The Association for Consciousness Exploration LLC (ACE) is an American organization based in Northeastern

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

which produces events, books, and recorded media in the fields of "magic, mind-sciences, alternative lifestyles, comparative religion/spirituality, entertainment, holistic healing, and related subjects."Association for Consciousness Exploration: About ACE
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History

The organization was founded in 1983 by members of the Chameleon Club (founded in 1978), and their fictional founder, C. C. Rosencomet, on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Its primary directors are Jeff Rosenbaum and Joseph Rothenberg, and many of the founding members still make up much of the core organizing group. As a campus organization they offered concerts by local musicians, offered a film series, and hosted appearances by Jim Alan and

Selena Fox Selena Fox (born 20 October 1949 in Arlington, Virginia) is a Wiccan priestess, interfaith minister, environmentalist, pagan elder, author, and lecturer in the fields of pagan studies, ecopsychology, and comparative religion. Fox is a trained c ...

Circle Sanctuary Circle Sanctuary is a non-profit organization and legally recognized neopagan church based in southwestern Wisconsin, US. It aims to encourage community celebrations, spiritual healing, research, networking and education. Circle Sanctuary was f ...

, Dr.

Raymond Buckland Raymond Buckland (31 August 1934 – 27 September 2017), whose craft name was Robat, was an English writer on the subject of Wicca and the occult, and a significant figure in the history of Wicca, of which he was a high priest in both the Gardne ...

, and the first Cleveland appearance of

Timothy Leary Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from bold oracle to publicity hound. He was "a her ...

(at Amasa Stone Chapel). In the 1980s, they also ran a "mind spa", providing hands-on experience with

mind machine A mind machine (aka ''brain machine'' or ''light and sound machine'') uses pulsing rhythmic sound, flashing light, or a combination of these to alter the frequency of the user's brainwaves. Mind machines can induce deep states of relaxation, conc ...

s, biofeedback devices, and a sensory isolation tank. The motto of the Chameleon Club is ''"CHANGE"'', and ACE's is ''"Dedicated to the Expansion of the Frontiers of Your Consideration"''. ACE was originally located at The Civic, a former synagogue in Cleveland Heights, OH, and there offered classes and featured appearances of

Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson (born Robert Edward Wilson; January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) was an American author, futurist, psychologist, and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized within Discordianism as an Episkopos, pope and saint, Wilson ...

, Timothy Leary,

Robin Williamson Robin Duncan Harry Williamson (born 24 November 1943) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and storyteller who was a founding member of The Incredible String Band. Career Williamson lived in the Fairmilehead area of Edinbu ...

, AmyLee, Ian Corrigan and Selena Fox. In 1985, the Association for Consciousness Exploration moved its offices to the Masonic Temple Annex Building in the same city. Its offices were relocated to the Starwood Center in 2014.

Activities and functions

ACE is best known for hosting the annual Starwood Festival, a six-day summer camping event held in July featuring live entertainment and classes on a variety of subjects including Neopaganism, eclectic spirituality,

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

, and

holistic health Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...

, and the annual WinterStar Symposium, usually held in February. They have also created the MusicStar Festival, Opening Inner Doorways, and The Thing in the Woods. They have co-sponsored events with other organizations such as the SpiritDrum Festival (with

Musart Discos Musart is a Mexican record label founded in 1948. It is headquartered in Mexico City and remains one of the country's biggest labels, focusing on Mexican music, as well as international releases licensed from various labels around the world. ...

) and the Rant 'n Rave (with the

Church of the SubGenius The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion that satirizes better-known belief systems. It teaches a complex philosophy that focuses on J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, purportedly a salesman from the 1950s, who is revered as a prophet by the Church. SubG ...

), and have participated in other organizations' events such as the Agora Psychedelic Festival, the World Magic Festival (created by Jeff "Magnus" McBride), and the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

's psychedelic exhibit ''

I Want to Take You Higher "I Want to Take You Higher" is a song by the soul/ rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone, the B-side to their Top 30 hit "Stand!". Unlike most of the other tracks on the ''Stand!'' album, "I Want to Take You Higher" is not a message song; inst ...

: The Psychedelic Era 1965–1969''. ACE produces and sells books, tapes, CDs and DVDs of performances, lectures and panel discussions from their events, and several obtained from other sources, including the ACE/Llewellyn Collection (a co-operative project between ACE and

Llewellyn Worldwide Llewellyn Worldwide (formerly Llewellyn Publications) is a New Age publisher based in Woodbury, Minnesota. Llewellyn's mission is to "serve the trade and consumers worldwide with options and tools for exploring new worlds of mind & spirit, thereb ...

) and the ACE/ADF Collection (a partnership with

Isaac Bonewits Phillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits (October 1, 1949 – August 12, 2010) was an American Neo-druidry, Neo-Druid who published a number of books on the subject of Neopaganism and magic (paranormal), magic. He was a public speaker, liturgist, singer ...

and the

Neo-druidic Druidry, sometimes termed Druidism, is a modern spiritual or religious movement that promotes the cultivation of honorable relationships with the physical landscapes, flora, fauna, and diverse peoples of the world, as well as with nature deit ...

group Ár nDraíocht Féin).

