We will be selling at the Puerto Vallarta Farmers Market on Saturdays, beginning November 6, from 10 am to 1 pm. Come by and visit. Please email first if you have special plants you are interested in. We do not take everything with us and we are sometimes out of plants.
I (Rick Hepting, the owner of XPlanta) will be speaking on Wednesday, February 23 at 2 pm during this show. I will also be selling plants and seeds.
During the week of February 23rd through 28th, Vallarta Botanical Gardens will host their 2nd annual Flower and Garden Show. This event, running Tuesday through Sunday, takes place at the peak of the Garden’s floral displays and will feature local products from our precious earth, floral designs from top florists. Local florists will compete for prizes in the Hall of Flowers inside the Hacienda.
Educational demonstrations will take place each afternoon at 2 pm. The Garden’s Vivero will be packed with plants for sale, such as coffee, chocolate and vanilla orchid plants, plus blooming orchids, rare plants, handmade baskets, and local pottery.
Everyone is invited to come out to the Gardens to revel in the glories of springtime in the Sierra Madre mountains. There is a $50 peso charge for the general public to enter the Gardens and entry is free for members. There is no additional charge to view the Flower & Garden Show.
A special brunch menu is available from 10am to 2m on Sundays for only $170 pesos and includes one cocktail, cinnamon bun, fresh fruit, local organic coffee and an entrée of your choice from the Brunch Menu.
Vallarta Botanical Gardens is only 35 minutes south of Old Town, located at Km 24 on Highway 200. Public transportation is available every 30 minutes from Old Town. Take the El Tuito – Botanical Gardens bus from corner of Aguacate & Carranza for only $20 pesos.
The Botanical Gardens are open from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Closed every Monday. Telephone 223-6182 for further information.
DEMONSTRATIONS and TALKS at 2pm:
Tuesday, February 23
Wednesday, February 24
Thursday, February 25
Friday, February 26
Saturday, February 27
Sunday, February 28
We will be selling plants at this event at La Huerta Restaurant in Paso Anco, Puerto Vallarta, on March 29. This should be a fun event will all of the good musicians in town showing up…
The Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens Flower and Garden Show.
February 24 to March 1, 2009. Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm.
During the week of February 24th through March 1st, Vallarta Botanical Gardens will host the first annual Puerto Vallarta Flower and Garden Show.
This week-long event, running Tuesday through Sunday, will feature local products from our precious earth and will take place at the peak of the Gardens’ springtime floral display. Local florists will compete for prizes in the Hall of Flowers inside the Hacienda de Oro in various categories.
Educational demonstrations will take place each afternoon at 2 pm and 4 pm. Coffee, chocolate and vanilla plus blooming orchids, rare plants, handmade baskets, local pottery and more will be available for purchase. Everyone is invited to come out to the Gardens to revel in the glories of springtime in the mountains.
There is a 50 pesos charge for the general public to enter the Gardens. Entry is free for members.
There is no additional charge to see the Flower & Garden Show.
Vallarta Botanical Gardens is only 30 minutes south of Old Town, located at Km 24 on Highway 200. Open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Closed Mondays.
Telephone 223-6182 for further information.
XPlanta will have a display table at this show and Rick Hepting, the owner of XPlanta, will be giving a talk on “Medicinal and Shamanic Plants of Mexico” at 2 pm on Saturday, February 28th.
XPlanta is open to the public for plant sales By appointment only.
We have available the plants and seeds listed on our PRICES page plus many more one-of-a-kind and limited-quantity items too numerous to list. We also have some quite large potted “mother plants” for sale because they have grown too large for their space here.
Local delivery is available for larger items.
Please EMAIL ahead if you have special requests.
VIVERO y OFICINA
XPLANTA
Manantial 375
Colonia Buenos Aires
Puerto Vallarta
Vallarta Orchid Society Scheduled Meetings:
Saturday, October 25, 2008
1:00 pm, at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens
Subject: “Fragrant Orchids”
This talk will cover the fundamentals of scents and will introduce some of the various orchids that are fragrant.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
1:00 pm at the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens
Subject: “Orchid Sex”
This talk will discuss orchids in the wild and the Who, Why and How of the pollination process.
WEBSITE: http://www.pvorchids.com/
EMAIL: pvorchids (at) gmail.com
Columbus Day Weekend, Friday, October 10 to Monday, October 13, 2008 at the 1800 acre Wilbur Hot Springs in Northern California.
