Bewitched Banter

Bewitched Banter

By Bewitched BanterSociety & Culture
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Bewitched Banter episodes

  • Ep 8 // The Dark World of Cults

    The Bewitches cover the dark world of cults. Amy takes us through some background on what cults are and why they are so scary. Meanwhile, Krista is on an independent woman rant this episode as she covers the controversial YouTube influencer, Teal Swan. Finally, Amy brings us to Japan for the cult of Aum in Tokyo.

    TRIGGER Warning on mental health and suicide for all listeners. If you or anyone you know is experiencing with suicidal thoughts or expressed a desire to die by suicide, please call at 800-273-8255 or visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.

    1 hr 38 min
  • Vampires Be Thirsty
    While Krista was out sick, we sucked in Amy’s hubby and resident historian, Cory to guest host. Today Bewitched Banter covers vampires. One perk of these blood suckers is they live forever, but is it a gift or a curse? As Amy would say, “on a nutshell,” you decide on this episode that highlights some seriously notorious “Nosferatus.” We might lose Krista as the very first user on “VampiresBeThirsty.com. But on a far more serious and sad note [because we can’t not go there], so many people have lost family and friends to the QAnon cult who believe that liberals and Hollywood elites suck the blood of children as part of a global sex ring. This radical, pervasive belief stems from an ancient antisemitic doctrine known as Blood Libel.
    53 min
  • Ep 7 // Tarot, The Cards Don't Lie (Part 1)

    Any idea where Tarot reading comes from or that it wasn’t always used to tell fortunes? In fact, Tarot cards were some of the earliest forms of entertainment. Krista tells you more about its origins and connects Tarot cards with Lotería, or Mexican BINGO. Amy transports us older Millennials back to our youth by sharing all about the misunderstood Miss Cleo. Krista wraps up the episode with the Godmother of Modern Tarot, Mary K. Greer.

    Then head to Tarot History Part Two, to hear Krista read Amy's cards in a three-card spread.

    1 hr 47 min
  • Magical Myth-Busters
    Fact, fantasy or straight up fakes? This week the Bewitches try to steer away from dark stories as they share the tales of magicians who changed the world for better. From Harry Houdini and The Amazing Randi to Peter Popoff and Uri Geller, Amy introduces us to a few of the magical myth-busters who set out to expose the phonies.
    Krista then conjures the renowned Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, AKA “The Father of Modern Magic.” Learn how his “Strong Man” routine stopped a potential Algerian revolt against the French. Then, hear how thousands of talented American artists used elaborate illusions to fake out the Nazis during WWII.
    1 hr 9 min
  • Magicians Changing History
    Fact, fantasy or straight up fakes? This week the Bewitches try to steer away from dark stories as they share the stories of magicians who changed the world for better. From Harry Houdini and The Amazing Randi to Peter Popoff and Uri Geller, Amy introduces us to a few of the magical myth-busters who set out to expose the phonies. 
    Krista then conjures the renowned Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, AKA “The Father of Modern Magic.” Learn how his “Strong Man” routine stopped a potential Algerian revolt against the French. Then, hear how thousands of talented American artists used elaborate illusions to fake out the Nazis during WWII. See full ep notes and sources at bewitchedbanter.com/episodes.
    1 hr 9 min
  • Ep 6 // Psychics Solving Crimes

    Our OG inaugural episode of Bewitched Banter where Amy and Krista cover two psychics that don’t always use their powers for good.


    Krista educates us on the difference between psychic and medium. Yes, there’s a difference! Do you know what it is? Amy then reveals the malicious nature in which self-proclaimed psychic, Sylvia Brown, gave false hope to not just one, but many families. The Bewitches declare Brown as the lowest bar to hit as far as “shitty people.” Then, Krista covers Phoenix-based celeb psychic, Allison Dubois. While Krista never met Dubois, she was upset to learn that Dubois’ purported abilities to solve crimes in both Texas and Arizona may have been straight up spoofs after all.

    1 hr 28 min
  • The Dark World of Cults
    The Bewitches cover the dark world of cults. Amy takes us through some background on what cults are and why they are so scary. Meanwhile, Krista is on an independent woman rant this episode as she covers the controversial YouTube influencer, Teal Swan. Finally, Amy brings us to Japan for the cult of Aum in Tokyo.
    TRIGGER Warning on mental health and suicide for all listeners. If you or anyone you know is experiencing with suicidal thoughts or expressed a desire to die by suicide, please call at 800-273-8255 or visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.
    1 hr 38 min
  • Ep 5 // Yoga With A Spiritual Twist

    Krista sets the record straight on the Yogi Maharishi Mahesh, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation Movement Movement (TMM). Once a confidant to the Beatles the yogi was criticized for only befriending The Beatles for fame. However, the band’s time in India and practice of TMM may have given creative birth to their acclaimed White Album.

    Amy brings the heat covering Bikram Choudhury, a womanizer and misogynist who is still a fugitive after a major fraud case. Today, more than half of Choudhury's studios either closed or dropped "Bikram" from their name.

    1 hr 28 min
  • Tarot History, The Cards Don‘t Lie

    In our third OG episode of Bewitched Banter, Amy and Krista share two of the most famous women in Tarot.

    Any idea where Tarot reading comes from or that it wasn’t always used to tell fortunes? In fact, Tarot cards were some of the earliest forms of entertainment. Krista tells you more about its origins and connects Tarot cards with Lotería, or Mexican BINGO. Amy transports us older Millennials back to our youth by sharing all about the misunderstood Miss Cleo. Krista wraps up the episode with the Godmother of Modern Tarot, Mary K. Greer. Then head to Tarot History Part Two, to hear Krista read Amy's cards in a three-card spread. 

    See full ep notes and sources at bewitchedbanter.com/episodes.

    1 hr 47 min

About Bewitched Banter

From the publisher's feed

Do you believe in the spooky and supernatural or do you think it’s all utter B.S.? Join hosts and best friends, Amy Holt and Krista Hinz, as they debate and debunk all sorts of religions, spiritual…