The Alchemy Of It All
The Alchemy of It All is a podcast about transformation in every sense of the word. Host Fiona Meiklejohn explores how human beings across cultures and centuries have turned the raw material of life into something greater, through psychology, spirituality, philosophy, science and all forms of art.
From the myths of creation to the music of the spheres, from medieval mystics to modern neuroscience, every fortnight Fiona dives into the ideas, stories, and practices that have shaped how we change, grow, and make meaning.
This is a space for listeners who crave depth, context, and wonder. Each episode is an invitation to explore the human story as alchemy in motion, and is a reminder that transformation is always possible, and is the one true constant in our shared human experience.
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which I work, learn and live, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Always was, always will be.
The Alchemy Of It All
The Magnum Opus, Stage Four: Rubedo - The Embodiment Of The Light
Welcome to the fourth and final episode of our four-episode arc exploring the Magnum Opus, the famed Great Work of the ancient alchemists.
Throughout this series, we have travelled through the four classic alchemical stages: Nigredo (Blackening), Albedo (Whitening), Citrinitas (Yellowing), and finally Rubedo (Reddening); tracing their reflections in personal transformation, psychology, myth, and the lived reality of inner change.
In this culminating stage of the Magnum Opus, we move from illumination to integration: from recognising the light to living it.
Rubedo is the reddening, the fire of coherence, where the union of opposites becomes stable, embodied, and quietly sovereign.
In this shorter, ten-minute closing episode, I explore what it means for consciousness to anchor into form; how the Work matures from insight into behaviour; and how Rubedo signifies the end of inner division and the return to a self that is whole, honest, and real.
Music: From Stardust by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
You’ve been listening to The Alchemy of It All with Fiona Meiklejohn. If this journey resonated with you, please share it, subscribe, or simply carry the conversation forward in your own life.
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