Some Other Sphere
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115 episodes
My guest for this episode is Sharon Hewitt Rawlette. Sharon is a philosopher who writes for both popular and scholarly audiences on the topics of consciousness, anomalous experience, ethics, and spirituality. She has a PhD in philosophy from New York University and taught at Brandeis University before launching her career as an independent writer and researcher. She is also the founder and director of the Mind & Meaning Institute, which brings together world-class researchers to explore new philosophical and empirical approaches to the deepest questions raised by human experience. Soon after leaving academia for a career as an independent writer and researcher, Sharon became interested in the phenomenon of “coincidence” or “synchronicity”: strange, enigmatic experiences that aren’t blatantly paranormal but that seem so improbably meaningful that they make us wonder whether something more than chance lies behind them. Her May 2019 book, The Source and Significance of Coincidences, presents a wealth of evidence concerning the statistical importance of coincidences, their range of possible causes, and how we can best interpret their implications for our lives. In November 2021, Sharon was named a runner-up in the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies essay contest for her essay “Beyond Death.” This essay summarises and analyses the best evidence for life after death collected over the last 150 years. I begin the interview by talking about what first interested her in anomalous and strange experiences and how that developed as a student, into academia, and becoming an independent researcher. We then discuss her work on coincidences, before focusing on her essay Beyond Death, exploring some of the Third Person and First Person evidence that she collected for that and how scientific research might progress when it comes to investigating the survival of human consciousness. Further information on Sharon and her research can be found at https://sharonrawlette.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub', by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Dr Josh Bullock. Josh is a senior lecturer in the Criminology, Politics and Sociology department of Kingston University London and part of the team behind Weekday Worldviews, a sociological project which is investigating the relationships between personal worldviews and psychological well-being amongst those attending public psychic events in the UK. It is the first project of its kind, and offers a unique look at this grassroots phenomenon using mixed methods (survey, observation, interview, comparison), which will allow the analysis of patterns of belief and their implication for understanding the relationship between science, spirituality, and well-being. I begin the interview by talking with Josh a little about his background and the type of work he has done prior to Weekday Worldviews. We then discuss how he became involved with the project and the other people involved in it, before moving on to talk about the methods used to gather the necessary data and what will happen once that process has been completed, and the results analysed. I also talk with Josh about his perspective on relationship between studying the paranormal and both its place and perception within academia. To find out more about the Weekday Worldviews project, and potentially participate go to https://www.weekdayworldviews.com/. If you are in a position to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Gary Opit. Gary is an Australian zoologist, cryptozoologist, and author. He also hosts a wildlife talkback radio show on ABC North Coast NSW Local Radio and between 1997 and 2015 conducted a citizen science project, collecting data based on the phone calls and emails he received during that time from people seeking assistance identifying wildlife they had encountered. Often these would be turn out to be examples of rare known and existing species of animal, but a significant amount were not and indicated the survival of animals previously thought long extinct on the Australian mainland, such as the Thylacine and Marsupial Lion, as well as completely unknown species, including ape and hominid like creatures, commonly referred to in Australia as the ”Yowie”. Gary has had an incredibly varied career, working as a State Park Ranger, as well as at a number of schools and universities, teaching subjects such as Anthropology, Ecology, Zoology and Botany. His knowledge of the wildlife of Australia is extensive as is that of the history of cryptid sightings in the country. As you might imagine, our conversation in this episode is a wide ranging one. I talk with Gary about how his interest in Australian cryptids started, the fossil record of wildlife in Australia and the range of habitats that could potentially allow the survival of some of those species into the modern day. Gary talks about some of his own experiences as well as encounters that other people have had with an impressive array of unusual creatures. Further details on Gary and his research are available on his Facebook page 'Australian Cryptozoology Gary Opit', which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/doolagarl/ and a Kindle version of his book 'Australian Cryptozoology' can be purchased via Amazon here https://www.amazon.co.uk/AUSTRALIAN-CRYPTOZOOLOGY-Australian-WildLife-Wonders-ebook/dp/B0091HRQBE/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.By-62j6VXhoSMg1q78pBu31PN-eyg0KpH4Zhr_5IEAk.4dumbGdZ0soaCWyo0GggdiuhpBskJtOiGNw7vGhKPhQ&dib_tag=se&qid=1708685897&refinements=p_27%3AGary+Opit&s=digital-text&sr=1-2. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me for this episode is author and historian Dr Richard Sugg. Richard has written both fiction and non-fiction on a wide range of unusual subjects - from John Donne in 2007, through to Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires in 2011, Fairies: A Dangerous History in 2018, and more recently: A History of Disgust from Jesus Christ to Boris Johnson in 2023. His research has featured in popular magazines and press, and Richard has appeared on international television and radio, in addition to guesting on various podcasts. He has been published with institutions such as BBC History, The Guardian, The Lancet, Der Spiegel, and the New Yorker. He has also published three edited collections of historic stories with a Fortean twist: A Century of Supernatural Stories, A Century of Ghost Stories and A Singing Mouse at Buckingham Palace. These books come together in recent research Richard has done on animal homing instincts, perhaps most famously exemplified by Bobbie the Wonder Dog, who returned to his family home in Oregon after a six month, three thousand mile journey in February 1924. In the first half of the interview I talk with Richard about some of the subjects he has written on and how his interest in weirder topics progressed during that time, which has seen his attitude to the paranormal change accordingly. We talk about some of the ghostly encounters that have been reported to him and the validity of anecdotal evidence, which for many paranormal phenomena is extensive. After that we focus on Richard’s current research into the remarkable homing abilities of animals such as Bobbie the Wonder Dog, along with other examples such as Railway Jack, Lampo, and an Irish Terrier called Prince. You can find out more about Richard and his writing at https://doctorrichardsugg.com/ and his recent article for The Guardian is available here https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/15/merlin-spaniel-humans-dogs-home. If you would like to make a donation to support the podcast you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Charis Cotter. Charis is an award-winning author who specialises in writing ghost stories, many of which are influenced by the history, folklore and landscape of Newfoundland where she lives. Alongside her writing, Charis has worked in schools and libraries across Canada, using drama and storytelling to bring her books to life. She has also encouraged Newfoundland children to collect traditional ghost stories from their communities as part of a project which has seen two books of these tales published, written and illustrated by the students. I begin the interview by talking with Charis about how her interest in ghosts started from an early age, and how moving to Newfoundland has influenced her passion for writing stories about them. We discuss the relationship between ghosts, storytelling and people and how the importance of that can be seen in the history of Newfoundland as well as in the present day with the projects she has worked on with local school children. We also debate how stories about ghostly encounters may offer an insight into the true nature of what might be happening when people have these experiences and how that can offer a better way to frame a discussion on the paranormal outside of believing or not believing. Charis also provides some accounts of local ghostly encounters that have been reported to her, which are great examples of why these types of stories fascinate us so much. Information about Charis and her books can be found at her website https://www.chariscotter.com/. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The podcast theme is provided by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Natalie Doig. Natalie is the creator of Weird in the Wade, a blog and podcast which details her exploration of the spooky happenings, forgotten history and curious folklore of the area around her hometown of Biggleswade, in Bedfordshire England. This has seen her investigate a wide range of unusual cases, from a shop plagued by ghostly activity to UFO sightings in the 1950s, a haunted woodland and a fire that devastated Biggleswade in1785. Natalie has a very engaging presenting style and a real talent for rediscovering local stories that have slipped from recent memory. In the interview we begin by talking about how her interest in the paranormal started and then we move on to some of the stories covered in Weird in the Wade, and what makes them and the weirdness they feature so interesting. To find out more about Weird in the Wade go to https://weirdinthewade.blog/. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me as my guest for this episode is Sue Terry. Sue is an academic of weird and occult literature – her research interests involve her exploring the relationship between 'the occult' and literary fiction and understanding how texts of all kinds can help us interpret paranormal phenomena to develop a better appreciation of it. She is currently writing a book on fantasy author Alan Garner as well as researching her PhD in feminist occult literary modernism at the University of Surrey and it is these two areas which my conversation with her focuses on. Alan Garner’s work is deeply connected to the local landscape of Cheshire in Northern England where he grew up and often features the emergence of mythic and fantastical events in the everyday world – sometimes in a subtle way but not always. His fascination with the relativity of space and time is also prevalent and means that his stories are full of high strangeness, with ancient evils, gateways to otherworldly realms and the lasting effect of mythic betrayal and murder featuring prominently in some of his most beloved works, such as Elidor and The Owl Service. I begin the interview by talking with Sue about her research and her PhD thesis, after which we talk about Alan Garner – from his traumatic childhood which may have ignited his imagination onto some of his best known works and the themes they explore. Further details on Sue, her work and the courses she runs can be found at her website https://www.sueterryacademic.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Dr Diana Walsh Pasulka, who joined me to talk about her new book ‘Encounters: Experiences with Non-human Intelligences’. Diana is a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. She writes and teaches about the history of the catholic tradition and new religious movements, particularly as they intersect with digital technologies. Her published work has explored topics as varied as from the catholic doctrine of purgatory to UFOs, to human potentials and has received international acclaim, with her 2019 book ‘American Cosmic’ especially offering an intriguing insight into the religiosity of the UFO mystery. In Encounters, she writes about the work of experts across a range of fields who are endeavouring to connect humanity with unknown life-forms and help to encourage a rethink on some of our most basic assumptions about life and its manifestations beyond our experiences. I begin the interview by talking with Diana about her first book about purgatory, and how researching and writing that led on to her other writing projects such as American Cosmic. We then move on to her new book and talk about some of the people featured in it, and the work they are doing to help reorientate our understanding of the world around us. To find out more about Diana's research and her books go to https://dwpasulka.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Victoria Jaye. Victoria is a folklorist, writer, podcaster and author whose areas of research is demonic experiences, narratives, and phenomena. She runs a blog called The Demon Folklorist and her first book ‘The Black Hours: Modern Demonic Experiences and Folklore’ is due to come out in October 2023. I begin the interview by talking with Victoria about her own experience that prompted an interest in demons. We then discuss the enigmatic nature of what these entities might be (and also what they aren’t), how they are primarily contextualised via the route of ritual magic and religion, what drives their hostility towards humans and the role pop culture has played in a modern understanding of these beings in the western world. Victoria has also developed her own system for identifying a demonic presence using the five senses as a measure, which we talk about in some detail, along with a couple of well-known cases of demonic possession. Further details about Victoria and her new book can be found at her website https://demonfolklorist.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me for this episode is intuitive artist, writer, researcher and podcaster Claire Casely. Claire’s creative projects are inspired by the presence of faeries which she experiences through nature connection, faerie sight and during journeying in meditation and dreams. Together these practices have helped her to form a multi-sensory method of connecting with the otherworld, which she calls ‘Faery Whispering’. In the interview I begin by talking with Claire about how her interest in faeries started as a child growing up near Dartmoor and some of her experiences with those types of beings as she grew older. We discuss what faeries are, what faerie whispering is and explore the relationship that seems to exist between these entities, ourselves, the places we live and on a deeper level, the natural world. Claire also offers some advice on how to develop your own connection with otherworldly beings such as these. Further details on Claire's creative projects (such as her podcast) can be found at https://www.faerywhisperer.co.uk/ and you can support her work at https://www.patreon.com/faerywhisperer. She also has a YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@TheFaeryWhisperer. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere them if from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is researcher and author Fred Andersson, who joined me to talk about his new book, ‘Northern Lights – High Strangeness in Sweden’. This is the first book written in English entirely devoted to the subject of high strangeness, UFOs, and other mysteries in that country. Sweden has a long history of weirdness, unexplained observations, and eerie encounters, often connected to the countryside, desolate roads, and empty fields. From gnomes, elves, and trolls of the past to UFOs and aliens in modern times. The book takes an in-depth look at a wide range of peculiar incidents recorded throughout Sweden's history, spanning from 1920 to 2013 and delves into a myriad of extraordinary encounters, diving into the mysterious realm of the unknown. The primary emphasis of the narrative remains on the gripping subjects of UFOs and extraterrestrial beings, examining their profound impact on both the personal experiences of witnesses and the rich tapestry of Swedish culture. In the interview I begin by talking with Fred about his interest in the paranormal and how the idea for the book came about. From there we explore some of the strange incidents it covers and discuss Fred’s own insights into the high strangeness of his homeland. Fred is a lively presence on social media and can be found on X (formerly Twitter) here https://twitter.com/HomoSatanis. 