Phenomena

It's a Skunk! It's an Ape! It's an Okeechobee wook (my personal theory)! Whatever it is, it's wandering into people's back yards and stealing their apples. Meet the Skunk Ape, Florida's very own cryptid. First "spotted" in the 1970s, with a historical ancestor dating back to as early as the 1800s, and a most recent appearance in July of 2000, the Skunk Ape likes to comes back out into the limelight every now and then to get some recognition being the smelliest cryptid alive. What do you believe? Comment below!PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow @clio_official_ for some awesome K-Beauty Makeup, specifically their amazing mascara!

Black Cats weren't always bad. It actually wasn't until some weird Catholic church document stating an odd black cat butthole kissing ritual was found and cited that #blackcats turned into black magick #witch companions and thus, linked with the devil. But that's just in Western traditions. According to some Eastern traditions like Japan, black #cats were actually viewed as good luck charms! So I guess it's all about perspective. So let's choose to adopt the more favorable #myth of the black cat so we can get these little black kitties more homes! Who knows, maybe they can even bring you good luck like the Maneki-neko :)PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow  @thewoodcarvingman8104  on YouTube and @woodcarvingman on instagram for awesome handmade woodworking crafts.

Mermaids. Often depicted as human top half, fish bottom half. Where did they come from? Were they gods before anything? Did they evolve as fish people, while people with legs evolved to be on land? Who knows. All I know is that it's really fun to play #mermaids in a pool and there are even real life people who play mermaids for a living! Which I think is actually really awesome. At least that's in a pool and not in the ocean where it's dark and scary. PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow @prinxe_425 on instagram and book your next spooky horror photoshoot with him!! He's hands down the best horror photographer out there.

Did we hear from outer space? Or did she just answer the phone after we rang so many times? How reliable is the WOW Signal anyway? It's pretty interesting to think that SOMETHING caused the signal, we just don't know what it means or where it came from or how long ago or anything lol. Outerspace is wild and unknown and I don't personally care to know it because it if wanted to be known she'd make it easier to decode her lol. Anywho, lmk what your thoughts on the WOW Signal are! Had you heard of it before? And more importantly, do you think it's real? PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow @houseofthewildwitch on instagram for amazing fairy anatomy drawings!

If you saw a streak of light crash into a nearby hill, would you run toward it? Or gather as many people as possible to #investigate? I will say, I’m impressed the mother whose kids said they saw something crash into the hill thought to gather more people to see what happened, because the more people that can corroborate your story, the more believable it becomes, right? The #flatwoods monster quickly became national news, with both believers and #skeptics coming up with their own explanations. Which side of the fence are you on?PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow  @alexandergladun  on YouTube and Instagram and check out his website! He's a talented After Effects animator who makes fun little loop animations and is also responsible for the little dog in our  @BestInShowPodcast  intro!

How much do you know about #Alcatraz or the, for lack of a better word, ICONIC #escape? Do you know how crafty the men who escaped got? How meticulous their plan was? How well rehearsed and planned everything had to be for it to work? Alcatraz is on an island a mile and some change away from any land mass, to have to navigate those freezing waters must have been crazy! Honestly, I think I need to believe they made it so it doesn’t feel like their effort went to waste cus they deserved to put their talents to USE damnit. Let us know what you think! PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow @sungoddesspiderqueen on Instagram and YouTube and learn Japanese from her!! She is an amazing teacher. Can't recommend her enough :)

A little blue glowing light seems to beckon you across a swamp. Every step you take forward, it appears to push that same amount in a certain direction. So what are you to do but follow it? Will-O-The-Wisps have been part of European #folklore for several generations, with each country coming up with their own lore to explain them. Many even point to #fairy, gnome and even imp involvement. But what are they really? Check out this week's episode of Phenomena where we dive into the lore and theories surrounding #willothewisps. PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow @nhim.art on instagram! They're the artist behind the Mimi comics (which I recently discovered and I SWEAR they're about me? Idk it's bizarre lol but amazing nonetheless so go support!!

Do you consider #werewolves scary? You may not, given their somewhat recent rebrand as teen sensational #monsters , but the #lore behind the werewolf is far more gruesome than you may have thought. Join us as we walk through the possible historical lore behind the concept of werewolves and why they should in fact, be feared (hint: it's an allegory for toxic masculinity!)PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow @_p_i_g_m_e_n_t_ on instagram if you want to admire some incredible wig art. I've truly never seen something so cool in my LIIIFE. It's so good.

Skinwalker Ranch is home to many more entities than just #skinwalkers . #aliens and UFOs, #paranormal poltergeists, eerie cattle experiments and even werewolves (the topic of next week’s episode!) have been spotted here. So what is it about this place that invites all the phenomena to make an appearance? A Phenomena convention of sorts? Whatever the case, the History Channel apparently has a new show about it so let me know if you watch it and what else you learn (because tbh I more than likely won’t watch it lol).PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow and download @ecosia! The perfect Google Chrome alternative that plants trees with its ad money. It's honestly awesome, I can't recommend it enough. So glad Jodell recommended it!

Statues carved from volcanic tuff (a porous solidified ash) stand tall, even thousands of year later, to guard the island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. The Rapa Nui Moai ( #easterisland #moai ) are prodigious monuments to high chiefs, known as Ariki, embued with mana to stand guard over the island. As well as something boardering on the #supernatural perhaps? This week we dive into the #theories behind why the Moai were constructed, and debunk some theories that write off the hard work, resilience and culture of the #rapanui people. PHENOMANNOUNCEMENTS: Follow @thefilterbaby on instagram for visibly better skin and hair! LA water has pretty hard and harsh water, cleaned with tons of chemicals, so filterbaby's 4 filters helps turn your hard water into soft water that's easy on your skin and actually allows water's hydrating properties to have an affect!