Keri Mangis publishes alchemy-based guide for surviving crisis

Keri Mangis released The Essential Ingredient: Remaking Ourselves in Times of Crisis on Aug. 25 through Curiosa Publishing, framing climate collapse, authoritarianism, economic instability and institutional failure as symptoms of a deeper consciousness problem. The book is now available as Mangis heads out on a tour of launch events and talks in Minneapolis and beyond.

Why it matters: - Keri Mangis argues that surviving this moment starts with personal and cultural transformation, not optimism alone. - The book aims at readers who feel overwhelmed by crisis but are not willing to disengage. - Its message lands across spiritual, psychological and activist audiences looking for something beyond half-measures.

What happened: - Curiosa Publishing released The Essential Ingredient: Remaking Ourselves in Times of Crisis on Aug. 25, 2026. - TEDx speaker and multi-award-winning author Keri Mangis wrote the book. - Political analyst Jared Yates Sexton, author of The Midnight Kingdom and co-host of The Muckrake Podcast, wrote the foreword. - The book is available now wherever books are sold.

The details: - The book argues that climate catastrophe, authoritarianism, economic instability and institutional failure are connected symptoms rather than separate problems. - Mangis says hope can leave responsibility to other people, while despair can harm the people who carry it. - The book rejects denial, fear, blame and willful blindness as forces that helped shape the present crisis. - Its framework uses alchemy, the pre-scientific practice Carl Jung revisited as a model for psychological transformation. - Mangis extends Jung’s idea from the individual to the collective. - The book moves through breakdown, reflection and rebirth. - The structure draws on Jungian psychology, shadow work, myth and two decades of Mangis’ study and teaching. - Mangis writes that turning lead into gold requires breaking the lead down first. - Mangis calls the book both a synthesis of her last two decades of spiritual work and an act of resistance. - The book is 264 pages, costs $21.95 and carries ISBN 978-1-7329912-2-4.

Between the lines: - Early endorsements suggest the book is meant to unsettle readers rather than comfort them. - Christina Donnell, PhD, called the book “an initiation.” - Kyle R. Vareberg, PhD, said the “essential ingredient” is something people become by moving through breakdown. - Midwest Book Review said the book is notable for explaining the mechanics of reinvention, not just making the case for it. - Mangis is positioning the book as both spiritual writing and a critique of systems that reward apathy and overwhelm.

What's next: - Mangis is currently touring with the book. - Upcoming events include a free launch talk, “Everyday Alchemy,” at Lake Harriet Spiritual Community in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 6, offered in person and on Facebook Live. - She is scheduled for an author event at Big Hill Books in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 26. - A virtual launch and Q&A with author and writing mentor Amy Hallberg is set for Thursday, Nov. 5. - Mangis will lead a week-long retreat, “Becoming Real,” at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas in May 2027. - A current schedule is available at kerimangis.com/events. - Review copies and interview requests can go to publicist Nanda Dyssou at Coriolis Company at nanda@corioliscompany.com or 424-226-6148.

The bottom line: - Mangis is using alchemy as a framework for crisis-era self-examination, arguing that collective change begins with confronting what people and institutions refuse to see.