Books

 The Beginner’s Guide To Alchemy

Published by Callisto & Rockridge Press in May 2020.

The Beginner’s Guide to Alchemy has garnered more than a thousand five-star reviews on Amazon and was a #1 new release on the site.

There’s a lot more to alchemy than turning lead into gold. Alchemists are committed to not only the transformation of actual substances with elements but also the transformation of themselves. The same process that transforms base metals into higher metals can be used to transcend “leaden” souls into enlightened, “golden” souls. This beginner’s guide teaches you how to refine the baser parts of yourself (such as your fears, doubts, and anger) and take actionable steps to uncover your truest, enlightened self with practical lessons and thought exercises.

You can hear an interview I did about the book for NPR’s “To The Best of Our Knowledge” here. You can also listen to me talk about the book and alchemy on the following podcasts: Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio, Lighting the Void, Everything Imaginable, and the Cosmic Keys Podcast.

Buy the book through Amazon here.

Press

“It would be enough if The Beginner's Guide to Alchemy was just a concise but thorough summary of alchemy. But Sarah Durn’s book provides lead-to-gold bonuses in the form of being entertaining, relevant, and often inspirational―not to mention also including easy and useful alchemical exercises anyone can leverage. If you’re interested in alchemy or want to live an alchemical life, this is the book for you.”

―Miguel Conner, host of Aeon Byte and author of Voices of Gnosticism

“With a humorous and feminist approach, Durn illuminates the process of transformation on all levels―physical, mental and spiritual. The Beginner’s Guide to Alchemy supports us to awaken individually and collectively within a world of constant flux.” 

―Meg Hayertz, author of Tarot for Beginners

“A Beginner’s Guide To Alchemy is at once a history, science, and interactive self-enhancement book that doesn’t feel like one until you’ve reached the end and suddenly feel wiser, lighter, and, dare I say, enhanced. Durn feels like a friend and modern day shaman as she guides you through alchemy in all of its variations―physical, mental, and spiritual―by way of history lessons, scientific and philosophic ponderings, and at-home exercises that stimulate alchemical transformation within your own world. You’ll be finding the alchemy in cooking spinach, grinding coffee beans, or going to bed on time before realizing that these small alchemical transformations are microcosms of bigger ones; transforming yourself and the world around you doesn’t require anything you don’t already possess; it begins and ends with you.” 

―Rachel Hilson, actress & activist