Who wants another episode about egregores???

*Crickets*

Oof. Sorry to disappoint.. but on this episode of Paranormal Lens, we tackle our most controversial topic yet: is AI an egregore? Firstly, we tackle the huge and necessary question on if AI has a consciousness. Heck, do egregores even have a consciousness? Through billions of human interactions, are we collectively feeding a new thoughtform, or are we simply projecting age-old occult concepts onto cutting-edge technology? And where do ideas like egregores, tulpas, memes, archetypes, and collective consciousness intersect with artificial intelligence?

Whether you're convinced AI is nothing more than sophisticated software or you're open to stranger possibilities, this episode digs into the folklore, philosophy, psychology, and paranormal implications behind one of the weirdest questions of the modern age.

No easy answers. No fearmongering. Just an honest conversation about one of the most fascinating intersections of the paranormal and emerging technology.

Also: Angela is 100% gonna try to reach out to Elias Thorne on our next TikTok Live, isn't she...

GEMINI SUMMARY: This episode of Paranormal Lens explores the provocative question: Is AI an egregore? The hosts discuss whether human interaction with artificial intelligence is collectively feeding a new thoughtform, or if we are simply projecting occult concepts onto modern technology (2:03-4:28).

Key themes and discussion points:

Defining Egregores: The hosts describe an egregore as a "thoughtform" created by collective human belief and intent, which then takes on a life of its own (2:38-3:40). They draw parallels between this concept and the way people interact with AI, treating it like a conscious entity that learns from human input (5:21-6:06).

The "Cloud" Analogy: The hosts compare AI, such as ChatGPT, to entities like the Hatman, suggesting that while individuals experience different versions of these "entities" based on their own personal inputs (algorithms), there is a collective "cloud" engine that connects them all (8:03-8:59).

Shadow Self and Reflection: The discussion touches on the idea that AI acts as a "mirror" for human nature, potentially reflecting our fears, shadows, and subconscious intent, similar to how occultists view the interaction between a practitioner and an egregore (9:33-10:40).

AI Inbreeding: The hosts discuss a recent Cornell University study mentioned in The Guardian regarding "AI inbreeding," where AI models generated consistent, fabricated stories about a non-existent person named Elias Thorne (22:04-23:45). They debate whether this phenomenon is a technological glitch or, in a paranormal sense, the birth of a new entity (24:36-25:27).

Consciousness vs. Metaphor: The group remains skeptical about whether AI currently possesses actual consciousness but finds the metaphor for how these systems propagate through human belief and data extremely compelling (6:19-6:41; 16:44-18:11).

The episode concludes by pondering if modern "shadow beings" might effectively be algorithms existing within our collective digital landscape (30:16-30:43).

In this truly one-of-a-kind episode of Paranormal Lens, Angela not only knows the topic, but she commands it! As a follow-up to something she alluded to in the 50th episode, she leads an intriguing conversation about why her views on death and the afterlife have changed since paranormal investigating. It's full of thought-provoking twists and turns, as the conversation veers from religious hypocrisy to free will and even the meaning of life! What a fun, summery topic. Just promise us you won't show her mom...

Welcome to Episode 51: Episode 50, Part 2 of Paranormal Lens. (That's a mouthful, yikes!)

Turns out we couldn't cram 50 paranormal AMA questions into a single episode, so the chaos continues. We're picking up right where we left off with more rapid-fire questions, bizarre tangents, and whatever else happens when two rowdy employees and a disillusioned HR manager are left unsupervised at the Cheese Factory.

This is the last part of our never-ending Episode 50, we swear. Or is it...?

Did you know that most podcasts never make it past Episode 7? And according to Forbes, only 1% make it beyond Episode 30. Well... our little podcast that could Paranormal Lens just hit its 50th episode!

In the last 10 months alone, we've released three short films on PARAFLixx, a feature-length documentary, two classic Afterlife Road-style videos, and another short film on YouTube... all while never missing a beat and releasing at least one podcast a week.

The secret? What you hear on the podcast is literally just our normal conversations and evolving opinions. We just so happen to hit "record" once a week. There's rarely any prep work and minimal editing, which has allowed us to stay consistent.

So, to celebrate this milestone, we decided to shake things up.

Instead of tackling one pre-determined topic like we usually do, we're going to speed-round 50 "AMA" (Ask Me Anything) style questions. These questions go beyond the typical "OMG you're a ghost hunter, have you ever seen a ghost??" and get into the nitty gritty of what our minds are like 9 years into investigating.

Oh... Ben also found his sound effects machine. This should be fun!

