Christmas is often presented as a season of comfort, generosity, and familiarity. But beneath the modern imagery of nativity scenes, Santa Claus, and holiday traditions lies a much older structure shaped by fear, survival, and interaction with the unseen. In this episode of Arcane Station, host Mike Porter examines the paranormal and occult foundations of Christmas, tracing the season back to pre-Christian midwinter rituals, pagan enforcement figures, and belief systems that treated winter as...
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Christmas is often presented as a season of comfort, generosity, and familiarity. But beneath the modern imagery of nativity scenes, Santa Claus, and holiday traditions lies a much older structure shaped by fear, survival, and interaction with the unseen. In this episode of Arcane Station, host Mike Porter examines the paranormal and occult foundations of Christmas, tracing the season back to pre-Christian midwinter rituals, pagan enforcement figures, and belief systems that treated winter as...
Christmas is often presented as a season of comfort, generosity, and familiarity. But beneath the modern imagery of nativity scenes, Santa Claus, and holiday traditions lies a much older structure shaped by fear, survival, and interaction with the unseen. In this episode of Arcane Station, host Mike Porter examines the paranormal and occult foundations of Christmas, tracing the season back to pre-Christian midwinter rituals, pagan enforcement figures, and belief systems that treated winter as...
Abandoned tunnels have a way of unsettling people long after their original purpose has ended. Across different regions and eras, tunnels built for railroads, roads, and infrastructure have developed reputations for being haunted. Visitors report hearing voices, footsteps, and unexplained sounds. Some describe seeing apparitions, lights, or movement where no one should be present. Others leave with an overwhelming sense that they shouldn’t have been there at all. In this episode of Arcane Sta...
Something is wrong in the woods of Appalachia. Hikers, hunters, and lifelong locals all describe the same eerie moment: a deer steps onto the trail… then moves in a way no deer should. Its legs bend at impossible angles. Its body is too tall, too thin, or shaped just slightly…off. And its eyes don’t reflect the soft amber glow you expect from normal wildlife. Instead, they stare back white and unblinking, like headlights in the dark. Tonight on Arcane Station, we’re diving into the phenomenon...
Poveglia Island sits quietly in the Venetian Lagoon, but its history is anything but silent. Once a quarantine station during the deadliest plague outbreaks in Europe, and later the site of a psychiatric hospital with harsh experimental treatments, the island carries a documented past of suffering and isolation. Today, access is restricted, yet modern reports continue to surface, deep, fluid-filled coughing in the dark, dragging sounds near the old burn pits, sudden flashes of flame inside th...
What if the United States didn’t emerge through politics alone? What if the Revolutionary era was shaped by divine intervention, unexplained phenomena, and symbolic decisions that reached far beyond ordinary history? In this episode of Arcane Station, host Mike Porter investigates the supernatural side of America’s birth. We examine documented accounts from the Revolutionary War, including the mysterious fog that saved Washington’s army in 1776, the eerie stillness reported during Washington’...
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Western world became obsessed with a single idea: that the living could communicate directly with the dead. In this episode, we explore the rise of Spiritualism, the séance boom, and the scientific figures who tried to test the limits of consciousness. From the Fox Sisters in upstate New York to the controlled experiments of Sir William Crookes and the philosophical systems of the Golden Dawn and Theosophical Society, this documentary-style deep dive tr...
Arcane Station explores one of America’s oldest and most enduring legends: the Jersey Devil. In this episode, host Mike Porter revisits the classic story of Mother Leeds, the cursed thirteenth child, and the birth of a creature said to haunt the Pine Barrens for nearly three centuries. But instead of trying to prove or debunk the legend, this episode approaches the Jersey Devil as a thought experiment, examining how history, belief, environment, and human perception shape a story that refuses...
In this episode of Arcane Station, we venture into one of America’s most mysterious regions, the Bridgewater Triangle of southeastern Massachusetts. For decades, witnesses have reported UFOs, ghost lights, cryptid creatures, and chilling encounters within its borders. From the swamps of Hockomock to the shadowed trails of Freetown State Forest, strange things happen here that seem to defy explanation. Join us as we uncover the history, legends, and high strangeness that make the Bridgewater T...
Have you ever heard a story about someone who seemed to fall out of time, vanishing for moments, hours, or even years, only to return with memories of another era? In this episode of Arcane Station, host Mike Porter explores the mysterious phenomenon of timeslips and out-of-place people, those who appear where (or when) they shouldn’t. We’ll journey through chilling first-hand accounts, historical cases like the Versailles Time Slip, and reports of modern-day travelers who claim to have stepp...
