Tracing Owls

The Cosmic Witch herself joins to conjure up some high strangeness!

Susan is a researcher, experiencer, practicing witch, author of Cosmic Witch, and contributor to the Ufology Tarot project as well as Dr. Hunter's new book Deep Weird! Heck, once upon a time she even investigated UFOs for the Canadian military! 

Nowadays however, she immerses herself in the subtle and peaceful magical wonders of an Italian countryside, researching, blogging, and preparing an upcoming book detailing her efforts to replicate the Philip experiment and conjure an imaginary UFO via the power of sheer will! 

Yes, you read that right. Yes... this episode is going to be a wild ride! 😁

Grab a fresh-off-the-press copy of Deep Weird: The Varieties of High Strangeness Experience HERE

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Susan Demeter for being one of the nicest yet also the coolest people I had the pleasure of speaking with ❤️

Grab a copy of her book Cosmic Witch HERE

Follow Susan on Instagram @cosmicwitch23 Twitter @SusanDemeter or Facebook at @susandemeterauthor

Check out her website as well at susandemeter.com

You can purchase Deep Weird: The Varieties of High Strangeness Experience HERE

Check out the amazing Ufology Tarot project on their Kickstarter

...or by following the Twitter hashtag #UfologyTarot

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Intro sampled from "Something strange lurks in the shadows" by Francisco Sánchez (@fanchisanchez)

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Theresa shares her experiences traversing the dreamscape: a land of creativity, self-reflection and even messages from beyond the veil!

A long-time lucid dreamer, part-time fire dancer, and founder of The Weirdo Collective, Theresa enjoys supporting independent creators, building community, teaching natural observation skills, and promoting diversity in Weird spaces.

We spend the episode freezing in the harsh Minnesotan winter while also sharing our experiences with lucid dreaming, empathic and prophetic dream messages, shadow work, as well as our views on personal identity and its role in the ecosystem around us.

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Theresa for providing a glimpse into the inner working of her own mind, and sharing the importance of personal identity ❤️

Check out her amazing new website weirdocollective.com

Follow her on Twitter @FireBUnicorn or Mastodon @[email protected]

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Intro sampled from "Something strange lurks in the shadows" by Francisco Sánchez (@fanchisanchez)

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Dr. Jack Hunter returns to inject us with a deep dose of high strangeness!

His new book "Deep Weird: The Varieties of High Strangeness Experience" emphasizes the diversity and complexity of paranormal experiences, attempting to uncover the deep threads which tie them all together.

Today we sat down to chat about the nuances of paranormal studies in academia, how the boggle threshold influences and reduces our scope of research, the limitations of mainstream parapsychology, and how we may construct new experimental models that emphasize the complex ecosystem with which we co-create phenomena!

Grab a fresh-off-the-press copy of Deep Weird: The Varieties of High Strangeness Experience HERE

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Dr. Jack Hunter for being such a nice, open and thoughtful guest! I had an amazing time shattering my boggle threshold and exploring the convoluted depths of weirdness with his newest book!

Follow Dr. Hunter on Instagram @drjackhunter or Facebook at DrJackHunter

Check out his website as well at jack-hunter.webstarts.com

You can purchase Deep Weird: The Varieties of High Strangeness Experience HERE

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Send us suggestions and comments to [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @tracingowls or Twitter @TracingOwls

Check our Linktree: linktr.ee/tracingowls

Intro sampled from "Something strange lurks in the shadows" by Francisco Sánchez (@fanchisanchez)

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

For another philosophical discussion, check out Rick Palmer's podcast Some Other Sphere! I guested on their newest episode today where we discussed the Gaia hypothesis, how I started to realize its value for the Fortean sphere, and the importance of symbology in shaping our perception of the universe.

Listen to it on: Episode 93 - Vuk (Tracing Owls Podcast) - Gaia Theory

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Rick Palmer for having me guest on his show!

Check out his podcast, Some Other Sphere HERE

Follow their podcast on Twitter @Spherical_Pod

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This is a republish of my original episode Gaia Theory & The Control-System Hypothesis, published on April 9th 2022.

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FURTHER READING:

On “Baiting” the UFO Trickster & the Control-System Hypothesis

Gaia Hypothesis - An Overview | ScienceDirect

Gaia hypothesis | Wikipedia

Jungian archetypes | Wikipedia

Lawrence E. Joseph (1991): Gaia: The Growth of an Idea. St Martins Pr

Dawn Prince-Hughes (2000): The Archetype of the Ape-Man: The Phenomenological Archaeology of a Relic Hominid Ancestor. Dissertation.Com

Mowen, Thomas & Heitkamp, Amanda & Boman, John. (2021). Paranormal Activity: Self-control Theory and Belief in the Paranormal. Deviant Behavior. 1-15. 10.1080/01639625.2021.1915723.

Markovsky, Barry & Thye, Shane. (2001). Social Influence on Paranormal Beliefs. Barry N. Markovsky. 44. 10.1525/sop.2001.44.1.21.

Mishlove, Jeffrey & Engen, Brendan. (2007). Archetypal Synchronistic ResonanceA New Theory of Paranormal Experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology - J HUM PSYCHOL. 47. 223-242. 10.1177/0022167806293006.

Alan ends the month expanding our minds with an open-ended discussion on consciousness, manifestation and co-creation!

As the host of Mystic Lounge, and creator of the Half Light documentary, Alan has spoken with some of the greatest minds in spirituality and the paranormal. Hey, he even had me on as a guest!

After a miscommunication in scheduling, we ended up recording completely unprepared, so as expected in such a situation we ended up chatting about focusing one's intent, the reality-changing influence of mere thoughts and language, our role in the overarching cosmic consciousness, and how each of us together may contribute towards manifesting and co-creating a more positive paranormal!

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Alan B. Smith for sharing his optimistic outlook and helping co-create a more positive paranormal ❤️

Check out his podcast Mystic Lounge HERE or his YouTube channel @MysticLounge

Watch his documentary HALF LIGHT HERE

Follow him on Instagram @paranormalnow or on Twitter @Paranormal_Now

Check out my appearance on his show: Gaia Hypothesis and Weird Alien Ideas | Are We Part of an Interconnected Living Organism?

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Send us suggestions and comments to [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @tracingowls or Twitter @TracingOwls

Check our Linktree: linktr.ee/tracingowls

Intro sampled from "Something strange lurks in the shadows" by Francisco Sánchez (@fanchisanchez)

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Utilizing sexy analogies, I attempt to reveal the hidden eroticism of the paranormal experience, and how our persistent efforts to compile evidence of the same reduces it to an objectified pornography!

Are we voyeuristically obsessed with peeping into the experiences of others? Is photographic evidence just a soulless masturbatory husk of the actual experience? And why do we prefer to pleasure ourselves with indirect quickies instead of opening up to the real thing?

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Paranormal investigator Alex Matsuo helps shed light on various ethical issues within the ghost hunting field!

Alex advocates for inclusivity and ethical practice within the world of mainstream paranormal investigation, as well as addressing instances of misconduct and hoaxing which arise in the community way too often.

Today we joined forces (and frustrations) to discuss issues of sexism within the field and their roots in the Spiritualism movement, the obscure history of the not-so-savory concept of "ghost hunting", cultural appropriation within popular ghost hunting tropes, as well as the questionable power dynamics within the field which often may encourage abuse and exploitation.

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Alex Matsuo for openly shedding light on various ethical issues within the community which go largely unacknowledged. She is the strong badass sister the community needs ❤️

Follow Alex on Twitter @TheSpookyStuff , Instagram @thespookystuff or TikTok @thespookystuff

Visit her website alexmatsuo.com

Visit her Amazon page and grab a copy of one of her amazing books!

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Send us suggestions and comments to [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @tracingowls or Twitter @TracingOwls

Check our Linktree: linktr.ee/tracingowls

Intro sampled from "Something strange lurks in the shadows" by Francisco Sánchez (@fanchisanchez)

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Rick opens up like never before, juggling his conflicting desires for belief against the rejection of his prior faith!

