Julian Vayne and Andy Letcher – In Conversation

For our next 'In Conversation' event, Andy Letcher and Julian Vayne meet for a mind-expanding exchange.

Delving into ecology, psychedelic history, modern pagan practice and contemporary entheogenic culture, they will cover everything from druids to magic mushrooms, the indigenous music of the British Isles to the contemporary use of Fly Agaric. There will also be a Q&A afterwards. Be prepared for far-out theories, kaleidoscopic concepts and otherworldly anecdotes.

Dr Andy Letcher is a Senior Lecturer at both Schumacher College, Devon UK – where he is the Programme Lead for the MA Engaged Ecology – and at the University of Exeter, where he teaches on the PGCert Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine and Culture. He is the author of Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom, and numerous papers on psychedelics, ecology, animism and paganism. He is currently researching ritual and animistic usage of psychedelics by contemporary British Druids, and the contemporary use of the Fly Agaric mushroom.

Julian Vayne is a British occultist, independent scholar and author with over four decades of experience within esoteric culture. Julian is a co-organizer of the psychedelic conference Breaking Convention, a founding member of the post-prohibition think-tank Transform. He sits on the academic board of The Journal of Psychedelic Studies. Julian facilitates psychedelic ceremony, as well as providing one-to-one psychedelic integration sessions and support. In addition to exploring traditional sacred medicines, Julian’s work includes the first published accounts of the entheogenic ritual use of ketamine and several novel psychedelic sacraments.