Location

ACE maintains the Starwood Center, a workshop/seminar/bookstore facility in Cleveland, Ohio. Classes, drum circles and multi-media productions have been offered here, featuring occult author Isaac Bonewits, percussionist Jim Donovan,

Reverend

Ivan Stang Ivan Stang (born Douglass St. Clair Smith; August 21, 1953) is an American writer, filmmaker and broadcaster, best known as the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius. He is credited with founding the Church wi ...

Celtic Neopaganism Celtic modern paganism refers to any type of modern paganism or contemporary pagan movements based on the ancient Celtic religion. Types *Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism (CR) – Celtic polytheistic reconstructionism. * Celtic Neoshamanism � ...

author and bard Ian Corrigan,

Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart (May 27, 1948 – May 13, 2014), born as Diana Moore, subsequently known as Morning Glory Ferns, Morning Glory Zell and briefly Morning G'Zell, was an American community leader, author, and lecturer in Neopagan ...

of the

Church of All Worlds The Church of All Worlds (CAW) is an American Neopagan religious group whose stated mission is to evolve a network of information, mythology, and experience that provides a context and stimulus for reawakening Gaia and reuniting her children thr ...

, Neopagan folk singers Kenny & Tziporah Klein, and singer/songwriter Victoria Ganger. The first two DEVOtionals, an annual event run by fans of the band Devo, were held at the Starwood Center in 2000 and 2001. Stone Creed Grove, a local branch of the Neo-druidic group Ár nDraíocht Féin, holds occasional meetings and open rituals at the Starwood Center.

Notes

References

* Adler, Margot (1979) '' Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today''. Beacon Press, 1979; revised and updated 1997. Penguin (Non-Classics) , * Bonewits, Isaac Emmons (2005) ''The Pagan Man: Priests, Warriors, Hunters and Drummers'' Citadel Press , * Michael Carlson obituary of Robert Anton Wilso

* "''Expanding the Frontiers of Your Consideration''" articl

* Gamboa, Glenn "''DEVO Devotion''" Akron Beacon Journal (August 20, 200

* Gilboa, Netta "''Getting Gray With Reverend Ivan Stang''" Gray Area

* Gill, Michael "''Circle of Ash''" Cleveland Free Times (July 7, 2005

* Hunter, Jennifer (2000) ''21st Century Wicca: A Young Witch's Guide to Living the Magical Life''. Citadel , * Klaus, Jared "''Exploration, Psychedelia & Wicca''" Cleveland Scene C-Notes. (Jan. 11th, 2007) * Klaus, Jared "''Oldstock''" Cleveland Scene (Feb. 21st, 2007) * Klusterman, Chuck "''DEVOtional is for Hard-Core Fans Only''" Akron Beacon Journal (September 14, 200

* Paul Krassner, Krassner, Paul (2005).
Life Among the Neopagans
' in ''The Nation'', August 24, 2005 (web only). * Lesie, Michele (Oct. 2nd, 1989 Section C Pg. 1) ''High Priest of LSD To Drop In: Timothy Leary Now Looks to Expand Minds With Software''. ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' *

Nema The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) is the largest trade association of electrical equipment manufacturers in the United States. Founded in 1926, it advocates for the industry, and publishes standards for electrical product ...

(1995) ''Maat Magick: A Guide to Self-Initiation''. Weiser Books * Niesel, Jeff "''Soundbites''" (September 14, 2000) article on DEVOtional at Starwood Center: Cleveland Scenebr>
* Niesel, Jeff "''Slack Is Back: Quit Your Job! Make Waste! The

Has Come to Town!''" Cleveland Scene (April 6, 2000

* Pike, Sarah (2006) ''New Age and Neopagan Religions in America''. Columbia University Press; New Ed edition , * Reed, Robert A. & Joy S. Miller-Upton & Donald W. Wallbaum ''Local Festival Celebrates Pagan Rites'' (August 3, 1989) ''The Free Paper'' Logan, OH. * Seachrist, Denise (2003). ''The Musical World of

Halim El-Dabh Halim Abdul Messieh El-Dabh ( ar, حليم عبد المسيح الضبع, ''Ḥalīm ʻAbd al-Masīḥ al-Ḍab''ʻ; March 4, 1921 – September 2, 2017) was an Egyptian-American composer, musician, ethnomusicologist, and educator, who had ...

''.

Kent State University Press Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

: World Musics Series. * Vale, V. and John Sulak (2001). ''Modern Pagans: an Investigation of Contemporary Ritual''.
Interview with Jeff Rosenbaum
. San Francisco: Re/Search Publications.

External links

rosencomet.com
- the Association for Consciousness Exploration website {{DEFAULTSORT:Association For Consciousness Exploration Modern pagan organizations based in the United States Religious organizations established in 1983 Modern pagan organizations established in the 1980s