Some Other Sphere

Hello listeners! My guest for this episode is author Felix John Taylor, who joined me to discuss his new book The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: Magic Arts and the Occult Revival. It is the first full-length narrative history of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a secretive group which was a focal point for the late 19th and early 20th century rise of interest in the occult. Devoted to the study and practice of ceremonial magic, it attracted a long list of eminent writers, actors and visual artists to its ranks, including W.B Yeats, Florence Farr, Arthur Waite, Pamela Coleman Smith and Arthur Machen. In the book, Felix explores the origins of the order, it’s founders, traditions and practices and the variety of creative, esoterically minded people it drew in to its membership. In the interview I talk with him about his background and how the idea for the book came about, after which go over the story of an organisation which was simultaneously egalitarian and hierarchical, hidden and performative, sublime and ridiculous. You can find out more about Felix and his new book at https://felixtaylor.org/. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.  

Hello listeners! Thank for joining me here at Sphere HQ for another episode of the podcast. My guest for this episode is Sian Sibley. Sian is a writer, witchcraft practitioner, and ecologist from Wales. She holds master’s degrees in Biological Science and Ecology and Spirituality and has over thirty years of experience in plant spirit magic. Her writing explores the intersection of plant and tree spirit work, ecological philosophy, and magical practice. She joined me to talk about her book Black Paths and Green Cathedrals:  A Guide to Ecological Paganism, whose second edition was published earlier this year. In it, Sian writes about the damage human separation from nature has wrought on the planet in the Anthropocene age, and how practices such as animism and paganism offer both a way to improve that relationship but can present challenges in terms of sustainability and impact on local environments. The latter part of the book is focused on working with tree spirts, inspired by the work of the Welsh mystic Charubel. Sian's book can be purchased from Aeon Books and her Ecological Paganism Patreon can be found here. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.  

Hello listeners! This time I welcome back a returning guest, Jeremy Harte. Jeremy is an author and folklorist whose writing and research is inspired by landscape and stories of encounters with other worlds. His latest book is Treasures on Earth: Buried Wealth in Landscape and Legend. In it Jeremy examines the history and folklore in Britain of hidden treasure – stories not just of gold and silver, but of ghosts, curses and forbidden knowledge. In the interview I talk with Jeremy about the ideas behind the book and the interesting relationship between the folklore and storytelling of buried wealth and the written accounts of such discoveries. We also discuss the relationship magic and paranormal phenomenon have with the search for and finding of hidden valuables, and the social factors that have influenced the use of occult techniques in such endeavours. You can find out more about Jeremy's new book at https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/treasures-on-earth. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.    

My guests for this episode are Jamie Lewis and Andrew Bartlett. Jamie is a Reader in Sociology at the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University and Andrew is based at the School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations at Sheffield University. They joined me to discuss their new book Bigfooters and Scientific Inquiry: On the Borderlands of Legitimate Science. The book examines the Bigfooting community sociologically. Using concepts from Science and Technology Studies (STS) as well as cultural sociology, Jamie and Andrew shed new light on what it is to do ‘science’, what it is to behave ‘scientifically’, and where the borders of legitimate scientific practice lie. Through detailed interviews with Bigfooters themselves, this book explores the ways in which the Bigfooting community makes sense of traces and absences to make knowledge claims that are acceptable to those within that community. It also shows how Bigfooters, in the face of scepticism, attempt to render Bigfoot a proper object of scientific inquiry outside of their own circle. In the interview I talk with Jamie and Andrew about how the idea for the book came about, after which we discuss the subject matter itself; the early history and legacy of bigfooting, the methods and techniques Bigfooters use to make knowledge claims, the challenges they face to legitimise their endeavours, and how they navigate and contextualise hoaxes. To find out more about Jamie and Andy, please visit their respective university website profile pages: Jamie: https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/lewisjt1 Andy: https://sheffield.ac.uk/spir/people/academic/andy-bartlett You can find out more about their book from the publisher, Routledge. Their article The Shape of Bigfoot: Transmuting Absences into Credible Knowledge Claims is available here. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.  

Joining me for this episode are Robert Williams and Jacqui Thackway-Winn. Robert and Jacqui were part of a small group of people who in 2023 took part in an experimental magical project at Cley Hill in Wiltshire, England. Cley Hill is perhaps best known in fortean circles for being something of UFO hotspot, most notably ‘The Warminster Thing’ in the 1960’s. The magical project was part of an attempt by the group to develop a new practice they called ‘Meta Magic’ and took place from January to December 2023, finishing on the Winter Solstice. A written record of their experiments, rituals and experiences was kept and has now been published by Liminal Gate Press as a book called The Magical Rites at Cley Hill. In the interview I initially talk with Robert and Jacqui about their backgrounds and how the idea for the yearlong magical project came about. We discuss why they chose Cley Hill, some of the rituals they used and experiences that resulted from that and what the ideas and goals were for Meta Magic. We conclude by talking about The Warminster Thing. You can find out more about Robert, Jacqui and the book at Liminal Gate Press. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.  

