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 9, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138.
Fall Art Exhibition: Sacred Plants of the Muysca – In the Words and Photos of Community Members
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Principal researcher: Andrea Sánchez-Castañeda, Center for the Study of World Religions
Collaborators: Nicolle Torres Sierra, Camila Yopasá Larrota, Jose Piravaguen
Sacred plants are woven into the fabric of the everyday lives of Indigenous peoples. This exhibit explores the profound connection between the Muysca community of Suba in Bogotá Colombia, their sacred territory, and their plant medicine knowledge systems. Emerging from years of participatory-based collaboration, this photovoice exhibit features photographs taken by both the researcher and community members, offering an intimate and relational perspective on the cultural practices connected to these sacred plants. Weaving together themes of healing and cultural survival, the exhibit provides a powerful visual narrative of the Muysca’s resilient spirit in preserving their traditions and defending their ancestral land.
PAOLA ANDREA SÁNCHEZ-CASTAÑEDA is a cultural anthropologist…
Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Center for the Study of World Religions, Conference Room, 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, September 10, 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, September 16, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 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, September 17, 2025, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Center for the Study of World Religions
42 Francis Ave.
Cambridge, MA.
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.
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.
Public Research Talks, offered by CSWR Visiting Scholars, are open to the wider public. Each 40-60-minute presentation highlights current research in progress, providing an opportunity for Visiting Scholars to share their scholarly work in an accessible format. These talks invite thoughtful engagement, fostering dialogue among academic colleagues as well as members of the public in attendance.
PETER SKAFISH is the cofounder and Director of Research at the Sol Foundation, a leading research and policy institute dedicated to understanding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and their implications for science, government, and civil society. A cultural anthropologist focused on problems of ontology, modernity, religion, and translation, as well as the philosophical implications of anthropology, he is the author of Rough Metaphysics: The Speculative Thought and Mediumship of Jane Roberts (University of Minnesota…
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.
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.
Conference 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.
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.
Shamanism: The Timeless Religion with Manvir Singh
Registration required.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
What is shamanism, and what does it offer us today? Join anthropologist Manvir Singh, PhD, for a conversation about his acclaimed book, Shamanism: The Timeless Religion (Knopf, 2025), based on immersive research with shamans in Indonesia and the Colombian Amazon. Singh explores how shamans use trance, music, and plant medicine to heal, prophesy, and confront life’s uncertainties—and how these ancient practices reveal deep insights into belief, transformation, and the human mind.
MANVIR SINGH is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of California, Davis. He holds a bachelor's degree from Brown University and a PhD in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. A regular contributor to The New Yorker, his work has also appeared in Wired, Vice, Aeon, The Guardian, and academic journals including Science and Nature Human Behaviour. He has studied Indigenous psychedelic use in Colombia and, since 2014, has researched…
Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Spirituality and Psychedelics. Transcendence and Transformation. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, CSWR Events Coordinator
ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Zoom.
For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu. Public Research Talk: Erik Davis
Registration is required.
Please register to attend in person.
Please register to attend on Zoom.
Public Research Talks, offered by CSWR Visiting Scholars, are open to the wider public. Each 40-60-minute presentation highlights current research in progress, providing an opportunity for Visiting Scholars to share their scholarly work in an accessible format. These talks invite thoughtful engagement, fostering dialogue among academic colleagues as well as members of the public in attendance.
ERIK DAVIS is an author, journalist, and scholar based in San Francisco. His books include Blotter: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium (MIT Press, 2024), High Weirdness (2019), Nomad Codes (2010), and the cult classic TechGnosis (1998, 2015). His essays on music, technoculture, drugs, and spirituality have appeared widely and been translated into a dozen languages. Davis holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Rice University and has been featured by CNN, NPR, the BBC, and The New York Times. He also produced the Expanding…
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. 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.