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Big Seance: My Paranormal World

Big Seance: My Paranormal World

Written by: Patrick Keller
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Patrick Keller, of BigSeance.com, invites you to an open discussion on all things paranormal, but specifically topics like ghosts and hauntings, paranormal research, spirit communication, psychics and mediums, and life after death. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!Copyright © 2014 - 2025 by Patrick Keller Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 263 - The Haunted Castle House, Séances, Spirit Communication, Folklore, and Numerology with Medium Dr. Holly Hobbs - Big Seance

    263 - The Haunted Castle House, Séances, Spirit Communication, Folklore, and Numerology with Medium Dr. Holly Hobbs - Big Seance
    Jun 4 2026
    From haunted houses and missing time, to music, folklore, and numerology, this episode covers a remarkable range of paranormal territory. Patrick welcomes Dr. Holly Hobbs, psychic medium and co-founder of the Candlelight Folklore Society, to discuss her work documenting extraordinary stories and the people who experience them. Together they explore the Haunted Castle House in Brumley, Missouri, the cultural power of ghost stories, the energetic role of music in séances, and why some of the most profound paranormal moments happen quietly in the dark, far from flashing gadgets and dramatic ghost hunts. Visit BigSeance.com/263 for more info. Other Listening Options Direct Download Link In this episode: Intro :00 Meet Dr. Holly Hobbs, who is a cultural researcher, psychic medium and numerologist, based in New Orleans. She received her PhD in Ethnomusicology from Tulane University, which informs her cultural research and work as the Co-Director of the production company, Candlelight Folklore Society, which she runs with her husband, the producer and filmmaker Randall Perez. As a medium, she is the director of Morning Glory Healing, a healing service that holds retreats throughout the US and Caribbean, teaching students to connect with their own spiritual abilities through mediumship training, yoga, and energy healing. As both a medium and a scientist, she is interested in the spaces where multidimensional worlds connect. You can learn more about Holly by visiting morninggloryhealing.com or candlelightfolkloresociety.com. :45 Steve and Judy Skinner's Haunted Castle House (aka the Brumley House) in Brumley, Missouri, and the story of how Patrick met Holly. 3:39 For past episodes about the Haunted Castle House, going back to 2020, check out Big Seance episodes 156 and 157. And check out Candlelight Folklore Society's new Brumely House mini doc. 4:15 "Fun fact: From a numerological perspective, people born in October are spiritual leaders." 6:10 "And from the minute that I walked into the house, there was this sense of timelessness that I come to recognize very quickly as the immediate sign of a haunted house for me." 7:49 Holly led a seance at the Castle House. She talks about the energy and vibration of that night and her seances. 9:57 "The best thing you can do to have a good seance is to laugh." 12:20 The energy of New Orleans and one of the best seances that Holly has ever attended. 12:35 Singing in seances. 13:47 Patrick recalls a story of leading investigations at the Belvoir Winery, where the lights on their gadgets blinked to the beat of the song they were singing. 15:05 "There's a reason why people sing in church. People understand, intuitively, that it gets your energy up closer to God, however you wish to define God." 17:12 The lore and stories of the Castle House. 17:27 Doppelgänger experiences, and Holly's very haunted house in New Orleans. 22:40 More Castle House experiences. 26:20 Holly, along with her TV and film producer husband Randall, started their own production company, the Candlelight Folklore Society. 27:25 Imagination, guiding teams, and opening yourself up to spirit. 30:24 Alters and granting permission to the Other Side. 34:38 Ethnomusicology in Holly's mediumship and her research. 36:04 Ethnomusicology is "basically the study of how people use music to understand their space in the world—how to navigate it, how to move through time and space using music." 39:18 Brazilian medium Sonia Rinaldi and her work in light and sound particles. 39:37 Music's role in Holly's seances. 40:41 "I use the same tracks of music over and over, because it's like you're wearing a groove in energetic reality. And that energetic reality that that groove is worn into then becomes very weighted, or energetically full of spiritual energy. It's like charging an object." 41:46 "There is something about lighting a candle." The cultural research of candlelight. 44:21 What about artificial or battery operated candles? 47:47 Dr. Holly Hobbs' most treasured possessions. 50:14 What's going on and where to find Holly! 53:11 Hold up! We have to talk about numerology and the hilariousness of this episode being episode 263! 55:30 Outro 1:00:16 Resources: morninggloryhealing.com candlelightfolkloresociety.com Candlelight Folklore Society (YouTube) Patreon.com/HealingMorningGlory The Big Seance Podcast can be found right here, on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. Please subscribe and share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Patrick@BigSeance.com. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the seance!
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • 262 - The Case for the Afterlife with Philosopher Chris Carter - Big Seance

