Episodes

  • 30.3: The Pure Land (Part One)

    30.3: The Pure Land (Part One)
    May 15 2026
    Pure Land Buddhism is the most popular religion in Japan and is often regarded as parallel to Christianity in many wyays. In this episode, we uncover the origins of the Pure Land Sutras in India and trace their journey to China where they grew into a set of rituals.
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    52 mins
  • 30.2: Shingon or Japanese Esoteric Buddhism

    30.2: Shingon or Japanese Esoteric Buddhism
    May 1 2026
    The goal of estoteric Buddhism is to achieve a sudden spiritual awakening through the use of secret rituals which might include mantras, gestures, or the visualization of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other deities, in the case of Shingon using one or both of a pair of powerful and elaborate mandalas. These techniques are passed down through a guru or teacher which is what gives them their esoteric or secret nature. Vajrayana focuses on transcending dualistic thinking and discovering the point of intersection between the core Buddhist values of wisdom and compassion.
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    56 mins
  • 30.1: Shinto or Japan's Ancient Spirits

    30.1: Shinto or Japan's Ancient Spirits
    Apr 17 2026
    Shinto is the name assigned to Japan's native religion before the arrival of Buddhism. In this episode, Rob explores the legends of the kami including the story of the kamikaze, the origins of sumo wrestling, and the purpose of Japan's many shrines.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • 29.8: Murder for Resurrection

    29.8: Murder for Resurrection
    Apr 3 2026
    William Burke and William Hare murdered sixteen people in the space of about a year in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Burke was thirty-six and Hare twenty-one-years old. Many of their victims were plied with alcohol until they passed out and then Hare lay on the body as Burke closed the mouth and nostrils in a fairly novel method of killing that came to be called “burking.” They then transported the corpses in a tea chest, sometimes in broad daylight, to Dr. Robert Knox.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 29.7: Annunaki Revelation (Interview Special)

    29.7: Annunaki Revelation (Interview Special)
    Mar 20 2026
    Heather Lynn joins us to discuss the widely misunderstood ancient Sumerian gods, the Annunaki. The connections made between the Annunaki and aliens have perhaps distracted scholars from a far more plausible and surprising interpretation of their meaning and purpose.
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    58 mins
  • 29.6: Blavatsky's Voice of the Silence

    29.6: Blavatsky's Voice of the Silence
    Mar 6 2026
    A year after she completed the Secret Doctrine, Helena Blavatsky published the Voice of the Silence, one of the last to be completed in her lifetime. The Voice of the Silence relates portions of her understanding of esoteric Buddhism with a focus on the path of the bodhisattva. Follow us on this journey to discover the voice, encounter the two paths, and explore the seven portals.
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    54 mins
  • 29.5: The Stranger Things Conformity Gate Conspiracy Theory (Strange Ride Crossover Episode)

    29.5: The Stranger Things Conformity Gate Conspiracy Theory (Strange Ride Crossover Episode)
    Feb 28 2026
    Strange Ride is back and it's a Stranger Ride. Savannah reveals the conspiracy theory spawned by people who hated the ending to Stranger Things. Check out the Strange Ride channel for more deep dives on popular culture.
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    42 mins
  • 29.4: The Pirate King of the Spirit Realms

    29.4: The Pirate King of the Spirit Realms
    Feb 20 2026
    Rob is podcasting alone today in his attempt to tell the twisting and winding story of John King, the pirate spirit who led the materialization seances of the 1870s.
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    1 hr and 1 min