Altar Ego

Body Worlds promised education through wonder, but the story behind it reveals a tangle of science, profit, and unanswered questions about consent. This episode looks at Dr. Gunther von Hagens, the man who turned anatomy into art, and the moral fault lines that form when human bodies become a business. A “formal donor program” was created in Germany by Institute of Plastination (IfP) where people...

Before Ouija boards and séance tables, there were three young sisters in Hydesville, New York-- Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox. In 1848, the mysterious “rappings” in their farmhouse would ignite something far bigger than superstition. The Fox sisters became the spark that set the Spiritualism movement ablaze, blurring the line between belief, deception, and a desperate longing to hear from the beyond....

CW: Coercive spiritual practices and abuse of religious authority, misuse of cultural healing traditions, non-graphic violence, psychological manipulation, death, and burial practices. In this episode, we examine the life and actions of Ahmad Suradji, a North Sumatran dukun whose misuse of a traditionally respected role resulted in profound harm. We explore what a dukun is, the cultural and spirit...

CW: Execution, racism, enslavement, religious extremism, psychological distress.  On this episode, we travel back to 1692 to a Puritan village gripped by panic, paranoia, and prayer. The Salem Witch Trials have become one of the most infamous moral panics in history, but beneath the surface of hysteria lies a complex story about faith, power, and fear. We dig into how belief, both sacred and super...

CW: Factual non-graphic descriptions of violence and discussion of parasomnia. This episode crosses the veil between sleep and wake, where science and superstition blur. Across cultures, sleep is seen as a liminal realm—where spirits move and the soul drifts. We explore this through the case of Kenneth Parks, a man whose stress, gambling addiction, and exhaustion led to an act he claimed happened...

Before there was Halloween, there was Samhain... the Celtic fire festival when the veil between worlds was thinnest. In this special October 31st episode, Jeri + Heather trace how a night of honoring ancestors and warding off spirits evolved. From ancient bonfires and soul cakes to Christian rebranding and modern mischief, we explore what still lingers beneath the masks: belief, memory, and the th...

CW: This episode contains discussion of death, sorcery, and zombification within the context of Haitian Vodou and folklore. Listener discretion is advised. This week, Heather leads Jeri on an exploration of Makaya, one of the most secretive and feared branches of Haitian Vodou. From its Kongo roots and powerful bokors to its infamous link with zombification, Makaya has fueled both mystery and fear...

CW: Spiritual and psychological manipulation, sexual relationships involving power imbalance and underage individuals, cult dynamics, and coercive control. In the early 1970s , The Source Restaurant began as a popular health food restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, founded by Jim Baker, later known as Father Yod, whose vision helped introduce organic and vegetarian eating to the mainstream. Regulars i...

CW: Contains discussion of colonial racism, religious trauma, and descriptions of alleged possession phenomena In 1906, a 16-year-old orphan in South Africa shocked missionaries with violent fits, inhuman cries, and even a confession of a pact with the devil. Known as the possession of Clara Germana Cele, her story includes levitation, exorcism, and colonial propaganda about “dark Africa.” Was she...

CW: Suicidality, domestic violence, and non-graphic animal abuse specific to snakes.  Jeri explores the dangerous world of Appalachian snake-handling churches and the case of Darlene Summerford , a pastor’s wife who survived a near-fatal rattlesnake bite under suspicious circumstances. Through the lens of faith, fear, and control, we examine the origins of snake-handling traditions, the laws that...

CW: This episode contains retelling of violence and murder, as well as talks about schizophrenia. Listener discretion is advised.  Santa Cruz in the early 1970s was dubbed “Murderville, USA” home to two active serial killers at the same time. One of them, Ed Kemper, became a media obsession. The other, Herbert Mullen, was nearly erased from public memory. Convinced he was preventing deadly earthqu...

CW: Discussion of racism, discrimination, and systemic oppression Who…or what…was the Fool Killer? Depending on who you ask, he was a 19th-century satirical invention, a supernatural enforcer born from Melungeon folklore, or a wandering vigilante who struck down the corrupt and the cruel. In this episode, we dive into the tangled origins of the Fool Killer: from gripping newspaper columns to the w...

CW: This episode contains discussion around diets and diet culture, as well as child abuse and infant death. Listener discretion is advised.  What happens when faith, control, and diet culture collide? In our first episode, Heather dives into the rise of Gwen Shamblin Lara, founder of the Weigh Down Diet and Remnant Fellowship Church. From her early teachings on weight loss as a path to holiness,...

Meet the hosts of Altar Ego. Two close friends, one a therapist raised Southern Baptist, now agnostic; the other a spiritually curious ex-Catholic who believes in ghosts and is terrified of demons... we dive into dark tales and crimes committed in the name of God (or the devil). Through ethical retellings of possessions, prophecies, cults, and beliefs, we investigate spirituality, belief systems,...