Anthony Tyler, author of Dive Manual and the recently released Hunt Manual, which I had the pleasure of editing, joins me on a special episode to discuss Fortean archetypes, the importance of myth in our daily lives, tulpamancy, chaos magic, true crime and morality, shadow work and alchemy as more than just practices, manifesting reality, and tons …

"The wild geese do not intend to cast their reflection. The water has no mind to retain their image." -Zen poem Be sure to subscribe. If you'd like to support the show, consider joining our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thealchemicalmind If you haven't subscribed yet, be sure to do so: Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id15113…

In part three of our six part series on Thomas Aquinas' proofs for the existence of God, I'll take a look at the third way and discuss what a contingent being is, and how the leap in logic from the first two ways leads us to ask one of the most important questions we have ever asked - why is there something rather than nothing? Be sure to subscribe…

In part two of this six part discussion on Thomas Aquinas' five proofs for the existence of God, I dive into the argument for efficient causes, and how it relates to creation, philosophy, belief, free will, and the study of knowledge. Be sure to subscribe. If you'd like to support the show, consider joining our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/the…

Let's begin our deep dive into Christian mysticism with a multi-part series on Thomas Aquinas' proofs for the existence of God. For this part in the series, I'll look at the argument from motion, and why it's important in our understanding of logical thought, and using some sort of scientific method in determining the difference between belief and …

Before I start my deep dive into Thomas Aquinas' five proofs for the existence of god, I wanted to take a few minutes to react to a recent blog post by Mike from the Mind Escape podcast with regards to understanding belief and gnosis. You can read his blog post here. I found the idea synchronistic enough to some of the ideas discuss in the Aquinas …

As I gear up to dive deep into Christian theology, let's talk about the nature of God, asking the right question, spirituality through the scientific method, and why the only thing holding you back from finding what you seek is you. Be sure to subscribe. If you'd like to support the show, consider joining our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/theal…

On this episode, I discuss how my own spiritual practices have evolved and changed and why I no longer schedule time for meditation, but rather dissolve myself into awareness every moment, of every day. Be sure to subscribe. If you'd like to support the show, consider joining our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thealchemicalmind If you haven't su…

Let's talk about free will and determinism, and why both ideas are simply illusions...manifestations of the interactions of perspective. Be sure to subscribe. If you'd like to support the show, consider joining our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thealchemicalmind If you haven't subscribed yet, be sure to do so: Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.…

After 104 days of silence, I'm back with a discussion of silence, regaining meaning, and separating concepts and reality. Be sure to subscribe. If you'd like to support the show, consider joining our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thealchemicalmind If you haven't subscribed yet, be sure to do so: Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/podca…

For this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I look at the evolutionary potential of humanity through a mystical lens in response to some questions posed by a listener through a recent e-mail discussion. Bailey asked: 1. What are your thoughts on humanity being a stepping stone for the evolution of Artificial Intelligence? 2. Should we fear the potenti…

2021 has already been an interesting year for me, and on this episode, I discuss my month long hiatus, what lead to me taking time off, and how I learned to surrender and reconnect with the divine. Be sure to subscribe. If you'd like to support the show, consider joining our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thealchemicalmind If you haven't subscri…

For our first episode of 2021, I bring you a discussion with John Brooks, religion educator and host of Hard To Believe, to discuss the history of messianic cults in Western society, and particularly its resurgence in the 21st century. We discuss the societal shifts that lead to such ideology, the rise of political and UFO cults, the need for peopl…

As 2020 draws to a close, I felt like it was apropos to discuss the secret to keeping your new year resolutions. We often get bogged down by setting goals for ourselves, following some plan or program, and forget the answer to accomplishing our goals is simple - close your eyes, and listen. On this episode we dive into mindfulness, the concept of w…

For this episode, I am joined by returning guest, Anthony Tyler, author of Dive Manual: Empirical Investigations of Mysticism, to discuss the nature of good and evil, particularly as to how we view these concepts in a Western context. Stemming from this discussion, we dive into archetypes, egregors, and manifesting reality and as an added bonus for…

Today, we are diving deep into the life and purpose of the shaman and how it relates to modern culture and how the path of the shaman can lead to finding awakening and true gnosis through direct personal experience. To do this, I'll be doing some commentary on two lectures, one from from Terence McKenna and another from Alan Watts, we'll explore di…

