Some Other Sphere

Episode 37 - Dr Thomas Waters - Cursed Britain

My guest for this episode is historian and author Thomas Waters, who joined me to talk about his 2019 book Cursed Britain: A History of Witchcraft and Black Magic in Modern Times.
In the book Thomas explores the enduring nature of magic and witchcraft in the British Isles from 1800 up to the present day, how its popularity waxed and waned over those years and the societal factors that played a part in those fortunes. It also offers a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the people who engaged in these secretive practices, as well as those affected by them – people who transcended class divides, and lived all across the land, from large cities to remote islands.
As soon as I found out about Thomas and his book last year, I knew I had to try and get him on the podcast, so it was great to make that happen. 
If you would like a copy of the book for your bookshelf, it can be obtained via Yale University Press and at all good book shops.
Thomas also often discusses witchcraft on his Twitter page (@DrThomasWaters) and is a regular contributor to Folklore Thursday. 
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music.
‘Hubbub’ by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 36 - Mike Clelland - Owls, Synchronicity and the UFO Abductee

My guest for this episode is author and UFO researcher Mike Clelland. In his 2015 book The Messengers, he explored the unusual connections between the alien abduction experience, synchronicities, and encounters with Owls. Mike’s own experience with such events was the foundation of that research, which has continued with two further books and is covered extensively at his Hidden Experiences website. He also hosts his own podcast, The Unseen.
It was great to talk to him about his work, which is some of the most intriguing happening in Ufology right now, extending that field of study out into areas rarely explored before.
To find out more about Mike's books, visit http://www.mikeclelland.com/.
Enjoy the episode!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music.
‘Hubbub’ by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 35 - Dr Becca Tarnas - Journeying to the Imaginal Realm

My guest for this episode is Dr Becca Tarnas, who joined me to discuss her work exploring the concept of the imagination. Becca is a scholar, artist, counselling Astrologer and an expert in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Carl Jung, with a PhD in Philosophy and Religion from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
We talked about her background in researching and exploring the nature of imagination, how the work and theories of Tolkien and Jung can help to offer an insight into that, and how it might be applied to further understanding paranormal phenomena.
Really intriguing stuff, I hope you’ll agree. Enjoy!
To find out more about Becca and her work, please visit https://beccatarnas.com/.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music.
‘Hubbub’ by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey
 
 

Episode 34 - James Franklin - Manx Notes and Queries

In this episode I discuss the folklore of the Isle of Man with James Franklin. Born and raised on the island, James is the Online and Educational Resources Officer for Culture Vannin, an organisation created to support, protect and promote Manx Culture in inclusive, creative and engaging ways.
As part of that he was recently involved in a project to re-print and publish a collection of Folklore compiled by Karl Roeder on the island at the beginning of the 20th Century, originally named Manx Notes and Queries and now splendidly titled Ghosts, Bugganes and Fairy Pigs.
The book contains over two hundred and fifty notes, which include encounters with an impressively broad range of supernatural entities; ghost, faeries, witches, giants, and of course the legendary Buggane. There’s even an encounter with a UFO, described as a ‘big wheel of fire’.
To find out more about Culture Vannin and the book, you can visit their website here.
The song playing out this episode is a piece of traditional Manx folk music titled ‘Arrane ny Niee’, featuring Mona Douglas and David Kilgallon.
It was a privilege to talk to James about the folklore of his homeland. Enjoy!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music.
‘Hubbub’ by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 33 - Corjan Mol - The Mystery of Rennes-le- Chateau

In this episode I’m joined by Corjan Mol to discuss a mystery centered around a small village in the mountains of southern France called Rennes-le-Chateau.
In the late 1800s there was a notable change in the financial situation of the local priest, who went from a state of abject poverty to one where he was able to spend considerable amounts of money on various building projects around Rennes. Rumours soon spread that he had found a fantastic treasure somewhere in or near the church, but the location and exact nature of that find has never been confirmed.
Many people have researched and investigated the activities of the enigmatic priest since however, with compelling theories on the source of his wealth proposed and numerous books being written on the subject, the most famous perhaps being Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Henry Lincoln, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, which really helped to popularise the mystery.
Corjan has been investigating for over 25 years and has put together a comprehensive repository of information on his website about Rennes, including a podcast series, featuring interviews with some of the best known researchers of the mystery.
He has also participated in a number of documentary series like Forbidden History and recently appeared in the current season of The Curse of Oak Island.
The Rennes-le-Chateau mystery is something that has interested me for a long time and it was fantastic to be able to talk with someone as knowledgeable on the subject as Corjan.
Enjoy!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music.
‘Hubbub’ by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 32 - Dan Shaw - Vortexes and Earth Energies

