Some Other Sphere

Episode 67 - Hayley Stevens - The Science of Strange Things

Joining me as my guest for this episode is paranormal investigator Hayley Stevens, creator of the award-winning science blog ‘Hayley is a Ghost’.
Hayley has been investigating paranormal mysteries for over fifteen years, conducting her research using a scientific methodology to seek rational explanations for the unusual happenings that people report to her. She has written for the Skeptic magazine and is also a fellow podcaster, producing episodes of the Spooktator Podcast as well as assisting with a recent BBC podcast about the Battersea Poltergeist.
In the interview we talk about some of the cases she has worked on and how her approach to paranormal investigation has developed over time. We also discuss what that has revealed to her about how people try and understand the strange mysteries that fascinate us, and how that might be done, without being too skeptical or overly credulous.
The excellent 'Hayley is a Ghost' blog can be found at https://hayleyisaghost.co.uk/.
You can support Some Other Sphere via Ko-Fi. To buy the podcast a coffee, please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! 
 
The Some Other Sphere Theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 66 - Amy Boucher - The Ghosts and Folklore of Shropshire

My guest for this episode is Amy Boucher, creator of the Nearly Knowledgeable History blog. In the blog, Amy explores the folklore and history of the people, places and landscapes of her native Shropshire in England, which is replete with tales of giants, ghosts, devils and witches, as well as an equally interesting cast of local heroes and villains.
In the interview I talk with Amy about her love for these subjects, some of her favourite legends and notable Shropshire characters and the role that folklore and local history play in preserving the memories of communities and the heritage of those places.
The Nearly Knowledgeable History blog can be found at https://nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/ .
To support the podcast via Ko-Fi please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 65 - Dr Dean Radin - Mind, Consciousness and Magic

In this episode I’m joined by parapsychologist and author Dr Dean Radin. Dean has been a key figure in parapsychological research for nearly forty years and is currently Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and Associated Distinguished Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Over his career he has worked at AT&T Bell Labs, Princeton University, University of Edinburgh, and the Stanford Research institute.
He has given over six hundred talks and interviews worldwide, and is a prolific author, including four popular science books translated into fifteen foreign languages, starting with The Conscious Universe in 1997 and most recently Real Magic in 2018.
In the interview I talk with Dean about his career, and some of the research and experiments he conducted as part of that, what we mean when we use terms such as mind, consciousness and magic, and how those things relate to each other.
For more information on Dr Radin and his books please go to https://www.deanradin.com/.
The website for the the Institute of Noetic Sciences is https://noetic.org/ and that for Cognigenics is https://www.cognigenics.io/.
To support the podcast via Ko-fi please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn abd Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 64 - John Higgs - William Blake vs The World

My guest for this episode is writer, novelist and cultural historian John Higgs, who joined me to talk about his latest book, a biography of the visionary poet and artist, William Blake.
Perhaps best known as the author of the hymn Jerusalem, Blake’s creative genius was shaped by a lifetime of unusual visionary experiences and his ability to interpret and discern their meaning through his poetry, writing and artwork, building a mythology that blends religion, psychology and occult philosophy in equal part but retaining an enigmatic originality that is still not fully understood today.
In William Blake vs The World, John takes the reader on a journey through Blake’s eccentric life and worldview, and looks at how that can be examined alongside contemporary historic and political events, as well as more modern insights obtained through neuroscience, quantum theory and comparative theology. Enjoy!
For more information on William Blake vs The World and John's other books, please go to https://johnhiggs.com/.
You can also support Some Other Sphere 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 Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 63 - Dr Jack Hunter - The Anthropology of the Supernatural

My guest for this episode is Dr Jack Hunter. Jack is an anthropologist whose research explores the borderlands between consciousness, religion, ecology and the paranormal. He is a tutor with the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and teaches on the MA in Ecology and Spirituality and the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. His books include Greening the Paranormal: Exploring the Ecology of Extraordinary Experience, Manifesting Spirits: An Anthropological Study of Mediumship and the Paranormal and Spirits, Gods and Magic: An Introduction to the Anthropology of the Supernatural.
The latter title is the focus of our interview, as I talk more with Jack about Anthropology and how its principles and methods in the field can be used to understand the nature of paranormal phenomena and potentially help to issue in a sea-change in the Western world in how that is understood and appreciated.
More information on Jack and his work can be found at: https://jack-hunter.webstarts.com/.
You can now also support Some Other Sphere through Ko-fi. To by the podcast a cup of coffee, please 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 62 - Susan Demeter - Cosmic Witch

