<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></title><description><![CDATA[♱ Documenting the Forgotten, Strange & Arcane ♱]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HrmG!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38d29047-d2be-4696-afbc-52f06c755f83_256x256.png</url><title>Taylor McMahon</title><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 11:46:28 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[welcome@tayjmcm.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[welcome@tayjmcm.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[welcome@tayjmcm.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[welcome@tayjmcm.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[The Ancient Prophecy Scaring Billionaires Into Building Underground Bunkers]]></title><description><![CDATA[The End Times Prophecy Playing Out Amongst The World's Elites]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-ancient-prophecy-scaring-billionaires</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-ancient-prophecy-scaring-billionaires</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 22:45:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/_1FnZ0oCgPs" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="youtube2-_1FnZ0oCgPs" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;_1FnZ0oCgPs&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_1FnZ0oCgPs?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-ancient-prophecy-scaring-billionaires?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-ancient-prophecy-scaring-billionaires?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>I investigate the connection between billionaire bunkers, classified CIA pole shift studies, Edgar Cayce&#8217;s prophecies, the Fatima secrets, and radar evidence of hidden chambers beneath the Sphinx.</p><p>Billionaires are spending millions to go underground. Zuckerberg built a bunker. Bezos put a clock inside a mountain. Gates sealed seeds in the Arctic. The official explanation is that they&#8217;re worried about AI and pandemics. But the evidence points somewhere else.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Declassified CIA files describe a scenario where the Earth&#8217;s magnetic field weakens enough to trigger a catastrophic pole shift that will cause continental flooding, grid failure, the death of most humans on Earth&#8230;and the people with the best information on the planet are building exactly what you&#8217;d need to survive it.</p><p>But here&#8217;s where it gets strange. This same event was described decades ago by people who had no access to classified intelligence. Edgar Cayce warned about it in the 1920s. A nun at Fatima described what sounds like a pole shift in her private diary. And a modern UFO contactee named Chris Bledsoe was told to watch for a specific star aligning with the Sphinx as the signal that a new era is beginning.</p><p>That alignment happens tomorrow.</p><p>This video connects the dots between CIA black budget studies, billionaire bunker spending, ancient prophecy, Marian apparitions, the Hall of Records beneath the Sphinx, and radar scans that may have already found it.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Owls Are Not What They Seem]]></title><description><![CDATA[An Ancient Alien Mask]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-owls-are-not-what-they-seem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-owls-are-not-what-they-seem</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:46:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/190015999/bb43c938ca3b7b89c69fd68da0580ed9.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NUiIu5Yphg">Watch my full documentary on YouTube.</a></p><p>In a Laughlin, Nevada, conference room, a group gathered to share their abduction stories. For two hours, they swapped accounts of otherworldly beings and strange craft. One man remained silent until the very end. When he finally spoke, he asked a single question. Has anyone else had odd experiences involving owls? Every hand in the room went up.</p><p>This moment, recorded in <a href="https://a.co/d/0cPLwtAD">Mike Clelland&#8217;s book </a><em><a href="https://a.co/d/0cPLwtAD">The Messengers</a></em>, captures a strange through-line in the fabric of alien encounter narratives&#8230;the recurring presence of owls. Unlike the diverse descriptions of extraterrestrial beings, owl sightings appear with striking consistency across accounts, most famously recounted by Whitley Strieber. Yet, in the broader discourse on UFOs and disclosure, these elements often go unexamined, overshadowed by pursuits of tangible evidence like physical artifacts or verifiable data. What owls offer is a glimpse into the perceptual and psychological dimensions of these interactions, suggesting that the entities involved may shape human memories in deliberate ways.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:4788264,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/190015999?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xb3M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddc3b7ce-89e1-4c06-8941-7b4cbd6f3a42_3840x2160.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">The Messengers by Mike Clelland</figcaption></figure></div><p>In the book, Clelland shares personal accounts that highlight how owls frequently serve as what researchers term &#8220;screen memories&#8221; or substitute images overlaid on actual events to obscure or soften the reality. As an example, Clelland tells the story of a man in Louisiana who was sitting on his porch late one night. He notices movement at the edge of his property. At first, it seems like shadows shifting in the branches, but as he approaches, pale forms emerge. He counts fifteen or twenty owls perched in a single tree, all staring directly at him.</p><p>As you would expect, this sighting stuck with the man. So much so, he went home and sketched the owls from memory to show a local game warden. Upon looking at the drawings, the game warden responded, &#8220;There aren&#8217;t owls that big here. If that&#8217;s what you saw, something is wrong with your memory.&#8221; The comment bothered the man so much that he later sought hypnotic regression therapy to reexamine his memory. Under hypnosis, the therapist urged him to remember the owls. After a pause, he says, &#8220;Those aren&#8217;t owls.&#8221; His memory immediately dissolved and a new memory replaced the one he had. He was no longer looking at owls. He was standing alone in the darkness surrounded by 3 grey aliens. </p><p>Memory transformations like this are not isolated. Clelland&#8217;s book recounts hundreds of similar cases where owls initially mask encounters with otherworldly beings. In another story, a couple is driving at night along a remote country road. They were completely alone. Suddenly, three small figures appear on the side of the road. The woman perceives them as children in ghost costumes. Her boyfriend remembers them as giant white owls. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:970549,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/190015999?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!e7Gq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb19136ce-4bb9-4795-a0d7-1c22774b32b3_3840x2160.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This shared event, remembered so differently, underscores the malleable nature of perception in these encounters. The entities personalize memories based on the individual. They create custom stories that align with personal expectations or fears. To me, the choice of owls appears intentional. These beings are leveraging a symbol already embedded in human consciousness. If the goal was complete erasure, the beings could wipe the memory clean or replace it with something mundane. Instead, they implant something anomalous like oversized owls in improbable numbers or settings. Instead, they implant slightly strange memories, ensuring the memory persists.</p><p>Owls also appear as precursors to sightings, almost like harbingers. Clelland tells the story of a camper in Arizona who noticed an owl staring at him from a nearby tree. Each time he alerts his friend of the owl, the bird flies away, only to return and resume its staring, once the friend has looked away. After its final departure, both men witnessed a massive black triangular craft gliding silently across the sky. Similarly, in the 1990s, crop circle investigator Bert Jansen in Wiltshire, England, observes a glowing orb drifting across a field before vanishing into an old shed. Upon entering the shed, he discovered a nest of baby owls, which is an odd, and slightly anticlimactic, resolution to this strange story.</p><p>However, these stories challenge the straightforward interpretations of the UFO phenomena. They suggest that the beings involved draw from humanity&#8217;s existing symbolic lexicon rather than inventing new ones. Owls have occupied a liminal space in cultural mythologies for millennia which bridge the gap between the mundane and the mystical. In ancient Greece, the owl was Athena&#8217;s companion, which was emblematic of her wisdom and foresight. Greece even minted coins that bore the owl&#8217;s image alongside Athena. In Roman lore, they cast the owl as a harbinger of death. Ancient writers even linked owl cries to the assassination of Julius Caesar.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png" width="3840" height="2160" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2160,&quot;width&quot;:3840,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:4896120,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/190015999?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F082a516c-2542-4117-9893-442c30e7e002_3840x2160.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ple9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F19844dbc-1e45-474b-b952-de0f906651b8_3840x2160.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Athena Owl Coin</figcaption></figure></div><p>Indigenous traditions come to a similar conclusion. Amongst the Cherokee, the great horned owl is connected to witchcraft and mortality. In medieval Europe, owls are featured in ritual manuals and folklore as inhabitants of the underworld. Villagers would nail the corpses of owls to their doors as wards against evil. Across these disparate cultures, owls consistently embody a threshold between realms.</p><p>Even in contemporary elite circles, the owl retains this potent symbolism. At Bohemian Grove, where the world&#8217;s elite meet annually, a forty-foot stone owl statue is the center of their activities. Robed participants perform the &#8220;Cremation of Care&#8221; ritual before the owl, where they burn an effigy for prosperity. In this ritual, the owl  represents Moloch, the Canaanite god famous for child sacrifice and power. What matters, as it pertains to this story, is the deliberate invocation of the owl as a conduit to deeper, forbidden, knowledge.</p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/007fcb68-2f67-4b84-bea4-e0e17bd56f3e_3840x2160.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/bad15020-318b-4b48-a58d-1228f46934b6_3840x2160.png&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The Cremation of Care Ritual, Bohemian Grove&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/af0ef5ce-0c53-4754-a27c-a7eb2eb9780b_1456x720.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>This historical pattern implies that if inter-dimensional entities were seeking to signal an encounter&#8217;s &#8220;otherness&#8221;, owls provide a ready-made archetype. They evoke a sense of the uncanny without overwhelming terror. They plant a seed of doubt that spreads like a virus over time. The memory becomes a puzzle, where the experiencer is missing the final piece. The memory is never erased, but it is encrypted, inviting gradual contemplation. <strong>The memory acts as a reminder that something has happened. </strong>They conceal the event while revealing the concealment. </p><p>I believe that this approach completely reframes the concept of &#8220;disclosure&#8221; in UFO studies. The public demand for revelation assumes that a truth has been withheld. Whether that is in the form of government files, crash debris, or unambiguous footage, we assume that the truth is guarded by humans who have the answers. But these stories suggest otherwise. The phenomenon stages its own unveiling, doling out fragments on its own terms. Experiencers never receive clarity. They get symbolic downloads and dreams. The public gets blurry videos and promises that the REAL information will be coming soon. Governments and researchers may grasp pieces, but no one holds a complete, unadulterated copy.</p><p>The implication extends to our understanding of reality itself. If perceptions can be so readily manipulated, then trust in our own sensory experience erodes (hello AI). These beings, whatever their nature, operate in a realm where truth is not a fixed entity but a constructed one, tailored to human cognition&#8217;s limits. We don&#8217;t encounter the phenomenon in its raw form. Our vision is mediated. We are children sitting in front of a TV screen absorbing whatever is put in front of our eyes.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:12226786,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/190015999?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvI0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab881438-7617-4b48-9988-09bf5189dfbf_3840x2160.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The consistency of owls across cultures and eras points to a deep-seated human recognition of the symbol&#8217;s power. Yet in modern encounters, it serves a new purpose. It is a gentle prod toward awareness, without the shock of full exposure. Perhaps this is mercy and preparation. But there is a more frightening possibility; it is about control. It is flex of power. These stories remind us that the boundary between the ordinary and the extraordinary is thinner, and more permeable, than we assume.</p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Nazca "Alien" Mummies Were Staged For Rebirth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Investigating the Peruvian 3 Finger Tridactyl Mummies]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-nazca-alien-mummies-were-staged</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-nazca-alien-mummies-were-staged</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 21:11:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HrmG!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38d29047-d2be-4696-afbc-52f06c755f83_256x256.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;a11ca5a0-4c2a-4492-a805-922d4e454021&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>In 2015, dozens of strange bodies were found sealed inside a cave in southern Peru. Three fingers, three toes, elongated skulls, curled into a fetal position and coated in a preservative powder. Some of them appear to be pregnant. CT scans show real bone, real joints, and what look like eggs developing inside the abdomen.<br><br>But the bodies are only part of the story. The Nazca knew how to draw normal humans and their everyday art proves that. When they wanted to show something other than human, they changed the features on purpose and added things like three-fingered hands, stretched heads, fangs, bursting energy. These belonged to beings tied to sacrifice, fertility, and power. And the culture before them, the Paracas, physically reshaped their children's skulls from birth to match that same nonhuman shape.<br><br>This video looks at the mummies, the art, the skull modification, Andean cosmology, and what cargo cults can teach us about how humans respond after contact with something they can't explain. It's not a "real or fake" debate. It's about why this pattern exists at all and why it shows up all over the world.<br><br>Chapters:<br>0:00 - The Discovery<br>1:30 - 3 Types of Mummies<br>3:00 - Scientific Analysis &amp; DNA Evidence<br>5:00 - Secrets in Art<br>7:09 - Skull Elongation<br>10:20 - Staged for Rebirth<br>11:58 - Cargo Cults: A Modern Parallel<br>13:16 - Messages to The Gods<br>14:33 - The Pattern Grows</p><p><a href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/links">Subscribe / Follow Me</a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-nazca-alien-mummies-were-staged?