TITLE
Psychedelic Ceremony & My Magical Things.

ABSTRACT
In this presentation I'll be in sharing thoughts, history, tips and tricks on the curation of psychedelic ceremony by introducing some of the objects I use in this work. I'll explore how we can draw on the wisdom of ancient entheogenic traditions while being mindful of cultural appropriation. I'll describe how we can resist the rise of quasi-scientific obfuscation in the field of psychedelic healing and maintain a wider appreciation of the beneficial ways in which psychedelics may be used. I'll look at the role of humour and gentleness in curating a supportive psychedelic ceremony and will share techniques which we can intervene to support transformative processes during a trip. I'll consider the role somatic and experiential integration in relation to the desire to generate and share the narrative of our experiences with others. Finally, I will explore how trip sitting can become a decentralised activity rather than becoming part of the pharmacological-industrial complex and what a peer-support model of psychedelic healing might mean for society.

BIOGRAPHY
Julian Vayne is a British independent scholar and author with over four decades of experience within esoteric culture: from Druidry to Chaos Magic, from indigenous Shamanism through to Freemasonry and Witchcraft. Growing up in the Britain of punk and then rave culture Julian immersed himself in the philosophy and techniques of magic. His journey into group ritual practice began within the Western Esoteric Tradition when he was 16. Since then he has worked in ceremony with practitioners from many different lands and lineages.

Julian is a senior member of the Magical Pact of the Illuminates of Thanateros and widely recognised as one of Britain’s leading occultists. In the 1990s Julian edited Britain’s best selling pagan newspaper Pagan Voice and in 2001 published one of the first books of the modern psychedelic renaissance, Pharmakon: Drugs and the Imagination. In addition to exploring traditional sacred medicines, Julian’s work includes the first published accounts of the entheogenic ritual use of ketamine and several novel psychedelic sacraments.

Today Julian is the author of books, essays, journals and articles in both the academic and esoteric press. He sees his work as part of the process to help re-imagine an earth-centered, non-dogmatic, open-source spirituality. He shares his practice through mentoring, workshops, online teaching and retreats. Julian’s style is highly collaborative. With an academic background in teaching and learning, and as co-author of numerous texts, Julian’s style emphasises curiosity, collaboration and creativity.

His approach is informed by chaos magic, deep ecology and lineages within Wicca and Tantra. Julian is a co-organiser of the psychedelic conference Breaking Convention, and a Trustee of The Psychedelic Museum Project. A founding member of the post-prohibition think-tank Transform, Julian sits on the academic board of The Journal of Psychedelic Studies, and has been a visiting lecturer at several British universities. He is an advocate of post-prohibition culture and supporter of psychedelic prisoners through the Scales project.

Julian facilitates psychedelic ceremony, as well as providing one-to-one psychedelic integration sessions and support. He is the author of the celebrated Getting Higher: The Manual of Psychedelic Ceremony. Since 2011 he has been sharing his work through The Blog of Baphomet.