Cardea

April Residency at Nowadays: John MacLean - A Search for Transcendence in Club Culture and Ceremony
2023-04-12 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Nowadays, 56-06 Cooper Ave, Ridgewood, NY, 11385, United States
For our April Residency at Nowadays present John MacLean aka The Juan MacLean
John MacLean, aka Juan MacLean / The Juan MacLean, is a ceremonial facilitator who has
studied extensively both in the Amazon jungle of Peru and also various western contemporary
modalities concerning the intersection of consciousness, sound and healing. He is also a multi-
instrumentalist, DJ, and music producer of electronic music, with an interest in exploring and
questioning issues around recreational use of psychedelics and the ways in which, if any, the
container of a club settings might resemble traditional ceremonies that involved repetitive
rhythmic music as a way of entering into a trance state for healing and communal bonding.
John will speak to his experience and journey of awakening that was initiated over 25 years ago
by the spiritual emergency of opiate addiction, and subsequent recovery through various
meditative techniques and ceremonial psychedelic use. He will also speak to issues of cultural
appropriation, cultural extraction, and the ongoing struggle to find a respectful and healing
container for these ancient psychedelic technologies in the current context of Capitalism in
which they are reemerging into the mainstream. He will explore issues around club culture and
the entertainment industry in general and whether or not these experiences and ‘products’ are
tools of healing and transformation, or simply ways of assuaging existential anxiety in order to
keep a broken system running smoothly. He often refers to the Krishnamurti quote “It is no
measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society” as a reference and
framework for his work with psychedelics.

There will also be a brief sound experience with some vibrational as a demonstration of the
kinds of techniques used in psychedelic ceremonies as a way of entering into a non-ordinary
state of consciousness.

Psychedelic Access Fund x Cardea Fundraising Night
2023-04-06 18:30 - 20:30 | 2277 3rd Ave, 2277 3rd Ave, New York, NY, 10035, United States
RSVP here!

Psychedelic Care—Accessibility for All.
We’re excited to launch the first fundraising event to celebrate the Psychedelic Access Fund’s partnership with Cardea.
Join us on Thursday, April 6th at 6:30 PM for an evening of networking, mingling, and gathering in community with the common goal of paying it forward and bringing psychedelic healing to those in need.
The event is taking place at CARDEA—a one-of-a-kind space designed by celebrated artist Randy Polumbo. The entire space is a work of art featuring hand-crafted reishi mushroom furniture, light installations, and a playful atmosphere that inspires creativity.
Our goal for the night is to raise $2,100
This covers full sponsorship for two individuals to join CARDEA’s Group Ketamine Journey Series.
About The Event:
With your support, we’re bridging the gap between psychedelic care and accessibility.
This event is an opportunity to connect and network with others in the psychedelic space. We’ll have two main pieces of entertainment throughout the night:

Spontaneous, personalized poetry by Peter Chinman (@TheParkPoet)
An inspiring dance performance by Madeline Warriner (@MaddieWarr)

You’ll also enjoy lite bites and refreshments from our sponsors:

Farm-to-Table Ethiopian food by Ras Plant Based
Crunchy mushroom snacks by Popadelics
Booze-free cocktails by Ghia
Relaxing refreshments by Moment

About CARDEA’s Group Ketamine Journey Series:
To honor both community and accessibility, CARDEA created their Group Ketamine Journey Series—a 3-part group ketamine experience.
The sessions are held at CARDEA’s gathering grotto and they’re kept intimate with only 5 to 7 people per group. All experiences are hosted by a licensed therapist and a sound practitioner that guides the hour-long session with live sound and vibrational instruments.
The group meets weekly for four weeks, going through the entire experience together. The series includes three ketamine-assisted journeys and two group dialogic sessions—CARDEA’s unique approach to preparation and reflection.
Learn more about the Group Ketamine Journey Series
Meet The Psychedelic Access Fund:
The Psychedelic Access Fund (PAF) is a non-profit organization, determined to remove the financial barriers that prevent a person from experiencing psychedelic healing. We believe that psychedelic healing should be accessible to all, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We accomplish this by sponsoring select individuals for ketamine-assisted therapy, and will eventually move into psilocybin, once it becomes available.
Meet CARDEA:
CARDEA is a Ketamine Space that takes a seriously playful approach to psychedelic care. With the ethos of “radical hospitality” at their core, they aim to create a space for growth and expanded awareness from a place of playful creativity. CARDEA goes beyond just a space for ketamine-assisted therapy. They believe in the improvisational nature of personal growth and tap into many different healing modalities like energy healing, art, moving meditation, and more.

