# 447 - Annie Crawford - The Cosmic Alchemy of That Hideous Strength Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-symbolic-world-1141216/447-annie-crawford-the-cosmic-alchemy-of-that-hideous-strength Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-symbolic-world-1141216/447-annie-crawford-the-cosmic-alchemy-of-that-hideous-strength.md Podcast: [The Symbolic World](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-symbolic-world-1141216) Published: 2026-04-21T14:01:29+00:00 Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/447-annie-crawford-the-cosmic-alchemy-of-that-hideous-strength--71491740 Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71491740/2026_04_annie_crawford_summit_final_20apr2026_12pm_01.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-symbolic-world-1141216/episodes/447-annie-crawford-the-cosmic-alchemy-of-that-hideous-strength Duration seconds: 1789 ## Resource In this conversation with Annie Crawford, we explore the role of alchemy in C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength. While alchemy is often dismissed as occult or irrelevant, Lewis uses its symbolism in a precise and meaningful way. We look at how the novel presents two forms of transformation: one rooted in control, technology, and disembodied power, and the other in sacrifice, order, and participation in the divine. This distinction speaks directly to how we understand modern technology, including AI. The discussion also touches on story structure, the nature of symbolic thinking, and how transformation is embedded in narrative itself. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/7WqrbWNHJBs Join us at the Symbolic World Summit | May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather Pollington Buy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/ ===== πŸ”“ Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe πŸ’» Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com πŸ”— Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 🎧 Please review The Symbolic World podcast: -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5 -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488 Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/ ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-symbolic-world-1141216/episodes/447-annie-crawford-the-cosmic-alchemy-of-that-hideous-strength/transcription-requests` β€” Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-symbolic-world-1141216/447-annie-crawford-the-cosmic-alchemy-of-that-hideous-strength.md` β€” Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.