Gods, Ghosts & UFOs

SpectreVision Radio
  • 5.0 (100)
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Every week, we talk about all the things they said weren't real. Guided by strange headlines and ancient mysteries, Jordan, Tom, and Mal explore the paranormal, metaphysical, and supernatural with all the earnestness and insight three big-hearted nerds can muster. If you don't have a good time, then you don't know what a good time is.

  1. 3D AGO

    Financial Crisis, Alien Disclosure, and the Honey Doctrine | Episode 48

    A former analyst for the Bank of England just warned that alien disclosure could throw global financial systems into crisis. Tom and Jordan can’t stop laughing. We’re already in financial crisis, aliens or no aliens. And if there was some official disclosure tomorrow, people would just go back to work and worry about groceries. Unless the revelation materially changes people’s lives, they won’t care that much. But what if there’s free energy technology? The analyst worries that would be a disaster. But, uh, for whom? ExxonMobil? Probably. You and me? No. The materialist scarcity mindset is transactional. If you get something, it must be taken from me. But there’s a more efficient way to structure our communities, and it’s about building for mutual benefit. Not easy, but definitely not impossible. Anyway, we’re still pretty sure we’re headed for calamity, thanks for a broad cultural inability to accept reality, which turns out to not care very much about our ideas about what it should be. The highlights: Helen McCaw, former Bank of England policy expert, warns that revelation of aliens could throw global financial systems into crisis The cases for and against this prediction Tom reads part of McCaw’s letter to Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey urging contingencies for alien disclosure (from The times of London article) How she even came to care about UFOs Internal memo from British Defense chiefs from 1997 discusses “technology acquisition” from alien tech Basically, same as America What if there’s free energy technology? For whom would this be a disaster? Where Lord of the Flies got it wrong (the real life kids who went through it) Materialism leads to scarcity mindsets and zero-sum transactional societies How mutual benefit structures the most efficient social models Buddha in the Dhammapada: “Therefore Ananda, be ye lamps unto yourselves, clinging to no external refuge, clinging to the truth as a refuge” Regardless of anything, we’re basically headed for disaster Why suffering and the acceptance (or rejection) of reality are closely correlated A practice of presence with the expectation of imminent cataclysm The Honey Doctrine Mindfulness and presence are the last words on living the fulfilled life After recording this episode, we did our very first Open Epilogue, which we unfortunately were not able to record. Don’t worry! We’ll do another one very soon. Don't miss the next one! PS - If you want to join us on our no-kill run, we made this for you: The Sharing Kit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    41 min

  2. FEB 4

    Celtic mysticism and the courage of compassion | Episode 47

    Brother Richard Hendrick is a Capuchin Franciscan friar and Celtic mystic. He comes from “a people who embrace faith but did not let go of magic and understand that one completes the other.” When Tom asks how to deal with anger and powerlessness in the face of cruelty, Brother Richard offers this: “Anger externalized is actually internalized fear.” Those moving in hatred WANT hatred in return because it justifies their action. They push and push waiting for the explosion. So the hardest practice is maintaining compassion even for those who hate you—because that’s when the other is actually disassembled and overcome. Three practices: Hold yourself in compassion. Take refuge in great teachers—we’ve done this before over thousands of years. And manage basic human needs—no good decision is ever made at 2am. Also, how can we grow up? Our culture is bad at helping people make the transition from adolescence into adulthood. What if the big missing piece in our development is transcendent experience? Are we doomed? Brother Richard says no! But you’re gonna have to start meditating. The good news is that he has some things to say that might help you finally start the practice. Brother Richard’s sternly non-political take on what’s going on in Minnesota Most hatred and anger comes from fear Choosing compassion means accepting vulnerability, even and especially when your compassion is rejected Hate wants hate, anger wants anger — it’s cyclical justification “No matter how much hatred they are pouring on me, fundamentally I have a brother or a sister in front of me” Three practices for holding compassionate solidarity People full of compassionate energy can often forget their own needs—they become tired, worn, anxious, and then make bad decisions How Brother Richard became a friar Celtic mysticism maintains the sacred nature of both the subtle world and ourselves, plus our venerable relationship with it What to look for in a good spiritual teacher The icon of the Ladder of Heaven shows monks climbing to heaven, and at the very top, just as one steps in, he’s falling Saint Augustine: “God wrote two books—the book of Scriptures and the Book of Nature. We have not read His word if we can’t read both.” When we’re in relationship with nature, the transcendent begins to happen The Dalai Lama: “Meditation over thousands of years becomes a laboratory of the mind and soul” If meditation stretches you with compassion and bestows peace, it’s real; if it makes you think you’re superior, it’s egoic The muscle of focus and inner attention is atrophied in the Western world Start with basic stillness practices, even just two minutes, because most people haven’t done it before Distraction is literally half of the practice of meditation And in the epilogue… What the Fae actually are (hint: it’s complicated!) Why believing everything a non-human intelligence tells you is dangerous Brother Richard’s take on a particular passage from the Gospel of Thomas (because of course Tom had to ask him) PS - We’re on a no-kill run. If you want to help, we made this Sharing Kit for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 2m

