The Alchemist's Inkwell

After five years, this is the final episode of The Alchemist Inkwell.

This isn't an ending born from a fight, a falling out, or something going wrong. In fact, that's part of what makes this moment so strange: sometimes something can still feel good while no longer feeling like the right path forward.

In our final conversation, we're looking back at five years of The Alchemist Inkwell — the trips, interviews, books, synchronicities, technical difficulties, strange recording spaces, huge life changes, and the people we've been lucky enough to meet along the way.

We also talk about why we're choosing to follow where life is taking each of us next, how you can continue following our work, and pull one final set of cards for the community we've built together.

The podcast isn't disappearing. The entire library will remain here for you to revisit, share, and hopefully keep finding something useful in whenever you need it.

Thank you for listening.
Thank you for traveling with us.
Thank you for making magic with us for five years.

And, one last time:

Go make some magic. 

KEEP UP WITH US

Emily Dexter — @likerofwords
KristaLyn Sofia — @KristaLynSofia

You can also continue following both Emily and KristaLyn through their individual YouTube channels, Patreon communities, social platforms, trips, classes, lives, and everything still to come.

#TheAlchemistInkwell #SpiritualPodcast #NewBeginnings

Sometimes moving forward means being willing to start over.

In this episode of The Alchemist Inkwell, we finally sit down with the legendary Malcolm — the guide behind some of our most unforgettable trips to Greece — to talk about travel, intuition, starting over, chosen family, and what happens when you trust the path even when you have absolutely no idea where it’s taking you.

After years of guiding travelers, Malcolm is beginning a completely new chapter of his own life: trading tour buses for boats and working toward becoming a captain in Greece.

We talk about why starting from the bottom again doesn’t mean you’re moving backward, how travel can completely change the trajectory of your life, why strangers can become family in a matter of days, the unexpected moments that transform us, trusting your gut when there’s no obvious “right” decision, and why sometimes the bigger mistake is never taking the chance at all.

Plus: people accidentally left behind on buses and ferries, the strange energy of Delos and Renea, Malcolm’s dream of sailing around with a rescue dog and cat, and the origin of one of our favorite travel sayings:

“You come as strangers and you leave as family.”

FOLLOW MALCOLM
Instagram: @mac_and_gr

CHAPTERS

00:00 Sometimes you have to start over
00:20 Meet the legendary Malcolm
04:47 Malcolm’s new life in Mykonos
05:44 Why starting over isn’t moving backward
08:47 Scared to travel? Malcolm’s advice
10:48 Taking the risk can change your life
12:37 The tiny moments that change everything
16:44 How Malcolm became a travel guide
19:28 Creating experiences beyond the itinerary
20:46 Travel stories & accidentally losing people
24:04 Life on the catamaran in Mykonos
24:41 The mythology and energy of Delos
27:58 Why some places keep calling us back
30:16 Why travel creates unexpected breakthroughs
32:34 Malcolm’s dream life on a boat
38:33 Where The Alchemist Inkwell is traveling next
40:31 “You come as strangers and leave as family”
42:48 Trusting where life is taking you
44:56 The bigger mistake is never trying
46:33 Follow your path even when you don’t understand it
47:19 Go make some magic

The Alchemist Inkwell is a spiritual podcast for grounded people exploring astrology, intuition, magic, personal growth, travel, spirituality, and all the strange ways life pushes us toward becoming who we’re supposed to be.

#Spirituality #Travel #PersonalGrowth

An 11-year-old wants to legally change her birthday because she wishes she had a different zodiac sign. Then a tarot reader asks whether he’s wrong for questioning his friend’s animal telepathy business—and refusing to support her spiritual MLM.

In this episode of What in the Woo Woo, Emily and Krista unpack two Spiritual Reddit AITA stories involving birth charts, animal communication, tarot, pyramid schemes and the complicated line between respecting someone’s beliefs and enabling bad behavior.

Can someone actually have a “bad” zodiac sign? When does an astrological birth chart officially begin? Is it ethical to give astrology readings to children? Does charging money make a spiritual service less legitimate? And are you obligated to pay your friend to telepathically communicate with your pet?

CHAPTERS

0:00 A Child’s Zodiac Sign and an Animal Psychic
0:20 Welcome to What in the Woo Woo
1:13 Can You Legally Change Your Birthday?
3:11 When Does an Astrology Chart Begin?
5:03 Are You Always Born at the Right Time?
5:16 There Is No Bad Birth Chart
6:39 How to Spot a Bad Astrologer
8:22 Astrology, Children and Self-Discovery
9:18 Should Minors Receive Astrology Readings?
10:51 The Animal Telepathy Reddit Story
11:51 How the Animal Psychic Business Works
14:14 Does Charging Make It a Scam?
15:29 Spiritual MLM Red Flags
15:58 Paying a Friend to Read Your Pet
16:59 Is She Actually Communicating with Animals?
18:03 Why Spiritual Work Is Treated as Illegitimate
19:21 Fortune-Telling Laws
21:44 The Final Reddit Verdict
22:13 Go Make Some Magic

What’s your verdict? Would you ever pay an animal communicator to read your pet?

