“Welcome, good friends.”
We are delighted to welcome you to the inaugural Kosmos Institute Colloquium in Ascona.
Kindly refrain from sharing this page with anyone as it is reserved for confirmed participants only. Thank you!
Kosmos Institute First Annual Colloquium
Ascona, Switzerland
December 17–21, 2026
Dear speakers, attendees, and Kosmos Institute colloquium team,
I wanted to gather everything you will need for Ascona in one place, so that the practical side of the journey feels clear well before you arrive.
This page will guide you through the essentials: travel to Switzerland, the train to Locarno, arrival at Hotel Ascona, meals, attire, accessibility, the daily program, and the few things I would like everyone to know in advance about our time together.
WHETHER YOU ARE A SPEAKER OR PARTICIPANT, WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE CAREFULLY FILL OUT THE THREE FORMS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
Please read through everything on this page carefully before you travel.
Some sections will require a little preparation, while others are simply here for reference as the Colloquium approaches.
We will also meet by Zoom in mid-October. The Zoom link can be found below and will also be emailed to you two days before the event.
I will walk you through the journey as I experienced it, including the airport-to-train transition, the SBB app, buying a ticket, the different rail routes to Locarno, and what to expect when you arrive. We will also go through the program and leave plenty of time for practical questions.
There is no required course of study before Ascona. I will include some optional material for those who would like to spend time with the central questions in advance, but you do not need to arrive with a particular background or body of reading behind you. Come prepared to pay attention, to think seriously, and to enter the conversation.
For five days, Hotel Ascona will be our shared home and the setting in which the Colloquium unfolds.
I am very much looking forward to welcoming you there.
Warmly,
Gelareh
Gelareh Khoie, PhD
Founder & Chief Shepherd
Kosmos Institute
In July, I had the great pleasure of visiting Hotel Ascona and meeting our gracious hosts, Greta and Andrea Biasca-Caroni. They are third-generation stewards of this historic location and I am delighted to introduce you all to them. I know it will be love at first sight. This is a video I made of a hotel run-through so our team can be prepared to hit the ground running when we arrive on site to set up for our colloquium. I thought it would be fun for you all to take a look at it so you have an idea of what to expect when you arrive.
TRAVEL
Getting to Ascona is quite straightforward once you understand the sequence of the journey, but if you have not travelled by train in Switzerland before, I know that it can look more complicated on paper than it actually is.
I made this journey myself over the summer, in part so that I could understand what you will encounter along the way. I will walk everyone through the process during our participant Zoom in mid-October, including the airport, the railway station, buying your ticket, using the SBB app, choosing your train, and what happens when you reach Locarno.
For now, the most important thing is to familiarize yourself with the broad outline of the journey and to download the SBB Mobile app before you leave home.
MID-OCTOBER TRAVEL ORIENTATION
SUNDAY OCTOBER 11TH @ 10 AM PACIFIC TIME:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82141513830?pwd=Z6LpU7UrxSW5VLesNEfqoG0YjrslMx.1
Please read everything here carefully and bring your questions to this meeting. If you cannot attend live, email your issues and questions to me here: gelareh@kosmosinstitute.org
Among many other things, I will take you through the journey as I experienced it, step by step, and show you how I used the Swiss rail system to get from the airport to Locarno. We will look at the SBB app together, how to read the timetable, how to buy a ticket, how to identify your platform and train, and how to choose between the principal routes south.
We will also go through arrival arrangements in Locarno and leave plenty of time for questions.
The session will be recorded for anyone who cannot attend live or would simply like to watch it again before traveling. This recording will be both emailed to you and located in the Event Portal to which you have lifetime access. I will review how to access this portal during the meeting for those of you who are not familiar with the Event Portal yet.
DOWNLOAD SBB MOBILE BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Switzerland’s national railway system is SBB, and its mobile app will be one of the most useful things on your phone while you are travelling.
Please download SBB Mobile well before departure rather than waiting until you arrive in Switzerland. Spend a few minutes becoming familiar with it and, ideally, set up your account and payment method in advance.
The app allows you to search train connections, purchase tickets, save your journey, see platform information, and receive updates if a connection changes or is delayed. SBB recommends purchasing your ticket before boarding the train.
