDSU pharmacy STUDENT and it was months before conceiving my son Rex. That summer, I drove from MN to CO for the inaugural gathering pregnant with my first child!

2017 - YEAR 2 - MY SECOND YEAR - We were now living in CO and I brought Rex back as a suckling infant the next year. I probably did a version of work-exchange.

2018 - YEAR 3 - MY 3RD YEAR - The third year I cut my hair off the final day as a representation of leaving pharmacy and beginning my mindfulness coaching business. That year I also had my first yoni steam and made leaps and bounds with womb trauma healing.

2019 - YEAR 4 - MY 4TH YEAR - The fourth year, I was more connected with cannabis and had an in-depth faerie oracle reading with Laura Clemmons.

2020 - YEAR X - PANDEMIC - Gathering was cancelled.

2021 - YEAR 5 - BIRTHED DAPHNE - I believe this year was virtual but I felt tucked into my post-partum bubble and growing online membership so I skipped it.

2022 - YEAR 6 - RETURNED WITH MY MOON - The sixth year I returned with strength and I hosted the sacred gateway with my sweet friend, Wendy. I remember my moon returning post-partum while walking the land in prep for the event! I was so grateful for that release.

2023 - YEAR 7 - FIRST TEACHING - For the 7th year, I hosted the gateway again and taught for the first time -- cannabis communion. When I arrived at the new location and I stood to view the peak of Mt. Wemagooah from the 13 Moons Ranch land for the first time, my heart immediately reconciled the very reason why I ever moved to CO in the first place! Mind you, this was years after settling in this state.

2024 - YEAR 8 - DIDN’T ATTEND - I applied to teach but wasn’t selected. We took a family road trip back to the midwest.

2025 - YEAR 9 - DIDN’T ATTEND - Last year just wasn’t in the cards. I had wishful thinking but didn’t make a solid plan to attend so it didn’t happen.

2026 - YEAR 10 - I returned to the women and the earth with my open heart, my wisdom, and my hand-made wares. I come to listen, learn, share, connect, and be nourished. Taught the most classes ever, vended, felt mature in my womanhood and comfortable in my skin.

There’s actually so much more I could say but the details will live inside my mind and my journal. Truly, this is an exceptional gathering of wise women that I am so grateful to have been invited into. An era, a decade of this experience has been completed but, I know I’ll be back again… with my daughter! I can’t wait.

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Photo credit includes: Fiona Rose Photography and Nikki Ghobrial

2026 Recap: 10th Annual Red Earth Herbal Gathering