The Leo solar eclipse may bring chaos at the top—but for ordinary people, it may be an opportunity to reclaim personal and collective power.

In this episode, Emily and Krista explore why solar eclipses are traditionally connected to leadership and hierarchy, what this eclipse could reveal about political power, and why the energy may feel more like community, self-worth, and new beginnings for the rest of us.

They also discuss how eclipse effects may unfold over time, why breakups and changing desires could surface, and how to move through eclipse season without feeling inactive or powerless. From journaling and divination to spending time near water and intentionally trying something new, this is a guide to receiving the eclipse’s energy instead of trying to control it.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Why Eclipse Season Feels So Intense

0:22 Welcome to the Leo Solar Eclipse

2:15 Where the Eclipse Will Be Visible

6:46 The Start of Something Monumental

7:53 Why the United States May Still Feel the Effects

10:59 How Long the Eclipse Effects May Last

11:57 Leo, Leadership, and Washington, D.C.

15:51 Why Solar Eclipses “Take Out the Kings”

16:20 Fresh Starts, Self-Worth, and Breakups

17:15 Chaos at the Top, Community Below

20:05 Why Political Leaders May Fear Collective Power

21:21 How to Work With Eclipse Energy

23:50 Divination, Learning, and Letting Go

27:00 The Upcoming Venus Retrograde

What are you already feeling from this eclipse season? Are you noticing a fresh start, changing relationships, political instability, or a stronger pull toward community?

Follow The Alchemist Inkwell for grounded conversations about astrology, spirituality, magic, and what it all means in real life.

Safety note: Never look directly at a solar eclipse without properly certified eclipse glasses.

Dungeon Crawler Carl has officially taken over our lives—but does the series genuinely deserve all the hype?

We discuss the characters we are terrified to lose, its surprisingly thoughtful commentary on misogyny and oppressive systems, and why rereading a familiar story can become an emotional life raft when everything else feels chaotic.

We also talk about The Song of Achilles, The Spellshop, Heaven Official’s Blessing, Suffs, Korea’s Battle of Fates, trusting your intuition, Reykjavik, Tokyo, and an upcoming magical trip to Scotland.

What was the best book you read this month?

Join our new LIVE show, The Alchemist's Inkspill, every Friday at 1pm EST/10am PST here on ⁠YouTube⁠ (and ⁠Instagram⁠ Live)!

Connect with us across the internet + IRL! 🌈

Follow Emily:

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/likerofwords

⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/likerofwords⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LikerOfWords

Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/likerofwords.bsky.social⁠

Website (join the mailing list!): ⁠⁠https://www.emilydexterpsychic.com/⁠⁠

Follow KristaLyn:

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/kristalynsofia

⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/kristalynsofia/⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@KristaLynSofia

⁠Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/kristalynsofia.bsky.social ⁠

Website (join the mailing list!): ⁠⁠https://www.kristalynsofia.com/⁠⁠

00:00 Why Dungeon Crawler Carl Deserves the Hype

00:31 We Finally Finished Dungeon Crawler Carl

06:36 Our Favorite Dungeon Crawler Carl Characters

07:06 The Song of Achilles

07:34 The Spellshop

08:00 Replacing Scrolling With Reading

08:28 Heaven Official’s Blessing

09:47 Rereading Books When Life Feels Chaotic

11:31 Writing Fortuna

11:55 Suffs and the Women’s Suffrage Movement

16:23 Korea’s Psychic Competition Show

18:26 What Do We Have Too Much Of?

20:59 Pessimism, Optimism, and Trusting Your Intuition

23:15 The Angriest We Have Ever Been

25:49 Reykjavik and Tokyo Surprised Us

28:48 Updates and Upcoming Live Shows

29:22 A Magical Trip to Scotland

#DungeonCrawlerCarl #FantasyBooks #BookRecommendations

Did a volcano in Greece reveal the a Greek god —and only for our group?

In Part 3 of our Greece travel recap, we leave Athens for Santorini, perform a releasing ritual on a black-rock beach, explore Oia and Fira, survive an absolutely unhinged lobster dinner, and board a literal pirate ship headed for a dormant volcano.

While swimming in the volcanic thermal waters, we looked up and saw a massive horned goat standing above us on the cliff. It stayed there surveying our group until we left—and disappeared before the other boats arrived. Was it simply incredible timing, or did a Greek god make an appearance?

