Discernment, Boundaries & Protection: Perceptual Practice for Staying Whole

In these convoluted times, it can be difficult to know when to welcome, when to give, and when to step back. Rose-colored glasses do not seem to serve us as well as they might once have, so we need to refine our filters. Where should you draw a line between yourself and another person, a group, a gathering, a situation, or even a belief? What do we do with fears that arise, do we honor them or dismiss them? How do we listen and respond to our own instinct and intuition? A more animated world may feel filled with many kinds of invisible effects, yet traditional practices can show us some ways to acknowledge the perceived possibility of danger, and to navigate accordingly. Through the study of folk traditions and techniques from various cultures, and her own lifetime of personal practices, Kat will show us some ways that we can learn to discern who and what is safe. We can practice ways to subtly, yet powerfully, create a more discerning lens — a buffer, a boundary, and even a shield for deflection or protection, when needed. Learning to cultivate your inner sense is empowering. As we’ve seen in studying other realms, techniques of visualization and symbolic action can make a difference.

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Kathleen Harrison, MA, is an independent scholar and teacher of ethnobotany. Her work explores the relationship between plants, mushrooms and human beings—particularly in the realms that are often hidden: cultural beliefs, personification of species, rituals of healing and initiation, vision-seeking modalities, and artistic creations that illustrate the plant-human relationship. She also studies and teaches the deep history of humans in nature, encompassing the eras both before and since the advent of agriculture.

Since the 1970s, Kathleen has done recurrent fieldwork in Mesoamerica, the Amazon Basin, the West Coast subcultures, and the Pacific islands, and is a published author and photographer. In 1985, Kathleen co-founded Botanical Dimensions, and has managed its projects in Mexico, Peru, Hawaii and California. She hosted BD’s exceptional Ethnobotany Library and classes in Northern California from 2015-2020. Kat continues to teach classes on psychedelic perspectives and various branches of ethnobotany.

Host or Publisher The Berkeley Alembic Foundation