Who WAS Ram Dass? In the Sixties, He was a Psychedelics Researcher and Promoter at Harvard with Dr. Timothy Leary. (LSD, Magic Mushrooms and Peyote) Then He went to India Looking for Enlightenment and Met a Guru. Changed His Name and Published a Great Book... "Remember: Be Here Now" - It Has His Autobiography and then Many ART Drawings Explaining Eastern Religion. Real Name: Dr. Richard Alpert...

https://beherenownetwork.com/be-here-now/

and Then he wrote a Dozen MORE Books and Gave Many Lectures... ALL WORTHY... I Especially Love "Still Here" because I'm 67 Years Old and The Question of My Own Death is Important To Me... Now... 

https://www.amazon.com/Still-Here-Embracing-Aging-Changing/dp/1573228710

It's Important to remember that Kermit Michael Riggs Taught Dr. Richard Alpert to BE HERE NOW. He was a Laguna Beach, CA Surfer...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavan_Das_(yogi)





and Then After Listening to The Saturday Night Alive for the Global Peace Tribe Show...

I Had a Dream: We were walking towards the Entrance of the Los Gatos Library and there was a Thin Old Man dressed in a Small Bathing Suit ahead of Us. He pulled on the entrance to the Children's room and It was Locked... Disappointed, he turned around and I asked: "Are You Looking for the Man Who Works There?" He Said: "NO" and I Motioned towards the Main Entrance. We all Entered. He seemed lost so I asked: "Do you Need Help?" as I would ask any Lost Old Man... He Said: "NO" and then I asked again: "Can I Help You?" He said: "No. I'm Fine." and then we went on Our Own Ways. By That time it was Obvious to Me That he was Ram Dass and That it was a Rather "Heavy" encounter to Ask Ram Dass If I Could Help Him... a Meaningful Event... and I was Shaking... So we went downstairs and I went searching for a Book that I Has Started reading before (about Philosophy) - and on the same shelf was a large picture book of the Grateful Dead's Fare Ye Well Tour with four CDs (that were missing) and My friend asked me why I would want to check out that book and I said: "Too Look for Pictures of Myself." and then I woke up and Typed this Document... It's Best to Type it Up before I forget it... For Certain, I would have tried to help any Lost Old Man but It seems Important that I Offered Ram Dass Help in my dream. That's One Of His Main Teachings...

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

and then... Someone Posted in the Ram Dass Facebook Group:

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

Hello everyone, curious to know where you came across Ram Dass, I found him on Gaia...

and I Replied: TV News was Talking about Dr. Timothy Leary and He was a Part of that scene... Dr. Richard Alpert... and then Later he Wrote The Book: Remember, Be Here Now... and THAT Got My Attention because of the ART! Here are Two of about a Hundred Drawings in that book...






In the Ram Dass Facebook Group SD Posted: Philosophically speaking... Does life fundamentally suck?

SC Said: That’s what the Buddha says! But the good news is that we can rest deeply in that eternal place in our being where it doesn’t suck. The way out is in!


I Replied: MY Life Does Not Suck... Actually, I've always been confused by the Buddhist Teaching that all life is suffering... For Example: Eat a Hamburger with French Fries and a Beer and Tell me THAT'S Suffering... NO, It's Not! Maybe IN INDIA "all life is suffering" but here in the USA... Things are Pretty Great... Hey, I ate LSD and Danced at a Grateful Dead Concert... Does THAT Suck? No... That's Excellent Entertainment! BIG FUN!



Environments Record Album
Human "BE IN" In Central Park NYC


Here is Another Basically False Belief... In Buddhism, desire lies at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods... all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering. I Disagree... UNSATISFIED DESIRE Causes Suffering But Completely Satisfied Desire is GREAT! For Example: I Desired a Hamburger, and then I Ate That Hamburger with French Fries and a Beer... WONDERFUL! Maybe What the Buddha was Referring to is The QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIA where things Generally SUCK... After All... If Prayer and Meditation ACTUALLY WORKED They Wouldn't Be Dying of Coronavirus... BUT In REALITY... VACCINES WORK.

Q: Why do so many people avoid silence?

