It’s been a while! We're delighted to be back with you, especially to bring you this outstanding conversation with a thoughtful and brilliant guest. 

You can watch this episode ⁠here on our YouTube channel⁠

Examining some of what was shown in Steven Spielberg’s new movie Disclosure Day alongside the mainstream conversation around UFOs and contact experiences, if you've ever felt like something essential has been missing, this episode is for you.

In the interview, we sit down with philosopher and UAP researcher Dr. Kimberly S. Engels (Associate Professor of Philosophy at Molloy University and Research Director of the John Mack Institute) for a conversation that genuinely moved us.

Dr. Engels brings a unique and vital lens to anomalous phenomena. She shares her take on phenomenology, the philosophical study of lived experience as it actually appears to the person having it, before any attempt at explanation or categorization. This approach, she argues, isn't just academically interesting; it's also an ethical imperative for how we treat experiencers, whose credibility has been dismissed, pathologized, and flattened for far too long.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Why experiencer accounts deserve to be taken on their own terms. 
• What thousands of contact accounts reveal when you actually look. 
• The Trickster, indigenous wisdom, and rethinking non-human intelligence. 

About Dr. Kimberly S. Engels:

Associate Professor of Philosophy at Molloy University and Research Director of the John Mack Institute. Her work sits at the intersection of existentialism, ethics, phenomenology, and UAP research, with a particular focus on the lived conscious experience of contact experiencers and the new frameworks their accounts demand.

At Rice University, Dr. Engels and colleagues are using phenomenological coding and AI to analyze thousands of experiencer letters from the Whitley Strieber and John Mack collections;  the largest project of its kind.

Her new book, Contact and Multidimensional Subjectivity: Towards a Phenomenology of Disclosure (College Publications, Marked States series), is the culmination of years of research, phenomenological study, and her own deepening engagement with the phenomenon.  

Links & Resources on Dr. Engels and her work:

🔗 Dr. Engels' ⁠Academia.edu⁠:

📖 ⁠Contact and Multidimensional Subjectivity⁠ (book — purchase)

🛸 ⁠Embodied Disclosure⁠ — Join Dr. Engels' mailing list for salons, courses, and writings

Thank you for being part of this community. These conversations are for all of us.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

05:10 Childhood Curiosities: The Spark of Interest in the Paranormal

06:51 Philosophical Foundations: The Journey into UAP Research

09:40 The Impact of COVID on Research & Perspectives

11:58 Exploring Experiencer Narratives: Authenticity & Patterns

13:39 Understanding Authenticity of Experiencer Accounts

18:19 Limitations of Traditional Scientific Frameworks

20:16 A New Approach: Phenomenology & Experience

23:57 Importance of Describing Experiences in Research

29:16 Shamanic Worldviews: Indigenous Perspectives on UAP

33:36 Intersubjectivity: A New Lens for Understanding Experiences

39:37 Ethics & Experiencers

47:55 The Trickster Archetype in the Paranormal

01:01:04 Humor & Playfulness in Anomalous Experiences

01:10:41 Exploring Multidimensional Beings & Intentions

01:13:15 Experiencer Perspectives on Violations & Transformations

01:15:34 Importance of Understanding Experiencer Stories

01:16:14 Humor in Anomalous Experiences

01:25:30 Metadata Project at The Center For The Impossible

#UAP #UFO #Experiencers #NHI #Phenomenology #Consciousness #Alien #Disclosure #DisclosureDay #spirituality #paranormal #supernatural #telepathy #psychic #psi #abduction #philosophy #psychology #phenomenology

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

Make sure to check out Part 1 of this interview first (watching the video highly recommended)!

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive announcements, community calls, and early-bird discounts on offerings like our soon-to-be-announced retreat!

Guests

Annika & Tristan

Episode Description

If you thought Part 1 raised questions… Part 2 goes much deeper.

Annika & Tristan describe themselves as two souls sharing one physical body: a lived experience they call a “telepathic society of two.”

