Animal Magic

An Exploration of the Labyrinth from Many Angles: Prehistoric Fertility Symbol, Greek Monster-Myth, Medieval Pilgrimage and Modern Meditation.  What were the Mysterious Ruins on the Island of Crete?  And what does all this have to do with a young person's first heartbreak?  By the Author of "Romancing the Minotaur: Sex and Sacrifice and some Greek Mythology."

For this special episode I'm joined again by Mason Winfield, Western New York's Premier Paranormalist, to discuss Shakespearean faerie-lore, Bottom's Dream in Midsummer Night's Dream, and some differences between Puck and Ariel. 

This fall, Mason Winfield and I will be leading Haunted History Ghost Walks in Buffalo and East Aurora.  

Recently someone told me some really incredible stories about her personal encounters with birds, and it got me wondering...  What is a "bird"?  How did this whole bird thing get started?  Is it really true that birds with the same feathers flock better together?  

In this Special Summer Episode...  What else?  The Mystery of Stonehenge.  Shocking New Truths, which have lain Dormant for Decades in Dull, Dusty Archaeology Textbooks...Revealed!  

Was it a plant, animal, mineral?  Maybe a coven or a nunnery?  In this special episode, we explore the Greek Myth of Heracles and the Hydra, and some fascinating theories on how this story came about.  But first, a few thoughts on how mythical creatures develop through storytelling.

To celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday, I'm joined by Mason Winfield, Western New York's Premier Paranormalist, to discuss Shakespearean faerie-lore, Falstaff's downfall in the Merry Wives of Windsor, and how it relates to the Classical Myth of Actaeon and Diana, and Sir James Frazer's book The Golden Bough. 

How might the ancient myth of Persephone's abduction have originated?  And what lessons could we learn from it today?  (Note: This episode didn't turn out to be very funny, so if you're unfamiliar with "Animal Magic" I recommend starting with something else.  But for regular listeners I hope this will be an interesting addition to the series.)  

Are Elephants made of Milk?  Or Eggs?  Or both?  And why don't they have wings anymore?  How did Ganesha get his Distinctive Look?  In this Episode, we'll search the Scriptures of India for Answers you can't find in a Biology Textbook.  

Even after centuries of zoology, the Elephant remains defiantly mythical.  In this episode, we'll explore some Classical Roman and Christian beliefs about this gentle giant.  

My car and my phone get along so well that I feel like a third wheel, and I often feel like they'd be happier without me.  Am I an obstacle that the tools have to work around?  I recently found this live recording of "Hardware" from 2021.  Some things I said about hardware and software in 2021 now sound outdated, but the main message still comes through, and this is one of my favorites of all of these I've written.  Special thanks to the one person who kept laughing while I was saying this.