The Women’s Visionary Congress (WVC) is a gathering of healers, activists, researchers and artists who are redefining the use of entheogens. The WVC addresses the traditional uses of these substances and investigations into their therapeutic applications.
Women play a vital role in the medical and spiritual use of entheogens, substances that help change our consciousness. Midwives and herbalists have relied on entheogenic plants to heal and ease pain for many centuries. Female shamans in cultures throughout the world have long employed entheogens for divine inspiration. Contemporary women are now advocating for legal reforms and scientific research that could reintegrate the beneficial uses of entheogens.
Featured Speakers Include:
Ann and Sasha Shulgin
Nicki Scully
Carolyn (Mountain Girl) Garcia
Allyson Grey
Val Corral
Angel Raich
Debby Goldsberry
Annie Mithoefer
Ilsa Jerome
Sandra Harner
Mariavittoria Mangini
June May Ruse
Jane Straight
Join us this fall as we gather at an 1800 acre private nature reserve and hot springs sanctuary in the Coastal Range foothills of Colusa County, California. Our community will meet for four days of discussions, hot spring soaking, yoga and good food at the historic Wilbur Hot Springs Hotel.
Tickets for the Women’s Visionary Congress are $425, which includes the cost of all meals, events, camping, yoga classes and access to Wilbur Hot Springs facilities from Friday afternoon through lunch on Monday.
A limited number of tickets will be sold for this special event. All panel presentations at the WVC will take place inside the Wilbur Hot Springs Hotel.
More camping tickets for the WVC have now been made available. There are also a limited number of rooms available at the Wilbur Hot Springs Hotel for an additional fee.
This gathering will benefit the Women’s Entheogen Fund (WEF) and is sponsored by the The Sibyl Society. Since 2002, the WEF has made grants to women who spend a significant portion of their professional lives studying the healing and spiritual use of entheogens
We welcome interested women and men to join us at the beautiful Wilbur Hot Springs for a healing soak and a series of conversations with visionary women.
MORE INFORMATION:
Food and Drink for your Orchids
The Vallarta Orchid Society Lecture Series Continues…
At this time of year, watering and fertilizing your orchids (and other plants) becomes a critical and important issue. What you do and how you do it can affect the growth of your orchids, their health, and the flowers that they will produce for you.
This month’s discussion will focus on watering techniques and patterns, and fertilizing your plants, from the selection of fertilizer to application methods and patterns.
The “Food and Drink†discussion will take place on Saturday, March 29th, starting at 1 PM, at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens. Admission to the talk is free. These talks are designed to educate and enlighten, without getting into too much technical and scientific detail.
The Vallarta Orchid Society is open to anyone with an interest in orchids. There is a modest donation of 200 pesos for membership in the society.
The Vallarta Botanical Gardens has a large (and growing) collection of orchids and other plants from the area. There is also a restaurant, a swimming hole in the river, and shade houses where young plants get their start.
The gardens are located 24 Km south of town, just 3 Km past Chico’s Paradise. The bus to El Tuito will stop at the entrance to the Gardens, and will return you to town. There is a small fee for entrance to the gardens.
For more information, send an e-mail to pvorchids (at) gmail.com. Also visit the Vallarta Orchid Society web site: www.pvorchids.com.
The Vanilla Orchid » Vallarta Orchid Society Lecture Series Continues
The Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens has received a generous donation of $25,000 USD from the foundation of George and Mary Ellen Holstein of Chicago, Illinois. This donation is funding the creation and construction of a vanilla orchid conservatory. This conservatory will house the botanical garden’s extensive collection of Mexican vanilla orchid species.
To celebrate the grand opening of this 1,000 square foot conservatory, featuring interpretive displays showcasing vanilla’s unique and important place in Mexico’s folklore and history, the Vallarta Orchid Society will meet to tour the new facility and discuss vanilla orchids
This event will take place on Saturday, February 23rd, starting at 1 PM, at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens. Admission to the talk is free, but there is a 30 peso charge for entering the Botanical Gardens. These talks are designed to educate and enlighten, without getting into too much technical and scientific detail.
The Vallarta Orchid Society is open to anyone with an interest in orchids. There is a modest donation of 200 pesos for membership in the society.
The Vallarta Botanical Gardens has a large (and growing) collection of orchids and other plants from the area. There is also a restaurant, a swimming hole in the river, and shade houses where young plants get their start.
The gardens are located 24 Km south of town, just 3 Km past Chico’s Paradise. The bus to El Tuito will stop at the entrance to the Gardens, and will return you to town. There is a small fee (30 pesos) for entrance to the gardens. The bus fare is 15 pesos each way.
For more information, send an e-mail to compvorchids@gmail.com.
Also visit the Vallarta Orchid Society web site: www.pvorchids.com.
We will be selling plants and seeds at this event…
On January 30, 2008 the International Friendship Club will be holding a mini-bazaar! If you would like to clean out your closets and make a little money, please reserve a table (space is limited) as soon as possible by contacting Lisa Love at 223-2150 or mliisal(at)yahoo.com
The cost of a table is $50 pesos and any money made from your sales, is yours! Open to all types of sales – from handicrafts to gently used clothing. As well, pass the word to your friends! Remember that one person’s junk is another person’s treasure, so spread the word as well, for those that want to do some shopping!
Tables will be set up at 10 am and the will be doors open from 10:30 am until 2 pm. So whether you want to make a little money or spend some – a good time and some great shopping will be had by all!
Encuentro Internacional Vallartense de Medicina
A Natural, Tradicional y Alternativa Medical Symposium sponsored by the City of Puerto Vallarta.
February 1 to 17
Parque Lázaro Cárdenas, Olas Altas, Old Town, Puerto Vallarta
PARTIAL LIST OF ACTIVITIES:
COMPLETE DETAILS: http://www.puertovallarta.gob.mx/web0709/descargas/encuentro.pdf
Sunday, December 30, 2007, 2 to 6 pm at the XPlantation.
Plants are among the most useful creatures on Earth. The nourish, they heal, they sooth, they entertain and they are useful in dieing. The colors that may be produced are of all in the spectrum.
To die in red, for instance, in red, the color of passion and heat, is not easy, tho for some, an extremely desirable or even necessary means (when there is the choice). To die in yellow, however soft and innocently appearing the attempt, is often a muted and dulled and shaded affair. Dieing in green is all too easily done, almost as if it were done to the specimen rather than for it. Green dieing is quick as opposed to the slow processing with the preserved specimens required by most methods. Dieing in black is a heavy process drawn out of repeated, soulful extraction and less of an accomplishment than a release.
Along with our normal plant sale this week we will be discussing the techniques and processes of dieing with plants. Winter is deeply upon us and many people interested in existence beyond the immediate experiences of daily life ponder the nature of the colors of dieing.
For those not interested in the subject of dieing, we have added ‘toothache’ plants, baby Hawaiian woodrose vines, catnip, ruta (the plant if grown by the doorstop and thrives means that the woman controls the house), tequila blue agave, jamaica and a few other assorted useful plants to our availability list.
XPlanta Open House / Salon » 2 pm until 6 pm every Sunday.
“The Night Cafe” courtesy of DilettanteVille’s Second Life:
Plants will be available for sale and we will be in the mood for discussion and information.
This is an evolving nursery and our emphasis is on plants that affect human senses and on those that have stories to tell. Most of our plants are not normal ornamental varieties, although many of our plants are ornamental. We love to talk about plants and this open house is rapidly evolving into a “Plant Salon” of botanical aficionados.
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring hostess or host, partly to amuse one another and partly to refine their taste and increase their knowledge through conversation and readings.
Plants may also be purchased by appointment at other times.
LOCATION: Manantial 375, Colonia Buenos Aires, Puerto Vallarta
TEL: Soon. Telmex said 1-6 weeks. Nada so far…
MAP
A few people from the VallartaScene Forum toured the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Garden on Tuesday, November 27, 2007. These are some of the images:
Photos by Sarah Hepting
Mexico is the land of dreams. This class explores the native Mexican plants that have been used by indigenous peoples here for stimulating and amplifying human dreams. There is a very fine line between dreams while sleeping and dreams while in an awakened or semi-awakened state (often called hallucinations). We’ll explore some of the contradictions and confusion concerning the validity of these states.
“Dreams are Necessary to life” — Anais Nin
Everyone who signs up for this class will be given dried versions of two of these plants (Heimia salicifolia and Calea zacatechichi) to take home with them to experiment with.
Detailed ethnobotanical information will be given to participants for preparation.
And we will discuss the role(s) of dreams in life.
If you wish to take this class, please sign up early as registration is extremely limited. Small classes are more fun for me and will be more interesting for you.
The cost of the class is 50 pesos.
The time is 10 am, Sunday, Dec 2.
The place is the XPlantation.