At this time of year, there is always a lot of discussion about the origins of Christmas and how the early church co-opted many pagan traditions to create what we now consider Christmas, but is this actually true? While there are certainly many cultures and traditions that inspired Christmas, you may be surprised to learn its true origins and how i…

Alex from The Natural Born Alchemist joins me for an episode a long time in the making as we discuss the role of psychedelics in shamanic traditions, the impact of the commercialization of ayahuasca ceremonies on indigenous cultures, the trickster archetype, acquiring wisdom from an amalgamation of traditions and so much more. Be sure to subscribe.…

It feels like the deeper I dive into philosophy and spirituality and the more I learn about various traditions through time and space, the more I want to simplify my own practice. On today's episode, I bring you a lecture from Terence McKenna on the core of shamanism and what makes it different from other traditions. Of course, there's going to be …

As we continue to explore the origins of myth and culture, let's take a look at the symbolism behind the deer and the stag. Sometimes referred to as the Sky Deer or Sun Deer, this animal is an integral part of shamanic traditions all across the world with close ties to both sun and moon worship, but also connected to the rituals of life, death, and…

There's a lot of focus on various different kinds of meditation practices, but have you ever considered one of the simplest and often most rewarding for your every day happiness? On this episode, I bring you a guided gratitude meditation which I just made available on the Patreon exclusive "Living Mindfulness" course, but I felt that it was importa…

Welcome to the first installment of Symbology 101, a series into which I dive deep into the symbols that create cultures and expand ideas. For this first installment, I dive deep into the sacred cow (and bull) and its importance within Indo-European civilization and how it has shaped our cultures, religions, and philosophies for millenia as the mot…

For this episode, I bring you a short speech from Terence McKenna on the importance of surrendering and finding your own path, as an addendum to the discussion from the previous two episodes on learning to be honest with yourself and others. Stick around to the end of the speech for some commentary from myself as well as some announcements for what…

As a follow up to the previous episode, I discuss how to use the techniques of shadow work to learn to be honest with others in order to achieve wholeness and further your own personal development. If you really want to learn that you are it, your really need to expand your own practice beyond the standard techniques of meditation, yoga, and self-i…

In this episode, I discuss how to discover gnosis by dropping your opinions and learning to be honest with yourself. As part of this episode, I'll be guiding you through a quick exercise that better details the "neti neti" method and what it truly entails. Be sure to subscribe. If you'd like to support the show, consider joining our Patreon - https…

For the first episode back from my short break, I want to discuss the difference between belief, faith, and gnosis and find a way to understand how these ideas interact with how we choose to interact with personal philosophical and spiritual work. The website is now live - https://thealchemicalmind.com. There you can also find links to our Discord …

Let's talk about silence. Real silence. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-alchemical-mind/support

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, we dive into understanding why you do not understanding true love, and how to break out of that. The website is now live - https://thealchemicalmind.com. There you can also find links to our Discord channel as well as the Patreon. If you'd like to check in touch, follow the podcast on Twitter, @MindAlchemical…

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, we dive into the non-dual nature of fear. The website is now live - https://thealchemicalmind.com. There you can also find links to our Discord channel as well as the Patreon. If you'd like to check in touch, follow the podcast on Twitter, @MindAlchemical, or just leave a voicemail directly on Anchor.fm. If y…

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I dive into an introduction of cult psychology and why self-dissolution can become a trap when you forget how to dance and start taking your survival instincts too seriously. This will lead us into next episode as we go in-depth into fear. The website is now live - https://thealchemicalmind.com. There you can…

For this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I will be diving into Carl Jung's Seven Sermons To The Dead and discuss how this deeply Gnostic modern work helped lead Jung to his important revelations on the theory of mind and how psychology has been deeply influenced by the ideas of archetypes, shadows, and magic present in ancient traditions. The websi…

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I take a look at the Eastern influence on early Christian thought, and the similarities between mystical experience and the recognition of the divine and the self. We will take a look at the Kena Upanishad along with some of the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius The Aeropagite to make connections between these two…

For this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I depart a bit from our recent discussion of Gnostic Christianity to dive into one of my favorite quotes, and one I use all the time, from Sufi mystic Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari - "the real is not veiled from you, rather it is you who are veiled from seeing it." Through this quote and the passage from which …

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I dive back into Gnostic literature to discuss The Book Of Thomas The Contender To The Perfect and the Gnostic idea of epistemology at least among the Thomasine tradition. We're going to continue going deeper and deeper into epistemology, so if you'd like to read Carl Jung's The Seven Sermons to the Dead befo…

