Ep. 156: Sleepover Rituals

Ep. 157: The Weight of a Story

Some stories become part of us. A survivor shares her experience of one of the most tragic days in modern history and dedicates years of her life to helping others heal. A missing child vanishes without a trace, only to reappear years later on the other side of the world. Both stories capture headlines. Both inspire hope. Both leave lasting impressions on the people who hear them. This week, we're exploring identity, belonging, and the strange power of stories.Cheers! Send Me a Story! @ spiritswithcrime@gmail.com Threads & Instagram: spiritswithcrimepodcast Sources: https://www.britannica.com/topic/kvass [https://www.britannica.com/topic/kvass?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/kvass-russias-fermented-beverage-is-making-a-comeback-180980593/ [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/kvass-russias-fermented-beverage-is-making-a-comeback-180980593/] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass] https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/11/911survivor200711 [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/11/911survivor200711] https://www.thewomanwhowasntthere.com [https://www.thewomanwhowasntthere.com] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Esteve_Head [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Esteve_Head] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imposter_(2012_film) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imposter_(2012_film)] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Bourdin [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Bourdin] https://www.documentary.org/column/playback-bart-laytons-imposter [https://www.documentary.org/column/playback-bart-laytons-imposter] https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0%2C28804%2C1900621_1900618_1900789%2C00.html [https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0%2C28804%2C1900621_1900618_1900789%2C00.html]

Ep. 156: Sleepover Rituals

In this episode, we explore the strange world of ritual games and sleepover folklore. From Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board to the Three Kings Ritual, we’ll examine the stories, psychology, and folklore behind the games that have terrified generations. So grab your sleeping bags, turn on your night lights, and join me in this dark descent. Cheers! Send Me a Story! @ spiritswithcrime@gmail.com Threads & Instagram: spiritswithcrimepodcast Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/few-self-driving-cars-could-fix-phantom-traffic-jams-180963472/ [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/few-self-driving-cars-could-fix-phantom-traffic-jams-180963472/] https://www.history.com/articles/spiritualism-ghosts-ouija-boards-19th-century-america [https://www.history.com/articles/spiritualism-ghosts-ouija-boards-19th-century-america] https://www.apa.org [https://www.apa.org] https://www.britannica.com/science/hypnosis [https://www.britannica.com/science/hypnosis] https://plato.stanford.edu [https://plato.stanford.edu] https://folklorethursday.com [https://folklorethursday.com] https://www.britannica.com/technology/mirror [https://www.britannica.com/technology/mirror] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20063928/ [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20063928/] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/staring-at-yourself-in-the-mirror-can-reveal-strange-things/ [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/staring-at-yourself-in-the-mirror-can-reveal-strange-things/] https://dictionary.apa.org/guided-imagery [https://dictionary.apa.org/guided-imagery] https://jungpage.org [https://jungpage.org] https://folklore-society.com [https://folklore-society.com] https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1qsnvw/three_kings_ritual/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1qsnvw/three_kings_ritual/] https://theghostinmymachine.com [https://theghostinmymachine.com] https://yokai.co [https://yokai.co] https://www.psychologytoday.com [https://www.psychologytoday.com] https://plato.stanford.edu [https://plato.stanford.edu]

Ep. 155: Welcome to Mall World

Some people dream of falling. Some dream of flying. And some swear they've visited the same impossible places over and over again. This week, we're exploring shared dream worlds, liminal spaces, and recurring entities. Why do complete strangers describe eerily similar locations, figures, and experiences? Join me as I follow a trail through abandoned hallways, endless shopping centers, shadowy visitors, and the strange places where dreams, folklore, and human consciousness collide. Cheers! Send Me a Story! @ spiritswithcrime@gmail.com Threads & Instagram: spiritswithcrimepodcast Sources: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMallWorld [https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMallWorld] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] https://www.psychologytoday.com [https://www.psychologytoday.com] https://plato.stanford.edu [https://plato.stanford.edu] https://www.psychologytoday.com [https://www.psychologytoday.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-backrooms [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-backrooms] https://plato.stanford.edu [https://plato.stanford.edu] https://www.sleepfoundation.org [https://www.sleepfoundation.org] https://doubleblindmag.com [https://doubleblindmag.com]

