Shows
Spirits and PsychicsAstrologyAstrology is one of the most mainstream topics Morgan + Norm have dabbled in to date and as such comes with some biases and misconceptions. Morgan leads Norm into the ancient world, a jaunt through the renaissance and the theosophical influence that led to sun sign horoscopes in newspapers. A beginner friendly walk through the stars for anyone who (like Norm) has ever felt confused or intimidated.Sources & Further Reading:Garg, Garima. Heavens and Earth: The Story of Astrology through Ages and Cultures. Penguin Random House, 2022. Swami Vivekananda on Astrology: https://english.sreyas.in/swami-vivekananda-on-astrology/Boxer, A...
2025-01-101h 09Spirits and PsychicsThe Teachings of Don JuanThe Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castenada is considered a classic from the 1960s. Figures covered in Season 1 almost certainly read it. Norm has some bones to pick to pick with this granddaddy of New Age literature while Morgan lays out how this book cemented in the public imagination what spiritual knowledge and transformation was supposed to look like... If you ever felt disappointed that you couldn't disappear with a strange man in the desert and emerge with spiritual enlightenment, this discussion is for you!Sources & Further Reading:Castaneda, Carlos. The Teachings of Don...
2024-12-271h 00Spirits and PsychicsNandor Fodor and the Talking MongooseIt's movie night again as Morgan and Norm can't leave this cute little mongoose alone. This week deepens the discussions of meaning around paranormal experiences and how investigators can be lead astray in their efforts depending on their own world views. Was Gef ever real? Whatever he was, long live Gef! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-12-141h 07Spirits and PsychicsGef the Talking MongooseNo ghost is the same and not all hauntings are created equal. Morgan takes Norm back to the 1930s to discuss historical ghost hunter Harry Price and a spooky mongoose whose existence he tried to prove scientifically. But the paranormal is personal and the family that experienced Gef prove to be just as curious as the men trying to scientifically verify the family's ghostly experiences. Was Gef a ghost? Could he have been a tulpa? A fae creature? Gef certainly fit many requirements for a witch's familiar. But regardless of what Gef was, the "why" of Gef is even...
2024-11-301h 27Spirits and PsychicsThe Witch: A New England Folk TaleIt's time for another movie night with Morgan + Norm! Today they are covering the 2015 horror film the Witch directed by Robert Eggers. Morgan couldn't let Reg Scot go just yet and this film, though fictional, stylizes the effect of witchcraft on one's inner and outer world. Feel free to enjoy this episode with or without watching the movie. It's spooky season, let's talk about witches and academic arguments from medieval minds... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-161h 00Spirits and PsychicsReginald ScotYou may have heard of the Salem Witch Trials but have you heard of the man who published tomes debunking witches, a full hundred years before Salem? Reginald Scot was an aristocrat in Elizabethan England who published academic style tomes pointing out all the flaws in medieval witchhunter logic. Today Morgan takes Norm into an interesting look of how a social belief in witchcraft can wreak havoc on people's inner and outer worlds. They also dive into Scot's own belief system and how he managed to escape his own persecution by a very convenient death. Houdini would have approved...
2024-11-021h 16Spirits and PsychicsThelemaThis week, Morgan takes Norm to answer the question: Why Thelema? What does this system of ritual and belief have to offer? Aleister Crowley's life has certainly left an impression. Looking at Thelema and ritual magic as a whole, gives Morgan + Norm a greater understanding of how western ritual magic continued into the present day and how, if you are so inclined, it can be a legitimate method to finding your peace and power. Were you put off by Crowley but still want to talk magical rituals? This is the episode for you.Sources and Further...
2024-10-191h 13Spirits and PsychicsAleister Crowley Part 2Morgan + Norm are back with the second half of Aleister Crowley's arch and let's just say things take a turn after World War I. There is more magic but also a lot of real world consequences around Crowley because of it. It gets darker in this episode but a worthy analysis of how even leaders in this space can get very lost. Trigger warning for brief mentions of animal abuse and child death, both due to adults making bad choices. Sources & Further Reading: Campbell, Colin D. Thelema: An Introduction to the Life...