This episode was originally supposed to be the first in the Symbology 101 series, but after a recent discussion, I decided to push it back until next week. Why that is, you'll just have to listen to the episode, but it does lead nicely into what we are discussing and that is listener stories! On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I share a poem a…

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, we return to our deep dive of Gnosticism with a look at The Gospel of Mary, a beautiful and deeply esoteric text which dives into the Platonic influence on the early Christians, how the soul can return to the Pleroma by overcoming the Archons, and most importantly, the important of partaking on both the left …

On today's episode of The Alchemical Mind, I take a look at tribalism. Why do we create tribes, what are their purpose, and how can we be members of a tribe while maintaining critical thinking skills and not relegating our authority to them. While not necessary, it may be worthwhile listening to the previous episode, Understanding Open-Mindedness A…

For this episode of The Alchemical mind, we dive into some practical theory with a look at open-mindedness. What is open-mindedness and why is it a prerequisite in order to properly analyze evidence and understand truth? This is a key episode in our understanding of some upcoming topics including understanding tribalism, memetics and mind viruses, …

It's time to go deep down the rabbit hole on this episode of The Alchemical Mind as we look at the importance of the divine feminine within mystery traditions as we continue our exploration of Gnosticism with a look at The Exegesis Of The Soul. Through this text, and accompanying readings from Magdalene Mysteries: The Left Hand Path Of The Feminine…

For this episode of The Alchemical Mind, we switch gears from the dark cosmology of the Sethians to the Gospel of Phillip and the Valentinians. Valentinus was educated in Alexandria and set up his school in Rome and was largely influential in early Christianity by introducing the original concept of a triune god. Apparently through his discontent o…

As we continue our deep dive into Gnosticism, I take a look at The Secret Book Of John. This is part two of a multipart series on this important Sethian text, as we look at the intricate Gnostic cosmology. On this episode, we'll go into how the universe was created according to the Sethians, what the nature of god is, how physical reality came to b…

Before we dive into part 2 of The Secret Book of John and dive deep into Gnostic cosmology, I wanted to bring you a bit of commentary on Gnosticism and the early Christians from none other than audience favorite, Terrence McKenna. In the first part of this episode, McKenna talks about the influence of Rome on the development of early Christianity a…

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, it's time to look at some of the practical applications of finding gnosis as I take a look at how we can determine what is and isn't true. This is not some esoteric view of finding some sort of "ultimate Truth," but rather some simple things we can do to analyze information and weed out false information. In …

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I go a bit off-topic to talk about the news today that life may have been discovered on Venus. What does this mean in relation to topics I usually discuss on the podcast? Is this huge news or a sign of things to come? As always, do your own research on the topics discussed on the podcast. The article I refere…

As we continue our deep dive into Gnosticism, I take a look at The Secret Book Of John. This is part one of a multipart series on this important Sethian text, as we look at the intricate Gnostic cosmology. The Secret Book Of John is key to understanding how the Gnostics view the idea of god (hint: it's very non-dual), what man's place in the univer…

I took the day off from recording, but that doesn't mean you won't be getting a new episode of The Alchemical Mind! For this special episode, I bring you a great speech by Alan Watts on the early Christian thought, the importance of gnosis in the early church, and its similarities to similar ideas from Buddhism and Hindu traditions. Then, Watts tie…

On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, it's time to look at some of the practical applications of finding gnosis as I take a look at how we can determine what is and isn't true. This is not some esoteric view of finding some sort of "ultimate Truth," but rather some simple things we can do to analyze information and weed out false information. We …

The Gospel of Thomas is a fascinating text from early in Christian history and one of the most accessible texts from the group that is generally dubbed as the Gnostics. On this episode of The Alchemical Mind, I begin an exploration of Christian Gnostic thought with a book that has fascinated me for many years. The Gospel of Thomas is unique from ma…

Welcome back to another episode of The Alchemical Mind. This episode is part four of my deep dive into The Hermetica and since this text has inspired so much of Western esoteric thought, what better way to wrap this discussion up than by talking about mystery schools. What are mystery schools? What does Hermes have to say about the mysteries? Shoul…

This episode of The Alchemical Mind serves partially as a departure from our discussion on The Hermetica, but also as an added bonus with additional information on the influence of this work and the traditions it is based on on Western theology and philosophy. I'm sure many of you know Terrence McKenna from his work with psychedelics, but he was al…