Biographies of Speakers for the 2009 Women's Visionary Congress
Val Corral
Valerie Leveroni Corral is the director of the
Wo/Men/'s Alliance for
Medical Marijuana (WAMM), a Santa Cruz, California-based patient's
collective. For 15 years, WAMM has served seriously ill members of
their community with medical marijuana at no charge. They are the
only collective of their kind in the U.S.
The members of WAMM have
witnessed the death of at least one person in their collective each
month from terminal illness. Some WAMM members are alone and without
resources. In these cases, and whenever asked, WAMM members
organize into caregiver teams to help their friends greet death with
as comfortable and noble a transition as possible. WAMM created the
Raha Kudo
Design for Dying Project to support people facing death and provide respite
for caregivers.
Shy Lady
Shy Lady has been a strong and active supporter of the visionary and
healing community for over a decade. She has co-produced a successful
series of boutique events along the west coast for nearly 10 years.
She envisioned and inspired the inaugural Seattle salon for the Women's Visionary Council
and the
Erowid Center's first northwest fundraiser.
Shy is currently working
toward a master's
degree in nursing. She resides in Seattle, Wa. where she continues to
support events and gatherings within the region's growing visionary community.
Nell Cox
Nell Cox started her career in films in New York as a documentary film editor for Time-Life Broadcast
which aired their documentaries on ABC television in prime time. She worked with now legendary documentary
filmmakers Bob Drew, Richard Leacock, Al and David Maysles, Don Pennebaker, as they were re-inventing
the documentary form with cinema verite.
Nell lived in Los Angeles for a number of years where she directed many prime time dramas
including "M*A*S*H," "Lou Grant," "The Waltons" and "L.A. Law." While in Los Angeles she also
wrote a number of feature film screenplays.
As a director, Nell is known for her award winning PBS dramas, including
"Ghostwriter" (pilot for Children's Television Workshop series), "The Roommate,"
"Konrad," and a women's western, "Liza's Pioneer Diary" which she also produced and wrote.
She is currently in production on a documentary about the scientific, legal and spiritual history
of psychoactive plants and Expanded Consciousness.
Angeli'ca Erskine
Angeli'ca is a second generation activisist working in the Medical
Cannabis movement for over twenty years. Hailing from Oregon where
she worked as a peer counselor for survivors of domestic violence,
participated in the illumination project at Portland Community
College teaching the community ways to change oppressive behaviors
through guerrilla theater, Angelica brings these unique skills with
her to Berkeley where she is employed at the Berkeley Patients
Group. She is one the comforting faces of B.P.G serving thousands
of East Bay medical cannabis patients. Berkeley Patients Group
takes a wholistic approach to healing and sets the standard for
dispenseries in California. Compassion, leadership and community are
among the ideals B.P.G. strives to uphold.
Nick Farina
Nick has been participating in and serving the needs of the visionary community for
15 years. Since 1999, has co-produced many social and educational events
alongside his partner. A survivor of cancer, Nick
has experienced a profound healing journey following a relapse and
a terminal diagnosis. In addition to his study of herbalism, botany
and mycology, Nick is a writer who is currently refining a collection
of his poetry for publication designed to inspire others who are on
the healing path.
Carolyn (Mountain Girl) Garcia
Carolyn Garcia first encountered the world of psychedelics while
working in the organic chemistry department at Stanford University.
She later joined a group of psychedelic pioneers called The Merry
Pranksters and climbed on board the Great Bus "Furthur" where she lived
until 1967.
Carolyn and her family settled in San Francisco with
her future husband, Jerry Garcia, of the Grateful Dead. In 1976,
Carolyn published her classic book on organic marijuana cultivation,
The Primo Plant, which is still in print. In 1987, she joined the
Rex
Foundation founded by members of the Grateful Dead. Garcia is also a member of
the
Threshold Foundation and sits on the board of the
Furthur
Foundation.
Allyson Grey
An accomplished visionary artist, Allyson Grey's paintings invent a
symbol system representing chaos, order and secret writing. Allyson
co-founded the
Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in New York City, is the wife
and partner of internationally renowned artist, Alex Grey, and the
mother of film actress Zena Grey. Born in 1952, Allyson received a
Master of Fine Arts degree from Tufts University in 1976. She has
edited and co-written a dozen books and journals, taught art for
decades, and has exhibited widely, with paintings in public and
private collections throughout the U.S.
Annie King
Annie King is a Licensed Massage Therapist with over 25 years of
experience. Annie's primary focus has been the treatment of chronic
pain and stress, and she specializes in Cranio/Sacral Therapy. CST
is a therapeutic modality that directly addresses trauma to the
sympathetic nervous system and is profoundly effective in
alleviating the symptoms that characterize adrenal stress and Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder. Annie began working with Gulf War, Iraq
and Afghanistan combat veterans in 2007 and is now on the board of
the Upledger Institute's Association of Integrated Wellness. This
nonprofit organization is bringing trauma relief to our returning
veterans.
