Topic: Ram Dass

Chris Bennett shares a series of intense synchronicities involving the number 777 that occurred while he was researching Aleister Crowley. After being initially repulsed by Crowley's references to "child sacrifice"—later understood as a metaphor for sex magic—Bennett experienced a string of financial and retail encounters with the number 777. This led him to a deeper investigation of Crowley's "The Psychology of Hashish."

The speakers discuss the "flow state" or "the zone" as a modern manifestation of tapping into the ether for creative inspiration. Alex Boleyn argues that the objective reality of a deity is less important than the results achieved through ritual, such as overcoming writer's block. Whether the effect is psychological (placebo) or spiritual, the utility of the practice remains the primary focus for the practitioner.

The conversation turns to the history of Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) and his work with Timothy Leary involving high doses of LSD. Alpert sought a way to maintain the unified state of consciousness reached through psychedelics without the need for substances. This led him to India, carrying powerful LSD manufactured by Owsley Stanley, to test the reactions of spiritual practitioners.

Duncan Trussell tells the story of Richard Alpert meeting his guru, Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaji), in India. Despite Alpert's initial cynicism, the guru demonstrated telepathic knowledge of Alpert's mother's death and her medical details regarding her spleen. This encounter shattered Alpert's ego and led to his transformation into Ram Dass.

In a famous account, Neem Karoli Baba requested to take Alpert's "medicine" and consumed 1,000 micrograms of high-quality LSD with no visible physical or psychological effect. On a subsequent occasion, he took an even larger dose and joked with Alpert about it "driving him mad" before stating that such substances could bring one into the presence of "Christ energy." The segment concludes that psychedelics are a stepping stone rather than the destination of the spiritual path.

Following the interview, the hosts discuss Ram Dass's teachings on acceptance and seeing obstacles as "grace." They debate whether the "age of awakening" is a genuine shift or another "savior construct" designed to keep people passive. The conversation explores the frustration of waiting for a global change that may take thousands of years to manifest.

Ken Thomas recounts the 1988 origin of Steam Shovel Press following an interview with Ram Dass, formerly known as Richard Alpert. After a local newspaper declined to publish the transcript because the event had passed, Thomas created his own magazine to share the content. This publication eventually became a hub for various suppressed or niche research topics.