'Northern Lights: High Strangeness in Sweden is available from your bookseller of choice. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is author Simon Miles, who joined me to talk about his recent book 'The Map and the Manuscript'. This debut work documents an investigation of over more than twenty years into the "Affair of Rennes", a tangle of puzzles that has fascinated readers and researchers alike for half a century. A minor riddle of local history centered on a tiny village in the south of France became a global phenomenon, yet its greater secrets have remained tightly sealed. Amongst a sequence of breakthrough original insights, "The Map and the Manuscript" reveals for the first time the traces of a remarkable artefact of the ancient world, a geometrical complex laid out with impressive accuracy and at large scale between certain peaks, churches and châteaux in the landscape of the Pyrenees mountains. This discovery leads to a far-reaching exploration across a rich expanse of topics, from sacred geography to French poetry, from alchemy to dreams, from the Temple of Delphi to the streets of Paris, from hidden designs in old books to secret codes in manuscripts. In the interview I talk with Simon about how he became interested in these mysteries, and the key aspects of his research and investigation which have made a significant contribution to a wider reappraisal of the capabilities of landscape architects in the ancient world. Further information on Simon's writing, including the 'The Map and the Manuscript can be found at https://www.simonmmiles.com/ and the book is available from your literary retailer of choice. To visit his YouTube channel, featuring videos of the alignments detailed in the book, go to https://www.youtube.com/c/SimonMilesresearch. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere, you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me for this episode of the podcast is previous guest and good friend of the show Matt Hopewell, AKA AP Strange. AP is a paranormal researcher, writer and self-described Discordian Flying Saucer Enthusiast, Certified Kook, Donut Wizard and Master of Mystical Flapdoodle. He has a distinctly fun and light-hearted method of exploring Forteana on his blog 'AP Strange's Weird Writings', with articles on an impressively varied array of unusual subjects. In the interview I talk with him about his approach to researching the paranormal and how helpful a sense of humour can be when doing that. Our conversation is a wide-ranging one, covering cryptids, poltergeists, UFOs, Star Trek, ancient Greece, the ideas of Robert Anton Wilson and much more. AP Strange's Weird Writings can be found at https://www.apstrange.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere, you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is legendary paranormal investigator and author Lionel Fanthorpe. Lionel has had a prolific writing career dating back to 1952 which has seen him pen hundreds of books. Not only has he written science fiction stories, but together with his wife Patricia, also non-fiction books on an array of subjects, most notably the paranormal, unexplained mysteries of the world, poetry and religion. He has travelled the world in search of the unexplained, endeavouring to unravel such mysteries as the ‘Oak Island Money Pit’ and ‘The Creeping Coffins of Barbados’. He has presented a number of television series, perhaps the best known being the cult Channel Four show, ‘Fortean TV’. During this time in his career he was also a practicing Anglican priest, which added a novel element to his televisual exploration of the unknown. Currently he is also the president of the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena. As well as being a major contributor to paranormal research, he is a former journalist, teacher, head teacher, army rock climbing instructor and also a World Judo Association Black Belt Fifth Dan. I begin the interview by talking with Lionel about his early experiences of the paranormal and how his interest in that field developed. From there we discuss his writing career, his time as a journalist, what prompted him to become an Anglican priest and how all of these things have in some way influenced the way he investigated and contemplated the unusual phenomena he has encountered. Further information about Lionel can be found at his official website https://www.lionelfanthorpe.co.uk/. He also has a YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@lionelfanthorpeofficial5752. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere, you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
For this episode my guest is art historian Emily Leon. Emily’s research focuses on modernism and the esoteric interests of late-19th and early-20th century western artists, with a particular concentration on abstraction and the links between art, science, and religion. Since 2017, much of her scholarship has focused on the social, spiritual, and theoretical implications of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint’s work. Most recently, in 2023 she presented “Past-Future, Present-Future, Future-Future: Hilma af Klint in Three Temporal Dimensions” for the Modernist Futures conference, hosted by Modernist Studies in Asia. Emily is also the founder of the transdisciplinary working group 'In the Eggshell', a five-part lecture series that seeks to redress modern art by turning to how the sciences, religious beliefs, and occult traditions provide a better articulation of the subject. In the interview I begin by talking with her about the origins of the relationship between esotericism and modern, abstract art. From there our conversation moves on to Hilma af Klint, specifically the occult ideas that influenced her art as well as the unusual methods she used such as spirit channeling that were a vital aspect of her craft. We also discuss the deeper meaning of Af Klint’s artwork and the vision she had for how it was meant be displayed, before concluding by talking about Emily’s own efforts to encourage a better understanding of the relationship between modern art, science and esotericism with the 'In the Eggshell' lecture series. Emily can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DisincarnateEVL and more details on 'In the Eggshell' are available at https://desertsuprematism.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of the podcast you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - ' Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is photojournalist Shannon Taggart, who joined me to talk about her 2019 photobook - 'Séance'. This project was the culmination of two decades of research into the history, rituals, practices and exponents of Spiritualism, a religious movement which emerged in the mid 19th Century in update New York in the USA and is now established across the globe. Shannon's interest in the subject stems from an experience as a child attending a service at a spiritualist church in Lily Dale - which is perhaps the town most emblematic of the movement in the United States. For the book, she expected to spend one summer figuring out the tricks of the Spiritualist trade but instead the mysterious processes, earnest practitioners, and neglected photographic history became an inspiration which would see her travel to the United Kingdom and Europe in order to see the project to its conclusion. 'Séance' features 150 of her original images, complimented by historical photographs, a commentary on her experiences, and a foreword by Dan Aykroyd, who himself is a fourth-generation Spiritualist. It concludes with a debate over ectoplasm and how Spiritualism can move forward in the twenty-first century. In the interview, we begin by discussing Shannon's initial experience at a spiritualist service and from there talk more about Lily Dale, and how the idea for the 'Séance' project came about. From there our conversation explores the relationship between photography and spiritualism, the practices and methodology that are used, and the mysterious, controversial substance that is ectoplasm. Further information about Shannon and her work can be be found at https://www.shannontaggart.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is witch and author Emma Kathryn. Emma has had an interest in witchcraft from an early age and her practise has developed to include a combination of british magical traditions with the afro-caribbean ones of Myal and Obeah. She has written books such as Reclaiming Ourselves, Reclaiming Food, Wild Witchcraft and Witch Life and champions the positive relationships that can exist between people and nature through an interest in the supernatural. I begin the interview by asking how her interest in witchcraft started and developed over time with the mixing of different magical systems. From there we talk about the path that she followed to becoming an Obeah woman, some of the deities she works with as part of that and the relationship and differences between Obeah and Myal. We also discuss our shared interest in animism, and how immersing yourself in the natural landscape can bring about a deeper connection with the other. For more information on Emma and her writing please visit the Wild Witchcraft website at https://emmakathrynwildwitchcraft.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of the podcast you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me as my guest for this episode is Emma Heard, creator of the Weird Wiltshire blog. Emma has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal and experienced many unusual occurrences that are hard to explain. During the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020 she had a chance to write a blog for fun and so Weird Wiltshire was born, offering a place to explore the history, folklore and spooky tales which overflow the county. I begin the interview by talking with Emma about how her interest in these subjects began and developed when she moved to Wiltshire. We also discuss some of her own experiences of the paranormal and then move on to the weird history of Wiltshire itself, which is so often connected to the ancient monuments and landscape that exemplify the area. To visit the Weird Wiltshire blog go to https://weird-wiltshire.co.uk/. You can follow Emma on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WeirdWiltsBlog. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Gregory Forth, who joined me to discuss his book Between Ape and Human: An Anthropologist on the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid. Gregory received his doctorate at Oxford and was a professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta for more than three decades. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and is the author more than one hundred scholarly papers and several academic books. Between Ape and Human is his first book for a general audience. While doing fieldwork in the Lio region of the Indonesian island of Flores, he came across people talking about half-apelike, half-humanlike creatures called Lai Ho’a that once lived in a cave on the slopes of a nearby volcano. Over the years he continued to record what locals had to say about these mystery hominoids while searching for ways to explain them as imaginary symbols of the wild or other cultural representations. In 2003 however, skeletons of a small-statured early human species named Homo Foresiensis were excavated in a cave in western Flores. In view of this timing and the striking resemblance of floresiensis to the mystery creatures described by the islanders, Gregory began to think about the creatures reported to him as possibly reflecting a real species, either now extinct but retained in ‘cultural memory’, or perhaps even still surviving. I begin the interview by talking with Gregory about how his interest in researching ape-man encounters in Flores started, and then the discussion moves to the book itself, which across four sections examines the space the Lai Ho’a occupy in islanders’ culture as both natural creatures and as supernatural beings. Between Ape and Human is published by Pegasus Books - for further details go to http://pegasusbooks.com/authors/gregory-forth. You can purchase a copy from the publisher or by ordering it from your favourite bookseller. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere, you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is provided by Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me as my guest for this episode is author Patrick Harpur. Patrick has written extensively on a range of fortean subjects but is perhaps best known for his 1994 book Daimonic Reality: A Field Guide to the Otherworld. This applied the ideas of people such as William Blake, W.B Yeats and Carl Jung to examine the connections across a wide range of paranormal phenomena and explore the history of the realm many believe exists between the states of body and spirit. The book is regarded as classic of it’s kind and a must have for the bookshelves of people interested in the sort of subjects It covers. In the interview I begin by talking with Patrick about the concept of daimonic reality and what that term describes. From there we discuss the book and how it came about and then move on to the daimons themselves, what they are, their interactions with humanity and how and why they manifest in our world the way they do. More information about Patrick and his writing can be found at http://www.harpur.org/patrick.htm. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere Theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is folklorist and author Jeremy Harte, who joined me to talk about his new book Cloven Country: The Devil in the English Landscape. Jeremy has written extensively on local history, folklore and the supernatural and is the curator of the Bourne Hall Museum at Epson and Ewell as well as secretary of the Romany and Traveller Family History Society. In Cloven Country, he explores the background of those stories where the Devil played a part both in creating the English landscape, as well as his relationships with the people who populated it – which could range from being hoodwinked by cunning cobblers, to punishing wealthy merchants and landowners for their greed and avarice. In the interview I begin by talking with Jeremy about what inspired the idea for the book and then look at the history of the Devil's appearances in English folklore, and some of the themes and motifs that are most common there. We also talk about the relationship between this kind of folklore and peoples personal experience of the supernatural, and how the latter has become much more prevalent in modern times, to the extent that presence of the 'landscape devil' in recent storytelling is hard to discern. Cloven Country: The Devil in the English Landscape is published by Reaktion Books - more details can be found at https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/cloven-country and the book can be purchased from your local bookshop. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee, go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere Theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me for this episode is filmmaker George Popov. George is half of the creative partnership behind Rubicon Films, who since 2022 have released a series of paranormal themed documentaries under the title of ‘Sideworld’. To quote George, a sideworld exists “where the line between fact and fiction is enshrouded in mist and shadow, and beyond that threshold is a place that can change our perspective on everything we think we know.” The three Sideworld documentaries made so far have explored the haunted forests of England, terrors of the sea, and English villages with ghostly reputations. Prior to that, Rubicon made two feature films - Hex in 2017 and The Droving in 2020, which both include folk horror themes and fortean subjects. In the interview I begin by talking with George about his interests in the paranormal and filmmaking, and the relationship they have had as part of his career. From there we go on to discuss the Sideworld documentaries and some of the subjects they cover, as and explore how these sorts of things represent the sideworld concept itself. More information about George's films can be found at https://www.rubiconfilms.co.uk/. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Vuk, host of the Tracing Owls podcast. A quirky but nuanced exploration into Fortean philosophy, Tracing Owls focuses on the roles of Mother Nature, the Trickster and the experiencer in shaping paranormal phenomena, with a healthy amount of humour and humility along the way. Could Cryptids, UFOs, High strangeness and paraweird anomalies all originate from the same source? Vuk seeks to catalogue the overlooked, spotlight the disregarded, and show that the cosmic expanse is much greater than our understanding of it. A good example of this are his thoughts on Gaia Theory, expanding on the ideas of James Lovelock and Lynn Margoulis. This is the focus of the episode, exploring how paranormal happenings could be manifestations in the workings of a vast global consciousness. More information on the Tracing Owls Podcast can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TracingOwls. If you'd like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can do so with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub', by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me for this episode is author and dream researcher, Sarah Janes. Sarah has been an enthusiastic lucid dreamer since childhood and has written about dreams, dream culture and the anthropology of dreaming for a number of academic journals, the Idler magazine and more. Sarah’s first book Initiation into Dream Mysteries, Drinking from the Pool of Mnemosyne was published recently and explores the ancient history and philosophy of dream therapy and sleep medicine, beginning in deepest antiquity through to ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece. It also has seven stories in it which are inspired by Sarah’s own dream incubation practices. These stories are designed to act as psychomagic narratives to influence your dreams and take you on a self-initiatory conscious dream quest. In the interview we talk about how Sarah’s interest in dreams and dreaming began, and then move on to discuss the history of dream therapy and interpretation in ancient times, along with examples of that such as temple sleep and dream incubation. We also chat about the role and importance of divine entities in these practices, and what the use of dream therapy in ancient societies can inform us on about the worldview and reality of those cultures as a whole. Our conversation was recorded in November 2022. For more information on Sarah's new book and dream culture research go to her website https://themysteries.org/ If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The podcast theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey amd Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Dr Liz Savage, who joined me to talk about the concept of Dickensian Cryptozoology. Liz earned her PhD from Durham University on nineteenth-century literature, focusing on Charles Dickens and the uncanny. Her current research continues to focus on the strange and unusual in literature, film, and other media. Dickensian Cryptozoology is the subject of a paper she has written which proposes a new approach to the writers texts that examines the character and places he created through the lens of creature myths and legends that persist today. Central to these ideas are his Mudfog Papers, a fantastical set of stories complete with robots, circus fleas, and overenthusiastic scientists studying the mathematical implications of children’s books alongside annuals that run on milk. Later Dickens works are also included to help demonstrate how cryptozoological and Fortean readings of character and places are not only possible, but create a fun, unique, and unexpected research angle for both seasoned academics and those new to Dickens. We begin the interview by talking about the otherworldliness of Dickens writing, and how there are examples of that in many of his works. We then discuss the Mudfog papers themselves, and some of the stories and characters which represent the ideas Liz is interested in. Liz is presenting her talk about Dickensian Cryptozoology at a Dickens Day symposium which is happening at the School of Advanced Study (University of London) on Saturday February 25th 2023. More details can be found at https://ies.sas.ac.uk/events/dickens-day-2022. She can be found on Twitter as @LizAnneSavage https://twitter.com/lizannesavage where there is a bio with links to more of her talks and contact information. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere, you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The podcast theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - ' Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is author David Booher, who joined me to talk about his 2017 book, No Return: The Gerry Irwin Story – UFO Abduction or Covert Operation. The book explores the interesting case of Gerry Irwin, a young soldier in the US Army who whilst driving back to his base on a cold February evening in 1959, witnessed an unusual light in the sky. Stopping to investigate, he left a message on his car to make other motorists aware and walked through the undergrowth towards the spot where he thought something had crashed, or landed. He would later be found unconscious, and from that point on would be beset by inexplicable blackouts and bizarre behaviour, which threatened to derail his