About

Hi! I’m Katie.

I’m the visionary behind the Darkwood archetypes, The Darkwood School, and river island apothecary.

I use scent & symbolism, calendars & seasons, archetypes & creative writing to help you tend and wield your deepest nature.

My story:

I’ve always been a writer.

But I fell in love with essential oils while getting my massage therapy training at the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics in the late 90’s.

I’d just gotten a BA in literature, and after all that reading and writing I was ready to study the wisdom of the body. On the day we studied aromatherapy in massage school, my soul stirred with each fragrant bottle of essential oil passed around the room.

I’ve had an apothecary ever since.

I envisioned the Darkwood archetypes in 2010. I formulated the archetype anointing oils to correlate with each one while I was a tenant at the Marshall High Studios.

(That’s where the name river island apothecary comes from; these studios sit on an island with the mighty French Broad flowing all around.)

I first learned about archetypes during my literature degree. While I initially learned them as a literary device, archetypes slowly revealed themselves to me as “facets of wisdom”.

In 2010 I wondered, if there was an archetypal formula that comprised me, what would it be? What are my facets?

The Girl Child, Mermaid, Priestess, Queen, Tantrika, Warrior, and Wisdom Keeper — now the “Darkwood archetypes” — all raised their hands. So, I blended oils for each one to use as tools of alignment — something to help me kindle and tend these aspects of my Self.

As I was formulating these blends, I invited friends, studio mates, & clients to smell them. They connected with the scents and the archetypes as much as I did. I realized these were clearly not just “my” archetypes, so I was inspired to make these oils for everyone.

Fast forward many years, and I am still blending these exact formulas. I now batch them from my woodland apothecary in east Asheville, called Darkwood.

(It appears I name my work after places).

The anointing oils have become important tools.

I use them to kindle creativity, wrangle the brain, and as writing prompts and ritual tools.

And now, even more…

There are calendars and almanacs based on the Darkwood archetypes and the seasons of The Wheel of the Year.

And there’s The Darkwood School.

All of these offerings help navigate cycles of life — rest, creativity, collaboration, wisdom sharing, and etc.

I am incredibly grateful to Katie and all that she offers… she teaches in a way no one else does. She’s a gem, and what she brings to the heart is nothing short of spectacular and miraculous. Don’t miss the opportunity to know yourself through Katie’s eyes. –C.H.

River island Apothecary and the pedagogy of The Darkwood School are a culmination of my life’s studies.

My love of ritual and sitting in circles began as a kid in Girl Scouts. I studied symbolism through a literature degree, and the healing arts as a massage therapist. I indulged my love of the senses by studying Aromatherapy and botanical perfumery.

I’ve lived off the grid, built cool businesses, and followed my heart as an artist guided by the cycles of nature.

“Working with Katie is like accepting an invitation to come home to oneself. From the moment you enter Katie’s sacred space, you are touching the Divine within while growing in your wisdom. Katie is brilliant; warm, grounded, courageous. A true master.”  — Laura Juarez, Pure Potential

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