La Laurrien
La Laurrien is a visionary art maker, wordcrafter and community
collaborator. Through her spiritual practice and community work, she
seeks to create a dialogue on healing the inner self to recreate the
outer world.
For the past few years, she has worked on Communiversity, the Future
Skool and skill-sharing vehicle for Oracle Gatherings in the Seattle
area. She has been leading Transformational Writing Groups at
gatherings like Oracle, Intention in BC, and Village Building
Convergence in Portland.
In visual art, La has focused deeply on symbols and yantras. In
writing, she loves exploring words, their origins, and the ways that
they inform our description of the world. La is an avid wordcrafter,
excited to be laying the foundation for new culture to flourish.
La was a featured speaker at the Women's Visionary Council Salon in Seattle, Washington earlier this year.
Mariavittoria Mangini
Mariavittoria Mangini PhD has been a family nurse midwife for the
past twenty-five years. She has written extensively on the impact of
psychedelic drug experiences in shaping the lives of her
contemporaries, and has worked closely with many of the most
distinguished investigators in this field. In her clinical practice
with
Frank Lucido MD, she has investigated the standard of care for
medical cannabis patients and worked to increase the acceptance of
cannabis as a legitimate therapy. As part of the home birth movement,
she participated in a revolution in women's health care and in
obstetric care particularly, which reshaped the way that women give
birth to accommodate consumer demands and preferences.
Her current project is the development of a "death midwifery"
practice providing services to dying patients and their families. As
in the birth attendant model, the death midwife would be the
patient's and the family's trusted and experienced companion through
a transformative process. The death midwife would provide bedside
clinical care including pain and symptom management for the dying
person; perform the last offices; prepare the body for burial,
cremation or viewing; arrange for the care of remains; and assist
families in memorializing their dead.
Greg Aperson
During his 20 years of relationship with his wife Tania Aperson, and 25 years of communal
living, Greg has received a profound and rarified education that
includes the intertwined realms of sensuality, relationships,
communication and group living. This body of knowledge is
particularly remarkable in that it was provided by women. Together with Tania, Greg
teaches courses which show that the amount of sensual pleasure
available to an individual far exceeds the expectations commonly held
in our society.
Greg and Tania's workshops bring a unique perspective to many issues -
including orgasm, jealousy, trust, betrayal, emotions, pleasure,
perfection, child raising, gender relations, sexual prejudice, and
monogamy. They are also blessed with the privilege of living on "the
farm" with their dear friends and family, Ann and Sasha Shulgin.
Tania Aperson
In addition to teaching with her husband Greg, Tania
has recently co-authored a book with Alexander Shulgin called
The Shulgin Index. She is Ann and Sasha Shulgin's
personal assistant and
friend. The resident of an intentional community for 20 years, Tania
has taught courses on relationships, sensuality, communication and
group living.
Loughrienne Nightgoose
Ms. 4.0, three-year Middle Eastern Studies major, dropped out for
pacifist reasons and was wintering in the middle of nowhere wondering
what kind of life could make a difference, when the Hog Farm . . .
Subject is a practicing Beaver at the Black Oak Ranch.
Mikki Norris
Mikki Norris is the publisher of the West Coast Leaf, a newspaper for
the medical cannabis community.
Mikki also founded the
Cannabis Consumers Campaign and has
been involved in many political initiatives to support civil liberties.
Together with her husband Chris Conrad, and the late medical marijuana and human rights activist Virginia Resnor, Mikki created the traveling
"Human Rights and the Drug War" exhibit, which featured photos of drug war prisoners and their families, together with information about their legal cases.
The three coauthored the book, "Shattered Lives: Portraits from America's Drug War," based on the exhibit.
Annie Oak
Annie Oak is the founder of the Women's Visionary Congress and the Women's Entheogen Fund. She is a journalist
and filmmaker who was inspired to create gatherings that celebrate the work of visionary
women. While occasionally social and grateful for friends and allies, Annie prefers the
wilderness and the company of other species including her cat and her horse.
Marguerite Rigoglioso
Marguerite Rigoglioso, Ph.D., is the author of
The Cult of Divine Birth
in Ancient Greece (Palgrave Macmillan 2009). She is a member of the
faculties of Dominican University of California, the California
Institute of Integral Studies, and the Institute of Transpersonal
Psychology, where she teaches courses on women and religion. Her
pioneering research on female deities and women's religious leadership
in the ancient Mediterranean world and beyond has appeared in various
anthologies and journals, including Feminist Theology, The
Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, Societies of Peace, She Is
Everywhere, Trivia, and the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion,
where her paper on the cult of Demeter and Persephone in Sicily
received an honorable mention for the New Scholar Award. She is also
the editor of Where to Publish Articles on Women's Studies, Feminist
Religious Studies, and Feminist/Womanist Topics.
Nicki Scully
Nicki Scully
has been teaching healing, shamanic arts, and the Egyptian Mysteries since 1983. During her first visit
to Egypt with the Grateful Dead in 1978, Nicki experienced an epiphany that transformed her life. She
deepened her focus on healing and began delving into the hidden shamanic arts of Egypt. She is now a lineage
holder in the Hermetic tradition of Thoth, her teacher and mentor. With Thoth she developed Alchemical Healing,
a comprehensive healing form that is practiced by thousands of practitioners internationally. In the late '80s,
Nicki founded Shamanic Journeys, Ltd., and continues to guide inner journeys and spiritual pilgrimages to Egypt
and other sacred sites. Nicki lives in Eugene, OR, where she maintains a healing and shamanic consulting practice.
She welcomes you to study with her in her beautiful garden center.
Nicki's newest published work is a seven CD audio program,
Becoming An Oracle, Connecting with the Divine Source for
Information and Healing . Her most recent books are
The Anubis Oracle, A Journey into the Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt
(book and card deck, September 2008), and
Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt, Awakening
the Healing Power of the Heart (2007), both co-authored with Linda Star Wolf and illustrated by Kris Waldherr. She is the author of
Alchemical Healing, A Guide to Spiritual, Physical, and Transformational Medicine , and
Power Animal Meditations, Shamanic Journeys with Your
Spirit Allies .
Elizabeth Stephens and
Annie Sprinkle
Annie Sprinkle &
Elizabeth Stephens are the
Love Art Laboratory.
Annie Sprinkle was a prostitute and porn star for twenty years, then
became an internationally acclaimed performance artist and sex
educator. She has authored six books, and produced and starred in her
own brand of feminist "post porn" films. Much of her work was inspired
by her experiences with psychoactive substances, shamanic journeys,
tantra and ecstasy breathing. Sprinkle is currently a popular
visiting artist lecturer at colleges and universities. She has a
Ph.D. in human sexuality. She toured four different one-woman theater
pieces about her life to sixteen countries.
Elizabeth Stephens is interdisciplinary artist and activist who has
explored themes of sexuality, gender, queerness, and feminism through
art and performance for over 20 years. She is also an art professor
who for the past three years has been the chair of the Art Department
at the University of California in Santa Cruz. She is currently
pursuing her Ph.D. in Performance Studies at UC Davis.
Sprinkle and Stephens utilize visual art, installation, theater
pieces, interventions, live-art, exhibitions, lectures, printed matter
and activism. Currently they’re touring their new theater piece, Dirty
Sexecology -- How to Make Love to the Earth. They live ecstatically
together, along with their dog Bob, in a Victorian home in San
Francisco.
Requa Tolbert
All of the gifts of Requa's genetic lineage, her formal education and her life
in the desert Southwest have combined to promote her development as a
medicine artist. She is a psychiatric nurse (retired) in a long maternal
line of nurses. In 1986, with her husband, George Greer, M.D., she co-authored
an early clinical study of MDMA. Her interests in plant medicines
and archetypal consciousness shaped her early artworks of hand-painted
and collaged photographs.
In 2001, a collection of her images called
themselves into becoming a deck of 32 medicine cards -- the Stormrider
Calling Cards. Medicine may be a specific remedy, a big project, or
enduring practice. Medicine art is realized when fine arts skills are
employed for the construction of objects of devotion or installations
to effect change on a spiritual level. She enjoys punctuating sacred times
with ritual, and helping others to craft their own medicine of the moment.
Anita Baba Vida
Trusting that there is more that informs the present moment than what
is known guides much of my explorations. Expanding to allow for
unknown possibilities has an inclusive quality, and this is a
priceless gift we can offer all beings. As the majority of my time is
spent relating to others, dedicating my studies to understanding
communication enhances my ability to awaken to and embrace the magic
that each moment holds.
My life has been defined by many rewarding roles that include
daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, teacher and
employer. All of these relations inspire me to want what we share to
be kind and filled with equanimity. For many of us, this is new
learning. As an elder, I feel a strong responsibility to come forward
and transmute knowledge into wisdom.....with you! Insight Dialogue
and the Shambhala Vision for an enlightened society are just two of
the doorways that have opened for me that allow the spaciousness for
transformation to take place. Whether it is how I conduct "daily
operations" at my business, or how well I listen to my adult children
share their pain....each offers a grand opportunity for an infusion of
something new, fresh and generous to arise. And this is how I have
come to know magic........
Nina Wise
Nina Wise is
a well-known performer who has devoted her career to
investigating the relationship between art and spirit. Artistic
Director
of
Motion,
she is the recipient of multiple fellowships from
the National Endowment for the Arts and the Marin Arts Council and has
received seven Bay Area Critics Circle Awards. She is the author of
A
Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: Self-Expression and Spiritual
Practice for Those Who Have Time for Neither. Her stories and articles
have appeared in The Sun, Yoga Journal, Tricycle, Inquiring Mind and
Whole Earth Review.
