Common Mystics

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jennifer and Jill journey to California's coast to uncover the remarkable story of Juana Maria, the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, whose eighteen years of isolation inspired the classic novel  Island of the Blue Dolphins and became one of the most enduring legends in American history. But the legend isn't the whole story. We trace the history of the Channel Is...

On this episode of Common Mystics*, Jen and Jill investigate the unsolved 1944 murder of Hollywood heiress Georgette Bauerdorf, whose brutal death behind the glamour of wartime Los Angeles remains one of the city's most haunting and enduring mysteries. Found deceased in her own bathtub under suspicious circumstances, Georgette’s case shocked a city already steeped in secrecy and shadow during Worl...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill follow the incredible rise and dramatic fall of Bugsy Siegel, the gangster who helped transform Las Vegas from a dusty desert town into a glittering entertainment destination. Born into poverty in the crowded streets of New York City, Bugsy clawed his way to the top of the criminal underworld and became one of the most powerful mobsters of his time....

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill pull back the curtain and get a little more personal than usual. They dive into a chapter of their lives that was equal parts heartbreaking and life-shaping, sharing the story of their father: a man who brought laughter, chaos, love, and pain in ways that still echo today. It’s a story with sharp edges and soft spots, and while there’s a space in the...

Please enjoy this repost of a fan favorite! On this classic episode of Common Mystics, Jennifer and Jill discuss their late mother Stella, who modeled for her daughters a discerning, yet eclectic approach to religion, spirituality, and the divination arts. Laugh with them as they relate stories that exemplify Stella's humor and strength, and learn how their mother continues to be present in their...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill travel to a town that feels suspended in time on the Upper Mississippi: Galena, Illinois.* Beneath its brick streets and blufftop beauty lies a harder story. In the 1830s and 1840s, northern Illinois was still raw country. As settlers poured into Galena to mine lead and find fortune, the roads filled with opportunity… and the Mississippi River towns...

On this episode of Common Mystics * , Jen and Jill travel back to the summer of 1869, where the mighty Mississippi River carried more than lumber and passengers; it carried tension, resentment, and a tragedy that would leave six men dead. What began as a routine journey aboard the steamboat Dubuque quickly unraveled into one of the most chilling and overlooked racial violence events in Midwestern...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill journey into the breathtaking Driftless Region of the Midwest — a landscape untouched by glaciers and steeped in history. Their travels lead them to the quiet river town of Decorah, Iowa, where beauty and tragedy intertwine.  Here, a haunting mystery unfolds. In 1929, fourteen-year-old Romelda Casten died suddenly and mysteriously inside her family f...

On this episode of Common Mystics , Jen and Jill explore the history of the Dakota people of the Upper Mississippi River Valley, specifically the Mdewakanton band and the leadership of Chief Wabasha III. They trace how early treaties and increasing American expansion reshaped Dakota homelands and set the stage for growing tension. Hunger, land loss, and broken promises contributed to the outbreak...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill travel back to the earliest days of settlement along the northern Mississippi River, exploring how river towns took shape in the 17th and 18th centuries. Built alongside booming industry and filled with young men looking for fortune—and fun—these towns quickly developed a rough-and-tumble reputation. Fast forward to 1879, when Winona, Minnesota boast...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill have an absolute blast as they sit down with renowned psychic relationship expert and matchmaker Deborah Graham to dish on the unseen forces that pull hearts together, and the energetic speed bumps that can send love spinning the other way. Gifted since childhood, Deborah had her very first premonitions at just six years old. What started as little i...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill investigate a ghost story from the town of Stoughton, WI… but what they uncover is far more unsettling than the legend itself. In November of 1925, Saxe Hoverson, a respected local official, died after falling from the third floor of the Grand Hotel. At the time, the incident was quickly labeled a suicide. Case closed. Or so it seemed. But when you p...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill stumble into a surprising connection to the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692. What begins as an investigation in Imlay City, Michigan quickly turns into something much bigger when the sisters uncover a local story tied to an ancestor from Salem, Massachusetts. From there, one curious rabbit hole leads to another, across the Atlantic and deep into...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill journey to Imlay City, a quiet Midwestern town just 50 miles north of Detroit, to explore a tragic story from 1947: the senseless murders of the Smith children.* This is not a story told for shock or spectacle. It’s a careful remembering. We’ll place the events within their historical moment, honor the lives that were lost, and examine how a communit...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill dive into the surprising blend of Christian doctrine and ancient pagan tradition behind one of the Catholic Church’s most beloved figures. Learn how older goddess archetypes—fertility mothers, virgin creators, and compassionate intercessors—shaped the evolving image of the Virgin Mary as Christianity spread through pagan Europe. The sisters trace how...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill find themselves in the unassuming Indiana hometown of a Hollywood legend. A near car accident becomes the first breadcrumb in a trail that leads directly to James Byron Dean—one of cinema’s most celebrated icons and one of its most tragic. He left an indelible mark on pop culture before his life ended at just 24. But with endless books, films, and tr...