I love Silence... Especially Outdoors in the Garden... Because Then I Can Hear all those REALLY QUIET Sounds... Little Birdies Chirping, Bees Buzzing, Th Sound of a Harley Davidson Driving away in the Distance...



Light Pink Rose in the Garden -
Central Valley California - gvan42

A Housemate of Mine was Watching the TV Show "Coach" - Where People were Arguing and Arguing and Arguing... Why Would Anyone Voluntarily Watch That? We Have a Hundred Channels... Many Have ZERO Arguments... and Then There were Many "Jokes" about Athletes being Stupid... I Don't Find THAT Funny... Those Jokes are Just a Variation on Racist Stereotypes... The Underlying Basis is that Anyone Who Plays Football Has to Be an Idiot because of All The Pain... and a Lifetime of Painful Back Problems... Sure, I Played Football for 3 Days Before I Quit the Team... It HURT! But That's NOT a Funny Joke...



Same Grape Plant as The One Over the Gate above.

Now It's Creeping up a Tree


Intentionally Seek Beauty... I Walk Around with my Camera/Phone and Search for Wonderful Things to Photograph... It's The SEARCHING FOR BEAUTY that is Really Fun... That Practice Makes Me More Observant...




If You are Having Trouble with Your Religion, Simply Fire your God and Find One that Works. Why Not Awaken? Why Not Shop Around and Select One That's Better for Your Own Lifestyle? https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2017/07/if-you-are-having-trouble-with-your.html

Don't let other people ruin your life by filling your head with absurd concepts that benefit Them, not You... I Wrote this Because I Spent Many Hours Listening to Christians Complain about Their Religion in Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings... SAD... Trapped in a Make Believe Cannibal/Vampire Cult... Yep, Those People Pretend to Drink the Blood of Christ and Eat His Body... OOOH! CREEPY! ESCAPE NOW!



~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

and NOW, Here are some Blog Posts

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~
Contact Your California State Representative and Tell 'em to DECRIMINALIZE PSYCHEDELICS... If signed into law, possession of LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, DMT and MDMA would be decriminalized. .

LINK TO FIND YOUR REP...

http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

My Experience: I took LSD and Visited the National Art Gallery in Washington DC... Surprisingly, Picasso "The Tragedy" was My Favorite Painting... I FELT COLD in my Body just looking at the Painting...

Warhol and Lichtenstein all seemed silly and trivial! That Night we all went to the Tangerine Dream Concert... at the Elegant Warner Theater... I was Concerned During the Show About the CO2 Fog that Spilled off the Stage and out into the Audience... Seemed Dangerous to Me... But We All Survived...




Evil Lawmakers Made LSD Illegal. (Donald L. Grunsky & Edmund G "Pat" Brown) Bribed Politicians. Puppets of Big Pharma. However, There is an Unstoppable Movement of Citizen Patriots In Favor of Magic Mushroom Legalization. and Then ALL The Other Psychedelics...

Throw all the Corrupt Weasels OUT of Office...

Be Sure to Contact Your Elected Representatives and Tell them to LEGALIZE MEDICINAL PSYCHEDELICS... Let Doctors and Patients Decide for themselves What the Best Medicine is... Get The "Nanny State" OUT of the Doctor's Office...

HEADLINE:
Brown Signs LSD Bill To Head Off Threat' - 30 May 1966

SACRAMENTO (UPI)- Gov. Edmund G. Brown today signed Into law a bill making it a crime to manufacture, sell, possess or use the dream drug LSD. Brown said the new law would head off "a growing threat to society, particularly to young thrill-seekers unaware of the damage it (LSD) can do.” The bill, by Sen, Donald L. Grunsky, R-Watsonville, outlaws the promiscuous use of the drug which backers of the legislation say is reaching epidemic proportions on college campuses. But it permits LSD to be used in research projects conducted by recognized hospitals and clinics.

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19660530.2.85&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1

The Man Who Made LSD Illegal... Thankfully He is Dead... and CANNOT DO any more Evil. Donald L. Grunsky; Longtime State Legislator... https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jan-18-mn-55108-story.html
The Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 is a United Nations treaty designed to control psychoactive drugs such as amphetamine-type stimulants, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and psychedelics signed in Vienna, Austria on 21 February 1971. The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 did not ban the many newly discovered psychotropics,[1] since its scope was limited to drugs with cannabis, coca, and opium-like effects.