In this episode my guest is Dan Shaw, an author and researcher who specialises in Geomancy, an area of magic (or science depending on your viewpoint), that is concerned with understanding the unseen energies of the Earth.
The main body of his work focuses on vortexes, specific areas on the globe where these energies are focused, and understanding what they are, how they can be detected, and their importance to humankind, going back many millennia.
Indeed, Dan believes it is likely that many past civilisations had an intimate understanding of these vortexes and this can be seen in the many monumental structures that remain all across the globe, who construction and purpose remain as enigmatic as ever and provide a fascinating glimpse into a the deep past of human history, one alive with lost technologies.
You can find our more about Dan's work at http://www.vortexmaps.com/ and http://www.danshaw.com/.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from https://www.purple-planet.com/.
'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 31 - Amanda Woomer - The Spook Eats Blog

My guest for this episode is historian and paranormal researcher Amanda Woomer, who is the creator of Spook Eats, a blog detailing her travels, both in the United States and further afield, visiting a range of bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels, all with a unusual, spooky story to tell and very tasty food to eat.  
Added this she has recently released her book A Haunted Atlas of Western New York, a fun, detailed resource of supernatural goings on in her part of the world, containing over 130 haunted locations in the region.
I really like the concept of the Spook Eats blog and think combining a love a food with a fascination for the weird is a novel approach to paranormal investigation. We had a really interesting chat, which I hope you enjoy.
The Spook Eats blog and more details on Amanda's book can be found at https://spookeats.com/.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from https://www.purple-planet.com/
'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 30 - Christopher Josiffe - The mystery of Gef the Mongoose

In the early 1930’s, a very odd story emerged from the Isle of Man, a small island located in the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland. A man called James Irving had reported to his friends that an unusual animal similar to a weasel had taken up residence on his farm. Although the scratching sounds and other weird noises were relatively explainable, what was remarkable in this instance was that, according to Irving, this creature could talk, and perform a range of unusual feats.  
It would eventually come to be known as Gef, who identified himself as a mongoose who had been born in 1852 in Delhi, India. His activities with the Irving family over the next few years after would baffle and intrigue a variety of interested parties, including Harry Price, perhaps the most famous investigator of the paranormal in Britain at the time.
Despite this interest, a satisfying conclusion to the mystery was never reached, yet the case of the ‘Dalby Spook’ still fascinates people all these years later, including my guest for this episode, Christoper Josiffe, who in 2017 released his book Gef! The Strange Tale of an Extra-Special Talking Mongoose, a brilliantly researched and definitive account of this case.
I’ve been fascinated by the story of Gef for many years and it was a real pleasure to get Christopher onto the podcast to talk all about him.
For more information on Christopher's book and to purchase it, please visit https://gefmongoose.co.uk/book/.
 
The Some Other Sphere is from https://www.purple-planet.com/
'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey
 
 

Episode 29 - Sara Schick - Mother Joseph and the Hidden bricks

My guest for this episode is witch and paranormal researcher, Sara Schick. Sara lives in the city of Vancouver in Washington State and recently started investigating the legacy of a mysterious figure from the towns past called Mother Joseph, a remarkable renaissance woman and visionary who played a huge part in bringing the city into existence.
Integral to this were the Hidden family, who Mother Joseph transformed from farmers to expert brick-makers. Years later, the buildings made from those bricks which have survived into the present almost all have a reputation for being haunted and the ‘Hidden Bricks’, as they been named, are well known in local folklore.
Sara’s research is fascinating,  and a great example of what can be uncovered when someone takes an interest in their local history. Lovely stuff…about bricks!
For more information on Sara's research, visit her excellent blog https://weirdlifepdx.blogspot.com/.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music
'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 28 - Dick Khan - DMT and My Occult Mind

My guest for this episode is Dick Khan, author of the DMT & My Occult Mind book series. In those texts, Dick documents his personal research into the effects of using the drug Dimethyltryptamine, which is a powerful hallucinogen and a key component in Ayahuasca, a drink used by several indigenous tribal cultures in South America as part of their spiritual practises. It is often referred to as “The Spirit Molecule”.
Dick’s books also detail the encounters he had while taking DMT with a variety of unusual entities, which inhabited the occult reality that his use of the drug enabled him to experience and ponder on their nature. They’re a fascinating insight into one persons occult studies and this subject matter made for a really great interview. Enjoy!
Dick's books can be bought from Amazon here and he can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music
'Hubbub' by Chris Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey