The PRS Membership Launch Extravaganza! (FREE Event!)

The Philosophical Research Society invites you to join us for a truly momentous occasion: the launch of the first ever membership program in our 90 year history! To mark this historic milestone, we’re hosting a FREE celebration stacked with events which span the range of PRS’s singularly eclectic programming. Where else in LA can you tour a historic esoteric library, get a tarot reading, take in a lecture on art & alchemy, bask in an incredible courtyard concert, experience an immersive art installation, witness a theatrical wedding of the Sun and Moon (!!!), get wow’d by a mindblowing mix of proto-CGI animation, vibe out to meditative music recorded in national parks, and get the chance to win amazing prizes all in one night?! And that’s a taste of what you’ll be getting and supporting when you sign up to become a PRS member!

The evening’s program will include:

• A presentation on art & alchemy by Library of Esoterica’s Jessica Hundley

• An exciting courtyard concert (artist to be announced!)

• A chance to visit our historic library and see rare, antique esoteric books on display!

• A theatrical Alchemical Marriage – an alchemical ritual performance featuring the Sun and the Moon.

• Brilliant multidisciplinary artist Lucien Shapiro’s immersive STREET DIAMONDS & DIRT installation on display in our Hansell Gallery

• A screening of EXP TV’s PIXEL POWER program – a mindblowing assemblage of experimental animation from the dawn of our Information Age!

• Tarot readings by the extraordinary Sophia Knapp

• A blissful listening meditation of musician/flautist Noah Klein’s Zion and Arches, held in our beautiful upstairs Lecture Room

• And a chance to win Taschen’s deluxe edition of Manly P. Hall’s magnum opus THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES (a $500 value!) for anyone who signs up for membership* plus the first 5 people to become members at our launch party will receive a free BluRay courtesy of Deaf Crocodile Films, purveyors of the finest in weird and wonderful world cinema!

From rare and eclectic film screenings to magic lantern shows; from gallery exhibits by local artists to Butoh dance workshops and somatic movement classes; from book signings & lectures to Celtic shadow-puppet shows; from mystical poetry gatherings to presentations on alchemy, mythology, ancient folklore, and L.A history; from spiritual mortality-exploring gatherings of The Death Cafe to soundbaths and a historic Esoteric Library containing over 30,000 rare books: The Philosophical Research Society is a special place and by becoming a member you can help ensure that this 501c3 arts, culture, & humanities non-profit institution always stays that way. In addition to our regular programs, as a member you can join us for special Members Only events, Members Only Library hours, special Members Art Gallery previews, pre-show Members Mixers and much more!

*Everyone who joins as a new Member between June 21st and the event on July 12th (online or in-person on 7/12) will be eligible to enter a raffle with the prize of a Taschen deluxe edition of The Secret Teachings of All Ages ($500 value)! Sign up for your membership beforehand or in person this evening and we’ll announce the winners in the days following the event!

• 7:00pm – Art Is Alchemy

A visual journey into the alchemical magic of creative manifestation - spirit expressed as art, music and words. Delving into the ecstatic works created through meditation, mediumship and direct dialogue with the divine, we’ll explore the history of channeled visions, from ancient petroglyphs to transcendent works by contemporary artists. Led by Jessica Hundley, Author and Editor of Taschen’s, a multivolume encyclopedia series on the art of esoteric traditions, we’ll weave our way across time, exploring the lives and works of visionaries such as Medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen, the Swedish seeker Hilma af Klint, and the Surrealist coven of Varo, Fini and Carrington. We’ll dive into the vast catalogue of ecstatic works born of Theosophy and Transcendental philosophies and sacred psychedelic exploration. Join us in celebrating the alchemy of the creative, of dreaming transformed into cathartic realization, a magical communion between spirit and form.

• 7:30pm – Courtyard Concert

An ecstatic concert in our beautiful courtyard – stay tuned for our artist announcement!

• 8:15pm – Alchemical Marriage

An alchemical ritual performance featuring the Sun and the Moon. Welcoming in change, new beginnings and celebrating life cycles within community.

