Brain Magick: Exploring Consciousness with Philip H. Farber
Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Magick, and Altered States
August 27 – 28, 2011 in the Greater Ukiah Valley, Mendocino County, CA.
An amazing weekend of fascination and fun in beautiful Mendocino County, CA! It’s a straight shot up from the Bay Area on the scenic 101.
Join world-renowned Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) trainer, author, and Meta-Magick creator Philip H. Farber for an exhilarating journey through altered states and the highly flexible interior realms of imagination, myth and entities. Phil will present Meta-Magick essentials along with brand new material from his forthcoming book, Brain Magick: Exercises in Meta-Magick and Invocation
Notable Eats
Grab a great breakfast before you head out at Bluebird Cafe. Great, inexpensive American eats. $$
Local Flavor is a great cafe, bakery, and breakfast and lunch place. Yummy coffee, great food, and nice staff. A meal here is a must. $$
Schats has delicious baked goods, good coffee, and easy lunch options. $$
Ellie’s Mut Hutt offers 1970′s vegetarianism at its best. Tofudogs served up next to hotdogs–this isn’t the place to bring your gustatory politics, but oh it’s so good. Ellie’s serves up the kind of butter-dipped, cheese-sprinkled, vegetarian goodness that screams, “I can’t believe Nixon’s finally out of office. And that this is vegetarian!”
DON’T miss the Tofu Brown Rice Salad (smothered in cheddar and sour cream and tahini marinade, drool…). Their Johnny Cakes are easily the best pancake-like substance you’ve ever had, dense and moist and chewy and crispy on the edges. And why not top it off with their delicious fruit smoothies made with some amazing kind of frozen yogurt that was milked straight from the udders of ice-cold angel-cows.
Why are you not there now? Why am I not there now? Oh my god I’m so HUNGRY…! $$
– Thanks to Christy Meyer for the review of Ellie’s!
Unless you brown-bag it, you’ll be eating lunch at Cuca’s Cocina on Saturday and Sunday. And that is far from a bad thing! Being Potter Valley’s only operating restaurant is not the only thing that makes Cuca’s a popular place to eat. Cuca’s serves up some of the most delicious, authentic, mouth watering Mexican food you’ll find. $$
Ukiah Brewing Company is the first all-organic brew pub in the country. It’s one of the few see-and-be-seen venues on the Ukiah area. Meet the who’s who of the Mendo Mafia (season will be in full bloom, after all!), the chicest of the hippie chichi, and the movers and shakers of the local lefty scene.
In addition to some quality fare, you’ll have a chance to take in some local entertainment or a touring band on Saturday night. Vegan – omnivore. $$$
Oco Time is another restaurant with a mission statement in alignment with the local value of radicalism. “Yoshiki drew upon his childhood heritage of peace education and comfort food to create OCO TIME, a peace café project that features the Okonomiyaki, the soul food of Hiroshima.” This Japanese “soul food” is like nothing you’ve ever tasted. And the sushi is outstanding as well. Vegan – omnivore. Reservations required. $$$
The Himalayan Cafe is an outstanding little restaurant. The food is delicious, authentic Himalayan fare. Mmmm, good! Free dinner-time entertainment and a relaxed atmosphere contribute to a lovely dining experience. Reservations recommended. $$
Ruen Tong Thai is the local go-to Thai food destination. Excellent food, and friendly service. $$
Every town needs one high-end eats place. In Ukiah, that’s Patrona. I don’t really recommend it, but if you *need* to drop an relatively obscene amount of money on food, this is the place to go! $$$$
Come a day early or leave a day late, and eat at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas restaurant. It’s only open from 11AM – 3PM, but it has amazing food! And the grounds and temple are beautiful as well. The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas also has an interesting history; it was built as an asylum. Closed down in the ’80s, the grounds have been transformed to a spiritual community. Talk about cleaning up some karma! Vegetarian, with tasty faux-meat dishes. $$
Lodging
The Quaint:
A local treasure, The Sanford House.
The Luxurious:
Why not treat this as a weekend of renewal? Go all the way by spending your evenings and mornings at the world-renowned Vichy Springs.
The Rugged:
Love camping? Than this is the option for you! Spend Friday and Saturday night at Lake Mendocino. You’ll be only about 15 minutes away from the seminar location, it’s less expensive than the other options, and you’ll get to enjoy the serenity of the Mendocino County outdoors. Book early – the campgrounds fill up all summer long.
On this front, there *may* also be a few camping spots on-site at the location of the seminar. If so, it will cost a bit more than lake-side camping, and you’ll have to nab a space quick! More in this soon.
The Easy:
If you’re not big on soaking up the local flavor, Ukiah – of course – has the usual chain hotels and motels. The further toward the north end of town you are, the less travel time you’ll have to the lovely location of the seminar.
While You’re Here…
Ukiah is home to a handful of fine art establishments and museums. From Pomo tribal culture to tattoos, there’s a little bit of something for everybody.
Ukiah Valley is a hot bed of radicalism, and has been for decades. Ukiah was an off-the-grid destination extraordinaire in the ’70s. It was the seat of Redwood Summer activism in the ’90s, passed a No GMO ordinance in 2004, decriminalized use of marijuana and growth of medical gardens, and is one of the premier pioneers of the organics movement. Ukiah and the surrounding areas are peopled with a vibrant mix of hippies and libertarians.
It’s also home to a diverse number of religious communities, spiritual communities, and has a history of major cult involvement. (Jim Jones is by far one of the most notorious in the list of the area’s historic cult-leaders.)
Mendocino County is also part of what’s known as the Emerald Triangle. Known for its world-class marijuana, Mendocino county is estimated to generate $1 billion a year in marijuana profits.
Let us know in advance if you plan on staying extra days. You can check out the organics trade from wine (Frey Vineyards, the first organic winery in the country), to beer (Ukiah Brewing Company), to food (Local Harvest CSA), to weed.
Sorry, no link for that last one. But we could probably arrange a private tour of an organic, medical grow for you. Especially if you’re willing to endure some blind-folded drive-time. You can only purchase with a valid medical user card, but if you have that you may also also want to take a tour of the local dispensaries. Fresh! It’s better than milk warm from the teat.
Enjoy your time in Mendocino County!