promising Army career. Then one day early in August 1959 he suddenly deserted his Army post in Texas and seemingly disappeared without a trace. What happened to Gerry in those months is one of Ufology’s less famous mysteries, but a fascinating one nonetheless. Was this an alien abduction case, two years before something similar happened to Betty and Barney Hill? Or, as has been suggested with those events, could it be something more terrestrial and nefarious? No one knew what became of Gerry until David decided to research the mystery and the book details the results of those investigations. We begin the interview by laying out the established timeline for the case and then talk further about how David uncovered more about what happened to Gerry. No Return: The Gerry Irwin Story – UFO Abduction or Covert Operation is available to purchase online and from your local bookshop. David can be contacted by email at noreturnufo@gmail.com if you have any questions for him. If you'd like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation, you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me as my guest for this episode is Duncan Barford. Duncan is the creative force behind Occult Experiments in the Home, a project which began as a blog but has expanded beyond that into a number of books and a podcast. These have all explored magick, occulture and the paranormal and focus in particular on how those areas intersect with personal experience, psychology, and spiritual practice. Duncan is also a qualified counsellor and suspended the blog when beginning the training for this, concerned that a conspicuous interest in the occult might prove professionally unhelpful. Having now qualified and worked for several years in various therapeutic contexts, he is able to enjoy discussing openly his deep and lifelong interest in these subjects. In the interview we begin by talking about how Occult Experiments in the Home got started, which leads to a wide-ranging discussion about magic, psychology, the nature of being, the value of experience in understanding the paranormal, and much more. Further details about Duncan and OEITH can be found at https://oeith.co.uk/. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
In this episode my guest is paranormal investigator Michele Eve. Michele, who is based in the English county of Gloucestershire in the UK is the creator of the Mystical Times blog, where she writes about a wide range of paranormal phenomena, from time slips, to ghostly monks, past lives, strange deaths, local folklore and much more. Michele grew up in a Spiritualist household and we talk about that early in the interview, before moving on to her time working as a psychic medium, and what that faculty can tell us about the nature of the supernatural. After that we talk about a local legend that was born out of a tragic rail disaster in the 1920's and then return to discussing some of the unusual happenings Michele has experienced and written about, as well some of the haunted places that are dotted throughout the county of Gloucestershire. To visit the Mystical Times blog go to https://mysticaltimesblog.com/. You can support Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Joining me for this episode are paranormal researchers Ailsa Clarke and Bethan Briggs-Miller, who are the hosts of the Eerie Essex podcast. In their podcast, they explore the folklore, macabre history and supernatural happenings of Essex, an ancient county in the east of England. There have been episodes on witches, cryptids, ghosts, exorcisms, gnomes, and much more. In the interview I begin by talking with Ailsa and Bethan about how Eerie Essex got started, after which we discuss some of the unusual subjects they’ve covered in the podcast, as well as a few of their own weird experiences. In Essex, as in most places, the supernatural permeates the landscape, communities and legends of the area and we also talked about the high strangeness that can arise from personal interaction with those things. To find out more about Eerie Essex, please go to the podcast Twitter account (@Eerie_Essex https://twitter.com/Eerie_Essex). Ailsa and Bethan can also be contacted by email at eerieessexpodcast@gmail.com. You can support Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
My guest for this episode is Emma Woods, author of Glimpses of Magonia, a memoir of the disconcerting yet transformative anomalous events that she has experienced all through her life. The book provides a unique insight into what motivates people like her to seek answers in areas of paranormal research, to help better understand the meaning of those experiences. In the interview, I start by talking with Emma about the title of the book and what that means to her. From there we talk more about the experiences themselves, the way that Emma recollected them, and how she learned to understand what they might mean. Some of these happened at very difficult times in Emma life and as I’m sure you can imagine, it was a privilege to talk with her about such personal matters. We end the interview by talking about some mysterious files sent to her by a Ufologist friend, which seemed to indicate the existence of a very unusual project at NASA – and whether these were genuine, or another example of disinformation being spread among the Ufology community. For more information on Emma's book got to https://emmawoodsbooks.com/. You can support Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com/ - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
