Reading Group: Esotericism and Alternative Spirituality
Registration is required.
This group meets on Tuesdays, Sept. 9 & 23, Oct. 14 & 21, Nov. 4 & 18, 1–3pm
Esotericism has long been associated with the ideas of mystery, secrecy, and conspiracy. This is connected to the very etymology of the word, which hints at the possibility of acquiring special, inner knowledge that is different from what ordinary people usually have access to. The elitism that goes with this assumption can take on a political dimension. Insofar as esotericism is identified with the practice of secrecy, fears of clandestine manipulation of society and history arise almost naturally, and questions about its compatibility with the principles of modern democracy are raised. However, strategies of secrecy have also been used to promote the values of progress and democracy, as has been the case during the Enlightenment with the emergence of modern Freemasonry. Despite the relevance of these aspects for the study of esotericism, scholars have been reluctant to include them in their theorizations…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Event Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics
Registration is required.
This group meets, Wednesdays 3-5, 9/10, 9/24, 10/8, 10/22, 11/5, and 11/19
The Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics Reading Group invites participants to explore expansive understandings of transcendence, healing, consciousness, and connection that extend beyond the use of psychedelic substances. Through rigorous interdisciplinary inquiry engaging themes such as shamanism, ecological kinship, sound, and childbirth, we will interrogate and reimagine what constitutes the “psychedelic.” Rooted in queer, feminist, ecological, and decolonial efforts, this group offers a collaborative space for exploration and critical questioning. We aim to affirm multiple ways of knowing, deepen our ethical and relational practices, and collectively contribute to defining the evolving field of the Psychedelic Humanities.
Facilitators include:
LILA GLENN RIMALOVSKI is an MDiv candidate at Harvard Divinity School studying the relationship between eco-spiritual practice and movements for land justice. Her r…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Spirituality and Psychedelics. Psychedelics and Ethics. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Poetry Reading: For the Octave: New Translations of the Penitential Psalms
Registration is requested.
Please register to attend in person.
Join us for an evening of poetry in the historic Divinity Chapel (colloquially known as “Emerson Chapel”). From the very beginning, the chapel has served as a central space for prayer and learning, and it remains one of the most beloved corners of campus today. This event will feature new translations of the seven penitential psalms by Sam Bailey (Harvard University), Emma de Lisle (Harvard University), and Talin Tahajian (Yale University).
SAM BAILEY is a Ph.D. student in religion at Harvard, where he studies Christianity in the work of Denis Johnson. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The Yale Review, Missouri Review, Colorado Review, The Boiler, Image, and elsewhere. He is Managing Editor at Peripheries and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Mark.
EMMA DE LISLE studies theological aesthetics in the work of Adélia Prado at Harvard. Her recent poems have appeared in 32 Poems, The Adroit Journal, Image, Lana Turner, The Massachusetts Review, The…
Programming Series: Poetry. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Divinity Chapel, Divinity Hall, 14 Divinity Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Book Talk: The Unseen and Unheard: Thoreau’s Religious Quest
Registration is required.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
Please register to attend in person.
HDS alum Richard Higgins, the author of Thoreau’s God, will explore Henry David Thoreau as an original voice in American religion. Although a harsh critic of the Christianity of his day, Thoreau was religious to the bone and had a profound sense of the holy. His critique of churches was matched only by his rapturous encounters with the divine in nature. Richard will present Thoreau as a religious thinker who, in a period of upheaval, sought to divorce the religious sentiment from its nineteenth-century institutional context. In essence, he was a mystic who, while firmly moored to the earth, was on a quest to commune with a divine mystery that was both immanent in the natural world and transcendent. He called this illimitable presence many names, but he often called it God. Thoreau’s iconoclastic theological vision and experiential spirituality are resonating with spiritual seekers in America today.