When searching for the journey to us, your destination will be LOCARNO.
DOWNLOAD SBB MOBILE: https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/apps/sbb-mobile.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
WATCH: SBB Mobile tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtVY7L4qlBQ
WATCH: Swiss train/ticket tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exh6yOIopVM
I will demonstrate all of this during our October Zoom as well, so do not worry if the app initially feels unfamiliar.
ARRIVING IN SWITZERLAND
Please give yourself considerably more time at the airport than you think you will need.
When I arrived in Switzerland over the summer, the process took much longer than I had anticipated. Your own experience may be very different, but international arrivals can involve waiting for passport control, baggage collection, customs, and then orienting yourself inside the airport before you even begin looking for the railway station.
For that reason, I do not recommend planning your onward journey around an extremely tight connection immediately after your scheduled landing time.
There are frequent trains, and missing the particular train you had imagined taking is not a catastrophe. It is much better to arrive, collect your luggage, find your bearings, and then begin the rail journey without unnecessary anxiety.
FROM THE AIRPORT TO LOCARNO
Once you have collected your luggage, you will make your way to Zürich Flughafen located just a short walk away. The direction to walk there is clearly marked by signs. Once in the train station, you will see that there are numerous ticket kiosks. However, we recommend using the SBB app for ticket purchase. (*Be sure to carefully read the Wi-Fi notice below to ensure you have mobile internet access once you reach Zürich Flughafen).
The exact connection will depend upon your arrival time, and the SBB app will show you the available routes in real time. Depending upon the train you choose, your journey may involve a change along the way.
There are, however, two substantially different ways of travelling south, and it is worth knowing about them before you make your choice. But regardless of which route you choose, keep the following in mind:
STEP 1 — EVERYONE GOES FIRST TO ZÜRICH HB
ZÜRICH AIRPORT → ZÜRICH HB
In the SBB app, search:
Zürich Flughafen → Zürich HB
Choose any DIRECT connection with 0 changes.
Trains run very frequently and the journey takes about 15 minutes.
Get off at Zürich HB, the main railway station.
THE SCENIC ROUTE (Most direct, and highly recommended)
If your arrival time allows it, there is a beautiful route to Locarno on the Treno Gottardo.
This train follows the historic Gotthard mountain railway rather than passing beneath most of the Alps through the newer base tunnel. From Zürich, the journey to Locarno takes approximately 3 hours and 19 minutes and travels through the older Gotthard route, including the mountain landscape around Wassen, the historic Gotthard tunnel, Airolo, the Leventina valley, and Bellinzona before reaching Locarno.
It is slower, but this is the route I would consider part of the journey rather than simply transportation.
If you are arriving with enough daylight and are not pressed for time, it offers a rather beautiful introduction to Switzerland.
SCENIC ROUTE: ZÜRICH HB → LOCARNO
In the SBB app, look for:
IR46 — Treno Gottardo
Direction: Locarno
0 changes
This is the scenic route over the historic Gotthard mountain line.
It takes about 3 hours 19 minutes and goes directly from Zürich HB to Locarno.
THE FASTER ROUTE
The other principal option is the faster route south through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
This is the efficient route. Much of the dramatic Alpine crossing disappears underground, and portions of the journey before and after the tunnel pass through a more industrial landscape. Depending upon the connection, you will usually travel south toward Bellinzona and continue from there to Locarno.
If you are arriving later in the day, are tired after an overnight flight, or simply want the most efficient route to the hotel, this may be the sensible choice.
FASTER ROUTE: ZÜRICH HB → BELLINZONA → LOCARNO
In the SBB app, look for:
IC2 or EC
Direction: Lugano
Take this from Zürich HB to Bellinzona. These are the faster trains through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
At Bellinzona, change to:
S20
Direction: Locarno
The S20 runs from Bellinzona to Locarno approximately every 30 minutes.
BUYING YOUR TRAIN TICKET
I recommend one of two approaches.
The first is to purchase an ordinary Point-to-Point Ticket for your travel date. This gives you the flexibility to travel on the appropriate route that day without committing yourself to a particular departure time.
