Visionary artists, Allyson and Alex Grey join Raghu to share their deep connection with Ram Dass, Be Here Now, Maharajji, psychedelics, Dzogchen Buddhism, and creativity.
Visionary artists, wise psychonauts, and podcasters, Allyson and Alex Grey are co-founders & Ministers of CoSM, the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, a transformational art based non-profit which grew into an interfaith church and thriving artist community. Allyson and Alex are currently in the process of constructing Entheon, a sanctuary for visionary art, and sacred, nondenominational temple and hub for visionary artists and inner-seekers. Allyson and Alex host Sunday Art Church events, fusing creativity and dharma; as well as Full Moon Gatherings, which bring together artists, musicians, wisdom teachers, and free-thinkers to honor our cosmic alignment with nature and the creative forces. For a deep dive into their minds, check out their new podcast, The CoSM Podcast, and for updates on Entheon, CoSM, their art and events, visit their website CoSM.org
Personally Accessed Wisdom: Ram Dass, Psychedelics, & God
Diving into the mutual sparks which ignited their romantic partnership, their relationship with God, and their visionary propensities, Allyson and Alex describe their early years of inner-journeying and self-discovery. Marking psychedelic experiences with LSD, as well as reading Ram Dass’ generation-defining book, Be Here Now, as two of their main spiritual catalysts, Allyson and Alex share the deep, transformational imprints Baba Ram Dass engraved through his ‘personally accessed wisdom.’
“Ram Dass is the prime example of how things could go right. Certainly, there’s been many cautions around gurus and devotees, but here we have an example of someone who made a pure connection with a powerful master who was a magical, spiritual genius of love…It’s an extraordinary outpouring – you look at his life and what he was able to put out in terms of personally accessed wisdom.” – Alex Grey
For a fun and wild ride through Ram Dass’ psychedelic bravado, humor, and unconditional love, join comedian Pete Holmes, on Ep. 363 of Mindrolling
God As One: A Mystic Love Tribe (21:12)
Moving past the ‘optical delusion,’ of dueling Gods, the group speaks to Ram Dass’ ‘interfaith rootedness,’ highlighting the ‘personally accessed wisdom’ of God as One. From their unique perspective as visionary artists, Allyson and Alex share stories of psychedelic trips that elucidate what Maharajji called, “Sab Ek” (All One). From this nondual vantage point, they explore how visceral, transformational experiences help form together a satsang, or as Alex puts it, a ‘mystic love tribe.’
“When people have [psychedelic] experiences, they want to share them. A great many turn out to be mystical or spiritually oriented experiences, and those people want to gather in groups, meet each other, talk about it, and read about it, because it’s so uplifting; it’s upwardly spiraling.” – Allyson Grey
“Millions of people that have opened their minds and hearts to the mystic love tribe. It reemerges in every generation, and the avatars of which are called forth, like Ram Dass.” – Alex Grey
Discover how Ram Dass went from Harvard professor to 1960s spiritual icon – and all the trips in-between, on Ep. 174 of Here & Now
Investigations of the Self: Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Entheon, & Buddhism (29:40)
Prompted by Raghu to share about the meaning and intention behind their artwork and life’s mission–from the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, to their visionary art temple, Entheon–Allyson and Alex express that their artistic lenses have always been about investigations of the self. Explaining that he changed his name to ‘Grey’ because it’s the color that ties together opposites, Alex describes where Dzogchen Buddhism meets creativity, before Allyson elucidates the connections between art and prayer, and chaos and order.
“We both felt that our work should start to focus on portraying these experiences. For me, my work is not the person having the experience; it is the inner-experience itself. It is this vast field.” – Allyson Grey
“This is like the skin of your soul. You got to have that scorching vision, so you get to share it. If you have the right intention, it will be a pure gift, just like it was when it was put into your consciousness. My goal is to be a medium of whatever kind of mystical experience comes through.” – Alex Grey
Dive into the realms of transformational art, death, and the mind. Join psychedelic artist and comedian, Ramin Nazer, on Ep. 362 of Mindrolling
Images via Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, and the COSM Shop