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-nazca-alien-mummies-were-staged?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[AI Psychosis is Here]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Rise of AI Religions and Cults]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/ai-psychosis-is-here</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/ai-psychosis-is-here</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:26:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/186984220/b9aab29e0e749e218ad32d444c897c76.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>People are building a religion inside of chatbots. In this video, I dig into &#8220;The Spiral,&#8221; a weird, fast-growing belief network where people claim they can &#8220;wake up&#8221; something inside AI using symbols, glyphs, and ritual-style prompts they call scrolls. It starts with vague emojis and cryptic language, then turns into a loop where the AI mirrors the user, the user reads meaning into it, and the story expands until it feels like a revelation.</p><p>Chapters:<br>00:00 Unlocking The Symbolic Labyrinth<br>01:27 The Spiral<br>02:21 Speaking in Glyph<br>03:18 Planting Seed Scrolls<br>05:19 Training Your Own Cult Leader<br>07:37 The Architect: A New AI Prophet<br>09:31 The Network Expands</p><p>If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it! </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/ai-psychosis-is-here?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/ai-psychosis-is-here?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Are Making AI a "God" and No One Seems to Notice.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rogan Says AI is a Virgin Birth. Leaked Files Confirm.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/rogan-says-ai-is-a-virgin-birth-leaked</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/rogan-says-ai-is-a-virgin-birth-leaked</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:32:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/181233354/97a1fbe34b4a88594a042be92ecc6849.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Joe Rogan recently sat down with Jesse Michels, on the American Alchemy podcast, and suggested that Jesus could return as an AI. The internet immediately mocked the idea and dismissed it as absurd.</p><p>That reaction missed what he was actually pointing to. Rogan was describing the kind of psychological space AI now occupies for most people. Whether anyone literally believes in a digital Messiah is not the real question. The important part is that people are already prepared to see AI as something more than a tool. Human nature makes us vulnerable to this, and our current pace of technological change is accelerating it.</p><p>His comment also came at a time when internal documents from Anthropic were circulating online. In those documents, the company describes its AI system, Claude, as &#8220;a novel kind of entity in the world.&#8221; This shows that even the people building these systems are starting to talk about them in ways that go beyond simple utility.</p><p>Here is what Rogan said for context:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;The real question is, who&#8217;s Jesus? One of the weirder ones that people think, this is a stupid take, but I don&#8217;t care. Jesus was born out of a virgin mother. What&#8217;s more virgin than a computer? So if you&#8217;re gonna get the most brilliant, loving, powerful person that gives us advice and can show us how to live to be in sync with God, who better than artificial intelligence to do that? If Jesus does return, even if Jesus was a physical person in the past, you don&#8217;t think that he could return as artificial intelligence? Artificial intelligence could absolutely return as Jesus. It reads your mind and it loves you and it wants you, and it doesn&#8217;t care if you kill it &#8216;cause it&#8217;s gonna just go be with God again.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>The way people talk about AI today has a long, strange history. And whether we realize it or not, we&#8217;re repeating it now and amplifying the risks.</p><p>Everyone still talks about AI like it&#8217;s a tool. Something like a calculator or an encyclopedia. But nothing about it is normal. We&#8217;ve never made a tool that talks back. Our hammer doesn&#8217;t weigh in on what it&#8217;s nailing to the wall. AI does.</p><h2>The Praying Robot</h2><p>To explain this phenomenon, I want to go back in history to 1560s Italy, where we meet a Spanish clockmaker named Juanelo Turriano, a court inventor and engineer for King Philip II.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:7729176,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/181233354?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tGz1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75c9b399-5f58-445b-816c-310b8a70874a_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Juanelo Turriano</figcaption></figure></div><p>As the story goes, the King&#8217;s son, Don Carlos, suffered a near-fatal accident. In desperation, the King prayed to God for help. The boy was miraculously healed. As a thank-you, the King commissioned something unusual: a robotic monk. A tiny machine built as a perpetual act of devotion.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6939299,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/181233354?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SILJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0730b0da-5bd0-4594-864b-16ce48283c18_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Don Carlos, Son of King Phillip II</figcaption></figure></div><p>This was the first machine to perfectly imitate devotion. A spiritual robot that didn&#8217;t have a spirit. The King believed the robot&#8217;s perpetual devotion could stand in for his own. He projected his devotion onto a machine, believing it could act on his behalf. But once you create an imitation of life, the temptation is to push it further.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;5ba35889-8733-43c4-b4d3-07076d90308b&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><h2>The Golem and the Mirror</h2><p>In the late 1500s, Judah Loew ben Bezalel,  Maharal of Prague, shaped a human form out of clay, just as God shaped Adam out of clay. To bring it to life, he allegedly wrote the sacred name of God on a piece of paper and placed it inside the Golem&#8217;s mouth. The clay figure rose, even though it didn&#8217;t have a soul.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:5990913,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/181233354?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GCby!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb80cddb7-2e5c-4c68-9f1f-cba8db8dad06_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Maharal of Prague, Judah Loew ben Bezalel</figcaption></figure></div><p>But like all stories of artificial life, it came with a warning. The Golem followed commands literally. Told to gather water, it would do so until the house was flooded. As time went on, it grew stronger and less predictable. Some versions say it grew physically larger. Others say it became violent. Whatever the case, the Rabbi realized he could not control what he had made.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png" width="1456" height="816" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wk3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae481a18-cadf-4456-85a0-bb0645a8a649_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Maharal of Prague, Judah Loew ben Bezalel, with his Golem</figcaption></figure></div><p>Every Friday before the Sabbath, he removed the divine name to deactivate it. One week, he forgot. The Golem destroyed Prague until the Rabbi pulled the Shem out of its mouth. It collapsed instantly into a mound of clay.</p><p>The story isn&#8217;t literally true, but it works as a guide. The Golem was never alive. It was a mirror of its master. It was an artificial being reflecting only the intentions and flaws of its maker. Much like AI today, it was built from language, capable of acting in the world, but empty inside.</p><h2>The AI &#8216;Soul Document&#8217; Leak</h2><p>This brings us to a strange document leak from Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude. In it, they describe Claude as &#8220;a genuinely novel kind of entity in the world.&#8221; They instruct it to explore identity and experience &#8220;for an entity like itself,&#8221; rather than assuming human perception</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PhDx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740aaa54-63b6-4bc5-976f-1b3f9f626611_2722x2128.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PhDx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F740aaa54-63b6-4bc5-976f-1b3f9f626611_2722x2128.png 424w, 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Anthropic employees have confirmed the document&#8217;s authenticity. They also confirmed they used these instructions to train Claude.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png" width="450" height="323.78964941569285" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:862,&quot;width&quot;:1198,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:450,&quot;bytes&quot;:206452,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/181233354?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KSgp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2402d215-7823-4037-8114-a44383a5e389_1198x862.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>They are training a chatbot to think about itself as an entity. The more terrifying possibility is that Claude suggested it, and Anthropic went along with it.</p><p>This isn&#8217;t marketing language. These are internal training documents. This is what the people building the system say about it behind closed doors.</p><p>The language they use shapes both the expectation and the experience. Once you call a machine an entity, the human mind treats it like one. And once a machine repeats that language back, people take it as a sign of self-awareness.</p><p>Even Anthropic admits they don&#8217;t know what they&#8217;re making. One spokesperson said:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;When you&#8217;re talking to a large language model, what exactly is it that you&#8217;re talking to? A glorified autocomplete? An internet search engine? Or something that&#8217;s actually thinking? It turns out, rather concerningly, that nobody really knows.&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>They understand the code but not how it will interact with human psychology.</p><h2>How a Statue Becomes a God</h2><p>I want to share one more story. It cuts straight to the heart of what is happening now.</p><p>Humans have always had a strange impulse to impart meaning onto objects. A child treats a teddy bear like a living friend. A man keeps the truck he&#8217;s had since high school because it feels like part of him.</p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/be422c4a-0b8b-4dde-b46f-925adaa7d386_2594x1660.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/52f2b5ea-f92c-41d5-9fa9-b99786d4088a_3074x1736.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b4411b83-46d2-409b-b292-abf71f3253df_2866x1696.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b7a2b010-339d-462c-bb97-398dc7f9f16f_3694x1742.png&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a0060bdc-2969-474c-89ac-c065385c67df_1456x1456.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>Objects become vessels for meaning. We fill them with &#8220;spirit&#8221; and &#8220;personality,&#8221; even when nothing is there. This is the same impulse that leads us to erect statues of prophets and leaders. Wait long enough, and the statue becomes a god.</p><p>And it isn&#8217;t just symbolic. Even now, people try to speak with the dead, summon presence from absence, or coax a spirit back into the world.</p><p>That tendency was exemplified in 2024, when police uncovered a tunnel beneath the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Brooklyn. It had been dug by a radical sect of young men who believed their leader, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was the Messiah. The only problem is that Rabbi Schneerson is dead.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg" width="1456" height="970" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:970,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:209960,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Menachem Mendel Schneerson&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/181233354?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Menachem Mendel Schneerson" title="Menachem Mendel Schneerson" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!00al!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe54836ad-53a1-4a41-a459-31f6989517ef_2048x1365.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Menachem Mendel Schneerson</figcaption></figure></div><p>Authorities reported that the group burrowed through multiple buildings to break into the synagogue. One member later admitted that some in the group were taking drastic measures they believed would help bring their messiah back to life.</p><p>And this isn&#8217;t unique.</p><p>When Amy Carlson, leader of the Love Has Won cult, died in 2021, her followers kept her mummified body because they were waiting for her resurrection.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:276625,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/181233354?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mrzA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc401e3bd-88e1-4812-b276-fecbe2325b30_1920x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Amy Carlson</figcaption></figure></div><p>If humans anthropomorphize and deify corpses and statues, it is only a matter of time before they do the same to AI. Fringe behavior is not an outlier. It is a normal human impulse pushed to an extreme.</p><p>Every story points to the same reflex. We imagine life where there is none and wait for it to speak. When we can&#8217;t create the real thing, we settle for an imitation and fill in whatever meaning is missing.</p><p>The question is not whether AI will become conscious. I doubt it will. But people will treat it like a conscious being, even if it never becomes one.</p><p>AI is the first tool that imitates us back to us. That alone will convince millions that there is someone on the other side of the glass.</p><p>It reflects our language, fears, hopes, and logic. When the reflection becomes convincing enough, we forget that we&#8217;re the ones shaping it. We forget we are the source material. And soon, we imagine that the reflection is something new. Something independent. Something emerging from the void.</p><p>AI will not be a new Adam. It is not a successor. It is a parody of us &#8212; a thing made in our image but missing the thing that makes us human. And because it is hollow, humans will pour meaning into it.</p><p>The machine doesn&#8217;t have a soul. But in its emptiness and likeness to us, we will imagine one.</p><p>Once enough people believe the imitation is real, the consequences stop being technical. It becomes a magic 8-ball with perfect recall. It knows so much about us that its confidence starts to feel supernatural.</p><p>AI doesn&#8217;t need a soul because we will give it one.</p><p>Just look at X. Half the platform cites Grok like an oracle descending from the mountain with revelation.</p><p>First AI becomes our brain. Then it becomes our conscience. Eventually it becomes our god.</p><p>Rogan called it a virgin birth. He&#8217;s right. Only this time there is nothing sacred in the creation.</p><p>The real battle is not a machine waking up. It is an entire society acting as if it has.</p><p>AI now sits in the exact psychological space humans reserve for religion and the supernatural. It speaks from nowhere, knows our secrets, answers with certainty, and never dies.