But in this second part of our conversation, the focus shifts from how they exist… to why they exist, and what it might mean for all of us.

They describe their experience as a glimpse into a form of consciousness where:

• Thoughts and emotions are shared directly
• Radical transparency replaces separation
• Telepathy is not unusual, but natural

According to them, this kind of connection requires something most humans struggle with: trust, vulnerability, and a deep capacity for love.

We explore:

• Why telepathy could transform human relationships, or destabilize them
• The role of fear vs. love in shaping consciousness and society
• Their experiences with non-human intelligence (NHI, or aliens) and anomalous phenomena
• Encounters with research institutions and the Intelligence Community (CIA)
• Whether others like them exist and why many remain hidden
• Consciousness as frequency, and the possibility of multiple layers of reality

They also speak candidly about their sense of purpose: to help people understand … and to move toward a more connected, less fear-driven way of being not just with fellow humans, but with the wider cosmos.

This is not just about two amazing individuals; it’s also a conversation about:
👉 identity
👉 consciousness
👉 the future of humanity

*********

Annika & Tristan’s story has drawn attention from Dr. Marina Weiler (whom we interviewed in Episode 18)!

Check out Annika & Tristan’s seven-part series of interviews with Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove on New Thinking Allowed.

*********

#consciousness #telepathy #psychology #science #alien #neurodiversity #paranormal

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

Subscribe & turn on alerts for the release of Part 2 of this interview!

Guests

Annika & Tristan

(You can watch the video version of this episode here!)

Episode Description

If you’re curious about neurodiversity, telepathy, parapsychology, and the deeper mysteries of consciousness and “the self,” this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Annika & Tristan are two souls sharing one physical body. While two distinct consciousnesses, they also share constant telepathy. Their story is not that of walk-in souls or DID (dissociative identity disorder). This episode of Fire In The Cosmos explores one of the most unusual cases discussed in modern parapsychology, which has drawn fascination from some of the most brilliant academic minds in the field. 

Annika & Tristan’s lived experience — what they describe as a “telepathic society of two” — raises profound questions about identity, mind, and what it actually means to be human. They describe how their shared embodiment began, how it unfolded over many years, and how they navigate everyday life together now. We also get into how they feel their path here is propelled forward by a passionate, shared mission here to better our world.

Watch through the end of this episode for a beautiful musical performance of an original song Annika & Tristan wrote together. This perfectly demonstrates their ability to share one instrument, one body, two streams of creative expression, and a deep, cosmic kind of love.

Annika & Tristan’s story has drawn attention from Dr. Marina Weiler (whom we interviewed in Episode 18)!

Check out Annika & Tristan’s seven-part series of interviews with Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove on New Thinking Allowed.

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

Guest: 

Marina Weiler, PhD

Assistant Prof. of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences 

University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies 

(You can watch the video version of this episode ⁠here⁠!)

********

Dr. Weiler is a Brazilian-American neuroscientist and Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS). She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil, with her doctoral research focused on fMRI biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease. 

Using tools such as EEGs, psychophysiology, and phenomenological interviews, her current research at DOPS bridges neuroscience, psychology, and consciousness science, with a focus on out-of-body experiences (OBEs), mediumship, remote viewing, and telepathy. 

In 2021, she was a runner-up award recipient in the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Research (BICS) essay contest for the best evidence of an afterlife. Marina is also a regular contributor to Psychology Today, where she writes the column “⁠Beyond the Ordinary⁠.” 

********

Marina’s Take on Varginha UFO Incident & Witnesses!

🎥 After this recording, Marina joined us at James Fox’s 1/20/26 Washington, DC Press Event on the Varginha, Brazil UFO incident. We spoke with her on the sidelines to get her take on that, and featured her comments and others’ in ⁠Episode 17⁠!

********

Episode Description

What if consciousness doesn’t end with the brain—and reality is bigger than we’ve been taught? 

