Yonder Journal received the following correspondence from Mike Cherney on 16 February, 2014.

From: Mike Cherney
Date: Sun, Feb 16, 2014 at 10:39 PM
Subject: more gonzo

dudes, this is long and i know your busy. read some a save to read some later. this shit is way out there and right into a very ( i like use this word lots ) interesting space.

so i’m sit’n around do’n the r&r thing this evening and being on the safe side my consciousness goes in search of some rare moments in time. i just found a horde of business cards and notes i took over the past few years. in there was one in particular about a dude i know around here who has a common friend with me named Terrance McKenna. Terrance is an authority on psychoactive and hallucinogenic substances, like a science guru type thing and he lived in the same small village as i and his kids played with mine and we sat and talked some about his work, and he died young. so this hooks into Malcom Terrance of that commune fame and into some more individuals i have come to know over the years. one name pops in hard and i get curious, google the dude and ta da, i get my old buddy Bob Dittler who used to give me a ride down to S. F. from Camp Meeker in Sonoma Co where we both lived and partied when i attended the S. F. Art Institute. the last time i saw Bob was at a party he gave after having taken acid for over 30 days straight. he was into human behaviors and the modification there of. anyway, that’s what he called it. that was the day i found that i was to become a father.

A Selected Roster of Speakers at the 2013 US Science and Nonduality Conference, and Their Internet Biographies

“SAND honors and nurtures the exploration and experience of nonduality as a pathway to greater wisdom and wellbeing in the context of the unique challenges of the 21st century.”