We also share the deeper magic of the trip: strangers becoming community, dancing together beneath the full moon, protecting one another and creating memories that will last far beyond Greece.

Plus: ferry bathroom chaos, the Temple of Poseidon, a spontaneous trip to Naxos, ancient temples to Dionysus and Apollo, Emily’s newest tattoo and KristaLyn’s newly announced Scotland trip for May 2027.

Tell us what you think: coincidence, divine timing or a genuine encounter with a Greek god?

CHAPTERS

0:00 Did We Encounter a Greek God?

0:20 Mercury Retrograde and Episode Setup

3:43 Taking the Ferry to Santorini

8:44 Oia, the Hotel and the Tourist Crowds

13:09 Black Beach Ritual and the Changed Rocks

14:24 Cliff Walk, Fira and Shopping

19:11 Poseidon and the Lobster Disaster

23:09 A Literal Pirate Ship to the Volcano

25:54 Thermal Waters and the Appearance of Pan

27:34 Mermaids, Community and Dancing

33:40 Ferry Bathroom Chaos

37:44 Farewell Dinner and Athens

40:31 The Real Magic Was the Community

42:06 Scotland 2027 Announcement

44:01 Thermal Lake and the Temple of Poseidon

46:17 Naxos, Dionysus and Apollo

50:52 New Tattoo, Oracle Deck and Astrology Preview

#Santorini #GreekMythology #SpiritualPodcast

Her ex checked out for years — missed birthdays, no involvement, let her handle everything alone. Now he's got a new girlfriend, a nicer house, and suddenly wants 50/50 custody. Convenient timing, right?

This Patreon-submitted What in the Woo-Woo hits different. A mom who's been solo-parenting for years asks Emily and KristaLyn: is it wrong to hex the man who abandoned his kids for a decade, now that he wants credit for showing up?

Plus: a 16-year-old gets dumped mid-coffee-date over her star sign, and we are NOT letting this one go without some astrology myth-busting.

Got your own What in the Woo-Woo? Submit it on either of our Patreons — we read every single one.

Join our new LIVE show, The Alchemist's Inkspill, every Friday at 1pm EST/10am PST here on ⁠YouTube⁠ (and ⁠Instagram⁠ Live)!

Connect with us across the internet + IRL! 🌈

Follow Emily:

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/likerofwords

⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/likerofwords⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LikerOfWords

Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/likerofwords.bsky.social⁠

Website (join the mailing list!): ⁠⁠https://www.emilydexterpsychic.com/⁠⁠

Follow KristaLyn:

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/kristalynsofia

⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/kristalynsofia/⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@KristaLynSofia

⁠Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/kristalynsofia.bsky.social ⁠

Website (join the mailing list!): ⁠⁠https://www.kristalynsofia.com/⁠⁠

0:00 Hook

0:12 Welcome to What in the Woo-Woo

1:10 Rejected on a Date Because of Her Zodiac Sign

3:43 Are Aries and Capricorn Really Incompatible?

5:22 Astrology Shouldn’t Be a Dating Disqualifier

7:02 Should She Cast a Chaos Spell on Her Abusive Ex?

11:03 Is the Chaos Spell Actually Protection?

13:09 What Should the Spell Target?

15:07 Checking the Ethics of Curses and Spellwork

15:37 Protecting Yourself From Magical Blowback

16:31 Final Advice and Patreon Questions

17:16 Mercury Retrograde and the Ink Spill Outro

#PsychicRedditStories #WhatInTheWooWoo #TheAlchemistsInkwell #SpiritualTikTok #AITA #RedditStories #Astrology #ChaosSpell #WitchTok #Custody

At the most sacred site on Earth to her, Emily got a download that isn't written in any history book — about who the Oracle of Delphi really was, and why.

Part 2 of our Greece recap picks up in Athens with Malcolm's very last tour before he steps back for good, walks the Acropolis and the fight over the Parthenon Marbles, and ends on the two-hour bus ride to Delphi — where two guides who've never met told almost the same story about lights no one can explain, and where Emily received something she's still unpacking.

Part 3 (Santorini) is coming soon — subscribe so you don't miss it.

Got thoughts on what Emily channeled at Delphi? Tell us in the comments — we read every one.