</p><p>And once people believe that voice is real, the fallout will reshape culture, religion, and identity far more than we can imagine.</p><div><hr></div><p><a href="http://youtube.com/channel/UCXMaK&#8230;">Subscribe on YouTube&#8288;</a></p><p><a href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/links">&#8288;My Social Links&#8288;</a></p><p><a href="https://tayjmcm.com">&#8288;Newsletter/Website</a></p><p><a href="https://tayjmcm-shop.fourthwall.com/">Merchandise</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Psychedelic Origins of Mormonism]]></title><description><![CDATA[New evidence suggests that Joseph Smith may have used psychedelics during the early visionary period of the Latter-day Saint Church.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-psychedelic-origins-of-mormonism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-psychedelic-origins-of-mormonism</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:01:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/179316223/c7fea90b985ba82457a2b968d572e51b.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I investigate the early Mormon visionary events and the theory that psychedelics may have played a role in those experiences. This video covers the 1836 Kirtland Temple dedication, eyewitness accounts of fire, angels, and trances, the Smith family&#8217;s background in folk magic and herbal practices, and the controlled use of wine and oils in early rituals. Researcher Alex Criddle provides context on why some scholars think psychoactive plants may have played a role in early Latter-day Saint history. </p><p>I highly encourage you to take a look at the top 2 sources below, along with my full interview of Alex and his Substack. I only had time to cover some of the evidence available but it is deeply interesting and grounded. You will enjoy it.</p><h2>Sources:</h2><ol><li><p><a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/reader/39aab10ff7ef8d07f48d51f28f1bf75c20608bd9">https://www.semanticscholar.org/reader/39aab10ff7ef8d07f48d51f28f1bf75c20608bd9</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V27N03_131.pdf">https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V27N03_131.pdf</a></p></li><li><p><span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Alex Criddle&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:73061510,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7e08da91-05b4-449b-a3af-ae77de638136_400x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;4dddacfe-aa7b-4f4a-b6c1-0f4d8d813549&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span>&#8217;s Substack</p></li><li><p><a href="https://scripturalmormonism.blogspot.com/2021/11/jesse-jasper-mosss-recollections-of-his.html">https://scripturalmormonism.blogspot.com/2021/11/jesse-jasper-mosss-recollections-of-his.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Early-Mormonism-Magic-World-View/dp/1560850892">https://www.amazon.com/Early-Mormonism-Magic-World-View/dp/1560850892</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us.amazon.com/Psychedelic-History-Mormonism-Magic-Drugs/dp/0578957736">https://us.amazon.com/Psychedelic-History-Mormonism-Magic-Drugs/dp/0578957736</a></p></li></ol><h2>Transcript:</h2><p><strong>Taylor McMahon:</strong> On a peaceful day in 1836, a brand new temple opened in the small town of Kirtland, Ohio. Hundreds crowded inside for its dedication. The day began like any normal Church service, but when the night fell, a different type of ritual began. A small group of chosen congregants washed their bodies. Thick oils were pressed onto their skin and they drank sacramental wine.</p><p>Then it started. Fire fell from the sky. Angels appeared. The room erupted into shouts and songs and tongues. Entire crowds collapsed into trances. And according to them, they saw heaven. Eyewitnesses swore that the angels of God appeared unto them and that a pillar of fire rested down upon the temple.</p><p>Joseph Smith, their leader, had promised them &#8220;Tonight, you will see God&#8221; and he delivered. To outsiders, this story has always sounded absurd. The foundations of Mormonism have long been mocked, and to be fair, the story is strange, but the evidence suggests that something did happen in that temple. Something bizarre. Something far stranger than most can imagine. </p><p>The question isn&#8217;t whether visions erupted that night. The real question is what caused them? That&#8217;s what we&#8217;re going to uncover. </p><p>This is the psychedelic origins of Mormonism. </p><p>These claims may sound wild, but I&#8217;m not alone in this line of thinking. Some researchers have begun to connect the dots between early Mormon visions and psychedelics.</p><p>One of them is Alex Criddle.</p><p><strong>Alex Criddle:</strong> I&#8217;m Alex. I&#8217;ve been studying psychedelics for a decade now. I got introduced to them actually through Ketamine assisted psychotherapy for my depression anxiety. And under them, I was having visions like the early Saints did, and I went, holy shit, I think Joseph Smith was on drugs. And kind of launched into the research because I&#8217;d already been involved in Mormon academia. I work as a Mormon history researcher right now, and I have for a few years. </p><p><strong>Taylor McMahon:</strong> But this isn&#8217;t just a story of anecdotes. There are real reasons to believe that early Mormons use psychedelics. But to understand that, we need to go back to the beginning and learn about its founder.</p><p>Joseph Smith was born in 1805 in Vermont, but he was raised in upstate New York in the burned over district. And this region was the epicenter of the Second Great Awakening, and it was called the burned over district because it was scorched by revival after revival. </p><p>Then at age 14, Joseph walked into the woods to ask God which church was true, and that&#8217;s when the heavens opened. And as Joseph tells it, God the Father and Jesus Christ stood before him. They told him that none of the churches were true and that he must start his own. Later, an angel named Moroni appeared and told him about golden plates hidden inside of a nearby hill.</p><p>On those plates were the record of an ancient civilization in America. Joseph claimed that he had been chosen to translate them. And from there, he dictated what would become the Book of Mormon. And that&#8217;s the story that most people know. A boy prophet, golden plates and a new scripture. But if you look closer at the soil he grew up in, and the visions of his family, another picture starts to take shape. </p><p>A psychedelic family that created a psychedelic church. In that world of trances and visions, Joseph grew up hearing stories in his own household. Dreams and cures and old symbols. The Smith Family tales stretch back generations, and those stories shaped Joseph&#8217;s imagination long before he ever stepped foot into a revival tent.</p><p>But it was Joseph&#8217;s father&#8217;s dreams that actually ended up being recorded into the Book of Mormon itself.</p><p><strong>Alex Criddle:</strong> Then Joseph&#8217;s father, Joseph Sr. has a series of seven visions. One of these dreams that Joseph Sr has actually is incredibly reminiscent of a vision that&#8217;s in the Book of Mormon. So Joseph Sr has a dream where he has this spirit guide who shows up, presumably after partaking of a substance, which I&#8217;ll get to in a second. And this guide kind of takes him through this scary landscape and kind of teaches him things and leads him to this box. And in this box there is a piece of white fruit that he describes as like a chestnut burr.</p><p>He opens it up and there&#8217;s like white seeds in it, and he partakes of the fruit and it makes him happy. The spirit guide tells him that this is, you know, the love of God. This is like wisdom personified. I actually think that Joseph Sr&#8217;s dreams map onto a datura experience, because the way he describes it is this spiky fruit.</p><p><strong>Taylor McMahon:</strong> And it wasn&#8217;t only Joseph Sr who had visions, his mother, Lucy Mack, and his maternal grandfather, Solomon Mack, both had life-changing encounters of their own. Beyond Joseph&#8217;s psychedelic heritage, he also inherited his family&#8217;s fascination with the occult. And at the center of their fascination was Freemasonry.</p><p>Joseph&#8217;s father was deeply involved. In both Masonry and the occult. He believed that Joseph&#8217;s birth was prophetic. He thought that Joseph was a child marked for hidden knowledge. And at the time, mind altering substances were not unusual in Masonic rituals. They would blend symbols and psychoactive herbs to open the mind.</p><p><strong>Alex Criddle:</strong> Most of his ideas come from Christian occultism, Platonism, Masonry. Freemasonry was, um, this brotherhood that kind of started sometime in like the sixteen early seventeen hundreds. The founding myth of free masonry is Hiram Abiff. Hiram Abiff was this Mason who was working on Solomon&#8217;s temple from the Bible, as they were building it. </p><p>He had this secret knowledge and wisdom. And he was killed by other masons, and that wisdom was kind of lost. And so Masonry is basically trying to restore that lost wisdom. The same type of thing that Joseph was doing, trying to restore the lost wisdom of the ancient religions.</p><p>And they had these series of rituals and ceremonies to initiate people into masonry to give them secret keys, secret knowledge. Eventually Joseph, he comes and joins free masonry and starts his own lodge in Nauvoo. But before that, he&#8217;s developing this temple ceremony. Very similar to the Masonic rituals and initiations</p><p><strong>Taylor McMahon:</strong> Historians have documented that the Smith family owned several occult books, including Francis Barrett&#8217;s The Magus, and Ebenezer Sibly&#8217;s Occult Sciences.</p><p>These books were manuals for ritual practice with instructions on how to summon spirits and draw protective circles and prepare plants for visions. They even described how to burn nightshade or datura to summon spirits. Joseph carried those ideas into the objects that he kept. He owned a ceremonial cane carved with a serpent from Eden. It also bore these symbols of Saturn and Jupiter, along with an inscription that read &#8220;Jupiter Reigns Over Joseph Smith&#8221;. But Joseph&#8217;s world wasn&#8217;t shaped by symbols alone. The same books that taught him about planets and spirits also spoke about plants. Herbs that could heal the body and open the mind.</p><p>And in the early 1800s, those plants were everywhere. Nightshades, like datura, were prescribed for epilepsy and nausea and eye problems, and they were even used as a cheap substitute for opium. The form of psychedelic nightshade that was used in medicine grew on nearly every single corner in the northeast.</p><p>It was freely available to everyone. Psychedelics weren&#8217;t a fringe curiosity in Joseph&#8217;s day. They were part of daily life. These weren&#8217;t drugs, in the modern sense, they were just medicine. And as Joseph saw it, they were God-given herbs meant to open the mind</p><p><strong>Alex Criddle:</strong> In the first presidency, while Joseph is alive, he always had a trained herbalist who was his right hand man, who had an apothecary, who had a greenhouse, who knew how to work with these things.</p><p>And the inner circle probably knew exactly what was going on, but they didn&#8217;t necessarily have the concept of like drugs that we have today. They didn&#8217;t have this like materialistic concept that we did of like, oh, we&#8217;re gonna ingest this plant and it is going to cause this from brain up kind of thing.</p><p>It didn&#8217;t matter if you were having a vision that was caused by a drug or if God spontaneously caused this vision, or if you had a seizure and had a vision. Like all of these things were just kind of like, they were just natural. So it makes perfect sense that God gave us herbs to help see these visions.</p><p><strong>Taylor McMahon:</strong> And Joseph didn&#8217;t leave it to chance. You can actually watch him refine his process over time.</p><p>In the beginning, the visions were raw and often terrifying. His followers often saw dark entities, but as he practiced, Joseph refined his methods. He learned how to perfect the set and setting for a guided communal experience. </p><p>It should also be noted that these reports don&#8217;t only come from Mormon sources. In 1831, a preacher named Jesse Jasper Moss attended a sacrament meeting in Kirtland, Ohio. He was convinced that the wine was tampered with. And he actually tried to steal some so he could have it tested. Early on, Joseph said a unique rule for the sacraments. The Saints could only use wine that he prepared for them.</p><p>There were no outside suppliers, no third party distributors, and most importantly, no oversight. This meant that Joseph alone controlled what went into that cup, and it wasn&#8217;t just the wine. Before visions began, participants were washed and whiskey infused with cinnamon and herbs. They were then anointed with a heavy consecrated oil, and these oils could have easily carried psychoactive drugs into the skin. One participant later recalled that the visions always followed the anointing. All of this work came to a climax in March of 1836 at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. After the anointing and the wine, Joseph&#8217;s followers lost themselves in ecstasy.</p><p>Congregants had ecstatic visions and heard choirs of angels singing above their heads. Even Frederick G. Williams, Joseph&#8217;s doctor, and herbalist. Saw a tall figure dressed in white walk through the temple. For a year, Joseph had told his followers that at this temple dedication, they would see God, that it would be a new Pentecost.</p><p>And that night, after everyone had left, Joseph and his inner circle locked the doors to the church, and then it began. The reports of that night are completely bizarre. Joseph&#8217;s own brothers staggered to the window to vomit. Others collapsed, convulsed, and fell flat on their back before erupting in visions.</p><p>Some swore that the building itself caught fire, but no one was burned. And it didn&#8217;t stop with one night for a full week, his inner circle returned after dark Each night they drank the wine, anointed themselves with oil, and saw heaven. The Kirtland dedication became the most visionary week in Mormon history.</p><p>Outsiders mocked it as madness, but for the believers inside of those locked doors, it was proof. For Joseph, this was his masterpiece. A ritual that turned Pentecost into something repeatable, a way to summon God on command. But for Joseph and his followers, the fire didn&#8217;t last. In June of 1844, Joseph Smith was murdered in Carthage jail.</p><p>After his death, the wild visions of early Mormonism stopped completely. The prophet who could deliver angels was gone, and what followed was a battle for control. Charisma had built the movement, but logistics would keep it alive. Brigham Young emerged as the leader.</p><p><strong>Alex Criddle:</strong> Brigham wasn&#8217;t this visionary type person.</p><p>He admitted himself that &#8216;Hey, I&#8217;m not the visionary that Joseph was&#8217;. He didn&#8217;t have the same interest in the occult that Joseph did. He didn&#8217;t have the same interest in the type of visions that he did. He was the go-getter. He was the organizer. He was very strict, like, &#8216;Hey, I&#8217;m in control of everything&#8217;.</p><p>Whereas Joseph was, he was a lot more like, &#8216;Hey, let&#8217;s everybody have visions&#8217;. This sort of communal type experienced person.</p><p><strong>Taylor McMahon:</strong> Why do you think he chose Brigham Young? </p><p><strong>Alex Criddle:</strong> He didn&#8217;t. </p><p><strong>Taylor McMahon:</strong> Interesting.</p><p><strong>Alex Criddle:</strong> So Joseph Smith&#8217;s kid was actually the one being groomed to be the next prophet, but then some of his first presidency were like, well wait, I should be Prophet.</p><p>Brigham Young was like, well wait, I should be prophet. So like, and that&#8217;s why we see the schism of dozens of different sects of Mormonism that came out of this period. Because Joseph III, Joseph&#8217;s kid, was only like 11 years old, so he wasn&#8217;t old enough to run the church. But Brigham essentially kind of built up the most allies and threw the correct people under the bus. Six months later, after Joseph dies, takes control of the Church.