Inside the Mind of Alex Grey

How psychedelics helped one of the most notable artist alive discover his purpose—and why more creators are following that same path.

May 15, 2025

🌌 Art as a Portal

Bardo-Being by Alex Grey

Alex Grey is one of the most recognized psychedelic artists in the world.

His paintings—featuring luminous human forms, radiant beings, and intricate energetic systems—have appeared in international museums, immersive installations, and the homes of psychonauts across the globe. They’ve become visual shorthand for the psychedelic experience, capturing moments of revelation that many struggle to describe.

Grey’s work speaks to something universal: the sense that what we call “reality” is only one layer. Behind it waits a deeper truth—more connected, more vibrant, more alive.

His life’s work is an effort to bring that layer forward.

That effort began with a single experience. One that reset everything.

🧬 The Turning Point

Empowerment by Alex Grey

In his early 20s, Alex Grey felt lost.

He was studying art. He had the technical skills. But his life felt hollow—disconnected from purpose, from community, and from anything resembling joy. Depression lingered in the background. On his worst days, it moved into the foreground.

Then came a breaking point.

“One morning I pleaded for a sign not to kill myself,” he later shared.

That night, he was invited to a party. Someone there offered him LSD.

Inside the trip, he found his sign.

Albert Hofmann & the New Eleusis by Alex Grey

Grey saw himself moving through a spiraling tunnel made of iridescent mother-of-pearl. At the far end, there was light—vibrant, loving, intelligent. It was an encounter with something more real than reality.

“In the tunnel, all the shades of grey connected the polarities of black and white,” he said.

“My path was clear. I would change my name to Grey and bring opposites together through art.”

🌕 June with the Greys

This June, the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors opens its doors for a powerful series of gatherings led by Alex and Allyson Grey. Whether you're looking to celebrate under the full moon, create art as spiritual practice, or dance beneath the stars, these events offer a rare chance to connect—through ceremony, creativity, and community.

Here’s what’s happening:

📍 Location:
Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) / Zoom
46 Deer Hill Rd, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
Just 65 miles north of NYC | Easily accessible by Metro-North

🔮 Full Moon Gathering #280
📅 Saturday, June 7–Sunday, June 8 | 🕒 3:00 PM – Midnight

A long-running tradition since 2003, CoSM’s Full Moon Gathering is part ceremony, part celebration. The night begins with a community ritual in Entheon’s Great Hall led by the Greys, followed by live music, fire spinning, painting, dancing, and offerings across the CoSM campus. Food and drinks available at the Mushroom Cafe.

→ Get tickets

🎨 Art Church with Alex & Allyson
📅 Sunday, June 8 | 🕒 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Held the day after the Full Moon Gathering, Art Church blends meditation and creation. After a short talk from the Greys, attendees enter a meditative art-making session with live music. Bring your own sketchbook or join virtually from anywhere.

→ Reserve your space

☀️ Summer Solstice Celestial Celebration
📅 Saturday, June 21–Sunday, June 22 | 🕒 3:00 PM – 1:00 AM

This Solstice celebration marks the longest day of the year with ceremony, electronic music, visionary art, fire performances, and a lineup of special guests. The Greys open the evening with a spoken offering in the Great Hall before the party unfolds across the grounds.

→ View full schedule

🎨 The Artists Who Inspire Him

Allyson & Alex Grey

Over the years, Grey has become a cornerstone of the visionary art movement. But he continues to draw strength from the community of artists who share the psychedelic path.

When asked who inspires him most, he began with the person who’s been by his side since the beginning.

“My wife and best friend, Allyson Grey, is my favorite psychedelic artist.”

Together, Alex and Allyson co-founded the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM), a sanctuary dedicated to consciousness, creativity, and divine union. But Alex’s circle of inspiration is wide.

Here’s his full list of recommended visionary creators:

Alex Grey’s Favorite Psychedelic Artists

🌟 Allyson Grey
🌟 Amanda Sage
🌟 Android Jones
🌟 Ben Ridgway
🌟 Burt Veracruz
🌟 Damon Soule
🌟 Erial Ali
🌟 Ernst Fuchs
🌟 Fred Tomaselli
🌟 HR Giger
🌟 Jen Stark
🌟 Johfra Bosschart
🌟 Jonathan Solter
🌟 Luis Tamani
🌟 Luke Brown
🌟 Mars-1
🌟 Mati Klarwein
🌟 Maura Holden
🌟 Moebius
🌟 Oliver Vernon
🌟 Pablo Amaringo
🌟 Robert Venosa
🌟 TAS Visuals
🌟 UON Visuals

Limbic Resonance by Amanda Sage

Many of these names appear in galleries and festivals around the world. Some are spiritual surrealists. Others work in digital realms or blend sacred geometry with street art. What connects them is a shared desire to map the ineffable.

