Evolver Los Angeles, MAPS, The Beckley Foundation, & Brainwaving present Spore 1.2 "The Past/Present/Future of Psychedelics"

March 24th 2010 • 7:30-11:00 @ 7866 Fountain West Hollywood, CA

$11.00 suggested donation, which helps keep these spores spectacular for you each and every month! No one will be turned away for lack of funds. We'll consider interesting trades except for ammunition, fur and feminine hygiene products.

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"To fathom or soar angelic, you'll need a pinch of psychedelic."

- Humphrey Osmond, who coined the term "psychedelic" with this phrase.

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In this Spore, we will explore and discuss the exciting new frontiers for psychedelics in our modern culture, as both scientifically verified medicines and intentional tools for personal development.

We will be looking at how shamans and psychonauts are exploring themselves and seeking experiential truths to this era's psychosocial dilemma's on the frontiers of consciousness, vis-à-vis psychedelic rendered altered states. As well as the grounded approach to how plants can help us learn to communicate better with ourselves, each other and how medicinal plants can help us heal our impact on the Earth. Without ingesting or smoking them.

We are fortunate to have Elevate Films presenting the short film Devine, as well as the opportunity to hear from the filmmakers themselves.

Devine Synopsis:

A south american vine, which has been used by indigenous tribes for several millennia, is a doorway to the expansion of our collective consciousness. Does the survival of our species depend upon our willingness to harmonize with nature? This short documentary explores this inquiry. Devine was produced from start to finish in just 7 days for Elevate Film Festival 08. Directed by Chris Brickler and Ciela Wynter

Our amazing guests for the evening will include Bianca Chavez a local curandera, environmental speaker and friend of the spores, to share with us her unique perspective on our relationship to learn, interact, and discover the connection between us and plants. We are also honored to be hosting the author of the forthcoming memoir "Exile Nation" (Reality Sandwich, 2009) Charles Shaw, an environmental and political activist on hand to cover the gamete from, the war on drugs (re:war on personal freedom) to the healing ceremonies and clinics underway utilizing psychedelic medicines to assist with some of societies most debilitating health and environmental ailments.

The Evolver LA team, Erin Shaw, Jill Ettinger, and Baza Novic will begin by bringing all in attendance up to speed with a presentation on the past, present and the future of psychedelic usage in the Western world.

The evening will close with a psychedelic dance party and social hour curated by Urban Designer Elizabeth Marley, where the local Evolvers will have a chance to co-mingle and dance together in a sacred space of like minded folk. Be quiet as you leave please.

Adam Yasmin from the OmShanTea LA satelite will be holding an all you can drink tea ceremony (by donation) before and after the spore.

This is a drug free event. Please leave all substances including alcohol, at the crib or the store, as there will be an abundance of life to get high on. No disrespect of this policy will be tolerated, as the host for tonight is an ex-marine with a short fuse for slackers, hipsters and sociopaths.

* Photos during the evening will be taken for Facebook and to share with the community. All other media will be forbidden to allow space for honest and safe sharing. We'll see you there.

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Spore Theme Details:

For millennia, cultures around the world expanded minds and visions with “teacher plants” – what we commonly know today as psychedelics. The widespread popularity of LSD during the 1960s awakened the Western psyche to these powerful substances, ushering in a period of wild experimentation that revolutionized art and music, inspired social movements, and opened new vistas of possibility for psychotherapy. But a swift backlash from the establishment made psychedelics illegal, repressing and marginalizing them as “dangerous drugs.”

Today, there is new potential for psychedelics to be reintroduced into mainstream culture, not as drastic catalysts of social upheaval but as tools that can help people overcome serious problems, explore mystical experiences, find inspiration, and understand more about consciousness and the brain. Psychedelic research with human subjects is underway again after a 35-year blockade, thanks to the efforts of non-profit organizations like MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) and the Beckley Foundation. Prominent newspapers and magazines are giving these substances another look, acknowledging their potential for therapeutic and spiritual breakthroughs if used with care. At the same time, the worldwide resurgence of interest in indigenous shamanism indicates a deeper maturity and respect emerging toward these ancient sacraments.

• 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 23, 29, 43, 47, 83, 131, 137, 359, 431, 433, 449, 509, 569, 571, 2971, 4723, 5387, 9311, 9677, 14431 •

About our Presenters:

• ELEVATE FILMS
Elevate is a tribe of professional artists united by a commitment to unleash higher expressions of human potential through movies, music and digital media. They are the team that pioneered the first international philanthropic filmmaking competition, Elevate Film Festival.

As a full-service production company, Elevate Films specializes in the fine art of making consciousness cool. Since 2005, Elevate has produced more than 100 documentaries, narrative shorts and features, as well as music videos for Grammy Award winning/platinum artists, such as Black Eyed Peas, Alanis Morissette, and India Arie. Elevate’s home base is high atop a Downtown Los Angeles high-rise. The mission is global.

• Charles Shaw is the author of Exile Nation: Drugs, Prisons, Politics, & Spirituality (2009, Reality Sandwich). His work has appeared in Alternet, Alternative Press Review, Conscious Choice, Common Ground, Grist, Guerrilla News Network, Huffington Post, In These Times, Newtopia, The New York Times, openDemocracy, Planetizen, Punk Planet, Reality Sandwich, Scoop, Shift, Truthout, The Witness, YES!, and Znet. He was a Contributing Author to the 2008 Shift Report from the Institute for Noetic Sciences , and in Planetizen's Contemporary Debates in Urban Planning (2007, Island Press). In 2009 he was recognized by the San Diego Press Club for excellence in journalism.

Charles is the Director of the Exile Nation Unheard Voices Story Project (coming Spring 2010), and the Dictionary of Ethical Politics, a collaborative project of Resurgence, openDemocracy, and the Tedworth Trust. He is the former Editorial Director of Conscious Enlightenment Publishing (Conscious Choice, Common Ground, Whole Life Times, and Seattle's Conscious Choice), the founder and publisher of Newtopia Magazine , former head writer for the nationally syndicated radio show "Reality Checks with Harrison," former Senior Staff Writer for The Next American City, and a Contributing Editor for Worldchanging .

He is a longtime activist and former official with the Green Party of the US. A native of Chicago, he lives in Los Angeles...for now.

• Bianca Chavez was born in the "Land of Enchantment," New Mexico. Generations of farmers, herbalists, and Land Stewards were a constant influence in her life. She was transplanted to California where she became a motivational speaker for the youth at the age of fifteen. Today, Bianca is a committed public speaker, empowerment coach, ceremony keeper, and farmer. Bianca's message is very unique in that her environmental awareness comes from interacting with the earth daily as a farmer and gardener. Her message, similar to her life, is simple and fulfilling. In addition to being the founder of Words for the Many, Bianca is President and Co-Creator of Growcology, a sustainable education facility and public garden in Riverside California, where she resides with her Husky Luna.

Stay Attuned for more details to follow by checking in at Evolver Los Angeles.....

Goddess bless.

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The Guild of Los Angeles Evolvers
Evolver Los Angeles Site:
http://www.evolver.net/group/los_angeles_evolvers
PO Box 461431
West Hollywood, CA
90046
Office: (323) 509-9621 (offline due to H.A.A.R.P. activity)
Email: evolverlosangeles@gmail.com

Disclaimer:
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