Art Psalms (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Polar Unity, May Love, Mystic Art (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Who says the time of revelations is in the past? Alex Grey’s Art Psalms and his life’s work bear witness to the aliveness of Spirit in our dangerous and decisive times. Read and pray this book and grow your soul!”
—Matthew Fox, author of Original Blessing and Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet

“Grey’s vision of a flawed, but perfectible mankind stands as an antidote to the cynicism and spiritual malaise prevalent in much contemporary art.”
—New York Times

“Alex Grey is one of the great art-mystics of our time.”
—Donald Kuspit, professor of art history and philosophy, SUNY at Stoney Brook, and editor and critic for Artforum

“Whether a believer or non-believer, one could not help but be inspired by the sheer beauty of this volume, and the social heartbeat of this book…. The artwork is eye-grabbing, spirit-quickening, expressive-surrealism in a style uniquely Alex Grey's. Reminiscent of Leonardo Da Vinci's mastery, his anatomical plotting brings to mind mirrors of astronomical maps, connecting the body, mind and soul to the oneness of all, through synaptically charged points of light. The images pulse with light and life. Each tenderly rendered vision is accompanied by written timeless truths. One is serenaded and lifted by songs of the ages as told by Grey. The verses themselves seem to follow the illuminated body seamlessly, honoring humanity and the universe.”
—Tina Jones, for About.com

Product Description

The power of art as a transformative path is the theme of this inspiring collection from internationally known artist Alex Grey. Art Psalms combines poems, artwork, and "mystic rants" that fuse imagination, creativity, and spirituality. Grey’s oracular poetry declares that art, both its creation and its observation, can be a spiritual practice. Many of these writings have been shared at gatherings worldwide, especially at New York City’s Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM), a contemporary sacred space co-founded by Alex and Allyson Grey. Selections include "Soul Marriage," which invites the reader to commit to personal and global transformation; "Guidance for Servants of God," precepts for life as a sacred path; and "The Plan," which aligns universal and individual creativity. The entire text of Grey’s spoken word performance, "WorldSpirit," is included here. Three annotated portfolios, "Meditations on the Divine Feminine," "Meditations on the Masters," and "Meditations on Mortality," explore the connection between drawing and meditation as ways of seeing. Equally meaningful for art lovers, the health and spiritual communities, and anyone seeking to develop their creativity, Art Psalms features over 150 new reproductions of drawings, paintings, and sacred geometry to enrich and awaken the inner artist in each of us.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books; illustrated edition edition (December 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556437560
• ISBN-13: 978-1556437564
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,473 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #13 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Folk Art
  #27 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Religious
  #41 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Contemporary Art

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Signed Copies, January 22, 2009

By	Chandira (USA) - See all my reviews

If you go to the CoSM website, you can order a signed copy! You get your own Alex Grey artwork for just a few more $'s.. Mine has an awesome hand drawn eye and triangle in it!

It's a fabulous book. Buy direct, and help support Alex's temple vision.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, well worth the read, April 4, 2009

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The product of human creativity, Art has much power associated with it. "Art Psalms" is author Alex Grey's intellectual dissection of this abstract concept, and draws upon many of his sources. His primary intent is to inspire his readers to improve their craft greatly. With much spiritual insight and pondering on mysticism, Grey brings readers a storm of poetry, art, and essays, sure to give readers much to think on. "Art Psalms" is fascinating, well worth the read.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jewel To Be Treasured By Any Spiritual Seeker, February 16, 2009

By	D. M. Tree - See all my reviews

"I take Little-One-Who-Springs-Forth and I see God. I see him sprout from the earth. He grows and grows, big as a tree, as a mountain. His face is placid, beautiful, serene as in the temples. At other times, God is not like a man: he is the Book. A Book that is born from the earth, a sacred Book whose birth makes the world shake. It is the Book of God that speaks to me in order for me to speak. It counsels me, it teaches me, it tells me what I have to say to men, to the sick, to life. The Book appears and I learn new words."

- Maria Sabina

This is truly a sacred book whose birth makes the world shake. Art Psalms is a unique and original vision of a kind that appears only once in many generations. Drawing on the wisdom of ancient traditions as well as his own direct experience of the divine forces, Alex Grey presents an alchemical distillation of the common meaning behind every religious and spiritual tradition. Universal love and oneness are affirmed, cynicism is obliterated, and cryptic metaphors are discarded in favor of clear and understandable wisdom. Artists of all stripes will find an endless wellspring of divine inspiration in this great teaching. Get it!