The Charm Podcast w/ Bunny: Spiritualism
Welcome to “The Charm,” a new solo audio venture by Bunny Themelis.
I miss being on the main podcast as frequently as I was, but there was stuff I never could get into during those discussions. Mostly nerdy, non-sequitur stuff. Much like my soon-to-be relaunched video series “2Geeky (for the streets),” not everything I focus on translates well in a comedy club.
As some of you may know, I am a trivia champion.
Literally: I was on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” this past January and walked away with a pretty penny. Maybe you, too, can collect seemingly useless knowledge and go on TV and win money. IT CAN HAPPEN!
But how did I get so good at trivia, you might wonder. Well, it was not on purpose!
I simply am attracted to history and all the stranger-than-fiction factoids it supplies.
So for some of my podcasts, I am going to be regaling you with the historical curiosities I love. Humorously, of course.
Spiritualism
This week, I have a couple tales surrounding Spiritualism, a 19th century belief system that had people holding seances to commune with the dead. There was a good mix of true believers and intentional frauds in the mix, using all kinds of techniques to contact the “other side.”
While it is tempting to relate them to the New Age gurus of today, they really were not seen as “out there” or antithetical to mainstream Christian dogma. In fact, many would hold seances and then attend church the next day. Which is very unlike today when many Christian churches advise against, say, even trying yoga.
So Spiritualism was all the rage. Baltimore was the birthplace of the Ouija board, and it has a spooky history. I lay out just how it went from beloved innocent toy to tool of the devil. (Hint: the Exorcist)
I also go in on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who was big on Spiritualism. So, into it that he allowed himself to believe some pretty silly stuff.
Check it out!