2024-10-051h 25Spirits and PsychicsAleister Crowley Part 1Morgan + Norm are back from summer break and diving in to the biggest occult baddie your parents probably know them name of—> Aleister Crowley. Sure, he brought ritual magic into public consciousness and famous known in the press as the Wickedest Man in the World but he was also a theater kid at heart who most struggled with the human experience. Like other occult greats covered last season, Crowley also clocks a lot of miles around the globe but leaves a unique path of destruction in his wake. This is definitely the lighter of the two episodes. ...
2024-09-211h 46Spirits and PsychicsSummer Break!We are on a summer break! We are busy prepping Season 2 and will be back with new episodes in September! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-07-0600 minSpirits and PsychicsAn Interview With a Psychic: Debbie GriggsOur interview with Debbie Griggs offers a different take on connection to the spiritual realm. A self-described photo psychic who gets huge impressions and information from just a picture of someone. She also has rather accurate world predictions that has grown her following over the last ten years. A thought-provoking exploration of how things can make sense on the other side.For more Debbie, check out her vibrant Youtube channel Photo Psychic Debbie , her podcast Psychic Debbie Griggs Spiritual Knowledge or her website Psychic Debbie.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...
2024-06-211h 19Spirits and PsychicsThe Life of Edgar Cayce: Part TwoMorgan takes Norm into the second part of Edgar Cayce's story. This included the groundwork for what would become his legacy, his continued failures at capitalism and his mainstream recognition. Sources & Further Reading:Kirkpatrick, Sidney D. Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet. Riverhead Books, 2001. Sugrue, Thomas, and Mitch Horowitz. There Is a River: The Story of Edgar Cayce. A.R.E. Press, 2018. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-06-071h 42Spirits and PsychicsThe Life of Edgar Cayce: Part OneEdgar Cayce is one of the most famous of the historical psychics due to the legacy his work left behind. Writings published after his death, informed New Age thought in the 20th Century. But that doesn't that he was shockingly uncurious about his abilities or the world. He illustrates that the course of true psychism never did run smooth. This episode, Morgan takes Norm into the first half of Cayce's life where he among many other things, seemed to fall for every get-rich-quick scheme he possibly could. Sources & Further Reading:Kirkpatrick, Sidney D. Edgar Cayce...
2024-05-311h 37Spirits and PsychicsAn Interview With a Psychic: Michael BodineMorgan and Norm sit down with well-known psychic Michael Bodine to talk about the realities of living with psychic abilities as well as the ups and downs of being a practicing psychic. Michael shares an intimate portrait of his growing up in a family taken over by psychic interest and his own reluctant embracing of his abilities. He shares his hot take that not everyone needs a psychic reading! What's the role of intention, intuition, free-will -- and can guides be from other planets? Listen and find out!Further Reading:Bodine, Michael. A Psychic’s Li...
2024-05-111h 00Spirits and PsychicsPsychicsWhat does seeing a psychic have to do with guys talking to angels in the 1500s? More than you'd think! Morgan takes Norm into psychism as a phenomenon, including best practices for engaging with psychics as well as a walk into the history of how we got here. From the Oracle at Delphi to Elizabethan Europe to daytime television in the '90s, Morgan and Norm get deeper into their namesake. Sources & Further Reading:Ashe, Geoffrey. The Secret History of Hell-Fire Clubs: From Rabelais and John Dee to Anton LeVay and Timothy Leary. Bear & Company, 2019. L...
2024-04-271h 00Spirits and PsychicsSpirits and Psychics Movie Club: "The Old Ways" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-04-1349 min
Spirits and PsychicsAn Interview With a Shaman: Augusto MonteiroWhen our body hurts we see a doctor, but what do we do when our souls hurt? Morgan and Norm sit down with a Brazilian shamanic practitioner, Augusto Monteiro to discuss his work in the unseen world. From the cosmology of Jurema to the new magical frameworks of Archangelismo, they discuss what tools Augusto uses to provide real help to his clients as well as just what sorts of problems a shamanic practitioner can solve. For more information on Augusto: https://www.augusto-monteiro.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast...
