Co-founded by meditation teacher Michael Taft, neuroscientist Kathryn Devaney and author Erik Davis, the Alembic (in Berkeley, CA) is a new:
(…) nonprofit bodymind center committed to experiments in transformation. Drawing from ancient traditions and contemporary protocols, the space offers a wide range of skillful means for exploring, integrating, and transforming our felt engagement with the world and the mystery of our own consciousness. Our classes, workshops, and special events are led by an array of teachers and facilitators: contemplative masters and scientists, fringe scholars and somatic wizards, imaginal artists and seasoned psychonauts. You can think of the Alembic as an awareness gym, or a metamodern mutation lab, or a transformational festival without the dust.
The Alembic is also a vibe. Against the rigid leanings and groupthink of many spiritual and wellness communities, the Alembic is fostering an organic and diverse community of open-minded and open-hearted practitioners committed to curiosity, discernment, mutual discovery, and play. When it comes to worldview, the old motto of the Esalen Institute comes to mind: “no one captures the flag.” It is a place where Vedic astrologers and neuro-hackers can break bread, where ecstatic dancers and heady dharmanauts can find common cause in the game of awakening.