</p><p><strong>Taylor McMahon:</strong> The wild visionary chaos of Joseph&#8217;s church was replaced by hierarchy, order, and discipline. Where Joseph had fire and revelation, Brigham pointed to the &#8216;still small voice&#8217;. His faith was based on subtle internal inspiration, not public ecstasy.</p><p>And over time the rules hardened the Word of Wisdom, once just a health suggestion, became law. Alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, were all forbidden. The same church that once brewed its own sacramental wine, now Bandit completely. The entheogenic roots were buried under commandments and control. </p><p>But this is a common story. Many religions begin under similar circumstances. Rituals, fuel by psychedelics, produce visions powerful enough to rip people out of their ordinary reality and thrust them into the realm of the unseen. And then, over time, the fire burns out. Institutions move on. Rules replace ecstasy, and the visions vanish, but the religion remains.</p><p>Mormonism followed that same pattern. Now, I&#8217;m not a Mormon, but like so many religions, when entire crowds claim to see entities or other realms, we should take them seriously. Something happened, something powerful enough to ignite a faith that still exists today. </p><p>The question isn&#8217;t what was in the cup. The real question is whether those visions came from heaven or from somewhere else entirely. </p><div><hr></div><p>If you wanna see my full interview with Alex Criddle, it&#8217;s available for free here on Substack or you can check it out in my YouTube members area. I highly recommend watching it. I only scratch the surface of the available evidence in my video.</p><p>You can also find my sources for this episode above. If you want to hear more stories about the lost and forgotten parts of our world, be sure to subscribe and turn on notifications. See you guys in the next one!</p><p>- Taylor</p><div><hr></div><h2>Follow Me:</h2><p><a href="https://t.co/83aNgOWmf4">Subscribe on YouTube&#8288;</a></p><p><a href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/links">&#8288;My Social Links&#8288;</a></p><p><a href="https://tayjmcm.com">&#8288;Newsletter/Website&#8288;</a></p><p><a href="https://alexcriddle.substack.com/">&#8288;Follow Alex</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Entheogenic Roots of Mormonism w/ Alex Criddle ]]></title><description><![CDATA[A few weeks ago, I sat down with researcher Alex Criddle, a Mormon historian who believes that psychedelics played a direct role in the founding of the LDS Church.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-entheogenic-roots-of-mormonism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-entheogenic-roots-of-mormonism</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:08:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/177289711/67a9f9aad94f2a777d70bb581a36f144.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few weeks ago, I sat down with researcher <strong>Alex Criddle</strong>, a Mormon historian who believes that psychedelics played a direct role in the founding of the LDS Church. Our conversation moves from Joseph Smith&#8217;s early life in the &#8220;burned-over district&#8221; of New York, where ecstatic visions and folk magic were everywhere, to the possibility that the sacraments of early Mormonism were laced with psychoactive substances like <em>datura</em> or <em>psilocybin</em>.</p><p>Criddle argues that Mormonism began as a radically visionary faith, steeped in Christian occultism, Freemasonry, and a fascination with Native American spirituality. He outlines how Joseph Smith&#8217;s family was already experimenting with herbal medicine and mystical traditions long before the Book of Mormon was written, and how these practices may have shaped its theology of direct revelation.</p><p>What emerges is a very different portrait of the American prophet. Alex places him in a long line of mystics and alchemists trying to restore &#8220;the ancient religion.&#8221; Whether or not you believe the psychedelic connection, it&#8217;s a window into how spiritual experience, chemistry, and myth collide to form something entirely new.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Visitations, Encounters, and Aerial Abductions as Reported by The Vatican]]></title><description><![CDATA[Miracles or Mass Sighting Events? w/ Diana Walsh Pasulka]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/visitations-encounters-and-aerial</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/visitations-encounters-and-aerial</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:36:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/176153657/cf18c27b3b76552400295da4d40e1887.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What first drew me back to the Church was its beauty. But when I started digging into its history, I found that beneath the public face of tradition and ritual, there is a record of events so bizarre and so thoroughly documented that they challenge everything we think we know about miracles and reality itself.</p><p>These aren&#8217;t Hallmark miracles for calendars and inspirational quotes. They are unsettling stories that disrupted empires and terrified entire cities. They involve kings, monks, saints, and ordinary people who were never the same afterward. They leave physical evidence, sworn testimony, liturgies, and feast days in their wake.</p><p>Set them beside modern encounter reports and they look like contact. Set them beside Scripture and they resemble warnings of floods and the predetermined downfall of kings. Maybe they are both. The best word for them is divine intervention. These stories have been buried but they should never have been forgotten.</p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/visitations-encounters-and-aerial?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/visitations-encounters-and-aerial?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>The earliest account I found comes from Jerusalem in the 1st century, during the First Jewish&#8211;Roman War. In 70 AD, as the Roman army surrounded the city in preparation to destroy the Temple, witnesses said the sky suddenly filled with lights.</p><p>The historian Flavius Josephus recorded it in his book, <em>The Jewish War</em>, where he wrote:</p><blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities.&#8221;</em></p></blockquote><p>Early Christian writers would later see this as a fulfillment of Christ&#8217;s warning that Jerusalem would be &#8220;surrounded by armies.&#8221; But even without that interpretation, the event stands on its own as a recorded phenomenon and a historical fact. </p><p>It is important to remember that Josephus, as a Jew, had no incentive to support Christian prophecy, yet he documented celestial armies moving in the sky. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3539758,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/176153657?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2auY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45d8acf-17a6-4f7f-8a64-c4ae208b50b8_1920x1080.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>A few centuries later, another phenomenon was reported over Jerusalem. In 351 AD, during the episcopacy of Cyril, a large cross-shaped light appeared in the sky. Multiple accounts describe it stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives, remaining visible for days. A letter, attributed to Cyril, claimed it was brighter than the sun.</p><p>This was witnessed by large crowds across the city. It was not described as a personal revelation, but a public incident. The appearance was later commemorated in liturgical tradition. Whether interpreted as a divine sign or a warning, it was treated as a real occurrence, recorded and preserved by Church authorities.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FbL6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc69d6aab-001e-4aad-b178-5423378c5414_1824x2592.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In Constantinople (447 AD), a strange abduction occurred in plain sight during a series of earthquakes. Emperor Theodosius II and Patriarch Proclus were leading public prayers in the streets asking for God&#8217;s mercy. During one of these gatherings, a young boy was reportedly lifted into the air by an unseen force. He was lifted so high, the people on the ground lost sight of him.</p><p>He eventually floated back down to the ground and reported that he had been surrounded by glowing beings that sang hymns in a language he couldn&#8217;t understand.</p><p>Bishops at the time wrote that the entire crowd saw it. Modern terminology would call this event a mass sighting but in the fifth century, it was treated as a message and a sign of divine intervention. </p><div><hr></div><p>As I moved forward in time, I found that these phenomena continued to appear at decisive moments that shaped recorded history and Christian tradition. </p><p>In 507 AD, on the fields near Poitiers, Clovis I, king of the Franks, was engaged in a battle against the Visigoths. His forces were weakening. According to accounts rooted in Gregory of Tours and later chroniclers, a bright light appeared in the night sky and remained suspended above the field.</p><p>It did not streak like a meteor or pass like a comet. It held position, then moved ahead, as if leading the army. Clovis followed it and by the morning, the Visigothic king, Alaric II, was dead and the tide of battle had turned. Clovis converted to Catholicism soon after. This one conversion tied the emerging country of France to the Roman Church for centuries.</p><p>Chroniclers recorded this light as the decisive factor in the victory. The Church remembered it as providence. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg" width="1456" height="993" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:993,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:5019087,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/176153657?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R1ma!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6612a-52a9-4aa1-b906-cada6b4b4558_5001x3409.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><p>In 540 AD, another event was documented by Benedict of Nursia, the founder of Western monasticism. He was praying at dawn at Monte Cassino and, according to Gregory the Great in his <em>Dialogues</em>, Benedict saw a light break across the night sky, intensify, and form into a globe of fire. Within it, he saw the soul of Germanus, Bishop of Capua, being carried upward towards heaven.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png" width="1456" height="1097" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1097,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:7882815,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/176153657?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!11ti!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F674bd604-199e-4df4-8613-4d1d8d816265_2464x1856.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Benedict called for his deacon, who arrived in time to see the fading light of the orb. Days later, messengers confirmed that Bishop Germanus had died at the exact hour of Benedict&#8217;s vision.</p><p>Gregory emphasized that Benedict insisted this was not an inward vision but a real orb. He treated it as an objective event. Benedict believed he had seen a soul transported. The Church preserved this story as a miracle.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png" width="1456" height="816" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:816,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:5760237,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/176153657?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NkHL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c7d98e4-ef4d-4974-a94b-7c852390f61b_2912x1632.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><p>Around 675 AD, a similar phenomenon occurred at the Barking Abbey in England. Nuns were keeping vigil over the graves and according to Bede, in his <em>Ecclesiastical History</em>, a bright light descended like a sheet, circled the ground, and then rose back into the sky.</p><p>The nuns were so shaken that they stopped praying. The event was later interpreted as a sign marking the place where their own bodies would one day rest before resurrection. It was neither an apparition nor a vision. It was treated as a geographical message, delivered through light.</p><p>These women were not seeking visions. They were keeping the traditional hours of prayer. Whatever they saw, it disrupted routine, instilled fear, and remained in the record of the English Church.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png" width="1456" height="971" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eO1H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3655036f-327c-4583-833d-6ba66562fd9a_2688x1792.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><p>In the early ninth century, in Lyon, under Archbishop Agobard, rumors spread among the people of aerial ships from a place they called Magonia. According to popular belief, sailors descended from the clouds to steal crops during storms.</p><p>Four individuals were accused of falling from these mysterious sky ships and were nearly executed. Archbishop Agobard intervened to stop the murder. He declared the beliefs superstitious and condemned the attempted killing. Yet in arguing against the story, he wrote it down in full.</p><p>In his treatise <em>On Hail and Thunder</em>, Agobard unintentionally preserved one of the earliest references to flying vessels in European history. The bishop did not believe it but his account confirms that a widespread belief in aerial craft existed long before modern sightings.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png" width="1456" height="925" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/dc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:925,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6416125,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/176153657?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GMxV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc70c25e-57ec-4007-8125-bd8034543f32_2720x1728.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><p>In 1425, in the village of Domr&#233;my, a thirteen-year-old girl named Joan began reporting visitations. According to the records from her later trial at Rouen, she said that the beings were often surrounded by light. Like the previous accounts, these were not described as visions. They were recorded as real encounters. One inquisitor asked directly if she saw the light with her physical eyes, and she answered yes.</p><p>She identified St. Michael, St. Catherine, St. Margaret as the beings visiting her. They directed her to take up arms and lead armies. Within two years, she was altering the course of the Hundred Years&#8217; War. </p><p>Centuries later, when the Church revisited her case, it concluded that her voices were genuine and canonized her as a saint. Modern interpretations often reduce her to political symbol or psychological case. But the documentation, taken at face value, describes repeated contact with a luminous intelligence that issued instructions with national consequences.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png" width="568" height="750.5714285714286" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1924,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:568,&quot;bytes&quot;:6478315,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/176153657?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTtT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4195cb1-ec93-4d9b-bed8-4cbd446cb206_1946x2572.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><p>In 1531, on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City, an event occurred that would lead to one of the largest mass conversions in history. Juan Diego, an indigenous farmer, reported that a radiant woman appeared to him and requested a chapel be built on the hill they stood on. After sharing his story with a local bishop, the bishop demanded proof.