Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Wednesdays, 10-12 pm (1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25, 4/8)
Registration is required.
Please register to attend each session.
American Transcendentalism emerged in the mid-1800s from New England Unitarianism and European Romanticism. It distinguished itself by rejecting convention, challenging traditional religious doctrines of authority and election, opposing dominant philosophies, discarding genteel literary styles, and defying political complacency regarding slavery, gender inequality, and disenfranchisement. At Harvard, Transcendentalists were seen as mystics, misfits, rogues, and dissidents. Their refusals, however, sparked a social movement based on friendship and collaboration, united by a radical spirituality promising personal renewal and social transformation. This reading group invites participants to explore both sides of that legacy. We'll focus on Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller in the fall, and on figures including Bronson Alcott, Theodore…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
CSWR Poetry Series: A Reading by Jane Hirshfield
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
One of the most esteemed poets writing today, Hirshfield is known for work that brings together ethical attention and a deeply contemplative vision of the world. The award-winning author of The Asking: New and Selected Poems and Ledger (Penguin Random House, 2025), she has also written influential essays on poetry’s capacity to illuminate experience. Join us for an evening with a writer who has shaped contemporary American poetry by reinventing devotional poetry.
JANE HIRSHFIELD’s poetry is praised as that of a “modern master” and “among the most important poetry in the world today.” She addresses pressing issues, spanning political, ecological, scientific, metaphysical, and personal themes, crises of the biosphere, questions of social justice, and quandaries of heart, mind, and spirit.
Her publications include The Asking (2023), The Beauty (National Book Award longlist, 2015), Given Sugar, Given Salt (NBCC…
Programming Series: Poetry. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Braun Room, Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
Reading Group: Moana Meditations - Indigenous Spiritualities of the South Pacific Ocean
This group meets on Wednesdays, 4-6 pm (2/4, 2/18, 3/4, 3/25, 4/1, 4/15)
Registration is required.
Please register to attend each session.
Oceania—our ‘sea of islands’ rather than islands in a vast sea, takes up one third of the Earth and has been given many names by explorers, scholars, and those seeking geopolitical control. The ‘Pacific’ – a pacified, calm, and empty space, the Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Pacific Islander communities are also now spread around the globe with diaspora in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and beyond where Christianity and Indigenous spiritualities coalesce and clash in different ways. This workshop series will be highly interactive, incorporating Indigenous poetry, artwork, and talanoa (open-ended discussions) exploring the importance of the fanua (land), and interconnection with Atua (God/s), Tagata (people) and Moana (ocean) to cultural identity and seeking climate justice. It provides opportunities for both group…
Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
Archival Methods: Finding the Sacred and the Profane in the Psychedelic Archive
Registration is required.
Please register to attend.
Friday, February 6, 2-5 pm - CSWR Conference Room
Thursday, February 12, 1-4 pm - CSWR Conference Room (or Library, TBD)
Friday, February 13, 1-4 pm - CSWR Conference Room
Note: This workshop is a three-part series, and each session builds on the last. Please register only if you are able to attend all three sessions.
Please register to attend: https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3WeMzXFXd07wV26
This workshop will explore and engage the Ludlow-Santo Domingo Library, the world’s largest collection of psychedelic literature, housed at Harvard.
We will look at practical questions of the archive: How do you find archives you are interested in? , How do you search online to find aids and databases, and what are the limitations of those tools? , How do you authenticate objects and think about the limitations of sources? We will also explore philosophical questions: What is an archive? , What are the ethical issues raised by encountering…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Friday, February 6, 2026, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Art Exhibit and Reception: Esoteric Currents and Alternative Spiritualities in Modern Mexican Art
Registration is required.
Please register to attend.
Please join us for our spring 2026 art exhibit and reception, Esoteric Currents and Alternative Spiritualities in Modern Mexican Art.
This exhibition examines esoteric ideas in Mexican art after the 1910 Revolution, a time when muralism became a key tool for shaping public perceptions of national history. Artists incorporated elements of Theosophy and related esoteric movements into their depictions of Mexico’s past and of the Revolution's importance, influencing understandings of Mexico’s identity and shaping the historical narratives promoted by the post-Revolutionary government.