1. Robert Dittler, Ph.D. (Bob): Once upon a time there was a guy named Robert M. Dittler. He entered this realm in San Francisco, California, USA and has since lived in many parts Earth. The universe is his home. He earned a Classical Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, making him somewhat “competent” till the 12th Century CE or so. Later, he finished a Masters of Arts program in Counseling and Guidance. Finally, he received a Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophical Psychology. He has taught in many different levels and settings: Home-Hospital, US Navy Air Craft carriers and ships at-sea, typical classrooms (high school and college), serving the Learning Handicapped as well as educating in Latin, English, and Psychology. Currently, when not visiting India or Nepal, he may be found in a seminar room facilitating a communication workshop for the general public or corporate types. He is a Yoga and Soto Zen practitioner. His main interest is belief systems: their creation, reformulation, and replacement in the service of increasing one’s own integrity. Robert’s wide and varied experience and his personable manner make his workshops challenging, memorable and delightful
2. Christopher A. Fields, Ph.D.: Dr. Chris Fields is an independent scientist interested in both the physics and the cognitive neuroscience underlying the human perception of objects as spatially and temporally bounded entities. His particular interests include quantum information theory and quantum computing on the one hand, and creative problem solving, early childhood development and autism-spectrum conditions on the other. His recent papers have appeared in the International Journal of Theoretical Physics, Information, International Journal of General Systems, Advances in Cognitive Psychology, Frontiers in Perception Science and Medical Hypotheses among others. He is currently editing a Research Topic titled “How humans recognize objects: Segmentation, categorization and individual identification” for Frontiers in Perception Science. Dr. Fields began his career as an experimental physicist, obtained his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science (University of Colorado, Boulder, 1985), and was an early developer of automated DNA sequence analysis tools and systems for the Human Genome Project. He has published over 130 refereed papers in nuclear physics, artificial intelligence, molecular biology and cognitive psychology. He holds U.S Patent # 5355435 (1994) for an integrated circuit chip that simulates a mammalian cortical neuron. Dr. Fields was the founding Scientific Director of the National Center for Genome Resources (Santa Fe, NM) and the founding Chief Scientific Officer of Molecular Informatics Inc. http://chrisfieldsresearch.com.
3. David Shannahoff-Khalsa: David Shannahoff-Khalsa is the Director of The Research Group for Mind-Body Dynamics at UCSD’s BioCircuits Institute, and a member of the UCSD Center for Integrative Medicine. He has discovered a novel step in the evolution of the nervous system that gives new insights to mind-body states and their control. He has published widely in scientific journals and conducted clinical trials using Kundalini Yoga meditation techniques for treating OCD, and pioneered the use of magnetoencephalography to study these techniques. He has taught Kundalini Yoga meditation at the American Psychiatric Association since 2003 for a wide range of psychiatric disorders, and written four books that include 100+ different meditation techniques and disorder-specific protocols for all of the major psychiatric disorders. His 3 books published by W. W. Norton and Co include: Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Techniques Specific for Psychiatric Disorders, Couples Therapy, and Personal Growth, 2006; Kundalini Yoga Meditation for Complex Psychiatric Disorders: Techniques Specific for Treating the Psychoses, Personality, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, 2010; Sacred Therapies: The Kundalini Yoga Meditation Handbook for Mental Health, 2012. And Psychophysiological States: The Ultradian Dynamics of Mind-Body Interactions, Academic Press, 2008. www.theinternetyogi.com
4. James Fadiman, Ph.D.: James Fadiman, Ph.D. author/editor of The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic Journeys (Park Street Press, 2011), has been guiding and researching entheogenic journeys for decades. He cofounded The Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, does management consulting, has taught at Stanford, Brandeis and San Francisco State and has written textbooks, a psychedelic novel (The Other Side of Haight), a self-help book and a play. Currently he is researching ways to use extremely low doses of psychedelics and amassing profiles of present day psychedelic drug users.
5. Laura Inserra: Laura Inserra is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and artistic director. She is a classically trained musician with a strong improvisational background. A native of Sicily, her work in Italy is well-known, including integral participation in the composition of numerous movie scores and the artistic direction of innovative live productions. Inserra performed internationally in prestigious festivals and theaters in Italy and the US that include: The Colosseum (Rome), Auditorium Parco della Musica (Rome), Teatro Olimpico (Rome), The Chapel of the Chimes (Oakland), CounterPULSE (SF), NOHSpace (SF) and San Francisco City Hall among others. An internationally acclaimed Hang player, Inserra has collaborated with various artists globally. The Hang has been dubbed as “the new instrument of this Millennium”. Her performances are infused with a unique blend of musical inspiration and melodic harmonies which deeply resonate with audiences worldwide. In 2007 she moved to the Bay Area and she founded Samavesha, a non-profit multidisciplinary performing arts organization. Audiences worldwide are not only mesmerized by this woman but also captivated by her virtuosity, profound musicality, and the passion that she brings on the stage. More info: www.laurainserra.com
6. Theresa Bullard, Ph.D.: Theresa Bullard, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the integration of science, consciousness, and transformative technologies. Theresa obtained her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Washington, where she conducted interdisciplinary research in neutrino physics, crystal chemistry, nanotechnology, and origin of life studies. Theresa then went on to found QUANTUM LEAP ALCHEMY, has become an accomplished change agent, with a solid background in personal and process development, and a strong track record of achieving sustainable results that rest on a core shift in conscious awareness. For the past 12 years, Theresa has been an international speaker, facilitator and consultant in Brazil, Canada, Japan, and the United States. www.QuantumLeapAlchemy.com
7. Shovelman: Shovelman is a junkyard beatnik and shovel guitar wielding surrealist folk superhero. Armed with a collection of pawnshop effects, pedals and an old barn-shovel turned slide-guitar, Shovelman plays ol’ fashioned folktronica grooves looped straight out of the ground. The sounds of Mississippi delta blues from the electro-psychedelic future collide with the antiquated rubble of lyrical one-man-band hoboetry. Shovelman has become infamous in San Francisco where he currently resides, as well as on the West Coast festival circuit (Lightning in a Bottle, Burning Man and The Oregon Country Fair), opening for bands including Primus, Beats Antique, Sean Hayes and Reggie Watts. (http://www.shovelman.com)