Magician and fortune teller Jared Howell has spent years performing illusions about the paranormal, then the paranormal started following him offstage. He talks with psychics, magicians, paranormal investigators, and psychical researchers about the space between skepticism and belief. An exploration of how we search for meaning in the things we can’t explain.
An exploration of how we search for meaning in the things we can’t explain.
Publisher
Jared Howell
Category
arts · religion & spirituality · society & culture
In this episode, I talk with America’s Greatest Mind Reader, Joe Diamond. I’ve followed Joe for a while, and he’s one of the few magicians I know who’s also worked closely with psychics. He was one of the first people I thought of when I started this project — and hopefully he’ll return for another episode in the future.
I’ll warn you: we veered into magician talk a bit more than I expected, so you’ll get some insider baseball on the magic industry. Joe also shares stories from his time working with a local psychic and talks about what I’m going to call a genuinely strange paranormal experience involving the late Eugene Burger.
I decided in the moment to ask about Eugene because his work as a magician and teacher has inspired me since I first got into magic — and Joe knew him personally. I couldn’t resist. I’d strongly encourage you to check out Eugene’s performances on YouTube. He was a true master.
Here’s one of my all-time favorite routines of his, for your viewing pleasure:
https://youtu.be/fvGdrAcMs_Y?si=wCvc361JfO9MaAKS (https://youtu.be/fvGdrAcMs_Y?si=wCvc361JfO9MaAKS)
Follow Joe on Instagram @joediamondlive, and if you’re in the Chicago/Wisconsin area, go see one of his shows.
6 Jan 2026
Some Thoughts on Reading Tarot
Solo episode from the holidays! This week I try to unpack some of my thoguhts on being a more effective tarot reader.
Books mentioned in the episode:
Tarot Reading for Magicians by Paul Voodini — the book that got me started. Image-based, intuitive tarot taught from a magician’s perspective. Still one of the best ways to learn without memorizing meanings.
Guided Tarot by Stephanie Caponi — my go-to recommendation for beginners. Easy to find, Rider-Waite based, and includes spreads I actually use, including Release & Retain.
The Marseille Tarot Revealed by Yoav Ben-Dov — hugely influential for how I read now. Helped me move toward Marseille tarot, visual storytelling, and reading the cards as a whole instead of isolated meanings.
The Tarot by Robert M. Place — fantastic history of tarot. I don’t connect with his reading system at all, but the historical context is worth it.
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon — not a tarot book, but central to my philosophy. Take what resonates, discard the rest, and build something that’s actually yours.
The Book of Symbols — a great reference for deepening symbolism beyond tarot. Helpful for understanding why certain objects show up in the cards and what they can represent.
16 Dec 2025
Episode 3- Kristen Gandy: Paranormal Investigarot and Psychic
In this episode of Learning to Be Liminal, Jared talks with paranormal investigator and BOO812 team member Kristen Gandy about psychic sensitivity, investigation ethics, and what it means to live with experiences you can’t fully explain.
Follow Kristen on Instagram @transient_path
In this episode I sit down with Katie Jo Glesing. Katie is an academic researcher and the founder of Boo812 a non profit aimed at empowering people to do their own paranormal investigations. We talk about her start in academic research, filming a TV show with "real" vampires, and her upcoming venture into the world haunted attractions and being scared for fun.
Note: We mention "The Mediums" which is a hybrid show I did with Boo812 where I recreated a Victorian Seance in a truly haunted location and then we followed up with a full overnight investigation.
Follow Katie:
boo812.org
Instagram: kajogles
Transcript at: https://jaredhowellmagic.com/ltltranscripts/episode2
5 Nov 2025
Episode 1: Courtney Block
Episode Description
In this episode, I sit down with librarian and author Courtney Block to talk about how she found her way into the paranormal, what drew her into academic research, and why libraries end up being unexpected hubs for weird stories. We get into the comfort people find in the paranormal, how our religious backgrounds shape what we believe, and why citizen science matters more than people think.
About the Show
Learning to Be Liminal is a podcast about belief, doubt, and the weird in-between.
Connect with the show:
Website: https://learningtobeliminal.com (https://learningtobeliminal.com)
1 Nov 2025
Episode 0: Hi!
I'm calling this Episode 0. I just wanted to introduce myself and try to put to words what this project is.
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