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Trance-forming T Hill

Create a space for inner exploration including a Samadhi Float tank, cedar sauna, Esoteric Library and more

Time to Trance-form!

We've got a grand new plan here at T-Hill and we need your help to make it happen! We are in the process of purchasing a Samadhi flotation tank and now we need to build it a home. Our plan is to renovate the first floor, install the tank, move the cedar sauna downstairs, build a new meeting area and shelves for the Esoteric Library, and create a safe session room for continuing research with Salvia Divinorum. The entirety of this fundraiser will go toward purchasing building materials for this project.

When T-Hill started almost 12 years ago we mostly focused on building a community around music, art and performance and created a space which included a performance venue, music studio, artist residencies, and more. We have done all of this out of pocket from our own love and passion and operated without grants or loans. Learn more about the history of T Hill here: http://heresee.com/tarantulalink.htm

As the years have gone by our focus has changed as we have become more deeply interested in exploring consciousness and connecting with alternate realms. After rebuilding from a fire at T. Hill in 2006 carly became a hypnotherapist http://integrationhypnotherapy.com  and Twig has become more interested in studying entheogens. We rarely host performance events anymore and have decided to change the space to reflect our own interests as well as foster exploration in Baltimore and surrounding communities. A flotation tank offers the user a place free from all sensory input where the internal domain can be more fully explored. The Samadhi Flotation Tank is the first commercial company which began building tanks based on the research of John C. Lilly, and the tanks were named and co-designed by him. There are very few float centers in the area, with the nearest one over two hours away. To learn more about floating check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolation_tank or  http://www.samadhitank.com/ 

Due to a lucky find of cedar wood at the Loading Dock we have had a sauna for many years (though it has been inoperable for the last two) and have had many community sweats. We plan on moving the sauna near the tank and making it smaller and heating it with an electric heater. This will make it easier and safer and open up the ability for more frequent use.

We have had the T. Hill Esoteric Library free and open to the public for over four years. Here you can browse and borrow a specialized collection of books focused on many subjects including entheogens, spirituality, ancient civilizations, herbs, occult studies and much more. During Hurricane Sandy our entire west wall was leaking water and we had to remove all of the books from the shelves to save them. In the new plan the books will be safe on the east wall and also in a much cozier space for perusing and reading. Visit the library website here: http://heresee.com/libraryindex.htm

The new plan also includes space for working with Salvia Divinorum. There is a space to grow plants as well as a room dedicated to administrating chewed salvia sessions. Most of the research on salvia has focused on the vaporization of one extracted compound 'Salvinorin A' which is intensly active for short amount of time making the experience difficult to navigate and integrate. Chewing salvia leaf leads to a much less intense experience spread out over a longer time.  We initially will be focused on mapping out the effects of the chewed method with a small group of people. From there we will see what areas the experience can be applied to for transformation. The current research into entheogens has been mostly limited to government regulated studies, many of them taking place at nearby Johns Hopkins University. There is also a large community of underground self experimenters who mostly work with illegal compounds. At this time Salvia Divinorum is completely legal in Maryland and it offers a unique oppurtunity for legal and unregulated exploration with a plant teacher. With our new space we will be able to provide a safe context of experimental work that falls somewhere in between the established communities mentioned above. We hope to start a new relationship between these two communities while furthering the research of both.

 

Funding Specifics:

All funding from this campaign will be spent on tools and materials. We are currently paying off the flotation tank and, along with volunteers, we will be doing the labor ourselves, except for that which needs to be done by a licensed electrician. As always, we will do our best to cut costs and have the least impact by purchasing recycled materials at The Loading Dock and The ReStore. Unfortunately they do not have most of the materials we need such as sheetrock, wire, etc and these will need to be purchased new.

  • 800 for wood to build walls and library shelves
  • 300 sheetrock, tape and joint compound for walls and ceilings
  • 400 baseboard heaters and controls
  • 800 electric wire, boxes, conduit, fuseboxes 
  • 700 tile, mastic, grout
  • 500 plumbing materials, toilet, shower fixtures
  • 600 for tools and tool rental including table saw, tile saw rental, and truck rental to transport supplies
  • 400 paint, trim, misc supplies

The budget above is very tight and any extra funding will be greatly appreciated as we expect, as with any building job, that it will cost more than planned. We have ideas of also buying a metal winding staircase to lead to the second floor so that Carly can have a hypnotherapy office at home, but did not include the cost of this in the budget. We also did not include the fees to Indiegogo and Paypal and those may run as high as 12% of funds raised if we do not meet our funding goal. If we do not reach our funding goal all money we raise will go to materials and it will simply take us longer to install the tank and open the library as we slowly pay off the tank and buy the supplies ourselves. All credits for tank time will be good no matter how much we raise, but the more funding we get the sooner it can become operational.

 

What You Get:

In return for helping us build out the space we are offering use of the Samadhi Tank and sauna which you can redeem any time once the tank is installed. We are planning on having the tank operational by March, though the sauna and finishing of the rest of the space may take longer. Use of the space is by appointment only and we will guide you through the use of the flotation tank. We are offering discounted rates for extended use. Also, if you donate enough for multiple hours you may use those hours as you wish, in separate 1 hr sessions, in blocks of time or all at once. Multiple hours accrued through donation may be used by multiple people, but only one person per hour.  

We are offering the Unlimited Use special perk through Indiegogo only. We do not plan on offering this special once the tank is operational. You will still need to schedule appointment times for tank use and times will be subject to availability. 

At the lower level of donation we are offering CD's and LP's which will be mailed at the end of the campaign. Please specify which LP you want if you choose that option.

The Impact

Our goal is to give people a safe space and the tools to discover, explore and develop a sense of the subtle inner worlds. In the hectic commodity-driven world we live in this is a rare and unique possibility. There are no other places like this in the area and we believe we can provide a valuable service to the many people.

Other Ways You Can Help

  • Come build with us!
  • Donate materials!
  • Tell your friends about this campaign!
  • Use the Indiegogo share tools to help the campaign gain visibility!

There are many ways to help! We really need people to pitch in and construct walls, doorways, etc. For every three hours you come help build you can spend an hour in the tank or have a sauna with some friends! Please contact us directly by email if you would like to do this.

Also please donate materials if you have them. If you know of or hear of a cheap or free metal staircase let us know. Other than that we really need a table saw, other saws, wood, sheetrock, and the materials listed above. We cannot currently take book donations! Please contact us with what you have before bringing it over.

Team on This Campaign: