LSD Symposion: Basel bailando the "Bardo Blues"

by Silvio Rohde (*)

For me one of the most interesting events at the LSD Symposium-called "Spirit of Basel" and held in Basel, Switzerland, from January 13th to 15th 2006-was a presentation given by Ralph Metzner in the conference center's foyer. The whole symposium was as intense as a psychedelic experience. There was a lot of cosmic light entering the talks and minds of the people who where present. And Dr. Albert Hofmann was constantly speaking of the Creator in his talks.

For the Brazilian audience it will be nice to hear that Ralph Metzner introduced the typical "Bailado Steps" known from the Santo Daime churches, first to a small audience at his talk, singing two American-style songs he himself "channeled," one of them called "Bardo Blues."

Most of the congregation joined into the steps he was showing while singing, "two left and two right." The organizer of the symposium was randomly seeing this happening, and at the symposium's closing ceremony, he told Ralph Metzner that it would be nice to introduce the dance-steps to the larger audience in the final talk.

Imagine nearly 2000 people from 36 nations-including such prominent people as Dr. Hofmann himself-"bailando," most of them surely not knowing which tradition was behind the dance they were doing. But most had a nice "Hippie-Swing" to their hips.

You can find a video of this historic finale of Dr. Hofmann's 100th birthday at:
• Erowid (click here!)

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(*) silvio_rohde@gmx.de