This Panel will be held LIVE on GoogleMeet
The link will be provided upon registration
Join us for a powerful and thought-provoking Masterclass Panel in collaboration with Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines.
This conversation explores key topics shaping the future of psychedelic medicine: how to decolonize its practices, honor Indigenous knowledge and rights, and build communities that are truly inclusive and ethical.
We’ll dive into what it means to create spaces where healing is grounded in respect and justice, and consider how psychedelic culture can grow in ways that uplift diverse voices and experiences.
Whether you’re new to these ideas or looking to deepen your understanding, this panel offers meaningful insights and practical reflections on creating a more connected and conscious psychedelic landscape.
Dr. Bia Labate is an anthropologist, educator, author, speaker, and activist, committed to the protection of sacred plants while amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in the psychedelic science field. As a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco, she has been profoundly influenced by her experiences with ayahuasca since 1996. Dr. Labate has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil. Her work focuses on plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is the Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as a Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Additionally, she is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and an act as advisor for around 15 organizations, among them the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition and the Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council. Dr. Labate is also a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and the editor of its site. She has authored, co-authored, and co-edited 28 books, three special-edition journals, and numerous peer-reviewed and online publications.
Nicholas Spiers is a queer anthropologist and documentary filmmaker. Currently he is a Ph.D candidate in anthropology at the University of Lisbon studying Mazatec shamanism. He has a Master’s degree in visual anthropology from the University of Barcelona and is interested in the sensory experience of audiovisual mediums. He has lived for several years in Mexico doing fieldwork in the Sierra Mazateca, and is currently based in Portugal. He is Chacruna’s Communication and Media Support, creating content incorporating different cultural perspectives and disciplines to approach challenging discussions in the psychedelic community. He is the lead author on Chacruna’s Indigenous Psilocybin Mushroom Practices: An Annotated Bibliography (Journal of Psychedelic Studies, in 2024). He also produces compelling videos and multimedia materials. With Bia Labate he co-directed the documentary web series The Peyote Files, and created the educational video Chacruna Debunks 6 Racist Myths from the Psychedelic Community. He has created an award-winning series about the psychoactive plant Salvia divinorum. He co-founded Agua de Rayo, a non-profit civil organization based in Mexico’s Sierra Mazateca, which is invested in visual ethnography and community projects and which also has an interest in Mazatec psychoactive plant use.
Dr. Osiris García Cerqueda is a Mazatec indigenous historian and sociologist from Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca, Mexico. From a very young age he has dedicated himself to the study of the history of his community and the practice of the ancestral ritual with psilocybin mushrooms, for which Maria Sabina was renowned. In recent years, reciprocity and restorative justice are the basis of her work. Her most recent work has been the coordination of a needs assessment in her community and the development of activities to strengthen the Mazatec bioculture. He is the author of the book Huautla tierra de magia, de hongos y hippies (2014) and the independent magazine Mirador Mazateco (2010-2015). Osiris has excelled as a participant in international congresses of the psychedelic movement sharing his knowledge, raising awareness about the impact of the Global North on the Mazatec people in this new wave of the psychedelic renaissance. He is Program Coordinator for Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas (IRI).
Jasper Degenaars is a mycologist, educator, and creator. With 12+ years of mushroom cultivation experience and over 2,500 students taught since 2019, he illuminates the intricate world of fungi with passion and expertise.
With a wealth of knowledge in mycology and community living, he nurtures a deep connection between people and the Fungal Kingdom, fostering ecological stewardship and sustainable practices. Jasper has co-created 20+ educational experiences and retreats on top of countless in-person workshops and classes he has taught all over the world.
With a penchant for interdisciplinary collaboration, he cultivates diverse communities of learners, empowering them to explore the symbiotic relationship between fungi, people, and their environments.
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