‘It’s the biggest kick I know… it’s partaking of people.’ – David Bowie on performing, 1973.

Was Ziggy Stardust more than just a rock star? ⚡️

When I first watched the footage of David Bowie performing as Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Odeon, I suddenly felt validated and enriched in a way I had never experienced before. For a while, the mysterious sense of love emanating from that stage was a mystery to me.

It was through the study of Hinduism, particularly Nondual Shaiva Tantra, that I eventually found an explanation: Bowie was acting as the Divine Androgyne!

As a student of Tibetan Buddhism under Chime Rinpoche, Bowie understood early on that the ‘I’ is a construct. He collected personalities and developed into a ‘high priest of the ritualised self’ (as Camille Paglia once put it), absorbing and representing each and every member of his audience.

His androgyny wasn’t just a style – it was a metaphysical necessity, a vector for Oneness that echoed the ‘Paramashiva’ of Nondual Shaiva Tantra.

Happy deathday to the Starman who proved that there is only one true Self to love. 👩‍🎤✨

Read the full deep dive with more on Bowie’s philosophy and background on my blog! I’ll post the link separately so all you have to do is scroll up. 🙂

Photo by Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep (David Bowie shooting his video for Rebel Rebel in AVRO’s TopPop, a Dutch television show, in 1974)