Alchemical Toil

What if the journey of transformation isn't about conquering obstacles or becoming a hero, but about rediscovering our relationship with the land, the stories we inherit, and the wisdom we've forgotten?

In this episode of Alchemical Toil, Alexis Durgee revisits a conversation with Dr. Sharon Blackie, award-winning writer, psychologist, and mythologist whose work explores the intersections of mythology, psychology, ecology, and feminine wisdom.

Originally recorded in late 2020, their conversation examines the limitations of traditional interpretations of the hero's journey and explores Sharon's concept of the post-heroic journey, a path grounded in compassion, community, and reconnection with the natural world.

Drawing on If Women Rose Rooted, Alexis and Sharon discuss the importance of Celtic mythology and folklore, the reclamation of feminine wisdom, and the ways ancient stories can help us understand contemporary personal and environmental challenges.

They also explore Jungian and post-Jungian perspectives on the psyche, the archetypal significance of the Cailleach and Baba Yaga, and the importance of grief, anger, and truth-telling in psychological and collective transformation.

In this episode:

• Joseph Campbell, Maureen Murdock, and the post-heroic journey
• Celtic mythology, the Grail, and our relationship with the land
• Jungian psychology, James Hillman, and the world soul
• Reclaiming feminine wisdom through ancestral stories
• The Cailleach, Baba Yaga, and the dark crone
• Grief, righteous anger, and the necessity of consequences
• Transformation, elderhood, and life as an ongoing apprenticeship

Although the conversation includes references to the circumstances of 2020, its deeper questions about mythology, belonging, ecological responsibility, and personal transformation remain relevant today.

Explore the full show notes, recommended books, and additional resources at alchemicaltoil.com/podcast/dr-sharon-blackie 

Explore Alchemical Toil

Discover more conversations, writings, recommended books, and resources exploring depth psychology, mythology, and the unconscious.

Website: https://alchemicaltoil.com/podcast

Hosted by Alexis Durgee.

What happens when sexuality becomes separated from the deeper work of understanding the psyche? And why has a field dedicated to exploring the unconscious sometimes struggled to confront the complexities of sexual experience?

In this episode of Alchemical Toil, Alexis Durgee revisits a conversation with Dr. Ed Santana, depth psychotherapist and author of Jung and Sex: Re-Visioning the Treatment of Sexual Issues.

Originally recorded in 2020, their conversation examines the place of sexuality within Jungian and depth psychology, exploring how repression, shame, cultural expectations, and traditional psychological frameworks can shape our relationship with desire and identity.

Alexis and Ed discuss the historical relationship between sexuality and analytical psychology, the limitations of traditional anima and animus concepts, and the need for greater understanding of sexual diversity within clinical practice.

They also explore the tension between instinctual and spiritual experience, the psychological consequences of suppressing sexuality, and the importance of recognizing sexual expression as part of the individuation process.

In this episode:

• Sexuality and the historical foundations of depth psychology
• Sexual repression, shame, and the unconscious
• Rethinking anima, animus, and traditional gender constructs
• LGBTQ+ experiences and the limitations of conventional psychological frameworks
• The relationship between sexuality, instinct, and spiritual experience
• Sexuality as an essential dimension of individuation

Although the conversation reflects its original recording period, its questions about sexuality, psychological transformation, and the responsibility of depth psychology to engage with human complexity remain relevant today.

Explore the full show notes, recommended books, and additional resources at alchemicaltoil.com/podcast/dr-ed-santana

Explore Alchemical Toil

Discover more conversations, writings, recommended books, and resources exploring depth psychology, mythology, and the unconscious.

Website: https://alchemicaltoil.com/podcast

Hosted by Alexis Durgee.

What is the difference between studying Jungian psychology and experiencing the unconscious through personal analysis? And what can the archetypal feminine, synchronicity, and our relationship with the psyche reveal about how we understand ourselves?

In this episode of Alchemical Toil, Alexis Durgee revisits a conversation with longtime friend Gary Bobroff, Jungian scholar, author, and founder of Jungian Online.

Originally recorded in late 2020, their conversation explores the foundations of Jungian thought alongside some of its more complex questions, including the contributions of Toni Wolff, the relationship between masculine and feminine archetypal principles, and the limitations of approaching psychological development through mastery and control.

Alexis and Gary also discuss the difference between intellectual knowledge and the lived experience of Jungian analysis, the importance of dreams and shadow work, and the relationship between synchronicity, emotion, and meaning.

In this episode:

• Toni Wolff's influence on Jungian psychology
• Masculine and feminine archetypal principles
• Studying Jung versus experiencing personal analysis
• Dreams, complexes, and shadow work
• Synchronicity and the search for meaning

Although the conversation includes some references specific to 2020, its central questions about the unconscious, psychological transformation, and the nature of meaning remain relevant today.

Explore the full show notes, recommended books, and additional resources at alchemicaltoil.com/podcast/gary-bobroff

Explore Alchemical Toil

Discover more conversations, writings, recommended books, and resources exploring depth psychology, mythology, and the unconscious.

Website: https://alchemicaltoil.com/podcast

Hosted by Alexis Durgee.

Welcome to the Alchemical Toil Podcast, hosted by Alexis Durgee.

Through conversations with authors, thinkers, and practitioners, Alchemical Toil explores the complexities of the human psyche through depth psychology, psychoanalysis, Jungian and post-Jungian thought, mythology, dreams, philosophy, fairy tales, alchemy and magic, and the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious. 

Each episode offers an opportunity to explore the questions, images, and ideas that shape how we understand ourselves, our experiences, and the world around us.

Season One features nine conversations exploring the many dimensions of psychological life, with new interviews continuing in Season Two.

Subscribe or follow the Alchemical Toil Podcast on your preferred listening platform to explore these conversations as they become available.

Explore Alchemical Toil

Discover more conversations, writings, recommended books, and resources exploring depth psychology, mythology, and the unconscious.

Website: https://alchemicaltoil.com/podcast

Hosted by Alexis Durgee.