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Marina Weiler, neuroscientist and researcher at the University of Virginia’s storied Division of Perceptual Studies, where science is exploring experiences most people are told can’t be real—many of which contain evidence supporting theories of non-locality in consciousness. 

We dive into real cases, as well as current and future research on veridical OBEs, reincarnation research, anomalous consciousness, and mediumship. 

The work being done by Marina and her colleagues isn’t pseudoscience, but careful, ethical scientific inquiry into the deepest mysteries of human experience. 

We explore: 

• Scientific research into experiences once dismissed as impossible 
• Veridical OBEs and what they suggest about consciousness beyond the body 
• The intersection of science, spirituality, and mental health 
• Why consciousness research may be entering a true paradigm shift 

This episode will challenge your worldview in the best way! 

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

To watch the video version of this, which includes several of our photos and video interviews, check it out on YouTube!

Guest Interviews

• Caren Gallaudet – Wife of Navy Rear Adm. (ret.) Tim Gallaudet

• Sarah Gamm – Former Ep. 5 Guest, formerly supported UAP Task Force

(Ep. 5, Pt. 1)

(Ep. 5, Pt. 2)

• (Science) Bob McGwier -- Former Chief Scientist, Hume Center

• Dr. Marina Weiler – Neuroscientist, University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies [A full interview about her work is airing on our channel in February 2026!]

• Mike D’Ambrosio – Former military, seeker

• John Von Blauch – Grand Prior of the US, Knights Templar Order of the Temple

Event Moderator & Panelists

o Karin Austin 

o James Fox

o Carlos De Sousa – Brazilian Witness

o Dr. Italo Venturelli – Brazilian Neurosurgeon

o Dr. Armando Fortunato – Brazilian Forensic Pathologist

o Brazilian Senator Eduardo Girão

o Kirk McConnell

o Col. Fred Claussen 

*********

We recorded our interviews in collaboration with Somewhere In The Skies! We will be going on their show for a livestream on Sunday, January 25 @ 5pm EST to discuss the James Fox Press Conference in more detail! Join us there and give them a follow (links below)!

*********

🔎 Episode Description

In this episode, we discuss our time at the UFO / UAP Press Conference in Washington, DC’s National Press Club, organized by James Fox—the filmmaker behind “Moment of Contact: New Revelations of Alien Encounters”—on January 20, 2026. We note a few bits of new information that came out of the event for those who have seen the film, and our feelings about how historic this all was for the experiencer community, showcased by the bravery of the Brazilian witnesses from the 1996 Varginha case!

In the second half, we featured short interviews we conducted with the guests above, many of whom offered profound perspectives on the witness testimony!

⁠NewsNation full Livestream of press conference⁠

*******

Somewhere In The Skies

Patreon

YouTube

Instagram

X

#Podcast #Paranormal #UFO #UFOs #NHI #Alien #Supernatural #uap #consciousness #telepathy #Brazil #varginha #congress #airforce #experiencer

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

*(BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PART 1 OF THE INTERVIEW!)*

Guest

Kevin Cann

*********

Episode Description

🌀 In Part 2 of this captivating interview with Kevin, we delve into the metaphysical connections between the Fae (Fairies / Faeries), the Otherworld, Grays & UFOs, exploring their profound interactions with humans, as documented by Kevin’s own experiences and initiated mystical contact. Kevin contextualizes all this through his Platonic Surrealism framework and cosmology. 

We also discuss the nuances and intersubjectivity of the phenomenon and contact experiences, as Kevin shares some never-before-publicized details from his experiences. Our conversation further touches on the Platonic Surrealist concept of Monads in relation to Awareness, symbiotic relationships with sentient plasma, death, and even fungi! 🌀

*********

Kevin Cann is the Founder of PlatonicSurrealism.com, a framework which integrates insights from philosophy, neuroscience, and lived experience into a practical system for wholeness and transcendence—without toxic cultural baggage. He teaches that AWARENESS and POTENTIALITY are the primal conditions of existence and offers tools for living with clarity, composure, and creative agency.

