Meet the HeartQuarters’ Team at MAPS PS2023 in booth 850.
Sister Sacrament Churches
Sacred Garden Community
Website: sacredgarden.life
Based In Oakland, California
Faith
We are open to the possibility that respectful practice with the Sacraments of our Church can bring about a direct experience of the Divine, within this lifetime.
Care
Compassion and softness; inviting and supporting each other to bring the best parts of ourselves to the community. Embodying the fullest expression of love, the divine, and Truth as they are uniquely and directly experienced and integrated by each community Practitioner.
Respect
Honoring each other, the spaces we curate, and the work it takes for us to exist in them. Working within the awareness of humanity’s inalienable connection to and emergence from Nature, while also recognizing the sovereignty of each individual and community.
Trust
The active belief that, through our work, we will witness, support and hold space, in loving presence, for the absolute entirety of each individual’s process of awakening.
Mission
To grow communities that benefit and thrive from informed, safe and responsible use of sacraments.
SGC offers its Practitioners the opportunity to connect with the Divine through intentional, respectful, and caring practice with entheogenic sacraments. Specifically, SGC facilitates direct experience of and relationship to Divine presence for individuals and community, along with integrating this experience and relationship.
Vision
A world where the way is opened for everyone to directly experience divine presence within this lifetime.
SGC envisions growing diverse, thriving, wise individuals and communities. Specifically, SGC envisions individual and community growth in respect, care, trust and integrity, within which our own lives and all of our relationships are consecrated through direct experience of and relationship to Divine presence.
Robert “Bob Otis” Stanley (He/Ze) – Co-founder and Steering, Sacred Plant Alliance
Garden Steward and Pastor, Sacred Garden Community Church Chair, Alma Institute Sr. Director Special Projects, Melissa Informatics
A life-changing experience at age 17 led Bob into a lifetime study of sacred plants and substances. He has explored personal and group entheogenic work for over 35 years, independently and with his father, family and friends, learning from traditional and Western teachers. Exploration in Guatemala, Brazil, Mexico, India, Jamaica and elsewhere were dedicated to healing practice and learning. Personal and group experience leads him to careful and respectful relationship with what he believes to be Sacraments. Bob Otis is Senior Pastor at Sacred Garden Community Church, co-founder of the Sacred Plant Alliance, Chair for Alma Institute, and was the founding Chairperson of Decriminalize Nature Oakland. Following Psychology and Religious studies degrees from UCSC, Bob earned an MDiv from U. Chicago, and engaged post-graduate work in sociology and cognitive science at New York University. Bob’s plant work and life science research has generated many public talks and over 50 publications.
Andre Lamar
Ordained Facilitator, Sacred Garden Community Church
Andre Lamar is an experienced and passionate holistic wellness practitioner and yoga instructor. He has a deep understanding and commitment to helping others heal physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual traumas while expanding their personal consciousness. Andre’s credentials include E-RYT 350 yoga instructor certification from Aura Wellness, training in Trauma Informed Care from Niroga Institute, ordination as a facilitator for Sacred Garden Community, organizer of Higher Dimensions BIPOC group which provides sacred ceremonies to communities often overlooked by mainstream society, and serving as advisor and mentor for Alma Institute.
Andre Lamar is an experienced and passionate holistic wellness practitioner and yoga instructor. He has a deep understanding and commitment to helping others heal physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual traumas while expanding their personal consciousness. Andre’s impressive credentials include E-RYT 350 yoga instructor certification from Aura Wellness, training in Trauma Informed Care from Niroga Institute, ordination as a facilitator for Sacred Garden Community, organizer of Higher Dimensions BIPOC group which provides sacred ceremonies to communities often overlooked by mainstream society, and serving as advisor and mentor for Alma Institute.
Inspired to find healing and understanding through ceremonies involving entheogens, Andre believes these plant medicines have the power to bring true transformation. Through his own experience with entheogens, Andre has come to recognize their capability for self-discovery, reconciling traumas, and connecting with a higher presence within ourselves. It is this heightened awareness which has led Andre to become a passionate advocate of entheogens and their potential for transforming our lives in incredibly profound ways. Committed to helping as many people as possible benefit
from the gift of entheogens, Andre is on a mission to share knowledge and provide access to these powerful plant medicines.
Livi Joy
MA Ordained Facilitator, Sacred Garden Community Church
Livi Joy (kin/kins) has been creating sacred space for groups and individuals, and engaging in kin’s own entheogenic practice for over 25 years. These experiences combined with kin’s Zendo training and the skills kin learned as a psychotherapist with an MA in Clinical Counseling, led Livi to serve kin’s community by holding potent containers for individual entheogenic explorations. As a Reiki Master, a certified EFT (tapping) practitioner, creator of BodySongs (a somatics and embodied movement modality), and a trauma-informed spiritual care provider, Livi brings decades of holistic study and practice to meet each seeker with reverence and dignity.