    262 - The Case for the Afterlife with Philosopher Chris Carter - Big Seance
    Jan 2 2026
    In this episode, we're joined by Oxford-trained philosopher and author Chris Carter to explore one of humanity's most enduring and controversial questions: Is there evidence of life after death? Drawing from his latest book, The Case for the Afterlife: Evidence of Life After Death, Carter argues that the survival of consciousness can be established beyond reasonable doubt through empirical evidence rather than faith alone. Our conversation ranges across research from the British and American Societies for Psychical Research, compelling cases of reincarnation involving children who remember previous lives, accounts of after-death communication, and examples of terminal lucidity. Along the way, we examine the philosophical distinction between reasonable and conceivable doubt, address the strongest skeptical objections, and consider the practical and existential implications of believing that consciousness continues beyond physical death. Visit BigSeance.com/262 for more info. Other Listening Options Direct Download Link In this episode: Intro :00 This interview was recorded on September 19th, 2025. :45 Our guest for this episode is Chris Carter, who is an Oxford-trained philosopher and the author of four highly acclaimed books, and several scholarly articles. His latest book is The Case for the Afterlife: Evidence of Life After Death, which argues that the case for the afterlife can be proven beyond all reasonable doubt, entirely on the basis of evidence. 2:15 Book Description for The Case for the Afterlife: Evidence of Life After Death. 3:16 Tension between skepticism and belief, and what counts as sufficient evidence? 4:53 The most impressive research that Carter's book focuses on, comes from both the British and American Societies for Psychical Research. 7:14 Atheism, Doubt, and Convincing Deniers of the Existence of an Afterlife. 10:36 Reincarnation and Children Who Remember Previous Lives. 13:39 The amazing story of afterlife communication from Frederic Myers, one of the founding members of the British SPR, who died in 1901. Communication came from two different, unrelated mediums on two different continents. 18:05 Reasonable Doubt vs. Conceivable Doubt. "…the burden of proof, of providing evidence, is on the person making the claim." 24:02 The Practical Benefits of a Belief in an Afterlife. 28:36 If consciousness survives physical death, what is its form? The Etheric Body. 30:57 The Skeptic/Denier's Most Fundamental Objections. 36:24 Alzheimer's and Terminal Lucidity. 38:19 "The evidence is on our side. The evidence is not on the side of the materialists, so-called Skeptics. And there's no need to make excuses for our beliefs or even take refuge in the mysteries of faith. The evidence is strong and compelling, beyond all reasonable doubt, that we survive the change called death." 40:42 Get the book, visit Chris Carter's site at WhyRichardDawkinsIsWrong.com, and check out his essay, Can We Prove There Is Life After Death? 41:32 OUTRO 42:01 The Big Seance Podcast can be found right here, on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. Please subscribe and share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Patrick@BigSeance.com. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the seance!
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    43 mins
  • 261 - Hoodoo, Healing, and Helping Others: A Conversation with Jamilah Davis McKenzie - Big Seance