During the 1960s such drugs became widely available, and government authorities opposed this for numerous reasons, arguing that along with negative health effects, drug use led to lowered moral standards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Psychotropic_Substances


In 1961, a conference of plenipotentiaries (Definition: a person, especially a diplomat, invested with the full power of independent action on behalf of their government, typically in a foreign country.) in New York adopted the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which consolidated the existing drug control treaties into one document and added Cannabis to the list of prohibited plants. In order to appease the pharmaceutical interests, the Single Convention's scope was sharply limited to the list of drugs enumerated in the Schedules annexed to the treaty and to those drugs determined to have similar effects. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Convention_on_Narcotic_Drugs

Psilocybin prohibition, however, wasn’t seriously enforced until the passage of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1971, which marked the beginning of America’s disastrous War on Drugs. Under the CSA, psilocybin and psilocin are listed alongside heroin as Schedule I drugs, meaning that they have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use—at least, according to the federal government.
https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/476968-why-the-war-on-drugs-must-end
Plato's Story "The Cave" is so very Meaningful to me... When I Heard it on the FM Radio in the Late sixties I Said: Hey, That's What Happened to ME!
https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2020/07/platos-story-cave-is-so-very-meaningful.html


A Friend Just Announced that She's Going to Disney World!

Excellent! I spent 5 Days at EPCOT and Still Didn't See It All. The First Day I Took LSD and Rode Space Mountain! Hint: Go Early in the Morning, Go Back to the Motel Room and Take a Nap During the Heat of the Day, then Go Back at Night...



Remember when Vice President Pence Held a Prayer Meeting in the White House to "Cure" Covid-19? A Total Failure... He Did That Instead of ACTUALLY TAKING ACTION... and Half a Million People Died...



Prayer is a Way of Fooling Yourself... It's a Really Handy Excuse for NOT TAKING ACTION... For Example: After ANOTHER Gun Massacre People Send Thoughts and Prayers INSTEAD OF OUTLAWING GUNS.


~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~


Before Columbus "Discovered" America...
The People Who Lived here Had a Massive Civilization.
Pottery Cups found in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico have Chocolate in them... and Chocolate Was Grown a Thousand Miles South by the Mayans... But... They LOVED That Chocolate! and Were Willing to Pay Someone to Import It!
So there were Roads that Ran Over a Thousand Miles!
https://nhmu.utah.edu/blog/2016/08/04/cacao-chaco-canyon
and The South American Roads Built by the Incas
are Still there Today and Still Work!

https://www.facebook.com/seva.foundation

A clown, a guru, and a doctor walk into a cabin. The clown says, “What I have in mind is eye care for 400,000.” The guru says “See here now.” The doctor says, “Brilliant. We can do that.” What actually transpired in 1978 was the start of Seva led by Dr. Brilliant with an eclectic group including Ram Dass, Wavy Gravy, Dr. "V", and Dr. Nicole Grasset. What came next was the landmark Nepal Blindness Survey using an Apple 2+ computer donated by Steve Jobs and a helicopter funded by a Grateful Dead concert. The story of Seva’s beginning is colorful and quirky, but the results are miraculous. Science, art, and spirituality are a potent blend that can transform lives! Witness for yourself the promise of ending avoidable blindness in Nepal and around the world.

Will the Corrupt Supreme Court Rule that CRIME IS LEGAL for Trump? Question: Would Total Presidential Immunity Allow Biden to Murder Trump LEGALLY?

Remember: The Reason Ford Pardoned Nixon was to Prevent Nixon's Arrest for Crimes Committed While President. 

READ MORE:

https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2024/02/trump-lock-him-up-outlaw-crime.html

Donovan's Mountain Song: What Does It Mean? First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is…. The Allman Brothers Eat a Peach Record.

At the heart of Buddhist teachings we are told that all things are impermanent and subject to change and flux. Simply stated, nothing in the world around us or our self is fixed or solid. There are no things, just process and flux.

OR... Maybe it's describing the Motion of an Inchworm... 

