Never before published photos from Psychedelic Conference II in Santa Barbara, 1983

[TheBlackPirate]

Never before published photos from Psychedelic Conference II in Santa Barbara, 1983

Albert Hofmann in the Cafe. Albert Hofmann in the Cafe.
Photos by Cynthia Palmer.


One of the few major psychedelics conferences during the dark age of the “Just Say No” Reagan regime was the Psychedelics and Spirituality Conference (aka Psychedelic Conference II), held on the campus of UC-Santa Barbara on May 13-14, 1983.

The speakers were a “who’s who” of drug discoverers and researchers: Albert Hofmann, Humphry Osmond, Ralph Metzner, Alexander Shulgin, Walter Houston Clark, Terence McKenna, Andrew Weil, Carl Ruck and Jonathan Ott.

Timothy Leary, Joan Halifax and Kathleen Harrison (McKenna) were in attendance but did not give formal talks.

Other notables visible in photos: Peter Stafford, Rick Doblin, Deborah Harlow, Robert Forte, John Palmer, Jeremy Tarcher and Shari Lewis.

It was at this conference that Sasha Shulgin announced his discovery of 2C-B and delivered one of his greatest talks, “Drugs of Perception.” It was also here that Terence McKenna (in his brother Dennis’ words) “marked his emergence as a public persona with his talk ‘Hallucinogens: Monkeys Discover Hyperspace, aka Return to the Logos.’”

Cynthia Palmer (Horowitz), whose ground-breaking anthology of women’s drug writings (Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady, reprinted as Sisters of the Extreme ) had been published the preceding year, attended the conference with her husband and co-editor, Michael Horowitz. Her candid photos of the speakers and conference-goers during a break from their presentations are published here for the first time.

A complete set of the talks delivered at the conference is available on 6 audiocassettes from Soundphotosynthesis.

Rick Doblin, center, Deborah Harlow to his left.

Ann and Sasha Shulgin surrounded by speakers and attendees.

Andy Weil, Michael Horowitz, Sasha Shulgin

Living room scene From L: Andy Weil, Terence McKenna, Kat Harrison McKenna, Walter Houston Clark, Shari Lewis (Jeremy Tarcher's wife), 2 unidentified, Jonathan Ott, Ann Shulgin, Sasha Shulgin

Michael Horowitz (left), Sasha Shulgin (middle), Andy Weil (right).

Andy Weil

Ralph Metzner, Stephanie Bernstein

Carl Ruck, Albert Hofmann, Joan Halifax

Jeremy Tarcher, Cynthia Palmer

From left to right: Andy Weil, Michael Horowitz, Sasha Shulgin

Terence McKenna, Jeremy Tarcher (background), Walter Houston Clark (foreground)

Luminaries on the lawn: Terence McKenna, Kat Harrison (McKenna), Albert Hofmann

Albert Hofmann inscribing books, with John Palmer

Patio scene with Carl Ruck and Joan Halifax in foreground. Albert Hofmann in the background.

Walter Houston Clark (left) Sasha Shulgin (right)

Albert Hofmann with attendees

Living room scene. From Left: Cynthia Palmer, Albert Hofmann, Joan Halifax

Humphry Osmond (left)

Admission Ticket for Santa Barbara Psychedelic Conference II

https://boingboing.net/2015/11/24/never-before-published-photos.html

 

[psy997]

So cool, thank you for sharing :D

 

[Solipsis]

That was quite the trip..

 

[JackARoe]

Thanks for the pics. Back then the only way we got word of conferences before the internet was through people at Grateful Dead shows and any of the music magazines that came out. It was so low key back then at the start of the Reagan "just say no" era. But I remember a few people talking about this conference.

 

[TheBlackPirate]

This really was an impressive collection of people. After looking at these I got myself started researching these people on Wikipedia's site.


Rick Doblin

Joan Halifax

Albert Hofmann

Michael Horowitz

Terence McKenna

Ralph Metzner

Humphry Osmond

Jonathan Ott

Carl Ruck

Alexander Shulgin

Ann Shulgin


This was an influential group of people. Several of them are important enough they have dedicated Wikipedia entries. Those are big shoes to fill.

 

[spacejunk]

Such beautiful images, people, ideas, lives, interactions to reflect on - and be thankful for.
Thank you.