Watkins Bookshop - Free Talks & Events

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive tea that has a long history of ritual use among indigenous groups of the Upper Amazon. Made from the ayahuasca vine and the leaves of a shrub, ayahuasca is associated with healing in collective ceremonies and in more intimate contexts, generally under the direction of specialist – an ayahuasquero. These are experienced practitioners who guide the ceremony and the drinker's experience. Ayahuasca has moved out of the Amazon and ceremonies happen nightly, with Hollywood stars, Wall Street players and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs now drinking the brew. Why? What effect might ayahuasca be having on our culture? Could it be the LSD of our time? Does the brew, which seems to inspire environmental action, simplified lifestyles and more communitarian behaviour, act as an antidote to frenzied consumerist culture? In this lecture, Sophia Rokhlin, author of When Plants Dream, will discuss the economic, legal and cultural dimensions of the psychoactive potion's popularity. Following her talk, there will be a chance to ask Sophia your questions and have your copy of When Plants Dream signed.

What is the meaning of the disenchantment of our age? Is the ego a clue to a way forward, not a hindrance? What might the next steps in the evolution of human consciousness look like? These questions, and more, were explored by Owen Barfield. He was a member of the famous Oxford literary group, the Inklings, and the one whom C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were said to have had the most innovative ideas. Barfield studied how the meaning of words changes over time, and saw that they were fossils of consciousness. The evolving human perception of ourselves, others, nature, the cosmos and the gods can therefore be traced and, moreover, its meaning understood. In this talk, drawing from his new book, Mark Vernon will outline Barfield’s ideas and what they tell us about ancient philosophy, mystical Christianity and our spiritual flourishing today. Mark Vernon is a writer, broadcaster, psychotherapist and former Anglican priest. He contributes to programmes on the radio, writes and reviews for newspapers and magazines, gives talks and podcasts. His new book is A Secret History of Christianity: Jesus, the Last Inkling, and the Evolution of Consciousness. His previous books have covered themes including friendship and God, ancient Greek philosophy and wellbeing. He has a PhD in ancient Greek philosophy, and other degrees in physics and in theology, and works as a psychotherapist in private practice.

In this free Watkins Books talk, Marco Marini will introduce his book Kabbalah and the 22 Paths of Healing and the healing properties of the Kabbalistic archetypes which have inspired his work over the last 25 years. During the second part of the talk, Marco Marini will reveal the practical system of healing, Water of Siloe, which emerged from his work with Kabbalah. Water of Siloe is a holistic system that helps in re-harmonising the human structure by reaching the root of the imbalance and activating a deep process of transformation on every level. Marco will then offer a free live demonstration to show participants how to use this method of healing in their daily lives. Link to Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/398537704204967/

Time is tight; life is short. How long do you want to remain in the dream? Drawing from his new book 'Rough Waking', Zen master Daizan Skinner will share insights concerning how we can rapidly and sustainably awaken within the constrictions and insecurities of modern life. Based on over a thousand years of practical wisdom and Daizan’s many years of helping hundreds of westerners to awaken and transform their lives, we will explore specific Zen techniques and practices that can form a survival kit underpinning any spiritual path. About the author Julian Daizan Skinner is a Roshi or Zen Master. Thirty years ago, he gave up a promising career as a scientist in the pharmaceuticals industry, sold his house, gave all the money away and entered a Zen monastery. Over many years of strict training, in Japan and the west, Daizan Roshi received Dharma Transmission and permission to teach in both the Rinzai and Soto lineages of Zen. He has also undergone training as an enlightenment intensive master with Lawrence Noyes. Daizan Roshi received inka from Zen Master Shinzan Miyamae of Gyokuryuji, with whom he continues to study. About the book Rough Waking: For Those Confined And Homeless (Including You) consists of poems and artworks on the themes of dealing with insecurity and confinement – the homelessness and imprisonment we all share. Sharing their stories and their responses to this shared human predicament are the book’s three contributors: (1) Prize-winning photographer and meditator, Laszlo Mihaly, uses words and images and an intimate knowledge of homelessness to illustrate his path through brokenness to creativity. (2) The poems of Zen Master Julian Daizan Skinner, inspired by his own teacher’s joke that Zen life combines prison and homelessness, depict the pains and joys arising through his three decades in the Zen world. (3) Zen artist Kazuaki Okazaki who, after eighteen years incarceration on death row was executed in July 2018, contributes a sequence of images depicting a spiritual journey from lostness and wandering, through the intense confinement of Zen training, and then onwards into a new homelessness a vastly expanded realm of liberation and service. Under the motto, “Change your body; change your mind; change your life”, Zenways has been sharing meditation and yoga practice for over five years within homeless and prison charity, the St Giles Trust. All profits from the book go to supporting and expanding this work.