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Entheobotany 1999Carla Higdon
January 16-22 & January 25-31, 1999 Read more about upcoming conferences This year's Entheobotany Shamanic Plant Seminars were back in their traditional locale amidst the verdant jungles and Mayan temples of Palenque, Mexico. It was a place and event that provided a welcome respite from the demands of ordinary life for us participants, a world apart where we could strengthen our common bond and indulge our interests in the multidimensional nature of psychoactive plants. The Hotel Chan Kah was a setting so beautiful and serene that it was hard to leave at week's end. This year's presenters included Sasha and Ann Shulgin: psychedelic pioneers and co-authors of PIHKAL and TIHKAL; Jonathan Ott: natural products chemist and entheobotanist as well as author of a variety of books on psychedelic pharmacology; Terence McKenna: lecturer and author whose works focus on the importance of the role of natural hallucinogens in the future of human evolution; Christian Raetsch: Germany's leading expert on the shamanic arts and author of a number of books on psychoactive plants and their historical uses in Europe; Michael Bock: chemist, lecturer, and authority on Australasian psychedelic flora and fauna; Rob Montgomery: founder of the Botanical Preservation Corps; Ken Symington: ethnobotanical investigator and expert on ayahuasca shamanism; Giorgio Samorini: Italy's leading expert on entheobotany, the African Bwiti and sacramental Iboga; Paul Stamets: mycologist and founder of Fungi Perfecti mushroom company; and Manuel Torres: art historian and expert on the ethnography of visionary snuffs.
The lectures and social activities of the week provided invaluable material for both the seasoned psychonaut and cautious newcomer alike. Our ephemeral little community was one of scholarship, tolerance and camaraderie with a healthy dash of hedonism thrown in to spice the pot. If you have never been, and are looking for a first rate adventure with some of the most eccentric and stimulating people you will ever meet, don't miss next year's Entheobotanical Seminars. For more information on this important paradigm-shifting event contact:
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