    261 - Hoodoo, Healing, and Helping Others: A Conversation with Jamilah Davis McKenzie - Big Seance
    Aug 8 2025
    In this powerful and heart-centered episode of the Big Seance Podcast, Patrick sits down with Jamilah Davis McKenzie—a minister, spiritual counselor, and boutique owner, whose life is steeped in legacy, music, ministry, and magic. With the grounded wisdom of your favorite "cool auntie," Jamilah opens up about surviving a traumatic gunshot wound, living with PTSD, and her eclectic spiritual path rooted in church ministry, Hoodoo, ancestral veneration, and radical authenticity. She shares how her work—whether through oracle readings, retreats, or ministry—creates sacred spaces where people can heal, reconnect, and transform. With a no-nonsense edge and plenty of heart, Jamilah reminds us that true spiritual service often happens in the most unexpected places. Visit BigSeance.com/261 for more info. Other Listening Options Direct Download Link In this episode: Intro :00 Jamilah Davis McKenzie is a minister, spiritual coach, spiritual counselor, wedding officiant, boutique owner, motivational speaker, and event host dedicated to helping people live their most authentic and fulfilled lives. With a nurturing spirit and a no-nonsense edge, she brings the energy of your favorite "cool auntie"—a Gen X hippie with a sharp tongue, a soulful heart, and a deep commitment to truth and transformation. The daughter of a Tony-nominated opera singer and a non denominational pastor who once served as Malcolm X's bodyguard, Jamilah's life has always been steeped in legacy, purpose, and power. A gifted singer herself, she blends ancestral strength with modern-day wisdom to create spaces where people can heal, grow, and reconnect with their truest selves. :45 Just like the guests from the past three episodes, Patrick met Jamilah this past winter at Missouri Paracon! 1:58 Jamilah and Deb DeRousse's Mystical Magical Retreat by Mystical Awakenings with Big Seance previous guest and friend, Andrea Perron. 7:41 "We make sure that people come in one way and leave different." "It's all about just building community, being there for each other, and finding a safe space." Jamilah survived being shot in the head in a road rage incident in 1993, and she suffers from PTSD. 12:04 "I know what it feels like to be so down. I know what it feels like to feel like you're nothing but a burden on people. Have you noticed that nobody can convince you of how unworthy you are, more than yourself?" "Part of healing is getting back in touch with that inner child who used to laugh at fart jokes." Unity Tree Interfaith Ministries 16:11 The daughter of a minister, Jamilah grew up in the church. She loved the music and community, but she had questions. She has begun to describe herself as a "Spiritual Eclectic." 18:16 "A lot of people can go on Ancestry.com or DNA or whatever, and they can trace stuff back. As an African American, I can't do that. There's only so far I can go. And one of the ways that I feel more connected is through the practices that my people brought here. And that's where the hoodoo comes in, and that's where the indigenous stuff comes in, and that's where ancestor veneration comes in. So I take what I need to build the spiritual life that makes me a better person, so then I can be a better person to help other people." 22:50 There are many ways to be of service. "I can't tell you how many times I have given a message to someone across the table as I'm doing a reading. I cannot tell you how many times I have ministered to someone over oracle cards. And in a traditional sense, I'd be going to hell right now. But that's where I was of most use. The person sat down for a word. They sat down to be filled at that point and I gave it to them." 23:35 Jamilah breaks down her empathic abilities. 26:50 Ancestor Veneration and how the practice of Hoodoo was born. 28:10 "We had to use Christianity to kind of mask our faith, so we had to put it in with Christianity to be able to practice anything, or to be able to save any of our culture, or any of our heritage, or any of our religion, because we weren't supposed to be doing that." On the topic of gatekeeping Hoodoo: "Understand who you are and who you're asking. We're telling you to make sure that you call for your sake, not because we're trying to gatekeep." 33:16 "There are people of all walks of life, of all skin colors who practice Hoodoo and have a beautiful time doing so. Just make sure that you're really called." "A ritual or a spell is nothing but a prayer coupled with action." 36:11 Being Gen X: "Think about this. Everything we fantasized about, all the things we wished we could have, we have seen come to pass. So we are the magical generation." 42:22 Jamilah and Patrick discuss AI. Jamilah is all about it! 45:02 Skyclad Handmade Boutique 49:23 Shoutout to Dale Quigley of the Seeking Vibes Podcast, who recently interviewed Jamilah. Check it out! 51:32 Jamilah's parents and grandparents have fascinating stories! Her mother is a Tony-nominated opera singer known ...
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    1 hr and 11 mins
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