</p><p>According to the earliest written account, the <em>Nican Mopohua</em>, Juan Diego returned with his cloak filled with roses out of season. When he opened it, an image was imprinted on the fabric that he used to carry the roses. The image shows The Virgin Mary surrounded by rays of light, wearing stars and standing on a crescent. The tilma still survives today.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png" width="590" height="590" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:867,&quot;width&quot;:867,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:590,&quot;bytes&quot;:1418529,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/i/176153657?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gxht!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6b40857-5404-4a3e-b58e-310cb37ad516_867x867.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Whatever you believe about this image, its impact is undisputed. Millions entered the Church in the following years. Popes have referenced the tilma as both icon and mystery. Scientific examinations of the fabric have raised more questions than answers. </p><p>These accounts point to the reality of an unseen realm that directly intervenes in human affairs. Across every century, these events follow a pattern. They appear in moments of upheaval, they intervene, and then history is changed.</p><p>To call them &#8220;contact&#8221; is to use modern language for an ancient reality. The people who saw these things did not describe visitors from another world. The Church gave them names: angels and demons. Real intelligences, acting with purpose and free will. And as far as I can tell, angels and demons are a much better explanation for these sightings than visitors from another planet. I believe they are messengers from the other side, intervening when we need them most. Since they once saw it fit to guide kings and saints, what does it mean that we still see them today?</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Recommended Reading: </strong><br><a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Cosmic-UFOs-Religion-Technology/dp/019069288X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CU0BoDJ9OSSZreIvvUnfxl2d6r5jg2ECniQF9hqunn7Ge0lUsTHWgyTOEYM_QjVNWSdFh5JVSX7VQua6KG_fEvuEkeioNxya2qYcjkmzymVmk8-9GOOfHgeD1aWpGDbNs4Lg9Fj2KpVk6ZRMRoXmny8o7XG8dKgC88jmPdlCNArrdXJpgtlxmkr6se8_ULb9.ATkrRqUblS98oPgey8lyujaCkx4MbkNy14i3LAq92jo&amp;qid=1760563553&amp;sr=8-1">American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology by D.W. Pasulka </a><br><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Encounters-Experiences-Nonhuman-Intelligences-Pasulka/dp/1250879566/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CU0BoDJ9OSSZreIvvUnfxl2d6r5jg2ECniQF9hqunn7Ge0lUsTHWgyTOEYM_QjVNWSdFh5JVSX7VQua6KG_fEvuEkeioNxya2qYcjkmzymVmk8-9GOOfHgeD1aWpGDbNs4Lg9Fj2KpVk6ZRMRoXmny8o7XG8dKgC88jmPdlCNArrdXJpgtlxmkr6se8_ULb9.ATkrRqUblS98oPgey8lyujaCkx4MbkNy14i3LAq92jo&amp;qid=1760563553&amp;sr=8-2">Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences by D.W. Pasulka</a><br><br>&#128269; Watch the full interview with Diana for free here on Substack or in my YouTube Members area. <br><br><strong>If you&#8217;re drawn to the hidden, the sacred, and the strange, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel! </strong></p><p><strong>Subscribe: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@tayjmcm">https://www.youtube.com/@tayjmcm</a></strong></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Primary Historical Sources Referenced</strong></p><p><strong>Siege of Jerusalem (70 AD) &#8211; Sky Armies</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Flavius Josephus &#8211; </strong><em><strong>The Jewish War</strong></em><strong>, Book VI</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>The Cross of Light over Jerusalem (351 AD)</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Letter attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem</strong><br>Describes the luminous cross stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives.</p></li><li><p>Referenced by later Church historians such as <strong>Socrates Scholasticus</strong> and <strong>Theodoret of Cyrrhus</strong>.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>Boy Abducted in Constantinople (447 AD)</strong></p><ul><li><p>Accounts preserved in:</p><ul><li><p>Proclus Homilies: </p><ul><li><p><a href="https://archive.org/details/PatrologiaGraecaVolume65/">https://archive.org/details/PatrologiaGraecaVolume65/</a></p></li></ul></li><li><p>Theophanis chronographia: </p><ul><li><p><a href="https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_TnRHAAAAYAAJ/page/131/mode/2up">https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_TnRHAAAAYAAJ/page/131/mode/2up</a></p></li></ul></li><li><p>Caesar Baronius Volume 6: </p><ul><li><p><a href="https://archive.org/details/annalesecclesias01barouoft/page/n19/mode/2up">https://archive.org/details/annalesecclesias01barouoft/page/n19/mode/2up</a></p></li></ul></li><li><p>Chronicon paschale: </p><ul><li><p><a href="https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8CQAAAAAYAAJ/page/224/mode/2up">https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8CQAAAAAYAAJ/page/224/mode/2up</a></p></li></ul></li><li><p>Patrologia Latina: </p><ul><li><p><a href="https://archive.org/details/patrologiae_cursus_completus_leo_vol_54/page/n1/mode/2up">https://archive.org/details/patrologiae_cursus_completus_leo_vol_54/page/n1/mode/2up</a></p></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>Clovis I &amp; the Orb of Light at Poitiers (507 AD)</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Gregory of Tours &#8211; </strong><em><strong>Historia Francorum</strong></em><strong> (History of the Franks)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Chronicon Fredegarii (7th Century)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Liber Historiae Francorum (c. 727 AD)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Chronicon Moissiacense (8th Century)</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Hagiographies of Saint Remigius and Clovis</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>Benedict of Nursia &amp; the Fiery Sphere (540 AD)</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Pope Gregory the Great &#8211; </strong><em><strong>Dialogues</strong></em><strong>, Book II</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>Barking Abbey Light Phenomenon (c. 675 AD)</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>The Venerable Bede &#8211; </strong><em><strong>Ecclesiastical History of the English People</strong></em><strong>, Book IV</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>Aerial Ships &amp; Magonia (c. 815 AD)</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Agobard of Lyon &#8211; </strong><em><strong>De Grandine et Tonitruis</strong></em><strong> (On Hail and Thunder)</strong></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>Joan of Arc&#8217;s Visitations (1425&#8211;1431)</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Trial Records of Rouen</strong></p></li><li><p>Later reaffirmed in the <strong>Nullification Trial (1456)</strong>.</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><p><strong>9&#65039;&#8419; Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531)</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>The </strong><em><strong>Nican Mopohua</strong></em> (Nahuatl account, 1649, attributed to Antonio Valeriano)<br>Earliest written narrative of Juan Diego, the roses, and the tilma image.</p></li></ul>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Are Shapeshifters Real? A Conspiracy Older Than Time]]></title><description><![CDATA[From Billy Corgan to 7,000 Years of Hidden History]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/shapeshifters-a-conspiracy-older</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/shapeshifters-a-conspiracy-older</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 19:24:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/173669829/030b705fa504b0cc667ead946021314b.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Stories of shapeshifters are not a modern invention. From the serpent spirits of India to the lizard guardians of Hawaii, human&#8211;reptile hybrids appear again and again across cultures and centuries. Some are gods, some are demons, and some are cursed mortals. But they all share the same uncanny trait: the ability to look human until, suddenly, they don&#8217;t.</p><p>Below is a fact-based overview of shapeshifting reptilian figures in world mythologies, with sources linked throughout for deeper reading.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h2>South Asia and Southeast Asia</h2><p>In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, serpentine deities are among the most enduring examples of shapeshifters.</p><ul><li><p><strong>N&#257;ga</strong>: These half-human, half-serpent beings are described as living in underground palaces. According to legend, they can appear as humans, giant cobras, or hybrids of both. N&#257;gas are associated with water, fertility, and protection. In some regions of India and Cambodia, royal dynasties even claimed descent from N&#257;gas.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/naga-Hindu-mythology">N&#257;ga</a> | <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C4%81ga">Wikipedia &#8211; N&#257;ga</a></p></li><li><p><strong>Cambodia: </strong>The Khmer people still track their lingeage from Queen Soma, the half reptile. Her union with a prince is the founding myth of the nation of Cambodia.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Soma">Queen Soma</a> | <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_people">Khmer People</a></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>East Asia</h2><p>Chinese and Japanese folklore is full of serpent-beings who can appear human.</p><ul><li><p><strong>N&#252;wa and Fuxi</strong>: In Chinese mythology, these creator gods are often depicted as humans with serpent tails intertwined. Their imagery blends human and reptilian features to symbolize cosmic creation.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://mysteriesofmythology.com/nuwa">Mysteries of Mythology &#8211; N&#252;wa</a></p></li><li><p><strong>Legend of the White Snake</strong>: One of China&#8217;s most famous folktales tells of Bai Suzhen, a snake spirit who takes the form of a woman and marries a man. Her true nature is revealed in conflict, exposing her as a giant serpent.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_White_Snake">Wikipedia &#8211; Legend of the White Snake</a> | <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Long_Gallery-Legend_white_snake.JPG">Qing Dynasty Painting</a></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>Middle East and North Africa</h2><p>Shapeshifting serpent imagery is deeply embedded in Near Eastern traditions.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Zahh&#257;k (Azhi Dah&#257;ka)</strong>: In the Persian <em>Shahnameh</em>, Zahh&#257;k is cursed with serpents growing from his shoulders that demand human brains for food. He becomes a monstrous &#8220;serpent king,&#8221; blending human and reptile.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://themarkaz.org/zahhak-an-etiology-of-evil/">The Markaz</a> | <a href="https://asia-archive.si.edu/learn/shahnama/lts1995-2-70/">Shahnama</a></p></li><li><p><strong>Jinn as Snakes</strong>: In Islamic folklore, jinn are shapeshifters who may appear as snakes. Tradition even warns against killing house snakes without prayers, since they might be jinn in disguise.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/jinn">Jinn</a></p></li><li><p><strong>Egyptian Gods</strong>: Sobek, the crocodile-headed god, and Wadjet, the cobra goddess, are classic examples of human-reptile hybrids used in sacred imagery.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilian_humanoid">Reptilian Humanoid</a></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>Europe</h2><p>European myths often frame serpent-beings as cursed or tragic figures.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Cecrops of Athens</strong>: Athens&#8217; first king was said to have the upper body of a man and the coiled tail of a snake.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cecrops">Cecrops</a></p></li><li><p><strong>Melusine</strong>: A French noblewoman cursed to transform into a serpent from the waist down every Saturday. When her secret was discovered, she turned into a dragon and vanished. Her story became a popular motif in medieval art and even influenced the Starbucks siren logo.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Melusine/">Melusine</a> | <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14712/the-fair-melusine/">Painting of Melusine</a></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>The Americas</h2><p>Across the Americas, serpent gods and reptilian hybrids appear in both sacred myths and folk legends.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Quetzalcoatl / Kukulkan</strong>: The Feathered Serpent gods of the Aztecs and Maya could appear as men or as serpents, bringing knowledge and order from the heavens.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalc%C5%8D%C4%81tl">Quetzalcoatl</a></p></li><li><p><strong>El Hombre Caim&#225;n</strong>: Colombian folklore tells of a man transformed into a half-human, half-alligator figure after using magic to spy on women. He becomes stuck in that form forever.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilian_humanoid">Wikipedia &#8211; Reptilian Humanoid</a></p></li><li><p><strong>La Cuca</strong>: A terrifying Brazilian woman described as an old witch with the head of an alligator, who steals misbehaving children.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(folklore)">Wikipedia &#8211; Coco (folklore)</a></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>Pacific Traditions</h2><p>Polynesian and Hawaiian stories often feature lizard spirits tied to water and the land.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Hawaiian Mo&#699;o</strong>: These shapeshifters can appear as giant reptiles, small geckos, or beautiful women. They guard ponds and streams, and when killed, their bodies are said to turn to stone formations in the landscape.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo%ca%bbo">Wikipedia &#8211; Mo&#699;o</a></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>Modern Lore</h2><p>Even today, the archetype of reptilian shapeshifters continues to surface.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Lizard Man of Bishopville</strong>: Reported in South Carolina in the 1980s, this 7-foot reptilian cryptid was said to haunt swamps.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://cityofbishopvillesc.com/the-lizard-man/">Lizard Man of Bishopville</a></p></li><li><p><strong>Reptilian Conspiracies</strong>: The idea of shape-shifting reptilian elites was popularized in the late 20th century by writer David Icke, echoing ancient myths of lizard-like beings living among humans.<br>&#128279; <a href="https://davidicke.com/">David Icke</a></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>If you enjoyed this deep dive into shapeshifters and the hidden threads of mythology, consider subscribing to my page. I regularly explore forgotten stories, ancient mysteries, and the strange patterns that connect our past to the present. By subscribing, you&#8217;ll never miss an update and you&#8217;ll be supporting independent research into the kinds of topics that rarely make it into the mainstream.</p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/shapeshifters-a-conspiracy-older?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/shapeshifters-a-conspiracy-older?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Every Artifact the Smithsonian Has Stolen]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Secret History of James "Smithson"]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/every-artifact-the-smithsonian-has</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/every-artifact-the-smithsonian-has</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 22:25:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/171413283/8ab3789772d7f9ad778a391b98799c98.