Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness

42nd Annual Conference

May 1-3, 2025

(There may be an informal event on the evening of April 3oth,

and a closing session on the morning of May 4^th)

Las Vegas, NV at the Palazzo

I am a great admirer of mystery and magic. Look at this life – all mystery and magic.

Harry Houdini

Don’t we all love a little magic and mystery? Ancient mystery schools taught ways of navigating the universe, connecting with the divine, and gaining wisdom. Magic was a method of interacting with the supernatural and to influence desired outcomes. Yet, even as science has changed our understanding of the world and our place in it, people still seek out the mystical. Many seek out spiritual experiences, delight in being fooled by illusionists, attend role-playing mysteries, and hope their Hogwarts letter will arrive. For the upcoming conference we invite members to explore how and why mystery and magic are so enchanting to us. While there have been many anthropological studies of magic in the past, there are still many meaningful ways in which we can look at how magic and mystery impact humanity. We are looking for topics from personal experiences of magic, magic as control, connection, self-actualization, even to the mystery of consciousness itself.

NOTE: We also accept papers that do not directly fit the theme.

We welcome works that explore indigenous and/or plant-based practices that might provide transformational learning and opportunities for collective action. We also welcome members, collaborators, and those new to the conference to engage in discussions related to exploring consciousness in all lived experiences, both human and non-human consciousness. We are also interested in hearing voices representing BIPoC, post-colonial, and other marginalized perspectives (such as those based on gender, sexuality, class, ability, age, etc.)

Potential paper, panel proposals, pre-recorded events, short films, and workshops include but are not limited to the mysteries of:

Workshops, Experientials, and Art

We also invite submissions of artistic works and experiential workshops exploring or cultivating consciousness, specifically those that relate to the conference theme. We aim to build bridges across scholastic and creative communities and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Prerecorded Content Gallery

Do you have a short film, a podcast episode, a prerecorded panel discussion, or other academic or artistic work that you feel aligns with our conference theme? Reach out and let us know. We are an interdisciplinary organization and are seeking content from a variety of different perspectives to share with our members.

Registration & Submission Instructions

You may register for the meeting and submit proposals by locating the announcement of the meeting in the “Upcoming Events” or “Section Meeting” areas of the AAA Community Hub. Or, if you are into long URLs, at:

The deadline for submissions will be March 31, 2025 @ 8:00 PM Eastern Time

Acceptance notifications will be sent April 15, 2025.

If your submission is not accepted, you may request a refund of your registration fees.

For more information, please contact:

John Baker at johnbaker@vcccd.edu or Stephanie Fox at xbonesgirl@gmail.co