“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book… or you take a trip… and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might generate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death. Some never awaken.†— Anais Nin
Puerto Vallarta is in the tropics and everyone thinks of the tropics as wet, wet, wet.
Well, this part of the tropics isn’t all that wet. We have a long dry spell from November until June and plants that aren’t native here and adjusted to this situation will usually die, whether they are planted in pots or in the ground. A regular system of watering is necessary for healthy plants.
Information available about drip irrigation is plentiful but not much of it applies to tropical conditions. Systems designed for cooler places disintegrate or self-destruct here very quickly. Plastic pipes do not like the intense summer sun of the tropics. Electrical components have trouble coping with the vagaries of the Mexican electrical grid. Water pressure varies from hour to hour. Hired help often forgets to water or waters incorrectly, Etc.
I have 10 years commercial experience with drip and automatic watering systems in the northern climates and 2 years non-commercial experience here in Puerto Vallarta. I’ve imported many timers and components. I’ve discovered which work and which don’t.
In this class I will teach the basics of drip and automatic irrigation and will demonstrate the varieties of equipment available here in Puerto Vallarta and by import and how to make them work in individual situations. I’ll also demonstrate misting for those who need to periodically mist plants like orchids.
Class size is limited and pre-registration is necessary. The cost of the class is 50 pesos, which can be paid by paypal ($5 US) or at the time of the class in pesos.
TIME: 10 am, Sunday morning, November 25, 2007.
PLACE: The XPlantation, Manantial 375, Colonia Buenos Aires, Old Town, Puerto Vallarta. MAP
REGISTRATION:
By email at class-registration (at) xplanta.com.
Vallarta Society Focuses on Orchids
by T.J. Hartung
The Vallarta Orchid Society Lecture Series Continues on Saturday, November 24th with a special presentation, Photographing Your Pet Orchids and Other Valuables, starting at 1 pm at the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens. Admission is free.
The next in a continuing series of lectures on Orchids will be on the art of photography, and the techniques of taking good photos. While the focus (pardon the term) of the talk is orchids, the methods, procedures and techniques can be used to photograph other things, like pottery, jewelry, works of art, and anything of value. Bring your camera. Both film and digital cameras are welcome, and some of the differences in techniques will be discussed.
This talk will take place on Saturday, November 24th, starting at 1 PM, at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens. Admission to the talk is free and admission to the Botanical Gardens is 30 pesos. These talks are designed to educate and enlighten, without getting into too much technical and scientific detail.
The Vallarta Orchid Society is open to anyone with an interest in orchids. There is a modest donation of $200 pesos for membership in the society.
The Vallarta Botanical Gardens has a large (and growing) collection of orchids and other plants from the area. There is also a restaurant, a swimming hole in the river, and shade houses where young plants get their start.
The gardens are located 24 Km south of town, just 3 Km past Chico’s Paradise. The bus to El Tuito will stop at the entrance to the Gardens, and will return you to town.
For information, email pvorchids@gmail.com.
MORE INFORMATION:
XPlanta Open House / Salon » 2 pm until 6 pm every Sunday.
Plants will be available for sale and we will be in the mood for discussion and information.
This is an evolving nursery and our emphasis is on plants that affect human senses and on those that have stories to tell. Most of our plants are not normal ornamental varieties, although many of our plants are ornamental. We love to talk about plants and this open house is rapidly evolving into a “Plant Salon” of botanical aficionados.
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring hostess or host, partly to amuse one another and partly to refine their taste and increase their knowledge through conversation and readings.
Plants may also be purchased by appointment at other times.
LOCATION: Manantial 375, Colonia Buenos Aires, Puerto Vallarta
TEL: Soon. Telmex said 1-6 weeks. Nada so far…
MAP
Balcony Gardening
This class is for all those who live or work in condos, apartments or houses or any dwelling or office not classified as “haciendas†or “ranchos.†It’s for people who want to grow a few plants in some pots outside the sliding glass door, window or on the roof.
We’ll cover the basics of soil, watering, pot selection and plant selection.
Balcony plants are useful for beauty, scent, fruit and screening (privacy and shade) and there are some plants that work well for these purposes here in Puerto Vallarta and some that don’t. This class is a broad overview covering these topics plus we will also touch on easily constructed automatic watering systems.
The class is on Saturday, October 20, from 10 am until noon. Following the class, and until 4 pm, XPlanta will be open to the public for general sales. Class size is limited and advanced registration is necessary. Directions to XPlanta will be emailed with class registration confirmation.
The price of the class is 50 pesos, payable at the class.