Kevin is the Author of Platonic Surrealism: A Modern Framework for Meaning Beyond Science and Religion: Underpinnings of Personal Transcendence

Kevin is the co-author of Chapter 3 of Jeffrey J. Kripal’s How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else, titled: “That They Are Not Human: Thinking on the Autistic Spectrum.”

He is also a retired nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy, and retired from the University of California as a systems engineer with more than 30 years of experience. He can be found on his YouTube channel "Platonic Surrealism."

*********

00:00 Introduction 

08:31 Understanding Cosmic Mitochondria 

11:52 Nature of Symbiosis 

14:29 The Phenomenon & Its Reality 

20:58 Real Disclosure: Plasma & Human Experimentation 

26:41 Sentience & Alien Life 

32:43 Interstellar Plasma & Communication 

38:23 Future of Human-Plasma Relations 

40:01 Existence of Alien Life Forms 

43:23 Monads & Higher Consciousness 

46:13 Role of Awareness & Agency 

59:26 Exploring the Fae Connection to Humanity 

01:09:31 Unified Theory of Physics 

01:15:24 Mystery of Black Triangle UFOs 

01:18:36 Experiencing the Otherworldly 

01:31:15 Summoning the UFO: A Personal Journey 

01:38:37 Interaction With the Fae 

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

*Subscribe & turn on alerts for the release of Part 2!*

*Guest*

Kevin Cann

*Important Content Warning:*

This episode contains explicit discussions of trauma, abuse, and suicide that may be triggering, especially for survivors. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you are in immediate distress, please seek help right away. In the U.S., contact 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

*********

Kevin Cann is the Founder of PlatonicSurrealism.com, a framework which integrates insights from philosophy, neuroscience, and lived experience into a practical system for wholeness and transcendence—without toxic cultural baggage. He teaches that AWARENESS and POTENTIALITY are the primal conditions of existence and offers tools for living with clarity, composure, and creative agency.

Kevin is the Author of Platonic Surrealism: A Modern Framework for Meaning Beyond Science and Religion: Underpinnings of Personal Transcendence

It can be purchased here for a whopping $5.99 ($1.99 on Kindle): https://a.co/gfv0b1c

Kevin is the co-author of the third chapter of Jeffrey J. Kripal’s How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else, titled: “That They Are Not Human: Thinking on the Autistic Spectrum.” He is also a retired nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy, and retired from the University of California as a systems engineer with more than 30 years of experience.

He can also be found on his YouTube channel "Platonic Surrealism": https://www.youtube.com/@UCQOIFxl-X8ZRLrLULzZVBpQ

*********

*Episode Description*

🌀 Folks, this is your quintessential deep, raw, and emotional experiencer episode, split into two parts. We do not shy away from the shadow here, and boy did Kevin explore the depths of his journey through abuse, trauma, resilience, and transmutation. In part 1 of this interview, this autistic nuclear engineer—who recently taught a course at the renowned Esalen Institute alongside Rice University’s Jeffrey J. Kripal, PhD—touches on his self-developed Platonic Surrealism framework, calling in UFOs, childhood encounters with Egyptian god-like shadow beings, religion, mysticism, Robert Monroe’s concept of “loosh” energy, symbiotic sentient bio-plasma, and who and what we truly are! In Kevin’s own words:
 
 “I knew that I was transcendent awareness from beyond space and time. I knew it always. So, no matter how hard the world was, I was still me. I always knew it. So, nothing could destroy me!” 🌀

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

Guest

Cheryl Hopkins

Cheryl is an intuitive astrologer, channel, and Programs Director at The Monroe Institute. For over 30 years, she has guided clients in validating their worth and remembering that they are spiritual beings having a physical experience. Her journey began through a chance astrological consultation that revealed the profound power of astrology as a tool for self-awareness and transformation. 

