UFOs, Fairies & Ghosts: Walking The Inverted Path with Joshua Cutchin

In this episode of Inquiry, Kelly Chase sits down with author Joshua Cutchin to discuss his latest book, The Inverted Path: Supernatural Disorientation and Interruptions in Travel. At the center of the conversation is the strange phenomenon of being "pixie-led," an experience in which people become inexplicably lost, compelled to wander, or unable to leave familiar places. Josh traces these patterns across centuries of fairy lore, UFO encounters, ghost stories, and cryptid sightings, uncovering surprising similarities between experiences we usually treat as unrelated.

From there, the conversation moves into stranger territory. What if the phenomenon operates according to narrative rather than ordinary physical causation? Kelly and Josh explore the role of disorientation, interruption, and uncertainty in anomalous experiences, and how getting lost might sometimes be the beginning of finding something. They discuss the relationship between trauma and transformation, the importance of mystery, and whether the modern push for UFO disclosure risks overlooking what makes these experiences meaningful in the first place.

Finally, they consider whether humanity is approaching some larger shift in consciousness, and what that might actually look like. Rather than a single moment of revelation, perhaps the change we're waiting for is already unfolding through individual experiences, cultural transformation, and the gradual re-enchantment of everyday life.

Topics explored: Joshua Cutchin | The Inverted Path | pixie-led phenomenon | fairy folklore | supernatural disorientation | UFO encounters | paranormal experiences | cryptozoology | ghost encounters | anomalous travel | missing time | engine stoppage | Budd Hopkins | Kenneth Ring | reality discontinuities | perception and reality | narrative structure | Fourth Wall Phantoms | synchronicity | re-enchantment | UFO disclosure | the phenomenon | Jeffrey Kripal | trauma and transformation | sacrifice | Charles Fort | personal gnosis | consciousness | cultural awakening | experiencer experiences

Inquiry with Kelly Chase is brought to you by SpectreVision Radio.Produced in partnership with Voltage.fm.

Referenced In This Episode

The Inverted Path: Supernatural Disorientation and Interruptions in Travel — Joshua Cutchin

Ecology of Souls — Joshua Cutchin

Where the Footprints End — Joshua Cutchin & Timothy Renner

Fourth Wall Phantoms — Joshua Cutchin

The Middle Kingdom — Dermot MacManus

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