THERE IS A CHALLENGE TO USING A TITLE SUCH AS “PSYCHEDELIC FEMINISM”.
The reality is that for many people, of every possible gender, feminism is a dirty word. It’s also an honorific title for many others, a movement synonymous with the visions of a fundamentally better world. The term’Feminism’ sparks a broad spectrum of knee-jerk reactions and strong opinions in a lot of people. As does terms like patriarchy, racism, privilege, and cultural appropriation.
These terms and the broad range of opinions and perspective attached to them are undeniably relevant to the modern political landscape and politics, in general, is relevant to the contemporary person, especially those who claim to want a better world. This includes those of us within the global psychedelic culture.
If what we in the psychedelic culture propose to offer as an effort towards a better world does not include wrestling with the relevant political themes of the day, then it is bound to be a failure. This, in turn, calls us to communicate with each other on divisive and charged political topics while drawing in the ‘truth of our unity’ as a species that is a hallmark of psychedelic revelation. This was present in full force during the first flush of western psychedelic culture in the 60s (e.g. sexual liberation and the anti-war movement) but has in many ways fell to the wayside as the political priorities for psychedelic culture became simply legitimising them to the rest of the world.
It is this lack of psychedelic perspective on the modern climate of social politics that calls us to feature cultural activist, Zoe Helene on this episode of Adventures Through The Mind.
ZOE HELENE, M.F.A., is a classically trained artist and cultural activist working for women’s self-liberation, healing and empowerment through intentional journeying with natural psychedelics. She is also the founder of the eco-feminist advocacy, Cosmic Sister whose trio of psychedelic feminism educational grants—Women of the Psychedelic Renaissance, Cosmic Sisters of Cannabis and the merit-based immersive Plant Spirit Grant—promote women’s voices in the field of psychedelics and our fundamental right to journey with evolutionary allies from nature, such as ayahuasca, cannabis, peyote, and psilocybin mushrooms.
Zoe’s work has been featured in articles and interviews in Forbes, BBC Travel, Outside Magazine, Bust Magazine, VICE, Broadly, LA Yoga, Boston Magazine, New York Magazine, Newsday, Utne Reader, Wisdom Daily, AlterNet, Organic Authority, MIT Technology Review, Fast Company and other top-tier media venues.
I am not claiming that what you will hear on this podcast is the ‘right’ way to look at things or that the perspectives shared are the way things ‘should’ be. I am, however, claiming that practising open and mature discourse on divisive and charged political topics such as these is a benchmark of psychedelic culture.
“The ultimate goal of psychedelic feminism is to promote rapid (cultural) evolution from within—starting with women. Females make up half the human population. We know it’s way past time we stepped up and took our share of the decision-making power—and yet we haven’t. Why is that? What are the “whys?” and what can we do to work through them? My work with women and psychedelics is about exploring those complex, multifaceted, interconnected “whys?” with sacred plants and fungi, our evolutionary allies from the natural world.” – Zoe Helene
Cosmic Sister® is an educational advocacy group that connects kindred-spirit women in mutually supportive ways, working collectively toward shared goals while enhancing the personal journey of each individual.
Here you will find a full rundown of all the work Zoe has been doing over the years, from further information on psychedelic feminism to a list of the variety of grants she organised for women in the psychedelic scene
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Thank you for helping this project continue. ♥
*** Special thanks to patrons Thomas & Melanie H., Clean S., Greg A., Joe A., Andy D., Angela & James J., Ian C., Reese. H., Harry P., Don J., Robbie G., Yvette C., & Neeraj D.
ZOE HELENE, M.F.A., is a classically trained artist and cultural activist working for women’s self-liberation, healing and empowerment through intentional journeying with natural psychedelics. She is also the founder of the eco-feminist advocacy, Cosmic Sister whose trio of psychedelic feminism educational grants—Women of the Psychedelic Renaissance, Cosmic Sisters of Cannabis and the merit-based immersive Plant Spirit Grant—promote women’s voices in the field of psychedelics and our fundamental right to journey with evolutionary allies from nature, such as ayahuasca, cannabis, peyote, and psilocybin mushrooms.
