Energy Clarity Immunity: The Power of the Amazon
with Morgan Maher
featuring
Dennis McKenna
and
Richard Doyle
Recordings Available on SynchCast in 2015
–
This three-part series guides you through Amazonian plants: their uses, benefits, traditions, research, stories and magic.
Powered by the most bio-diverse place on the planet — we’ll branch and connect various healing traditions; exploring the Chinese/Taoist principles of Jing, Qi, Shen in the context of Amazonian shamanism, and ways plants offer holistic visions of health, tremendous rejuvenation and renaissance of body, mind and spirit.
In this course you’ll learn how to integrate these traditions into your every day life through Morgan’s guidance. You’ll learn simple ways to renew and upgrade your daily routine that will boost your immune system and spark your creativity.
From plant medicine elixirs to superfood smoothies to ancient explorations of stillness and nature — this course will awaken heightened levels of clarity and fortitude with which to flow and flourish in the new now.
–
Topics include:
Creating and working with Amazonian elixirs, teas and tinctures
Expanding immunity; protection, resiliency, regeneration
Clear thinking and dreaming to promote calm and increase creativity
Casting away anxiety, panic, frustration, stress and shock
Keeping your endurance, initiative, strength and fire flowing
Energy, life force, power – responsibly, respectfully, in right relationship
Session One
Immunity
This first session focuses on the ways and means for creating and maintaining defences and protections for your body, mind and spirit. A necessary foundation, as we embark further into the wilderness of these days. Cat’s Claw, or Uña de Gato, will feature prominently alongside Camu Camu.
Featured Guest: Richard Doyle
With Richard we’ll explore the capacity of consciousness to learn from teacher plants to focus attention on the source of self. This shift in the “gradient of attention”, learned under the tutelage of ayahuasca and vegetalista Norma Panduro, worked in Richard’s own life to help heal him of life long and life threatening asthma and debilitating whole body eczema.
Professor Richard Doyle, aka “mobius”, composes and teaches in the esoteric traditions of rhetoric, science fiction and emerging technoscience–sustainability, space colonization, biotechnology, nanotechnology, psychedelic science, information technologies, biometrics–and the cultural and literary contexts from which they sprout. He earned a PhD at UC Berkeley and a post doctoral fellowship at MIT, he has received grants from the National Science Foundation, and is a Fellow at the Hybrid Reality Institute and a Distinguished International Fellow of the London Graduate School.
He has written a trilogy of scholarly books on the effects of information technologies on human evolution and the effects of language on consciousness. His latest book, Darwin’s Pharmacy: Sex, Plants & The Evolution of the Noösphere, focuses on the co-evolution of humans with plants.
Rich is co-host of the SynchCast monthly WebShow “Exploring the Soul of Nature” with Joanna Harcourt-Smith.
Read: Finding Animals with Plant Intelligence: Attention, Doctores, Mysteries – by Richard Doyle
Read: An Ecstatic Dialogue between Jason Silva and Richard Doyle, author of Darwin’s Pharmacy: Sex, Plants and the Evolution of the Noosphere
Session Two
with Special Guest: Dennis McKenna
From the beginning of time, plants have played a role in human affairs, influencing the evolution of civilizations and cultures, human migration, medicine and health care, wars, art, mythology and religion.
In this very special session, Dennis and Morgan will discuss and explore:
- The role and importance of botanical medicines in the public health programs, ethnomedicine, and medical practices of developing countries and indigenous cultures.
- The historical and political roles that plant migrations, trade in food and spices, exploration, and the exploitation of botanical resources have played in the development of civilizations, colonization, cultural traditions, and imperialism.
- Issues, perspectives, and dilemmas related to the ownership of indigenous knowledge, biopiracy, and genetic resources.
- Humanity’s well being, and the importance of preserving biodiversity, species habitats, and genetic diversity.
Dennis McKenna is an ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is the brother of well-known psychedelics proponent Terence McKenna and is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute.
McKenna received his Master’s degree in botany at the University of Hawaii in 1979. He received his Doctorate in Botanical Sciences in 1984 from the University of British Columbia. McKenna then received post-doctoral research fellowships in the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, and in the Department of Neurology, Stanford University School of Medicine.
McKenna’s research led to the development of natural products for Aveda Corporation as well as greater awareness of natural products and medicines. He has authored numerous scientific articles and books. He co-authored The Invisible Landscape with his brother Terence and Botanical Medicines: the Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements with Kenneth Jones and Kerry Hughes. McKenna spent a number of years as a senior lecturer for the Center for Spirituality and Healing, part of the Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He is now a senior research scientist for the Natural Health Products Research Group at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in the Vancouver area.
His research has included the pharmacology, botany, and chemistry of ayahuasca and oo-koo-hé, the subjects of his master’s thesis. He has also conducted extensive fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon.
His most recent book; The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna is available here.
We’re honoured to welcome the wonderful Dennis McKenna on this second session to explore the vastly deep world and life of Amazonian ethnobotany.
Session Three
Clarity & Energy
This session focuses on activating clarity — clear vision, clear thinking, clear feeling — in order to uplift your energy in profound ways. From the solid ground of expanded immunity engaged in Session One, we’ll branch up, out and into ways to increase and enliven your dream-life, memories, recall, creativity and intuition. Wayusa or Whysa, (Guayusa, ilex guayusa) is our prime plant-guest on this session.
With your defences established and your vision sharp and clear, this third session provides strategies to activate, stimulate, regulate, moderate, ride — and respect — your energy, life-force and legacy. Guarana (Paullinia cupana) will feature, and we’ll connect-in a host of helpful herbs.
Explore powerful plants, herbs, and medicinal mushrooms, including:
Wayusa, Cat’s Claw, Pau d’Arco, Guarana, Chuchuhuasi, Siete Raices, Catuaba, Sangre de Grado, Jergon Sacha, Ajo Sacha, Camu Camu, Reishi, Chaga, Schizandra, and more…
Participants receive
Amazonian Plants and the Art of Brewing – overview and quick reference guide
Reviews
“Morgan’s class was very informative in teaching not only about the plants but importantly how to prepare them and incorporate their use in our daily lives. I appreciate Morgan sharing his wide and intimate knowledge, including the more esoteric aspects of the Amazon plant life.” — Martha, participant in Energy Clarity Immunity: The Power of the Amazon, at the Light Cellar, March 2014
About Morgan
Morgan Maher is an artist, designer, writer and teacher creating and exploring relationships between food, medicine, plants, health, art, music, optimism, adventure, ecology-economy, and the future.
Morgan is on the Board of Directors for Ayahuasca.com, he has written for Reality Sandwich, hosted Evolver Intensives, illustrated Peter Gorman’s book; Ayahuasca in My Blood, published Espiritu: a book of plants.
He lives in Rocky View, Alberta
About SynchCast
SynchCast is home to original, interactive, WebShow programming featuring both established and emerging thinkers and activists. SynchCast looks to disseminate knowledge and encourage cross-cultural communication using this global medium.
Technical Details and Requirements
Each session is 120 minutes long, with an hour and a half of presentation and 30 minutes of Q&A in which you will have the chance to ask your questions directly to Morgan.
Participants who have a webcam and microphone will be able to ask questions via live video. If you donít have a webcam or a microphone you can still participate and ask questions via the chat.
All participants will have access to a recording of the workshop that they can download and watch whenever and as often as they would like.
Requirements: Broadband/high-speed internet connection, web browser, desktop or notebook computer. iPhones and iPads NOT supported as of this time.
Recommended: Webcam and microphone, ethernet cable connection or a strong wireless connection.