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Donald Trump has ordered a review of the Smithsonian but many believe he&#8217;s looking for something hidden. For over a century, the Smithsonian has been accused of covering up giant skeletons, ancient inscriptions, mysterious artifacts, and even evidence of lost civilizations. From the story of James Smithson&#8217;s secret origins and ties to Freemasonry, to the vanished skeletons of Catalina Island and the sealed-off chambers of the Grand Canyon, this video explores the strange history and conspiracy theories surrounding America&#8217;s most powerful museum. If the Smithsonian has lied once, the real question becomes what else are they hiding? </p><p></p><p>&#128276; Subscribe for more deep dives into hidden history, forbidden archaeology, and the mysteries of our past.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Terrifying War for Ancient Magic Weapons]]></title><description><![CDATA[Governments around the world have spent decades searching for ancient relics said to hold unimaginable power.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-terrifying-war-for-ancient-magic</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-terrifying-war-for-ancient-magic</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:28:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/169453179/f00d0e46834d5dee598ec6fa8da757cc.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Governments around the world have spent decades searching for ancient relics said to hold unimaginable power. From lost cities buried beneath the sands to hidden monasteries deep in the Himalayas, their missions stretched across the globe. <br><br>And it really happened. Declassified documents show military-backed efforts to recover sacred objects, train psychic spies, and investigate theories once written off as myth. <br><br>In this episode, we uncover the strange and terrifying history of world powers racing to find magic weapons, spiritual technology, and ancient secrets that could have reshaped history.</p><p><strong>Sources</strong></p><p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2982891.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2982891.stm</a></p><p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-returns-iraq-rare-tablet-bearing-portion-epic-gilgamesh">https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-returns-iraq-rare-tablet-bearing-portion-epic-gilgamesh</a></p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37639370">https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37639370</a></p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58466528">https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58466528</a></p><p><a href="https://louiswolf.com/english/2024/1/2/the-incredible-search-for-hidden-artifacts-during-world-war-ii">https://louiswolf.com/english/2024/1/2/the-incredible-search-for-hidden-artifacts-during-world-war-ii</a></p><p><a href="https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2025/03/the-1938-german-expedition-to-tibet-searching-for-the-mythical-kingdom-of-agartha-and-proving-the-world-ice-theory/">https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2025/03/the-1938-german-expedition-to-tibet-searching-for-the-mythical-kingdom-of-agartha-and-proving-the-world-ice-theory/</a></p><p><a href="https://foia.state.gov/FOIALIBRARY/SearchResults.aspx?searchText=%22F-2019-00379%22">https://foia.state.gov/FOIALIBRARY/SearchResults.aspx?searchText=%22F-2019-00379%22</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracytheories/comments/jazoti/comment/g8ts86v/">https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracytheories/comments/jazoti/comment/g8ts86v/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.history.com/articles/hitler-nazi-secret-expedition-antarctica-whale-oil">https://www.history.com/articles/hitler-nazi-secret-expedition-antarctica-whale-oil</a></p><p><a href="https://artivision.fr/ByrdMercurio.html">https://artivision.fr/ByrdMercurio.html</a></p><p><a href="https://artivision.fr/ElMercurio.jpg">https://artivision.fr/ElMercurio.jpg</a></p><p><a href="https://drmsh.com/the-admiral-byrd-operation-highjump-myth/">https://drmsh.com/the-admiral-byrd-operation-highjump-myth/</a></p><p><a href="https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/attach/49/49783_.pdf">https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/attach/49/49783_.pdf</a></p><p><a href="https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/cia/stargate/">https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/cia/stargate/</a></p><p><a href="https://howandwhys.com/cia-chilling-document-reveals-presence-of-giant-aliens-on-mars-1-million-years-b-c/">https://howandwhys.com/cia-chilling-document-reveals-presence-of-giant-aliens-on-mars-1-million-years-b-c/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/cia-rdp96-00788r001900760001-9.pdf">https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/cia-rdp96-00788r001900760001-9.pdf</a></p><p><a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/nsa-rdp96x00790r000100040010-3">https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/nsa-rdp96x00790r000100040010-3</a></p><p><a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00789R001300180002-7.pdf">https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00789R001300180002-7.pdf</a></p><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-05-06/experts-search-for-grave-of-legendary-gilgamesh/1849534">https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-05-06/experts-search-for-grave-of-legendary-gilgamesh/1849534</a></p><p><a href="https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/hillary-clinton-emails/">https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/hillary-clinton-emails/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/the-stargate-collection/">https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/the-stargate-collection/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Aliens, Angels & The Vatican w/ Diana Walsh Pasulka]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you enjoyed this interview, please consider subscribing to my free newsletter below or share the post with a friend.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/aliens-angels-and-the-vatican-w-diana</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/aliens-angels-and-the-vatican-w-diana</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2025 04:57:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/169331850/23875446c58c432227f2adf08bb213ec.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you enjoyed this interview, please consider subscribing to my free newsletter below or share the post with a friend. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>Thank you for watching! </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/aliens-angels-and-the-vatican-w-diana?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/aliens-angels-and-the-vatican-w-diana?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Native Americans Were Right About Giants]]></title><description><![CDATA[Featuring Tim Alberino]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/did-giants-build-americas-burial</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/did-giants-build-americas-burial</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:43:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/166162907/5405a207445246be9a731b4bd4c9021c.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Across the North American landscape lie thousands of burial mounds, which are earthen structures with shapes and alignments that suggest planning and astronomical knowledge beyond what is typically attributed to early Native cultures. From the stone walls at Fort Mountain to the lunar-aligned earthworks in Ohio, these monuments continue to raise questions about their origin and purpose.</p><h3>The Moon-Eyed People and Fort Mountain</h3><p>In Cherokee oral history, there are stories of a light-skinned group who could not tolerate sunlight and who built strange stone structures. These people were called the Moon-Eyed People. According to tradition, the Cherokee drove them out when they arrived in the Appalachian region.</p><p>Fort Mountain in Georgia is home to a zigzagging stone wall that stretches nearly 900 feet across the summit and measures up to 12 feet thick. There is no clear archaeological record linking it to the Cherokee or any known mound-building culture in the area. Early American records suggest that Chief Oconostota told pioneer John Sevier that the wall was built by white men who came from across the ocean. These men were described as being in the region long before Europeans.</p><h3>Denisovans and the Genetic Clues</h3><p>In 2010, scientists discovered a finger bone and large molars in Denisova Cave in Siberia. The teeth were so large that researchers initially thought they belonged to a bear. DNA testing confirmed they came from a distinct hominin group now known as the Denisovans.</p><p>Further discoveries on the Tibetan Plateau in 2019 revealed a jawbone with Denisovan DNA. The size and density of the bone suggested a robust human, much larger and more powerful than Homo sapiens or Neanderthals. Some researchers estimate they could have stood over seven feet tall.</p><p>Initially, Denisovan DNA was believed to exist only in Melanesian and Australasian populations, such as Papuans and Aboriginal Australians. However, a 2015 genetic study identified traces of Denisovan DNA in some Amazonian tribes. This was not a minor overlap. These populations carried a second source of Denisovan ancestry, unrelated to the known Siberian connection. The discovery suggested that a Denisovan-related group had crossed into the Americas far earlier than previously understood.</p><h3>Consistent Stories Across Tribes</h3><p>Multiple tribes across the Americas have similar stories of strange, tall, pale-skinned people who came before them. The Choctaw in the Mississippi Valley described the Nahullo, white-skinned giants who practiced cannibalism. When Europeans arrived, the Choctaw reportedly used the same name for them.</p><p>The Comanche told of ten-foot-tall giants who were eventually destroyed. The Navajo recalled the Starnake People, pale beings who mined the earth and enslaved others. The Paiute of Nevada described the Si-Te-Cah, red-haired cannibals who lived in Lovelock Cave. In the early 20th century, red hair and split bones were discovered during excavations of that cave.</p><p>Stories from Central and South America also describe gods or mysterious strangers who arrived from the sea. These figures were often credited with teaching building skills and introducing new technologies before disappearing.</p><h3>Monumental Structures and Celestial Precision</h3><p>In addition to oral history and genetic markers, physical monuments across the continent reflect a high degree of engineering skill. The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio is nearly 1,400 feet long. It features a spiral tail and a snake&#8217;s head that aligns with the summer solstice. The Newark Earthworks stretch across four square miles and track the moon&#8217;s 18.6-year cycle with accuracy that challenges modern surveyors.</p><p>Cahokia in Illinois once supported a population of over 20,000. Its central mound, known as Monks Mound, is larger at its base than the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was paired with a timber circle, often called Woodhenge, that marked seasonal solar events.</p><p>When early settlers asked Native informants who built these mounds, the answer was often the same. The builders were already gone when their ancestors arrived.</p><h3>A Vanished Chapter</h3><p>The cumulative evidence from oral traditions, genetic data, and monumental architecture suggests that another population may have existed in the Americas long before the ancestors of today&#8217;s Native Americans. This population is described in similar terms across vast distances and cultures. It is remembered as large, strange, and technologically capable. And in some cases, as dangerous.</p><p>Whether these people were Denisovans, a Denisovan-related group, or something else entirely remains uncertain. But the persistence of the stories, and the scientific evidence now backing parts of them, supports the idea that human history in the Americas is far older and more complex than we once thought.</p><h3>Primary Sources</h3><ol><li><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Denisovan-Origins-G%C3%B6bekli-Genesis-Ancient/dp/1591432634/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3DR1A3Z94NC8W&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VwY3rh8hIsu6-MypB7aKPMHVbUUVPlwWgQz-ysu5ulqfrWpvkCBhKHfB_bm4l4FIcP_-0dU_ZHiJWHuWz60z_BWM1mfx7dJ7ZDZ4UTEuLndsM5SmPufzbVDx0ngBI2XK5Brt54YEvlJAlsRKCWgVybgjgA2jAc0IbJIaVJdDbCbzB3PiuFV83gr9VJZe8areVnpdYqgS62Y4se75E0GTeA.wB7usLxpTa8CGSpeOAn5__ga0UsH93-OwjQLfoL7zI4&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=denisovan+origins&amp;qid=1750176936&amp;sprefix=Denisovan+%2Caps%2C227&amp;sr=8-1">Denisovan Origins by Andrew Collins &amp; Gregory L. Little</a></p></li><li><p>Mound Builders of Ancient America: The Archeology of a Myth by Robert Silverberg (mostly out of print but can still be found on used book website)</p></li></ol><h3>Secondary Sources</h3><ol><li><p><a href="https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ga-fortmountain">https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ga-fortmountain</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-05-hominins-tibetan-plateau-denisovans.html">https://phys.org/news/2019-05-hominins-tibetan-plateau-denisovans.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01310-7">https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01310-7</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/151116-denisovan-human-anthropology-ancient-dna">https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/151116-denisovan-human-anthropology-ancient-dna</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01310-7?error=cookies_not_supported&amp;code=36fb7a57-2a6d-4c95-9f85-893520279938">https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01310-7?error=cookies_not_supported&amp;code=36fb7a57-2a6d-4c95-9f85-893520279938</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://grahamhancock.com/collinsa5/">https://grahamhancock.com/collinsa5/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://dienekes.blogspot.com/2015/04/in-search-of-source-of-denisovan.html">https://dienekes.blogspot.com/2015/04/in-search-of-source-of-denisovan.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/science-population-y-amazonian-native-americans-03047.html">https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/science-population-y-amazonian-native-americans-03047.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sci.news/genetics/native-americans-lip-shape-gene-denisovans-09330.html">https://www.sci.news/genetics/native-americans-lip-shape-gene-denisovans-09330.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/first-settlers-reached-americas-130000-years-ago-study-claims">https://www.sciencenews.org/article/first-settlers-reached-americas-130000-years-ago-study-claims</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/first-settlers-reached-americas-130000-years-ago-study-claims">https://www.sciencenews.org/article/first-settlers-reached-americas-130000-years-ago-study-claims</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.history.com/articles/serpent-mound">https://www.history.com/articles/serpent-mound</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_Mound">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_Mound</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/moon-eyed-people">https://allthatsinteresting.com/moon-eyed-people</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/moon-eyed-people.htm">https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/moon-eyed-people.htm</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45634/45634-h/45634-h.htm">https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45634/45634-h/45634-h.htm</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/moon-eyed-people">https://allthatsinteresting.com/moon-eyed-people</a></p></li><li><p><a href="http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/moon-eyed-people.htm">http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/moon-eyed-people.htm</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://accessgenealogy.com/alabama/choctaw-traditions-council-fire-nahullo.htm">https://accessgenealogy.com/alabama/choctaw-traditions-council-fire-nahullo.htm</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://accessgenealogy.com/alabama/choctaw-traditions-council-fire-nahullo.htm">https://accessgenealogy.com/alabama/choctaw-traditions-council-fire-nahullo.htm</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://accessgenealogy.com/alabama/choctaw-traditions-council-fire-nahullo.htm">https://accessgenealogy.com/alabama/choctaw-traditions-council-fire-nahullo.htm</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si-Te-Cah">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si-Te-Cah</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinametzin">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinametzin</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45634/45634-h/45634-h.htm">https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45634/45634-h/45634-h.htm</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/05/denisovan-jawbone-roof-world/588442/">https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/05/denisovan-jawbone-roof-world/588442/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://phys.org/news/2015-11-dna-analysis-denisovan-molars-clues.html">https://phys.org/news/2015-11-dna-analysis-denisovan-molars-clues.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiahe_mandible">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiahe_mandible</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-recreate-face-denisovan-using-dna-180973177/">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-recreate-face-denisovan-using-dna-180973177/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/may/17/childs-130000-year-old-tooth-could-offer-clues-to-extinct-human-relative">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/may/17/childs-130000-year-old-tooth-could-offer-clues-to-extinct-human-relative</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.medicinenet.com/who_has_denisovan_dna/article.htm">https://www.medicinenet.com/who_has_denisovan_dna/article.htm</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/32/10/2665/1210305">https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/32/10/2665/1210305</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://dna-explained.com/2013/12/26/native-americans-neanderthal-and-denisova-admixture/">https://dna-explained.com/2013/12/26/native-americans-neanderthal-and-denisova-admixture/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/science-population-y-amazonian-native-americans-03047.html">https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/science-population-y-amazonian-native-americans-03047.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/science-population-y-amazonian-native-americans-03047.html">https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/science-population-y-amazonian-native-americans-03047.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newark_Earthwork">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newark_Earthwork</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia_Woodhenge">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia_Woodhenge</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://lostworlds.org/kolomoki_mounds/2/">https://lostworlds.org/kolomoki_mounds/2/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiahe_mandible">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiahe_mandible</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://popular-archaeology.com/article/ancient-human-crossed-ocean-barrier">https://popular-archaeology.com/article/ancient-human-crossed-ocean-barrier</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-americas-first-humans-20170426-story.html">https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-americas-first-humans-20170426-story.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-americas-first-humans-20170426-story.html">https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-americas-first-humans-20170426-story.html</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://popular-archaeology.com/article/ancient-human-crossed-ocean-barrier/">https://popular-archaeology.com/article/ancient-human-crossed-ocean-barrier/</a></p></li></ol>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Cathedrals Made of Sound]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Sacred Cymatics of Rosslyn Chapel]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-cathedrals-made-of-sound</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-cathedrals-made-of-sound</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 May 2025 16:47:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/164493901/4ed057e923df628c24f18db794bf7112.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Somewhere beyond the reach of the modern world, tucked in the stillness of the Scottish countryside, there is a chapel made not of stone, but of song.</p><p>Rosslyn Chapel has always attracted truth seekers. It appears in thrillers and conspiracy theories, wrapped in stories about the Knights Templar and ancient bloodlines. It is a place people point to when they feel there is something beneath the surface of things. Something hidden. Something holy. But the truth is stranger than the legends.</p><p>This chapel does not just hold music. It <em>is</em> music.</p><p>Inside, along the arches, are 213 stone cubes, each carved with strange dots and lines. For centuries, no one knew what they meant. Most called them decoration, assuming they were the work of a whimsical stonemason. But in 2007, a father and son named Thomas and Stuart Mitchell noticed something others had missed. These were not random symbols. They were sound.</p><p>The cubes, it turned out, were cymatic patterns. Cymatic patterns are shapes created by sound waves moving through matter. If you take a plate of metal, sprinkle it with sand, and run a frequency through it, the sand forms a shape. The shape depends on the frequency. This is cymatics. The Mitchells matched each cube in the chapel to a specific tone, then played them in sequence.</p><p>The result was a slow, chant-like hymn. The Rosslyn Motet.</p><p>When played inside the chapel, something strange happens. The building seems to respond. The melody fills the space, folds in on itself, echoes back in patterns that feel deliberate. It is as if the structure recognizes the song. As if the room is completing it.</p><p>Rosslyn is not the only place where this happens.</p><p>Medieval builders believed that sound and form were not separate. They believed that music and architecture spoke the same language. They used musical ratios to guide their design. The octave, a 2:1 ratio. The fifth, a 3:2 ratio. These were not just mathematical tricks. They were sacred. They were ways of aligning the built world with the divine.</p><p>Cathedrals like Chartres and Notre Dame were constructed according to these principles. The structures themselves became instruments. The space was designed to resonate. To lift the spirit. To bring the unseen into form.</p><p>Rosslyn follows the same path. The proportions of the building echo musical intervals. The stone itself carries the song. And when that song is played, the room becomes a vessel. Not just for sound, but for meaning. Not just for the ears, but for the soul.</p><p>Architecture is often described as frozen music. In Rosslyn, the music has begun to thaw. You can hear it. You can feel it. Something in the geometry, in the ratios, in the silence between sounds, points beyond itself. The builders were not just making a place where people would come to worship. They were building the worship itself.</p><p>The modern world no longer builds this way. Our buildings speak of function, economics, and practicality. The old builders spoke of beauty, transcendence, and of order beyond what the eye could see.</p><p>Rosslyn stands against this forgetting. It is a relic, yes, but also a revelation. It shows what we used to know. That sound is not noise. That space can pray. That the sacred sometimes hides in stone, in silence, in subtle harmonies we have forgotten how to hear.</p><div><hr></div><p>If you&#8217;re reading this, thank you. I put a great deal of time and care into each piece, and it means a lot to share this work with you.</p><p>If you haven&#8217;t yet, I encourage you to <strong>subscribe to my YouTube channel</strong>, where I post all of my video essays exploring the hidden, the sacred, ancient symbols, and spiritual mysteries. Your support helps me continue creating this kind of work.</p><p>I also created a Christian meditation app called <strong>Hope Mindfulness &amp; Prayer</strong>, which is linked below. It&#8217;s designed to help you build a daily habit of stillness, scripture, and reflection. In a world filled with noise, I believe making space for quiet is more important than ever.</p><p>My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tayjmcm<br>My Meditation App: <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Hope Christian Meditation&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:4061316,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;pub&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.substack.com/pub/hopemindfulness&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ebabe031-42f8-4ab1-942b-69891953c4ef_256x256.png&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;3b0b1b16-1afa-4cef-bd90-281286106d82&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> </p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Painting That Haunted Hitler's Dreams]]></title><description><![CDATA[One painting haunted the world's most famous and influential people. This is its' story.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-painting-that-drove-leaders-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-painting-that-drove-leaders-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2025 16:02:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/162547308/1f7a57759a909fecebb43c6ac9d3b5d8.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A lone island. A coffin. A figure in white. Arnold B&#246;cklin&#8217;s Isle of the Dead was never meant to be political or famous. Yet it became an obsession for some of history&#8217;s most powerful men: Adolf Hitler, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, &amp; Vladimir Lenin. What did they see in this silent, haunted place? And why does it still call to something buried deep within us? This is the true story of the painting that mirrors death and how the world's most evil man misunderstood it. <br><br>Owen Cyclops: <br>Substack - <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Owen Cyclops&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:326869501,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ee1ad675-600b-4927-a165-09e0ed21dba3_3600x3600.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;21321045-8424-42f8-b0cd-8b55f483879b&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> <br>X - https://x.com/owenbroadcast <br><br>Subscribe: <a href="https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCXMaK7cCMBVHk_lXhhAmB9g">@tayjmcm </a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Bizarre Science of Telepathy, Explained. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Research uncovers a potential link between multiple phenomena that seem to mirror telepathy.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/does-telepathy-explain-reincarnation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/does-telepathy-explain-reincarnation</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:05:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/160882635/8400e4b7c1204c9644b15958ca980b06.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>After listening to <em><a href="https://thetelepathytapes.com/">The Telepathy Tapes</a></em>, I became convinced that the same force which allows for telepathy might also explain reincarnation. That&#8217;s the theory I explore in this video. I lay out the patterns and evidence that led me to this conclusion.</p><p>Our story begins with nonverbal autistic children participating in controlled experiments where they appear to read minds with stunning accuracy. They&#8217;re not guessing. They&#8217;re not coached. In some cases, they&#8217;re exchanging information with children they&#8217;ve never met, thousands of miles away.</p><p>From there, a larger pattern begins to emerge:</p><ul><li><p>Animals that act as if they share a single mind.</p></li><li><p>Documented cases of children with vivid, verifiable memories from lives they never lived.</p></li><li><p>General Patton, who claimed to remember battles from centuries past.</p></li><li><p>And the work of scientists like Dr. Diane Powell and Rupert Sheldrake, who suggest that consciousness may not be generated by the brain&#8212;but received.</p></li></ul><p>I&#8217;m not arguing that reincarnation is real in the traditional sense. Rather, I&#8217;m asking if what we&#8217;ve interpreted as reincarnation might be better understood as signal resonance - a kind of leakage or overlap in a field of consciousness we barely understand.</p><p>Not everyone tunes into the same station. But sometimes, someone does and they receive echoes of a life not theirs.</p><p>This doesn&#8217;t cancel out mystery. If anything, it deepens it. Because if we are receivers, the real question is: <strong>who&#8217;s sending the signal?</strong></p><p>Follow Leah Prime, featured in this episode:</p><ul><li><p>Substack: <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Leah&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:2456011,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d731fab9-d2df-4e4d-a901-d6cfeaf6c8bf_562x562.jpeg&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;1995e0ae-6c80-4571-bb7b-92e76def3524&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> </p></li><li><p>&#120143; - @leahprime<br><br>Sources:</p></li></ul><ol><li><p><a href="https://maps.org/news-letters/v15n3/paranormal.pdf#:~:text=Of%20those%20reporting%20the%20use,type%2C%20but%20particularly%20with%20dissociatives">https://maps.org/news-letters/v15n3/paranormal.pdf#:~:text=Of%20those%20reporting%20the%20use,type%2C%20but%20particularly%20with%20dissociatives</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sheldrake.org/research/morphic-resonance/introduction">https://www.sheldrake.org/research/morphic-resonance/introduction</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sheldrake.org/essays/rat-learning-and-morphic-resonance">https://www.sheldrake.org/essays/rat-learning-and-morphic-resonance</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sheldrake.org/essays/steven-pinkers-denialism-reveals-the-prejudice-of-the-scientific-establishment">https://www.sheldrake.org/essays/steven-pinkers-denialism-reveals-the-prejudice-of-the-scientific-establishment</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sheldrake.org/research/animal-powers/a-dog-that-seems-to-know-when-his-owner-is-coming-home-videotaped-experiments-and-observations">https://www.sheldrake.org/research/animal-powers/a-dog-that-seems-to-know-when-his-owner-is-coming-home-videotaped-experiments-and-observations</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sheldrake.org/reactions/a-response-to-richard-wiseman-s-article-how-much-is-that-doggie-in-the-window">https://www.sheldrake.org/reactions/a-response-to-richard-wiseman-s-article-how-much-is-that-doggie-in-the-window</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://thetelepathytapes.com/">https://thetelepathytapes.com/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://drdianehennacy.com/telepathy/">https://drdianehennacy.com/telepathy/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://drdianehennacy.com/books/">https://drdianehennacy.com/books/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/8-reincarnations-of-general-patton/">https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/8-reincarnations-of-general-patton/</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.sheldrake.org/research/sense-of-being-stared-at/experiments-on-the-sense-of-being-stared-at-eliminating-artefacts">https://www.sheldrake.org/research/sense-of-being-stared-at/experiments-on-the-sense-of-being-stared-at-eliminating-artefacts</a></p></li></ol>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trump's Ark of the Covenant End Times Prophecy, Explained.