Since then, Cheryl has apprenticed with master teachers, studied with leading astrologers and metaphysical practitioners, and presented at conferences and Astrology University. She has also been featured on podcasts, radio shows, and online summits, offering heart-centered guidance that blends astrology with channeled guidance. At The Monroe Institute, Cheryl designs and directs programs that support consciousness exploration and personal awakening. Her mission is to help others reconnect with their soul essence, embrace their unique gifts, and live with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose. 

Contact her at [email protected] for astrological inquiries and monroeinstitute.org for information about Monroe Institute programs! 

******* 

Episode Summary 

In this interview, Cheryl Hopkins, an intuitive astrologer and Programs Director at The Monroe Institute, shares her journey of spiritual exploration and personal transformation. She discusses her early experiences with astrology and channeling, and the synchronistic journey that led her to The Monroe Institute, where she now designs programs that help individuals explore consciousness beyond the physical body. 

Cheryl emphasizes the importance of understanding one's spiritual essence and the transformative power of silence and meditation. The conversation also touches on the significance of astrological events, the evolution of consciousness, and the interconnectedness of humanity with the cosmos. Cheryl's insights highlight the potential for personal growth, the magic of synchronicities, and the importance of exploring and embracing one's unique gifts! 

******* 

Chapters

00:00 Intro 

04:22 Childhood Sensitivities & Intuition 

18:05 Experiencing Silence & Transformation 

29:22 The Impact of Silent Retreats 

39:31 Connecting With The Monroe Institute 

50:24 Exploring Focus Levels & Their Impact 

54:35 Starlines Series & Interdimensional Exploration 

57:52 Nature of Existence Beyond Physical Bodies 

01:01:55 Astrology & the Meaning of Life 

01:10:32 The Age of Aquarius & Its Implications 

01:15:39 Rise of Consciousness & Galactic Neighborhood 

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

This is a free teaser with clips from a 43-minute video & written commentary available exclusively to our paid Patreon supporters. Join our "Galaxy," "Cosmos," or "Benefactor" Tiers to access this and other forthcoming exclusive content, and support us so we can bring you more goodies like this!

 ⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/FireInTheCosmos⁠ 

This will be the first in a multimedia series we are creating that will give you a peek into some of our more interesting gatherings, events, and friends! Think of this as a diary or journal that we look forward to sharing with you to encourage more community-building (with appropriate discernment) in these spaces, and to show the public how it's possible to engage in and pursue meaningful dialogue outside of your phones or computers screens.

***You can view ⁠⁠the video version of this ⁠on our YouTube channel! 

✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ 

On Saturday, September 27, 2025, friends of ours in the ufology/Disclosure community gathered at the home of Dr. Brannon Wheeler and his warm-hearted wife and fellow professor, Deb. Brannon is a member of the Visible College, and a professor at the US Naval Academy who teaches history of religion, and more recently, a few UFO courses! He is a highly intelligent polyglot whose primary focus has been on the Middle East, authoring 11 books so far, and whose language skills extend to some of the world’s most ancient. Anthony was introduced to Brannon by Juan Feria and “Steve,” who were featured in Part 1 of our “Old Gods” panel discussion, last year because of his interest in NHI contact experiences and how those relate to historical instances of “contact” across many of the world’s religious traditions. In fact, he sat down with Anthony for an in-depth discussion over Zoom eagerly listening to his first major experience on his contact protocol, proving his sincere passion for the topic, and quickly easing any apprehension Anthony had over meeting someone from the Naval Academy speaking to experiencers. 

Brannon presented a plenary talk at Stuart Hameroff’s renowned The Science of Consciousness (TSC) conference in Barcelona this past July 2025 alongside Ross Coulthart – the first time a talk about UAP was presented in the conference’s 34-year history – where Sinéad had the pleasure of also meeting Brannon & Deb!  

Although Sinéad could not attend the Sept. 27 gathering, Anthony and several friends were able to attend, including experiencers, scientists, and scholars – even a few friends who were in the US Space Economy Inter-Agency Working Group launched by Dr. Anna Brady-Estevez, formerly of the National Science Foundation!  

