ERIE presents: Weaving the sacred into our lives (Part 1)

ERIE presents: Weaving the sacred into our lives: Contributions from Ayahuasca and ancestral wisdom with Nicole Roitberg (Part 1) at the 2nd Annual Women's Entheogenic Symposium, March 2nd, 2014

Our materialistic and objective relation to the planet has made our world a place of matter without life. Mystery, enchantment and spirit have abandoned us, and the systemic crises we are facing as a global community suggest they are not limited to the political, economic and environmental spheres, but a crisis whose root stems from our deep need to connect to, and participate in a larger field of universal consciousness.

Indigenous peoples, as well as other traditional cultures have understood for millennia their inter-dependence with all life systems, the importance of living connected to the land and maintaining an open and revered dialogue with the entire network of creatures – not only animal, vegetable and mineral, but to the spirit world as well. To them, the material world is but one dimension of reality, and they move elegantly through the various dimensions that sustain life. For many native groups, states of expanded consciousness induced by entheogens are common occurrences, responsible for weaving a sacred relationship between them and the cosmos, which influences directly their ethics as caretakers of our planet.

Pursuing and rescuing these ancient practices can be a way of contributing to the health and sustainability of our communities and prepare generations to live harmoniously in our complex world. They invite us to reflect on questions such as: How can ancient traditions inform a new model of integral health and sustainability and what does this model look like? What is the role of sacred experiences in nourishing an ethics that includes empathy at its core? How can the ritual use of sacred plants influence our day-to-day behavior, actions, and inspire profound personal and collective change?

Inspired by these great artists of life, we will learn of the different stories of traditional peoples and the ways in which they weave the sacred into their lives, in the hopes of bringing spirit, bliss, enchantment and meaning back into ours.