Donovan in Concert... 1972 BBC TV... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkLp9d7HKuA 

Allman Brothers Mountain Jam - Eat a Peach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuNz2idDtY 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eat_a_Peach

Butch Trucks suggested they name the album Eat a Peach for Peace, after a quote from Duane Allman. When the writer Ellen Mandel asked him what he was doing to help the revolution, he replied:

I'm hitting a lick for peace—and every time I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace. But you can't help the revolution, because there's just evolution. I understand the need for a lot of changes in the country, but I believe that as soon as everybody can just see a little bit better, and get a little hipper to what's going on, they're going to change it. Everybody will—not just the young people. Everybody is going to say, 'Man, this stinks. I cannot tolerate the smell of this thing anymore. Let's eliminate it and get straight with ourselves.' I believe if everybody does it for themselves, it'll take care of itself.^[23][22]

Drummer Butch Trucks considered Allman's comment a sly reference to the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot, one of Allman's favorite poets.^[22]

Eight Sided GO Sign - 

Similar to a STOP Sign but 

with a Positive Message.

The chorus of this song: "First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is," may sound incomprehensible or silly, but the lines are a Zen saying Donovan borrowed and which have a meaning. The lines are intended to succinctly describe three stages of Zen. Pre-enlightenment, one's aware of the Universe as physical (there is a mountain). Then through meditation one may experience a visionary state where the physical Universe seems to disappear (no mountain) where the "Buddha Mind"/Tao [Zen first developed in China as a blend of Indian Buddhism & Chinese Taoism] root of reality behind physical appearances is experienced as non-physical. After that vision, the mountain reappears, except in ones new enlightened state one is simultaneously aware of the physical mountain & the Void/Tao non-physical reality behind it & at its root... And now you know the rest of the story!

FREE ART... In Case You Need an Image to Spice up Your Blog or Webpage... Remember: People Click on Images!

My Experience Using the Ram Dass Artificial Intelligence Program - IT WAS WORTHY! They Had the AI Machine Read All of His Books and Transcripts of Lectures in Order to Learn What He Thought...

https://ramdass.ai/

For Example: I Asked...
What should I do with my Life?

Answer: Ah, the question of what to do with one's life. It's a question that has been asked by many, and the answer is as unique as each individual who asks it.

You see, life is not a series of tasks to be completed, but rather a journey to be experienced. It's not about reaching a destination, but about the journey itself. It's about the process of becoming, of growing, of evolving.

Imagine that you have died and your life is about to be reviewed. What would you want to see? What would you want to have accomplished? What would you want to have experienced? This is your chance to do what others have failed to do. Look at the unloved one, the miserable one. This is your chance to do an act of love toward one who has had no love. This is your chance to do justice where intentional or unintentional injustice has been committed. This is your chance to give warmth and courage to one who feels only coldness, loneliness and death.

Now gently come back to your living body. With this feeling of respect and love, come back to your living body, and let this feeling remain with you, inside of you. Let it spread to each nerve, to each muscle, along every vein and artery. Let this feeling of respect and love spread inside you, throughout your entire organism, and then let it spread out into the world.

So, what should you do with your life? You should live it. You should experience it. You should love it. You should respect it. You should honor it. And most importantly, you should be true to yourself.

In the words of the Indian greeting, Namasta, "I honor the light within you." So, honor the light within yourself, and let it guide you on your journey through life.


SO... I Guess there was Some Wisdom in the Answer... But Will I go Back and ask more Questions? Not Today... but Maybe Later!


Who WAS Ram Dass? In the Sixties, He was a Psychedelics Researcher and Promoter at Harvard with Dr. Timothy Leary. (LSD, Magic Mushrooms and Peyote) Then He went to India Looking for Enlightenment and Met a Guru. Changed His Name and Published a Great Book... "Remember: Be Here Now" - It Has His Autobiography and then Many ART Drawings Explaining Eastern Religion. Real Name: Dr. Richard Alpert... Read More at:
https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2021/05/ram-dass-was-psychedelics-researcher.html