Answering an inner calling to hold group containers for entheogenic practice, Livi found Sacred Garden Community, and was ordained by SGC. In addition to continuing to serve individuals through kin’s private practice, Livi currently wears multiple hats in SGC, including Member Onboarding, Health and Safety Screening, Ordination Practicum Cohort Coordinator, and Palliative Care Lead Facilitator.
Livi inhabits a lifestyle conveying information and innovations among kin’s communities as curiosity compels foraging for discovery along the edges. Livi’s ministry is dedicated to paradigm shift; to composting the dominator, fear-based, power-over model while cultivating a cooperative, mystery-loving, power-within model, so that all humans may realize their wholeness and inherent divinity.
Skye Weir
Ordained Facilitator, Sacred Garden Community Church
Skye Weir is a Somatic Counselor with deep knowledge of addiction, relationships, social justice and expanded states of consciousness. He helps people thrive through the mindful exploration of somatic experience, beliefs and social position. He offers individual counseling and spiritual practices, for individuals, partners, and groups.
Skye began his relationship with expanded states of consciousness at a profoundly young age, and through it came to know addiction, and then meditation, intimately. This gave birth to an indelible desire to understand consciousness and reduce suffering, which has driven a lifelong exploration of buddhism, entheogens, unconventional relationships, antiracism and fun (he is considered an expert by many on this subject). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare from the University of California Berkeley, and has completed training with the Hakomi Institute of California, Interchange Counseling Institute, Untraining White Liberal Racism, as well as a four year underground training in working with expanded states of consciousness.
If you would like to know more about how Skye works, you are invited to meet him and see for yourself.
Temple Mother Earth
Website: TempleMotherEarth.Org
Based in Washington D.C.
Temple Mother Earth strives to create an inclusive and equitable space where everyone can feel seen, heard, and valued. Recognizing the historical injustices faced by these communities, the temple is committed to addressing the unique challenges they may encounter in their healing journey. By fostering a safe and welcoming environment, the temple aims to empower individuals from all backgrounds to embark on a path of self-discovery and personal growth.
Within the sacred walls of Temple Mother Earth, compassion flows abundantly, embracing each visitor with open arms. The dedicated coaches and facilitators understand the intricate complexities of the human experience and approach their work with a genuine desire to support and uplift others. They recognize that healing is not a linear process, and they meet individuals wherever they are on their journey, holding space for their pain, joy, and everything in between.
The temple’s psychedelic integration coaching program is rooted in empathy and understanding. It acknowledges that psychedelic experiences can be profound and transformative, but they can also be challenging and overwhelming. The coaches provide guidance and support to help individuals navigate the intricate landscapes of their minds, offering tools and techniques to integrate the insights and lessons learned during these experiences into their everyday lives.
In this sacred space, Temple Mother Earth weaves together ancient wisdom and contemporary therapeutic practices. Drawing from various spiritual traditions and modalities, the temple offers a rich tapestry of rituals, ceremonies, and workshops designed to facilitate deep healing and connection. From meditation and breathwork to shamanic practices and sound healing, the temple provides a diverse range of tools for individuals to explore and discover what resonates with their unique journey.
Central to the temple’s philosophy is the profound interconnectedness between humanity and the natural world.
Vision:
Our vision is to create a world where every individual embraces their innate potential for healing, growth, and interconnectedness. At Temple Mother Earth, we envision a sanctuary of compassion and transformation, where people from all walks of life can find solace, guidance, and support on their journey of self-discovery. We strive to foster an inclusive and equitable space, particularly uplifting BIPOC communities and marginalized individuals, recognizing and addressing the unique challenges they may face. By weaving together ancient wisdom, contemporary therapeutic practices, and the profound interconnectedness between humanity and the natural world, we aim to facilitate deep healing, personal development, and a profound understanding of our inherent connection to the Earth. Through our teachings, practices, and psychedelic integration coaching, we envision a future where individuals embrace their true essence, contribute to collective healing, and create a harmonious, sustainable world for generations to come.
Mission:
Our mission at Temple Mother Earth is to provide a sacred space for healing and psychedelic integration coaching, guiding individuals on a transformative journey of self-discovery. We are dedicated to creating a nurturing environment where people can explore their inner selves and integrate the insights gained from psychedelic experiences. With a strong focus on supporting BIPOC communities and marginalized individuals, we strive to foster inclusivity and equity, ensuring that everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Through compassionate teachings and practices, we empower individuals from all backgrounds to embark on a path of healing, personal development, and a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between ourselves and the natural world. We aim to inspire individuals to embrace their innate potential, contribute to collective healing, and create a harmonious future for humanity and the Earth we call home.
