Some Other Sphere

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.
 

Episode 57 - Stephanie Quick - Exploring the esoteric

In this episode I’m joined by writer and esoteric researcher Stephanie Quick. Stephanie is the creator of the Ghost Dog is a Mystery Box blog, where she discusses her own experiences and investigations into a wide range of Fortean subjects. Her approach to engaging with the weird is a practiced one and as such she has a very thoughtful and insightful way of trying to understand subjects that can often be polarising.
As you can imagine, when talking to someone with such an interesting life, this was a wide-ranging interview, with not that much input from me as it didn’t really need it! 
Stephanie's excellent blog can be found at https://stephaniequick.home.blog/
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 56 - Linda Zimmermann - Hudson Valley UFOs

My guest for this episode is author, historian and paranormal researcher Linda Zimmermann. Linda is a native of New York State’s Hudson Valley, and has written extensively on the history of that area, a subject which includes an intriguing array of paranormal phenomena. Perhaps best known of these are the sightings and encounters that local residents have had with UFOs, which date back decades to the beginning of the 20th Century, perhaps even earlier. Linda wrote her first book on the subject, In the Night Sky in 2013 which would later go on to be made into an award winning documentary.
In the interview I talk with Linda about the history of those sightings, how they changed over the decades and were perhaps at their most spectacular in the 1980’s when scores of people reported seeing vast craft in the skies above them. We also talk about the Hudson Valley area itself, its unusual nature on a broader scale and the part it plays as the setting for this fascinating weirdness.
More information on Linda's books, research and podcast can be found at http://www.gotozim.com/
You can now also support Some Other Sphere through Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee, please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey/Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 55 - David Ditchfield - My journey to the afterlife

My guest for this episode is author, artist and composer David Ditchfield. In 2006, David was dragged under a speeding train in a freak accident. Amazingly he survived this and as the surgeons fought to save him at the hospital, he had a profound near death experience.
After this happened he soon found that he had acquired astonishing new abilities. He could paint dramatic paintings of what he had seen in the afterlife, far beyond any artistic ability he had before. He then discovered he could compose classical music, despite having never received any formal training.
His debut symphony, The Divine Light, was premiered at a sell-out orchestral concert to a standing ovation. He has since composed further classical works which have also been performed at sell-out concerts and completed over forty paintings, many inspired by his NDE. He has also written a book called Shine On, which tells his remarkable story and was released in 2020. We end the episode with the first movement from The Divine Light.
To find out more about David, his art, music and the book - please visit https://www.shineonthestory.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 theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn & Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 54 - Dr Shane McCorristine - The Spectral Arctic

In this episode I’m joined by author and historian Dr Shane McCorristine, to talk about his 2018 book The Spectral Arctic: A History of Dreams and Ghosts in Polar Exploration.
In the book Shane's research ventures beyond the familiar concepts of Arctic exploration in the 19th Century and reveals a wealth of strange stories and supernatural phenomena encountered by people travelling to the frozen north, as they partook in missions to find the near mythical Northwest Passage.  Embodying that endeavour was the legendary Franklin expedition, whose disappearance in 1848 prompted rescue missions across the globe as well as the use of clairvoyants to try and locate the lost ships, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus. The fate of the crews of those vessels also inspired a host of macabre tales, both among the native peoples of the Arctic as well as back home in Britain, and these too play their part in understanding what Victorian society really considered the frozen north to be like.
For more information on Shane and his books please visit https://www.shanemccorristine.net/.
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 music is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub', by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey.