It may be cheap to refer to the amazingly talented duo known as The Cosmic Romantics as "Psychedelic Magicians," but I certainly found their routine to be "mindbending" when I first caught them at the Black Rabbit Rose, unexpectedly, in Los Angeles. And when I approached them about being on a podcast that often discusses psychedelic medicine and other forms of "non-ordinary consciousness," they were right at home with the idea. Magic has always fascinated me, and on a recent trip to the Magic Castle, I experienced what could only be described as a state of perpetual "stun." I was stunned by this trick, stunned by the next. I was just about dizzy by the time we left from the shock that my senses endured as one skilled practitioner after the other left me searching for answers, exhausted from pondering the up close and impossible. Whatever it is that they do, magicians reach into something secret and sublime, and then share their discoveries with those fortunate enough to find themselves in the audience of a legit performance. And thankfully they were willing to be my captive audience for an hour's discussion on what our minds are all about, the demands of the craft, and even their own experiences with mind altering substances, leading to revelations that have informed who they are as people, and performers.

From their website: Elizabeth Messick and Eric Thirstin (The Cosmic Romantics) perform world class magic with the flair of an old vaudevillian duo. They are regulars at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and recently fooled their childhood heroes Penn & Teller.

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Website: thecosmicromantics.com

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Website: www.mymindbend.org

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