Registration is by email at class-registration (at) xplanta.com.
On Saturday, October 20, we will be hosting a Plant Sale and Open House at the XPlantation, at Manantial 375, Colonia Buenos Aires, just up the Cuale River from Old Town, Puerto Vallarta.
We will be open from Noon until 4 PM.
At this sale we are giving away (yes, as in free) a Plumeria plant to each person who shows up, as long as the stock lasts. These are one or two year-old plants of varying colors. We’re doing this because we simply don’t have the room to grow and sell Plumerias. The get large, quickly, and we have a very limited space in our vivero. We had originally planned to buy land for the XPlantation but that plan hasn’t materialized so we’re cutting back some stock.
For a list of plants available at this sale, check out our Plant availability List. We will also have small numbers of many other plants that are not yet available in production quantities. For this sale we have added Jamaica plants and bananas (plus, of course, our free Plumerias). We also have a few very fine larger (fruiting) specimens of Guarana, the popular Brazilian aphrodisiac/stimulant.
Most varieties of plants are also on site to be viewed as mature specimens. Growing instructions are provided. If you have questions on cultivating plants, we will have the time to answer them (or to find the answers in our extensive library).
Quite frankly, our plants are spectacular and you will find most of them nowhere else in Mexico. Many are extremely difficult to find ANYWHERE in the world. If you want normal landscaping plants, we might not have them but if you want plants that are useful and rare and valuable, we probably do.
Our plants are grown without the use of dangerous commercial chemical insecticides. The methods we use for insect and disease control are organic. Some of our prices are high compared to local nurseries but, what can I say? You get what you pay for.
Email ojorojo (at) xplanta.com for more information or for directions to the XPlantation.
The 2007-2008 season of the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens openED on Tuesday, October 2. The Gardens are open from 9am to 6pm Tuesday thru Sunday. Admission is 30 pesos for adults and children under 12 and school groups (students and children) are admitted free.
For more information, see http://www.vallartabotanicalgardensac.org/.
For Bus Reservations, call 044 322 105 7217 or the Gardens are serviced by the Tuito Bus that leaves Old Town Puerto Vallarta about once an hour daily.
World Psychedelic Forum
Change of Consciousness:
A Challenge of the 21st Century
Basel, Switzerland
At the World Psychedelic Forum, which will take place from 21st to 24th March 2008 at the Congress Center Basel, more than fifty experts from all over the world will inform about and discuss the multi-dimensional aspects of consciousness expanding substances, and will present their tremendous potential for self-awareness and for the change of consciousness.
Psychedelics have been widely used for thousands of years nearly everywhere on the planet. Psychoactive plants have been central to most ancient sacred rituals and primitive medical treatments. They have been worshipped in all cultures as “Plants of the Gods” and considered as mediators between human beings and the universe, linking the physical to the spiritual dimensions of existence.
In January 2006 the International Symposium “LSD – Problem Child and Wonder Drug” took place at the occasion of the 100th birthday of Dr. Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD. Several thousand visitors and more than 200 media people from 37 countries gathered in Basel to hear lectures from scientists and historians, to exchange ideas and disseminate information. It was the biggest conference of its kind worldwide. For the first time since the turbulent 1960s, a wide range of psychedelic issues and topics has been brought back to public discussion and re-evaluation.
The World Psychedelic Forum will expand upon this renewed interest, presenting a unique opportunity for experts, researchers, and interested persons from all around the globe, to exchange views and hear presentations of the latest research on the value of these remarkable psychedelic substances in medicine, psychology, science, religion, culture and the arts.
The term “psychedelic” is derived from the Greek “psyche” (soul) and “delos” (manifest), and means a state in which the soul manifests itself. It was coined in 1956 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond, in a now-famous exchange with writer Aldous Huxley; both recognized the potential of these compounds for self-awareness, and their correspondence to psychoactive plants held sacred for millennia.
Albert Hofmann experienced the extraordinary mental effects of LSD in the context of his work as a chemist in 1943. He so was placing a cornerstone for new insights and knowledge about by the time unexplored consciousness expanding substances. The following decade saw the publication of thousands of research papers about the nature and the effects of LSD, mescaline and psilocybin. But when LSD got out of the laboratories and “out of control”, to be used for self-exploration by 1960s youth, Western governments generally declared psychoactive substances a menace, claimed it had no psychological, educational or therapeutic value, and linked it to dangerous and addictive narcotics. With a compliant mainstream media that sensationalized and parroted the official drug policy, the “authorities” not only prohibited research on these sacred compounds but criminalized the users, a situation that has prevailed ever since, except for example in the Netherlands and in Switzerland, and although inroads have been made in recent years that will be one of the many themes of this conference.