• 9:00pm – EXP TV’s PIXEL POWER

Presented by obscure media and video ephemera collective EXP TV, PIXEL POWER celebrates experimental animation from the dawn of our Information Age. This proto-CGI universe was a fertile playground where artists, scientists and video freeks created a geometric, playful, psychedelic garden of digital delights. EXP TV dug deep for this special program, seeking out the oddest, funniest, most primitive yet dazzling moments from this era. Shoutout to their mainframe friends – 01100101 01111000 01110000 01110100 01110110 !

• 9:30pm – Noah Klein’s Zion and Arches Listening Meditation

The evening concludes in our beautiful upstairs Lecture Room with a very special listening party for two organic and meditative works by musician/flautist/community organizer (co-founder of PRS 2024 Contributing Performance Group LIVING EARTH)/California certified naturalist Noah Klein. After an introduction from Noah, we’ll lay back and take in 2/3‘s of his envisioned “Utah trilogy” – Zion and the newly released Arches.

“Zion” was recorded in gratitude, wonder and awe of the Virgin River tributary in Zion National Park, a space that has left an indelible mark on him throughout the years. Across two sides, Noah’s breathy flute and bansuri playing meanders and unfurls across its calming, naturalistic landscape. Accompanying Noah is Sean Conrad (Channelers, Ashan, Inner Islands) on piano, Patrick Shiroishi on saxophone and Marc Merza on shruti box and lyra-8.

“Arches” is a eulogy for collapsing rock formations, an anthropogenic music of erosion and ecocide, released by Leaving Records to help us attune to the more-than-human voices around us. Inspired by camping trips throughout Utah, Klein found fascination in the spires, buttes, and arches that animate the landscape of Castle Valley. First Peoples describe these formations as portals, sentient beings, and sources of help in both life and ritual. What began as an intrigue grew into a deep curiosity to perceive the voices of these ancient beings. If each geological monument carries the vibrational energy arising through the earth, like a terrestrial tuning fork, then how can we learn to listen?

Pillows will be provided, BYO mats and cushions!

Note: This event will be held in our upstairs lecture room which is unfortunately not ADA accessible.

• All Evening – PRS Library Open House

Visit our historic Esoteric Library and see a selection of rare books on display!

• All Evening – Lucien Shapiro’s STREET DIAMONDS & DIRT on view in The Hansell Gallery

Creating potent alchemical transformations through found objects, textures, cast forms, manipulations, and raw substances, artist Lucien Shapiro brought his cathartic body of work to The Philosophical Research Society for an immersive art installation in our Hansell Gallery. “Treating forgotten objects and memories as treasure,” Shapiro explains, “I create a kingdom under which new life is born.” – Lucien Shapiro. A chance to catch this incredible installation before it closes on 7/13!

• All Evening – Tarot Readings by Sophia Knapp

Gifted tarot reader Sophia Knapp will be offering mini-readings in our bookstore throughout the evening! Knapp is a musician, clairvoyant, Tarot reader, Astrologer, and teacher. A celebrated intuitive, Sophia brings a down-to-earth, inspiring, and sometimes humorous approach to the psychic arts. Note: While admission to this evening’s events are free, mini-readings (12 minutes) with Sophia are scheduled (sign up in our bookstore) and offered for $40.

Our campus will open at 6:00pm for exploring and browsing before the evening’s proceedings!

Note: This is a FREE RSVP event with rolling admittance throughout the evening, pending event capacity

Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions. For information on the PRS Membership program please visit

ABOUT JESSICA HUNDLEY

Jessica Hundley is an author and filmmaker specializing in music, counterculture, magick and psychedelia. With a background in culture journalism, Hundley has served as a masthead editor for UK magazine Dazed & Confused, music publication The Fader and continues to freelance for publications such as Vogue, Rolling Stone and The New York Times. In her filmmaking work, she has directed the feature length music doc, Such Hawks, Such Hounds as well as numerous music videos and commercials. As an author, Hundley has published over a dozen books in the last decade, including an acclaimed biography on country rock icon Gram Parsons, a book on music and meditation with the director David Lynch, and an extensive overview of the photography of Dennis Hopper. Hundley is also creator, author and Series Editor for TASCHEN’s multivolume collection, The Library of Esoterica, a book series exploring the visual history of Tarot, Astrology, Plant Magick and other esoteric traditions.