2024-03-301h 14Spirits and PsychicsSpirits and Psychics Book Club: The Surrender ExperimentA book that is meaningful to one person can be... deeply annoying to another. Morgan and Norm discuss the book The Surrender Experiment! They break down the most useful take aways, Norm's gripes with the author's writing style and examine just what it means to walk the spiritual path. No reading of the book is necessary! But if you're interested in learning more about the author, Michael Singer and his work, visit the Temple of the Universe store: https://tou.org/books-inspiration/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-03-161h 12Spirits and PsychicsGurus: A Closer LookWhat is a guru anyway? Are they enlightened teachers we search the world for or are they just what we would call a cult leader? Morgan and Norm discuss the useful aspects of the guru path as well as what makes surrendering to a teacher so difficult. They explore the idea of the crazy-wise guru Tim Leary dreamed of being and contrast it to the guru encounters of Ram Dass. Whether you have a guru, want one, or thing the entire set up is a scam, the relationship between student and teacher is more nuanced than it appears.
2024-03-021h 26
Spirits and PsychicsA Tale of Two Gurus Part ThreeWhile Ram Dass is finding his guru in India, Timothy Leary is a counter culture celebrity. Morgan takes Norm into Leary's prison escapes, misadventures in exile and losing all his credibility. They evaluate Leary as an archtype of a crazy-wise guru but not before dipping into the unexpected revolutionary environment of 1970s Algeria, Leary's similarities with Aleister Crowley and all the women who helped get him out of prison. Sources & Further Reading:Higgs, John, and Winona Ryder. I Have America Surrounded: The Life of Timothy Leary. Thistle Publishing, 2013. Davis, Steven L., and Bill Minutaglio. Most D...
2024-02-171h 26
Spirits and PsychicsA Tale of Two Gurus Part TwoIn this episode, Morgan takes Norm along the path of how Richard Alpert became Ram Dass. They explore the guru experience and how Ram Dass and his spiritual satsang championed causes that are common now, like hospice care and aging with awareness. They cover how a twist of nature humbled him and led him to the most expansive time in life as an older man. How a man goes from searching for enlightenment in tabs of acid to dying beloved in Hawaii. It is the journey of a seeker who found what he was looking for and in doing...
2024-02-031h 40
Spirits and PsychicsA Tale of Two Gurus Part OnePsychedelics and the spiritual journey is a massive topic! Morgan & Norm step into the ring by discussing the two people your boomer parents definitely think of when they see magic mushrooms on the voting ballot. Morgan takes Norm into who Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert were before they became their public personas: "The Most Dangerous Man in America" & the beloved spiritual teacher Ram Dass. This covers their time at Harvard, how they first got "turned on" to psilocybin, their famous experiments and how salty student journalists can derail careers.Sources & Further Reading:Lattin, Don. The...
2024-01-201h 37
Spirits and PsychicsRemote Viewing Part Four: EpiloguesAfter the funding gets cut, the adventures don't just stop! Morgan & Norm follow up on just what happened to various people involved in the remote viewing story. Sources & Further Reading:Ronson, Jon. The Men Who Stare at Goats. Picador, 2012. McMoneagle, Joseph, et al. Memoirs of a Psychic Spy: The Remarkable Life of u.s. Government Remote Viewer 001. Hampton Roads Pub. Co., 2006. Smith, Paul H. Reading the Enemy’s Mind: Inside Stargate America’s Psychic Espionage Program. Crossroads Press, 2011. International Remote Viewing AssociationSchnabel, Jim. Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America’s Psychic Spies. De...
