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Recorded live at Spotify Studios: get ready for a spellbinding adventure as Paul and Stephen dive into the mystical world of alchemy and black magic with Lodge 49 creator Jim Gavin! Ever heard of the shadowy figure Comenius or the immortal legends of like Joan of Arc and Saint Germain? 

Well, buckle up because we’re throwing in scorpios, the mysterious Voynich Manuscript, and, of course, a dash of sexy black magic. And what’s trending among the youngins? It might just be Wiccan Paganism making an epic comeback! 

History, mystery, and a splash of imagination collide as you’ll be left wondering: who really was Fulcanelli? Tune in for the answers!

Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

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🧙‍♂️✨👺

Join Paul and Stephen on a wild ride through forgotten lore, secret societies, and the mystical world of alchemy recorded live at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles! Our hosts join forces with special guest Jim Gavin, creator of Lodge 49 and novelist extraordinaire. The trio unravels the hidden links between the Masons and the Templars, delving into their evolution from Europe’s first bankers to whispered accusations of witchcraft and Satanism. 

But that’s just the beginning! Jim sheds light on the two faces of alchemy—philosophical and chemical—guiding us through the quest for the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. Plus, meet Paracelsus, the eccentric Swiss wanderer who swapped cow dung for cleanliness in medicine and became a pioneer of modern hygiene.

And if you think that’s wild, wait until you hear about the bizarre first step to creating life—using petrified sperm, a gourd, and a horse’s womb to make a homunculus! Curious? You should be.

Chin-Word of the Week: ROSICRUCIANISM

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

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🐲🐲🐲

Join Paul and Stephen for a wild, off-the-rails Q&A session at their live taping in Portland! Brace yourself as they tackle burning questions like: What will future myths look like? What exactly is a eunuch? And which creature made its debut in cave paintings?

Things get Freudian fast—yes, that kind of Freudian—and just when you think it can’t get weirder, the conversation turns to John Mack’s mind-bending book Passport to the Cosmos. Oh, and dragons! Because, obviously, dragons. But wait…is that David Lynch in the audience, or are we all just collectively hallucinating?

Hold onto your seats, because this Q&A is about to go sideways!

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

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👿👿👿

Recorded live from Portland’s Revolution Hall, Paul and Stephen are back with part two of their deep dive into myth and mayhem!

This time, they unravel the wild legend of the Minotaur. Starting on the ancient Island of Crete, they trace the rise of King Minos, Queen Pasiphae’s bizarre infatuation with a divine bull, and the birth of the fearsome Minotaur, Asterius. You’ll get the full story of how Daedalus crafted the labyrinth to imprison the beast. Later, our hosts chase after other mythical beasts like the Aspidochelone, chat a bit about dragons, and even take a detour into the chilling world of H.H. Holmes and his notorious murder castle.

We’ve got dark myths, strange creatures, and endless intrigue—you won’t want to miss it!

Chin-word of the week: ASPIDOCHELONE

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

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🦄🪄🦏

Welcome to another thrilling episode of Chinwag recorded live at Portland's Revolution Hall! Today, Paul and Stephen dive into the enchanting world of magical creatures and cryptids. We're talking platypuses, narwhals, and, of course, unicorns! 

Paul reveals the unicorn’s ancient roots, the laziness of the chimera…and that unicorn horn was the first Viagra (really!?) And….is the narwhal’s horn really just a tooth growing out of its head? 

Join us for this CHINWAG LIVE into the unknown!

Chin-word of the week: BLEMMYES

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

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☄️🔭👽

Paul and Stephen are joined by illustrious theoretical physicist, Harvard Professor and space detective, Avi Loeb. And if you think you know his POV already, you may be surprised! Get ready for a cosmic journey as Professor Loeb shares his insights on the mysteries of the universe and the search for extraterrestrial life. 

Why, pray tell, isn’t Professor Loeb thrilled about eclipses? And are aliens actually more advanced than us? Here’s a thought: if they find us first, they're probably the smarter ones! And later, what’s the deal with the mysterious space object Oumuamua? What could explain an object with no evaporation, gas, or dust around it, seemingly pushed by a mysterious force from another solar system? 