RICHARD…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Events Coordinator, CSWR
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Common Room, Center for the Study of World Religions, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Public Research Talk: Peter Skafish
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
Contemporary illiberalism in the United States finds support in the challenge to modern ontology posed by growing acceptance of dubious beings, from psychedelic visions to psi phenomena to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the U.S. government’s current term for UFOs. Unlike these other things, however, UAP are perceptible, tangible, and physical, as well as of serious concern to Congress and the U.S. intelligence community. In this talk, cultural anthropologist Peter Skafish draws on his work as co-founder of the Sol Foundation to examine the paradox raised by these existentially consequential yet ontologically ambiguous entities, particularly where they concern the study of religion. Engaging the turn to the “superhumanities” in the history of religions, Skafish develops the thesis that UAP are an aspect of religious experience while nevertheless being far less outside the world than is often imagined. To…
Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Monday, September 29, 2025, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Tuesdays, 12–2pm (9/16, 9/30, 10/14, 10/28, 11/11, 12/2)
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 Parker, Orestes Brownson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and Caroline Dall in…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Ephemeral Field Journal: Book launch and introducing Skywater
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Ephemeral Field Journal: Book launch and Introducing Skywater
Please join us for an evening to celebrate the publication of the book, Ephemeral Field Journal: Climate + Love in Claude Monet’s Garden (Kehrer Verlag, September 2025) by Artist-in-Residence Sarah Schorr with an essay by CSWR Director Charles Stang.
When Claude Monet settled in Giverny in 1883, he designed a flower garden full of impressive color compositions for observing light and time. American artist Sarah Schorr understands Monet’s garden as a creative, living laboratory. From the tiny teardrops of rain to the steady stream feeding the water lily pond, the images in this book were inspired by the movement of water in Monet’s garden. In his essay, Stang meditates on water worlds, drawing on the ancient philosopher Thales and the contemporary Italian philosopher Emanuele Coccia to better appreciate Schorr’s images.
Stang and Schorr will also introduce their new project Skywater,…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Event Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Reading Group: Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics
Registration is required.
This group meets, Wednesdays 3-5, 9/10, 9/24, 10/8, 10/22, 11/5, and 11/19
The Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics Reading Group invites participants to explore expansive understandings of transcendence, healing, consciousness, and connection that extend beyond the use of psychedelic substances. Through rigorous interdisciplinary inquiry engaging themes such as shamanism, ecological kinship, sound, and childbirth, we will interrogate and reimagine what constitutes the “psychedelic.” Rooted in queer, feminist, ecological, and decolonial efforts, this group offers a collaborative space for exploration and critical questioning. We aim to affirm multiple ways of knowing, deepen our ethical and relational practices, and collectively contribute to defining the evolving field of the Psychedelic Humanities.
Facilitators include:
LILA GLENN RIMALOVSKI is an MDiv candidate at Harvard Divinity School studying the relationship between eco-spiritual practice and movements for land justice. Her r…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Spirituality and Psychedelics. Psychedelics and Ethics. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Walking Tour of Harvard’s Psychedelic History
Registration is required.
While research on psychedelics is ever present in our contemporary moment, there is a long tradition of interest in psychoactive drugs at Harvard University—from the ethnobotanical studies of the 1940s, to “mind-control” experiments of the 1950s, to the “heyday” of psychedelic research and activism of the 1960s. This walking tour traipses through the history of psychedelics at Harvard—stitching together figures as far back as Ralph Waldo Emerson, to little-known heroes of ‘60s drug culture, to contemporary felons, fugitives, and academics. This tour will be guided by CSWR Psychedelics and Spiritualty Program Leads, JEFFREY BREAU and PAUL GILLIS-SMITH. The tour is also accessible via Spotify, linked here.
The tour will cover about 2 miles. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. The tour will convene in front of the CSWR, at 42 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA, at 5:00pm, and conclude in Harvard Square at the Kennedy School, at 79 John F Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA.…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Psychedelics and Ethics. Spirituality and Psychedelics. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
(617)495-4476.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Center for the Study of World Religions
42 Francis Ave.
Cambridge, MA.
Shangyang Fang Poetry Reading: Study of Sorrow
Registration is encouraged.
Please register to attend in person.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
Come celebrate the publication of Study of Sorrow: Translations (Copper Canyon Press, October 2025). Shangyang Fang will read his translations of these Song Dynasty Ci poems, which transform individual sadness into a collective experience spanning time, people, and place. Fang’s work is celebrated for its lyrical depth and emotional resonance, bridging cultures and traditions with a distinct poetic voice.