The second—and for many people probably the easiest—is simply to wait until you have arrived at Zürich Flughafen.
Clear passport control and customs, collect your luggage, use the restroom, make sure your phone is connected to mobile data, and then open the SBB app. At that point you can see exactly which trains are departing, decide whether you would like the faster or scenic route, and purchase the ticket you actually need.
I would not recommend buying a Supersaver Ticket tied to a particular train before an international flight. If your flight is delayed, passport control takes longer than expected, or your baggage is slow to arrive, you may miss that specific connection.
There is no need to predict all of this from home.
Either buy a flexible ticket that can be used during the day, or wait until you are physically at Zürich Flughafen and know which train you are going to take.
We will go through the ticket options together on screen during our October Zoom.
TRAVEL WIFI & MOBILE DATA
Please arrange mobile internet access for Switzerland before you leave home.
I strongly recommend setting up international roaming through your mobile carrier or installing a travel eSIM before you travel. Do this while you are still at home, connected to your usual Wi-Fi, and confirm that you understand how to activate it when you land.
Do not assume that you can simply arrive at Zürich Airport and rely on the airport’s free Wi-Fi to get yourself online.
When I traveled through the airport, accessing the public network involved several online steps and forms before the connection became usable. If your phone has no roaming or travel data available at that point, the process can become surprisingly difficult precisely when you most need an internet connection.
You will also need reliable mobile data after leaving the airport. The SBB app is most useful when it can update in real time with train times, platform numbers, delays, connection changes, and alternative routes. You may also need WhatsApp to communicate with us if your arrival changes.
Before traveling, please make sure that your phone will have internet access in Switzerland independently of public Wi-Fi.
If you use an eSIM, install it before departure. Do not wait until you are standing in Zürich Airport with no internet connection to begin setting it up.
We will discuss this during our October travel orientation as well.
LUGGAGE
Please keep the rail portion of the journey in mind when you pack.
Swiss trains are very manageable with luggage, but you may need to move through a station, use an escalator or lift, change platforms, and get your suitcase on and off the train yourself.
I would therefore encourage you to travel with luggage you can comfortably manage on your own.
The SBB app will show your platform information and, on many services, additional information about the train itself. Pay attention to the app as you travel, since platforms and connections can occasionally change.
PASSPORTS, VISAS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
Please make sure well before departure that your passport is valid for your journey and that you have confirmed any visa or entry requirements that apply to your nationality and circumstances.
Each participant is responsible for his or her own travel documentation.
Please also keep your passport accessible during the rail journey. Tickets purchased through SBB are personal, and you may be asked for identification during ticket inspection.
ARRIVING IN LOCARNO
Locarno is the end of the independent part of your journey.
We will coordinate onward transportation from Locarno railway station to Hotel Ascona using the arrival information you provide to us.
Closer to the Colloquium, you will receive precise instructions about where to meet us at the station, whom to look for, and whom to contact if your arrival time changes.
Please make sure the travel information you submit to us is accurate. If your flight or train plans change after submitting the form, let us know.
IF YOUR JOURNEY IS DELAYED
Do not panic if something changes along the way.
If your flight arrives late, you miss a train, or your connection changes, open the SBB app and search again from your present location to Locarno. The Swiss rail network runs frequently, and in most circumstances there will simply be another connection.
If the SBB app itself is not working, tickets can also be purchased through SBB’s website or from station ticket machines. You must have a valid ticket before your train departs.
Once our participant WhatsApp group is active, you will also be able to contact us there if your delay affects your arrival in Locarno.
BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Please complete the following before leaving for Switzerland:
Download SBB Mobile.
Familiarize yourself with the app.
Watch the short SBB tutorials provided above.
Make sure your passport and any required travel documentation are in order.
Submit your confirmed flight and rail information to us.
Pack luggage that you can comfortably manage through railway stations.
Save our contact information and join the participant WhatsApp group once the invitation is sent.
Attend the mid-October travel orientation if you are able, or watch the recording before departure.
And above all, do not worry about mastering the Swiss railway system before you arrive. I wanted to travel the route myself precisely so that I could explain it to you from the perspective of someone encountering it as a visitor.
We will go through it together well before December.
