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Benjamin Turale | MCouns, ACA.
Psychotherapist, Supervisor, Lecturer & Instructor in Hermetics


From a young age, I was fascinated with hidden worlds, outside and in. I grew up on the Goldfields, an area near Ballarat, Australia, famous for a mining boom in the 1800s. My father was a prospector and the early experiences I had discovering gold with him proved to leave an indelible impression on me.  As a boy I had a keen interest in ceremonial magick and anything occult. During my teens a combination of difficult experiences precipitated a healing crisis. This initiated a search to rectify my world. 

Into my 20’s an undergraduate degree in philosophy led me to daily meditation practice, spending time on several long intensive retreats and temporarily as a Buddhist monk. Subsequent postgraduate studies in counselling and transpersonal therapy immersed me in techniques for personal and spiritual transformation, qualifying me as a psychotherapist. I did a lot of my own personal and group therapy in order to become a clear reflecting mirror for other people and a solid vessel to hold space. For my masters of counselling thesis I designed and conducted a quantitative study examining psychological functioning, wellbeing and resilience in mindfulness meditators. During my studies I also read Jung and through his writings, found my way back to my roots in Western spirituality and alchemy. 

Guild Certified Alchemist
Guild Certified Alchemist

Thereafter I studied with recognised leaders in the Hermetic tradition, completing my Diploma of Alchemy and Hermetic Science with Dr. Dennis William Hauck and undertaking advanced intensives in mineral and metallic laboratory alchemy with Robert Bartlett. After becoming a teacher on the Alchemy Study Program, in 2017 I was offered a position on the Board of Directors of the International Alchemy Guild, serving as Director of Education (link here).

I’ve worked in several roles as a teacher, counsellor and training coordinator, delivering talks and training at major conferences on mental health and wellbeing. Currently I divide my time between several roles I am passionate about where I interweave my interests in the liminal realm between consciousness and reality. I provide clinical supervision to counsellors and psychotherapists and I am a university lecturer in the field. I also teach laboratory alchemy and sell alchemical products through my business, the Temple of Mercury (link here). I’m particularly interested in the relationship between spiritual medicines and ritual. I like to organise events that bring esoteric communities together such as the Alchemy Conference in Glastonbury, UK. I am very happily married to my wife and enjoy producing and performing ambient electronic music (link here).


My Qualifications Include:

Registered Counsellor & Supervisor.

Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy major), La Trobe University), 2003.
Diploma of Transpersonal Counselling, Phoenix Institute, 2008.
Diploma of Transpersonal Art Therapy, Phoenix Institute, 2010.
Graduate Diploma of Counselling, UTAS, 2012.
Master of Counselling, UTAS (Verification Service link here), 2013.
Certificate IV Training and Education, HBA Learning Centre, 2014.
Certification in Professional Supervision, Clinical Counselling Centre, 2014.
Diploma of Alchemy and Hermetic Science, International Alchemy Guild, 2015.
Diploma of Electronic Music Production, University of Middlesex via Point Blank, 2017.

This coupled with my experience enables me to be a member of the Australian Counselling Association and a supervisor registered with the ACA College of Supervisors.

Want to find out more about me or ask more questions?  Get in touch now via the contact page by clicking here.