For this episode my guest for is academic and author Shira Chess. Shira is Associate Professor of Entertainment and Media Studies at the University of Georgia. For a long time she was a Game Studies scholar but her recent focus has moved to the ‘Digital Uncanny', resulting in her new book The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse. The book explores the magical thinking and occult influences that have shaped the history of digital spaces since the early days of the internet – and by extension, reality itself (or at least our perception of it). It examines subjects such as technopaganism, Gnosticism and simulation theory, reality hacking, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence and much more. In the interview I begin by talking with Shira about her background and how the idea for the book came about. We also discuss the curious connection throughout human history between new or emerging technologies and paranormal phenomena (such as telegraphy and spiritualism). Our conversation is more of an exploration of the themes and subjects in the book, rather than an analysis of the book itself but I think that we managed to cover a lot of interesting topics. You can find out more about Shira and her research at https://unseeninternet.substack.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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.  

My guest for this episode is psychologist and psychotherapist Michael Wilson, who joined me to discuss his recent book, Portals into Deep Imagination: Celtic Mythology, Nature’s Year, and the Quest for Soul. The book is an anthology of weekly contemplations and practices for spirituality through the lens of psychology, inspired by the culture and mythology of the Celts in Britain and Ireland and their connection with nature. Following the course of the Celtic year (beginning at Samhain), each weekly chapter offers tales and folklore from Celtic mythology, followed by a suggested practice of meditation and contemplation. It explores the metaphor and symbolism contained in these myths and legends and shows how those themes can be used to examine the nature of the human mind and imagination and the relationship between them. In the interview I begin by talking with Mike about his background and how the idea for the book came about. We discuss the structuring of the book around a yearly cycle and then our conversation broadens a little, exploring the importance of connecting with nature and the relationship between folklore, myth, the imagination, dreams and altered states. You can find out more about Mike and his writing at https://www.michaelwilson.uk.com/. Portals into Deep Imagination: Celtic Mythology, Nature’s Year, and the Quest for Soul can be purchased from Aeon Books. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.  

My guest for this episode is historian and filmmaker Dean Bertram. Dean’s current project is The Man Who Invented Flying Saucers, a documentary about the relationship between science fiction pioneer Raymond A. Palmer and the writer Richard Shaver, whose stories about his encounters with terrifying subterranean beings called Deros captivated readers in the pages of the magazine Amazing Stories (which Palmer edited at the time) in the 1940’s. The ‘Shaver Mysteries’ as they came to be known would also set the stage for the emergence of the UFO phenomenon in post-war America. In the interview I begin by talking with Dean about how the idea for the documentary came about, after which we discuss Ray Palmer and Richard Shaver and the subtle way that their lives seemed to complement one another. We also talk about the Shaver Mysteries and the themes they explored along with Ray Palmer’s connection to Kenneth Arnold and the enigmatic Maury Island incident. You can find out more about Dean and his documentary at https://www.facebook.com/TheManWhoInventedFlyingSaucers. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.  

My guest for this episode is Edward Tick. Ed is a therapeutic mentor, pilgrimage guide,educator and poet. He has been honoured for his groundbreaking work in the spiritual, holistic, and community-based healing of veterans and other survivors of severe violence who suffer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and moral injury. He also conducts original and groundbreaking work in the Ancient Greek tradition. Since 1995 he has led more than twenty pilgrimages to Greece, teaching ancient traditions and the use of myth, poetry, tragedy, literature and philosophy for deep soul exploration. In his latest book Passage to Poros, Ed examines pilgrimage, sanctuary, and asylum under the god Poseidon, the ruling spirit of the island of Poros, and how these have been practiced through the millennia. He writes about the ancient healing traditions, including dream incubation of Asklepios, and using sacred art and ritual to connect with our visions and the divine He also reveals life-changing mystical experiences he and his travelers have had over forty years of pilgrimages, including encounters with animal guides, higher powers, and oracles, as well as examining the physical and spiritual restoration of Poseidon’s sanctuary and contributing to its literary and mythological legacy. Ed was pleasure to talk with and shared some fascinating stories about his life and work in our conversation. You can find out more about him and his writing at https://www.edwardtick.com/ and Passage to Poros is published by Simon & Schuster. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.  

My guest for this episode is Dr Gavin Miller, who joined me to discuss his research on the history of UFOs in Scotland. In his work, Gavin doesn’t investigate what UFOs might be. Instead, he investigates the human side of the phenomenon in Scotland: the people, practices, cultures and organisations that have developed around them. He has given a number of presentations on this subject and was kind enough to provide me with the slides for one of these in preparation for our conversation. In the interview I talk with Gavin about his background and the origins of his research. We then discuss the subject matter in question, beginning with how UFO encounters were initially received in post war Scotland, and moving on to discuss some of the people who experienced the phenomenon, the organisations that developed around the subject and some of the notable UFO incidents. We conclude by talking about the importance of preserving the artefacts of Scotland’s UFO history and what form that might take, if possible. You can find out more about Gavin and his research at https://ufos.ac.uk/. 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 podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.