Ep. 154: Mothers of Monsters- Sue Klebold and Sante Kimes

This week on Spirits with Crime, we’re talking about mothers. Not the Pinterest quote version of motherhood. Not the “a mother always knows” version either. One mother spent the rest of her life wondering what she missed after her son helped carry out one of the deadliest school shootings in American history. Another appeared to spend years shaping her son into a criminal partner willing to lie, steal, and kill alongside her. This episode explores the stories of Sue Klebold and Sante Kimes — two women connected by maternal love, but divided completely by what they did with it. Cheers! Send Me a Story! @ spiritswithcrime@gmail.com Threads & Instagram: spiritswithcrimepodcast Sources: https://www.ted.com/talks/sue_klebold_my_son_was_a_columbine_shooter_this_is_my_story [https://www.ted.com/talks/sue_klebold_my_son_was_a_columbine_shooter_this_is_my_story] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317243/a-mothers-reckoning-by-sue-klebold/ [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317243/a-mothers-reckoning-by-sue-klebold/] https://vault.fbi.gov/columbine-high-school [https://vault.fbi.gov/columbine-high-school] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/15/the-mother-of-columbine-shooter-dylan-klebold-breaks-her-17-year-silence/ [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/15/the-mother-of-columbine-shooter-dylan-klebold-breaks-her-17-year-silence/] https://www.theatlantic.com/search/?q=columbine [https://www.theatlantic.com/search/?q=columbine] https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/columbine-high-school-shootings [https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/columbine-high-school-shootings] https://murderpedia.org/female.K/k/kimes-sante.htm [https://murderpedia.org/female.K/k/kimes-sante.htm] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/enabling [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/enabling] https://www.apa.org/ [https://www.apa.org/]

Ep. 153: Do What Thou Wilt (Terms & Conditions Apply)- Aleister Crowley

What makes a dangerous idea irresistible? This week on Spirits with Crime, we follow Aleister Crowley: Victorian occultist, self-declared prophet, and the man a British tabloid called the wickedest man alive. We trace his rise from a suffocating religious upbringing through the secret society halls of the Golden Dawn, across the Mediterranean to a crumbling Sicilian commune, and into the psychology of why intelligent people hand their loyalty to dangerous leaders. This episode asks the question that feels more relevant every year: Are we following dark prophets because they possess truth, or because they offer permission? The ritual awaits. Cheers! Send Me a Story! @ spiritswithcrime@gmail.com Threads & Instagram: spiritswithcrimepodcast Sources: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-39568-3 [http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-39568-3] www.britannica.com/topic/soma-Hinduism [http://www.britannica.com/topic/soma-Hinduism] www.rbth.com/blogs/stranger_than_fiction/2017/01/09/how-russian-scientists-cracked-the-secret-of-a-riga-veda-era-drink_676758 [http://www.rbth.com/blogs/stranger_than_fiction/2017/01/09/how-russian-scientists-cracked-the-secret-of-a-riga-veda-era-drink_676758] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Thelema [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Thelema] sicilianmagpie.com/en/thelema-abbey [http://sicilianmagpie.com/en/thelema-abbey] www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/New-Book-Shares-True-Story-of-Arthur-Conan-Doyle-and-the-Paranormal-20160314 [http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/New-Book-Shares-True-Story-of-Arthur-Conan-Doyle-and-the-Paranormal-20160314] www.doingsofdoyle.com/2024/05/global-conan-doyle-launching-edinburgh.html [http://www.doingsofdoyle.com/2024/05/global-conan-doyle-launching-edinburgh.html] plato.stanford.edu/entries/weber [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/weber] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NXIVM [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NXIVM] www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html [http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html] www.doingsofdoyle.com/2024/05/global-conan-doyle-launching-edinburgh.html [http://www.doingsofdoyle.com/2024/05/global-conan-doyle-launching-edinburgh.html] www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html [http://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html] www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html [http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html]