The Treno Gottardo. We highly recommend arriving early enough to use this train for your arrival into Locarno.
MEALS & DIETARY REQUIREMENTS
Meals will be an important part of our days together, and we will eat together throughout the Colloquium. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, refreshments, tea, coffee, and water are included during our stay.
Hotel Ascona’s kitchen draws primarily on the traditions of Ticino and the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and regional flavors. Breakfast is generous, with a full buffet as well as hot dishes prepared to order, and the hotel’s dining rooms look out toward Lake Maggiore and the surrounding hills.
The hotel is accustomed to accommodating special dietary requirements. Please give us complete and precise information about any allergies, intolerances, or dietary restrictions in the Participant Information Form at the end of this page; we will provide this to the hotel in advance.
And since so much of a gathering like this happens around the table, meals are very much part of the Colloquium rather than simply breaks between sessions.
ATTIRE
The atmosphere we hope to create in Ascona takes some of its inspiration from the history of the place itself. Monte Verità drew artists, writers, dancers, psychologists, and cultural experimenters to Ascona, while the Eranos gatherings brought intellectual seriousness into an unusually intimate and beautiful setting. In both histories, ideas were part of a larger way of gathering: conversation, meals, walks, friendship, and attention to the surroundings all belonged to the experience.
With that spirit in mind, the tone for the Colloquium is elegant but comfortable. There is no expectation of formality. We simply invite everyone to bring clothing that feels considered and appropriate to the setting, while still allowing you to feel entirely yourself.
You will be spending long days listening, talking, eating, and moving between sessions, so comfort matters. At the same time, we hope to preserve a sense of occasion throughout the five days, which is why very casual loungewear is best kept for private time at the hotel.
December in Ascona can be cold, particularly in the mornings and evenings, so please bring warm layers, a proper coat, and comfortable shoes for walking outdoors.
ACCESSIBILITY & DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
We want everyone to be able to participate in the Colloquium as comfortably and fully as possible.
Hotel Ascona offers accessible facilities, and we will work with the hotel to accommodate individual needs wherever we can.
If you have mobility, sensory, medical, seating, room-location, or other accessibility requirements, please include them in the Participant Information Form at the end of this page so that we can take them into account as we prepare for your stay.
And if there is anything you would rather discuss personally, you are always welcome to contact me directly.
GALA DINNER
The Gala Dinner will mark the close of our five days together and give us a chance to gather in a different register after the intensity of the Colloquium.
The evening is intended to feel celebratory rather than formal. We will share dinner, raise a glass to the week, and allow the atmosphere to become a little more festive as the night unfolds.
For attire, something celebratory is perfect. There is no need for black tie or elaborate eveningwear; the spirit is one of occasion, warmth, and ease.
The evening will continue with the Archetypal Disco party, which needs very little explanation beyond this: come prepared to dance.
SHARED ETIQUETTE
I hope the conversations in Ascona will have the freedom to develop at their own pace.
The subject we are gathering around does not lend itself to quick conclusions, and I would like there to be room for disagreement, uncertainty, and the occasional change of mind without any pressure to arrive at a settled position.
Some people will speak more than others. Some may prefer to listen for a while before entering the conversation. Both are entirely welcome.
The same spirit applies outside the formal sessions. Meals, walks, and informal conversations are part of the Colloquium too, and I hope they will feel as open and unforced as the sessions themselves.
Please also be mindful of the time we have together and of one another. Keeping individual contributions reasonably concise will help make room for everyone who wishes to share a thought, question, or experience.
PHONES, RECORDING & DIGITAL PRESENCE
One of the things I value most about gathering in Ascona is that we will all be there in person, in the same room, with time to give our attention fully to the people and ideas in front of us.
During lectures, discussions, meals, excursions, and other shared parts of the program, please keep your phone put away. Not face down on the table, not in your hand, and not used casually while others are speaking. Cell phones are strictly prohibited in the lecture hall, and we ask that you leave them in your room whenever possible.
If you need to check a message, make a call, take a photograph, or deal with something practical, please do so during a break or in private.
I hope you will treat these five days as a genuine digital fast. To the best of our ability, we want to preserve a human-only environment in which attention remains with the people, ideas, and place in front of us. This request is not ornamental; it is part of the atmosphere we are asking everyone to help create.
