It's true, there are so many different kinds of people who take this journey. The tie that binds is a curiosity and/or a love of stones. After that, everyone is different. We have healers, artists, alchemists, artisans, shopkeepers, mystics, deep-divers, and your everyday lover of stones enroll in this course and get so much out of it. Because you'll be learning stone medicine from the ground-up and via an ancient system (but new to most Westerners) you can start from right where you are. Enter the Cave was intentionally created to hold pure beginners all the way across to experienced practitioners and teachers. Since 2013, I've been teaching this work to students from so many different backgrounds and watching them synthesize it with what they already know and then run with it. The knowledge here is unifying and connective for everyone.

This is a great question! First, anyone can learn this material—all you need is a willingness to explore new concepts.

You will encounter advanced teachings, but remember: Advanced teachings are often more simple than beginner and intermediate ones. They're not necessarily easy, but they're simple. Advanced concepts in healing and alchemy often incorporate quantum principles: 1) the observer affects the experiment, 2) your level of consciousness creates and defines your tools, and 3) your willingness to "Know Thyself" is the ultimate key.

You'll feel this essence from day one of the course. Your educational background doesn't matter because this journey begins exactly where you are now. 

And … if you cringe at the thought of looking at a lithium atom, this course might not be for you. You will be exploring deeper knowledge than what's offered in almost all other crystal classes.

Yes, this will definitely be useful for you, even without healing experience! You'll learn about the healing properties of stones and crystals that you can apply in everyday life—not just in formal treatment settings. This knowledge can benefit the earth, animals, yourself and your loved ones.

Stone medicine extends far beyond traditional healing. It plays important roles in alchemy, medicine-making, herbal practices, art, geomancy, divination, martial arts (energy movement), protection, farming, and much more. When you learn the complete materia medica (full stories and properties) of 27 stones, you'll discover countless ways to work with them for soul evolution, spiritual alchemy, consciousness awakening, and personal transformation.

Students take this course to enhance their practice of geomancy, feng-shui, land healing, divination, astrology, gardening, and ceremonial work. While healing is a significant component of this learning experience, the knowledge and skills you'll gain will be valuable regardless of your healing background.

Enter the Cave is designed like a cruise visiting nine different countries—each country representing one week of the course. While you'll experience all nine destinations, you get to decide how deeply you want to explore each one as we dock in a new location every week.

For example, we cover three stones weekly, but you can choose to focus on just one stone if you prefer. Similarly, you might decide to answer just one journal question or engage with a single simple practice.

Some weeks, you might opt to simply relax on the deck of the cruise ship for integration time. Other weeks, you might create a full itinerary with deep dives, practices, and an immersive experience. Each new week offers another opportunity to engage in a way that feels good to you. And, remember, you will be guided by Spirit as you go. You will be reminded often to trust that guidance. 

This is a LIVE online course. The start of your 9-week journey begins on Tuesday evening, September 30th. When you enroll, you will receive an email with your login information. In your curriculum, you'll find some tips on preparation that you can focus on until our first class on September 30th.

Our live online classes are held once a week on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:15pmET (4-5:15pmPT). On Wednesdays there is a materia medica lecture with Sarah that takes place at 12-1:15pmET (9-10:15amPT). The recordings of live classes will be posted in your curriculum as soon as we end each day. You will have access to all classes and recordings for life. You can open any part at any time and refresh, you can go as slow or fast as you need to. Simply focus on attending your live Tuesday night lectures and the rest will unfold beautifully. 

The community is genuinely helpful! In fact, community is the number one determinant of happiness in life, which feels especially important in today's world.

At Upper Clarity, we've always received this magical protection from political or cultural division. This has always felt like a blessing and I think it’s a reflection of our steadfast focus on the powerful study before us.

Our course community is hosted on Mighty Networks. You'll receive a simple link to join the group page with your fellow students. The best part? You only need to open it when you want to connect—there are no overwhelming notifications, and you won't need to access this portal for class content. It's designed purely for meaningful connection.

Having a dedicated space to share discoveries, be witnessed, or ask questions creates a truly supportive environment. Students often experience powerful "A-ha" moments during this course, and when you do, you'll appreciate having a place to share them immediately. Seeing others comment and connect with your posts creates a genuinely heart-nourishing experience.