SHANGYANG FANG grew up in Chengdu, China. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois and is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers. He has received the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Award and the Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University. His poems have appeared in The Nation, Ploughshares, The Yale Review, The Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, and The Forward Book of Poetry Anthology. Fang is an…
Programming Series: Poetry. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Tuesdays, 12–2pm (9/16, 9/30, 10/14, 10/28, 11/11, 12/2)
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 Parker, Orestes Brownson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and Caroline Dall in…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Esotericism and Alternative Spirituality
Registration is required.
This group meets on Tuesdays, Sept. 9 & 23, Oct. 14 & 21, Nov. 4 & 18, 1–3pm
Esotericism has long been associated with the ideas of mystery, secrecy, and conspiracy. This is connected to the very etymology of the word, which hints at the possibility of acquiring special, inner knowledge that is different from what ordinary people usually have access to. The elitism that goes with this assumption can take on a political dimension. Insofar as esotericism is identified with the practice of secrecy, fears of clandestine manipulation of society and history arise almost naturally, and questions about its compatibility with the principles of modern democracy are raised. However, strategies of secrecy have also been used to promote the values of progress and democracy, as has been the case during the Enlightenment with the emergence of modern Freemasonry. Despite the relevance of these aspects for the study of esotericism, scholars have been reluctant to include them in their theorizations…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Event Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
*Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Psychedelic Christianity? A Conversation with Erik Davis and Charles Stang
This event is free and open to the public.
No registration is required.
As the dialogue between contemporary religion and the psychedelic world deepens, we are now witnessing something like the emergence of a "psychedelic Christianity". But what exactly does such a surprising conjunction name? How does the reframing of psychedelic experience allow for contemporary Christians to "turn on" and what sort of push-back is already emerging? What alternate histories does psychedelic Christianity require, whether its the reassessment of the Jesus Movement of the hippie era, or the controversial but compelling possibility of psychedelic sacraments in the early Christian church? How might the Christian dimension of syncretic ayahuasca religions from Brazil inflect the question? Join Professor Charles Stang and Dr. Erik Davis for a dynamic discussion of the issues.
Programming Series: Spirituality and Psychedelics.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.
Room 113, Sever Hall.
Public Research Talk: The Psychedelic Jesus of the American Counterculture, with Erik Davis
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
Behind today’s growing conversation about psychedelic Christianity lies a largely overlooked figure: Jesus Christ as imagined within the psychedelic counterculture. From recurring appearances in acid visions and underground comics to reinterpretations within esoteric “freak" circles, Jesus was deeply entangled in the era’s spiritual experimentation. For some young people immersed in drug culture, however, Christ became more than a symbol of countercultural spirituality—he opened a path toward the emerging Jesus Movement, a form of Christianity that rejected much (though by no means all) of the psychedelic ethos of intense spiritual experience. Among them was Rick Griffin, one of the most influential illustrators of California psychedelia, whose conversion to Christianity produced a remarkable body of visual work that continues to shape the intersection of faith, art, and underground culture.
ERIK DAVIS is an…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. The Pearlsong: Celebrating the launch of the first book in the 4T series
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
Join us for the launch of The Pearlsong and the debut of the CSWR’s new book series, Texts and Translations of Transcendence and Transformation (4T). The 4T series brings together extraordinary works from across the ancient and medieval world, presenting them in their original languages with parallel English translations, introductions, glossaries, and commentary.
The Pearlsong tells the story of a Parthian prince who journeys to Egypt to reclaim a pearl guarded by a serpent. After falling into a deep sleep, he is awakened by a flying, speaking letter sent by his parents. With their help, he subdues the serpent, secures the pearl, and, before returning home, is reunited with his shining garment—a powerful image of self-recognition.
At this event, author Adam Bremer-McCollum will be joined by Charles Stang and Erin Walsh for a lively conversation about the book and its story. The evening will also feature…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Monday, October 20, 2025, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Williams Chapel, Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Reading Group: Esotericism and Alternative Spirituality
Registration is required.
This group meets on Tuesdays, Sept. 9 & 23, Oct. 14 & 21, Nov. 4 & 18, 1–3pm
Esotericism has long been associated with the ideas of mystery, secrecy, and conspiracy. This is connected to the very etymology of the word, which hints at the possibility of acquiring special, inner knowledge that is different from what ordinary people usually have access to. The elitism that goes with this assumption can take on a political dimension. Insofar as esotericism is identified with the practice of secrecy, fears of clandestine manipulation of society and history arise almost naturally, and questions about its compatibility with the principles of modern democracy are raised. However, strategies of secrecy have also been used to promote the values of progress and democracy, as has been the case during the Enlightenment with the emergence of modern Freemasonry. Despite the relevance of these aspects for the study of esotericism, scholars have been reluctant to include them in their theorizations…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Event Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics
Registration is required.
This group meets, Wednesdays 3-5, 9/10, 9/24, 10/8, 10/22, 11/5, and 11/19
The Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics Reading Group invites participants to explore expansive understandings of transcendence, healing, consciousness, and connection that extend beyond the use of psychedelic substances. Through rigorous interdisciplinary inquiry engaging themes such as shamanism, ecological kinship, sound, and childbirth, we will interrogate and reimagine what constitutes the “psychedelic.” Rooted in queer, feminist, ecological, and decolonial efforts, this group offers a collaborative space for exploration and critical questioning. We aim to affirm multiple ways of knowing, deepen our ethical and relational practices, and collectively contribute to defining the evolving field of the Psychedelic Humanities.
Facilitators include:
LILA GLENN RIMALOVSKI is an MDiv candidate at Harvard Divinity School studying the relationship between eco-spiritual practice and movements for land justice. Her r…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Spirituality and Psychedelics. Psychedelics and Ethics. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Tuesdays, 12–2pm (9/16, 9/30, 10/14, 10/28, 11/11, 12/2)
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 Parker, Orestes Brownson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and Caroline Dall in…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Esotericism and Alternative Spirituality
Registration is required.
This group meets on Tuesdays, Sept. 9 & 23, Oct. 14 & 21, Nov. 4 & 18, 1–3pm
Esotericism has long been associated with the ideas of mystery, secrecy, and conspiracy. This is connected to the very etymology of the word, which hints at the possibility of acquiring special, inner knowledge that is different from what ordinary people usually have access to. The elitism that goes with this assumption can take on a political dimension. Insofar as esotericism is identified with the practice of secrecy, fears of clandestine manipulation of society and history arise almost naturally, and questions about its compatibility with the principles of modern democracy are raised. However, strategies of secrecy have also been used to promote the values of progress and democracy, as has been the case during the Enlightenment with the emergence of modern Freemasonry. Despite the relevance of these aspects for the study of esotericism, scholars have been reluctant to include them in their theorizations…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Event Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics
Registration is required.
This group meets, Wednesdays 3-5, 9/10, 9/24, 10/8, 10/22, 11/5, and 11/19
The Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics Reading Group invites participants to explore expansive understandings of transcendence, healing, consciousness, and connection that extend beyond the use of psychedelic substances. Through rigorous interdisciplinary inquiry engaging themes such as shamanism, ecological kinship, sound, and childbirth, we will interrogate and reimagine what constitutes the “psychedelic.” Rooted in queer, feminist, ecological, and decolonial efforts, this group offers a collaborative space for exploration and critical questioning. We aim to affirm multiple ways of knowing, deepen our ethical and relational practices, and collectively contribute to defining the evolving field of the Psychedelic Humanities.
Facilitators include:
LILA GLENN RIMALOVSKI is an MDiv candidate at Harvard Divinity School studying the relationship between eco-spiritual practice and movements for land justice. Her r…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Spirituality and Psychedelics. Psychedelics and Ethics. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Walking Tour of Harvard’s Psychedelic History
Registration is required.
While research on psychedelics is ever present in our contemporary moment, there is a long tradition of interest in psychoactive drugs at Harvard University—from the ethnobotanical studies of the 1940s, to “mind-control” experiments of the 1950s, to the “heyday” of psychedelic research and activism of the 1960s. This walking tour traipses through the history of psychedelics at Harvard—stitching together figures as far back as Ralph Waldo Emerson, to little-known heroes of ‘60s drug culture, to contemporary felons, fugitives, and academics. This tour will be guided by CSWR Psychedelics and Spiritualty Program Leads, JEFFREY BREAU and PAUL GILLIS-SMITH. The tour is also accessible via Spotify, linked here.
