Technique

As a classically trained ballet dancer, I have always had a great respect for technique. There is a technique to everything. I’m in Bali right now, learning to ride a scooter. There is a technique to driving the machine and navigating traffic. I am working on improving my freestyle in swimming. There is a technique to gliding smoothly through the water swiftly - getting my feet up and in line with my spine. There is a technique to traveling, which I am trying to impart to my children on this trip. How to be organized, keep track of your things, navigate airports and local transportation, and keep your attention on the needs, wants, and happiness of the group with whom you are traveling.

And of course, there is a technique to psychedelic trips. Master the technique and you unlock massive potential.

Technique is a series of tricks that allow us to achieve goals. When I learned that a pirouette is a spiral forward and up, I was able to nail en dehors and en dedans turns* on most days.

I love technique because it shows us that there is an underlying logic and sense to the world. Alan Watts said that we fluctuate between order and chaos, but that they aren’t extremes that we swing between, but different levels of perspective. As we zoom in, we pass through many layers of order and chaos. Technique describes the ordered layers.

When I work with a traveler, I teach them my technique for safe and rewarding travel. That is partly why we spend two weeks before the retreat preparing. When I design a psychedelic journey, I am drawing on all the techniques I have acquired over the years. There will be chaos within the structure, but a good design allows space for the unpredictable. With a few skills, we can achieve profound liberation.