Workshops & Talks

CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19
Dana Sawyer Spring Lecture Series
Friday, June 5, 2020; 7 to 9 pm
& Saturday, June 6, 2020; 10 am to 12 pm
Both events to be held at: First Parish Pilgrim House Chapel, 9 Cleaveland St, Brunswick

“America and the Religion of No-Religion”
Friday, June 5, 7 pm
Members $20, Non-Members $25
Today, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. relative to “religion” is the category of “Spiritual but not religious”. This is especially true of Millennials, who are three-times as likely to abandon the religion of their parents than those of earlier generations. Where is this cultural change taking us? What are the implications, good and bad, of this shift for the future of American spirituality? Are some trends of this change more useful than others for the growth of a compassionate society? In this talk, Dana Sawyer discusses new trends in spirituality, including the growing synchronicity between “religion” and “psychology”. For instance, “enlightenment” and “beatitude” have increasingly morphed into “self-actualization”, “individuation”, “Mindfulness”, and “optimum wellness”. Furthermore, we will discuss the general characteristics of this movement, including its premium on personal experience, the sovereignty of personal choice, and the shift toward co-learning over structures of teacher/disciple. The goal of the talk is not only to give an overview of what is occurring but to suggest directives that can be useful for those on the spiritual path today.

“The Future of Psychedelic Mysticism”
Saturday, June 6, 10 am
Members $20, Non-Members $25
In 1954, Aldous Huxley published a small book that triggered a huge reaction, The Doors of Perception, dealing with his first experience with mescaline. During the subsequent nine years, Huxley developed several theories about psychedelic drugs as legitimate triggers of mystical experience and insight that have been hugely debated ever since. Part of the initial reaction involved Timothy Leary’s admonition that youth culture should “Turn On, Tune In, and Drop Out”, causing Richard Nixon to then label him the “most dangerous man in America”. However, since that time, and after the wholesale prohibition of psychedelic drugs by the U.S. government, even for scientific research, there has been a reassessment—including a resumption of research. What is the status of scientific research with psychedelics today? What are the views among academics and therapists regarding the values and dangers of psychedelic experience? How well do Huxley’s theories of psychedelic spirituality hold up today? Based upon two years of concerted research regarding this topic, Dana Sawyer shares his findings. This is a controversial topic but, thanks to Michael Pollan’s recent book on the subject, How to Change Your Mind (not to mention current research in England and Switzerland, and at Johns Hopkins), it is also a timely one.

Dana Sawyer is professor emeritus of Philosophy and Religion at the Maine College of Art and a member of the Advisory Board of the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. He has written biographies of Aldous Huxley and Huston Smith as well as articles for such magazines as Tricycle, Yoga Journal, and Parabola. Currently, he is writing a handbook of the Perennial Philosophy and helping the Esalen Institute determine its future curriculum.