Altar Ego

Altar Ego

Hosted by two close friends, one a therapist raised Southern Baptist, now agnostic; the other a spiritually curious ex-Catholic who believes in ghosts and is terrified of demons... we dive into dark tales and crimes committed in the name of God (or the devil). Through ethical retellings of possessions, prophecies, cults, and beliefs, we investigate spirituality, belief systems, and the ambiguous psychological spaces in between.

  1. Episode 19: The Hat Man; The Shadow Figure People See During Sleep Paralysis

    4 DAYS AGO

    Episode 19: The Hat Man; The Shadow Figure People See During Sleep Paralysis

    What... or who is the Hat Man, and why do so many people describe the same figure? In Part 1 of this two-part series, Jeri explores the Hat Man phenomenon: a shadowy “watcher” reported across cultures and decades. We look at what people consistently report, why these encounters often happen in liminal states like sleep paralysis, half-awake moments, exhaustion, and high fear, and how stress may shape perception. Editor's note: This episode has a notably different audio quality, and it has been resolved. Apologies from the team for the poor quality and delayed publishing, but we wanted to release it for you all regardless. -Heather + Jeri

    52 min

  2. 4 DAYS AGO

    Episode 8: Can You Murder Someone in Your Sleep; The Kenneth Parks Case

    CW: Factual non-graphic descriptions of violence and discussion of parasomnia. This episode crosses the veil between sleep and wake, where science and superstition blur. Across cultures, sleep is seen as a liminal realm—where spirits move and the soul drifts. We explore this through the case of Kenneth Parks, a man whose stress, gambling addiction, and exhaustion led to an act he claimed happened while sleepwalking. His story raises unsettling questions about consciousness, responsibility, and what it means to be truly awake.  If you or someone you know struggles with gambling, reach out to the National Council on Problem Gambling (1-800-522-4700, ncpgambling.org) or 1-800-GAMBLER. Sources:      •    Canada, Supreme Court of Canada. R v. Parks, [1992] 2 S.C.R. 871. (Supreme Court of Canada Decisions (https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/907/index.do?q=+glanville+williams&utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    “R v. Parks. Case Brief.” CanLII Connects. (CanLII Connects (https://canliiconnects.org/en/summaries/31806?utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    Fenwick, P., & others. “While You Were Sleepwalking: The Neurobiology of Sleep and the Law.” PMC, 10.5 years ago. (PMC (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4506454/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    “Sleepwalking, Criminal Behavior, and Reliable Scientific Evidence.” APA. (American Psychological Association (https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/Sleepwalking-Criminal-Behavior-and-Reliable-Scientific-Evidence-Intro-Sample.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    Grant, E. “While You Were Sleeping or Addicted: A Suggested Expansion of the Automatism Doctrine.” Illinois Law Review. (Illinois Law Review (https://www.illinoislawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/grant.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    “Only Murders While You’re Sleeping: The Parasomnia Defense.” Sleep Foundation. (Sleep Foundation (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/only-murders-while-you-are-sleeping-the-parasomnia-defense?utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    “Sleep-related automatism and the law.” PubMed / Forensic Sleep Medicine Review. (PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18533572/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    “The parasomnia defense in sleep-related homicide: A systematic review.” ScienceDirect. (ScienceDirect (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079224000029?utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    “Sleepwalking Violence: A Sleep Disorder, a Legal Dilemma, and a Forensic Nightmare.” American Journal of Psychiatry. (Psychiatry Online (https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.161.7.1149?utm_source=chatgpt.com))     •    “Is Sleepwalking a Valid Criminal Defense?” Southern California Defense Blog. (Southern California Defense Blog (https://www.southerncaliforniadefenseblog.com/2022/06/is-sleepwalking-valid-criminal-defense.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))

    1h 12m

  3. 11 MAR

    Episode 25: LSD + The Acid King

    In 1938, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann synthesized LSD by accident and experienced the first-ever LSD trip. By the mid-1960s the U.S. government had funded over 1,000 clinical studies on it, secretly tested it on soldiers without their consent, and then criminalized it entirely... all within the same two decades. In the first of a several-part series, this episode covers the discovery and history of LSD. We also get into Ricky Kasso, the seventeen-year-old from Northport, Long Island, known as The Acid King among peers, who murdered his friend Gary Lauwers and left his body in the woods for 35 days. In 1984, Gary's murder became the face of Satanic Panic in America.