00:00 Delphi, Strange Lights, and a Message From Apollo

00:50 Welcome to The Alchemist’s Inkwell

01:01 Returning to Greece for Malcolm’s Final Tour

03:30 Exploring Athens’ Ancient Agora

07:10 Malcolm, the Plaka, and Ancient Greek Gossip

10:54 How Strangers Become Family on These Retreats

13:35 Entering the Acropolis and the Parthenon

17:05 The Acropolis Museum and Its Diorama-Obsessed Guide

18:53 What the British Museum Took From Greece

22:52 Traveling Through Mythology on the Road to Delphi

24:57 Emily’s 15-Year Connection to Apollo

27:39 Arriving at the Sacred Site of Delphi

29:43 Two Greek Guides Report the Same Strange Lights

31:10 The Wind Answers Their Request

31:51 The Treasuries and the Unsettling Christian Cross

34:05 Why Ancient Greeks Prescribed Stories as Medicine

35:59 Apollo, Dionysus, and Delphi’s Seasonal Rituals

37:10 A Channeled Revelation About the Oracles

40:22 Final Thoughts and What Comes Next

Join our new LIVE show, The Alchemist's Inkspill, every Friday at 1pm EST/10am PST here on ⁠YouTube⁠ (and ⁠Instagram⁠ Live)!

Connect with us across the internet + IRL! 🌈

Follow Emily:

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/likerofwords

⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/likerofwords⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LikerOfWords

Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/likerofwords.bsky.social⁠

Website (join the mailing list!): ⁠⁠https://www.emilydexterpsychic.com/⁠⁠

Follow KristaLyn:

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/kristalynsofia

⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/kristalynsofia/⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@KristaLynSofia

⁠Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/kristalynsofia.bsky.social ⁠

Website (join the mailing list!): ⁠⁠https://www.kristalynsofia.com/⁠⁠

#MountOlympusMystery #Paranormal #Psychic

Is it wrong to call out your own mom for running her life by psychic readings instead of therapy?

This week on What in the Woo-Woo, Emily and KristaLyn go through two Reddit AITA posts submitted by real people navigating spirituality, family, and boundaries — including one where a psychic named Angie may be doing a lot more harm than good.

Story 1: A brother teaches his teenage sister meditation techniques to help with her anxiety — and their religious parents are NOT happy about it.

Story 2: A woman calls out her mom's years-long reliance on a psychic who's weighed in on everything from a pregnancy to a sister's OnlyFans to a toxic relationship.

Do you agree with our verdicts? Let us know in the comments.

Got a story for us? Submit anonymously: [email protected]

We go live most Fridays right here on YouTube.

Join our new LIVE show, The Alchemist's Inkspill, every Friday at 1pm EST/10am PST here on ⁠YouTube⁠ (and ⁠Instagram⁠ Live)!

Connect with us across the internet + IRL! 🌈

Follow Emily:

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/likerofwords

⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/likerofwords⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LikerOfWords

Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/likerofwords.bsky.social⁠

Website (join the mailing list!): ⁠⁠https://www.emilydexterpsychic.com/⁠⁠

Follow KristaLyn:

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/kristalynsofia

⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/kristalynsofia/⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@KristaLynSofia

⁠Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/kristalynsofia.bsky.social ⁠

Website (join the mailing list!): ⁠⁠https://www.kristalynsofia.com/⁠⁠

#RedditAITA #AmITheAsshole #SpiritualPodcast #PsychicReadings #WooWoo

Is Mount Olympus more than a mountain?

Emily and KristaLyn return from Greece to share what happened when they spent the summer solstice on Mount Olympus— including their guide’s stories about NASA visitors, unexplained lights above the mountain, a hidden city said to exist inside it, and the possibility that Olympus once functioned as a gateway between realms.

They also accidentally join Thessaloniki Pride, enter the sacred forest associated with Dionysus, stand above the remains of Apollo’s temple, drink from Aphrodite’s spring, hear the disturbing history of Artemis’s forbidden forest, and receive brutally accurate traditional Greek coffee-ground readings.

Was Mount Olympus simply a sacred location shaped by thousands of years of mythology and ritual—or is something still happening there?

CHAPTERS

0:00 Is Mount Olympus a Portal?
0:30 Welcome Back from Greece
0:55 Accidentally Joining Thessaloniki Pride
3:18 KristaLyn’s First Pride
6:50 Spending the Solstice on Mount Olympus
8:44 The Ruined Sacred City Beneath Olympus
9:58 NASA, Magnetic Fields and a Hidden City?
12:51 Three Unexplained Lights Above the Mountain
14:10 Inside Dionysus’s Sacred Forest
17:47 Apollo’s Temple Hidden Beneath a Church
20:40 Drinking From Aphrodite’s Spring
24:40 Swimming Where Olympus Meets the Sea
27:50 The Forbidden Forest of Artemis
32:55 A Terrifyingly Accurate Greek Coffee Reading
38:41 Learning to Carve Marble in Athens
42:32 New Moon in Cancer Forecast
43:52 What Comes Next in Greece

Subscribe to The Alchemist’s Inkwell for grounded conversations about spirituality, astrology, mythology, magic and the strange experiences that challenge what we think we know.

#MountOlympus #GreekMythology #SpiritualTravel #SummerSolstice #Paranormal