Capitalizing on the Mystic: Exploring Sustainability, Reciprocity & Social History of Psychedelics with Jasmine Virdi ONLINE

If you’re curious about the sociological, ecological, and cultural landscape of psychedelics, join us this February as we discuss equity and sustainability in today's psychedelic movement with psychedelic journalist Jasmine Virdi. 

In a global expansion of psychedelic interest, we need to recognise and honour the communities and land which have preserved these sacred plants and fungi for generations. We must investigate the historical backdrop of our ongoing psychedelic movement so we can move forward without repeating injustices and mistakes from the past. And as psychedelics become increasingly sought after by pharmaceutical industries and venture capitalists, we must ensure psychedelic culture isn’t lost into reductionist paradigms or corporate interest. 

With a strong passion and rich investigative background in the psychedelic scene, Jasmine Virdi will be confronting some of these critical issues in our upcoming event. She will be sharing her insight and expertise as we discuss topics like:

• The roots of psychedelic culture: recognizing a history of colonialism, marginalization of entheogen-using groups, and mistakes made in the 1960s countercultural psychedelic revolution
• The pitfalls of psychedelic mainstreaming: concerns regarding the ecological and social impact of psychedelic commodification
• Interweaving the mystic and scientific: how Western scientific models can incorporate practices from psychedelic healing traditions
• Improving the sustainability of our psychedelic movement: considering how to drive the psychedelic movement without thwarting traditional practices, or creating harm to the planet
• The importance of community: addressing the necessity of human connection in psychedelic healing 

This online event will be an interview-style discussion with Jasmine, followed by an audience Q&A. We will send out a recording of this talk/panel discussion to all ticket holders within a week of the event taking place.

About the Speaker: Jasmine Virdi

Jasmine is a freelance writer in the psychedelic space. Since 2018, she has been working for the independent publishing company Synergetic Press, where her passions for ecology, ethnobotany, and psychoactive substances converge. Jasmine has written for Psychedelics Today, Chacruna Institute for Plant Medicines, Lucid News, and Cosmic Sister, to name but a few. 

She is currently pursuing an MSc in Spirituality, Consciousness, and Transpersonal Psychology at the Alef Trust with the future aim of working as a therapeutic practitioner within the psychedelic space. Additionally, she is a volunteer for Fireside Project’s psychedelic peer support line, aligned with their mission to provide compassionate, accessible, and culturally responsive support to all. 

Recognised for her work, Jasmine was included in the 40 Under 40 Outstanding BIPOC Leaders in Drug Policy by Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Jasmine’s goal as an advocate for psychedelics and plant medicines is to raise awareness of the socio-historical contexts in which these substances emerged in order to help integrate them into our modern-day lives in an ethically integral, accessible, and meaningful way.

If you would like to attend this event but are unable to afford the ticket price, please do get in touch with us closer to the time of the event taking place, at martha@psychedelicsociety.org.uk, giving the reason for your request. At the Psychedelic Society, we believe that everyone should be able to access our events regardless of employment or health circumstances, so we will do our best to accommodate where we can.

REFUNDS POLICY: Please note, we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. When possible we encourage reselling on Ticketswap.

ACCESS:  We do our best to include everyone in our events, regardless of health circumstances. If you have access requirements please email the event organiser directly to discuss. Many facilitators are able to offer reduced ticket prices for those truly unable to afford the ticket price. If this applies to you, do please get in touch with the event organiser.

For PSYCHEDELIC KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES please check out the Psychedelic Society website. 

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