Curious Cat - where science & supernatural collide

Why is Florida a magnet for alien encounters? Is it because Florida is sandwiched between two huge bodies of water? Or it's space activity on the east coast? Or the dynamic nature of the state with visitors, residents and tourists drawn to this slim patch of land from across the globe? 

This episode shares the data, reports from locals, and then takes a broader look at the impact seeing something supernatural can have on a person.

Let's get into it.

(And hang on after the final music for a juicy bonus tidbit!)

Show Source - What to read, watch, listen to NEXT!

Hotspots for Alien Abductions, New York Post

Have you seen a UFO? If so, you're not alone in Florida, Jacksonville.com, Cheryl McCloud

The Gulf Breeze Incident, PensacolaBeach.com

Man Claims Alien Abduction During Alleged Nude Carjacking in Florida, KFOX TV

Afraid you'll be abducted by aliens? There's an insurance policy for that, 10 Tampa Bay, YouTube

Follow up on 50 year old Florida abduction case, Troy Moon, Pensacola News Journal

Abducted by aliens? Believers tell their stories (and a support group is formed), ABC News

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If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

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Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

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Once smashed into the west side of Africa, Florida has bits of its ancient history buried nine miles beneath its sands. With a hurricane birth canal that parallels the path slave ships took long ago, what other traces of Africa still exist in Florida land, sea and lore? 

Let's get into it.

p.s. Not mentioned in the episode (because I found this out later) but the iconic African Baobab tree resides in Florida, too. Just couldn't help but share that fact.

Show Source - What to read, watch, listen to NEXT!

From Africa to Florida, an ancient connection, www.fnai.org

The SHOCKING History of Florida's African Connection Nobody Knows, OopsZoo, YouTube

The REAL Garden of Eden - is it Florida?, Anthony Talcott, Orlando News 6

Florida's Fountain of Youth, a visit with Travels with Tam!

When Florida Was Africa, ExtinctZoo, YouTube

Hurricanes, African Slave Trade, and Angry Spirits?!? My Thoughts, NOLA Chic Blog

Junetheenth, Slavery, and the Hurricane Connection, Forbes, Marshall Shepherd

African Manatee, Wikipedia

West African Mud Turtle

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If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

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Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

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Florida trees knit their root system into sub-sea-level sands across the state.  Dripping with Spanish moss, or what Australians call, 'Grandpa's Beard' that tricks the eye in the moonlight, making it seem the trees are emitting a smoky aura. It takes little imagination to recognize Gandolph, Dumbledore, Merlin, Green Man or Mother Earth while dwelling among Florida's trees.

I've gathered together stories of trees you must know. Some have become crossroads where hope lies in a handshake with a demon, another that became the final resting place for murder victims, and one manmade tree has become an anchor of a fantasy land visited by millions annually.

Enough teasing, let's get into it!

Show Source - What to read, watch, listen to NEXT!

The Goethe Giant at Goethe State Forest

Everything Is TOUR-able blog, Goethe State Forest

Weird Florida, Charlie Carlson

Freaky Florida, Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz

Eerie Florida, Chilling Tales from the Panhandle to the Keys, Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz

Round Cypress Demon, QuoteV.com, Daddy Bassy

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If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

Support the show

Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

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If they can flood the aisles of stores with school supplies on July 5th, then I can boldly venture onto Halloween in August. This week I share some creepy, sneaky, haunting tales I've found dripping off the spanish moss across the state of Florida.

Put on your pjs, dim the lights and nestle into the pillows. When your eyes adjust to the darkness, hit and enjoy. Oh, and my favorite story? It's about a ghost at Walt Disney World. Guess what attraction this charming ghost haunts?

Let's get into it.

******The Kappa Legend episode I mention in today's show*******

Show Sources and Materials:

The Creepiest Town in America, Papa Meat, YouTube

Tour of Florida's Haunted Hotels, CrimeReads.com

Haunted Houses in Florida, FrightFind

Disney World Ghost Stories, disneyworldenthusiast.com

10 scary urban legends, haunted places to visit in Central Florida, FOX 35, Orlando

Haunted Places in Florida, howstuffworks.com

10 Paranormal Swimming Holes in Florida, backpackerverse.com

Greenwood Cemetery-Orlando, Orlando Haunts (book a tour if you're in town!)

Send us Fan Mail

If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

Support the show

Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

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Last week, I shared some strange urban legends with you about Florida. I left off sharing two things, first, Florida has more than its share of cryptids! And second, my daughter that got me curious about the spooky side of this state, told me an urban legend you've got to hear. 

Let's get into it!

