AI Summary
5 min readDavid Weatherly has spent decades collecting and investigating reports of strange humanoid encounters, and he argues that many of these phenomena may be connected by a single thread: an otherworldly intelligence that occasionally intrudes into our reality. In this archived interview from Expanded Perspectives, Weatherly walks through several of the most perplexing entity types—from tulpas and the grinning man to the jinn and the pukwudgie—and explains how they might all be manifestations of something far stranger than simple ghosts or monsters.
The Tulpa Problem: When Thought Becomes Real
One of the most unsettling ideas Weatherly discusses is the tulpa, an ancient Tibetan concept that roughly translates to "thought form." A tulpa begins as a pure mental construct, but through sustained focus and belief, it can become a fully physical, tangible being. Weatherly points to the famous "Philip Experiment" from the 1970s, in which a group of Canadian parapsychologists deliberately created a fictional ghost named Philip Aylesford, complete with a detailed backstory and a tragic death. When they attempted to contact him through séance circles, they began receiving responses—table movements, levitation, and apparent communication. The experiment has been replicated multiple times since, with varying degrees of success.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:17) **Interview Introduction & Guest Background** - Hosts introduce David Weatherly and his body of work, including his new book *Strange Intruders* and the ongoing state-by-state cryptid series.
- 2 (03:52) **Weatherly's Broad Paranormal Focus** - Weatherly explains his lifelong fascination with the paranormal, covering everything from ancient mysteries to UFOs and psychical phenomena.
- 3 (10:48) **Tulpas and the Creation of Entities** - The conversation shifts to the concept of Tulpas, exploring whether human thought can physically manifest beings.
- 4 (16:58) **The Pearl Experiment and Photographic Evidence** - Weatherly describes Bill Murphy's "Pearl Experiment" in California, which may have resulted in a verifiable photograph of the created entity.
- 5 (20:37) **The Myrtles Plantation and the Chloe Myth** - Weatherly uses the famous Myrtles Plantation haunting to illustrate how collective belief can create or empower entities.
- 6 (28:40) **Slender Man as a Modern Tulpa** - The hosts connect the Slender Man phenomenon to the Tulpa concept, noting its creation in a 2009 Photoshop contest.
- 7 (34:17) **The Grinning Man: History and Personal Encounter** - Weatherly recounts the history of the "Grinning Man" and shares his own terrifying firsthand experience.
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Show Notes
On this episode of Expanded Perspectives: From the Archives, we revisit a fascinating conversation with author, researcher, and longtime explorer of the unexplained, David Weatherly.
David is a true Renaissance man of the strange and supernatural. For decades, he has traveled the world investigating ghosts, cryptids, UFOs, ancient mysteries, magic, psychic phenomena, and the many things that seem to exist just beyond the boundaries of our understanding. From haunted castles and remote islands to ancient sacred sites and modern paranormal hotspots, David has dedicated much of his life to pursuing the unknown. His fascination with the unexplained began at an early age, fueled by ghost stories, strange creature encounters, and UFO reports. Influenced by legendary researchers and writers such as John Keel, Jacques Vallée, and Hans Holzer, David eventually began conducting his own investigations into the mysterious.
But his approach to the paranormal extends far beyond traditional investigation. Throughout his travels, David has studied shamanic, mystical, and magical traditions from cultures around the world. He has spent time with Taoist masters in China, Tibetan Lamas, Native American and African tribal elders, and shamans from numerous traditions. He has also explored subjects ranging from alchemy and divination to Qigong, Ninjutsu, energy work, and ceremonial magic. That unusual background gives David a unique perspective on paranormal phenomena and the strange entities people have encountered throughout history.
David is the founder of Eerie Lights Publishing and the author of numerous books, including Strange Intruders, Eerie Companions, the Monsters of America series, and the Haunted series. He has appeared on Coast to Coast AM, Ancient Aliens, Mysteries of the Outdoors, Beyond Belief, On the Trail of UFOs, and many other programs.
So settle in as we head back into the archives for a conversation with one of the most well-traveled researchers of the strange and unusual, David Weatherly.
All of this and more on this installment of Expanded Perspectives: From the Archives.
Find out more about David Weatherly and his work at Eerie Lights Publishing.
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