Step into the dark with host Mike Porter as Arcane Station explores the evolution of fear in video games, from the pixelated ghosts of Haunted House and Alone in the Dark to the cinematic realism of The Last of Us, Resident Evil, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. This episode dives deep into how horror has changed with technology, storytelling, and our own psychology, from the rise of zombies and cryptid-inspired monsters to the eerie beauty of modern indie horror. Mike also reflects on his own ...
Louisiana is one of America’s most mysterious places, a crossroads of folklore, faith, and the unknown. In this episode of Arcane Station, host Mike Porter travels deep into the heart of the Bayou to uncover the truth behind Louisiana’s strangest legends. From the chilling howls of the Rougarou in the swamps near Houma, to the eerie sightings of the Honey Island Swamp Monster, and the centuries-old stories of vampires in New Orleans, we trace the threads that connect the state’s past to its s...
Beneath our cities, the past might be closer than we think. In this episode, host Mike Porter explores the Mudflood Theory, the idea that a global catastrophe within the last few centuries may have buried entire levels of civilization under mud and soil. From Seattle’s underground streets and Chicago’s raised city blocks to the sinking cathedrals of Mexico City and the palaces of St. Petersburg, we examine the physical evidence, the historical record, and the controversial belief that some of...
In this episode of Arcane Station, we take an evidence-minded look at a modern and unsettling figure in cryptid lore: the Pale Crawlers, gaunt, pale, long-limbed humanoids reported on backroads, at campgrounds, and in grainy night footage. We open with two detailed accounts: a pig hunter who watched something through a night-vision/thermal scope, and a truck-driver sighting from Hay River that included alleged tracks. From those cases we examine common patterns in crowdsourced reports, ...
Why are we so captivated by the strange? From folklore and cryptids to UFOs, hauntings, and high strangeness, humanity has always leaned toward the uncanny. In this episode of Arcane Station, host Mike Porter explores how the strange reflects our deepest fears and hopes—and how a biblical framework may hold the key to understanding the obscure and occult forces woven into our world. Support the show
In this episode of Arcane Station, we dive deep into the legend of the Black Eyed Children. From the first chilling account by journalist Brian Bethel in 1996 to modern-day encounters shared online, we explore the origins, patterns, and unsettling similarities of these reports. Are they nothing more than internet-born creepypasta, or echoes of much older myths, changeling legends, vampire lore, biblical warnings, even extraterrestrial visitations? Support the show
In this episode of Arcane Station, we journey into the shadows of Europe and beyond to explore the world’s most infamous demonic castles, fortresses said to seal gateways to Hell, imprison witches and werewolves, and echo with the rituals of the damned. From the hellmouth beneath Houska Castle in the Czech Republic, to Ireland’s Leap Castle and its terrifying Elemental, to Austria’s Moosham Castle where witches and werewolves were executed, and Norway’s Akershus Fortress, guarded by a sp...
In this episode of Arcane Station, we journey into the haunted folklore of the American Southeast, beginning with the tragic tale of Grace Sherwood—the so-called Witch of Pungo—whose trial and punishment in colonial Virginia left an enduring mark on the region’s history. From the waterways of Witchduck Creek to the cultural superstitions that followed her legacy, we unravel the truth behind her story and why it still resonates today. From there, we move into the mist-covered hills of Appalach...
Dive into the strange world of the Mandela Effect — the unsettling phenomenon where millions remember the same events, names, or details… differently than they “really” happened. In this episode of Arcane Station, we explore famous examples, possible explanations from psychology to quantum theory, and why these shared false memories might reveal more about reality than we think. Whether you remember Berenstain or Berenstein, this journey will make you question what’s real. Support the s...
Step into the shadows with Arcane Station as we uncover the chilling history and modern encounters with the Dogman. From early folklore and Native American legends to spine-tingling eyewitness accounts, we trace the origins of this mysterious cryptid and explore the theories that surround it. Are Dogmen flesh-and-blood creatures, supernatural entities, or something even stranger? Join us as we dig into the myths, the sightings, and the high strangeness that keeps the Dogman legend alive. Supp...
We explore the legend of the Boggy Creek, the mysterious swamp creature of Fouke, Arkansas. This episode dives into eyewitness sightings, historical accounts, possible biblical connections, and the strange phenomena surrounding one of America’s most famous cryptids. Support the show
Christmas is often presented as a season of comfort, generosity, and familiarity. But beneath the modern imagery of nativity scenes, Santa Claus, and holiday traditions lies a much older structure shaped by fear, survival, and interaction with the unseen. In this episode of Arcane Station, host Mike Porter examines the paranormal and occult foundations of Christmas, tracing the season back to pre-Christian midwinter rituals, pagan enforcement figures, and belief systems that treated winter as...