  3. JAN 28

    K-Pop Ghost Hunters | Episode 46

    Most people believe in ghosts. Always have. Always will. EJAE, the lead vocalist from K-Pop Demon Hunters, told a ghost story on Jimmy Fallon and nobody questioned her sanity, because it turns out people who DON’T believe in ghosts are the minority. Tom recorded in one of the most haunted studios in New Orleans in the ‘90s. And boy does he have stories. A distorted face in a window. A badly burned little girl pleading for help. A late night tryst with an apparition… Do artists see ghosts more often? Or does making art make you more sensitive to what’s already there? Regardless, when you make the effort to really say something—to write, to record, to create—there’s magic in it. Maybe you’re more that thing than you are the relentless cyclone of anxious thoughts you live with the rest of the time. Ars longa, vita brevis. Art is long, life is short. We’re here to play the long game. IMPORTANT UPDATE We promised to have our first virtual hang this week, but then we made a scheduling mistake, and so now it will officially be NEXT WEEK. Monday, February 2 1pm PST / 4pm EST. Do you see that? That’s an actual date, and an actual time. Which means it will be WAY MORE EMBARRASSING if we have to reschedule again, which we will not. All paid Substack and Patreon supporters can expect to get the link within the next couple of days. (And a quick reminder that the 1st 100 people get Founder status for $4/month for life — and not all those spots have been taken yet.) Okay, enough of all that. On to the highlights: The vocalists from K-Pop Demon Hunters saw a ghost and told Jimmy Fallon about it People who don’t believe in ghosts are in the minority—always have been, always will be Mal always asks people if they believe in ghosts at parties We love people who say “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I saw a ghost” Tom’s was in a swing band in the 90s and has lots of other recording studio ghost stories King’s Way Studio in New Orleans was (is?) famously haunted by Germaine Cazanave Wells, Queen of Mardi Gras, total party girl from the 1950s/60s who fell, hit her head, died, never left Tom’s friend saw a distorted, glaring face appear in the window Tom made deals with Jermaine in the clawfoot tub: “Listen, don’t show up now—I don’t want to slip and fall while naked” Another band’s bass player (an EMT) was awakened by a young woman badly burned, pleading for help—turned out to be Jermaine’s daughter who died in a fire And, uh, another story, which you’ll have to go ahead and just listen to Tom tell it Creative people seem to encounter ghosts more often—artists, musicians, people in heightened emotional/creative states Are ghosts attracted to creativity, or does creativity make people more sensitive to what’s already there? What it’s like to re-read own old writing Maybe we’re more than the stuff that constantly spins in our brains The more you create, the more you pin down and make substantial, the more that you ARE There’s a magic to making the effort to really express yourself in some tangible way, going on the record, so to speak, even if you’re wrong, even if you’re full of crap Tom loves himself and his friends as individuated people, even while recognizing we’re expressions of Brahman He also talks to his peach trees, so And in the epilogue… What it’s like to prank a prankster That one time Mal got kicked out of girl’s camp A truly horrific story about fried chicken *** SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions. spectrevisionradio.com linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    48 min

