http://berkeleyalembic.org/, https://linktr.ee/TheAlembic

The Alembic, 2820 7th Street, Berkeley, CA (2026)

04/19/2026

What is happening at the Alembic April 21-26?
Tuesday
Weekly Half-Day Retreat
Alembic Community Co-Working
Living the View: Non-Dual Ta***ic Meditation for Daily Life with Lisa Witter
Office Hours with a Mage with Sam Webster
Wednesday
Relatefulness with Josh Rosenberg and Daniel Ricciardelli
Thursday
Alembic Community Co-working
Deconstructing Yourself Silent Sit - with Antonio Ramirez Robredo
Circling for BIPOC Homies with Ahran Lee
Saturday
Soulful Flow with Anne Rene

04/18/2026

In this immersive workshop, we explore the deeper esoteric meanings within the poetry of Indian mystic saints such as Kabir and Guru Nanak through the indigenous folk songs of the Malwa region of Central India. These songs belong to a living oral tradition that has been carried forward for over 600 years.

Priyal will guide us through this journey by singing and interpreting these songs while accompanying himself on traditional instruments like the Tambura and Kartaal. Printed translations will be provided, allowing participants to follow along and join in the singing if they wish. After each song, we will pause for reflection, creating space for participants to share whatever arises within them. We will also spend time in shared silence, gently turning inward to experience the stillness pointed to in the songs.

Priyal will also share stories from the life of Kabir, insights into India’s oral traditions, and reflections on his own journey — how he encountered his Guru and how these teachings have shaped his life. Through song, storytelling, collective reflection, and silence, this workshop invites us to touch something deeper within ourselves — a space where boundaries soften, and a sense of oneness with each other and the world begins to emerge.

About Priyal Maheshwari:

Priyal Maheshwari is a musician and yoga teacher whose journey bridges the worlds of science, spirituality, and the arts. After graduating from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and spending six years in the IT industry, he felt an inner calling to step away from the corporate path and dedicate his life to the transformative power of music and wellness practices. Through his work, Priyal integrates music, yoga, and meditation as tools for healing and self-discovery. His approach helps people reconnect with the deeper aspects of their being and cultivate a more balanced, integrated way of living.

04/18/2026

Join us for a live and in-person journey with One Light Tribe and the cacao spirit for a live session with gentle movement, breathwork, chant and sound healing. The journey is led by Isa and Ari, accompanied by a DJ set by ejé for the breathwork. We use live rhythm and voice along with the breath, a chakra balancing meditation and sound healing with alchemy crystal bowls, didge, hand pan harmonium, shruti, chimes, flute and Gong!

There will be a vegetarian potluck from 4-6 after the journey - please bring something to share and join our community.

Tickets are $48

Cacao contains the neurotransmitters serotonin, tryptophan and dopamine. These assist with feelings of well-being, can combat stress and anxiety, and contribute to motivation. Cacao also contains the neuromodulator phenylethylamine (PEA) which helps the body create feelings of excitement and euphoria. Cacao is one of the highest sources of antioxidants and magnesium, is extremely beneficial to heart health, and helps lower blood pressure.

When we combine cacao with powerful breathwork, chanting, and sound healing, we can achieve a sense of calm in the mind, deep connection through an open heart, and witness energy flowing through and around the body.

04/18/2026

Join us for an evening of science and history, psychedelic art and music, and the launch of the Shulgin Foundation's M**A archival installation at the Berkeley Alembic!

Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin was a visionary alchemist of the modern age. As a prestigious chemist, biochemist, and pharmacologist, he is known for synthesizing over 200 novel psychedelic compounds, and for introducing M**A to psychotherapists for therapeutic use in the late 1970s.

In M**A, From Molecule to Movement, The Shulgin Foundation reveals a snapshot of the work Sasha did from inside his own laboratory. Through the immersive and artistic lens of Bay Area visual artist, Hanif Panni, you'll learn the history of M**A, experience artifacts from Sasha's lab, and see previously unknown documents from the Shulgin Archive that will highlight the truth of M**A's challenging path toward the burgeoning therapeutic substance is is today.

UCB students can get a discounted $20 ticket showing ID at the door.
The Shulgin Foundation honors the revolutionary legacy of Ann and Sasha Shulgin while building a vibrant future for psychedelic science, healing, and community.

04/18/2026

Forces Of Nature Women's Circle Daylong with Qibei Shen Steiner & Jennifer Lothrigel
May 9, 10:45am-5:00pm

The Mother Mandala - Forces Of Nature Women's Circle
This is a daylong 5Rhythms workshop exploring the many archetypal expressions of the Mother within us.

Beyond the personal role of motherhood, the “Mother” is a universal force: creative, nurturing, sensual, caring, wise, wild, destructive, and regenerative, and many more. In this workshop, we open space to honor all of these diverse energies as living experiences in the body and psyche. Through movement, creative exploration and ritual, we will explore the many faces of Mother within us: the ones we like and trust, and the ones we resist and avoid. We will dance the familiar, gently approach the unknown, and open space for a more whole and integrated expression to emerge.

