Abode of the Message - New Lebanon, New York
May 18-20, 2007

Featuring

Overview

Hermeticism, the tradition of occult arts and sciences, has roots in ancient Egypt and Greece. Hermeticism was passed on to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as Hinduism, and the European Renaissance magi and humanists. Hermeticism is neither a religion nor a science in the narrow sense but an art, a set of symbols and operations that harmonize universally with all forms of spirituality and knowledge.

In Sufi alchemy, the highest color, that of the Philosopher's Stone, is gold-green. The hidden prophet Khidr, is also known as the Green Man. In modern times, "green" has come to signify the whole cause of ecology and environmental activism. Modern sciences such as bioremediation and biodynamics deal with the use of plants to heal the Earth itself, a technique inspired by spagyric, or plant alchemy.

This entire complex is called "Green Hermeticism" in order to suggest the revival of ancient cosmologies and techniques in the service of new holistic sciences which address pressing ecological problems.

Through visual and digital media demonstration, field experience in resident gardens, lectures and dialogue, conference attendees will delve into one Green Hermeticism area of concentration - esoteric gardening and the magic of flowers.

Conference Schedule

Please click on the individual session titles and presenter names for additional information.

Friday, May 18
9 a.m. Welcome & Introduction
9:30 - 10:45 a.m. Khizr with Peter Lamborn Wilson
11:15 - 12:30 p.m. Alchemy and the Magical Garden with Kevin Townley
12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Lunch & Break
2:30 - 4 p.m. The Three Traditions in the Garden with Susun Weed
4:30 - 5:45 p.m. Joseph Beuys: Hermetic Artist and Ecologist with David Levi Strauss
6 p.m. Dinner
8 p.m. Poetry Reading featuring Robert Kelly

Saturday, May 19
9 -10:15 a.m. Eleusis: The Flower Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone with Rachel Pollack
10:45 - noon Garden of the Drowned with Yakov Rabinovich
Noon until 12:30 p.m. Conversation
12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Lunch & Break
2:30 - 4 p.m. The Plant as a Being of Transformation with Craig Holdrege
4:30 - 5:45 p.m. The Gift of a Flower with Jeanne Cameron
6 p.m. Dinner
8 p.m. Floral Angelology with Espahbad Michael Yoshpa, Ph.D.

Sunday, May 20
9 - 10:15 a.m. Earthly and Heavenly Flowers: Alchemy as Celestial Gardening with Christopher Bamford
10:30 a.m. - Noon Conversation & Closing

*The schedule is subject to change.

Tuition

Early Bird tuition for the three days is $210, if registered by May 1. After May 1, tuition for the conference is $250. Limited partial scholarships are available. Additional room and board fees apply, as listed below.

Accommodations

The course will take place at the Abode of the Message, a Sufi community, retreat and conference center cradled in the Taconic-Berkshire Mountains in upstate New York.

All attendees should plan to arrive Thursday evening prior to the conference beginning Friday morning, and to depart after lunch on Sunday.

For more information and to register, call 518-794-7834, ext. 128, or email suluk@sufiorder.org.