The classic psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin from magic mushrooms, mescaline from peyote and ayahuasca – the Amazonian “Vine of the Soul” – are not drugs in the medical sense but belong, according to Albert Hofmann “concerning their chemical structure and their pharmacological effects, to the sacred substances, re-discovered through LSD, and used in ritual settings for thousands of years.” They are characterized by the fact that they are neither toxic nor addictive, and have the power to bestow benefits of both practical and transcendental value.
The global youth movement, that peaked some forty years ago with the “Summer of Love”, was fueled by psychedelics. A historical view shows, that the “consciousness-expanded” hippie counterculture exerted an enduring influence on society. Without the soul-opening and sensory stimulus of psychedelics, many of the social, cultural and ecological advances taken for granted today would be absent from our lives.
At the World Psychedelic Forum more than fifty experts from all over the world will bear witness to, and shine light upon the multi-dimensional psychedelic experience with its tremendous potential for expanding consciousness and for self-awareness. We will hear of the renewal of research that foretells a promising future when psychedelic plants and their synthetic derivatives will reclaim their destined position as incomparably valuable tools for individual and collective evolution and thus supporting the needed consciousness change for humanity.
The general headline for Friday, 21st March will be The Psychedelic Experience: Opening the Doors of Perception
On Saturday, 22nd March, we will shed light on The Legacy of the Shamans: Ancient Traditions and New Dimensions
Sunday, 23rd March is all about Change of Consciousness: A Challenge of the 21st Century
The World Psychedelic Forum welcomes the elite of the international consciousness researchers, among them Rick Doblin, Stanislav Grof, Ralph Metzner, Jeremy Narby, Daniel Pinchbeck, Thomas B. Roberts, Christian Rätsch, as well as Alexander and Ann Shulgin. But also prominent artists and contemporary witnesses like “Mountain Girl” Carolyn Garcia or visionary painter Alex Grey will come to Basel, to give account about their personal experiences with psychedelics and its influence on art and culture. In addition more than 30 papers and dissertations from young scientists from various countries will be presented. LSD discoverer Albert Hofmann will attend the conference as a guest of honor.
Program Flow
Each morning will begin with a “Tune-in”, a meditative-musical start into the program. Afterwards, as well as in the early afternoons, the plenary events “Panorama” will be presented: with short talks a moderator and several speakers will illustrate the day’s topics in order to give the audience reference points for easy navigation through the dense program of the day. Before noon, in the early and in the late afternoon, 40 and 90-minute seminars, panels, and workshops will be staged. There will be three blocks of 3 to 4 presentations each. At the end of most lectures the speakers will be available in the foyer of the Congress Center for follow-up discussions or individual conversations.
A rich supporting program will be presented in the foyer of the Congress Center from Friday to Sunday, with discussions, exhibits, shows and films.
On Monday, 24 March, day- and half-day seminars will take place with Alex and Allyson Grey, Stanislav Grof, Ralph Metzner and Manuel Schoch.
Patrons are the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), USA, The Beckley Foundation, UK, consulting the UN for drug matters, and the Swiss Medical Association for Psycholytic Therapy (SAEPT).
The World Psychedelic Forum will be presented by the Gaia Media Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the communication and networking of information for a holistic and up to date understanding of our existence, and the potential of human consciousness, and its expanded states. Under the motto The Spirit of Basel the foundation organizes local and international events.
Information and Registration
Spirit – Congresses and Events
Neuweilerstrasse 15
CH – 4054 Basel
Switzerland
P +41 61 302 12 36
F +41 61 383 97 21
info@psychedelic.info
www.psychedelic.info
Press Office
World Psychedelic Forum
Neuweilerstrasse 15
CH 4054 Basel
Switzerland
P + 41 61 383 97 22
F + 41 61 383 97 21
presse@spirit-services.ch
The organizers and speakers at EGA believe that information about psychoactive plants and chemicals should be readily available.
Also that only through creating such a space, where we can talk freely on such matters, can methods for harm reduction and the true benefits of such substance be explored.
Entheogenesis Australis is a collection of thinkers from all walks of life We come together to share knowledge about sacred plants, chemical alchemy and states of consciousness. We are coming to tune in to the Mother Earth and take her fight back out into the world. We want to share and explore experiences, trance and dance.
It is about growth, for the mind and the land.
Everything is illegal in Australia and everything is extreme.
We have a great selection of plants right now.
It’s the beginning of winter here in Vallarta so some plants are going dormant (losing some of their leaves and looking a little droopy) but, fortunately, “winter” in tropics isn’t a big deal, for plants or people.
This week we are adding 3 varieties of ornamental bananas to our sales list. These are grown for their foliage and flowers rather than their fruit. One is a dwarf (height challenged, I guess) and the others are large-leaved, one with red-variegated leaves and the other very tall and graceful (perfect for a background plant or a screen). Bananas are all very easy to grow and care for.
We also have lemon eucalyptus trees. The scent is wonderful and the leaves are used as mosquito repellents in Australia. We still have mosquitos here by the river Cuale, so I’m not sure how effective this attribute is, but… They are beautiful, easy-to-grow trees with a fantastic scent.
We’ve added jamaica plants this week, also. This is the variety of hibiscus that has the red flowers that the popular Vallarta drink, Jamaica is made out of. These plants are annuals and grow quickly and easily. It’s a curiosity, for sure since you would need a field of them to go into jamaica production.
We’ve also started to add cacti to the list. We have a couple small plants of our ‘hummingbird cactus,’ a hairy opuntia that the neighborhood hummingbirds love to gather the hairs off of. This cactus is more popular with the hummers here than most of the flowers. We have also Trichocereus peruvianus, a potent columnar cactus from Peru that is used by shamans and others in South American seeking visions and energy. Both of these cacti are easily grown in this part of the tropics.
We’re almost sold out of khat and buddha’s hand citrus but have a very good supply of yerba mate and guarana plants.
And, we’ve started about 50 new varieties of fruit trees and assorted ornamentals and some of these are at the stage where we can safely start selling them (for experienced gardners only, at this time, because they are a tad fragile at this young age).
We’ve also got a large aloe, far too large for our small nursery. It’s 250 pesos with the pot (It will take at least two of us to carry it to your vehicle….). We also have a few assorted small orchids and bromeliads.
STIMULATING PLANTS WORKSHOP
SATURDAY, November 22, at 10:30 am at XPlanta
In the history of mankind, one type of plant has been more valuable and more sought after than any other besides those needed for basic sustenance.
Every culture is built around and with stimulating plants. Most of the early conquests of Western civilization were driven by the search for these plants. In the early days of plant exploration, these plants were called “spice.”
Modern drug companies spend millions of dollars a year searching for this category of plant. Some of these plants, coffee, tea and chocolate, for instance, are well-known and readily available almost anywhere in the world. Some of them, khat, guayusa, guarana, yerba mate, ephedra, kola, are known primarily indirectly and vaguely or only in the cultures where they originate.
This class will explore these plants. We will study the cultural uses of them. We will discuss cultivation and propagation of these plants in Central Mexico. Most of them will be available for sampling. Coffee, for example, can be a stimulating ‘tea’ beverage using the leaves and not the beans. Or the fresh coffee ‘cherries’ are many, many times stronger than the commercially roasted ones. Fresh khat leaves, coffee leaf tea, chocolate beans and green yerba mate tea will be available for sampling.
Here in Puerto Vallarta, we are lucky to have a climate that is ideal for growing many of the world’s finest stimulating plants.
This class is very limited in size and the price of the class is 50 pesos. Advanced registration is necessary. Use the form below to register. Directions to the nursery will be given at the time of registration. Plants and seeds will be available for purchase at the end of the class and there is a 20% discount on items bought at that time.
PLANTS AVAILABLE FOR SALE AT THIS WORKSHOP:
This class is part of our on-going series exploring culinary herbs, exotic ornamentals and medicinal plants that will grow well in Mexico.
Future classes will include:
The August meeting of the Vallarta Orchid Society will take place at the home of Jim Boland.
Jim’s home is very centrally located. 461 Lazaro Cardenas, two blocks east of Farmacia Guadalajara. If you are coming from the south, the third traffic light is Lazaro Cardenas. Turn right and go 2 blocks.
If you are coming from the north, cross the bridge (Rio Cuale), and the first traffic light is Lazaro Cardenas. Turn left and go 4 blocks. His house is easy to find. It’s across the street from the restaurant Los Machis.
See you there about 1 PM on Saturday, the 25th of the month. We can admire Jim’s collection of orchids and learn from the things he is doing.
T.J.