We welcome all experiences and relationships to “mother”, whether shaped by love, longing, resistance, or anything in between. Come join us in this shared space, held and co-created by many wonderful women, including you.

Forces of Nature Women’s Circle is a sisters gathering where we co-create magical journey through various holistic medicinal practices: 5Rhythms® dance, creative exploration, inquiries, rituals, and more. We come together simply to be with one another, and let our presence become the sweet, fierce, healing medicine we each need. This is a space for all women. All colors, all shapes, all stories are welcomed here.

This is a calling. A return to the wild, instinctual power that’s been living inside us all along. Right beneath the noises of culture, the weight of “shoulds”, the tight cages of expectations - we are our own force of nature.

What if we could simply be with one another without having to perform, prove, and pretend?
What if, instead of competing or comparing, we let our presence become the sweet, fierce, healing medicine we each need?

This is a space for all women. All colors, all shapes, all stories are welcomed here. Do we dare to admit: we actually need each other to be truly free? Freedom is sweeter when we share it.

04/18/2026

Unleash your inner wild. Join astrologer Narayana Montúfar to discover how 2026’s rare equine archetypes are opening a cosmic doorway to personal liberation and ancestral breakthroughs.

What You Will Discover:

Equine Archetypes-
How to work with the "Fire Horse" and Centaur energy to break through stagnant cycles.

Healing & Freedom-
Practical ways to use 2026’s transits to reclaim your autonomy and heal ancestral wounds.

The Long View-
Strategic insights into the major planetary shifts that are planting seeds for your future self.

Interactive Guidance-
Direct tools to align your personal chart with the high-octane frequency of the year.

Narayana Montúfar is an award-nominated writer, astrologer, Akashic Records practitioner, visual artist, and the author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power & Written in Your Stars: Use Your Saturn Return, Pluto Square, and Other Planetary Cycles to Become Your Best Self. Narayana thrives on maintaining a sacred and intimate connection with the sky through her writing, private readings, and abstract painting. She believes the power of the universe is best harnessed when we seek it within ourselves.

Narayana Montúfar has been working full-time in the astrology & spirituality field since 2011, dedicating over a decade to exploring the cosmic intricacies of astrology. Actively reading charts since 2018, she has guided hundreds of individuals worldwide with her transformative insights. Her holistic approach to astrological analysis connects clients to the unique essence of their charts, helping them unlock profound clarity and purpose.

04/18/2026

Saturday, May 10
A guided experience exploring non-duality by blurring the boundaries of the inner and outer world through breath, sound, and philosophy. This 90 min program focuses on INSPIRATION — the act of inhaling and the effects of retaining the inspired air. The experience will be enhanced with guided sonics that breathe alongside you, and a total immersion into a sound world to bring it to completion.

Sunday, May 10
A guided experience exploring non-duality by blurring the boundaries of the inner and outer world through breath, sound, and philosophy. This 90 min program focuses on EXPIRATION — the act of exhaling and the value of retaining the exhale. The experience will be enhanced with guided sonics that breathe alongside you, and a total immersion into a sound world to bring it to completion.

Krishna is a sound artist, poet, and audio engineer based between Mumbai and Los Angeles. His work spans experimental music, field recording, and multi-channel sound installations, with projects presented at India Art Fair, Printed Matter NY, and Serendipity Arts Festival. Through sound, he creates immersive environments that deepen attention, presence, and emotional awareness.

One of India’s emerging voices in yoga, Harsh is a researcher from Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute, the world’s leading centre for the scientific and traditional study of yoga. He is also the co-founder of the Yoga Education College with Eddie Stern & Robert Moses. His work focuses on preserving the depth and integrity of classical yoga, with a particular emphasis on breath, philosophy, and inquiry into the nature of things.

04/15/2026

In the age of video games, social media, and artificial intelligence, a new technoscientific narrative has emerged about the nature of reality and the future of humanity: the simulation hypothesis. For some, it has the potential to reshape traditional religious frameworks. For others, it functions as a kind of “religion for atheists” or “science for believers.” As a cultural phenomenon emerging from technologically mediated societies, it has even been described as the first “meme religion” for digital natives, appearing after decades in which both atheism and “spiritual but not religious” identities have become a significant part of the religious landscape in the West.

What might developments in AI and NPCs have to do with ancient sacred texts from traditions such as Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism? What might the metaphor of living in a video game reveal about the ineffable nature of reality?

In this talk, we explore where the simulation hypothesis intersects with both the exoteric and esoteric dimensions of religious and spiritual traditions. We will look at resonances with mystical strands of the world’s major religions, including Sufism, Kabbalah, and yogic cosmological models.