    42 min
  4. Episode 10: The Shaman Who Killed Dozens; The Ahmad Suraji Case

    19/11/2025

    Episode 10: The Shaman Who Killed Dozens; The Ahmad Suraji Case

    CW: Coercive spiritual practices and abuse of religious authority, misuse of cultural healing traditions, non-graphic violence, psychological manipulation, death, and burial practices. In this episode, we examine the life and actions of Ahmad Suradji, a North Sumatran dukun whose misuse of a traditionally respected role resulted in profound harm. We explore what a dukun is, the cultural and spiritual context that shaped community trust, and the ways gender, belief, and authority intersected to create space for exploitation. Instead of relying on sensational narratives, we look closely at how sacred practices can be distorted and what unfolds when ritual power is weaponized over time. Sources: Inside Indonesia. (2007, July 27). Time-honoured remedies for uncertain times. https://www.insideindonesia.org/time-honoured-remedies-for-uncertain-timesMurderpedia. (n.d.). Ahmad Suradji. https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/suradji-ahmad.htmPepa, C. O. (2023). Implementation of criminal law provisions against serious killers in Indonesia. Universitas Hasanuddin. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/82b6/3913b4fa2755e4adba3827baf2951361a6c7.pdfThe Daily Telegraph. (2008, July 11). Black magic killer executed for 42 murders. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/indonesia/2286216/Black-Magic-Killer-executed-for-42-murders.htmlThe Diplomat. (2023, April 14). https://thediplomat.com/2023/04/indonesia-has-another-shaman-serial-killer-and-the-phenomenon-is-more-common-than-you-think/Wikipedia. (n.d.). Ahmad Suradji. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_SuradjiWikipedia. (n.d.). Dukun. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DukunIndoMetaphysics. (2022). The history and role of dukun in Javanese culture. https://indometaphysics.com/the-history-and-role-of-dukun-in-javanese-culture/

    1h 7m

  5. 24/09/2025

    Episode 2: The Fool Killer + Melungeon Folklore

    CW: Discussion of racism, discrimination, and systemic oppression Who…or what…was the Fool Killer? Depending on who you ask, he was a 19th-century satirical invention, a supernatural enforcer born from Melungeon folklore, or a wandering vigilante who struck down the corrupt and the cruel. In this episode, we dive into the tangled origins of the Fool Killer: from gripping newspaper columns to the whispered Melungeon tales of a devil’s son turned protector. Was he a symbol of rage against oppression, an imagined guardian of isolated mountain communities, or simply a metaphor that took on a life of its own deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains? We’ll explore how Appalachian spirituality, a fusion of Christianity, folk magic, and Indigenous belief, shaped this figure into something greater than satire. Just as some cultures breathe life into authoritarian gods and others protective tricksters, the Fool Killer emerges as Appalachia’s own divine judge, punishing outsiders, defending the marginalized, and even policing morality within his own people. Part folklore, part social critique, and part true-crime adjacent myth, the Fool Killer forces us to ask: was he a monster, a metaphor, or a cultural god born of survival on the margins? Sources:  Fool Killer: ⁠⁠Old Harmonoy Paranormal Research⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠NCPedia⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠Milton Chronicle⁠⁠Melungeon Peoples. ⁠⁠Read here⁠⁠ PBS. “One-drop rule”. ⁠⁠Read here

    1h 10m
  6. Meet Your Hosts

    23/09/2025

    Meet Your Hosts

    Meet the hosts of Altar Ego. Two close friends, one a therapist raised Southern Baptist, now agnostic; the other a spiritually curious ex-Catholic who believes in ghosts and is terrified of demons... we dive into dark tales and crimes committed in the name of God (or the devil). Through ethical retellings of possessions, prophecies, cults, and beliefs, we investigate spirituality, belief systems, and the ambiguous psychological spaces in between.

    10 min
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About

Hosted by two close friends, one a therapist raised Southern Baptist, now agnostic; the other a spiritually curious ex-Catholic who believes in ghosts and is terrified of demons... we dive into dark tales and crimes committed in the name of God (or the devil). Through ethical retellings of possessions, prophecies, cults, and beliefs, we investigate spirituality, belief systems, and the ambiguous psychological spaces in between.

Information

  • Creator
    Altar Ego
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Altar Ego
  • Show Website
    Altar Ego