A clown, a guru, and a doctor walk into a cabin. The clown says, “What I have in mind is eye care for 400,000.” The guru says “See here now.” The doctor says, “Brilliant. We can do that.” What actually transpired in 1978 was the start of Seva led by Dr. Brilliant with an eclectic group including Ram Dass, Wavy Gravy, Dr. "V", and Dr. Nicole Grasset. What came next was the landmark Nepal Blindness Survey using an Apple 2+ computer donated by Steve Jobs and a helicopter funded by a Grateful Dead concert. The story of Seva’s beginning is colorful and quirky, but the results are miraculous. Science, art, and spirituality are a potent blend that can transform lives! Witness for yourself the promise of ending avoidable blindness in Nepal and around the world.

https://www.facebook.com/seva.foundation



I Had a Dream: We were walking towards the Entrance of the Los Gatos Library and there was a Thin Old Man dressed in a Small Bathing Suit ahead of Us. He pulled on the entrance to the Children's room and It was Locked... Disappointed, he turned around and I asked: "Are You Looking for the Man Who Works There?" He Said: "NO" and I Motioned towards the Main Entrance. We all Entered. He seemed lost so I asked: "Do you Need Help?" as I would ask any Lost Old Man... He Said: "NO" and then I asked again: "Can I Help You?" He said: "No. I'm Fine." and then we went on Our Own Ways. By That time it was Obvious to Me That he was Ram Dass and That it was a Rather "Heavy" encounter to Ask Ram Dass If I Could Help Him... a Meaningful Event... and I was Shaking... So we went downstairs and I went searching for a Book that I Has Started reading before (about Philosophy) - and on the same shelf was a large picture book of the Grateful Dead's Fare Ye Well Tour with four CDs (that were missing) and My friend asked me why I would want to check out that book and I said: "Too Look for Pictures of Myself." and then I woke up and Typed this Document... It's Best to Type it Up before I forget it... For Certain, I would have tried to help any Lost Old Man but It seems Important that I Offered Ram Dass Help in my dream. That's One Of His Main Teachings...

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~



Gimme an 'F'- and the Crowd Shouts 'F' - Gimme a 'U' - and they Shout 'U' - Gimme an 'N' - and they Shout 'N' --- What's That Spell? 'FUN' - What's That Spell? 'FUN' - What's That Spell? 'FUN' - Quotation of Wavy Gravy at the Ram Dass Funeral...

Of Course, To Understand This Chant It Would Be Handy To Know Who Ram Dass Was and To Have Seen the Country Joe and the Fish Performance of Fixing to Die Rag at Woodstock...








LINK: Poster for Sale at Zazzle Gregvan
All Royalties Donated to Charity
and THIS is What Wavy Gravy is Doing NOW...
https://www.campwinnarainbow.org/


What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.
As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions."
"In 1984", Huxley added, "people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure."
In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. ~Neil Postman

In the Book: "Remember: Be Here Now" - What Happened When Ram Dass' Guru Ate a Massive Dose of LSD?

That part of the Story is NOT REALLY TOLD...

 

Ram Dass Writes: "Wow! I've Finally Met a Guy Who is Going to Know! He Will Definitely Know What LSD IS. I'll Have to Ask Him."

Then Maharaji swallows 3 White Lightning Pills (305 Micrograms each).

"All Day Long I'm There, and Every Now and Then he Twinkles at Me and Nothing - Nothing Happens. That was His Answer to My Question. Now You Have All the Data I Have."

SO... What Really Happened? I figure they had 12 Hours Together... and all that happened was Occasional Twinkling? No Conversation? No Questions? Did Ram Dass Really Sit there and NOT ASK... "What's Happening? Do You Feel any Effects?"

If You Know any More... Please Email Me: gregvan[at]yahoo[dot]com or Comment below. 

Gimme an 'F'- and the Crowd Shouts 'F' - Gimme a 'U' - and they Shout 'U' - Gimme an 'N' - and they Shout 'N' --- What's That Spell? 'FUN' - What's That Spell? 'FUN' - What's That Spell? 'FUN' - Quotation of Wavy Gravy at the Ram Dass Funeral...

Of Course, To Understand This Chant It Would Be Handy To Know Who Ram Dass Was and To Have Seen the Country Joe and the Fish Performance of Fixing to Die Rag at Woodstock...

