Our Numinous Nature

Mike Ousley is an Appalachian folk artist & a natural storyteller from the deep, dark hills of Eastern Kentucky. We begin on country music, murder ballads, southern gothic literature & folk art. From there Ousley rattles off wild local lore: an exorcism, a resurrected witch, sitting up with the dead, the haint under Ol' Man Chester's house, "Burn 'em out" [a neighborly-feud phrase], coal towns, & black walnut necromancy. For story time Ousley recounts his own experiences with devil dogs & a mysterious high-beamed light, way back in the mountains. We end this folklore bonanza on regional folkways, folk magic, and mountain eccentrics.  Check out Ousley's artwork at Mike Ousley Fine Art & follow along on his Instagram. To buy a painting visit or reach out to Haley Fine Art gallery. Music provided by Earl Suitor"Down in the Willow Garden"Performed by Earl SuitorCourtesy of Earl SuitorSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Earl Suitor, formerly a firefighter & EMT, is an avid caver & the current Eastern Region National Cave Rescue Commission Deputy Resource Section Chief in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. We begin with why Appalachia's geology makes for good caving, then ruminate on the inherent mystery of caves, hear about the historical mining of bat guano, learn about fossils & ancient cat scratches, & the reasons behind secrecy in the caving community. In story form, Earl describes how a cave rescue plays out with examples from finding a lost couple in West Virginia to a shocking tragedy in Utah & the famous cave flood in Thailand. Earl then shares harrowing lessons learned from his firefighting & EMT days, opening profound conversations about "burn out," dying, & his interest in world religions. If you'd like to go caving & learn more, reach out to your regional caving club [grotto] through Caves.org. Music provided by Jan Laurenz"First Song on Lyre Harp"Written by Jan LaurenzCourtesy of Jan LaurenzSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Rita Mae Brown is a prolific New York Times bestselling author, and a master of foxhounds & huntsman with the Oak Ridge Fox Hunt Club in Afton, Virginia. We open on St. Hubert [patron saint of hunters & hounds], the old world occupation of royal huntsman, & get into modern - no kill - equestrian fox hunting. We hear examples of the fox's witty participation, learn some hound history, get insight into the formal wardrobe etiquette, and paint a picture of a day in the field. In the last section, Rita Mae explains her deep animal friendships starting from her orphaned childhood. She shares two short stories, one about a mounted specter & another about animal sentience & love. We end on a couple of Rita Mae's heroins, the huntress queens of old Europe. Browse Rita Mae's many books. ***A ST. HUBERT'S DAY RECIPE***Boulets Liégeois: From the city of Liège, these Belgian meatballs in a sweet & savory fruit sauce served with fries are absolutely mouthwatering. You'll need to order a vital ingredient, Sirop de Liège, a thick, dark apple & pear sauce dating back to the 1600's or you can substitute for a milder flavor with apple butter. Recipe should work just fine with pork, beef, venison, beaver, wild boar.Music provided by Dr. Clare Longendyke & Dr. Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek"Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, D. 929, Op. 100 II. Andante con moto "Written by Franz Peter SchubertPerformed by Trio FioreCourtesy of Dr. Clare Longendyke"Meditation"Written by Dr. Jacqueline Horner-KwiatekPerformed by Modern MedievalCourtesy of Dr. Jacqueline Horner-KwiatekSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

On this Halloween bonus episode, we are trying something new! Instead of a guest, I read eerie stories submitted by podcast listeners. Your all's folklore! We've got a dozen tales from the likes of outdoorsmen, hunters, herbalists, and homesteaders on three dark & mysterious themes: supernatural events, ghosts & spirits, and haunted houses. You'll hear about unexplainable roars in the George Washington National Forest, whispers in Hell's Hollow, & an accidental suicide that not only haunts a family's home, but their dreams... Support Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Mike Seibel is a Shenandoah Valley ghost-tour guide, history buff & founder of Black Raven Paranormal in Staunton, Virginia. This Halloween special begins on abandoned lunatic asylums from the 1800-1900's: what they were like in their time,  dark ideas of American eugenics, the local DeJarnette Sanitarium, and a story about Marty's paranormal investigation of the notoriously haunted Pennhurst Asylum. Then we get into more of his traveling investigations: a grisly axe-murder house, the apparition of a Gettysburg midwife, a cursed doll named Robert, and a demonic country bar. We end on paranormal etiquette, his overall grounded approach, & insight from working with mediums. Join one of Marty's Staunton ghost tours & check out his Black Raven Paranormal YouTube channel.Support Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Les O'Dell of Marion County, West Virginia is a paranormal investigator, cryptid enthusiast, & collector of strange stories from across his home state. For his second appearance on the podcast, we start lightheartedly on the the annual Mothman Festival then get into the famous regional cryptids & mysterious happenings we missed last time: The Flatwoods Monster, the awful Vegetable Man, Missing 411, calling to Big Foot in Pocahontas County, Dolly Sods UFO sightings, & even feral people.  