Ep238: Alchemy the Divine Work - Katarina Falkenberg & Tommy Westlund

Guru Viking Podcast

In this episode I am joined by Katarina Falkenberg & Tommy Westlund, alchemists, practitioners of Western Esotericism, and authors of ‘Alchemy, The Divine Work’. Katarina and Tommy recount the history of Western alchemy from Egypt, through Ancient Greece, the Islamic golden age, Renaissance Europe, to today and consider critiques of alchemy as mere proto or indeed pseudo-science.. Katarina and Tommy reveal the language of the birds, the hidden language of symbol and intuition used among initiated practitioners. The detail the stages of inner transformation that the alchemist ascends in his quest for spiritual evolution and compares them to the stages of other meditative traditions. Katarina and Tommy also discuss today’s changing cultural mores around masculinity and femininity and their implications for the metaphors used by the alchemical tradition to express polarity and the union of opposites. … Video versions: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep238-alchemy-the-divine-work-katarina-falkenberg-tommy-westlund Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:04 - Writing ‘Alchemy, The Divine Work’ 05:56 - The language of the birds and hidden language 09:14 - Are alchemical symbols specific to certain cultures? 11:13 - Alchemy vs other esoteric traditions and religions 14:20 - Intuition vs intellectual study 19:39 - People have changed in the last 5 years 21:03 - Me too movement & the pandemic 24:42 - Are masculine-feminine paradigms of polarity still relevant? 29:47 - Polarity is essential to alchemy 30:55 - Tommy’s hopes for masculinity and femininity in culture 35:32 - History of Western alchemy 41:57 - Spiritual alchemy vs metallurgical techniques 46:47 - Proto-science or pseudo-science? 49:17 - The relationship between the outer and the inner 56:56 - Who is attracted to study alchemy? 01:01:24 - The role of experimentation 01:03:44 - Collaboration with the egregore of the tradition 01:05:26 - Katarina and Tommy’s collaboration 01:09:32 - Greek philosophical influence on alchemy 01:11:40 - The first element of creation 01:12:52 - Pythagoras 01:15:44 - Cosmogony and alchemical application 01:18:01 - Metaphilosophy 01:18:47 - The prima materia 01:20:48 - The principle of love 01:22:24 - Gnosticism and alchemy 01:25:04 - The gnostic revolution 01:29:26 - Religious traditions as living metaphors 01:31:00 - Alchemical stages 01:35:44 - The dark nights of the mind and soul 01:41:47 - Blissful stages and beyond … To find out more about Katarina Falkenberg & Tommy Westlund, visit: - https://www.alkemiskaakademin.se/eng/about-us/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James