John Safran has fallen in with the wrong crowd, again. He has spent months among sorcerers, Satanists, and exorcists and he's spilling the beans in a new podcast.
Forget gentle white witches and tarot card readers. John packs his bag and fearlessly heads off to places where black magic leads not only to exorcisms but... murder. He flies to the US and investigates a gang who murdered a teenage girl for disturbing their satanic shrine. He sails to remote islands in Vanuatu, where laws have been passed to quash witchcraft and contravening them can lead to a public hanging or exile. Back in his hometown of Melbourne, he spends time with a Muslim professional who, convinced she is possessed by spirits, seeks an Islamic exorcism.
John discovers that a belief in Black Magic can hold people together, and tear people apart. But why, in this world of science and rationality, are so many around the world still fearful of dark spirit realms? And what are police and psychologists meant to do to rein all this in?
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(Audible Original, 18 November 2019, 3 hours, audiobook, @audibleuk Original Podcast, free with membership)
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I really enjoyed this podcast. It wasn't exactly what I expected but I found it engaging and entertaining all the same. Two of the episodes deal solely with one case, a teacher murdered in Vanuatu, an alleged victim of witchcraft and the mob who butchered his alleged killers on the instructions of their tribal leader, all contravene to the regular law in force on the island. These episodes were as chilling and horrific as they were fascinating. I wanted to hear more about the island and their customs and rituals. The US killing of a girl who disturbed a satanic shrine also chilled me. Well worth a listen!