The tour will cover about 2 miles. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. The tour will convene in front of the CSWR, at 42 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA, at 5:00pm, and conclude in Harvard Square at the Kennedy School, at 79 John F Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA.…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Psychedelics and Ethics. Spirituality and Psychedelics. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
(617)495-4476.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Center for the Study of World Religions
42 Francis Ave.
Cambridge, MA.
Tools and Techniques of Plant Painting and the Visionary Garden
Registration is required.
The workshop is limited to 25 participants and requires no prior painting or art experience.
Register to attend in person.
This hands-on workshop introduces participants to the tools and techniques of botanical painting, drawing on both traditional illustration methods and contemporary artistic interpretations of flora.
The session will begin with an overview of materials, composition, and approaches in graphite and watercolor. Participants will then create their own visionary garden or plant being, guided through steps of organization, drawing, and painting. Along the way, examples of visionary, medicinal, and shamanic plants will be presented for inspiration.
The workshop will explore how elements such as scale, repetition, and color intensity shape artistic expression. Participants will also consider how a drawing and painting practice can deepen connections with the natural spaces we inhabit and visit.
Basic materials will be provided. Participants are welcome to bring their…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
This group meets on Tuesdays, 12–2pm (9/16, 9/30, 10/14, 10/28, 11/11, 12/2)
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 Parker, Orestes Brownson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and Caroline Dall in…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Esotericism and Alternative Spirituality
Registration is required.
This group meets on Tuesdays, Sept. 9 & 23, Oct. 14 & 21, Nov. 4 & 18, 1–3pm
Esotericism has long been associated with the ideas of mystery, secrecy, and conspiracy. This is connected to the very etymology of the word, which hints at the possibility of acquiring special, inner knowledge that is different from what ordinary people usually have access to. The elitism that goes with this assumption can take on a political dimension. Insofar as esotericism is identified with the practice of secrecy, fears of clandestine manipulation of society and history arise almost naturally, and questions about its compatibility with the principles of modern democracy are raised. However, strategies of secrecy have also been used to promote the values of progress and democracy, as has been the case during the Enlightenment with the emergence of modern Freemasonry. Despite the relevance of these aspects for the study of esotericism, scholars have been reluctant to include them in their theorizations…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Event Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Reading Group: Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics
Registration is required.
This group meets, Wednesdays 3-5, 9/10, 9/24, 10/8, 10/22, 11/5, and 11/19
The Psychedelics Beyond Psychedelics Reading Group invites participants to explore expansive understandings of transcendence, healing, consciousness, and connection that extend beyond the use of psychedelic substances. Through rigorous interdisciplinary inquiry engaging themes such as shamanism, ecological kinship, sound, and childbirth, we will interrogate and reimagine what constitutes the “psychedelic.” Rooted in queer, feminist, ecological, and decolonial efforts, this group offers a collaborative space for exploration and critical questioning. We aim to affirm multiple ways of knowing, deepen our ethical and relational practices, and collectively contribute to defining the evolving field of the Psychedelic Humanities.
Facilitators include:
LILA GLENN RIMALOVSKI is an MDiv candidate at Harvard Divinity School studying the relationship between eco-spiritual practice and movements for land justice. Her r…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Spirituality and Psychedelics. Psychedelics and Ethics. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Public Research Talk: A Magic Still Dwells: Occulture in Contemporary Art
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
Fifteen years ago, I began to notice the conspicuous presence of esoteric motifs in contemporary art. At first, I was intrigued but also surprised, assuming this was only a passing trend. Over time, however, I came to realize that the phenomenon was more significant and deserving of attention than I had initially thought.
The influence of esotericism on modern art—roughly up to the end of the Second World War—has been the subject of serious scholarly research since at least the 1960s. Yet it soon became clear to me that scholars of esotericism and art historians alike were paying insufficient attention to its role in contemporary art.
In this lecture, I will share my findings and reflections on this phenomenon, which I believe is essential to understanding the place of esotericism in our societies today. Contemporary art holds considerable cultural and social influence, and examining its relationship with…
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR, Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Monday, December 1, 2025, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Reading Group: Transcendentalism—Mystics, Misfits, Rogues, and Dissidents
Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, December 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.