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October 16, 2016 — Joshua Cutchin


Gene Steinberg

Forum Super Hero
Staff member
The author of "The Brimstone Deceit" discusses the strange odors reported in connection with the onset of paranormal events.

Joshua also took the time to join us for further discussions on this week's episode of After The Paracast, an exclusive feature of The Paracast+.

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Excellent show. Cutchin is IMO one of the most interesting and enjoyable guests out there on the circuit, and he was just as good this time around as he was the last. The only thing I think listeners might want to bear in mind is that although the objective existence of the creatures or contraptions ( whatever the case may be ) seems assumed, Cutchin himself seems to remain fairly ambivalent about their reality, preferring to look at his work as a collection of bits and pieces of dogma and data points about the subject matter that add up to its own picture. The reader is then then left to decide what he or she believes about it. That is understandable, but sometimes it leaves the listener wondering how much the author really believes in what they're writing about.
 
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Nice to hear such a novel concept for a book introduced and discussed by such a well-spoken writer/researcher willing to take a scientific approach to a relatively fringe topic. And Gene didn't even interrupt him with a single Hollywood-related non sequitur! Most engaging episode in awhile, I'd say. Thanks!
 
Great show and I'd love to hear Cutchin's take on a number of paranormal topics. It's obvious he has a intelligent, enquiring mind and I think he could contribute in a number of areas.
 
Excellent show with Mr. Cutchin, like many others here he's become one of my favorite guests and I try to catch his interviews whenever they pop up. There's a great one up now of him involved in a UFO roundtable discussion on Radio Misterioso, if you haven't done so yet, you should check it out.

On the topic of smells and the importance and often strange effects smells can have on us, I have a little story. It's nothing paranormal but it's definitely indicative of the powerful effect smells can have on a person. It's a little bit adult, so if you're easily offended I wouldn't read further.

My cousin once told me a story about the first girl he had intercourse with. For whatever reason, he said that she smelled strongly of pickles whilst they were in the throes of passion. For a year or so afterwards, everytime my cousin smelled pickles, he told me that he would become, should we say... tumescent.

Like I said, nothing paranormal, but its a funny little story that illustrates how powerful smells can be, and how long the effects of that smell can last.

Anyway, again, to Gene and Chris and Josh, great show and I'm looking forward to Josh's next book and appearance on The Paracast.
 
Great show guys and thanks for answering my question. I thought that Chris's early venture in languaging (?) was one of the best points made. By that I mean that there has been a number of accounts I read where people reported having a paranormal encounter and reported smells that were akin to, but not exactly, sulphuric in nature and I would think that they got their tropes wrong or perhaps something else was involved and so I thought that Josh's examination and detailing of the various associated quasi and/or near sulphuric smells that have also been mentioned very interesting.

Also even though it didn't really dovetail into anything very helpful his observation that this smell which is associated with corruption was also associated with healing and purification, and medicinal purposes ..I think I can remember using a sulphur powder on a family pet's open sores after he had been run over by a car...was also very interesting.
 
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Very interesting show, thank you for asking and answering my questions.
Whilst I was listening to the show I was reminded of the way that ants communicate.
My understanding is that ants are able to relay complex information between themselves via chemical secretions.


Here is a documentary that briefly explains and talks about the "vocabulary" ants can employ:
Skip to eighteen minutes thirty seconds for the "chemical language" bit.


I liked Mr Cutchin's comment about the "spirit" and the "primate" Bigfoot believers working together.
It was nice to be reminded that they (Bigfoot) could actually be both at the same time.
 
Cutchin is IMO one of the most interesting and enjoyable guests out there on the circuit, and he was just as good this time around as he was the last... Cutchin himself seems to remain fairly ambivalent about their reality, preferring to look at his work as a collection of bits and pieces of dogma and data points about the subject matter that add up to its own picture.

Thanks, ufology. I'd say you're spot on about my feelings.
Not being coy, but I'm not sure what I believe, beyond the fact that *some* sort of objective intelligence has continuously interacted with mankind throughout our existence, and that it has worn many different faces.

My only addendum to that philosophy is that every story, even the ones that seem untrue or ridiculous upon cursory examination, are worthy of study for some reason or another. Most of my research is comprised of large-scale literature reviews, in a sense, and tries not to make judgement calls unless something is obviously fabricated (and to that end, I definitely disclose any red flags certain ALL cases may have!).
 
Great show and I'd love to hear Cutchin's take on a number of paranormal topics. It's obvious he has a intelligent, enquiring mind and I think he could contribute in a number of areas.

Thanks, Goggs. I'd love to throw my hat in the ring for any upcoming roundtables. I get to delve into a variety of subject on WHERE DID THE ROAD GO?, but conversations with other/new voices always reinvigorate my love of all Forteana.
 
For a year or so afterwards, everytime my cousin smelled pickles, he told me that he would become, should we say... tumescent.

Oh, man, TMI! But you're exactly right—olfaction is hardwired (pardon the pun) to a variety of mental and physical states.
Terence McKenna used to argue that the octopus had the "best form" of telepathy, in a sense sharing emotions, mental states, etc. via color and texture. I disagree... olfaction would be superior to visual communication, because it completely bypasses cognition, and pushes the subject immediately into a state of mind, emotion, or physiological reaction.
 
By that I mean that there has been a number of accounts I read where people reported having a paranormal encounter and reported smells that were akin to, but not exactly, sulphuric in nature and I would think that they got their tropes wrong or perhaps something else was involved and so I thought that Josh's examination and detailing of the various associated quasi and/or near sulphuric smells that have also been mentioned very interesting.

