The Inner Alchemist
“The Inner Alchemist” A family art project created the day we recorded this episode. Sydnie took lead on this one. We hope to do more in the future. It includes things we collected from around our home, found at odd shops and on our recent adventures. We hope to do this for our own therapeutic fun. The owl image was done by Auggie.
We discuss the concept of the inner alchemist, which is a metaphor for the process of spiritual transformation. First, Jeff sets up the conversation with some historical background about failed Western alchemists like Anna Maria Zieglerin (1550-75) and the demise of Chinese emperors who drank what they thought was the elixir of life, then Stacie and Sydnie join in to riff on the ways in which inner alchemy can help us navigate a sort of outer alchemy: the chemicals and plants we take into our bodies. We also talk about the ways in which we can transform the elements of our lives even in difficult times.