Sects and Cults

About Sects and Cults

Have you ever come across a symbol, ritual, or hidden reference and wondered whether it belonged to something much larger than it seemed? A detail can look meaningless until history gives it context—and suddenly the secrecy surrounding it becomes impossible to ignore. Secret Society: History and Mysteries explores the hidden groups, coded traditions and historical questions that have fueled curiosity for generations. Each episode examines secret societies through documented history, unexplained connections and the mysteries that still surround their influence. The focus stays on what is known, what remains disputed and why certain organizations continue to fascinate people long after their most secretive eras have passed. If so much was deliberately kept from public view, how much of the story are we still missing?

Publisher

Creator at Obomedia

Category

history · leisure · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Jul 2026

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

119 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   The Barn of Twenty-Three Shoes: How a Culter Built a Perfect Stage

   The Barn of Twenty-Three Shoes: How a Culter Built a Perfect Stage A retired postal worker found twenty-three pairs of shoes in neat rows inside an unlocked barn on September 14, 2011 - toes pointing to the far wall, one pair missing - and no people. What looked like an empty scene was actually the aftermath of a closed world run for nearly two years: a staged life with its own rules and a door only one man could open. How did a theater teacher and trained artists end up living inside someone else's production? In this episode, we tell how a retired drama teacher named Sandra Underwood and other mid-career artists joined a group called the Meridian Players, paid an $800 enrollment fee for a two-week intensive, and later moved into a rented barn that contained a hidden door. What was the plan behind Dale Allen’s idea of "role permanence theory" and who controlled the exit? Person: Paul Porter Date: September 14, 2011 Person: Sandra Underwood Fee: $800 Document: The Permanent Stage (pamphlet, 2009) - A retired postal worker, Paul Porter, discovered twenty-three pairs of shoes arranged in two rows inside an unlocked barn on September 14, 2011. - Sandra Underwood taught drama for sixteen years and was 43 years old by spring 2010 when she joined the Meridian Players. - Dale Allen published a thirty-page pamphlet titled The Permanent Stage in 2009 outlining "role permanence theory." - The initial Meridian Players intensive required an $800 enrollment fee and was described as a two-week program in eastern Kentucky. - The Aldenmere Farm lease was signed in January 2011 with six months of rent paid in advance, in cash, to owner Bette Novak. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

2. 

   11 Oct 2026

   The Binder in Pellen Forest: How a Ledger Toppled a Cult Leader

   The Binder in Pellen Forest: How a Ledger Toppled a Cult Leader A dry plastic bag between tree roots in Pellen Forest Forest held 162 handwritten pages stamped "COVENANT OF THE RENEWED MIND - ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE" that became evidence in a case where more than $300,000 moved through nineteen people - but who dropped that binder and why did it survive three days of rain undamaged? In this episode, we follow the timeline from a dog finding the binder on August 14, 2019, through the ledger's arrival at the Garnet County Sheriff's Department, and trace how the records exposed a four-year financial operation; how did a weekly-updated set of binders and signed withdrawal forms become the community's "memory," and what did those pages reveal? Person: Marie Novak Date: August 14, 2019 Location: Pellen Forest Forest Case: Covenant of the Renewed Mind accounts Event: Binder logged as evidence at Garnet County Sheriff's Department by 11:47 AM - A golden retriever pulled on her leash at 11:06 AM and found a zippered plastic bag between two exposed tree roots. - The binder contained exactly 162 handwritten pages and had no name on the cover. - The inside front page bore the rubber stamp "COVENANT OF THE RENEWED MIND - ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE." - The trail through Pellen Forest Forest had been only 11 days old at the time the binder was found. - The financial operation moved more than $300,000 through 19 people over four years. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

3. 

   10 Oct 2026

   The Notebook That Exposed a False Shepherd and a Stolen Life

   The Notebook That Exposed a False Shepherd and a Stolen Life Fear that someone you trusted could be inventing a whole life to take your pain - a dry notebook found wedged in a willow on July 12, 2019 contained 61 handwritten pages of names, dates, and asset transfers that a fisherman recognized as deliberate. Who wrote it, why it survived impossible water, and what it revealed about a man who arrived at a grief group with lies - and a converted barn called the Shepherd's Frequency - are questions this episode follows to their edge. In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the notebook's discovery to the story it unlocked: a retired teacher named Frank Graham, a newcomer named Melvin D. Larsen who claimed false credentials, and the group dynamics that let a stranger gain influence. How did a single paper record upend a life and a community? Person: Grant Dixon Person: Frank Graham Person: Melvin D. Larsen Date: July 12, 2019 Location: Morrow River - The notebook contained sixty-one handwritten pages with names, dates, and asset transfers. - Grant Dixon found the notebook at 6:20 a.m. wedged in a willow fork at the outside bend of the Morrow River. - Eleven notebooks had been thrown from the footbridge upstream roughly six hours earlier while the river was running high. - Frank Graham was fifty-four years old and had taught shop class for twenty-six years in Carver Falls, Indiana before retiring. - Melvin D. Larsen arrived at the Carver Falls grief group in September 2017 and within two months invited six members to his property on twelve acres he called the Shepherd's Frequency. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

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