Womens Visionary Council

The Women's Visionary Council seeks $100,000 in funding to continue its pioneering work in education and community building. Since 2008, the WVC has led a cultural movement to amplify the voices of underrepresented people in communities that work with psychedelics. As longtime participants in scientific and policy discussions, we noted the absence of female researchers, healers,and activists at conferences where psychedelics are discussed. In response, we founded the annual Women's Visionary Congress to provide a platform for women in the field. Many of the women who are now leaders in organizations that work with psychedelics received their first opportunity to speak at a WVC event.  The WVC is seeking funding to produce "A Day of Remembering" which will take place on November 1, 2025 in Berkeley, CA. We also want to contribute more widely to other events, such as our panel "Amplifying the Wisdom of Psychedelic Elders," which the WVC presented to a standing-room-only audience at Psychedelic Science 2023. At PS23 our popular "Ask An Elder" project allowed participants to ask questions and seek advice. This is a pivotal opportunity to preserve and share the wisdom of elders while they are still with us. Their experience and insights into the development of skilled practitioners for psychedelic therapies and facilitation are invaluable. WVC members are presently interviewing some of the most senior guides from the underground to record their protocols and processes. We want to expand our Laura Huxley Grant Fund, which for 14 years has awarded 3-4 grants a year to elders whose work is foundational to the field.  The WVC is also seeking to launch several new projects including an in-person and/or online book club, a structured mentorship program, and the translation of significant English language works to European languages. We want to continue our ongoing support of other allied groups, such as the preservation of Shulgin Farm, which has offered the WVC meeting space to hold events for community building and education. The WVC is especially interested in expanding the scope and reach of our harm reduction workshops to support safer practices among people who use psychedelics. We want to build on our "Safety Tips for Psychedelic Ceremonies," to provide education in boundary setting, consent and psychic self-defense during psychedelic experiences, essential skills which are rarely taught. Funding towards these WVC projects is a tangible investment in the preservation of wisdom, the cultivation of resilience, and the promotion of inclusivity in psychedelic communities everywhere.