Please allow me to explain the title. Let’s take “reconnection” first. Last year, several months ahead of the Spirit Plant Medicine Conference (SPMC), I had a phone conversation with a friend and elder in the peyote prayer way of the Native American Church. I asked her about her take on what we should consider the most important aspect of this work with entheogenic plants and substances in the context of the SPMC.

Her answer was that the plants are not the central issue. The crucial need is for humans to reconnect to our roots and to our intertwined interdependence with all our relations. The sacred medicines, she said, offer a powerfully effective method—in the right circumstances—for helping “shock the monkey” out of severely limited conditioning and allowing us to let down the protective barriers and directly experience that naturally-existing connection.

Then there’s the word “radical.” Andrew Feldmár did a brilliant—and entertaining—interview last Wednesday October 8 on Andrew Rezmer’s show on consciouslivingradio.org, Co-Op Radio 100.5 FM in Vancouver. I highly recommend listening to this thirty-minute interview, accessible at that site under Past Shows.

In the interview, Andrew was insightful, provocative, witty, and funny. Tasha, the interviewer, told him she thought he was radical and he agreed if the word was being used in its original meaning. “Radical” comes from the Latin “radix,” meaning “root.”

So that’s our task as humans who care about this deeply troubled planet, to do what we can to undertake a radical reconnection, beginning with ourselves and with the ultimate intention to benefit all sentient beings.

Remaining Pre-Conference Events

Joshua Wickerham will be interviewed on Andrew Rezmer’s above-mentioned radio program, live this Wednesday October 15 at 6 pm PDT and posted not long after under Past Shows at www.consciouslivingradio.org. Joshua is one of the feature presenters at the SPMC coming up on the weekend of October 24-26 at UBC in Vancouver. He is the co-founder and executive director of the Ethnobotanical Stewardship Council, which is “dedicated to assuring the sustainability and safe use of traditional plants and enriching the communities who work with them.”

Andrew Feldmár will continue and further develop his ‘radical’ provocations at Eternal Abundance (EA), 1025 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, this coming Wednesday October 15, 8 to 10 pm PDT. This will be a stimulating two hours. Andrew has said he wants to get the audience engaged in a lively question and answer session.

Sobey Wing will host a Talking Stick Circle and Skype talk from Peru by Jhaimy Alvarez, a highly regarded Huachuma (San Pedro) shaman, also at EA, on Wednesday October 22, 8 to 10 pm PDT. That will be the final pre-conference event before we gather at UBC on Fri. October 24, 7:30 pm start time for the weekend conference.

Admission is free to both of the live events at EA with a full conference ticket, $11 online or $15 at the door (space permitting). Full Conference ticket holders: Your conference ticket includes Pre-Conference lectures but please reserve your space by RSVPing, (if possible) at 3 days prior to each lecture to: Andrew@ConsciousLivingRadio.org.

Tickets for the conference will also be available for purchase at both EA events as well as at the conference website or by phone at 604-435-5555.

An Extra Goodie

Finally, though it’s not specifically one of our pre-conference events, I want to let you know about Dennis McKenna’s free talk and book signing at our legendary Banyen Books and Sound, here in Vancouver, this Friday October 17, 6:30 to 8 pm PDT. Details here

For all our relations,
S. G.