Florida Cryptids

If you were to attend some supernatural trivia night at the local pub, then I've no doubt if asked what the most famous Florida cryptid was, you'd know the answer. Skunk Ape. Cousin to Sasquatch, this guy is said smell really ripe. I found an interesting story about the Skunk Ape in a book titled, Freaky Florida written by Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz. Find links to purchase it in the show notes. I hope it sets the senses into the swampy, humid Florida landscape.

Mark Muncy writes; 

"Look at any map of Florida and you will see a very large block in the middle of the state with no major roads. The largest area stretches from Lakeland to the north beyond Leesburg. This empty area once saw rival railroads trying to reach Tampa Bay. It once housed numerous little towns and homesteads trying to make their way in teh early Florida land booms." From the passage of time, the swamp is reclaiming the last vestiges of man's attempts to colonize the area. Now in state control, it's called the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve.

Show Sources and Materials

Freaky Florida, Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz

Wampus Cat Legend and Lore, WBIR - 10 News

The Child-Eating Wampus Cat, Atlas Obscura

Mahaba, the giant crocodile, Cryptid Archives Fandom

Exploring the Florida Everglades' Weird Folklore: Myths and Legends of the United States, T's Storytime, YouTube

The Trident-Tailed Water Monster of Florida, source: East Tennessean

Sicklefin Devil Ray of Florida, MarineMegafauna.org, Jessica Pate

Sea Monster Museum in Iceland, Atlas Obscura

Send us Fan Mail

If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

Support the show

Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

Buy Curious Cat Podcast a Coffee!

Show Sources and Materials

10 Florida Urban Legends That Will Keep You Up At Night, Florida Travel and Life, Steve Spears

21 Creepy Central Florida Urban Legends to Keep You Up at Night, Orlando 

Weekly, Orlando Weekly Staff

The Further Adventures of Walt's Frozen Head, IMDb

Everglades Urban Legends, FDC.com

Send us Fan Mail

If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

Support the show

Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

Buy Curious Cat Podcast a Coffee!

Last week we began our trek across the bridge to the celestial! 

We remembered our connection to the stars, and their connection to our very DNA.

From a deep dive into birth charts to the ways the stars have pressed into the soul of Night Sky Tourist, there's no doubt about the influence of the Sun and Moon and stars have on us!  How about legends of  werewolves? Humans changing into half-dog, half-human beasts during a full moon. Do our moods change based on lunar or solar activity? 

How the Sun and Moon Influence Humans

First the Sun - It is  what some have called the hearth and heart of our planet.

Did you know our Sun accounts for 99.8% of our solar system’s mass? That fact comes from NASA. 

And it's no wonder the Earth, and us, its inhabitants are influenced by it, because Earth exists INSIDE the Sun's atmosphere. You heard that right. Outside that heliosphere is interstellar space. NASA continues, "The Sun doesn’t have a solid surface like Earth and the other rocky planets and moons. The part of the Sun commonly called its surface is the photosphere. The word photosphere means "light sphere" – which is apt because this is the layer that emits the most visible light. It’s what we see from Earth with our eyes." (and they remind us to never look directly at the Sun without eye protection)

And then there's this; " In one of the Sun’s biggest mysteries, the corona is much hotter than the layers immediately below it. (Imagine walking away from a bonfire only to get warmer.) The source of coronal heating is a major unsolved puzzle in the study of the Sun."

What to Read/Listen/Watch NEXT!

A Beginner's Guide to Reading a Birth Chart, ELLE Magazine, Madison Feller

Beginner's Guide to Reading a VEDIC Birth Chart, Melooha.com, Dr. Vineeta Phatak

Past Life in the Natal Chart, Astrologgia.com, Daria Rowe

Four Elements in Astrology, Moonletter.co.uk, Ben Belinsky

Sun Facts, NASA.gov

Solar Flares: Effects on Humans, Heath.com, Amanda MacMillan

Interpreting 5 Ancient Constellations Across Cultures, Discover Magazine, Joshua Rapp Learn

Orion Across Three Cultures, NightSkyTourist.com

Send us Fan Mail

If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

Support the show

Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

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We are in the dog days of summer.  It's a season of campouts, when a tent pitched in a backyard offers cool relief from sunny days. Those magical nights are a bridge to the celestial realm. From stories written in the stars to the placement of the Sun, Moon and planets at the moment of our birth, to the impact Moon phases and Sun spots have on our human bodies? The bridge to the celestial realm awaits. 

Let's step onto it.

The Celestial Bridge

When I think of the bridge to the celestial, I picture the crystal rainbow from the Thor movie that stretched from Asgard to other realms.

The stars and our place among them has birthed questions we humans have pondered since ancient times. Tales have been woven from that vast blanket of light that speak of heroes, villains, cautionary tales, mythical beasts, revenge, and more. 

The placement of the moon, the sun, and constellations signaled the time to plant crops, hunt, store for winter, and hunker down. The sight of comets and meteor showers were often seen as omens, signs from the gods that seeded legends we repeat today.