For his stories, Les shares one about a ghost girl & another about his paranormal research of a witch's grave in a back holler. No doubt, this one will get you in touch with the Halloween spirits...Follow WV Cryptids & Strange Encounters on Facebook & check out Les' booklet West Virginia Cryptids: A Visual Guide to Traversing the Mountain State. Support Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Ed Daniels of Shady Grove Botanicals is a ginseng forest farmer, root buyer, and herbal medicine maker in Randolph County, West Virginia. Ed gives us a glimpse into the intriguing international ginseng industry: the WV digging license, old timer ethics, meth-addict poachers, what the Asian market is looking for, farmed ginseng vs wild simulated. We hear of its cultural & medicinal value through anecdotes about a Korean preacher & locals who struggle with pharmaceutical opioid addiction, followed by Ed treating his own cancer diagnosis with wild mushrooms. From there we touch on the Appalachian Outlaws TV show, how to find ginseng in the mountains & tips for farming it. In the last few minutes, Ed shares a heartbreaking story about a local boy from a broken home & speaks to his Plant A Seed project, giving Appalachian kids hope through growing food. Check out Shady Grove Botanicals and follow them on Instagram.Support Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Mike Hull is a retired game warden, outdoorsman, special deputy, & the founder of Hull's Tracking School where he teaches man-tracking to law enforcement, search & rescue, & military organizations from his home in Nelson County, Virginia. Mike illustrates how to man-track by describing a handful of cases: the armed robbery of a rural post office; a questionable camper in The Shenandoah National Park; a serial burglar; followed by an encounter from his game warden days with backwoods moonshiners. For his story, we hear about a profound period of soul searching while Mike worked at a maximum security prison, culminating in a full-body religious experience. We wrap it up on the bear gallbladder black market, survivalist herbalism, water witching, & his famous remote-viewing neighbor.  Check out his tracking school, Hull's Tracking School.Music provided by Earl Suitor"Wildwood Flower"Written by Joseph Philbrick WebsterPerformed by Earl SuitorCourtesy of Earl SuitorSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Jack Hatfield is the great-great-great-grandson of "Devil Anse" of the legendary Hatfield & McCoy feud, as well as the president & director of the Hatfield McCoy Foundation & Museum in Sarah Ann, West Virginia. We start in old Europe then hear of the feud's Civil War origins, The Logan Wildcats, the Hatfield timber company & mansion, an Appalachian Romeo & Juliette story, & of course, the notable murders through to the final slaughter. Then Jack talks about his calling to start the family museum followed by a story from his Pentecostal upbringing, spirits in the house & presences helping the fledgling museum. "Love thy neighbor as thyself," commands the Bible...easier said than done in the old dark woods of Appalachia.Check out Jack's Hatfield & McCoy Foundation & Museum & order a Hatfield family cookbook.Music provided by Earl Suitor"Shady Grove"Performed by Earl SuitorCourtesy of Earl Suitor"Banjo Signal"Written by Don RenoPerformed by Earl SuitorCourtesy of Earl SuitorSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Stevie Holbrook is an outdoorsman, backyard homesteader, painter, & deep-rooted Appalachian living amongst the aftermath of recent devastating floods in Letcher County, Kentucky. We begin with Stevie describing what the flood has been like for him & around his community, then expand into the plight of Appalachia as a whole. From there we transition into God, folkways, & folklore: superstitions around the dog days of summer & faith healing; haints & boogers; turtle buggin' & frog giggin'. Stevie then tells a paranormal story of a whistling creature in the woods, followed by his great-grandparents' encounter while coon hunting. We end on a lil' local history, archeology, & paleontology.   If you're interested in donating to the flood relief, check out the following: Foundation for Appalachia Kentucky or Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief FundMusic provided by Earl Suitor"My Old Kentucky Home "Written by Stephen FosterPerformed by Earl SuitorCourtesy of Earl Suitor"Clinch Mountain Backstep"Written by Ralph StanleyPerformed by Earl SuitorCourtesy of Earl SuitorSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com