An ancient prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor, here representing the often-polarized science and spirit, mind and heart, foretold that ours would be a time of great upheaval calling for a re-harmonizing, a healing, both within ourselves and in the world at large. We are once again bridging spirit and science.
In this course, we will explore the past 30+ years of scientific breakthroughs known as the Psychedelic Renaissance and relate those discoveries to our growing understanding of the role of spiritual healing in modern medicine.
We will use Dr. Tafur’s new book Medicine Song as our guide. In the first session we will review the first three chapters of the book, exploring the implications of the return of psychedelic research (1990-2003). We will explore the role of the transcendent in this body of research and demonstrate its validated connection to our health. From there, we will explore the role of our spiritual gifts.
In the second session we will review developing psychedelic research up until the MAPS 2013 Psychedelic Science Conference, following along with book chapters 4-6 (2003-2013). During that time, clinical investigation revealed that “psilocybin-occasioned experiences are similar to spontaneously occurring mystical experiences.” As mystical and non-ordinary experiences began to make their way into the mainstream, ancestral wisdom and ceremony garnered increasing attention from Western science and culture.
In the third session, we will follow-along with chapters 7-9 (2013-2022). We will discuss the practice of working within an expanded state setting, in psychedelic therapy and sacred ceremony. We will explore the value of discernment amidst mystical awareness, shared intuition, visions, and dreams. We will discuss neuroscientific mechanisms involved in mystical consciousness and potential alignment with innate healing intelligence. We will relate these phenomena to the unfolding Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor
In the fourth session, we will follow chapter 10 through twelve into the “Psychedelic Twenties.” We will examine our place in multidimensional universe here on Earth. We will discuss the central role of our “connectedness” to self, to others, to our ecosystem, and to the sacred.
Joe Tafur, M.D.
Joe Tafur, M.D., is a Colombian-American integrative physician and author of the books The Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor’s Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine and Medicine Song: Spiritual Healing and the Psychedelic Renaissance. After completing his family medicine training at UCLA, Dr. Tafur spent two years in academic research at the UCSD Department of Psychiatry. After his research fellowship, over a period of six years, he lived and worked in the Peruvian Amazon at the traditional healing center Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual, training there as an ayahuasquero.
He eventually returned to Arizona where he completed fellowship at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. With his multicultural spiritual community in Phoenix, Dr. Tafur co-founded the Church of the Eagle and the Condor (CEC). Dr. Tafur is also a co-founder of the nonprofit Modern Spirit where he assists in their educational programs and guided retreats exploring the role of sacred ceremony in psychedelic therapy.
Your preferred contact email for potential student inquiries: info@drjoetafur.com
