Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics September 19, 2008

HORIZONS: PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHEDELICS

September 19 - 21 2008
at Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

http://horizonsnyc.org/
[email protected]

Horizons is a forum for learning about psychedelics. It seeks to open a fresh dialogue about psychedelics and challenges society to rethink their role in history, culture, medicine, spirituality and art. After a successful debut in 2007, it is now an annual event. Its dates for 2008 are September 19-21. Speakers have been announced and tickets are on sale!

Psychedelics are a unique class of psychoactive drugs that have been used by humans for thousands of years. Millions of people in every corner of the globe have used them to alter their consciousness in search of introspective contemplation, spiritual insights, creative exploration and physical and psychological healing.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, legal research with psychedelics spurred important discoveries in science and psychology. During the 1960s, psychedelics entered worldwide popular culture. Fueled by the wild social dogmas of the era, recreational use become commonplace. Questions about their safety, medical value, history and implications in politics and culture were unfortunately answered with numerous myths spread by both their users and the media.

Times are changing. The freewheeling sixties are now a distant memory and the hype of the millennial rave fever has finally been laid to rest. Now, a small group of dedicated researchers and activists has orchestrated a renaissance in psychedelic research that is re-shaping the public's understanding of these unique substances. Horizons brings together the brightest minds and boldest voices of this movement to share their research, insights and dreams for the future.

== SPEAKERS ==
(in alphabetical order, see website for schedule)

* Allan Hunt Badiner - Co-editor of Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics
* Rick Doblin, Ph.D. - Founder/president of MAPS
* Robert Forte - Divinity scholar, editor of Entheogens and the Future of Religion
* Alex Grey - Artist and co-founder of Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
* Allyson Grey - Artist and co-founder of Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
* Roland Griffiths, Ph.D. - Psilocybin researcher, Professor of Behavioral Biology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
* John Halpern, M.D. - MDMA, psilocybin and peyote researcher, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Laboratory for Integrative Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
* Sean Helfritsch & Isaiah Saxon - Video artists, creators of Bjork's Wanderlust 3D music video
* Dan Merkur - Psychoanalyst, author of The Ecstatic Imagination
* Dimitri Mobengo Mugianis - Ibogaine therapist
* David Nichols, Ph.D. - Founder of Heffter Research Institute, Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology at Purdue University
* Daniel Pinchbeck - Author of Breaking Open the Head and 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
* Sasha and Ann Shulgin - Psychedelics elders, authors of Tikhal and Pikhal

== RECEPTION ==

Friday, September 19 8pm - midnight

Free for Horizons ticket holders, $10 otherwise

An evening of celebration, art, performance and friends featuring some of New York City's finest creative talent.

Taylor Kuffner (aka Zemi17) presents the Gamelatron. The Gamelatron is a traditional set of Indonesian gamelan instruments augmented with robotic mechanisms, creating a robotic gamelan. This enables an entire gamelan orchestra to be played and improvised on live by one player on computer. http://gamelatron.com/

AKAirways provides whimsical inflatable art installations. They are transient and ephemeral, dependent on interaction and engage the environment in which they are deployed. Works are installed with the intent of interacting with or complementing other works and spaces; be good neighbors. AKAirways aims to inspire and unlock the potential of the audience by turning its members into collaborators, to promote the creative process in which there is always an ongoing experiment: Playing, learning, sharing, and collaborating. AKAirways work has been presented in a variety of contexts, from the Museum of Modern Art to underground raves, from NASA to the Whitney Biennale. http://akairways.com/

More art and entertainment to be announced shortly.

Official Website: http://horizonsnyc.org/