More info at www.jessicahundley.com

Alchemical Wedding Sun and Moon Costume Designs by Kristen Phillips

Lucien Shapiro STREET DIAMONDS & DIRT Artist Statement excerpt

""The most important themes I draw upon in my art practice are transformation, repetition, meditation, and growth. In a world of rapid climate change, by utilizing materials most would discard, I create a raw conversation between treasure and trash. I typically use materials like bottle caps and 'street diamonds' (glass from vandalized cars I sweep off the street), thereby transforming them into something new and hopeful. Through laborious and meditative repetition, I examine how small individual elements, though often overlooked, can come together to create a powerful and transformative whole...
This fluidity of thought and purpose informs all of my work and currently I’m primarily focusing on the evolution of my inner Self. I am laying bare and opening up to whatever the future may bring. In this way, my work is now more transparent and a symbol of my growth as an artist and as a human."
//lucienshapiro.com

ABOUT EXP TV

“I believe in a long, prolonged derangement of the senses in order to obtain the unknown.” - Jim Morrison

EXP TV is…a 24/7 live TV channel broadcasting an endless stream of obscure media and video ephemera at exptv.org. EXP stands for… experimental, expanded, experiential, expert, exploration, expressive, expounded, exposed, explained, expeditionary, unexpected, exponents, expatriot, expedited, expectorant, exposure, expelled, expendable, expensive, express, exploded, expired…EXP TV!

“It’s a barrage of strange imagery and is really quite an inspired—not to say elaborate and work intensive—art project.” - Dangerous Minds

ABOUT NOAH KLEIN

Noah Klein is an adventurous artist, organizer, diy ecomusicologist, and naturalist born and raised in the Los Angeles Basin. They live for the relationships between soundscape and landscape, supporting local interdependent arts communities, and exploring ideas of decentralization as a practice towards emancipatory world building.

https://noahklein.bandcamp.com/

ABOUT SOPHIA KNAPP

Sophia Knapp is a musician, clairvoyant, Tarot reader, Astrologer, and teacher. A celebrated intuitive, Sophia brings a down-to-earth, inspiring, and sometimes humorous approach to the psychic arts. She has connected with thousands of people in private sessions and at events for companies such as Netflix, Meta, Soho House, Hulu, Instagram, and Pinterest. She also offers Tarot courses and workshops at DEN Meditation, and has brought her wisdom to Mercado Sagrado, Unplug Meditation, and Spirit Weavers. She believes in the cosmic dance of divine and free will, and encourages people to actively seek out fulfilling experiences in order to transform and enrich their lives. Her background as an artist has served to inform and deepen her healing gifts, allowing her to channel expressly poetic and meaningful guidance.

On the music front, Sophia has released albums both as a solo artist and as a member of the fuzzed-out faerie rock bands Lights and Cliffie Swan on Drag City records. Known for her emotive, silvery voice, fingerpicked guitar style, and imaginative lyrics, she has toured internationally and collaborated with and supported such luminaries as Bill Callahan, Marissa Nadler, Dungen, Jim Jarmusch, and Destroyer. Sophia holds a BFA from The Cooper Union with a focus on drawing. Her love of art and keen visual sense seeps into everything that she does, from her music videos to her Tarot course materials.
Sophia is currently writing a new album and slinging cards in unceded Tongva and Chumash lands (a.k.a. Los Angeles), and all over the world via Zoom.
Links:http://www.tarotbysophia.com IG: @tarotbysophia

ACCESSIBILITY

PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.

PARKING

Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in both the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east) and back lot (entry from first alley way, off Griffith Park Blvd. from intersection with Los Feliz Blvd.), as well as street parking on Griffith Park Blvd. and (after 7 PM) on Los Feliz Blvd. We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking, many thanks.

PRS EVENT POLICIES

• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
• Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
• We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
• Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
• No filming, audio recording or mobile phone recording of events, screenings, concerts or other programs by audience members is allowed without permission.
• There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds.
• We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
• PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
• Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events.
• Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.

Host or Publisher The Philosophical Research Society