Personal audio or video recording of lectures or discussions is strictly prohibited.
Kosmos Institute may photograph or record portions of the Colloquium for archival, educational, or editorial purposes, as outlined in the participant forms at the end of this page.
The Colloquium is conceived as a genuinely in-person human gathering. Digital tools will remain available when they are needed, but during our shared time, we ask that they remain in the background.
PREPARING FOR THE INQUIRY
No advance reading is required for the Colloquium. The speakers will establish their own terms and arguments, and you should feel entirely free to arrive without having worked through a reading list.
For those who would like to enter the intellectual field in advance, the following texts offer several useful points of orientation. They are suggestions rather than assignments; choose whatever draws your interest.
A FEW READINGS
Corbin, Henry. “Mundus Imaginalis, or the Imaginary and the Imaginal.” In Swedenborg and Esoteric Islam, translated by Leonard Fox. West Chester, PA: Swedenborg Foundation, 1995.
Jung, C. G. “The Transcendent Function.” In The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, Collected Works of C. G. Jung, vol. 8, translated by R. F. C. Hull, 67–91. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1969.
Hillman, James. “Anima Mundi: The Return of the Soul to the World.” In The Thought of the Heart and the Soul of the World, 89–130. Dallas: Spring Publications, 1992.
Tarnas, Richard. Epilogue to The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World View. New York: Ballantine Books, 1993.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor. The Arden Shakespeare, Third Series. London: Bloomsbury, 2016.
For a brief introduction to the particular intellectual culture of Eranos:
Eliade, Mircea. “Encounters at Ascona.” In Spiritual Disciplines: Papers from the Eranos Yearbooks, vol. 4, edited by Joseph Campbell, xvii–xxi. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1960.
Fröbe-Kapteyn, Olga. “A Note on Eranos.” In The Mysteries: Papers from the Eranos Yearbooks, vol. 2, edited by Joseph Campbell, xv–xvi. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1955.
WATCH BEFORE ASCONA
The six online lectures leading up to the Colloquium were conceived as a prelude to our gathering in Ascona. Together they approach the question of immanence and transcendence from very different intellectual positions, and they are perhaps the most direct preparation for the conversations we will continue in December.
The talks are entirely optional. Watch those that interest you, or return to them later.
RICHARD TARNAS
The Arc of the Transcendent
Online Lecture I — June 21, 2026
A historical and philosophical account of the changing relation between nature and spirit, psyche and cosmos, and the cultural history that produced the modern division between immanence and transcendence.
WATCH THE LECTURE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGcXpyq92uc&t=655s
BECCA TARNAS
Archetypes, Synchronicity, and Magic
Online Lecture II — July 19, 2026
An exploration of archetypal theory, Jungian synchronicity, astrology, and magical praxis within the changing cosmologies of the ancient, medieval, and modern worlds.
WATCH THE LECTURE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAATbCQMdNw&t=580s
MARY ANTONIA WOOD
The Seer and the Saboteur: Desire, Denial, and Reawakening at the Crossroads of Immanence and Transcendence
Online Lecture III — August 16, 2026
A consideration of desire and denial, creative vocation, and the difficulty of remaining fully alive to both temporal and eternal dimensions of experience.
WATCH THE LECTURE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxSMFj0fqjE&t=9s
COMING NEXT
Kali Nyima Cape — September 27, 2026
Entangled Bodies, Awakened Matter
Daniela Boccassini — October 18, 2026
Entangled: How Jung Became Jung Through the Grail Myth
Monica Bryant — November 22, 2026
Emergence and Evolution in Nature and Psyche: Goethe’s Influence on Eranos, Enderlein, and Education
Recordings of the remaining lectures will be added here as they become available.
You can also find the complete series, along with other Kosmos Institute lectures and conversations, on the Kosmos Institute YouTube channel.
PROGRAM & DAILY RHYTHM
The full Colloquium schedule appears below and should be your main reference for lecture times, meals, excursions, and evening gatherings.
The days have been arranged to leave enough room around the formal sessions for conversation, meals, walks, and rest. The intention is to give the lectures and discussions time to settle rather than crowding the program.