Guided Bodily Reverie: Body Meditation
2023-03-27 18:00 - 20:00 | 2277 3rd Ave, 2277 3rd Ave, New York, NY, 10035, United States
Reserve Your Spot

Guided Bodily Reverie
This class is a snapshot in time of my current explorations in decentralizing and distributing awareness to be responsive to, and responsible for, the multiplicity inherent in the carnal body. Privileging qualitative sensorial curiosity and actively resisting the urge to translate these experiences into the quantitative world of data and information. Endeavoring to remove the scalpel from the hands of the domesticating influence of any number of patterns and systems that alienate us from our own sentient and sensuous bodies. My offering is a flavor of guided meditation which I have come to call Guided Bodily Reverie.
Class includes somatic movement and awareness exercises, consented hands-on and/or self-touch, deep meditation practices, and exploration of improvised movement and vocalization, among other creative devices. We will move at the pace of our own visceral exploration.
This class can only hold 5 guests. Please wear comfortable clothing.
Kayvon Pourazar was born in Tehran and spent his formative years in Iran, Turkey and England. He immigrated to the US in 1995, graduated with a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase in 2000 and has resided in NYC ever since, working as a contemporary/experimental dancer and teacher. Kayvon has collaborated and performed in the works of numerous NYC-based choreographers and dancemakers. In 2010 he received a Bessie Award for Performance. He has served as Adjunct Faculty at Bennington College and The New School, has taught classes frequently at Movement Research and as a guest artist in several universities and festivals domestically and internationally.

ARTemple with Ross Ellenhorn
2023-03-26 10:30 - 12:00
RSVP Here

Join CARDEA’s co-founder Ross Ellenhorn at ARTemple—a space to co-create art from a place of inner guidance, instead of guidelines. This space is fitting for anyone, no art experience required. Through pen, pencil, charcoal, and pain, we’ll meet each other in a place of creativity, improvisation, and connection.
We’re gathering at CARDEA’s gathering grotto on Sunday, March 26th at 10:30 AM. This is a free event and a kid-friendly space. RSVP to save your spot!
“It’s not what you see that is art; art is the gap,” wrote great Dadaist artist Marcel Duchamp. Art is always about the middle land we call relationship or encounter—the ineffable terrain of the in-between—that space we all know as real since we all feel most real when we’re there. At Cardea, we see this space as a kind of holy site, a secularly sacred realm in which we “encounter encounter,” or have a “relationship with relationship,” as we put it. And we see it this way because we believe that it is in the land of the threshold where we come alive, experience the aliveness in others, and—again—encounter the life that courses between us.

The famous theologian Martin Buber wrote that “All real living is meeting.” We think he’s exactly right. And at our monthly ARTemple Sundays, we meet in the deepest way through the making of art. Expect no sermons, no hagiarchy or hierarchy, and only the graceful act of conjuring life through pen, pencil, charcoal, and paint.

This process is less “art for art’s sake” then “art for relating, connecting and the experience of the “thou.” There is absolutely zero need for artistic skill at ARTemple and you will not learn new skills either! Also, feel very free to bring the kids. They have a lot to teach us.

Transcend Sings: The Rites of Spring Mini Concert
2023-03-24 19:30 - 21:00
Limited Spots – RSVP here!

Transcend exists to bring trans and gender-expansive/gender non-conforming voices into the choral music of the western choral tradition. We perform art music (in all its forms) from medieval to contemporary, with a general focus on presenting works of composers from minority backgrounds.

Our goals are artistic, musical, pedagogical and socially-oriented: we are making interesting, thoughtful music, while using our voices to create space for gender-expansive voices in the traditional canon and carve out a legacy for future generations of trans or gender-expansive singers.
Singing together — whether that’s informally with our friends at karaoke, or in a structure environment, like a choir — is one of the core elements of the human experience. Research tells us that singers of all levels benefit in myriad ways from choral singing: physically (blood pressure! heart rate!), emotionally (lower anxiety! stronger sense of personal identity!)and socially (group identity! sense of belonging! sense of personal and group achievement!). It’s hard to find any downsides to being in a choir…

…Unless, of course, there’s no choir for you, no choral home where you feel welcome because you don’t really ‘fit’ into the traditional vocal paradigms on which western choral music is built. In short, if you aren’t clearly an S(oprano), A(lto), T(enor) or B(ass), there are very few places where your voice is a comfortable, easy fit. This is obviously an issue for trans singers in transition, whose voices are changeable and uncertain, but it’s also an issue for anyone else whose voice just happens to be a little different. Maybe your timbre is unusual. Maybe you’re louder than most. Maybe your voice is androgynous and doesn’t really fit with the other voices in your section. What then?

That’s where Transcend steps in: We believe that there’s a place for everyone, regardless of voice type, status or otherwise. We exist to show the world what beauty there can be in voices that don’t ‘fit,’ to showcase the unique aesthetic of transitioning and non-conforming voices coming together in song.

Everyone deserves to have a voice. Everyone deserves to have their voice heard. Everyone deserves a welcoming place where they can express themselves and communicate with others musically. We believe that singing is a human right, and we exist to advocate extending that right to everyone, regardless of whether or not their voice ‘fits.’

Ours didn’t.

Thus, we are creating our own musical space, to show others like us that their voices are valued, are beautiful, are worth hearing.

Cardea: The Studio Mycologist
2023-03-22 20:00 - 21:30 | Nowadays, 56-06 Cooper Ave, Ridgewood, NY, 11385, United States
Free Event @ Nowadays

For the March edition of Cardea’s residency, Randy Polumbo and Eugenia Bone will be joining us for a talk on using fungi as an artistic medium and the mycology that makes it possible, followed by a wide ranging Q and A covering mycology, fungal ecology and psychedelic mushrooms.

Randy Polumbo is an installation-based artist who lives and works between Joshua Tree, California and New York City. His artwork has been shown nationally and internationally across metropoles and natural landscapes such as deserts, ruins, and caves. He is a graduate of The Cooper Union School of Art, as well as a LEED accredited master builder and serves on the Board of Directors of New York Live Arts. Randy joins us with decades of experience in building spaces and immersive environments, using polished metal and blown glass, reishi mushroom mycelium, kaleidoscopic grottos, and cast glass. His projects range from museum installations to public sculpture, to monumental renovation of New York mansions and apartments for clients and design luminaries around the world.
Randy has designed and built Cardea’s Tribeca Ketamine Space in New York City to enhance the calming, novel and imaginative environment for transformative experiences. The space’s design materializes Cardea’s concept of “radical hospitality,” which places the guest and their goals at the visual, tactile, and acoustical center of the experience. All sensory interactions have been considered, from lighting, sound, scents and textures, leading each moment of a journey to a new discovery. Randy first began growing and casting mycelium during COVID. This led to his monumental installation at the Brooklyn Museum and a myriad other mycelia projects including Cardea!
Eugenia Bone is an internationally known food and science writer whose work has appeared in many anthologies, magazines, and newspapers. She is a member of the faculty at the New York Botanical Garden where she teaches classes on mycophagy and psychedelic mushrooms. She is the author or co-author of eight books on food and biology, including the category staple Mycophilia, and most recently, the Fantastic Fungi Community Cookbook (December, 2021). She has been nominated for a variety of awards, including a James Beard Award. Eugenia is featured in the documentary directed by Louie Schwartzberg, Fantastic Fungi (2019), and in the Netflix children’s show about food, Waffles + Mochi (the mushroom episode) produced by Michele Obama’s Higher Ground Productions.

