Linda, Rose and I met our artist, Vasilis, at Testing grounds on the night of our Projector Pack exploration. Vasilis struck me as a very intense person with very poignant ideas – he was absolutely fascinating to speak to.

His insight into human spirituality and spiritual awakening was incredible to the point of staggering – I wonder what past experiences has metamorphosed him into the guru-type person he is today.

I was able to organize a time for my group and I to meet with him for the interview, we decided on Wednesday the 2nd of September at 6:00pm. He politely suggested that I perhaps do some research on the scientific and spiritual qualities of his work. Although I appreciated this advice, I have a solid understanding of the concepts he was speaking about. However, I decided it was time to retouch with my old science side and began researching the plant materials that he was creating his Testing Grounds project from and researched further about the scientific and spiritual qualities of the pineal gland:

10 Questions About the Pineal Gland That Add to the Mystery of Spirituality

It has been said that the Pineal gland is the literal remnants of Fauna’s Third Eye. It had direct neurological connections with both retinas in our eyes. Not much scientific fact about this endocrine gland has been solidified apart from the fact that it assists in the production of the neurohormone Melatonin which plays a part in the circadian rhythms amongst animals.

It has also been noted that it produces a strong psychoactive hormone called Dimethytryptamine (DMT) which has been appraised for being one of the only hormones found commonly in all living things. In spite of these findings, it has strong associations with spirituality as it is a common link between all living things within the universe.

The body floods itself with this special hormone moments before death, which gives the person the ‘life flashing before your eyes’ phenomenon, it has been said that consuming this hormone recreationally can allow for a psychoactive experience where one can obtain absolute clarity and enlightenment usually through an encounter with a higher being, deity or a more transcendent version of yourself.