We still look to the stars, the sun and phases of the moon to better feel our connection to the Universe. Those celestial bodies inspire the mystery of us, in a way that feels secret, sacred and sometimes haunting.

In fact, the cosmos inspired their own fiction genre known as Cosmic Horror. 

Heavily influenced by H.P. Lovecraft, Cosmic Horror focuses on the insignificance of humans, the unsettling nature of the Universe, and cosmic entities that can be threatening, or seem intimidating at the very least.

What to Read/Listen/Watch NEXT!

A Beginner's Guide to Reading a Birth Chart, ELLE Magazine, Madison Feller

Beginner's Guide to Reading a VEDIC Birth Chart, Melooha.com, Dr. Vineeta Phatak

Past Life in the Natal Chart, Astrologgia.com, Daria Rowe

Four Elements in Astrology, Moonletter.co.uk, Ben Belinsky

Sun Facts, NASA.gov

Solar Flares: Effects on Humans, Heath.com, Amanda MacMillan

Interpreting 5 Ancient Constellations Across Cultures, Discover Magazine, Joshua Rapp Learn

Orion Across Three Cultures, NightSkyTourist.com

Send us Fan Mail

If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

Support the show

Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

Buy Curious Cat Podcast a Coffee!

Have you noticed? Curious Cat is not a political podcast. It's a place where I explore strange, nebulous, mysterious aspects of life, death, history, science and spirit. I don't so much pick topics as my guides queue them up, set them like a golf ball onto a tee. I can't tell you how many times during morning minutes something takes over my pen and writes out what is next. Sometimes it's a name I've never heard of that I'm called to research, like Raziel and Azrael, other times they dictate a mini-monologue.

But, not being a political podcast, I am a citizen of the world and I see and feel the tension of this moment in history. And boy, we are inflamed, both on a collective level and within the individual. 

My guides said this was the perfect day to offer up an anti-inflammatory, a Benadryl-version of a podcast, or better yet, chicken soup for the soul.

Oh, and I'll share how sniffing your partner's sweaty gym clothes can reduce your blood pressure. :0

Let's get into it.

What to listen/watch/read NEXT:

The Magic of Trees, Curious Cat Podcast, Buzzsprout

Water Magick, Curious Cat Podcast, Buzzsprout

Manipulatives and Mental Health, Curious Cat Podcast, Buzzsprout

How to Use Humor to Manage Stress, Psychology Today, Clay Drinko, Ph. D.

8 Quirky Things That Can Help You De-Stress (and no, none of them involve deep breathing), US News, K. Aleisha Fetters, MS, CSCS

Behind Plant Stress Signaling, Goldbio.com, Adriana Gallego

Send us Fan Mail

If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

Support the show

Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

Buy Curious Cat Podcast a Coffee!

This week we are daring to trek on the bridge to Hell. Maybe you think as a collective we are fully in Hell mode as of late. Is Earth the Hell realm as some believe? Or is the only Hell concocted in our minds? What do near death experiencers have to say about Hell? What religions besides Christianity preach about Hell? Is the message the same or different?

And most important for those little sizzlers out there like myself, how do we avoid Hell altogether?

Let's get into it.

Hell 101

Let's begin with a little Hell 101. Or for tender ears H-E-double hockey sticks. 

From Brittanica dot com comes this definition; "Hell, in many religious traditions, is the abode, usually beneath the earth, of the unredeemed dead or the spirits of the damned. In its archaic sense, the term hell refers to the underworld, a deep pit or distant land of shadows where the dead are gathered. From the underworld come dreams, ghosts, and demons, and in its most terrible precincts sinners pay—some say eternally—the penalty for their crimes. The underworld is often imagined as a place of punishment rather than merely of darkness and decomposition because of the widespread belief that a moral universe requires judgment and retribution—crime must not pay. More broadly, hell figures in religious cosmologies as the opposite of heaven, the nadir of the cosmos, and the land where God is not. In world literature the journey to hell is a perennial motif of hero legends and quest stories, and hell itself is the preeminent symbol of evil, alienation, and despair."

Show Sources (what to read/listen/watch NEXT)

What is Hell? from Brittanica.com

Peter Schuurman.com - The Problem with Saying We Go to Heaven

13 Locations Where You Can Travel to Hell and Back, TravelAtelier.com

17 Places That Are Actual Gates of Hell on Earth, Forbes

Send us Fan Mail

If you are searching for a fresh, binge-able podcast, this might be the one for you!

Support the show

Thanks for listening, reviewing, sharing, and giving support (even just good thoughts) to the show. It keeps me going. <3 Jennifer

Buy Curious Cat Podcast a Coffee!