  4. JAN 21

    We're rejecting the algorithm | Episode 45

    Today, we’re doing something ambitious and maybe a little bit stupid, but hopefully the right kind of stupid. We’re rejecting the algorithm. No clips for the feeds. No farming for engagement. Because social media is antisocial. Tom wrote a book about the Chapel Hill music scene in the ‘90s. Before discoverability tools and doomscrolling. Before music became something you listen to by yourself. Back when people listened together, and told their friends. After all, word of mouth is the OG algorithm. So that’s how we’re gonna do it. It’ll be slower, but it’ll be better. So go tell your friends, and come on up to the house. ~~~NEWS!~~~ We’ll be having our first virtual hangout next week for all paid subscribers and Patreon supporters — speaking of which: THIS IS THE LINK TO OUR PATREON1st 100 people get Founder status for $4/month for life. You might be wondering what the difference will be between Patreon and Substack.Here’s the breakdown: Paid supporters of either will get access to ad-free episodes and epilogues. For the Patreon folks, there will be more bonus video content, as well as access to a private Discord, which we will be launching as soon as the first 100 people sign up. On Substack, there will be more written work (essays and supplements), some of which will be behind a paywall, as well as access to a paid-subscriber chat, which will go online once we reach 100 sign-ups there. The world is full of people asking for your money. Anyone who supports this show with actual dollars will have our undying gratitude, and we’ll do everything we can to return the love. Highlights: The algorithm is killing us. We have the data. Social media melts attention and connection How and why Jordan got into podcasting Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History proved millions of people will listen to 4-hour deep dives, despite the TikTok-ification of everything How do we produce stuff that earns thoughtful attention without marketing it on platforms that absolutely ravage attention How posting on socials violates the creative instinct If you build your platform on social media, you don’t get to leave David Foster Wallace’s “This is Water”: we’re all actively worshiping something—the passive viewing sneakily changes our personalities Tom’s book (A Really Strange and Wonderful Time) about the Chapel Hill music scene in the 90s became a manifesto for “scenius”—Brian Eno’s term for the genius of community, not individual artists We used to listen to music publicly, with friends, talk about it Now music is private, instantly available, and we listen alone The Great Deceleration: we’re trying to build something that encourages depth over virality, connection over “engagement” (whatever the hell that is) We can’t fail. We’re already on the path. First 100 Patreon supporters get Founding Member status at $4/month for life If we can grow successfully without bowing to the algorithmic feeds, it’ll chart a path for other creators Complete transparency and monthly updates (at least) on the numbers, tracking the OG algorithm of word of mouth If we’re not giving you what you want, tell us If we ARE giving you what you want, tell your friends And in the epilogue… Tom’s dog chorus What the word “whoredoms” really means (and why the world is full of whoremongers) The implications of a theory that ancient pyramids started as industrial chemical factories Once again, here's a link to our freshly-minted Patreon. And a reminder that the first 100 supporters will get Founder status for $4/month, forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    40 min

  5. JAN 14

    12 Psychic Factors and the Great Turning of 2026 | Episode 44

    Most (most!) people report having noetic experiences. Knowing who’s calling before you answer. Predictive dreams. Feeling someone’s presence. Gut feelings that turn out to be true. The Institute of Noetic Sciences was founded by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, and it just released a study about twelve unique “noetic signatures” based on deep survey data from over four thousand people. Some of them know things in their bodies. Others get mental, emotional, or spiritual downloads. Everyone has a different signature. But what are the hazards of personal revelation without coherent social support? And what will happen to us if we keep replacing our latent human superpowers with technology? Still, we have high hopes for 2026. Maybe this is the year we heal from screen addictions. Maybe we’ll finally get some kind of blockbuster disclosure about non-human intelligences. Or maybe, if we all pull together, we can finally break free from the algorithm and move back into our enchanted world. Highlights: The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) was founded in 1973 by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell They study consciousness, human potential, and the intersection of science and subjective experience “Noetic” comes from Greek “noesis” meaning “inner knowing” that transcends the five senses and conventional notions of time and space (Examples: knowing who’s calling before caller ID, predictive dreams, feeling someone in the room, gut feelings that prove accurate) Most people report having these experiences, but they’re still stigmatized The Noetic Signature Inventory is a 44-item questionnaire measuring individual’s unique pattern of intuitive experience Four primary intuitive pathways: body-based (gut feelings), mental (sudden knowing), emotional (feeling into situations), spiritual (mystical experiences) Is “inner knowing” reliable without the support of a community? Why it’s so hard to balance social coherence against mystical experience Robin Lassiter said in the last episode that patriarchy and materialism might not have just been huge mistakes—we got amazing stuff from them, and now it’s time to turn the wheel In what ways are we trying to replace our noetic abilities with technology? Jordan abashedly hopes this is the year UFOs, NHIs, etc stop being laughed at on on CNN Mal hopes we heal from screen addiction (it’s actually possible!) Tom hopes we can free ourselves from the fetters of the algorithm and move back into an enchanted world The real magic is in interaction, intuition, knowing, and the gorgeous unpredictability of ourselves and each other And in the epilogue… How algorithms actually steal your personality A pretty MASSIVE decision about the future of the show Our first progress report on Jordan Crowder’s Law of Probability course *** SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions. spectrevisionradio.com linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    56 min

  6. JAN 7

    Self-Healing Roman Concrete and Probability Engineering with Jordan Crowder | Episode 43

    Roman concrete has been healing itself for thousands of years, surviving earthquakes, volcanoes, the ocean… As she’s actively recovering from surgery, Mal has lots of questions about self-healing. And also why her dad keeps telling her to use colloidal silver. Jordan Crowder has a lot to say about how the body heals, it turns out, having survived some major, life-threatening health crises himself. We ask him lots of questions, and he offers insights that synthesize science and spirituality in a way that is just exactly our vibe. Finally, we’re gonna hear about something he calls probability engineering. Your future is a probability cloud. Every decision collapses some outcomes and expands others. Agency is your power to project new pathways into your future that didn’t exist based on your past. But no, you can’t manifest a million dollars without becoming the kind of person who would have a million dollars. Change requires energy, and the universe resists it just like people do. We talk about how you can do it anyway. Welcome to 2026. Highlights: Jordan Crowder from Conscious Observers doubles the number of Jordans on today’s episode Mal shares a story about Roman concrete that survives earthquakes, volcanoes, and millennia under the sea because it literally heals itself over time The whole Nature Communications article is basically about a possible misreading of an ancient concrete recipe Why Mal is being drawn to things with “self-healing” in the title Her dad keeps trying to make her spray colloidal silver on her surgery wound The placebo effect works even when you know it’s a placebo Cellular communication How to help your body do what it’s spent millions of years evolving to do (hint: get out of the way) Thoughts create reality through quantum probability cloud engineering (an introduction to Jordan Crowder’s Law of Probability) Your future is not one predetermined path (obviously), it’s a cloud of potential outcomes You can project entirely new pathways into your future probability field that didn’t exist before based on your past Agency maxxing Getting a millions dollars (as a, ahem, for instance) probably means changing behaviors you’ve never changed before People generally don’t like to change—and neither does the universe, because change requires more energy Also/related: dumping a million dollars on a someone who isn’t ready for it is usually calamitous What is a Minimally Viable Manifestation? Ellen Langer says procrastination is not the problem, mindlessness is The real work is increasing awareness and “awakeness” to your decisions and choices Jordan and Mal commit to starting Jordan Crowder’s 21-day probability engineering course And in the epilogue… The overwhelming evidence of reincarnation overcomes Western skepticism Without humans, who would care about beauty? We’re not here just to collapse wave functions. Jordan Crowder’s 90-year-old Jesus hypothetical *** SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions. spectrevisionradio.com linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 16m

