Season One - Spectral Skull Session

Season One | October - December, 2020

#1 - Tulpas

This show dissects weird phenomena – psychics, hauntings, conspiracy theories, alien abductions, the New Age and occult – and attempts to explain them, without explaining them away. The first episode answers all your questions about those mysterious beings allegedly brought to life entirely through the power of the human mind, the so-called ‘tulpas‘. We follow stories of tulpas from the nether regions of Reddit to the highlands of Tibet.

Locating the phenomena in a space of possibilities that includes imagination, suggestion, placebo, ideomotor action, the unconscious, and even demonic possession, we shed light on why people throughout history have felt that they can bring beings to life through thought and belief alone.

#2 - Stinkfoot

In Episode Two, the Spectral Skull Session continues as your hosts turn their investigatory powers to the world of cryptozoology. In this weeks’ episode, we discuss sightings of a North American Bigfoot-like creature distinguished by its foul odor: the Stinkfoot! Members of the Stinkfoot family include the “Swamp Ape” of Florida and the “Missouri Monster.” Could the Stinkfoot be a hoax, a rogue monkey, or Florida Man in disguise? Come along with us as we explore the possibilities!

#3 - Machine Elves

DMT is a powerful hallucinogen known for triggering encounters with mysterious entities, sometimes dubbed “Machine Elves.” Chris & Dane explore the supremely weird stratum of psychedelic lore surrounding the Machine Elves in this far-out episode. The discussion ranges from clinical research on psychedelic usage to the early writings of famed DMT-enthusiast, Terrence McKenna. Are the Machine Elves real? Does DMT have the power to put us in contact with another dimension? Come along with us as we explore the possibilities!

#5 - Pentagon UFO (UAV) Investigations

When U.S. naval pilots began capturing video confirmation of Unidentified Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the early 21^st century, the U.S. government mobilized to assess the apparent threat to America’s military operators. Could UAVs be software glitches, terrestrial drones, a Pentagon disinformation campaign, or something even more sinister? Chris & Dane comprehensively review the past three years of public news and declassified intelligence about the military’s growing interest in the UAV phenomena. Critically evaluating every possibility, we present the best evidence available in human history that shows there is something seriously strange happening in America’s skies.

#6 - Exorcisms

A quick trip to the Church bathroom turns into deliverance; a Don Juan forms an unholy alliance of sorts; grandma’s haunted bedroom. Chris and Dane map the possible explanations for exorcisms in this hell-raising episode!

#9 - Astrology

We are made of star stuff, orbiting a star, and dependent on that star. Does it not follow that stars rule our destiny? To explore that question, Chris and Dane unpack the case for astrology. After the team delves into the fundamentals of drawing up your horoscope, Chris discusses the possible role of seasonal change in explaining astrological signs. Dane speculates that astrology originated with ancient warring interplanetary civilizations.

#10 - The Bridgewater Triangle

Great evil has taken place in the southeastern corner of Massachusetts. The swamps have been the site of brutal combat and staggering betrayal. Violent cults have stalked the forests. It should come as no surprise that this is one of North America’s most haunted places. Chris and Dane outline the region with a constellation of stories about phantom hitchhikers, giant snakes, thunderbirds, UFOs, pukwudgies, ghostly fires, and native spirits. What is taking place in the Massachusetts wilderness? Is this simply a case of bad memories yet to be forgotten? Or is it something more sinister?

#11 - Psychedelic Mystery Beer Cults

Was the classical world bound together by a potent hallucinogen? Chris and Dane discuss Brian C. Muraresku’s New York Times best-selling book, “The Immortality Key: The Secret History of The Religion With No Name.” Muraresku argues that the Hellenistic world orbited around a mystery cult whose central ritual involved hallucinogenic beer. After assessing the evidence for ritualistic narcotic usage by the ancient Greeks, Chris and Dane shift the conversation to the nature of psychoactive spirituality and the possibility that America’s increasingly permissive attitude towards psychedelics could herald an imminent spiritual revival.

Link to Episode 11 Show Notes

#12 - Galactic Federation or Fraudulation?

The episode begins with an international news round-up of UFOs and otherworldly visitations from the USA, France, and Israel. Next, Dane outlines French scientist & UFOlogist Jacques Vallée’s arguments against the extraterrestrial hypothesis. Finally, Chris and Dane confront their growing suspicions that there is a, possibly sinister, story of manipulation and control behind UFO phenomena.