Marquee Event Recap: Death & Psychedelics 💀✨ The Three Faces of Death
Letting Go • Ego Dissolution • Dying Well
At District216’s 10th Marquee Event, Death & Psychedelics, our community gathered at LoDo Studios in Santa Barbara to explore one of life’s most universal — yet most avoided — themes: death.
But as the evening revealed, there’s not just one kind of death.
There are many kinds, each carrying wisdom and medicine for how we live, love, and evolve.
lowercase ‘d’ death — the endings that happen every day. Letting go of careers, relationships, homes, and versions of ourselves that no longer fit. 🌿
Ego dissolution — the death of self that can occur in non-ordinary states of consciousness, including psychedelic journeys, where we touch something infinite and deeply connected. 🌌
Death & dying — the final passage of this life, where psychedelics are emerging as powerful tools to bring peace, meaning, and healing to both those transitioning and the loved ones who walk beside them. 🕯️
Through conversation, ceremony, and community, Death & Psychedelics invited us to see death not as an ending — but as a teacher. One that helps us live with more reverence, presence, and love. 💜
🕯 The Opening Ceremony
The night began in sacred stillness with Jon Vasu Seskevich, who guided a meditative chant that grounded the room into collective presence. A lifelong healer, nurse, and friend of Ram Dass, Jon brought a tender vibration that opened hearts and anchored everyone for the evening’s exploration into the great mystery.
🔥 The Fireside Chats
Two intimate fireside conversations illuminated the layers of death — from the practical to the mystical.
✨ Jaclyn Vouthouris and Jacob Tell opened with “The Art of Good Endings,” a conversation about how we can learn to collaborate with endings rather than resist them. They shared how “lowercase d” deaths — career shifts, identity changes, and letting go — can become sacred initiations into growth.
✨ Jacqueline Lopez and Amy Slonaker followed with “Sacred Passage,” weaving deeply personal stories of illness, transformation, and creativity. From surviving cancer to reclaiming ancestral art practices, they reminded us that facing mortality often awakens the parts of us most alive.
💬 The Discussion Panel
Moderated by Kat Walsh of Trip On This, our Death & Psychedelics panel brought together Christine Caldwell, Mary Telliano, and Jon Vasu Seskevich for a profoundly moving conversation.
When asked how families can take part in psychedelic end-of-life care — whether through preparation, the journey, or integration — Christine reminded us that families can be involved in any and all of it. 🕊️
Mary added, “Psychedelics are a death practice.” Her words landed with the quiet power of truth, reminding everyone that these medicines mirror the surrender we will all face someday — and teach us how to meet it with grace.
Their exchange captured the essence of “dying well”: community, compassion, and connection as the antidote to fear. 🌈
🎭 The Experiences
Throughout the evening, LoDo Studios pulsed with energy, art, and transformation.
💀 Face painting by Lily Sky turned guests into living art — Dia de los Muertos skulls and cosmic designs glowing under the lights.
📸 Two photo booths captured joy, reverence, and radiant connection.
🌀 Workshop: “Collaborating with Everyday Death” led by Jaclyn Vouthouris invited guests to explore the endings already unfolding in their lives — and to find the transformation waiting inside each one.
💆♂️ Massage by Dream Bear Healing provided grounding amidst the expansion.
🌿 The Rooftop Terpene Lounge was alive with laughter, conversation, and deep connection — a living microcosm of community.
🪷 ShiftWave chairs offered nervous system resets, helping guests drop into embodied calm.
🕯️ And at the heart of it all stood a beautiful ofrenda altar, where guests placed tokens to honor loved ones who have passed — including one from Jacob Tell, placed in memory of his father.
🎵 The Music & Visuals
As twilight gave way to night, DJ Megi and Kat’s Meow transformed the space into a full-bodied celebration.
The beats pulsed, the people moved, and Michael Strauss’s visionary projections lit the walls, trees, and floor in swirling patterns of light and color — skulls glowing in the branches, mandalas rippling through the crowd.
🔥 Fire dancers and silk aerialists brought beauty and movement to the night sky.
It was the perfect expression of ego dissolution: the self melting into rhythm, movement, and joy. 💫
🌈 Sponsors, Partners & Community
Inside, over 15 sponsors and vendors shared offerings rooted in wellness, art, and consciousness.
Guests explored elixirs, microdosed mocktails, somatic technology, handmade art, and healing services — all designed to nurture the body, mind, and spirit.
The smiles were endless. The connections were real.
Huge gratitude to our partners LoDo Studios and Oniracom, and to every sponsor who helped elevate the evening with heart, creativity, and support. 🌿💜
💜 Reflections
Death & Psychedelics was more than an event — it was a living ceremony of remembrance and rebirth.
We laughed, cried, danced, and connected through all three faces of death — the small endings, the ego dissolutions, and the great transition itself.
It reminded us that when we meet death consciously, we also meet life more fully. 🌕
Our deepest gratitude to everyone who made this possible — the speakers, performers, vendors, sponsors, and every guest who showed up with courage and an open heart.
Here’s to learning, growing, and letting go — together.
💜
