Some Other Sphere

Episode 126 - Timothy Grieve-Carlson - American Aurora

My guest for this episode is historian and author Timothy Grieve-Carlson. Tim’s work focuses on the intersection of esotericism, ecology, American religious history and the paranormal and his writing has appeared in magazines like Hellebore and in academic journals such as American Religion, Correspondences: A Journal of Esotericism, and Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft.
2024 saw the publication of his first book, American Aurora: Environment and Apocalypse in the Life of Johannes Kelpius – which is the subject of this episode.
Johannes Kelpius is an enormously influential but comprehensively misunderstood theologian, born in what is modern-day Romania in 1667. His time studying at university would expose him to esoteric ideas and religious practices that would prove influential in his life, leading him to eventually settle outside of Philadelphia from 1694 to 1707. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, his legacy began to warp under the scrutiny of both enlightenment historians and antiquarian authors, entangling him in the legacies of nineteenth century Rosicrucianism and the occult revival.
In the interview I talk with Tim about how he first became aware of Johannes Kelpius and what led him to write a book about the man. From there we discuss the environmental, political and theological upheaval that was happening in Europe in the time Kelpius lived and the esoteric ideas made available to him at university that would pique his spiritual curiosity  and deeply influence the religion he practiced.
Tim also talks about some of the paranormal phenomena Kelpius witnessed in his lifetime, the events that would lead him to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to live a hermit-like existence in the wooded wilderness of Pennsylvania, and how we should view Kelpius’ legacy today.
Further details about American Aurora are available on the Oxford University Press website here and you can find out more about Tim and his work at https://www.timothygrieve-carlson.net/.
If you enjoy what I do with Some Other Sphere and would like to support its upkeep 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 provided by Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 125 - Allison Jornlin - Catherine Crowe and the Night Side of Nature

Joining me as my guest for this episode is paranormal historian, researcher, writer and speaker, Allison Jornlin.
Allison has been investigating strange phenomena for more than twenty years. Inspired by Chicago’s Richard Crowe, who kick-started U.S. ghost tourism in 1973, she developed Milwaukee’s first haunted history tour in 2008. Allison currently works as a professional weirdo, speaking throughout the U.S., writing for a variety of publications, and developing haunted history tours for American Ghost Walks.
In addition, she is a passionate champion of important female figures from the history of paranormal research and investigation, whose contributions to these fields have often been unfairly overlooked. Allison’s Paranormal Women blog highlights the groundbreaking work of people such as Lahe Gay, Zora Neale Hurston, Eleanor Sidgwick, Thelma Moss and Catherine Crowe, who is the main subject of our conversation in this episode.
Born in 1790, English mystery writer Catherine Crowe became fascinated with the work of German doctors and scientists who dared look into the realm of unexplained phenomena beginning in the 1820s. She strived to make their research available to ordinary English readers by writing two non-fiction books – the second of which, The Night Side of Nature became immensely popular. This 400-page work combines the stranger elements of classical history, shares discoveries by top German researchers, and compiled worldwide paranormal accounts from antiquity to Cathrerine's time. It played a crucial role in popularising terms such as Poltergeist and Doppelganger and was very much ahead of its time.
In 1854, Catherine conducted the first recorded single-blind study of a haunted house. Unfortunately, the chance for further investigation was curtailed after she was sidelined by a trumped-up scandal, which ultimately led to her fall into obscurity.
I start the interview by talking with Allison about how own her career as a professional weirdo began. From there we move on to Catherine Crowe, discussing her background and what prompted her interest in paranormal research and writing what is perhaps her best-known non-fiction work, The Night-Side of Nature. Allison tells the story of Catherine’s Haunted House investigation, and the sad events soon after that which led to her contributions to paranormal research being overlooked for so long.
You can find out more about Allison and her work (including further details on Catherine Crowe) at her website https://paranormalwomen.com/.
If you enjoy what I do with Some Other Sphere and would like to support its upkeep 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 provided by Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub', by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 124 - Greg Eghigian - After the Flying Saucers Came