On this episode of Common Mystics , Jen and Jill dive into a series of brutal crimes that terrorized East Tennessee over a century ago.* It began in 1919, when two women, sleeping peacefully in the dead of night, were brutally attacked in a Knoxville home. Within hours, police arrested a suspect: Maurice Mays, a biracial man with ties to the Mayor. But even after Mays was behind bars, the nightmar...

On this episode of Common Mystics, we’re thrilled to hang out with our friend Dr. Scott Guerin for a mind-bending conversation about aliens—yep, our celestial family ! Scott is a psychologist, educator, and author who dives deep into human and spiritual development, and he’s joining us to talk about his brand-new book, Awkward Awakening: Find Your Way Home. Join us as we chat about what “awakening...

On this spine-tingling episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill take you on three unforgettable ghost hunts that will leave you questioning what’s lurking beyond the veil. First stop: the infamous Demon House in Hartford City, Indiana, where something dark and unseen made its presence known. Next, the Amboy Train Depot Museum in Illinois, where echoes of the past still whisper through the tracks. F...

On this episode of Common Mystics,  the murder of a prominent community leader opens the door to chilling revelations. In 1882, the quiet town of Sweetwater, Tennessee, was shaken when its former mayor was killed—by his own nephew. But beneath the surface of this family tragedy lurked something darker. What began as a dispute over money soon revealed deceit, greed, and a sinister scheme that refus...

This episode of Common Mystics dives into two women's stories, forever linked in the annals of Georgia state law. But are their spirits linked, too? And what's their connection to a haunted hotel in downtown Chatsworth, GA? This tale is packed with twists and turns! So buckle up for this wild tale that starts with a ghost reaching out to Jen and Jill at one of the town's most famous historic sites...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill reveal a remarkable story about the "enemy aliens" imprisoned at Fort Oglethorpe, GA, during World War I.* After the U.S. entered the war, German civilians were detained without evidence, deemed too dangerous to remain free. Some were targeted because of their knowledge, intelligence, or influence. Despite the circumstances, the detainees formed a th...

On this episode of Common Mystics, we are thrilled to welcome an extraordinary guest: Deb Bowen—podcaster, educator, and author. Deb is co-author of Crafting the Wheel of the Year, (Search Press, UK) in which she wrote the spiritual, cultural, and historical aspects of the celebrations of the seasons.  The book will be released in September, 2025. She also is co-author of A Good Friend for Bad Tim...

On this episode of Common Mystics, Jen and Jill unveil a gripping tale of murder and justice gone tragically astray.* The story unfolds in rural Madison County, Alabama, on a spring morning in 1897, when the patriarch of the Kelly family was struck by a sudden and violent illness. Shock turned to horror as other family members and household staff began to fall ill under similarly mysterious circum...

On this episode of Common Mystics , Jen and Jill unravel the story of a pivotal figure in one of the most infamous outlaw gangs in American history. In 1881, near Huntsville, Alabama, three masked horsemen orchestrated a daring robbery and vanished without a trace. Soon, it was revealed that the notorious James gang was behind the crime. Led by the infamous Jesse James and his brother Frank, the g...