Public mural commissions were typically awarded to male artists; women’s efforts faced opposition. María Izquierdo became the first to receive a government commission in 1945, but her contract was canceled. Sofía Bassi created murals in prison and later in university buildings, placing her work in public space while remaining outside official channels. Cordelia Urueta,…
Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Monday, February 9, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Greeley Lecture: Reconciling the Loss of Indigenous Eden
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
Blair Stonechild, PhD, First Nations University of Canada, will discuss his research on the concept of Indigenous Eden, its loss, and how the process of Truth and Reconciliation can bring together disparate perspectives and offer solutions for the future. Stonechild’s talk is based on five decades of research with Indigenous Elders at First Nations University of Canada, which has resulted in a trilogy on Indigenous Spirituality: The Knowledge Seeker (2016), Loss of Indigenous Eden (2020), and Challenge to Civilization (2024), published by the University of Regina Press.
BLAIR STONECHILD is a member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation and is a survivor of the Qu’Appelle Indian Residential School. He holds a bachelor’s degree from McGill, and master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Regina. In 1976, Blair joined the First Nations University of Canada as its first faculty member and was the…
Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Center for the Study of World Religions, Common Room, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Wednesdays, 10-12 pm (1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25, 4/8)
Registration is required.
Please register to attend each session.
American Transcendentalism emerged in the mid-1800s from New England Unitarianism and European Romanticism. It distinguished itself by rejecting convention, challenging traditional religious doctrines of authority and election, opposing dominant philosophies, discarding genteel literary styles, and defying political complacency regarding slavery, gender inequality, and disenfranchisement. At Harvard, Transcendentalists were seen as mystics, misfits, rogues, and dissidents. Their refusals, however, sparked a social movement based on friendship and collaboration, united by a radical spirituality promising personal renewal and social transformation. This reading group invites participants to explore both sides of that legacy. We'll focus on Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller in the fall, and on figures including Bronson Alcott, Theodore…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Archival Methods: Finding the Sacred and the Profane in the Psychedelic Archive
Registration is required.
Please register to attend.
Friday, February 6, 2-5 pm - CSWR Conference Room
Thursday, February 12, 1-4 pm - CSWR Conference Room (or Library, TBD)
Friday, February 13, 1-4 pm - CSWR Conference Room
Note: This workshop is a three-part series, and each session builds on the last. Please register only if you are able to attend all three sessions.
Please register to attend: https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3WeMzXFXd07wV26
This workshop will explore and engage the Ludlow-Santo Domingo Library, the world’s largest collection of psychedelic literature, housed at Harvard.
We will look at practical questions of the archive: How do you find archives you are interested in? , How do you search online to find aids and databases, and what are the limitations of those tools? , How do you authenticate objects and think about the limitations of sources? We will also explore philosophical questions: What is an archive? , What are the ethical issues raised by encountering…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Archival Methods: Finding the Sacred and the Profane in the Psychedelic Archive
Registration is required.
Please register to attend.
Friday, February 6, 2-5 pm - CSWR Conference Room
Thursday, February 12, 1-4 pm - CSWR Conference Room (or Library, TBD)
Friday, February 13, 1-4 pm - CSWR Conference Room
Note: This workshop is a three-part series, and each session builds on the last. Please register only if you are able to attend all three sessions.
Please register to attend: https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3WeMzXFXd07wV26
This workshop will explore and engage the Ludlow-Santo Domingo Library, the world’s largest collection of psychedelic literature, housed at Harvard.
We will look at practical questions of the archive: How do you find archives you are interested in? , How do you search online to find aids and databases, and what are the limitations of those tools? , How do you authenticate objects and think about the limitations of sources? We will also explore philosophical questions: What is an archive? , What are the ethical issues raised by encountering…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Friday, February 13, 2026, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Reading Group: Moana Meditations - Indigenous Spiritualities of the South Pacific Ocean
This group meets on Wednesdays, 4-6 pm (2/4, 2/18, 3/4, 3/25, 4/1, 4/15)
Registration is required.
