Alex Grey is a world renowned artist whose work is featured in many books, has been exhibited around the globe, and is known by millions. What most people don\u2019t know about Alex Grey is that he was born with a rare condition called Arthrogryposis, which afflicts him with muscle weakness and joint stiffness.<\/p>\n
You can find artwork by Alex Grey in many popular books on spirituality such as the Secret and the Power of Now . His artwork often centers on spiritual and religious themes, such as his triptych \u201cTheologue\u201d which depicts God as both the masculine Hindu god Shiva and the feminine goddess Shakti. He says that he is able to \u201cgo beyond form and gender to what lies beneath them\u201d in order to reach a \u201cmore universal, more abstract level of consciousness\u201d through his art. He also uses this method to convey his philosophy of \u201cthe interconnectedness of all things\u201d through his triptychs and paintings. Alex Grey is an artist who combines his deep spiritual awareness with his knowledge of fine art techniques.<\/p>\n
Alex Grey was born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 29, 1953. From the time he was young he was interested in both art and spirituality \u2013two areas that would eventually come<\/p>\n
Alex Grey (born November 29, 1953) is an American visionary artist, who has been creating a large body of artwork, since the late 1970s, as well as an author, teacher, and activist. He has been called “the most prominent spokesman of a generation of psychedelic artists.”<\/p>\n
Grey is known for his paintings depicting spiritual experiences, as well as for monumental bronze sculptures of human figures. His artworks have been featured in many exhibitions throughout the world.<\/p>\n
The philosophical and mystical themes addressed in his work are deeply tied to the artist’s lifelong interest in medicine and Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. His art is also inspired by science, nature, mysticism and the fantastical worlds found in literature and film.<\/p>\n
Alex Grey, who is a contemporary artist, has created several pieces of art that feature what he calls \u201cfigures of light.\u201d He explains what he means by this in the video below.<\/p>\n
In the video, Alex Grey describes how the figures of light he depicts in his art are people who have a sense of \u201cI am divine. I am infinite. I am immortal. I am liberated from all earthly concerns and attachments.\u201d It is interesting that he mentions \u201call earthly concerns\u201d because it highlights how one needs to make an effort to achieve enlightenment, which is at the heart of what makes his art so unique. And it is also interesting that he mentions liberation because it highlights how one needs to free oneself from old ideas and pre-conceived notions about what the world is like in order to achieve enlightenment.*<\/p>\n
Alex Grey is a contemporary painter, best known for his depiction of the human body and mind in various meditative or psychedelic states. He has created artwork for rock bands, including Metallica; designed album covers; and collaborated with contemporary musicians such as Tool. His paintings are in the collections of numerous museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where they have been displayed in prominent exhibitions.<\/p>\n
Tributes to Grey’s art have appeared on an episode of The Simpsons (“Brush with Greatness”), on Beavis and Butt-head (“A Little B&B”), and on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In addition to being celebrated within the artistic community, Grey’s work has gained attention from popular culture, appearing on The Howard Stern Show and South Park (“Make Love, Not Warcraft”). Alex Grey is also a pioneer of digital media art having produced over twenty immersive multimedia CD-ROMs exploring themes such as sacred geometry and entheogens. His first book Transfigurations (Inner Traditions) was published in2009.<\/p>\n
In addition to creating visionary artworks, Grey has been writing about his experiences with entheogens such as psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, DMT and ketamine<\/p>\n
Alex Grey is an American artist, author and spiritual seeker. He’s best known for his paintings and art depicting a variety of religious, spiritual and transpersonal themes, including human beings and other beings of light, celestial worlds, visionary encounters and psychedelic experiences. His artworks are widely used by churches and New Age groups.<\/p>\n
Terence McKenna once said that Alex\u2019s work is \u201cthe art equivalent to the pyramids\u201d. This quote refers to the fact that Grey\u2019s paintings are often huge in size (anywhere from 3 feet to 40 feet). Alex\u2019s most famous paintings are Sacred Mirrors series, which consists of 4 parts: The Artist (1990), The Seer (1991), The Alchemist (1993) and Earthmind (1996).<\/p>\n
Grey also creates intricate mandalas of luminous beings from his own imagination, particularly focusing on the ideas of transformation, spiritual transcendence, mystical experience and complex philosophical concepts. His works often integrate Christian iconography with mandalic forms as well as psychedelic imagery.<\/p>\n
Alex has painted portraits of Ken Kesey and Albert Hofmann.[5]<\/p>\n
Alex Grey studied with Joseph Campbell, the famous mythologist and author of “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”, which was a seminal work that analyzed the metaphorical structures behind many world myths. In particular, Campbell’s work looked at the commonalities between religions, which he believed were based on shared visions and ideas that he referred to as the “Myths of Creation”.<\/p>\n
Terence McKenna stated in his lecture series that although he had never met Alex Grey, it is clear to him that Campbell’s ideas resonated strongly with him, as evidenced by the aesthetic similarities between his artwork and Campbell’s scholarship. McKenna also stated that although he (McKenna) doesn’t consider himself to be an artist, his “art” is inspired by Alex Grey’s work.<\/p>\n
History & Mythology:<\/p>\n
Alex Grey has incorporated historical events into his artwork from time to time. For example, in one piece called “Behind Closed Eyelids” (1992) he depicted the Corpus Hermeticum, which was a collection of mystical texts compiled during the 2nd through 6th centuries AD by an anonymous author later identified as being divinely inspired. In another piece called “Kali – Black Goddess of Time” (1988), a Hindu goddess is depicted as having two faces: one black<\/p>\n
This week I attended the International Conference on Psychedelics in Science, Medicine and Spirituality, at Imperial College London. It was inspired by the pioneering work of Professor David Nutt and Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, who were both in attendance.<\/p>\n
It was a great privilege to hear from many different researchers. There was a really good feeling in the room, with people coming together and sharing stories and insights. There was also a sense of optimism that we have not seen for decades; that perhaps government regulators are beginning to understand the huge potential of psychedelics. We will have to wait and see!<\/p>\n
In the meantime, however, there is still an awful lot of misunderstanding out there. A great example is this article by Robin Carhart-Harris, which appeared in The Guardian earlier this week: Psychedelics: the facts behind the hippie hype . I am sure that Professor Nutt feels he has nothing to gain from commenting further on his failed attempt to get psilocybin approved for use in depression treatment. However, it does feel like his voice is being given far too much prominence in such articles when there are dozens of other researchers who could provide a more informed perspective.<\/p>\n
When I read comments like “we need fully integrated maps of their neuropsych