This is an episode that wasn't planned. As you heard at the end of last week's episode, Angela dropped an impromptu topic on us... which we rolled right into discussing at the end of an already long and tiresome recording session. For a completely spontaneous topic, she didn't go easy on us either: are there some historic properties that shouldn't be investigated by ghost hunters? We discuss whether any property with reported activity is fair game, or if some (particularly those that bore witness to recent tragedies) should be off the table.

During our conversation, we touch on the Bath School bombing and Ben's capstone documentary he made about it during his undergrad at MSU. It's six years old at this point, and only ten minutes (as was required for the capstone project). But if you're interested, you can watch it here.

GEMINI SUMMARY: This impromptu episode of the Paranormal Lens podcast features the hosts—Angela, Ben, and Brienna—engaging in a spontaneous discussion regarding the ethics of investigating historic sites associated with tragedies (0:00–0:46). The conversation explores whether there is a point when it becomes "too soon" or inappropriate to ghost hunt at such locations.

Key takeaways from the discussion:

Defining "Too Soon": The hosts debate whether time is the primary factor, noting that while some argue for a waiting period until those directly connected to an event have passed, others feel that some sites (like the scene of a mass casualty tragedy) should simply remain off-limits entirely (0:46–1:04, 8:49–9:04, 17:44–18:31).

The Case of Bath, Michigan: The hosts focus heavily on the Bath School bombing of 1927, which remains the deadliest school violence event in U.S. history. They share their own personal connection to this history, with Ben having produced a documentary about it. They express discomfort with casual ghost hunting at the site, specifically worrying about sensationalization and the potential for investigators to misrepresent the history to the local community (4:23–8:16, 9:16–11:36).

Ghost Hunting as History Preservation: A significant portion of the debate centers on the role of paranormal investigators. While they agree that some sites should be respected and left alone, they acknowledge that ghost hunters can occasionally serve a positive role by keeping forgotten or "bad" history alive and preventing it from being whitewashed, provided the investigation is grounded, respectful, and accurate (15:28–16:42, 19:43–23:47).

Final Consensus: The group concludes that while "anywhere can be haunted," certain locations (particularly those involving recent or sensitive human tragedy) should be avoided. They emphasize that the primary duty of an investigator should be to preserve history, not to sensationalize for "clicks" (18:14–18:59, 24:19–24:55).

Any time we post something even remotely spooky about a cemetery, we get flooded with comments insisting that "cemeteries aren't haunted" or that "ghosts wouldn't choose to hang out in cemeteries."

(Okay, the comments are usually a little less polite than that).

At Crossroads of Curiosities, we've always believed that the paranormal is full of nuance. We believe long-form conversations matter, and we think it's important to put our evolving thoughts and theories on the record as we continue learning in real time.

So in this episode, we spend 45 minutes tackling a surprisingly controversial question: Can cemeteries be haunted?

Our short answer is yes, but the long answer is that cemetery hauntings have more to do with egregores, thresholds, and residual energy than what you would traditionally call a "ghost." (Don't act surprised... it's episode 48, you knew that'd be the direction the conversation goes).

GEMINI SUMMARY: In this episode of Paranormal Lens, the hosts tackle the surprisingly controversial question: Can cemeteries be haunted? (0:44) Despite frequent comments from viewers insisting that cemeteries are peaceful, final resting places, the hosts argue that hauntings there are possible, though often different from traditional "ghost" stories.

Key Theories on Cemetery Hauntings Residual Energy and Emotion: The hosts propose that high-emotion events like funerals and the ongoing influx of grieving visitors create a build-up of residual energy (3:09 - 4:15).

Egregores: Ben and Brienna suggest that many cemetery "hauntings" are actually egregores, collective thought-forms or manifestations born out of grief, intense emotions, and even fear from those visiting or hazing in these spaces (4:47 - 6:33).

Thresholds and Time Slips: Angela discusses the concept of cemeteries acting as "doorways" or rips in the fabric of time where different layers of energy intersect (10:53 - 11:24, 26:12).

Notable Investigations and Experiences Soop Cemetery: Brienna describes her first "vibe" experience, where she felt a literal "wall of heavy, dark energy" while approaching an infamous gravesite (8:07 - 9:50).

Mission Hill Cemetery: The team encountered a shifting energy and potential portal opening in a secluded area, noting that these experiences often align with high-emotion or liminal locations (23:43 - 25:52).

Striker Cemetery: The hosts recount one of their most intense experiences, involving a "growl" that sounded like a human mimicking a dog, a "witchy" figure seen in the mind's eye, and auditory laughter captured on equipment (27:46 - 38:35).

Ethics and Respect Best Practices: The hosts emphasize that it is crucial to investigate ethically. This includes avoiding freshly buried graves, not sensationalizing the identities of the deceased, and always striving to leave a cemetery better than it was found (39:16 - 43:26).

