Episode 58: UFOlogy and ETs with Levi

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:21:06 -0500

Try to keep your feet on the ground as we dive into UFOs, extraterrestrials, and all things paranormal! From primordial soup exobiology and ancient myths reimagined as alien encounters to Buddhist world-systems and Crowley's cosmic pen pals, we're exploring how spirituality and UFO lore shift through time. We'll explore the paraUFOlogy debate, why some spirits absolutely aren't aliens (looking at you, Enochian angels), and how New Age UFO culture gave rise to starseeds, downloads, and a whole galaxy of grifters. Strap in and let us know if you believe in aliens by the end!

Follow Levi on IG: @Saint.Vid

Episode resources:

Vital Dust: The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth by Christian de Duve (on the primordial soup hypothesis among other things)

The Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained Hardcover by Whitley Streiver and Jeffrey J. Kripal

Newkirk Museum of the Paranormal

Haunted Objects podcast

Hellier

The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel

They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers by Gray Barker

Episode 57: Cults vs The Occult

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:11:51 -0400

Don’t drink the Kool-Aid just yet, we’ve got a new episode for you! This week we are diving into the world of cults. What defines them, how they intersect with the occult, and why high-control groups can be so hard to spot, especially on social media. From mystery cults of the ancient world to modern movements like Scientology, Jonestown, NXIVM, we unpack the psychology, power structures, and tactics that keep people hooked. Strap in as we talk about charismatic leaders, doomsday prophecies, brainwashing myths, and the BITE model.

Episode Resources:

Let’s Talk About Sects Podcast has many discussions around cults and high-control groups!

Dr. Alexandra Stein - An authority on cults and totalitarianism, her work is crucial in this field! We really recommend her book “Terror, Love, and Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems.”

“Teaching New Religious Movements” by David Bromley (the chapter on Moral Panics is especially relevant to this episode)

Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/9781442677302

Pseudoscience versus Minority Religions; An Evaluation of the Brainwashing Theories of Jean-Marie Abgrall: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4419-9094-5_9

The Cult of ISIS by Florence Gaub: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292675728_The_Cult_of_ISIS

Combating the Cult of ISIS: A Social Approach to Countering Violent Extremism by Joel Day and Scott Kleinmann (available on Google) When corrections fail:

The persistence of political misperceptions: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-08932-007

The Backfire Effect: https://daily.jstor.org/the-backfire-effect/

Test Tubes and Cauldrons

Episode 58: UFOlogy and ETs with Levi

Episode 57: Cults vs The Occult