Consensus Unreality – Details, episodes & analysis

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The first in a new series of episodes on the dizzying feedback loop of east-meets-west in the occult tradition. We open in an unlikely place: Sax Rohmer and his hugely popular, though now mostly rejected Fu Manchu novels. Why did Kenneth Grant choose Rohmer's Dope, alongside Richard Marsh's beloved gothic-exotic horror classic The Beetle, as reference texts for his monumental book The Ninth Arch? Was Fu Manchu born on a ouija board? Why did CU favorite Eugenia Macer-Story use the metaphor of Fu Manchu vs. the "lonesome cowboy" in her genius examination of the UFO phenomenon? Did any of those Theosophists ever really visit Tibet? The tension between so-called eastern and western mystical traditions may be the driving force of what we call occultism, and in this episode we lay the groundwork for a series which will investigate this concept in detail. 

In this interview with cartomancer and tarot scholar Laetitia Barbier, we tour the realm of images and symbols known as the tarot. From Laetitia's own interesting first encounters with the cards in France (via radio!) to more complex and subtle discussions on the nature of reading images and the voice of the deck, this conversation is a great introduction to or refresher on the power behind an occult object that has become ubiquitous while not always being given its proper due. 

Bio: French-born Laetitia Barbier is an independent scholar, as well as a professional tarot reader and teacher. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from La Sorbonne University Paris in 2009. Laetitia has worked with Morbid Anatomy from 2011 to 2024 as a programming director, head librarian, and occasional curator. Her book Tarot and Divination Cards: A Visual Archive was published in 2021 with a foreword by Rachel Pollack. She is the author of the Tiger Tarot Guide Book, a unique Tarot deck by symbolist artist Lori Field. Laetitia has lectured, taught and read cards for various cultural institutions, such as Greenwood Cemetery, Artyard,  Fotografiska NY, the College of Psychic Studies in London or the New York Public Library. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Site: https://www.laetitiacartomancy.com/

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Intro Music by Treatment https://treatmentforu.bandcamp.com/music

In this interview with artist and recent Orgonon resident Sarah Chait,  we discuss the life, work, and legacy of the great Wilhelm Reich, from  his early involvement with Freud and leftist organizations in Europe to  his landing in rural Maine and later prison time.  Contemporary Reichian therapeutic practices, cloudbusting, orgone  boxes, the tranquil surreality of summer at Orgonon, Reich's unique  relationship to American art and culture, and more!

Plus:  bonus Patreon discussion with Ben and David on recent synchronicities,  the new Consensus Unreality print publication, and more!

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Intro music by Treatment

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Outro Music by Aaron Dilloway

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Testing connections along the fairy and astral-Theosophical to UFO pipeline... Yep,  still fully operational. NJ’s own W. Y. Evans-Wentz and his fairy faith research,  The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett, C W.  Leadbeater’s astral scenery and non-human inhabitants, plus recent ufologick happenings and how they might be 21st century communications from elementals, ascended masters, or the ineffable unknown. As always, another head-spinner so we dove tailed the back-end with some TV talk.

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Unseen resonances, John Keel's early work, nefarious tendencies in the UFO subculture, and more in this conversation. Susan Lepselter's poetic-ethnographic book and John Keel's classics Jadoo and Operation Trojan Horse are consulted. Hermes fashions his lyre from a turtle. What's that mean for our turtle synchs? We discuss our newest exquisite corpse experiment and perform a new randonaut generation for the first time in a few years. 

Hear the full episodes, unlock the full archive and tons of exclusive episodes, written content and more at

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Intro song by Treatment

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In a classic wide-ranging CU discussion, we cover Kenneth Grant's  bizarre ufological synthesis in his book "Outer Gateways", new MK Jessup  weirdness, Jung's dense concept of the "psychoid" and how it relates to ufological events and the victims of artifact. We also talk on the trickster as applied to UFOs, "Operation Trojan Horse" the foundational survey of UFO related phenomena by John Keel, the doppelganger experiences, and the revival of our own brand of synchro-magic. First half is free, but sign up for our Patreon to catch the full episode, regular exclusive episodes, written content, discord server and more!

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Intro music by Treatment

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In this in depth conversation with artist and researcher Carmelo Pampillonio we talked conspiracy culture and the allure and line of synchronistic and paranoid thinking in the artistic process and otherwise. We spoke in length about the nature of banned content concerning conspiracies and how that informed Carmelo's recent project "Apophenic Realism". We also dove into all mess of subjects like chemtrails, artificial intelligence, language concerning the UFO question and the elusive Gateway Process Dossier. We hope you enjoy this tumble and have a great couple Holidays here, whichever you celebrate.

We have included some snippets of audio, book-ending the podcast, from Carmelo's recent project "Apophenic Realism" 

https://www.carmelopampillonio.info/info

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In this episode, we interview writer, musician, psycho-geographer, and English Heretic Andy Sharp. We discuss his two books, the immediate classic The English Heretic Collection and the recent mystic travelogue The Astral Geographic, diving into subjects and figures as wide ranging as Kenneth Grant, place-based ritual, Winston Churchill's druidry, Dion Fortune, folk horror, the trickster, film's feedback relationship with reality, and tons more. 

http://english-heretic.org/

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Intro music by Treatment

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A long, thoughtful saunter through some new and some familiar terrains.  We dive headfirst into D. W. Pasulka's new book Encounters, with its of-the-moment diagnosis of the UFO culture, its odd Rosicrucian connections, new angles on the same old flying discs, and vaguely apocalyptic tone. AI, angelic visions, Jacques Vallee's library,  squaring the circle, and more. Plus: Macer-Story's rare classic  Congratulations: The UFO Reality; a look at the blending of occult fiction into occult "reality" through an excellent scholarly essay on  the subject (linked below); a brief glance at the peculiar Rosicrucianism of Pensatia; synchronicities and dreams aplenty. A really fun, vital episode.

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In this interview with photographer and Spiritualism archivist Shannon Taggart, we discuss her incredible book, SÉANCE and the long, buried history of America's innovative Spiritualist tradition. Topics covered include the intertwined histories of photography and Spiritualism, the Burned-Over District of New York, the connection between the explosion of American New Religions and the creation of the Erie canal, the power of synchronicity, photographing Loch Ness, hoaxing and fraud as invocation practices, an exploding cabinet, and much more. 

Shannon Taggart

https://www.shannontaggart.com/

Regular exclusive episodes, written content, full archive and more

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CU Merch

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Intro music by Treatment

https://treatmentforu.bandcamp.com/album/pond-life