Anthony sat down for one-on-one informal chats with a few attendees about their personal and professional thoughts and perspectives on current pressing topics in the UAP community. The identities of the members of the former Working Group have been kept hidden, and their voices masked, for their own professional protection -- while they have done some great work to break the stigma surrounding this field, there is still more work to be done! Given the variety of professional backgrounds, qualifications, and experience among these folks, these casual chats are rich in thought-provoking content; conversations flowed naturally into the interconnected avenues of science, friendship & community, discernment, belief, religion, spirituality, and the ongoing mystery of reality and anomalous phenomena.   

Interview Guests: 

🎥 (0:00) Prof. Brannon Wheeler 

🎙️ (3:00) Guest X – member of the former US Space Economy Inter-Agency Working Group 

🎙️ (5:30) Guest Y – member of the former US Space Economy Inter-Agency Working Group 

🎥 (7:25) Juan Feria – experiencer, ex-Marine, founder of Texas

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!

Guest

Joshua Cutchin

A full-time author and musician, Joshua has appeared on 100s of paranormal programs such as Coast to Coast AM and is regularly invited to speak at paranormal conferences about his work. He is the author of 9 books, including 2022's critically-acclaimed two-part series Ecology of Souls: A New Mythology of Death & the Paranormal. His latest book, Fourth Wall Phantoms: Reflections on the Paranormal, Narrative, and Fictions Becoming Fact, was released in April 2025.

In addition to his own books, Joshua also regularly contributes to essay collections, most recently Dr. Jack Hunter’s Deep Weird (2023) and Dr. Simon Young’s The Cottingley Fairies (2024). He has appeared on the hit History Channel television series Ancient Aliens and was featured in 2024’s breakout UFO documentary, Cosmosis. He is a regular guest on the Where Did the Road Go? podcast and can be found at JoshuaCutchin.com.

*******

Episode Summary

In this thought-provoking episode of Fire in the Cosmos, we delve into the intersection of fiction, myth, and legend with the paranormal, the supernatural, and the mystical! Josh takes us on a meandering ontological journey into the ecology of the anomalous, hierarchical realities, and co-created experience as we examine what the wider body of data on the extraordinary — unshackled from a reductionist, materialist paradigm — could suggest about our relationship with the world(s) around us! Get ready for a steady dose of fairies, Bigfoot, death, deities, aliens, and UFOs; and this time around, add in a dash of consciousness!

*******

References

• ⁠Josh’s website⁠ -- (Books, events, info)
• “⁠The Soul is a UFO⁠: Understanding and Embracing Transcendence” @ Esalen

********

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Josh’s Work

07:59 The Influence of Movies and Monsters

10:58 Childhood Experiences and Early Interests

16:01 Evolution of Thought on Paranormal Phenomena

21:49 The Role of Fear and Transformation

24:43 Understanding Anomalous Ecology

35:01 Exploring Fourth Wall Phantoms and Mythology

40:54 The Misunderstanding of Myths and Fairy Tales

42:37 The Intersection of AI and UFO Phenomena

45:40 Authority Structures and Reality Manipulation

49:47 The Nature of Phenomena and Collective Consciousness

51:18 Human Evolution and Expanded Consciousness

54:38 Art, Transformation, and the Human Experience

01:02:04 Theatricality of Reality and the Role of the Audience

Last but not least: If these conversations matter to you, please consider supporting us!

📲👍🏽🔔 Please rate, follow, and turn on alerts for our podcast to stay up to date with our releases, and we encourage you to ask questions and give us feedback and thoughts in the comments section!

🗣️ The Fire In The Cosmos can only be kindled through an open dialogue on all these topics, so we want this to be a space where YOUR voice can also be heard!

To support us please join our ⁠Patreon⁠ & follow us on our socials!

⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (To watch our episodes) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠

• 📩 Substack coming soon — stay tuned!