A Brief History of the Women's Entheogen Fund

34 m a p s • v o l u m e x v i n u m b e r 2 • a u t u m n 2 o o 6 A Brief History of The Women’s Entheogen Fund The Women’s Entheogen Fund (WEF) nated women for funding. When Carla was created in 2002 to support the work passed away earlier this year, another Annie Harrison of women who spend a significant portion woman made a generous grant in Carla’s memory, thus expanding the pool of [email protected] of their professional lives researching psychoactive plants and chemicals. donors to the fund. Other women have While women have historically now stepped forward to make donations played a central role in investigating the in Carla’s honor and create more aware- use of entheogens, their work has been ness of the WEF. funded less frequently and has been I am very pleased to see the WEF consistently underrepresented in the community continue to grow and ac- scientific and popular entheogenic knowledge the contributions of its literature. members. I would like to thank WEF It has been especially distressing to recipients Sylvia Thyssen and Fire Erowid see relatively few female entheogenic for taking the time to document their researchers presenting their work at valuable research here in the MAPS relevant conferences over the years. This Bulletin. These women form the center of continuing disparity was illustrated once a community that I hope will continue to more at the International Symposium on support the work of female entheogenic the Occasion of the 100th Birthday of investigators–a proud and sacred tradition …as I began Albert Hofmann that took place in Basel, that stretches forward from the first wise Switzerland earlier this year. Of the women healers of prehistory to our to keep track of seventy-three confirmed speakers at the modern day woman healers, researchers event, only eight were women. and writers. funding for Some women who investigate entheo- I plan to continue supporting the gens have good reasons to pursue a lower WEF and I have set aside a portion of the entheogenic research, profile than their male colleagues. Women money in my will to continue this funding are often more vulnerable to retaliatory after my death. I invite others who value it became clear action and frequently have less money to this work to donate financially or simply defend themselves within the judicial take time to honor and acknowledge the to me that system. But as I began to keep track of important work of our contemporary wise funding for entheogenic research, it women. more support became clear to me that more support was I would like to close with a passage needed for women who chose to be public from the chants of María Sabina, a Mazatec was needed about their work. curandera and a woman of great moral and A conversation with then-MAPS staff spiritual power who spent a lifetime for women member Carla Higdon in the fall of 2002 working with healing plants. was the catalyst for the creation of the who chose to be WEF. Carla was wondering aloud why She is a woman of the day there wasn’t more support for women like She is a clean woman public about her who wanted to incorporate entheo- She is a well-prepared woman genic studies into an academic program. In She is a woman of light their work. response to this conversation, I created the She is a woman of the day WEF and gave Carla the first grant to Because I am a woman who lightnings pursue her education. I am a woman who thunders Since 2003, I have provided the funds I am a woman who shouts for five other women to receive grants of I am a woman who whistles at least $5,000 from the WEF. Women who receive the grants make recommen- I am a woman who looks dations for future recipients. MAPS, which into the insides of things has sponsored the WEF, has also nomi-.

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