On the last Tuesday of (most) months, the October Gallery, in Bloomsbury, London, hosts a lecture on an in some way mind-expanding topic. This year's programme kicks off with a talk on LSD by FT's very own UFO correspondent Andy Roberts.

LSD in Britain: A Cultural History
Andy Roberts
Tuesday 26 January 2010

A history of LSD in Britain since it's arrival here in 1952, taking in medical and military experiments and LSD's place in the counterculture. Probably the only talk on LSD in which you'll hear the words of the Reverend Ian Paisley.

Exploring Consciousness: Yogic and Buddhist Philosophy in Relation to Psychic Awareness
Dr Serena Roney-Dougal
Tuesday 16 February 2010

A discussion of how certain religious philosophies of consciousness lead, at the psychic level, to an experience of mind not limited by time, space and the senses, as potential omniscience and omnipotence, considered by some as attributes of the divine.


Our Living Sun: The Missing Piece in the Cosmic Jigsaw
Greg Sams
30 March 2010

Natural foods and fractal art pioneer Greg Sams argues that historical notions of a living Sun make more sense than our ‘hot rock’, and that once we recognise stellar consciousness it becomes apparent that consciousness pervades the entire cosmos, and that our Universe is a bottom up construction that is filled with intelligence and design, yet in no need of an Intelligent Designer.

Special Guest: To be confirmed
Tuesday 27 April 2010


Blather, Rinse, Repeat: An Ethnography of Online Conspiracy Theories
Damien DeBarra
Tuesday 25 May 2010

An anthropological journey through cyberspace, specifically looking at the 9/11 conspiracy theories in an attempt to understand how conspiracy theorists and their detractors have engaged in a running cyber-battle - with each group seemingly claiming to be the guardians of 'the truth'.


Was Jung a Mystic? The Occult World of C.G. Jung
Gary Lachman
Tuesday 29 June 2010

FT regular Gary Lachman explores Jung's ambivalent attitude toward mysticism and the occult, from his early insistence on being considered a scientist, to his eventual confessed belief in esoteric notions like synchronicity and a coming New Age, and use of magical practices like the Chinese I Ching.


Drugs and Magic: The Chemicals of Chaos
Julian Vayne
Tuesday 27 July 2010

Chaos magician Julian Vayne discusses chaos magic and its use of psychoactive chemicals to plug direct into the numinous, so bypassing gods, guides and gurus.

Talks are held at 6 for 6.30pm at the October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AL. Please RSVP so that the gallery can anticipate numbers – ring 020 7831 1618 or email rentals@octobergallery.co.uk. Tickets are £7, or £5 for concessions, and can be booked in advance by credit card to guarantee a place, or you can pay on the door. Wine is available.