Strange As It Seems
A podcast series about History, Occultism, Espionage, Secret Societies, Conspiracy and High Weirdness. Hosted by Dr. Richard B. Spence and co-host Stephen Austin.
Episodes
Rick and Stephen go looking for the Mad Baron: Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, the homicidal maniac, founder of an Order of Military Buddhists, and — in the belief of his own Mongol troops — the incarnation of the Mongol god of war. Along the way the Baron sets out to contact the King of the World, the ruler beneath the earth in Agartha. Behind him come three more men — a Soviet spy and occultist, a mystic painter on ...
Rick and Stephen take on time travel! Not the physics-seminar version, but the one that runs through a Tesla device that may never have existed, a soldier who claimed to be posting from 2036, and a British comedian a fair share of the internet is convinced was inserted into the past. Along the way, we explore whether history itself is a form of time travel and other theories.
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In what may become a recurring format, Rick and Stephen dig into the research that didn't make it into our latest episode on Crowley in Hollywood. These aren't scraps — Rick keeps notes — but sometimes a thread gets forgotten until after the record button's already off.
Original Episode: https://studio.youtube.com/video/efvUAPmYg18/edit
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Rick and Stephen go looking for Aleister Crowley in Hollywood and find him there in November 1915. It has been claimed that the "wickedest man in the world secretly ran Hollywood." But Dr. Spence presents a much stranger and grounded story: a broke magician hunting for a vehicle [a studio, a lodge, a mail-order religion, anyone!] to carry Thelema to the masses. What Crowley found within the raw company town of film studios and empt...
Rick and Stephen move beyond Epstein to explore a deeper and more elusive question: is there a hidden structure of power that transcends governments, ideologies? Is there a modern Illuminati? Or something more complex—what is the Occult Octopus?
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In this episode, Rick and Stephen turn their attention to Jeffrey Epstein and the deeper structures of influence surrounding his rise and fall. Was Epstein merely a criminal opportunist? A node in something larger? Or a symptom of structural forces that extend far beyond one man?
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In this special episode, Rick and Stephen explore Dr. Spence’s own teenage experiments with a Ouija board in the late 1960s. What began as harmless curiosity soon yielded a mixture of absurd messages, uncanny hits, and an alleged manifestation that continues to raise questions about what, if anything, was truly encountered.
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Rick and Stephen unravel the murky story of Soviet influence and Senator William E. Borah, tracing rumors of covert networks, document mills, political subversion, and an alleged conspiracy that placed one of the Gem State’s most celebrated politicians at the center of international intrigue.
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Rick and Stephen dive into the bizarre case of the “Gulf Breeze Six,” a group of U.S. Army intelligence analysts who deserted their post in Germany in 1990—traveling to Florida in search of divine instructions, secret knowledge, and perhaps the end of the world.
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Rick and Stephen investigate the life and career of Basil Zaharoff — the “Merchant of Death,” one of the most influential arms dealers of the early twentieth century and a man long rumored to be connected to the secretive Green Dragon Society.
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Rick and Stephen explore the murky origins of the so-called “Green Dragon Society,” a rumored occult order said to unite mystics, spies, and power brokers with a singular goal of world domination.
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It is a Halloween special, so naturally Rick and Stephen discuss Margaret Murry, Montague Summers, and Witchcraft!
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Rick and Stephen dive into the murky world of espionage and disinformation to uncover the hidden truths behind three elusive spies—Sidney Reilly, Kurt Jahnke, and Arthur Adams.
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Rick and Stephen delve into the shadowy world of elite secret societies—from the rituals of Bohemian Grove to the exclusivity of the Bilderberg meetings, Council on Foreign Relations, and the imperial ambitions of Cecil Rhodes.
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Rick and Stephen explore how suppressed or imagined technologies, from Mesmer’s animal magnetism to Tesla’s free energy and Russian Cosmism, illustrate humanity’s recurring drive to uncover secret forces. The discussion ties these examples to Nick Land’s concept of hyperstition, showing how myths and speculative technologies can loop back into reality.
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Rick explores the historical origins of the Illuminati, tracing the rise of Adam Weishaupt’s secret society in 18th-century Bavaria. Along the way, we investigates the Illuminati’s strategies, ideology, and influence—both real and imagined.
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Rick examines the origins and evolution of The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, exploring its fabrication, dissemination, and enduring influence as one of history's most destructive pieces of propaganda.
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Rick delves into the origins of the legend of Atlantis, tracing its evolution over centuries into a symbol of lost wisdom, advanced civilizations, and hidden realms.
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Rick and Stephen examine the origins of Nazi occultism, tracing the ideas, figures, and organizations that influenced Adolf Hitler.
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