Ralph Metzner, who was born and spent his early years in Germany, has been exploring altered states of consciousness for over fifty years. He earned his B.A. from Oxford University and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Harvard in 1962. In 1964 he co-authored The Psychedelic Experience with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert.

He served as the academic dean at the California Institute of Integral Studies from 1979 through 1988. He is now Professor Emeritus, available for consultations as a psychotherapist, and he teaches private seminars on alchemical divination eco-psychology. He is co-founder and president of the Green Earth Foundation, an educational organization devoted to the healing and harmonizing of the relations between humanity and the planet. Dr. Metzner has also composed and performed a music CD of visionary balads, titled Bardo Blues.