My guest for this episode is Greg Eghigian, who joined me to talk about his new book After the Flying Saucers Came: A Global History of the UFO Phenomenon.
Greg is a Professor of History and Bioethics at Pennsylvania State University. An expert on the history of the abnormal and the paranormal in the modern world, his research has been supported by NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 
After the Flying Saucers Came begins with the 1947 Kenneth Arnold incident near Mount Rainier in Washington State and traces how that incident sparked an international drama involving shady figures, questionable evidence, suspicions of conspiracy, hoaxes, new religions, scandals, unsettling alien encounters, debunkers, and celebrities. It examines how descriptions, theories, and debates about unidentified flying objects and alien abduction changed over time and how they appeared in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Russia. It also explores the impact UFOs have had on our understanding of space, science, technology, and ourselves up through the present day.
In the interview I start off by talking with Greg about his background and what drew him to write a book on the subject of UFOs. We talk about Kenneth Arnold’s sighting, and the remarkable way that the term ‘Flying Saucer’ helped launch Ufology as the latest incarnation of humanity’s fascincation with visitors from the stars. Later on we discuss the way the book looks at the subject matter from a cultural context and talk further about how that viewpoint can help us to understand the human experience and meaning of encounters not just with UFO’s, but otherworldly, strange phenomenon in general.
Further information about After the Flying Saucers Came can be found at the Oxford University Press website here and to find Greg on X go to https://x.com/GEghigian.
If you like what I do with Some Other Sphere and would like to support its upkeep, you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee please visit https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 123 - Ruth Roper Wylde - Researching Hauntings and High Strangeness

Joining me for this episode is returning guest, paranormal researcher and author Ruth Roper Wylde. Ruth has written extensively on strange happenings in Britain, beginning with her book The Ghosts of Marston Vale and continuing with titles such as The Almanac of British Ghosts, The Roadmap of British Ghosts and These Haunted Times, with the latter two titles extending into multiple volumes since I first spoke with Ruth back in 2021.
In the interview we talk again about her life-long interest in the paranormal, which began with poltergeist activity in her family home. We discuss her approach to researching reports of hauntings and recording those details and some of the bizarre experiences reported to her, including an encounter with a dog-man like entity, and a potential time slip experience at a long abandoned RAF airfield.
You can find details of how to purchase Ruth's excellent books here.
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 - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 122 - Dash Kwiatkowski - Comedy, Paranormal Investigation and Phil Gravy

My guest for this episode is paranormal investigator, writer and podcaster Dash Kwiatkowski.
Prior to their paranormal investigation career, Dash spent a decade as a touring stand up comedian, featuring in festivals around the United States. Now based in Providence Rhode Island, their latest project is the paranormal documentary series 'Liminal', in which Dash and their team search for the connection between queer identity and strange phenomena as they explore the mysterious and magical world of the rural south. 
In the interview I talk with Dash about their background and moving from a career in comedy to paranormal investigation. We also delve further into the Liminal project, the ideas behind it, Dash's investigation team and some of the cases they are involved with in the show - one of which features legendary actor Ray Wise, of 'Twin Peaks' fame.
You can find out more about Dash and the Liminal documentary series at https://linktr.ee/LiminalTV.
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.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - ' Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 121 - Amanda Paulson -The Emotional Considerations of Paranormal Investigation

Joining me as my guest for this episode is paranormal researcher and investigator Amanda Paulson.
Amanda has been actively investigating paranormal phenomena since 2008 and since then has visited numerous places with haunted reputations across North America, including locations such as Waverly Hills Sanatorium and the Lizzie Borden house. She specialises in focusing on the emotional aspects of haunted sites and also how that is important in the act of investigating them, which can help to broaden the scope for understanding what might be happening at such places.
In the interview I talk with Amanda about how her career in the paranormal field has progressed, from the early days as part of an investigation team in Montana , to more recently working independently in Spokane, Washington in the Pacific Northwest. We discuss some of the type of places she has investigated, the importance of the symbolic and emotional components of haunted locations, and some of the imaginative techniques she has developed to help with her research.
Our conversation also includes her experience investigating an allegedly haunted doll, and we end the interview discussing the most famous otherworldly being in the PNW, Bigfoot.
You can find more information about Amanda at her website https://www.prettyfnspooky.com/. Her experience with the haunted doll mentioned in this episode is available to watch on YouTube here.
If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere, you can make a donation via Kofi. 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 - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 120 - Matt Salusbury - Mystery Animals of Suffolk

My guest for this episode is journalist and author Matt Salusbury, who joined me to talk about his latest book, Mystery Animals of Suffolk.
This catalogues a wide range of yet-to-be identified animals reported in the English county, together with folkloric creatures from local tradition in the region.
It opens with an examination of the mythical entities of East Anglian storytelling, including hairy wildmen known as Woodwoses which survive as carved figures in some of Suffolk's churches. There are accounts too of dangerous freshwater mermaids, as well as encounters with baby-snatching fairies, in particular centered around the town of Stowmarket.
The book also includes reported sightings of Black Shuck – Suffolk’s phantom black dogs, which have been reported reported from ancient folklore tight up to the 1970’s.
The mystery animals surveyed then become progressively more plausible, with the final third of the book devoted to an account of over one-hundred and seventy mystery big cat sightings withing Suffolk.
I start off the interview talking with Matt about his background and the county of Suffolk. We then discuss Mystery Animals of Suffolk itself and some of the creatures that are included in its pages, following the structure of the book, beginning with the mythic Woodwoses and concluding with the multitude of big cat sightings in the county.
Further information about Matt's research can be found at https://bigcatsofsuffolk.com/. Mystery Animals of Suffolk is published by Bittern Books and can be purchased at their website - go to https://bitternbooks.co.uk/product/mystery-animals-of-suffolk/ for more details.
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 is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 119 - Thersa Matsuura - Japanese Folklore

My guest for this episode is author and podcaster Thersa Matsuura, who joined me to talk about her new publication, The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth.
After a childhood living all over the U.S. - as far north as Fairbanks, Alaska and as far south as Jacksonville, Florida, Thersa moved to Japan to study. She would eventually settle there and has now lived over half her life in a fishing town in the country.
Her fluency in Japanese allows her to do research into parts of the culture - legends, folktales, and superstitions - that are little known to western audiences. A lot of what she digs up informs her writing or becomes fodder for her podcast, Uncanny Japan.
Thersa is the author of two short story collections, A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories and The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales, the latter being a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award in 2017. She’s had stories published in various magazines, anthologies and serialized in the Asahi English Newspaper.
I begin the interview by talking with Thersa about the events that initially took her to Japan and what those early experiences of living in a new country were like. We also discuss the cultural history of the country and how that has influenced and is expressed in the relationship between it's people, the natural world and the supernatural.
From there we focus on Thersa's new book itself, exploring some of the beings that are featured in it, which range from mythical versions of historical figures, through to supernatural foxes and wolves, giant spiders and full on Lovecraftian horrors. We round off things talking about ghosts and Thersa shares some of her own uncanny experiences.
You can find out more about Thersa, her writing and podcast at her website https://thersamatsuura.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 - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 118 - Gareth E. Rees - Sunken Lands

My guest for this episode is author Gareth E Rees, who joined me to talk about his latest writing project, Sunken Lands: A Journey Through Lost Kingdoms and Flooded Worlds.
In the book, he explores stories of flooded places from humanity’s past – and those disappearing before our eyes. Sunken Lands peels back the layers of silt, sea and mythology to reveal what the history and tales of such places can tell us about our imminent future as rising sea levels transform our planet once more and reflects upon how these underwater worlds can teach us important lessons about the unavoidability of change, the ebb and flow of Earth’s natural cycles, and the folly of trying to control them.
Gareth himself describes the book as "an anxiety-fuelled trip through enigmatic landscapes that conceal and reveal tales of trauma from the past present and future".
In the interview, I start off by talking with him about what drew him to this subject matter and how that fits with the sort of themes he has previously written about and is expressed through the psychogeographical context that features in his work.
From there we discuss Sunken Lands itself, the ancient origin of flood myths and some of the places and legends that feature in the book, such as Lake Bala and the lowland hundred in Wales, the Fens of Eastern England and of course, Atlantis. Towards the end of the interview, we talk a bit about if and how stories will be told which will preserve the memory of flooding and it’s effect on contemporary society.
Sunken Lands: A Journey Through Lost Kingdoms and Flooded Worlds is published by Elliott & Thompson - details on how to order a copy are available at https://eandtbooks.com/books/sunken-lands/. To find out more about Gareth and his writing go to http://www.unofficialbritain.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 - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 117 - Kingsley Dennis - The Inversion

Joining me for this episode is writer, researcher and publisher Kingsley Dennis. Kingsley has written extensively on social and digital futures, global affairs, and conscious evolution. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books including Breaking the Spell: An Exploration of Human Perception, Unified: Cosmos, Life, Purpose and Hijacking Reality: The Reprogramming & Reorganisation of Human Life. He also serves as Director of Publications for the Laszlo Institute for New Paradigm Research.
 
His latest book - which is the subject of this episode, is The Inversion. This is an exploration of the cultural trends and dominant ideas that seem to influence an increasing level of control in consensus reality and a distortion of the world we perceive around us.  It also examines the historical background of perceiving this manipulation, through schools of thought and occult philosophy such as Gnosticism and Hermeticism, as well as more recent examinations in literature, such as in the work of Philip K Dick.
 
In the interview I talk with Kingsley about his background and interest in these ideas and how his new book is the most recent expression of that. We discuss the premise of ‘The inversion’ itself, the connection to that of concepts such as consensus reality and reality constructs, how it can be seen via the dangers of movements such as transhumanism and unchecked technological progression and how society has expressed those concerns throughout human history through modes of spirituality, philosophy, and popular culture.
 
You can find out more about Kingsley and his writing at https://kingsleydennis.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 provided by Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.