LINK: Poster for Sale at Zazzle Gregvan

All Royalties Donated to Charity

and THIS is What Wavy Gravy is Doing NOW...
https://www.campwinnarainbow.org/

Camp Winnarainbow is a socially minded, justice focused organization founded by Hippy Icon, Flower Geezer, Poet, Activist Wavy Gravy in 1975. Wavy was later joined by his wife Jahanara, who has been a very important part of creating who we are as a Camp Winnarainbow community.  Utilizing all the ideals and teachings they learned through traveling the world, being a part of their Hog Farm community, and their devotion to “do something good for a change”, the philosophies and values of Camp Winnarainbow were created. Through the years our culture and traditions have been created from the inspiration and ingenuity of the staff and campers who have become the Winnarainbow community. Our motto is Toward the Fun!

Winnarainbow is fortunate to rent our facility in Laytonville from the Black Oak Ranch every summer. The land, with it’s sacred Black Oak trees, beautiful Streeter Creek, wide open field and surrounding mountains are very much a part of the Camp experience. We at Camp acknowledge that we are on Cahto Wylaki Tribal Lands. We also pay respect to the Yuki, Concow Maidu, Little Lake and other Pomo, Nomlaki, and Pit River People’s and extend this respect to all Tribal communities of our region. To read about why our camper’s sleep in tipi’s, which are traditional lodging for the Native People’s of the Plains, please read our We Stand In Responsibility to Be Change page.

A 2nd generation of leaders have been mentored by Wavy and Jah to step into their roles at Camp. This new leadership brings with them the wisdom from Wavy and Jah and a fierce dedication to continue to grow Camp Winnarainbow’s vision to meet the complex world of today and the future. Together we CAN create a peaceful, sustainable, harmonious World!

a meme that fits the FaceBorg 

"My Story" - READ RAM DASS

I just found this poem,

written by Ram Dass after Jerry died.

Jerry's Gone

Jerry's dead

An era has ended

And here we are...still.

All these years,

The Dead concerts have been spirit

Made manifest,

Deep connections into...

Living Vibrant Love

Now The high priest has split.

The Tao Te Ching speaks of the best leader as one who leaves

The people thinking they did it all themselves.

Jerry was that kind of a leader.

He turned the power back to the people.

He, and the band...they have never really bought into

****SUPERSTARDOM****

They have seen themselves

more as catalysts

In the magical mix of the moment

That allowed each person at the gathering to feel safe enough to

Become self-luminous.

So now Jerry has dropped his body...

And here we are... still.

Through him and his mythic playmates came the sound that Connected us to our deeper selves...

This was our spiritual practice... our doorway...

Genuinely ours... and it worked...

Now Jerry isn't

And we are...still.

So... has all that free form ecstasy

That we garnered from an otherwise shadow world

Transformed us? Or made us more free?

Or Has it just left us a group of

Sad Grateful Dead addicts

In withdrawal?

For sure we will grieve the monumental loss of our friend...Jerry

For a long...long...long...time.

Most likely we will go through some powerful depression

And despair...

We may even court cynicism...

After all...it's not easy to lose your connection.

But Jerry's legacy to us is more profound than all of that.

He is in us...

Just as we have been in him.

We have all been not a tribe... or a family,

But a bubble of awareness

Riding upon the ocean of sound

That is in and beyond the sounds we ear hear.

Now it's up to us to co-create other safe spaces

Where we can listen to hear what Jerry heard

And to allow our love-light to Shine.

Jerry is gone in one form, But...like the magician that he is,

He has explosively been transformed into

A million Jerrys... One...improvising in each of our hearts. Jerry...We express our gratefulness...

By becoming the memory of you.

-Ram Dass

Ram Dass Portrait by Alex Grey. Psychedelic Artist...

Three years ago today beloved Ram Dass transitioned out of his body.