The Ethnobotany & Cultivation of Native & Common Culinary Plants
Mexico is home to many spices and flavorings not easily found in other parts of the world: Hoja Santa, Epazote, chilis, annatto, cilantro, tumeric, etc.
The class begins at 11 am and continues to approximately 1 pm on Sunday, August 12th.
You will be shown in this broad overview how to cultivate and propagate these plants and be shown where to find them (some plants can be started from seed, some only from cuttings and many from items found in the mercado). Many of the more common culinary herbs such as sage, rosemary, oregano, lemon grass, tarragon, ginger, etc, can be grown easily here from readily available starts. You will be able to taste the various plants and/or their products and each participant will be given a 25% discount on any plants and seeds bought at the nursery during this class. Class size is limited. The cost $50 pesos. Advance registration required.
To register for the class and for more information, email ojorojo (at) xplanta.com. Directions to the XPlantation will be emailed to you at the time of registration.
OAXACA — How communities benefit from organizing their own tourism events is demonstrated in the annual Wild Mushroom Fair held in the mountain town of San Antonio Cuajimoloyas.
The event has been organized each summer by community leaders and Oaxaca-based enterprises and Methodus, an organization working on agricultural and rural development issues.
(more…)
Vallarta Orchid Society Lecture Series :: Identifying Local Orchids
“Computer Aided Identification of Local Orchids,” will take place on Saturday, July 28th, starting at 1 pm, at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens.
In the continuing series of lectures on Orchids, our next talk will focus on the orchids that are found in the Puerto Vallarta area, and how to use a computer to identify them. (more…)
Some Mexican Shamanic Plants
An Introductory Class
SUNDAY :: JULY 29 :: 11AM :: at the XPLANTATION
This class will cover the cultivation and propagation of, and the historical and practical uses of, the following Mexican Shamanic plants: Calea zacatechichi, Chocolate, Datura, Ololiuhqui, Salvia divinorum and Sinicuichi. There will be a hands-on demonstration of propagation. The class is 50 pesos and class size is very limited. Recommended reading is Plants of the Gods, by Christian Ratsch and Richard Schultes. Plants will be available for purchase at the end of the class.
This is an introductory, though very specialized class and is not recommended for those who do not have a sincere interest in shamanic plants.
The class begins at 11AM on Sunday, July 29.
The class location is on the rooftop garden of the the XPlantation in Colonia Buenos Aires, Puerto Vallarta. Directions will be emailed upon registration.
To register or for more information, email ojorojo (at) xplanta.com.
A brief description of the plants to be covered:
Calea zacatechichi, thle-pelakano (Maya, “Leaf of godâ€). The dried leaves of this plant were used by the Chontal Mayans of Tabasco State, Mexico, for obtaining visions during sleep.
Datura innoxia, toloache (Aztec, “noddingâ€). A dangerous shamanic plant used by many cultures in Mexico for divination.
Heimia salicifolia, sinicuiche (Aztec, “Sun openerâ€). The wilted leaves of this plant, crushed and fermented in water, were used as a sleep hallucinogen by the Aztecs in Mexico.
Salvia divinorum, ska pastora. The leaves of this sage, dried or fresh, were (are) made into a tea and drunk or the dried leaves are smoked or the fresh leaves are chewed to produce short-term, intense hallucinations by the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Turbina corymbosa, Ololiuhqui (Aztec, “That which causes turnsâ€). A morning glory relative whose seeds are used by many Mexican cultures to produce hallucinations.
Theobroma cacao, cacahuatl. (Aztec, “chocolateâ€). The seeds of this tree are prepared for use as a stimulant.
INTRODUCTION TO GARDENING IN VALLARTA
Sunday :: July 1st :: 11AM :: at the XPLANTATION
This is the first in an extensive series of classes on gardening and botany in Puerto Vallarta. Topics covered in this class will be:
The basics of gardening in the tropics are different than what most people expect. It’s not more difficult to grow potted plants here than elsewhere, just different. Knowing where and how to obtain the materials used is half of the process. The other half is using these materials correctly. This class shows both. The techniques I present are semi-organic (organic farmers will laugh at this description and normal gardeners will appreciate it).
The class is limited in size and will be held here at the XPlantation in Colonia Buenos Aires, just upriver from Old Town in Puerto Vallarta. Parking is abundant and easy and there is bus and cab service to our door. Directions to the Xplantation will be sent upon registration.
The price of the class is 50 pesos.
Email intro-class (at) xplanta.com for registration or questions.
... In the Mercado