work with rites of aster

Connect with Caroline

My name is Caroline Mast Pegram. I am currently living on Eastern Shoshone, Ute and Goshute lands colonially known as the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. I am situated just between the Wasatch Mountain Range (Wasatch is Ute meaning for mountain pass) and just a ways from the Uinta Mountains (Uinta is the Ute phrase for pine tree or pine forest).

I’ve only been on this land for a brief time, but it’s been with the support of these western scapes that have facilitated a deeper understanding of who I am and where I come from as a white, European descending person living on Turtle Island as a settler.

I was born + raised in the Piedmont and Appalachian Summit of North Carolina for most of my life. My family have called this area home for at least 6 generations on all sides. Historically, these are the lands of Cherokee (who belong to and live closer to the Appalachian Summit) and  Catawba, Waxhaw, Cheraw, Keyauwee and Ocaneechee (who belong to and lived closer to the Piedmont region).

hello, y’all.

lineage

My ancestral lineages largely include descendants from across the British Isles (my people are Scotts-Irish, English and Welsh), as well as of Swiss Mennonites and German descendants. Most of my family who descended from this part of Europe settled in and around the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Appalachian culture is a dear part of my heritage and a primary way I learn about + connect with my ancestral inheritances.

Appalachian culture is greatly influenced by African tradition, Indigenous life ways and European folk practices. I approach my relationship with Appalachian culture with humility and dignity, both as someone whose ancestors contributed to the culture in a meaningful way, but as a descendent of those who have caused immense harm.

In my work of ancestral reconnection, I believe that it is important to learn about where we come from to better understand how we arrived where we are and to build a better path forward. I learn about and practice ancestral ritual and spiritual work as a way to grow my capacity for being with the harms that have occurred to my people, and the subsequent harm they have enacted on others.

I’ve been engaged with anti-racist organizing work since 2011 in thanks to Deena Hayes-Greene and Suzanne Plihcik and the folks at Race Equity Institute in Greensboro, North Carolina. It’s through this rich network that I’ve been able to take part in caucus groups and change making collaborations that have taught me invaluable lessons about the impact of systemic racism.

The teachers and methodology I lean on most in this journey of de-assmiliating from whiteness and ancestral / cultural repair are Stevie  Moss and Marika Heinrichs. I began as a student of their work called Embodied Ancestral Inquiry (EAI) in 2022. EAI is a program that sits at the intersection of embodiment I have continued to learn with them as their program grew from one introductory container to a wider and deeper community of dedicate folks through multiple cohorts of study and practice. I’ve spent two years sitting with Stevie as my mentor and have been steeped in.a consistent practice pod with other students of this work as well. In 2025, I stepped further into apprenticeship with EAI so that I am able to offer this practice for others and to be able to share the methodology as a teacher.

I’m a Sagittarius Sun + Stellium, Scorpio Moon and Gemini rising for those who enjoy the astrological side of things. I find that those who gravitate towards my work also tend to enjoy reflecting on the planetary weather and how this shapes us + our experiences. I’m just a step further than beginner as it relates to understanding astrology and often use it to make sense of what patterns have occurred more than I see it as a predictive tool.

Contact.

education

My professional background is in social work and somatic psychotherapy, with an emphasis on ecological relationship as a path towards healing complex trauma. My somatic roots began early as a formal dancer from the age of three and continued through undergraduate school. During this time I was also very active in musical theatre, a deeply embodied practice that allowed me to experience inhabiting my body in ways that were expansive and imaginative. I carry a reverence for the appreciation and practice of story telling these experiences gifted to me. Tap and rhythmic dance with the feet have always been my favorite and most natural dance for my body to learn — a seed that grew as a sweet interest in the history and practice of Appalachian flatfoot dancing and culture.

Dave Emerson at the Center for Trauma and Embodimenthas been a primary influence in how I offer somatic work in a trauma-informed way. Dave offered 1:1 mentorship for over a year that emphasized on how to inhabit a body among other people’s bodies in a world where power is ever present and consistently negotiated. His emphasis on attunement and consent have been foundational pieces that I carry in my work to this day.

In following the trail of somatic lineage, my pursuits took me to my primary teacher: the land.

Within this lineage, my teachers include Pine, Deer, Rose, Bear, Sheep, Turkey, Aster family plants (especially Yarrow + Dandelion) and Mint family plants (especially Motherwort + Catnip). I’ve engaged in thousands of hours of herbalism and ethnobotany study both independently and with others. Some of my most prominent human teachers of herbalism + plants for me are Kelly Moody,Rebecca Beyer, and Juliette Blankspoor. But the plant, land, fauna spirits of a place continue to be profound teachers for me.

My learning is ongoing, deepening and widening as I continue to plant one foot in front of the next. Other teachers who are continuing to inspire and guide me as I explore my relationship to land, European history and folk practices include: Danica Boyce, Sylvia Lindstadt, Tara Brading, Josh Williams, the folks at Terra Sylva Botanical School and a newer growing relationship to Pennsylvania Dutch traditional ways.

This is a non-exhaustive description of how I came into this work, what informs the way I show up with others and how my guides are as a grow along the path. I am happy to engage with good faith conversations with those who are curious about who, what, and where else has shaped me.

training and certifications

  • Fundamentals of Community Herbalism - Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine Marshall, NC

  • Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy - Soaring Spirits BCST: Grand Junction, CO

  • Safe and Sound Protocol - with Stephen Porges + Deb Dana

  • 5 Needle Protocol - Auricular Acupuncture: POCA Salt Lake City, UT

  • Medicines from The Earth Herbalist Symposium: Black Mountain, NC

  • Herbal Immersion Program: Chestnut School of Herbalism Weaverville, NC (1200 hours)

  • Human Landscape Relationships, Ecology & Ethnobotany Field Study: Groundworks Grand Mesa, CO with Kelly Moody (seasonally since 2022)

  • Focusing Institute through Embodied Ancestral Inquiry (2025)

  • Foundations in Embodied Ancestral Inquiry + Embodied Ancestral Inquiry Level II (since 2022)

  • Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (300 hours): Center for Trauma and Embodiment in Brookline, MA with David Emerson

  • Dismantling Racism (6-Day Intensive) + 2 years of Caucus Engagement: Racial Equity Institute, Greensboro, NC

  • The People’s Medicine School - Community Herbalism: Rootwork Herbals (6-Month Study)

  • Trauma and Tension Release Exercise (TRE): Yoga Calm, Portland, OR

  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute

I also hold a Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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