Sending love to the great teacher who has had such a profoundly positive impact on the spiritual lives of so many including Allyson and I. Truly grateful I was given the opportunity to paint a portrait of Ram Dass, and that he got to advise me on certain parts. Behind and in the halo of the central portrait is Maharaji, Neem Karoli Baba, pulling the lightstrings, passing them through the heart of Ram Dass out through Hanuman's chest to serve the world. One of the blessings Ram Dass brought to the world was he helped to found “Seva,” an organization helping cure blindness in Asia, the eyes in the sky of my painting refer to that organization. The Ram Dass community continues to share his wisdom, now that he has joined the other masters in the spiritual sky. Thank you to my friends Vishnu Dass @vishnudass_ and Stephanie @hammeryogini Schwindenhammer who made it possible to paint this portrait of Ram Dass and receive his loving support. Ram Ram Ram @babaramdass @ramdass_goinghome_film @taoshanumanji @beherenownetwork
On the back of the painting he placed his handprint and signed it! Now on view at the Psychedelic Reliquary in Entheon. Opening next year.

Ram Dass, 2018, 48 x 48 in., oil on wood panel.

https://www.facebook.com/AlexGreyCoSM

Who WAS Ram Dass? In the Sixties, He was a Psychedelics Researcher and Promoter at Harvard with Dr. Timothy Leary. (LSD, Magic Mushrooms and Peyote) Then He went to India Looking for Enlightenment and Met a Guru. Changed His Name and Published a Great Book... "Remember: Be Here Now" - It Has His Autobiography and then Many ART Drawings Explaining Eastern Religion. Real Name: Dr. Richard Alpert...

 

https://beherenownetwork.com/be-here-now/

and Then he wrote a Dozen MORE Books and Gave Many Lectures... ALL WORTHY... I Especially Love "Still Here" because I'm 67 Years Old and The Question of My Own Death is Important To Me... Now...

https://www.amazon.com/Still-Here-Embracing-Aging-Changing/dp/1573228710

It's Important to me to remember that Kermit Michael Riggs Taught Dr. Richard Alpert to BE HERE NOW. Kermit was a Laguna Beach, CA Surfer who was Exploring India... 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavan_Das_(yogi) 

I Had a Dream: We were walking towards the Entrance of the Los Gatos Library and there was a Thin Old Man dressed in a Small Bathing Suit ahead of Us. He pulled on the entrance to the Children's room and It was Locked... Disappointed, he turned around and I asked: "Are You Looking for the Man Who Works There?" He Said: "NO" and I Motioned towards the Main Entrance. We all Entered. He seemed lost so I asked: "Do you Need Help?" as I would ask any Lost Old Man... He Said: "NO" and then I asked again: "Can I Help You?" He said: "No. I'm Fine." and then we went on Our Own Ways. By That time it was Obvious to Me That he was Ram Dass and That it was a Rather "Heavy" encounter to Ask Ram Dass If I Could Help Him... a Meaningful Event... and I was Shaking... So we went downstairs and I went searching for a Book that I Has Started reading before (about Philosophy) - and on the same shelf was a large picture book of the Grateful Dead's Fare Ye Well Tour with four CDs (that were missing) and My friend asked me why I would want to check out that book and I said: "Too Look for Pictures of Myself." and then I woke up and Typed this Document... It's Best to Type it Up before I forget it... For Certain, I would have tried to help any Lost Old Man but It seems Important that I Offered Ram Dass Help in my dream. That's One Of His Main Teachings... 

He Wrote The Book: Remember, Be Here Now... and THAT Got My Attention because of the ART! Here are Two of about a Hundred Drawings in that book...

Dr Larry Brilliant and Wavy Gravy

There is a really great book that is called Sometimes Brilliant by Larry Brilliant, M.D. and a lot of it is about his dear friend Wavy Gravy, formerly and sometimes known as Hugh Romney. Dr. Brilliant grew up in the Detroit area and he was helping concert venues with medical practice after he graduated from medical school. Among the miraculous events he describes are how he became involved in a project that eradicated small pox. He was initiated into the Merry Pranksters, although Wavy Gravy asked Ken Kesey to take it easy on him because he was "new." They were focused on trying to do the most good, and had some difficult lessons. There were the monkeys who threw shit all over him and his wife just before he met the Dalai Lama. He learned that Neem Karoli Baba was psychic, actually beyond psychic. When he and the Hog Farm folks were flying on a plane in India, they smoked some hash, and the pilot came back into the cabin. He asked, "is that hashish?" They replied that it was and asked if he wanted some. He replied, "of course," and sat down to join them.