As the host of Spooks, Creeps and Assorted Devilry Podcast, as well as the admin of many Facebook groups, Rick actively engages in community building within the paraweird sphere, despite his personal doubts towards the reality of everything he desperately yearns for.

He shares his struggles with his former faith, finding a sense of belonging within the cryptid world, and how this sent him down a path of becoming a optimistic and hopeful skeptic.

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Rick Belcher for sharing his personal journey and numerous conflictions which mold him into a very nuanced and kind community-builder. Hopefully one day Bigfoot reciprocates his love and manifests before Rick... though via a portal!

Check out his podcast "Spooks, Creeps & Assorted Devilry" HERE

Follow the podcast on Instagram @spookscreepspod and Twitter @SpooksCreepsPod

Join their amazing Facebook Group and get some awesome merch from RedBubble

If you desire cute cryptid plushies, check out our mutual friend Cryptid Comforts

...and if you want some awesome cryptid masks, check out Seymour's Captive Cryptids 

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Send us suggestions and comments to [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @tracingowls or Twitter @TracingOwls

Check our Linktree: linktr.ee/tracingowls

Intro sampled from "Something strange lurks in the shadows" by Francisco Sánchez (@fanchisanchez)

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Blake and Karen help debunk dismissive presumptions by advocating the relevancy of paranormal skepticism in today's world!

As the hosts of MonsterTalk, the long-running science show about monsters, they have interviewed a plethora of academics who research belief in monsters from a social science viewpoint, despite modern skepticism's tendency towards rationalism and reductionist-materialism.

But if monsters don't exist, why are we still talking about them, and what can they actually teach us?

Blake and Karen make the case for monsters as gateways towards scientific thought, sources of historical and cultural insight, and personifications which help us form our own beliefs and suspicions.

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Blake Smith and Dr. Karen Stollznow for this amazing and insightful conversation, as well as all the support and kind reception they provide our community of small indie creators ❤️

Check out their podcast MonsterTalk HERE or on monstertalk.org

For extra content check their YouTube channel, or if you wish to hear more F-bombs check their Patreon as well.

And grab yourself an amazing book by Dr. Karen Stollznow via her Amazon page, or visit her website karenstollznow.com

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Send us suggestions and comments to [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @tracingowls or Twitter @TracingOwls

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Intro sampled from "Something strange lurks in the shadows" by Francisco Sánchez (@fanchisanchez)

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Lindsay shares her research into the sad story of an abused woman lost to history and falsely mythologized as a monster.

TRIGGER WARNING: This is a very harsh, very sad episode about abuse, racism, mistreatment of women, child loss and a whole plethora of ethical issues which led cryptid nuts, scientists, and even the public to label an abuse victim as not just less than human... but a Yeti of all things! 

We shed light on a very important topic, as we attempt to bring back the humanity to a voice which was never heard.

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Huge THANK YOU!!! to Lindsay Valenty from Ye Olde Crime Podcast for pulling through this terrible topic and helping shed light on an important story that should be told ❤️

Check out her podcast Ye Olde Crime HERE

Follow them on Twitter @yeoldecrimepod , Instagram @yeoldecrimepodcast or TikTok @yeoldecrimepodcast

Check out their own episode on the Zana controversy Episode 73: Zana the Yeti

...or even Episode 85: Bigfoot-Choctaw War of 1855

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FURTHER READING: 

Margaryan, Ashot & Sinding, Mikkel-Holger & Carøe, Christian & Yamshchikov, Vladimir & Burtsev, Igor & Gilbert, M.. (2021). The genomic origin of Zana of Abkhazia. Advanced Genetics. 2. 10.1002/ggn2.10051. 

DNA Test Suggests Russian Apewoman Zana Was Truly A Yeti | Tech Times

Was Russian 'Bigfoot' actually an African slave? - Channel 4

Zana's Story | Medium

Is this Raantas akin to Zana? | Greater Kashmir

Zana - Cryptid Wiki - Fandom

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Send us suggestions and comments to [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @tracingowls or Twitter @TracingOwls

Check our Linktree: linktr.ee/tracingowls

Intro sampled from "Something strange lurks in the shadows" by Francisco Sánchez (@fanchisanchez)

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com