photo by Evan Oldridge
We wanted to share a recent conversation
“Seeing Deeply: How Vision Can Empower Our Evolution"
Alex Grey and Terry Patten talk about the fundamental role of visionary and sacred art in our conscious evolution This inspiring discussion is now available as a free broadcast.
http://www.beyondawakeningseries.com/featured/alex-grey.php
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This resource offers over fifty conversations including Ken Wilber, Lynne Twist, and Ram Dass, all exploring the question, "How can higher consciousness assist us in meeting evolutionary challenges?"
Dwelling in the Garden- A Call to Divine Stewardship
by Terry Patten
On Sunday, May 27th we broadcast my dialog with Alex Grey, renowned visionary, spiritual artist and my long-time friend. In addition to communicating the subtle energetics of the world with amazingly precise detail, Alex speaks with a unique voice. He combines visionary fierceness and conviction with child-like innocence and appreciation for what is before him. His life’s work has always involved bridging the realms of the sacred and the mundane. He and I have known each other for decades (Alex’s art graced the covers of two “Tools for Exploration” catalogs—this was my company many years ago), so there was a tremendous sweetness to entering into this dialogue together.
Our conversation was poetic, free and flowing. Alex made the beautiful observation that visionary art brings heaven to earth now and awakens people to the preciousness of being alive…and the possibility of losing it. He says we are “in the garden and we are befouling it.” As we rode this wave together, I told Alex he is a beautiful integrative expression of the sadhu (or the “contemplative”) artist; a convergence of the mystical inner-vision of the contemplative paths of the East and the externally expressed creativity of artists in the West.
Traditionally, mystical spiritual realization has been divided off from worldly life. I suggested that now we are seeing that it’s both possible and necessary to transcend that division and that there is a new kind of worldly leadership, grounded in mystical realization but taking responsibility for the affairs of the world, like the traditional Indian Warrior/King caste, the “Kshatriya”. Alex emphatically agreed that the awakened mystic is now coming into life to be a more powerfully engaged presence in this world. Alex’s art inspires the awakened body/mind that can embody the power and intention of this new kind of spiritual warrior.
Alex believes that the core practice in support this evolution is “creativity, any and all forms of creativity”. If we are going to be a healthy response to this squeeze-point in human evolution—it is always and foremost a creative act. For Alex the question “how can higher consciousness help the human species rise to meet the unique evolutionary challenges of our time?” is a call for everyone’s individual and unique creative contribution.
Alex eloquently argued that integral spirituality is at the mystic core of the planetary civilization that is emerging today. This is a spirituality that is sacred but not cultic and which bridges the realms of the visionary with the here and now. I see Alex’s luminous renderings of archetypal human moments such as birth, death and the family as powerfully presencing the divine within the earthly. His artworks are illuminations of the everyday miracle, awakening us to the startling truth that we are indeed “in the garden” and have always been; and that with this privilege we are called to the highest kind of stewardship.
I invite you to enjoy this download here.