All this and a download of Loeb’s books Extraterrestrial and Interstellar. Why does the idea of intelligent life beyond Earth challenge conventional thinking and spark such intense debate in the scientific community? Tune in for a galactic Chinwag that will leave you starstruck!

Chin-word of the week: SPECTROMETER

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

Avi Loeb is a renowned astrophysicist and author of the groundbreaking books Extraterrestrial and Interstellar, exploring the scientific search for alien life. He is a Professor of Science at Harvard University, founding director of The Black Hole Initiative and has published over 700 research articles.

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This week, one of Paul and Stephen’s favorite Chinwags: Killer Psyche podcast host, Candice DeLong. Candice spent two decades in the FBI as a criminal profiler tracking serial killers and working such notorious cases as the Unabomber and the Chicago Tylenol Murders. Paul and Stephen explore the terrifying and tactical world of tracking murderers with Candice and learn that even psychopaths suffer career burnout. 

Bonus: learn about predictive behaviors of serial killers (bed-wetting?!), Ted Bundy’s prison romance, and a key negotiating tip that could save your life!

Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer.

Candice DeLong is a former FBI criminal profiler. Listen to her podcast Killer Psyche anywhere you get your podcasts. 

And check out Candice’s latest podcast, Natural Selection: Scott v. Wild Bill.

It is the true story of a wealthy American retiree framed for multiple murders in the tropical expat hideaway of Bocas Del Toro, Panama. His accuser? A fugitive con man turned serial killer named William “Wild Bill” Holbert. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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🛸🛸🛸

Paul and Stephen are joined by intrepid investigative journalist Leslie Kean — the very journalist who broke the groundbreaking 2017 UFO story to The New York Times and introduced the world to the Pentagon’s UFO videos. Leslie unveils the intriguing story of Luis Elizondo, the former head of the Pentagon program responsible for the investigation of UFOs—now known as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).

Elizondo released groundbreaking videotapes of pilots' first-hand encounters with UFOs, including the white “Tic Tac” shaped unidentified flying object the public often sees alongside news stories of UFOs. Leslie recounts how Elizondo actually found documentation from the 1940s and 50s that describe the same Tic-Tac shaped objects, and discusses the existence of underwater submerged objects, adding a whole new depth to the UFO narrative. And did you know that official, legislated language has expanded to include sightings of this broader phenomena? Then, Jacques Vallee’s and Carl Jung’s perspective on extraterrestrials, and does anyone think these are literally aliens or another unexplained psychological phenomenon? Famed UFO expert Budd Hopkins and Harvard Psychiatrist John Mack get their due, and where does Leslie stand on alien abduction phenomena?

Later, the trio dive into accounts from individuals who claim to have had extraterrestrial experiences. Is whistleblower David Grusch more reliable than Bob Lazar? And what motivated the Department of Defense to create the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)?

Tune in to this thrilling Chinwag with Leslie Kean and dive into the ocean of UAPs and soar high into the cosmos of possibilities!

Chin-word of the Week: ANOMALOUS

Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

Leslie Kean is an investigative journalist who co-authored a series of groundbreaking stories on UFOs for The New York Times from 2017 to 2022. She is the author of two books: UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record and Surviving Death: A Journalist Investigates Evidence For An Afterlife which was turned into a Netflix docuseries.

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Under the shadow of the full moon at the Boston Armory, Paul and Stephen tackle beastly audience questions in this live recording of Chinwag.

Ever wondered why cats are such mysterious predators, or if Bela Lugosi really donned werewolf fur? The conversation shifts to popular culture’s take on werewolves, the impact of Twilight on werewolf culture, and Paul's musings on whether his role in The Holdovers is a reverse werewolf. And which of Paul’s roles stands as his all-time favorite? 

Later, Paul and Stephen dive into national park disappearances and bizarre phenomena like feet washing up on the shore. Check for the full moon and stash your silver bullets because this is an episode you’ll want to sink your teeth into.

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

🐺🐺🐺

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