“More and more artists are choosing to portray their visions,” Grey said.

“That number will keep growing.”

Misterio Profundo by Pablo Amaringo

🛠️ A Creative Practice

Dying by Alex Grey

Visionary experiences often arrive with intensity—but their gifts emerge slowly.

To translate what he sees into art, Grey follows a set of personal rituals. These practices keep him grounded, focused, and aligned with the spirit of his work.

Here’s what he recommends for artists exploring psychedelics:

  • Sacred environment: Choose a quiet, intentional setting. Treat it like a ceremony.

  • Set an intention: Ask a specific question. Name the creative thread you wish to follow.

  • Take note of insights: Sketch what you see. Write what you feel. Even a fragment can guide the next step.

  • Let the work unfold over time: Use the days and weeks after the experience to develop ideas, not just record them.

  • Stay open: Let the art teach you something new about what you saw.

“Ask your own cosmic creative spirit how to bring the vision through you.”

🧠 Wonder, Wiring, and the Creative Brain

Godself by Alex Grey

Psychedelics didn’t just offer Grey inspiration—they revealed how creativity works at the deepest levels of the mind.

“Neuroimaging shows that psychedelics increase neural interconnectivity,” he explained.

“They return us to a state of wonder, like a child’s brain—alive with curiosity.”

That wonder fuels creation. But it also changes the structure of thought itself.

Grey pointed to studies on neurogenesis, the birth of new brain cells, as another key mechanism. New connections. New insights. New symbols waiting to be expressed.

“Psychedelics fill the imagination with patterns, archetypes, and spiritual meaning,” he said.

“They allow us to perceive beauty and truth with a depth that stays with us.”

This enhanced perception is the foundation of his art. Not a style. A way of seeing.

🌍 Why Visionary Art Still Matters

Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Entheon, 2021

Throughout history, art has helped humans process altered states.

From cave walls in Algeria to digital domes in Las Vegas, the same patterns appear again and again: radiant beings, spiral tunnels, mushroom-headed figures, realms of light. Grey believes this repetition points to a deeper source—something universal that speaks through us when we listen.

His work invites others into that dialogue.

Many people who’ve viewed his art have described seeing those same images in their own journeys. Others say they found language in his paintings for experiences they could never explain. That shared recognition creates a bridge between artist and audience, between the individual and the collective.

“These visions carry messages,” Grey said.

“And they bring people together through beauty, mystery, and meaning.”

🔮 Legacy in Motion

New Man New Woman by Alex Grey

This interview with Alex Grey took place in 2023 and you can read the conversation with a deeper breakdown here.

Since then, Grey has continued to evolve his work and support others walking the path. The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors grows year after year.

[Side note: The first Friday of every month is free! Get out to New York and take advantage of that. Learn more here!]

The visionary art world expands with every new voice. And the boundary between creativity and consciousness grows thinner all the time.

Grey remains a guide. His journey began in a glowing spiral of light.

Today, his art helps others find their own way toward it.

📚 Continue Exploring

Metamorphosis by Alex Grey

The psychedelic experience doesn’t begin or end with a single trip—and neither does the art it inspires. From ancient cave walls to virtual reality headsets, visionary expression continues to evolve with every new medium.

Whether you're a creator, explorer, or simply curious about what lies beyond the veil, these features open new windows into the intersection of psychedelics and creativity:

🎨 Psychedelic Art Through the Ages
A visual journey through thousands of years of altered-state expression—tracing how sacred visions have shaped cultures, religions, and aesthetics across the globe.

🕶️ Top 10 Psychedelic VR Games
Step into fully immersive realities designed to expand your mind. These games aren’t just entertainment—they’re explorations of perception, identity, and the nature of experience.

🎵 How Psychedelic Music Can Literally Transform Your Mind
Sound becomes medicine in this breakdown of how psychedelic music alters neural pathways, enhances emotion, and deepens the journey inward.

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