Garden States: Regeneration - First Programming ‘Drop’

We’re excited to unveil the first program announcement for Garden States: Regeneration, EGA’s much-loved outdoor ethnobotanical gathering, returning 28 November – 01 December 2025.

This first wave of program contributors offers a taste of what’s to come—a diverse mix of plant wisdom keepers, researchers, cultural custodians, and community voices helping to shape the dialogue on plants, people, and regeneration. You can also see some of the lectures on the website as it all starts to take shape.

In our first program announcement, we were pleased to reveal a dynamic group of contributors bringing diverse expertise and lived experience to Garden States: Regeneration. International guests include celebrated author and psychedelic historian Mike Jay (UK) and plant medicine psychotherapist Harry Pack (UK). From across Australia, we welcome leading voices such as Dr Monica Barratt, Dr Petra Skeffington, Dr Martin Williams, and Dr Alex K. Gearin, alongside practitioners and educators like Stephen Bright, Uncle Mark Brown, Vanessa Kelly, Caine Barlow, and Dr Simon Beck.

Also joining the program are philosopher Samuel Douglas, writer and performer Nick Sun, renowned ethnobotanical author Snu Voogelbreinder, and artists and facilitators such as Lee Miles, Sianna-Rose ‘Pixie’ Miller, Mohammad Reza Mirzadeh, Jef Baker, Nen, and Communacacian, each offering unique insights into the cultural, scientific, and spiritual dimensions of plant work.

Harry Pack is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores altered states and the inner architecture of the mind. In this talk, he shares how creative expression aids integration and healing, introducing The Purple UFO—a project linking personal transformation with community through art.

Mescaline—one of the oldest known psychedelics—has shaped visions, rituals, and revolutions for over a century, but how well do we really understand its legacy? Acclaimed author and historian Mike Jay presents two talks exploring mescaline’s profound impact on art, science, spirituality, and culture—from Indigenous ceremonies to avant-garde aesthetics and the modern psychedelic revival.

As conversations around drug policy shift rapidly in Australia, pill testing has emerged as a critical harm reduction strategy. Associate Professor Monica Barratt, a drug policy scholar at RMIT University, will present on the current state of pill testing in Australia, drawing from her extensive research and on-the-ground experience in the field.

Uncle Mark Brown is a proud Gunditjmara man through his mother’s lineage and a Bunurong man through his father’s side. A lifelong artist and Senior Cultural Heritage Officer with the Bunurong Land Council, Uncle Mark has been caring for his ancestral Country since 2001. His work blends traditional and contemporary forms, reflecting a deep connection to land, story, and spirit. We are honoured to have Uncle Mark open Garden States: Regeneration with a Welcome to Country, grounding our gathering in respect, culture, and deep-time connection to place.

Often dismissed as mere DMT sources, acacias carry a far richer medicinal and spiritual legacy. In this rare public talk, Nen—an acacia researcher with decades of experience and deep ties to Indigenous healing traditions—explores newly discovered compounds, recent phytochemical insights, and the enduring cultural significance of these sacred trees.

As psychedelic medicine moves into the mainstream, the ways it’s practised remain strikingly diverse, spanning lab studies, psychotherapy sessions, and Indigenous ceremonies. Alex K. Gearin will explore how these different approaches reflect deeper questions about power, culture, and what kinds of healing—and futures—we choose to support.

How are different countries approaching the shifting landscape of psilocybin reform? Dr Martin Williams, Executive Director of PRISM and Vice-President of EGA, unpacks the evolving legal frameworks, from decriminalisation to regulated access, and explores what the future may hold for psilocybin in both clinical and non-clinical contexts.

Vanessa Kelly will share a powerful personal journey from despair, trauma, and addiction to regeneration and rebirth through the therapeutic use of Iboga, guided by the Bwiti tradition in Gabon.

Independent ethnobotanical researcher and author of the seminal Garden of Eden, Snu Voogelbreinder will explore the historic and ongoing use of psychoactive plants and fungi across the Middle East—moving beyond Judaeo-Christian narratives to reveal their deeper roles in the region’s varied spiritual and cultural traditions.

Caine Barlow and Dr. Simon Beck will share findings from their citizen-science survey on Wood Lover Paralysis, exploring possible causes, research challenges, and harm reduction advice for this little-understood phenomenon.

Our resident Mycologist Caine Barlow will also discuss the evolving understanding of Psilocybe species in Australia, highlighting how citizen scientists, genetic barcoding, and platforms like iNaturalist are uncovering new species, refining classifications, and revealing the ecological and spatial dynamics of these often-overlooked fungi.

What happens when psychedelics leave the lab? Associate Professor Petra Skeffington and Dr Stephen Bright will explore how MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy unfolds across clinical trials, private practice, and underground settings, examining what works, what doesn’t, and why the therapeutic context is just as crucial as the compound itself.

How do we reckon with a psychedelic dream that’s been co-opted, sanitised, and commodified? Philosopher and writer Samuel Douglas reflects on political disillusionment, burnout, and the quiet resilience of decentralised, relational networks, offering a meditation on what still grows in the cracks, and the value of what resists being scaled.

Harm reduction advocate Jef Baker, Sydney Chapter Lead for the Australian Psychedelic Society, will lead a session exploring the evolving safety, legal, ethical, cultural, and access issues facing psychedelic users and their communities today.

Roadside drug testing is now a common feature at music festivals, but how does it actually work? Biologist and geneticist Lee Miles will break down how saliva testing detects substances—some not even classified as drugs—and explain how and why certain compounds linger in saliva long after use.

Representing Psychedelically Aware, Sianna-Rose ‘Pixie’ Miller will share key insights from three years of community talking circles, offering practical guidance on safer psychedelic use. This workshop draws from their new book, How to be Psychedelically Aware, and explores how the public can engage in harm reduction.

How potent is the humble Aussie mushroom? Analytical chemist Mohammad Reza Mirzadeh presents findings from HPLC-PDA testing on Psilocybe subaeruginosa grown in Victoria, revealing concentrations of key alkaloids—psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, and norbaeocystin—and how extraction and analysis methods shape our understanding of potency, safety, and standardisation.

With nearly a decade of underground facilitation and a past life in stand-up comedy, Nick Sun explores the shadow side of plant medicine work. It’s honest, weird, funny, and full of the kind of stories no one tells until things go sideways.