Please register to attend each session.
Oceania—our ‘sea of islands’ rather than islands in a vast sea, takes up one third of the Earth and has been given many names by explorers, scholars, and those seeking geopolitical control. The ‘Pacific’ – a pacified, calm, and empty space, the Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Pacific Islander communities are also now spread around the globe with diaspora in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and beyond where Christianity and Indigenous spiritualities coalesce and clash in different ways. This workshop series will be highly interactive, incorporating Indigenous poetry, artwork, and talanoa (open-ended discussions) exploring the importance of the fanua (land), and interconnection with Atua (God/s), Tagata (people) and Moana (ocean) to cultural identity and seeking climate justice. It provides opportunities for both group…
Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Wednesdays, 10-12 pm (1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25, 4/8)
Registration is required.
Please register to attend each session.
American Transcendentalism emerged in the mid-1800s from New England Unitarianism and European Romanticism. It distinguished itself by rejecting convention, challenging traditional religious doctrines of authority and election, opposing dominant philosophies, discarding genteel literary styles, and defying political complacency regarding slavery, gender inequality, and disenfranchisement. At Harvard, Transcendentalists were seen as mystics, misfits, rogues, and dissidents. Their refusals, however, sparked a social movement based on friendship and collaboration, united by a radical spirituality promising personal renewal and social transformation. This reading group invites participants to explore both sides of that legacy. We'll focus on Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller in the fall, and on figures including Bronson Alcott, Theodore…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Moana Meditations - Indigenous Spiritualities of the South Pacific Ocean
This group meets on Wednesdays, 4-6 pm (2/4, 2/18, 3/4, 3/25, 4/1, 4/15)
Registration is required.
Please register to attend each session.
Oceania—our ‘sea of islands’ rather than islands in a vast sea, takes up one third of the Earth and has been given many names by explorers, scholars, and those seeking geopolitical control. The ‘Pacific’ – a pacified, calm, and empty space, the Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Pacific Islander communities are also now spread around the globe with diaspora in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and beyond where Christianity and Indigenous spiritualities coalesce and clash in different ways. This workshop series will be highly interactive, incorporating Indigenous poetry, artwork, and talanoa (open-ended discussions) exploring the importance of the fanua (land), and interconnection with Atua (God/s), Tagata (people) and Moana (ocean) to cultural identity and seeking climate justice. It provides opportunities for both group…
Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Wednesdays, 10-12 pm (1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25, 4/8)
Registration is required.
Please register to attend each session.
American Transcendentalism emerged in the mid-1800s from New England Unitarianism and European Romanticism. It distinguished itself by rejecting convention, challenging traditional religious doctrines of authority and election, opposing dominant philosophies, discarding genteel literary styles, and defying political complacency regarding slavery, gender inequality, and disenfranchisement. At Harvard, Transcendentalists were seen as mystics, misfits, rogues, and dissidents. Their refusals, however, sparked a social movement based on friendship and collaboration, united by a radical spirituality promising personal renewal and social transformation. This reading group invites participants to explore both sides of that legacy. We'll focus on Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller in the fall, and on figures including Bronson Alcott, Theodore…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Wednesdays, 10-12 pm (1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/11, 3/25, 4/8)
Registration is required.
Please register to attend each session.
American Transcendentalism emerged in the mid-1800s from New England Unitarianism and European Romanticism. It distinguished itself by rejecting convention, challenging traditional religious doctrines of authority and election, opposing dominant philosophies, discarding genteel literary styles, and defying political complacency regarding slavery, gender inequality, and disenfranchisement. At Harvard, Transcendentalists were seen as mystics, misfits, rogues, and dissidents. Their refusals, however, sparked a social movement based on friendship and collaboration, united by a radical spirituality promising personal renewal and social transformation. This reading group invites participants to explore both sides of that legacy. We'll focus on Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller in the fall, and on figures including Bronson Alcott, Theodore…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.