2024-01-061h 04
Spirits and PsychicsRemote Viewing Part ThreeThis week Morgan & Norm talk with a different kind of Psy- officer. They gain context of on military bureaucracy, discuss how Remote Viewing might have thrived had it been applied a decade earlier, what went wrong and just what might lie ahead for Norm's favorite technique to date. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-12-231h 06
Spirits and PsychicsRemote Viewing Part TwoWhat would happen if the government really had psychic intelligence? Morgan shows Norm how it would die a slow bureaucratic death. Despite convincing demonstrations in front of members of Congress, even proven psychic abilities can't withstand the realities of working in an office.Sources & Further Reading:Ronson, Jon. The Men Who Stare at Goats. Picador, 2012. McMoneagle, Joseph, et al. Memoirs of a Psychic Spy: The Remarkable Life of u.s. Government Remote Viewer 001. Hampton Roads Pub. Co., 2006. Smith, Paul H. Reading the Enemy’s Mind: Inside Stargate America’s Psychic Espionage Program. Crossr...
2023-12-081h 33
Spirits and PsychicsRemote Viewing Part OneEveryone's a critic and everyone wants proof of psychic phenomena under lab conditions. Morgan takes Norm into the origins of Remote Viewing protocols. They cover why it's helpful for your experiments to be designed by former stage magicians, how psychic abilities may be latent in all of us and just what happened with the CIA gets involved...Sources & Further Reading:Ronson, Jon. The Men Who Stare at Goats. Picador, 2012. McMoneagle, Joseph, et al. Memoirs of a Psychic Spy: The Remarkable Life of u.s. Government Remote Viewer 001. Hampton Roads Pub. Co., 2006. Smith, Paul H. Reading th...
2023-11-251h 24
Spirits and PsychicsTheosophy Part ThreeMorgan and Norm keep on with HPB and Henry Steele Olcott but now that they are in India, things are different. They cover the chum's rocky start, bad people skills, how Olcott took a left turn to becoming a white savior in Sri Lanka and how HPB got cancelled by the Society for Psychical Research. They touch on her seminal work, the Secret Doctrine, have a cameo by Mahatma Gandhi, how Olcott got his face on a postage stamp and what is the legacy Theosophy leaves today.Sources & Further Reading:Lachman, Gary. Madame Blavatsky: The...
2023-11-121h 30
Spirits and PsychicsTheosophy Part TwoAs Morgan takes Norm intro the next chapter of Madame Blavatsky's life, they encounter Henry Steel Olcott also known as the White Buddha. They explore his background, what primed a well respected lawyer to fall into her aura, as well as their business ventures, apartments, accusations of fraud and ultimately, setting their sights on India.Sources & Further Reading:Lachman, Gary. Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2012. Steiner, Rudolf. Theosophy, an Introduction to the Spiritual Processes of Human Life and the Cosmos. Wilder Publications, 2018. Prothero, Stephen R. The White Buddhist: The As...
2023-10-291h 20
Spirits and PsychicsTheosophy Part OneIn this episode Morgan introduces Norm to the Mother of Modern Occultism: Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Gifted for sure, but gifted with what? Diving into the first part of her life, Morgan & Norm work through what is known about her Villain Origin Story and the context it lends to understanding the origins of the Theosophical Society.Sources & Further Reading for this series:Lachman, Gary. Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2012. Steiner, Rudolf. Theosophy, an Introduction to the Spiritual Processes of Human Life and the Cosmos. Wilder Publications, 2018. Prothero, Stephen R. Th...
2023-10-151h 18
Spirits and PsychicsSpiritualismMorgan takes Norm into Spiritualism, the movement that changed how the West understands death, the spirit world, and how you could talk to the other side. They also touch on the roots of stage magicians like Harry Houdini and the great legacy of debunking spiritual mediums by people who in their hearts (probably) want to believe. They also don't leave out the more compassionate cosmology spiritualism because even in the 1800s people thought there had to be more than just life-is-hard-and-then-you-die.Sources & Further Reading:Morton, Lisa. Calling the Spirits: A History of...
2023-09-301h 15