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@ Cabaret Voltaire
The Psychedelic Salon Zürich
This time partially in German
Guest: Eventi letterari Monte Verità
Stefan Zweifel,
curator of this year’s Eventi, holds forth on Antonin Artaud and Peyotl. The Institute for Incoherent Cinematography (IOIC) will be showing the surrealist short silent film La coquille et le clergyman, which Germaine Dulac, made in 1927 from a screenplay by Artaud. His work will be accompanied by the Transylvanian singer, cellist and electronic musician Viz (aka as Réka Csiszér).
Zürich Cabaret Voltaire Spiegelgasse 1 | Thursday, 15 February | 6-9 pm | CHF 15/10

@ gaiamedia lounge
The Psychedelic Salon Basel
Florian EllikerPsychedelics and Cannabis. Experiences and Meaning in Everyday Life.
Florian Elliker, PhD, is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Trained as qualitative scholar and ethnographic researcher, he investigates the non-clinical use of cannabis and psychedelics in everyday life. Together with Niklaus Reichle, he founded and leads the research collective “Unexplored Realities”.
Basel gaiamedia lounge | Hochstrasse 70 | Thursday, 22 February | 6-9 pm / CHF 15/10

Related
Preparation Protocol for psychedelic experiences
with Valentina Manini
In this workshop, the different components of a Psychedelic Preparation Protocol are explored.
Online | Thursday, 1 February 2024 | 8.30 pm CET

Ayahuasca Healing, Science and Indigenous Knowledge
Organized by the Chacruna Institute
Online Course  | 1 April – 8 July 2024

The Science of Consciousness
30th Annual Conference of the Center of Consciousness Studies of the Uni Arizona
Tucson, AZ | Loews Ventana Canyon Resort | 22 – 27 April 2024

good to see

good to hear

Lalon Fakir
Zahra, the Highest Diamond Jewel 
Lalon Fakir takes his name from a famous predecessor, the long-lived Bengal Sheik Lalon Shah (1792-1890). Here, Lalon Fakir plays two instruments simultaneously, while singing traditional Bengali folk songs. On his YouTube website he reveals that he is a sibling of Rajan Fakir and Sumon Fakir both Sufi, Folk, Qawwali, Classical & Pop singers, songwriters & composers. He is a very popular singer back home. Here you’ll find 50 of his songs interpreted by various male and female singers.

Ghédalia Tazartès
Diasporas
An extraordinary musician in the musique concrète genre, “Tazarès was was born into a Judeo-Spanish  family in Paris’ 10th arrondissement. He quickly ascended into a musical career, with musician David Fenench defining his music as ‘unclassifiable’. He rarely performed in concerts and released few albums, but was still able to make a living from dance, theatre, and cinema.” (Wikipedia) Theatrical and poetic in a highly unexpected and often humorous way, the more I listen to him, the more I like him. (SGS)
Bisou Records

Various traditional healers
Shamanic Icaros from Peru
“Shamans believe drinking ayahuasca brew puts you in direct contact with the spiritual plane, opening you up to both beneficent and bad spirits. Ultimately, the purpose of icarosis guidance. Shamans use the song to invoke the good spirits of plants and animals, as well as to keep the bad spirits away.» (Psychedelic Times). Their healing effect results from their power to ground us and touch our hearts.
Spirit Way

Year of the Dragon 2024
Chinese New Year Traditional Music
Spirited, confident and just plain fun, this music is composed and played for each new year. This year the fiery dragon is celebrated. Dragons are strong and independent but also long for support and care. “Dragon is powerful, endlessly energetic and full of vitality, goal-oriented yet idealistic and romantic, and a visionary leader. They know exactly who they are and possess the keenest sense of self among the 12 zodiacs of Chinese astrology.»
Year of the Dragon, online

The Young Gods
Play Terry Riley In C (Documentary & Live)
(You can always skip the intro in French.) The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler , sampler Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. Says Treichler: “Our encounter with the «  Sasha Waltz and Guests » dance company on Terry Riley In C  has been mind blowing. Thank you to the Elbphilarmonie to have provoke it. Thank you all of you the incredible dancers and everyone involved in this crazy collective trip.”
Tangram Music

goodnews editorial

Do you sometimes feel like you are not the character you are inhabiting? That you are faking it, somehow, and your achievements aren’t truly yours but were surreptitiously acquired? Yes, you went to school and obtained an M.A., and you have a career, and a family, or other loved ones. But you still think you are playing at being who you are. This is not uncommon, famous spiritual teachers like Ram Dass or Claudio Naranjo struggled with these feelings, standing before their mirrors, asking themselves if they were for real. It’s normal, and healthy, to question ourselves.

If you are an imposter or not boils down to the degree of authenticity you bring to your personal and professional life. If you are going around trying to please everyone to the point of exhaustion; if you suffer from poor self-esteem and take insufficient care of your own physical, mental, and emotional needs, you are going to end up feeling untrue to yourself. Something must be wrong with you and who you are. Quite wrong maybe?

Ours personas are a difficult part of us to step away from. The ego serves as our protective shield, just like it makes sure we can handle social situations by performing the roles expected of us. It is just as important, however, to leave the malnourished – or the overblown – parts of ourselves behind, and to become (more of) who we really are.

Wishing you a peaceful, fructuous, and happy new year!
Yours,
Susanne G. Seiler

P.S. You’ll find us at the gaialounge, Hochstrasse 70 (behind Basel’s SBB station, tram stop Peter Merian), every Thursday afternoon from 14 – 18 h. Welcome!

good to read

Albert Hofmann
Ergot Alkaloids. History, Chemistry and Therapeutic Uses

First published in 1964, Hofmann’s account is finally available to the anglophone world. Ergot has a colorful history and is just fascinating in its vital applications, from contracting and blood stemming preparation used in childbirth, to treatment for migraine headaches, as a geriatric, and as a mind-alerting remedy. Of equal interest is ergot’s botany, the grains it grows upon being vital for our nourishment. The importance of ergot in medicine cannot be overestimated. (SGS)
Synergetic Press

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Steve Rolles and Ester Kincová
How to Regulate Psychedelics. A Practical Guide

The four proposed models for psychedelic regulation – explored in detail in this book are: A private use/decriminalisation model including home cultivation, foraging and not-for-profit sharing for plant-based psychedelics; a membership-based not-for-profit association model for plant-based psychedelics; a flexible licensed psychedelic retail model adaptable to different products and environments: model for regulating commercial guided or supervised psychedelic use.
Transform Publishing

Jennifer Higgie
The Other Side. A Story of Women in the Art and Spirit World

Weaving in and out of many mystical lives, from Hildegard of Bingen to Emma Kunz, while sharing her own memories of otherworldly experiences, Jennifer Higgie discusses the solace of ritual, the gender exclusions of art history, the contemporary relevance of myth, the boom in alternative ways of understanding the world and the impact of spiritualism on feminism and contemporary art. The Oher Side is an intoxicating blend of memoir, biography and art history.
Orion Publishing Group

Max Miller
Tasting History

“The Tasting History with Max Miller” channel has thrilled food enthusiasts and history buffs alike as Miller recreates a dish from the past, often using historical recipes from vintage texts, but updated for modern kitchens as he tells stories behind the cuisine and culture. From ancient Rome to Ming China to medieval Europe and beyond, Miller has collected the best-loved recipes from around the world and has shared them with his fans.
Simon + Schuster

Lucy Sante
I Heard Her Call My Name. A Memoir of Transition

Born in Belgium to conservative, working-class parents, Lucy Sante was transplanted to the United States, where a feeling of home finally arrived when she moved to New York City in the early 1970s amidst her fellow bohemians. Some of her friends died young, from drugs and AIDS, others became jarringly famous. When she was finally ready, Lucy decided to confront the façade she’d been presenting to everyone, including herself, over these years. I Heard Her Call My Name is the story of that confrontation, of a life with a missing piece that, with transition, falls into place.
Random House

good to discover

Mind, Body, Health and Politics
Richard Louis Miller talks with the British psychiatrist Ben Sessa about the Psychedelic Renaissance and the future of Mental Health

Psychedelic-U
Psychedelic use can be profound, helpful, occasionally risky, and in rare cases dangerous. Know your psychedelics!

The Diary of a CEO
Steven Cliff Bartlett (born 1992) is a British-Nigerian entrepreneur and podcaster. In this episode of his popular podcast he speaks with Yuval Noah Harari. They talk about populist politics, war, the future of AI, labor, humanity and more.

good to know

Meaningful
psychoactive | Vox | 1 December
Why psychedelics change people’s lives

San Pedro
psychoactive |  | Mindbetter | 3 December
What it is and where it’s found

Lonely
science | Futurism | 4 December
Our galaxy seems to be surrounded by a large void

Attractive
science |  Inverse | 6 December
Magnet with only one pole baffles physicists

Respect
psychoactive | MAPS Bulletin | 8 December
The role of Indigenous communities in psychedelics, by Rick Doblin

The biggest party of all times?
psychoactive | The Psychedelic Blog | 8 December
The era of the Eleusinian Mysteries

Hope for many
psychoactive | Double Blind | 12 December
LSD and psilocybin as a treatment for chronic pain

Transcendence
psychoactive | Reality Sandwich | 14 December
The experience and meaning of ego death

Illness
psychoactive |  APS | 14 December
Stigmatisation of substance users hampers their rehabilitation

Fungi
nature | Psydkick | 16 December
How to dry and store mushrooms of any kind

Rewilding
nature | High Country News | 19 December
How Colorado got its wolves back

Possession and personal use
psychoactive | Rolling Stone | 22 December
Additional presidential pardons for marijuana users

Eating disorders
psychoactive | PsyPost | 26 December
Promising studies confirm the value of psilocybin

Rebranding
psychoactive | High Times | 29 December
From stoners to self-medicating herbalists

good to meet

Tim Ferris features:
Dr. Andrew Huberman on all aspects of health including psychedelics

Bioneers Podcast
Creating a World Where Everyone Belongs: From a Change of Heart to System Change with Angela Glover Blackwell and John A. Powell

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