Some Other Sphere

Episode 73 - Caz Clarke - The Pentyrch UFO Incident

In this episode, I talk with Caz Clarke, who was a first-hand witness to a spectacular UFO that appeared near where she lived in the small village of Pentyrch, South Wales, in February 2016.
What has come to be known as the Pentyrch UFO incident was preceded by days of unusual aircraft activity in the area and escalated into what can really only be described as a full scale military operation to intercept the mysterious interloper, actions which resulted in reports of an explosion some miles away and evidence of damage to woodland in that area.
The explanation as to the nature of these events that was provided from official channels is short on detail and does not correspond with witness testimony. Added that that, there was suspicious activity reported in the area afterwards that seems directly connected to the incident and again the rationale given for this is left somewhat wanting.
All in all this is a fascinating case. In the interview I talk with Caz in detail about what happened, the investigation she is still working hard on to get a full explanation of those events, and the implications of the incident itself and how it was handled by those in authority.  
More information the the Pentyrch UFO incident can be found at http://www.thepentyrchincident.com/.
If you would like to support Some Other Sphere you can do so 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 Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 72 - Travis Watson - Phantom Black Dogs

Welcome to the first episode of 2022! My guest is author Travis Watson, who joined me to talk about his recent book –  Phantom Black Dogs: Walkers of the Liminal Way. Travis writes both fiction and non-fiction under the name W.T. Watson and has long been fascinated by the paranormal.
In the interview we talk about what first interested him in the subject of Phantom Black Dogs, what he feels can be considered such a creature, the keys aspects of encounters with these entities, and the cultural and folkloric history of the phenomenon, which stretches from Ancient Egypt to Skinwalker Ranch.
Travis can be found on social media at:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/WTWatson2
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/curunir60/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/blackdog60
If you would like to support Some Other Sphere you can do this 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 71 - AP Strange - Christmas Weirdness and Festive Forteana

Welcome dear listener to the Some Other Sphere Christmas Special! My guest is paranormal researcher Matt Hopewell, aka AP Strange, who returned for his third visit to Sphere HQ.
In the interview we discuss a range of Yuletide topics – some that have a familiar association with the festive season such as Santa Claus and others that don’t at first glance – for example, Vampires.
Matt recommends some of his favourite Christmas movies, educates us with an interesting seasonal factoid and relates some of his ideas about the secret occult meaning of some TV Holiday specials.
To visit Matt's blog go to https://www.apstrange.com/. He can also be found on Twitter (@AProdigiosus).
If you would like to support support Some Other Sphere you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
The Gemini 6 Clip is from Wikipedia and 'A Christmas Carol' by Tom Lehrer is from https://tomlehrersongs.com/.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn & Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 70 - Genevieve Gornichec - The Witch‘s Heart

My guest for this episode is author Genevieve Gornichec, who joined me talk about her recent novel the Witch’s Heart, a story set in the time of the ancient Norse myths and centered around the enigmatic witch Angrboda, who is crucial to the cataclysmic events of Ragnarok but only features briefly in the narrative we know from the Prose and Poetic Eddas.
In the interview I talk with Genevieve about how she re-imagined Angrboda from her traditional counterpart and focused on some of the lesser-known characters from Norse mythology when telling her story.
We also discussed the insights that can be gained into the nature of gods and supernatural beings from writing a story about them and exploring their ontology through the imagination and how that might help us understand the paranormal experiences and high strangeness reported across the world in more modern times.
For more information on Genevieve and The Witch's Heart go to https://genevievegornichec.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 first reading is from the Witch's Heart. The second reading is adapted from the Prose Edda and taken from a blog post on https://www.asgard.scot/. The music in both readings is 'Nordic Flute' by Gertraut Hecher and available on https://freesound.org/ .
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.

Episode 69 - Paolo Sammut - Hauntings, Experience and Paranormal Investigation

My guest for this episode is Paolo Sammut. Paolo is a paranormal researcher, who practices a low tech approach when visiting haunted locations, where the experience is key in exploring unusual phenomena and methods such as psychic questing and techniques from systems of magic are used as part of the investigation.
Prior to the interview he sent me an essay he has written, which discusses his methodology in more detail and is the focus of our conversation. 
It was a fun and wide-ranging chat, exploring the nature of ghosts and hauntings, the value and meaning of such happenings and some of the unusual experiences Paolo has had whilst investigating the paranormal. We also talked a little about the Secret Lines of London project (@secretloLondon), which he started recently with the aim of helping people explore more of the city's esoteric history.
Paolo can be found on Twitter (@PaoloSammut) and also has his own blog, Liminal Whispers (https://www.liminalwhispers.com/).
If you'd like to support Some Other Sphere, you can do so 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 68 - Douglas Batchelor - Practicing Magic

My guest for this episode is Douglas Batchelor. Douglas is a practicing magician and creator of the ‘What Magic is this?’ podcast where he discusses and explores a range of occult and Fortean topics with curious friends and guests. It’s both informative, engaging and fun -  listening to an episode feels like being part of laid back but enthusiastic tutorial on the esoteric.
In the interview I talk with Douglas about the beginnings of his interest in magic, and how his practice of it has changed and evolved as time has gone on.  We also talked about some of the magical traditions that have been part of that and the cultures they came from, as well as some unusual experiences he has had whilst honing his craft.
You can find Doug's podcast and blog at https://whatmagicisthis.com/
If you enjoy listening to Some Other Sphere, you can support it via Ko-fi at https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey,
 

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.