Rather than proposing the simulation hypothesis as a new religion, this talk suggests that it offers a set of contemporary technoscientific metaphors for insights that sacred texts have long expressed: that the world we inhabit may be, in some sense, illusory. Seen in this way, the simulation hypothesis becomes a conceptual bridge not only between science and religion, but also across different spiritual traditions.

04/15/2026

Decisions, Doubts & Desire: A Somatic Workshop on Dating with More Clarity & Confidence with Annalisa Jackson

Dating can easily pull us into overthinking, second-guessing, and uncertainty.

If you're tired of feeling drained by dating, stuck in your decisions and frustrated by the uncertainty — this workshop offers a reset.

This experiential gathering will offer simple, embodied practices to support greater clarity, confidence, and ease in dating and relationships.

Participants will explore how to:
• Feel more grounded while navigating uncertainty
• Clarify desires by connecting with the body’s signals
• Build trust in decision-making and reduce overthinking
• Recognize patterns that shape connection and attraction

What to Expect
This two-hour session weaves guided reflection with accessible somatic practices. Through movement, awareness, and inquiry, we will explore how patterns show up in dating and relationships, and how to shift them.

No prior experience is needed.

About the Facilitator
Annalisa Jackson is an ICF-certified somatic coach and facilitator who supports people in building self-trust and emotional clarity in love and life. Her work integrates nervous system awareness with somatic practice, helping clients move from overthinking into embodied confidence. She has worked with hundreds of clients and centers the body as a source of insight and change.

04/15/2026

Explore the fragmented self through movement in this workshop with Mackenzie Amara—where dancing bodies meet parts, wholeness & individuation.

The human psyche is a curious thing—born in a state of wholeness, we are forced to fragment as we grow, for our own protection. Then, as adults, we give the appearance of being the sole operator of our unified machine (this bodymind), when in reality we are made up of disintegrated parts, each of which can grab the reins at any time while we maintain an illusion of wholeness. It is the work of a lifetime to encounter these parts, bathe them gently in the light of conscious awareness, and learn to love them into a state of true wholeness.

In this workshop, we will explore some of our fragmented parts as they move and breathe through our dancing bodies. With each part that arises, you will be given an opportunity to explore how it moves, shapeshifts, contorts, and controls you. You will greet it through its shape, its variations of breath and texture, its forms and conformities. Through embodied exploration, you will take a step or two on the endless path of the Great Work of becoming truly individuated—that is, becoming so wholly yourself as to be indivisible.

All parts are welcome; all expressions of self are holy. Whatever shows up in the room will be safe, seen, and loved.

By trade, Mackenzie Amara is a Jungian analyst, guest lecturer, and 5Rhythms® teacher. By vocation she is a psychedelic facilitator, depth psychology scholar, and writer. By design she is a collection of fractal, holographic cells dancing around some strange attractor for the sake of who knows what—to live an insignificant, mythic life reflective of the mysterious vital spark within her. She identifies as a series of memories and unverifiable subjective experiences of selfhood to which she is rather fondly attached. She has a penchant for scholarship, the occult, pedantic erudition, morbid humor, grandiosity, nihilism, and semi-responsible hedonism.

04/15/2026

Each month, we explore a different emotional terrain through the lenses of contemporary emotion science, Tibetan contemplative traditions, and the core principles of Cultivating Emotional Balance. Sessions weave together guided meditation, reflective inquiry, and shared discussion, helping us recognize the arc of an emotion, including its triggers, bodily signals, thoughts, and action tendencies. By mapping these emotional episodes, we learn to meet experience with clarity rather than confusion, compassion rather than avoidance, and enough inner balance to choose how we respond.

As the practice deepens, emotions that once felt destabilizing begin to reveal their inner resources — tenderness within sadness, clarity within anger, wisdom within fear. When met directly and held with awareness, each emotion becomes its own medicine, guiding us toward steadiness, insight, and a more open heart.

We will work with a different emotion each month. April's theme is compassion
Compassion as the natural response to suffering when the heart is unobstructed. Practical methods for keeping compassion steady and grounded.

Eve Ekman, Ph.D., MSW, is a teacher, writer, and contemplative social scientist whose work rests at the confluence of modern emotion science and living wisdom traditions. She is a longtime student of Jennifer Welwood and Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and a newer student of earth-based lineages that deepen her commitment to embodied, relational practice.
Eve teaches widely, including a monthly meditation and book group at the SF Dharma Collective, and offers trainings for clinicians and healthcare professionals on the science and practice of compassion, emotional balance, and well-being. Her research spans burnout, emotional awareness, meditation, and psilocybin-assisted therapy.
With the support of the Dalai Lama, Eve co-created the Atlas of Emotion with her father as a tool for deepening emotional understanding. She is the lead trainer for the Cultivating Emotional Balance program, previously served as Well-Being and Mental Health Lead at Apple...

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