The Philosopher Stoned: Foucault on Acid and the Neoliberal Temptation
2023-03-09 18:00 - 20:00 | 2277 3rd Ave, 2277 3rd Ave, New York, NY, 10035, United States
RSVP to reserve your spot!

Psychedelics have always been big business, but lately they have become the center of a rapidly growing consciousness-expanding industry. We will consider this so-called “psychedelic renaissance” in light of philosopher and historian Michel Foucault’s critique of neoliberalism, especially after his fabled Death Valley acid trip in 1975. How might Foucault help prepare us for the new wave of psychedelic commerce? What, exactly, is new about it? Or is it really just business as usual?
Nathan Gorelick is Term Assistant Professor of English at Barnard College. Previously, he was Associate Professor of English at Utah Valley University, and he holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has published widely on the intersections of literature, philosophy, and psychoanalysis. His first book, The Unwritten Enlightenment, is forthcoming from Northwestern University Press. He is currently researching the history of the relation between psychedelics and the Freudian field, as well as how this relation may be reinvented today.

Sister Circle: Womxn's Integration Support @ Cardea Ketamine Space
2023-03-01 19:00 - 21:00 | 2277 3rd Ave, 2277 3rd Ave, New York, NY, 10035, United States
Limited Spots – Register Here!

Our womxn’s integration support circles aim to create a safe space to share our psychedelic experiences openly and hold space in support of each other. On March 1st from 7-9 PM, we will gather at Cardea Ketamine space for an in-person discussion about psychedelics, journey exploration, and mental health.
VIEW THE SPACE.
Cardea is a new approach to psychedelics that focuses on “serious play” as a central element in a person’s growth, awakening, and healing. Play is the marrow of compassion, the essential element of cooperation, and is the place and condition where we feel most ourselves. Cardea sees this focus on play and livingness as a central but often uncredited element in both psychedelic and psychotherapeutic care. Their expert practitioners lead group and solo sessions by using sound as an intensely attuned care through vibrational instruments such as gongs, bells, drums, singing bowls, and the human voice. Unlike most Ketamine providers, performing live ceremonial sound work allows their practitioners to mold and shift the vibrational space to match the needs of their guests.
We hope you can join us and experience Cardea’s magical wonderland of play.
We will have light snacks and refreshments during our support circle.
This is a free event, but donations are always welcome.

Hope to see you there! ♡

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How to get here ~

By subway, take the A,C,E,1 trains to Canal Street
By bus, take the M21 to Spring/Greenwich. Or M55 to 6th Ave/Canal

Questions? Please email hello@thepsychedelicsisterhood.com

Guided Bodily Reverie: Body Meditation
2023-02-24 18:00 - 20:00 | 2277 3rd Ave, 2277 3rd Ave, New York, NY, 10035, United States
Only 5 Spots – Reserve Now!

Guided Bodily Reverie with Kayvon Pourazar
This class is a snapshot in time of my current explorations in decentralizing and distributing awareness to be responsive to, and responsible for, the multiplicity inherent in the carnal body. Privileging qualitative sensorial curiosity and actively resisting the urge to translate these experiences into the quantitative world of data and information. Endeavoring to remove the scalpel from the hands of the domesticating influence of any number of patterns and systems that alienate us from our own sentient and sensuous bodies. My offering is a flavor of guided meditation which I have come to call Guided Bodily Reverie.
Class includes somatic movement and awareness exercises, consented hands-on and/or self-touch, deep meditation practices, and exploration of improvised movement and vocalization, among other creative devices. We will move at the pace of our own visceral exploration. This class can only hold 5 guests. Please wear lose comfortable clothing.
Kayvon Pourazar was born in Tehran and spent his formative years in Iran, Turkey and England. He immigrated to the US in 1995, graduated with a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase in 2000 and has resided in NYC ever since, working as a contemporary/experimental dancer and teacher. Kayvon has collaborated and performed in the works of numerous NYC-based choreographers and dancemakers. In 2010 he received a Bessie Award for Performance. He has served as Adjunct Faculty at Bennington College and The New School, has taught classes frequently at Movement Research and as a guest artist in several universities and festivals domestically and internationally.