It's one of a number of reasons I suspect that no one has tackled this project yet (I'd prefer thinking that, rather than Forteans have simply been lazy and overlooked olfaction). I try to parse out the identities of smells best I can in THE BRIMSTONE DECEIT, but there is a ton of misidentification, conflation, and mistaken context.
 
Yes! This. As I mentioned up-thread, scent would be the *ultimate* form of unambiguous communication, contrary to what St. Terence (adore him though I do) says here ... see media in original quote.
Sure, I agree that these animals are really interesting, but I also think the video is a perfect example of TM's fuzzy thinking. Maybe a few too many tabs ( and/or whatever else the case may be ). What is implied is that human communication is somehow inferior because we don't use a bio-display on the surface of our bodies to create communicative images. This is ridiculous. Communication isn't limited to visual body language, and humans have created multimedia communication systems, languages, and forms of expression, that far surpass the capability of any of these creatures. Besides that, if these cephalopods were so smart and proficient at using their bio-screens to communicate, then by now we'd be having deep philosophical conversations with them using visual displays and a common language instead of using them in seafood recipes.

Thanks, ufology. I'd say you're spot on about my feelings. Not being coy, but I'm not sure what I believe, beyond the fact that *some* sort of objective intelligence has continuously interacted with mankind throughout our existence, and that it has worn many different faces.

My only addendum to that philosophy is that every story, even the ones that seem untrue or ridiculous upon cursory examination, are worthy of study for some reason or another. Most of my research is comprised of large-scale literature reviews, in a sense, and tries not to make judgement calls unless something is obviously fabricated (and to that end, I definitely disclose any red flags certain ALL cases may have!).

Thanks for the comment. I hope you stick around and become involved in some of the issues from time to time because I'm sure you'd have some very interesting points to add. I work on the principle that apart from misinterpretations of natural events, it's possible for a combination of technology and methodology to create the illusion of paranormal events, and therefore that's the most logical explanation for it. The question then becomes, who or what is doing the illusions, and the common denominators there are humans and aliens. Given that some of the phenomena has been beyond our ability to fake, that leaves aliens as the primary suspects.
 
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What is implied is that human communication is somehow inferior because we don't use a bio-display on the surface of our bodies to create communicative images.

It was always my grasp of that talking point that our *understanding/interpretation* of communication is the problem, not the medium itself. It's really less about praising visual communicating than it is about damning verbal communication. So, perceived on a sliding spectrum of clarity, verbal communication is inferior to visual communication (because of definitions, languages, etc.), and—I'd contend—visual would be inferior to olfactory communication, in theory, at least insofar as trying to generate specific emotions.

ETA: A thought experiment—regarding the intelligence or philosophical priorities of cephalopods, I wonder how we would perceive those traits in a species preoccupied with concerns and thoughts entirely alien to us? Perhaps cephalopods and dolphins are, in terms of what matters to them/their environment, incredibly deep thinkers, it simply doesn't appear that way to humans who are concerned with the meaning of life, politics, etc.
 
It was always my grasp of that talking point that our *understanding/interpretation* of communication is the problem, not the medium itself. It's really less about praising visual communicating than it is about damning verbal communication. So, perceived on a sliding spectrum of clarity, verbal communication is inferior to visual communication (because of definitions, languages, etc.), and—I'd contend—visual would be inferior to olfactory communication, in theory, at least insofar as trying to generate specific emotions.

ETA: A thought experiment—regarding the intelligence or philosophical priorities of cephalopods, I wonder how we would perceive those traits in a species preoccupied with concerns and thoughts entirely alien to us? Perhaps cephalopods and dolphins are, in terms of what matters to them/their environment, incredibly deep thinkers, it simply doesn't appear that way to humans who are concerned with the meaning of life, politics, etc.
OK. For the sake of discussion I'll point out that "deep thinking" involves abstract concepts, like the nature of truth, which of logical necessity would apply as much to cephalopods or dolphins or elephants or aliens or any other creature ( hypothetical or otherwise ), and therefore unless those creatures have the capacity to contemplate and discuss such concepts, their thinking and communication cannot justifiably be said to be as "deep". That doesn't mean they don't have subjectively meaningful experiences based on their relationship to their environment. But that's an entirely different mental process than abstract thought.
 
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Perhaps cephalopods and dolphins are, in terms of what matters to them/their environment, incredibly deep thinkers, it simply doesn't appear that way to humans who are concerned with the meaning of life, politics, etc.

Food for thought. Remember the dolphins were the first to bail.

"On the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons. The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double-backwards-somersault through a hoop whilst whistling the 'Star Spangled Banner', but in fact the message was this: So long and thanks for all the fish."
 
OK. For the sake of discussion I'll point out that "deep thinking" involves abstract concepts, like the nature of truth, which of logical necessity would apply as much to cephalopods or dolphins or elephants or aliens or any other creature ( hypothetical or otherwise ), and therefore unless those creatures have the capacity to contemplate and discuss such concepts, their thinking and communication cannot justifiably be said to be as "deep".

And I'd certainly agree, I just like questioning assumptions from all angles.
 
And I'd certainly agree, I just like questioning assumptions from all angles.
You mentioned a belief in some sort of, "... objective intelligence ..." that has, "... continuously interacted with mankind throughout our existence." Can you be more specific about that? Like if it's something objective, then where does it reside? What kind of interactions are you talking about?
 
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