Founded by:
King James & Dr. Sonatta Camara
Danni Peterson
Danni Peterson is Executive Director and a founding member of the Association of Entheogenic Practitioners (aep.community), a religious professional organization and mutual aid society that promotes safe access to entheogenic experiences. Licensed to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia, Danni has served as a co-founder and general counsel to emerging organizations for more than ten years. They are a graduate of Yale College and Georgetown Law. In 2014, Danni began participating in entheogenic ceremonies to address lifelong struggles with depression. Danni is also a parent, a sailor, and an enthusiastic-but-pitchy singer.
Mission Statement
A religious professional organization and mutual aid society uniting practitioners from many traditions who share a sincere belief in the religious nature of the entheogenic experience in order to expand safe access to such experiences.
Purpose
The Association of Entheogenic Practitioners is a vocational association for entheogenic practitioners. The Association educates the public on entheogenic practices protected by state and federal religious freedom laws; provides continuing education, community support, and accountability mechanisms for professional entheogenic practitioners; and offers legal defense benefits for Members in good standing who encounter governmental interference with their practices.
10,000 Ceremonies: What Safe Access Looks Like
The mission of the organization is access to safe and meaningful experiences with entheogens. As a metric for success, we suggest an open, legal ecosystem capable of providing experiences to 10,000 people a day in the United States, which would mean access to one experience per lifetime per American.
Who We Are
The Association has 50+ members across North America, from Maine to Maui to Miami. Members include clergy, clinicians, therapists, and practitioners from indigenous and underground traditions, ranging from novices to elders with decades of experience. Community members are estimated to be facilitating a total of 150-200 entheogenic experiences per month.
Our Circles and Ceremonies
The Association hosts regular ceremonial gatherings for our members. We practice with various entheogenic sacraments in ceremonies led by our members. Members rotate as space holders providing us all with the opportunity to participate and learn from each other’s practices. We welcome all sacraments and traditions practiced in accordance with our communal agreements.
Sanctuary of the Sovereign Heart
Website: soshchurch.org
Based in Denver, Colorado
Sanctuary of the Sovereign Heart, one of Colorado’s first sacrament ‘churches’ celebrating the legal use of plant medicine through the Religious Freedoms Restoration Act. Denver is leading the way with the decriminalization movement of all sacred plants.
Meaghan Len Richmond
Meg lives In the mystic echo of other realms, spiritual and the ordinary, Her understanding deepened by global shamans and high priestesses. Her spiritual renaissance, sparked by a 2012 Peruvian expedition and a 2015 dance with death, is underpinned by plant medicine and quantum healing. Now, as a Celtic heart honoring the Amazon traditions, she breathes life into her magnum opus: the Sanctuary of the Sovereign Heart, a Colorado stronghold honoring plant sacraments. In the pulse of Denver, she stands as a trailblazer of the psychedelic renaissance, sculpting the Denver HeartQuarters with an ensemble of dream-weavers.
Shanti Lux
Shanti Lux, a melody and medicine weaver, globe-trots across America, conducting heart-swelling ceremonies laced with song and cacao. She has served the special-needs community and the orphans of India, and now stands a pillar of strength for families entrapped in the clenched jaws of addiction, trauma, and inner turmoil. Guiding them through an intricately woven tapestry of wisdom, she arms these constellations of individuals with new language, growth, and healing. From the mystical Peru to the spiritual India, her odyssey of understanding unfolds, culminating in a secure haven where one can surrender, heal, and most importantly, become who they truly are.
Healing Ground Church
Website: lhthehealingground.com
Based in Littleton, Colorado
The Healing Ground Church is meant to be a place of spiritual growth, renewal, and connection. We use psilocybin mushrooms as our teachers and sacrament. We practice a teaching called the Spiral Understanding, which shows us that all healing must start within the individual. When the individual heals, the family heals. When the family heals, the community heals. And when the community heals, then the world heals.
We also engage in service to meet community needs through activism, volunteering, and support of Indigenous culture. One of our major goals is to always handle and treat all plant teachers with reverence, respect, and reciprocity. We strive to treat ourselves and others with the same reverence and respect.
We seek to create a place of non-judgment and acceptance of self and others. We are open to people of all faiths, cultures, colors, orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We strongly believe that it is important to meet everyone where they are without judgment or criticism. In this way, growth can be attained in love, safety, and balance.
Veronica Lightning Horse
I am a healer who has been through the wringer. I have survived early childhood and adult abuse on several levels, homelessness, two near-death experiences, and that’s not even half! Then, at 30, I suffered a minor heart attack. On the way to the hospital, I passed a funeral at the cemetery, and in that moment, I realized I could not leave my now five children to fend for themselves. I made a decision to disregard the doctor’s death sentence (they said I wouldn’t make it to 36) and found another way.
I discovered NLP and other modalities that I now practice and teach others. I let go of my old programs of loss, worthlessness, inferiority, self-hatred, and physical and mental disease. Many of which were considered incurable. I transformed myself into someone I deeply love and am proud of.
That’s why I started the Lightning Horse School of NLP and now The Healing Ground. It’s your life… live it with pure purpose.