Psychedelics Unhinged with Dr. Tehseen Noorani
2023-02-10 18:30 - 20:30 | 2277 3rd Ave, 2277 3rd Ave, New York, NY, 10035, United States
Limited Spots – Register Here!

As archetypal tricksters, psychedelics continue to defy explanation. Invoking Cardea, the trickster goddess of the hinge, I want this talk to open some questions for us to play with: if psychedelics produce such weird and unruly experiences, why are they therapeutic, and what else might they be? I’ll draw on my research, from psychedelic clinical trials, through to sites where we find related kinds of extreme experiences. I’ll also open up a dialogue with the Cardea founders about the trickster energies that give the name to their own work.
Tehseen Noorani is a researcher interested in the intersections of psychedelic and ‘psychotic’ or mad experiences. He has a PhD studying the hearing voices movement, a postdoc spearheading qualitative research for the Johns Hopkins psychedelic research centre and has written on the medicalisation of psychedelics. He’s a part-time scholar-in-residence for Tactogen Public Benefit Corporation and an ambassador to The Fireside Project, and was a co-organizer of the 2021 conference, Psychedelics, Madness & Awakening: Harm Reduction and Future Visions. Since 2022 he has facilitated ‘Rethinking Psychedelic Trials, an interdisciplinary working group focused on methodological questions in the study of psychedelics.

Tripping on Race: Using Psychedelics to End Racism with Dr. Nicholas Powers
2023-02-08 20:00 - 22:00 | Nowadays, 56-06 Cooper Ave, Ridgewood, NY, 11385, United States
RSVP to the Free Event
For the 3rd edition of Cardea’s residency, Dr. Nicholas Powers will be joining us for a lecture. Powers is a literature professor, novelist and journalist. He has facilitated workshops from Occupy Wall Street, PEX, Burning Man and the California Institute for Integral Studies, and his writings have appeared in The Village Voice, Huffington Post, The Raw Story, Truth-Out, The Indypendent, Business Insider, Chacruna, Double Blind and the MAPS Spring 2018 newsletter. He has been interviewed by Naropa University’s “The Root” program on psychedelics and race. His latest book, a political vampire book titled, “Thirst” just came out, and his prior book “The Ground Below Zero: 9/11 to Burning Man, New Orleans to Darfur, Haiti to Occupy Wall Street” was published in 2014 by Upset Press. He’ll be talking with us tonight about psychedelics and race.

As Powers sees it, the psychedelic hype machine is going 100mph, but the reality has not caught up. Amidst all the headlines, basic questions such as, say, how can LSD or molly or ‘shrooms cut the intergenerational trauma loops for working class people of color, are barely talked about. In this presentation, Dr. Powers looks at how a Container beyond the basic ideas currently being put forth in the medical model’s ideas of “Set and Setting” are necessary when bringing psychedelic care to those who are marginalized.

He’ll explore the Black Freedom Movement as a potential container. In Dr. Powers’ words: “In the Black Freedom Movement, freedom is found by returning to the body, a political and risky act because under white supremacy, the body is what we are exiled from. Psychedelics can be the yellow brick road back home.”

CARDEA GRAND OPENING PARTY!
2023-01-25 18:30 - 21:30 | 2277 3rd Ave, 2277 3rd Ave, New York, NY, 10035, United States