  7. 12/31/2025

    42 | Universal Consciousness and the New Year

    A Norwegian physicist just published a peer-reviewed paper that mathematically describes consciousness as a fundamental field that existed before space and time. She proposes testable predictions—including the possibility that if consciousness differentiated itself into structured reality through something like universal thought, it might have left detectable patterns in the cosmic microwave background. This is ancient scripture overlapping with cutting-edge physics. “Thou Art That” from the Upanishads. “I AM that I AM” from Exodus. The earth was formless and void, then God said “Let there be light.” Consciousness precedes manifestation, thought is a collapse mechanism. Everything happens in cycles. We went out to do science in a universe of strict materialism, and now we’re coming back, changed, to the wisdom of mystery and consciousness. Finally, we talk to Robin Lassiter about her new Mystery School for the Brokenhearted. Here’s to the end of a fraught and beautiful 2025, and a 2026 which promises to be no less complicated. Highlights: Norwegian physicist published a peer-reviewed paper treating consciousness as a fundamental field rather than an emergent brain phenomenon Mathematical integration with quantum field theory Testable predictions involving quantum field interactions, neural coherence patterns, and cosmological signatures in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Tom connects this to the Chandogya Upanishad: “Thou Art That” The Abrahamic analog: “The earth was formless and void” (undifferentiated potential), “I AM that I AM” (consciousness preceding manifestation), “Let there be light” (universal thought as collapse mechanism) From 2nd century BCE scripture to modern testable mathematical physics of universal consciousness Everything goes in circles. Going out into the “billiard ball universe” of strict materialism, now we’re coming back around Robin on discovery through experience itself What is the relationship between us (personality, body, experience) and the unifying field? Evolution of grief in community The healing that can only happen in the presence of others The Mystery School for the Brokenhearted: the mutual capacity to hold grief without trying to fix or rescue What makes this era of human history unique Robin’s “big yes” to the ampersand universe *** SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions. spectrevisionradio.com linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 1m

  8. 12/24/2025 · BONUS

    BONUS - Not Your Muppets Christmas Carol

    If you’ve got a quiet moment this week, here’s a thoughtful radio essay from Tom that explores the intersections of Victorian literature, social conscience, and what it means to truly connect with our fellows. Yes, it turns out we can be serious sometimes. Please try not to faint. In this piece, Tom tracks the circumstances that led Charles Dickens to write A Christmas Carol, from his disastrous American tour and the child labor reports that haunted him, to his compulsive night walks through London’s streets where he encountered the cast out and forgotten. Within this substrate, Tom weaves together Dickens’ personal struggles, the neuroscience of human connection, and an urgent message about what we’ve lost (and must reclaim) in our age of radical isolation and screen-mediated existence. Consider this our gift to you: a half-hour to slow down and remember that, “no one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.” Truly, we wish you the very best of the season, and count you among our beloved fellows. Tom, Mal, & Jordan PS - For six years running, Jordan has been making compilations on Spotify called Hot Christmas. Here’s the latest. And here are links to all the others: Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    27 min
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About

Every week, we talk about all the things they said weren't real. Guided by strange headlines and ancient mysteries, Jordan, Tom, and Mal explore the paranormal, metaphysical, and supernatural with all the earnestness and insight three big-hearted nerds can muster. If you don't have a good time, then you don't know what a good time is.

Information

  • Creator
    SpectreVision Radio
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    55
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © GGU L.L.C.
  • Show Website
    Gods, Ghosts & UFOs

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