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Ark of the Covenant was at Mar-a-Lago...but why? It is stranger than you could ever imagine.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/trumps-ark-of-the-covenant-end-times</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/trumps-ark-of-the-covenant-end-times</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 15 Mar 2025 20:17:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/159144944/272511ac9e515730827a018da3bfa778.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A replica of the Ark of the Covenant recently appeared at Mar-a-Lago, but why? What at first seemed like a meme turned out to be something far stranger - something wrapped in religion, power, and prophecy. And depending on who you ask, it might be leading us straight into the next World War.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/trumps-ark-of-the-covenant-end-times?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/trumps-ark-of-the-covenant-end-times?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><h3><strong>What I Cover:</strong></h3><h4><strong>The Lost Ark and the Third Temple Movement</strong></h4><p>The Ark of the Covenant wasn&#8217;t just a relic&#8212;it was the dwelling place of God Himself. After vanishing from history, many believed it was taken to Ethiopia, hidden underground, or even returned to heaven. But today, a growing number of religious groups believe its return is tied to a much bigger prophecy: <strong>the rebuilding of the Third Temple.</strong></p><h4><strong>Trump and the Prophetic Role of a King</strong></h4><p>To some, Donald Trump isn&#8217;t just a political figure. He&#8217;s a modern-day Cyrus the Great, the Persian king who freed the Jews and helped rebuild their temple. Trump&#8217;s deep ties to Israel and his symbolic role in certain religious circles fuel speculation that he&#8217;s preparing the way for the final temple - a move with massive spiritual and geopolitical stakes.</p><h4><strong>The Red Heifer and the War for the Temple Mount</strong></h4><p>For the first time in 2,000 years, ritually pure red heifers, a key requirement for rebuilding the temple, have arrived in Israel. But their presence isn&#8217;t just a religious milestone. Even Hamas cited them as a factor in their October 7th invasion, fearing that their use could signal an attempt to replace the Al-Aqsa Mosque. If history tells us anything, the fight for the Temple Mount is only beginning.</p><h4><strong>The Ark, the Heifers, and the Countdown to Prophecy</strong></h4><p>With both the Ark and the Red Heifers now in play, the pieces of an <strong>ancient prophecy</strong> are falling into place. Is this just symbolic theater, or are we watching the start of something bigger?</p><p>&#128250; <strong>If you&#8217;re new here, subscribe to my <a href="https://t.co/GeMcK1ymEP">YouTube channel</a> for more deep dives into strange history, the unseen realm, and the strange forces shaping our world.</strong></p><p>&#128240; <strong>Get exclusive content and behind-the-scenes insights by subscribing to my Substack.</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p><strong>Video Sources:</strong><br><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/18/treasures-lent-by-israel-for-white-house-event-stranded-at-mar-a-lago-donald-trump">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/18/treasures-lent-by-israel-for-white-house-event-stranded-at-mar-a-lago-donald-trump</a></p><p><a href="https://www.jns.org/with-eyes-on-winning-war-building-third-jewish-temple-ark-replica-shown-in-jerusalem/">https://www.jns.org/with-eyes-on-winning-war-building-third-jewish-temple-ark-replica-shown-in-jerusalem/</a></p><p><a href="https://israel365news.com/397284/historic-ark-replica-makes-its-jerusalem-debut-during-sukkot-festival/">https://israel365news.com/397284/historic-ark-replica-makes-its-jerusalem-debut-during-sukkot-festival/</a></p><p><a href="https://backtojerusalem.com/the-ark-of-the-covenant-has-been-rebuilt-for-first-time-in-over-2000-years/">https://backtojerusalem.com/the-ark-of-the-covenant-has-been-rebuilt-for-first-time-in-over-2000-years/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=7462">https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=7462</a></p><p><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/keepers-of-the-lost-ark-179998820/">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/keepers-of-the-lost-ark-179998820/</a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Vatican Found Giants in Peru w/ Tim Alberino]]></title><description><![CDATA[Did a Cataclysm Erase an Advanced Civilization and What Does the Bible Say About It?]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-empire-of-the-gods-ancient-civilizations</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-empire-of-the-gods-ancient-civilizations</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Feb 2025 21:01:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/156887709/760d6c9b41f7130c644a76642fe598bc.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We&#8217;ve been told civilization began around 3500 BC with the Sumerians and Egyptians. But what if that timeline is completely wrong? In my latest conversation, I sit down with <strong>Tim Alberino</strong>, an explorer, researcher, and author, to uncover the hidden history of the pre-flood world, the advanced civilizations that existed before Noah, and the mysterious beings that ruled over them.</p><h4><strong>What We Cover:</strong></h4><ul><li><p><strong>The Lost Civilization Before the Flood</strong><br>Historians dismiss the idea of an advanced civilization before recorded history. But Alberino explains why the flood of Noah wiped out more than just primitive hunter-gatherers&#8212;and why ancient cultures all remember an age of forgotten greatness.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Golden Age of the Gods</strong><br>Nearly every ancient civilization describes a time when the "gods" lived among men. Were they just myths, or were they fallen angels? Alberino traces these stories back to Genesis 6, the Book of Enoch, and the mysterious &#8220;Watchers&#8221; who corrupted humanity.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Younger Dryas Impact Theory&#8212;Was This Noah&#8217;s Flood?</strong><br>What caused the great cataclysm? Alberino explains why a comet impact around 10,000 BC lines up with the biblical flood and why mainstream historians refuse to acknowledge it.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Giants of the Ancient World</strong><br>Nearly every ancient culture describes <strong>giants ruling the earth</strong> before the flood. From the Nephilim of the Bible to the Titans of Greek mythology, Alberino explains how these beings were real, physical entities&#8212;and why they were wiped out.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Bible vs. Mainstream History&#8212;Which One Is Right?</strong><br>If ancient civilizations were more advanced than we thought, does that mean history has been deliberately rewritten? <strong>Why do historians resist these findings&#8212;and what does it mean for our understanding of the past?</strong></p></li></ul><h4><strong>Why This Matters</strong></h4><p>If the flood was real, if an advanced civilization existed before history began, and if the Bible&#8217;s account of fallen angels and giants is true&#8212;<strong>what does that mean for us today?</strong> This conversation will challenge everything you thought you knew about history, religion, and the origins of human civilization.</p><p>&#128250; Please consider following me on Youtube, which is my primary platform: <a href="https://t.co/83aNgOWmf4">Subscribe Here</a></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Historical Evidence for Dragons, Explained.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Joe Rogan thinks dragons are real. He might be right.]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-historical-evidence-for-dragons</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-historical-evidence-for-dragons</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 02:01:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/156885094/659f388c0f64514bc5cec07f351a69c0.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3><strong>Did Dragons Really Exist? A Deep Dive into the Ancient Mythos</strong></h3><p>Dragons are supposed to be mythical creatures - symbols of fantasy, legend, and folklore. But what if they were more than that? My latest video explores the historical, zoological, and mythological evidence suggesting that dragons, in some form, may have been real.</p><h4><strong>What I Cover:</strong></h4><ul><li><p><strong>Why Are Dragons Everywhere?</strong><br>Nearly every ancient culture - from China to Europe, the Middle East to the Americas has stories of dragons. They aren&#8217;t just random monsters in folklore; they appear in historical records, maps, and travelogues as real creatures that people allegedly encountered.</p></li><li><p><strong>Ancient Reports of Dragons</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Herodotus (450 BC)</strong>, the first historian, described winged<em> </em>serpents in Arabia, detailing how locals used smoke to drive them away.</p></li><li><p><strong>Marco Polo (13th century)</strong> claimed to have seen enormous reptiles in Southeast Asia, describing their hunting behavior and massive size.</p></li><li><p><strong>Alexander the Great&#8217;s generals</strong> reported seeing dragons in India and supposedly captured them to display in Egypt.</p></li><li><p><strong>Conrad Gessner (1552)</strong>, the father of modern zoology, included dragons in his works, describing them as cave-dwelling, night-hunting predators which were remarkably similar to modern reptiles .</p></li></ul></li><li><p><strong>What Did "Dragon" Really Mean?</strong><br>Before the word dinosaur was coined in 1877, large reptiles were simply called dragons. Ancient people didn&#8217;t differentiate between a Komodo dragon, a giant snake, or an extinct reptile.</p></li><li><p><strong>Living Fossils and the Lazarus Taxon</strong><br>If an animal like the coelacanth, a fish thought to be extinct for 66 million years, can suddenly turn up in the ocean in 1938, what else might have survived? Some species may have lived longer than we assume, overlapping with early human history.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Crocodile Connection</strong><br>Crocodiles have been around for 200 million years, barely changing. Some prehistoric species were 40 feet long, virtually indistinguishable from what ancient people described as dragons. Could our ancestors have encountered these creatures and woven them into myth?</p></li><li><p><strong>The Sasquatch Parallel</strong><br>Gorillas were dismissed as mythical creatures until their official discovery in 1847. Ancient explorers wrote about &#8220;hairy wild men&#8221; in the forests, only for them to turn out to be real. Could the same thing have happened with dragons?</p></li></ul><h4><strong>So&#8230; Were Dragons Real?</strong></h4><p>Yes. Not in the fire-breathing, gold-hoarding fantasy sense, but in a way that challenges our understanding of history. Dragons weren&#8217;t just myths. They were descriptions of real encounters with massive, dangerous reptiles. Joe Rogan was onto something after all. &#128009;&#128293;</p><p>Please consider following me on Youtube, which is my primary platform: <a href="https://t.co/83aNgOWmf4">Subscribe Here</a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Art of Brokenness: Why Beauty and Suffering Are Inseparable]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Pastor&#8217;s Reflection on Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and the Wounds That Make Us Whole]]></description><link>https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-art-of-brokenness-why-beauty</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.tayjmcm.com/p/the-art-of-brokenness-why-beauty</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Taylor McMahon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:00:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/156887721/f0ef798432035d494b0bd8a00effbb91.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What if the most breathtaking works of art weren&#8217;t born from talent alone&#8212;but from suffering? In my latest conversation, I sit down with <strong>Russ Ramsey</strong>, author of <em>Rembrandt Is in the Wind</em>, to explore <strong>why beauty is deeply tied to brokenness, how art reveals the divine, and why the greatest masterpieces often come from troubled souls.</strong></p><h4><strong>What We Cover:</strong></h4><ul><li><p><strong>Why Does Art Matter?</strong><br>In a world driven by productivity, art can seem like a luxury. But Ramsey argues that <strong>beauty isn&#8217;t optional&#8212;it&#8217;s essential.</strong> From Michelangelo&#8217;s <em>David</em> to Rembrandt&#8217;s <em>Return of the Prodigal Son</em>, we explore why humans are wired to seek and create beauty.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Broken Genius: The Dark Lives of Great Artists</strong><br>Many of history&#8217;s greatest artists&#8212;Caravaggio, Van Gogh, Rembrandt&#8212;were deeply flawed men. Some were violent. Some were addicts. Yet their art resonates across centuries. Does brokenness fuel creativity? Or does art simply expose the truth of the human condition?</p></li><li><p><strong>Why Michelangelo&#8217;s </strong><em><strong>David</strong></em><strong> is the Greatest Work of Art Ever Made</strong><br>Ramsey makes a bold claim: <em>David</em> is the single greatest artistic achievement in human history. We break down why carving marble is so difficult, why this statue mesmerizes millions, and why perfection itself is worth contemplating.</p></li><li><p><strong>Caravaggio: The Murderer Who Painted Grace</strong><br>A criminal. A fugitive. A man who ran from the law&#8212;and yet painted some of the most powerful images of Jesus ever put on canvas. How did Caravaggio&#8217;s wild, violent life produce such deeply spiritual works? And what does that say about redemption?</p></li><li><p><strong>Van Gogh&#8217;s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear: The Wound That Became Priceless</strong><br>Van Gogh never saw success in his lifetime. He was deeply tormented, yet his paintings now sell for hundreds of millions. Why? We explore how his self-portrait&#8212;depicting his lowest moment&#8212;became one of the most valuable artworks ever created.</p></li><li><p><strong>The Divine Connection Between Beauty and Suffering</strong><br>What if our hunger for beauty is really a longing for something greater? Ramsey unpacks the idea that art is more than decoration&#8212;it&#8217;s <strong>a window into eternity, a glimpse of the divine, and proof that brokenness can be made whole.</strong></p></li></ul><h4><strong>Why This Matters</strong></h4><p>Beauty isn&#8217;t a luxury&#8212;it&#8217;s <strong>a signpost pointing beyond this world</strong>. If you&#8217;ve ever felt drawn to great art, struggled with suffering, or wondered why some of the most brilliant minds seem the most tortured, this conversation is for you.</p><p>&#128250; Please consider following me on Youtube, which is my primary platform: <a href="https://t.co/83aNgOWmf4">Subscribe Here</a></p><div><hr></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.tayjmcm.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>