The Moksha Lecture Series is a multidisciplinary bi-monthly gathering that fosters idea sharing, dialog, and exploration of consciousness and our connection with the universe. We host speakers specializing in topics such as plant medicine, shamanism, spirituality, the natural sciences and social sciences. Since its inception in 2002, the Moksha Lecture Series has brought such renowned speakers as Dennis McKenna, Daniel Pinchbeck, Dr. Joe Tafur, Alex Grey, and many more.
Constantino Manuel Torres, Professor Emeritus, Art and Art History, Florida International University, is an art historian who specializes in the study of pre-Columbian cultures and artifacts. Recent publications include his third book, Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America,. Routledge, 2006 (with David Repke as second author); and the forthcoming chapter,”The Relationship between visionary plants and iconography in the art of Tiwanaku.” In Images in Action: Studies of the Southern Andean Iconographic Series, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, D.C., and Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles (2015).
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“ART AND SHAMANISM”
I. Introduction – Shamanic flight: trance, transformation and the quest for ecstasy. General characteristics and antiquity of shamanism.
II. Shamanic case histories – The far north: Siberia, the Inuit, and the Tlingit.
III. Shamanism and the ritual use of visionary plants in the Americas 1.
IV. Shamanism and the ritual use of visionary plants in the Americas 2.
Conclusions – Shamanism and contemporary life: implications for the creative process.