Many students from different backgrounds and different past experiences not only succeed in this course, they love it. You do not need ANY other previous trainings. This is a process of deep listening and learning from within. All you need is a desire to learn more about stones and how they can enhance your life—unique to you. Because this offers a true Daoist lens, it's not like Western thinking where we have to strive to do enough. And, it's NEW to almost everyone who enrolls even if they have healing or crystal healing backgrounds. We all start in the same place ... walking into something totally new and taking our first steps. It's really about your heart's willingness to listen, grow, and be curious.

This is a live online 9-week training program. When your training is complete, you have lifetime access to all of the materials in the course! Video replays, PDFs and more will always be here for you to open and reference.

YES! In fact, this is the only place that I share the complete materia medica of these stones. The full story on each stone is not shared in any other course or in any other format including books, social media, blogs—nothing! That's what sets these 9-week certification trainings apart. This is where you come to truly learn the stones. Scroll up the page to view the entire 27-stone materia medica you will learn.

Here are more details on building out your materia medica collection: When you enroll, you will see the 3 stones of the week in order of study. You can collect the kit by order of study over the coming weeks, if you choose. You have some time to pull pieces out of your existing collection, too. You'll find more details on size, polish, etc. on the BASICS page of your curriculum when you enroll and login. 

Yes! After years of traveling the world in search of the most powerful stones, we have opened a small crystal shop. We wanted to supply our students with the hand-selected stones that I have found over the years. We focus on ethical and sustainable sources, as well as the highest quality healing stones. These are stones made to work with practitioners. These are stones meant to create transformation. We created an Enter the Cave collection that reflects your materia medica for the course. Once you enroll, you will receive an email with a 10% off code to that collection—as much as you'd like to put in your cart. Then, you can go to UpperClarity.com >> Shop to find our online shop.

Beyond our shop, you can, of course, obtain stones from anywhere in the world that you desire! Etsy, Ebay, local shops in your area, or anywhere that feels resonant with you.

Enter the Cave is a 9-week certification course and a full training in stone medicine. You will receive your certification (and certificate) from the Upper Clarity School of Stone Medicine. There are no state, federal or regional boards or organizations for professional stone medicine licensure. It just doesn't exist yet. That's why I created these trainings—to make that more possible. You will be certified by this school. You will receive a high-resolution digital certificate upon completion of a short assessment given at the end of the 9 weeks. Your new official title for your biographies, information pages, and resumes will be "Certified Stone Medicine Practitioner by the Upper Clarity School of Stone Medicine."

This is a very important FAQ! I'll break it up into 2 segments.

1 - If you already hold healing or counseling licenses, you must look into the details of the licenses you hold along with your state or region's policies. Each state or region is different, each licensure is different. This all gets very specific to you and you have to do your own research about how you can incorporate this modality into your work. We can not provide these answers.

2 - If you do not hold any other licenses and/or have no previous experience in healing, this course alone can not take you into the ranks of being a professional healer. You need need to learn about safety, ethics, privacy, consent, and many other important things that will keep you and your clients safe. This course does not provide the basics of healing as a profession and we recommend you get those foundations within another type of healing training and then use this training as a knowledge set on top of what you learned there. We don't have the purpose or credentials here at UCCSM to provide foundational entry-level healing information, but it's extremely important to get that kind of training somewhere. In the meantime, there's so much to learn practicing on yourself or with close family or friends. 

Enter the Cave is approved for 30 CEUs by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). These credits are useful for acupuncturists and oriental medicine practitioners who need continuing education units to keep their professional licenses. The credits all fall under the category for PE-CW, distance learning. Your certificates will be provided after you pass a 10-point assessment on the first 2/3rds of the course material, and then a second 10-point assessment on the final 1/3rd of the course material. Both of your NCCAOM certificates will be emailed to you at the end of the course. The first certificate will be for 20 CEUs and the second one will be for 10 CEUs. 

If you are from Florida or California, you already know that your states have very special rules. You must contact your state boards to see if this course will be approved for you. (Do not contact NCCAOM. Contact your own state.) Enter the Cave does not provide CEUs for any other profession or under any other board or organization. It's okay, though! So many different kinds of students have taken these trainings without getting CEUs. The most important thing is having the knowledge and helping people with it. And, you will still receive your certification and certificate from the Upper Clarity School of Stone Medicine.