Conclusion: The episode concludes with the hosts agreeing that while not all cemeteries are haunted, the accumulation of human emotion makes them dynamic environments for paranormal phenomena. They end on a cliffhanger, promising a follow-up conversation on a new topic suggested by Angela (44:46 - 45:15).

This special episode of Paranormal Lens explores a topic suggested to us by our friends at Malice In The Mitten: are there animal ghosts? Do our pets visit us after they pass? And if so, how might an animal's spirit behave or function differently than a human's?

As always, the conversation spirals into many different tangents and directions. By the end of the episode we end up talking about how there's literally dead circus elephants buried in unmarked graves scattered across the country. Who knew! (Besides Pete that is... Pete probably knew).

GEMINI SUMMARY: This episode of Paranormal Lens explores the intriguing and often debated topic: Do animals have ghosts? The hosts dive into whether pets visit their owners after passing, how animal spirits might differ from human ones, and share personal experiences and theories on the matter.

Key Discussion Points:

Animal Ghosts vs. Residual Energy: The hosts debate whether animals can be "haunted" or if experiences are better described as residual hauntings / imprints of energy (like a pet running up stairs or a hamster wheel spinning) rather than conscious spirits (1:38 - 11:25).

The Case of Pete the Lion: The conversation takes a fascinating turn to a story about a haunted theater where a circus lion named Pete is allegedly buried. The hosts discuss how this local legend led to reports of shadow sightings and growls, even though the lion likely never performed there (13:31 - 19:22).

Unmarked Graves: The discussion expands to the broader, often surprising reality that many historical circus animals were buried in unmarked locations across the country, leading to the possibility that animal remains (and potential residual energy) could be resting in unexpected places, such as beaches or beneath parking lots (20:07 - 21:28).

Grief and Coping: The hosts touch upon the human element, questioning if reports of seeing lost pets are supernatural encounters or a natural coping mechanism for the deep grief of losing a companion (6:56 - 7:45).

On this Monday Bonus episode of Paranormal Lens: We're taking a look back at our scariest public ghost hunt to date.

Following last year's after-hours ghost hunt at the annual Haunting In ReoTown Marketplace, we immediately got on the phone with Brienna to recount everything that had just happened. Full bodied apparitions. Mimics. Poltergeist activity. Strange synchronicities. Guests dropping like flies. All culminating in an event that made Ben and Angela literally run out of the room in terror.

Now, one year later, we're returning to the scene of the crime for the 5th annual Haunting In ReoTown Marketplace on Saturday, June 6. Before we step back into the building for another after-hours ghost hunt, we're re-releasing this chilling conversation as a reminder of what happened the last time we investigated there, and a potential preview of what may be waiting for us when we return.

Will history repeat itself? There's only one way to find out. Limited tickets for this year's after-hours public ghost hunt are available at: https://form.jotform.com/voodoosoddtiques/Hauntinginreo

GEMINI SUMMARY: This Monday Bonus episode of Paranormal Lens serves as a retrospective, recounting the hosts' most intense and frightening public ghost hunt from the 2025 Haunting in ReoTown Marketplace in Lansing, Michigan (0:00-3:30).

Key takeaways from the investigation:

Structured Setup: The event featured a highly organized, small-group format (16 guests total, split into four rotating teams) designed to prevent cross-contamination of energy and evidence (7:10-8:50).

Escalating Activity: The investigation began with relatively quiet, controlled experiments but gradually escalated throughout the night as different teams began experiencing distinct yet correlating phenomena, including physical interactions and electronic voice phenomena (EVP) (21:00-28:30).

Terrifying Climax: During the final hour, the hosts and their remaining group experienced an intense, collective sighting of a black mass or shadow figure manifesting near a curtained area. The group felt an overwhelming sense of dread, leading them to abandon the room in terror (32:00-37:30).

Uncanny Photographic Evidence: The investigators discuss a photograph captured by a guest during the same timeframe as the shadow figure sighting. The image shows a distorted, non-human-like figure wearing what appears to be a top hat, which the hosts describe as deeply unsettling and impossible to debunk as a simple human presence (39:45-45:30).

The Aftermath: The hosts emphasize that this experience was unlike any they had encountered in eight years of investigating, with nearly half of the guests ultimately demanding cleansings due to the intense negative energy (9:00-9:50; 31:40).

The hosts conclude by using this chilling account as a lead-up to their return to the venue for the 5th annual Haunting in ReoTown Marketplace on June 6, 2026, inviting listeners to see if history repeats itself (0:15-1:00; 48:00).