Please keep the schedule accessible on your phone during the Colloquium, as minor adjustments may occasionally be necessary. Any changes will also be shared through our participant WhatsApp group.
CLICK TO VIEW FULL COLLOQUIUM PROGRAM
ASCONA, MONTE VERITÀ & ERANOS
Ascona is not simply the setting for the Colloquium. It belongs to the intellectual history from which the gathering takes some of its inspiration.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Monte Verità became a home for artists, writers, dancers, reformers, and others experimenting with new forms of life and thought. The community that formed there drew figures such as Hermann Hesse, Rudolf von Laban, Mary Wigman, Hugo Ball, Hans Arp, and Marianne von Werefkin, among many others.
A generation later, Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn founded the Eranos gatherings nearby at Ascona-Moscia. Beginning in 1933, Eranos brought together C. G. Jung, Henry Corbin, Mircea Eliade, Karl Kerényi, Erich Neumann, Adolf Portmann, and many other major figures of twentieth-century intellectual life. The conversations ranged across psychology, mythology, religion, philosophy, and the natural sciences, and helped establish Eranos as a distinctive forum for sustained interdisciplinary inquiry.
The name Eranos itself refers to a banquet sustained by the contributions of those who take part. That image seems especially appropriate for what we are attempting in Ascona: not the recreation of Eranos, but a gathering conscious of the history from which it draws life and inspiration.
Part of our time together will bring us into direct contact with this history, and I hope knowing something of it beforehand will make the landscape around us feel more legible once we arrive.
DISCOVER ASCONA AND MONTE VERITÀ
As you prepare for your journey, we invite you to begin immersing yourself in the remarkable landscape, history, and atmosphere of Ascona and Monte Verità.
MONTE VERITÀ — THE INSPIRING HILL
A concise introduction to the extraordinary community founded above Ascona in 1900 and the artists, thinkers, reformers, and seekers who were drawn there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNmHqw_5X5k
You can also explore the region through:
My Switzerland: Ascona
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/destinations/ascona/
Ascona-Locarno Tourism
https://www.ascona-locarno.com/en/explore/ascona
HOTEL ASCONA & THE LUIGI PERICLE ARCHIVE
Hotel Ascona has its own remarkable connection to the cultural life of Monte Verità. It is home to the Archivio Luigi Pericle, devoted to the work and intellectual legacy of Luigi Pericle (1916–2001), the Swiss-Italian artist, writer, illustrator, and independent scholar who lived and worked for decades on the hill above Ascona.
Pericle’s work might easily have disappeared from view. After his death, his house and its contents remained largely untouched until the neighboring hoteliers Andrea and Greta Biasca-Caroni acquired the property in 2016. What emerged was an extraordinary archive: paintings, hundreds of works on paper, manuscripts and notebooks, correspondence, and a library of more than 1,500 volumes reflecting Pericle’s sustained engagement with philosophy, theosophy, Eastern thought, cosmology, astrology, and esoteric traditions. The nonprofit Archivio Luigi Pericle was subsequently established to conserve, catalogue, study, and make this material available to scholars and the public.
What I especially admire is that the archive is being treated as a living intellectual resource. Hotel Ascona and the Archivio support artists, students, and researchers who come to work with the collection, including artist residencies with the Royal Drawing School, postgraduate research fellowships, and other programs devoted to scholarship on Pericle, Ascona, Monte Verità, and the spiritual currents in modern art. Researchers working with the archive may stay at Hotel Ascona while pursuing their projects.
You will encounter Pericle before you ever enter the archive itself. Hotel Ascona houses a permanent exhibition of approximately 150 of his works, displayed throughout its corridors and communal spaces. Please take some time during your stay to look closely at them; they are not simply hotel decoration, but part of the remarkable cultural inheritance being cared for there.
EXPLORE THE LUIGI PERICLE ARCHIVE
WHATSAPP & COMMUNICATION
Approximately two weeks before the Colloquium, we will create a private WhatsApp group for participants.
We will use it for practical communication during the journey and throughout our time in Ascona: arrival updates, transportation from Locarno, schedule reminders, last-minute changes, and anything else that is useful for everyone to know.