In this episode my guest is witch, artist and author Susan Demeter, who joined me to talk about her new book Cosmic Witch: Magic, Witchcraft and the Supernatural.
Susan’s writing and research explores a wide range of themes connected to her lifelong interest in exceptional human experiences, nature, mysteries and magic.
Cosmic Witch is both a guide to the history and practices of witchcraft, as well as a memoir of Susan's own experiences of the supernatural and the role they played in her path to becoming a witch.
In the interview we talk about these aspects of the book, and the relationship between magic and the supernatural. We also discuss the fascinating research and experiments explored in Susan's next book - the second volume of Cosmic Witch, titled Conjuring UFO’s.
For information on how to get a copy of Cosmic Witch, as well as more of her writing and research please visit  https://susandemeter.com/.
You can now also so support Some Other Sphere 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 61 - Ralph Blumenthal - The Passion of John Mack

My guest for this episode is journalist, lecturer and author Ralph Blumenthal, who joined me to talk about his latest book, The Believer: Alien Encounters, Hard Science and the Passion of John Mack.
This is a biography Of John Mack, a Harvard psychiatrist, ardent social reformer and Pulitzer Prize winning author who in the 1990’s risked his career and professional reputation investigating the phenomenon of human encounters with alien entities and tried to help a group of people who were adamant about the reality of their experiences of that happening to them.
Ralph is no stranger to this kind of subject. In 2017 he co-authored the New York Times article which broke the news about AATIP (Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Programme), the secret US Government body investigating UAPs.
In the interview he talks more about the article, as well of course about his interest in John Mack and what prompted him to write a biography on him. We also discuss what led to Mack making the decision to investigate the abduction phenomenon as thoroughly as he did and the importance of that work in the history of Ufology, both at the time as well as it’s legacy today.
More information on Ralph's work and details on how to get a copy of The Believer can be found at https://www.ralphblumenthal.com/
You can now also support Some Other Sphere via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee, please visit https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere if from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn & Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 60 - Anna Björg Þórarinsdóttir - Icelandic Sorcercy and Witchcraft

My guest for this episode is Anna Björg Þórarinsdóttir, manager of The Icelandic Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft. The museum, located in Holmavik in the Strandir area of the country was opened in the year 2000 to promote and preserve the heritage of magical practice in Iceland, its methods and customs and tell the stories of the witches and sorcerers themselves.
In the interview I talk more with Anna about the history of magic in Iceland, how it developed over the centuries and the changeable social attitudes to people who used spells, staves and grimoires.  We also discussed the origins of the museum and it’s collection of fascinating and unusual exhibits, the most well-known of which are perhaps the rather gruesomely named Necropants.
For more information on The Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft, please go to https://galdrasyning.is/en/.
You can now also support Some Other Sphere 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 Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

Episode 59 - Daniel Franklin and Frankie Larson - The Propagated Podcast

In this episode I’m joined by the hosts of the Propagated Podcast, Daniel and Frankie. In their show they explore the history, science and folklore of our green world, understanding that plants themselves are wonderful storytellers, and that by learning from the history and relationships between plants and humans, a more sustainable future, one of coexistence is both possible and vital.
Daniel and Frankie are huge plant nerds and their enthusiasm for the subject matter makes their show a really interesting and engaging listen. In the interview I talk with them about their shared passion, what made them start the podcast, and what that has revealed to them about the plant kingdom and humanities relationship with it. We also discuss plant folklore, and connections between the plant kingdom and the paranormal.
To find out more about Daniel and Frankie and the Propagated Podcast please visit their website - https://www.propagatedpodcast.com/.
You can now also support Some Other Sphere via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee, please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 58 - Dr Holly Walters - Shaligram Stones

My guest for this episode is anthropologist and author Dr Holly Walters, who joined me to talk about her work researching Shaligram stones, sacred fossil ammonites found in a remote area of Himalayan Nepal. They are seen as direct expressions of the divine in the landscape and objects very much with their own agency, making pilgrimages through time and space, and their veneration has been a part of Buddhist and Hindu practice for over two thousand years.
Interestingly the mystical nature of Shaligrams does not interfere with an interpretation of them as fossilised creatures, or their existence millions of years ago as living ammonites. They represent in microcosm the ability for something to have both meaning and explanation in balance, without one needing to supersede the other.
In the interview I talk more about this with Holly, along with a general discussion about Shaligram stones themselves and their history as sacred objects. Given their birthplace is in the Himalayas, we also talked a little about how the Yeti and the supernatural in general is understood and interpreted in that part of the world.
To find out more about Holly's work and Shaligram stones, her excellent blog can be found at https://www.peregrinationblog.com/.
Her article 'Yeti or not! Here I come!' can be found here.
You can now support Some Other Sphere via Ko-fi. To be the podcast a coffee, please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey of Purple Planet Music.