Please make sure WhatsApp is installed and working on your phone before you travel, and save my contact information once it is provided.
The group is intended primarily for practical coordination, though of course you are welcome to use it to stay in touch with one another during the week as well. Please respect each other’s time and privacy and do not take this as an invitation for endless texting.
HEALTH, MEDICATIONS & TRAVEL INSURANCE
Please travel with any medications, prescriptions, or personal medical supplies you may need during the Colloquium, and keep essential items in your hand luggage rather than checked baggage.
We also strongly recommend that you have appropriate travel and health insurance for Switzerland, including coverage for unexpected medical care and travel disruption.
Any relevant medical or accessibility information can be included in the Participant Information Form at the end of this page. As always, if there is something you would prefer to discuss with me directly, you are welcome to do so.
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION AND LEGAL WAIVER FORMS
WELCOME TO YOUR COLLOQUIUM PREPARATIONS
We are enthusiastically looking forward to welcoming you to Ascona for the Kosmos Institute First Annual Colloquium.
Because this is an intimate, fully residential gathering, we are preparing each guest’s arrival and stay with particular care. The brief forms below will help Kosmos Institute and Hotel Ascona coordinate your accommodation, meals, transportation, communication, and any personal requirements that will allow you to participate comfortably and fully.
Please complete each form as carefully as possible (scroll down to see all three forms). The information you provide will enable us to receive you personally, arrange your collection from Locarno Station, prepare appropriately for dietary or accessibility needs, and ensure that we can remain in direct contact with you throughout your journey.
Should any of your information change after submitting the forms, please contact Gelareh directly:
Gelareh Khoie
+1 808 222 1794
gelareh@kosmosinstitute.org
We are honored that you will be joining us and look forward to creating an exceptional experience for you in Ascona.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
WHATSAPP AND DIRECT CONTACT
Approximately two weeks before the Colloquium, you will receive an invitation to join our private Colloquium WhatsApp group. We will use the group to share helpful arrival information, hotel-shuttle coordination, schedule reminders, and any important updates during our time together.
Please save Gelareh Khoie’s contact information in your phone now so that you can reach her directly at any point before or during the Colloquium:
Gelareh Khoie +1 808 222 1794
Should any changes or special circumstances arise between now and the event, please contact Gelareh directly so that we can assist you.
YOUR PRIVATE EVENT PORTAL
All essential information about the Colloquium will be gathered in your private Participant Colloquium Event Portal, including the program, travel guidance, and updates as they become available.
You can access the portal by signing in to the Kosmos Institute account you created when you registered for the Colloquium.
Instructions for signing in and accessing your portal can be found here:
https://www.kosmosinstitute.org/how-to-access-student-account
YOUR CONFIRMED TRAVEL ITINERARY
We want your journey to Ascona to feel as straightforward and well supported as possible. Please share your confirmed travel details so that Kosmos Institute and Hotel Ascona can prepare for your arrival.
Booking Additional Nights
Additional nights must be arranged and paid for directly with Hotel Ascona. Please also share your dates with us above so that the Kosmos Institute team can maintain an accurate arrival and departure schedule and be prepared to welcome you.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please wait until after we have submitted all current participants to the hotel before booking additional nights so they have a record of you and the room you will be occupying. You may book additional nights beginning in November.
ADDITIONAL NIGHTLY ROOM RATES
The following rates are in Swiss Francs, per room, per night, and include breakfast.
South-Facing Single Room — 125 CHF per night
Single occupancy
South-Facing Double Room — 240 CHF per night
Single occupancy
Superior Double Room — 380 CHF per night
Single occupancy
Deluxe Double Room — 430 CHF per night
May be shared by two guests at 215 CHF per person, per night
Apartment with Terrace — 430 CHF per night
May be shared by two guests at 215 CHF per person, per night
KOSMOS INSTITUTE FIRST ANNUAL COLLOQUIUM
GUEST AND SPEAKER ACKNOWLEDGMENT, RELEASE, AND ASSUMPTION OF RESPONSIBILITY
Event: Kosmos Institute First Annual Colloquium
Location: Hotel Ascona, Ascona, Switzerland
Dates: December 17–21, 2026
Kosmos Institute’s First Annual Colloquium is designed as an intimate residential gathering for serious intellectual, creative, and spiritual inquiry. In that spirit, we ask all guests, speakers, and invited participants to read and sign the following acknowledgment before attending.
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
I understand that my participation in the Kosmos Institute First Annual Colloquium is voluntary. I am choosing to travel to and attend the gathering with full awareness that travel, residential events, group gatherings, excursions, meals, and related activities carry ordinary risks, including but not limited to illness, injury, travel disruption, loss or damage to personal property, and unexpected changes in schedule or conditions.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND WELL-BEING
I understand that I am responsible for my own physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being during the Colloquium. I agree to make decisions that are appropriate for my own health, limits, needs, and circumstances.
I understand that the Colloquium may include serious intellectual, symbolic, psychological, spiritual, or emotionally meaningful material. I acknowledge that the event is not a substitute for medical care, psychotherapy, psychiatric treatment, crisis support, or any other professional health service.
TRAVEL, HEALTH, AND INSURANCE
I am responsible for arranging and maintaining any travel documents, visas, health insurance, travel insurance, medications, medical care, mobility support, dietary planning, and other personal requirements necessary for my attendance.
Kosmos Institute strongly recommends that all participants obtain appropriate travel and health insurance before attending.
RELEASE OF LIABILITY
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, I release Kosmos Institute, its directors, officers, employees, contractors, representatives, volunteers, faculty, speakers, and event organizers from liability for any injury, illness, loss, damage, delay, expense, or claim arising from or related to my participation in the Colloquium, including travel to and from the event, attendance at sessions, meals, receptions, excursions, social gatherings, and related activities.
THIRD-PARTY SERVICES AND VENUES
I understand that some aspects of the Colloquium may be provided by third parties, including hotels, transportation providers, restaurants, venues, guides, or other service providers. Kosmos Institute is not responsible for the acts, omissions, policies, conditions, or decisions of third-party providers.
PERSONAL PROPERTY
I am responsible for my own luggage, valuables, documents, electronic devices, and personal belongings. Kosmos Institute is not responsible for lost, stolen, misplaced, or damaged personal property.
CONDUCT AND COMMUNITY CARE
I agree to participate respectfully and in good faith, with care for the shared atmosphere of the gathering. I understand that Kosmos Institute may ask a participant to leave the Colloquium if their conduct is disruptive, unsafe, harassing, or inconsistent with the spirit and safety of the event.
PROGRAM CHANGES
I understand that Kosmos Institute may make reasonable changes to the schedule, speakers, sessions, meals, excursions, or other aspects of the Colloquium if circumstances require.
SPEAKERS AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS
If I am participating as a speaker, presenter, moderator, performer, or invited contributor, I understand that I am responsible for the content of my own contribution, including any permissions needed for images, quotations, music, recordings, or other third-party materials I choose to include.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, I retain ownership of my own intellectual property.
PHOTOGRAPHY, RECORDING, AND MEDIA
I understand and agree that photographs, video, audio, and other recordings may be made during the Colloquium for archival, educational, editorial, and promotional purposes.
By attending the Colloquium, I grant Kosmos Institute permission to record and use my image, voice, name, likeness, and incidental participation in connection with the Colloquium and Kosmos Institute’s educational, archival, editorial, and promotional work.
For speakers and formal contributors, any use of full-length lectures, presentations, or substantial recorded materials will be governed by a separate written agreement where appropriate.
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
In the event of an emergency, I authorize Kosmos Institute or its representatives to seek reasonable medical or emergency assistance on my behalf if I am unable to do so. I understand that I remain responsible for any medical, transportation, or related costs incurred.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I have read and understood this acknowledgment, release, and assumption of responsibility. I understand that by signing it, I am accepting personal responsibility for my participation in the Colloquium and releasing Kosmos Institute from liability to the fullest extent permitted by law.
SEE YOU IN ASCONA IN DECEMBER!
I am thrilled that you have chosen to help us inaugurate our new annual colloquium and I cannot wait to welcome you to Monte Verità this winter.
With warmth and enthusiasm,
Gelareh
