The Sword and Staff

Latest Episodes:

Our Strange Planet with Appalachian Intelligence Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

In this week's edition, Rev. Josh and Sketchy Ritchie have a conversation with the guys at Appalachian Intelligence! The conversation is free-flowing and broad in scope, and they talk about everything from Shadow Appalachia to the Sons of God and Genesis 6, psychedelics, mythology, flood myths, treasure hunting, the nature of reality, epistemology, and synchronicity, and finally the Gospel.

This conversation is full of sketch, so we hope you guys enjoy this uncut version of the podcast! The edited version will go up Friday everywhere!

Follow Appalachian Intelligence:

Podcast: AI: Appalachian Intelligence on Apple Podcasts

Instagram: @appalachianintelligence

The Forgotten Gods & Demigods of the Greco-Roman World Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

In this week's edition, Rev. Josh and Sketchy Ritchie are back with an episode on the forgotten gods and demigods of the Greco-Roman world! In this episode, they start off by talking about the Greeks and their mythology about the Titans and the Olympians. After that, they begin to draw connections between the Greek Pantheon and the Roman Pantheon. They also have a conversation on household spirits in Rome, and then they get into a conversation about the Roman festival year. They close the conversation talking about the conversion of the Empire and Constantine the Great, setting them up for a conversation about Christmas in a few weeks! Let us know what you think about this week's edition! Sources Used: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heros by Edith Hamilton: Amazon.com: Mythology (75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition): Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes: 9780316438520: Hamilton, Edith, Tierney, Jim: Books Theogony by Hesiod: Amazon.com: Hesiod and Theognis (Penguin Classics): Theogony, Works and Days, and Elegies: 9780140442830: Hesiod, Theognis, Wender, Dorothea, Wender, Dorothea: Books The Iliad by Homer: Amazon.com: The Iliad: 9780140275360: Homer, Robert Fagles, Bernard Knox: Books The Odyssey by Homer: The Odyssey: Homer, Robert Fagles, Bernard Knox (amazon.com) The Aeneid by Virgil: Amazon.com: The Aeneid (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition): 9780143105138: Virgil, Fagles, Robert, Knox, Bernard: Books Defending Constantine by Peter Leithart: Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom: Leithart, Peter J.: 9780830827220: Amazon.com: Books Roman Pagan Life and Worship by Dr. Ryan Reeves (Video): (348) Roman Pagan Life and Worship - YouTube The Ancient Roman World by Dr. Ryan Reeves (Video): (348) The Ancient Roman World - YouTube Roman Household Spirits by Study of Antiquity and Middle Ages (Video): (348) Roman Household Spirits ~ (Roman Myths) (Roman Household Gods) (Ancient Roman Religion) - YouTube

Psychedelics & Sorcery: Machine Elves in the Trees Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

In this week's edition the guys get into the topic of psychedelics, pharmakeia, and sorcery! The guys talk about psychedelic literature and the various writers in that movement like Terrence McKenna, Aldous Huxley, and others. They talk about the modern-day psychedelic movement and folks like Joe Rogan, Duncan Trussel, and Dennis McKenna. They also talk about if they believe the experiences are real and what they may be, and they talk the spiritual entities that people meet in their experiences and if they're just hallucinations or real spiritual entities.

This episode was a blast and we hope you enjoy it! Let us know what you think!

The Lost Serpent Mound of Logan County Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

In this week's final October edition of S&S, the guys talk about their trip to the lost serpent mound of Logan County! They talk about some odd rumors going around about it in the community and archeological circles that it has been destroyed. They talk about Josh getting kicked out of the West Virginia Archeological Society for sharing pictures of it. They also talk about what it was like re-discovering the mound, some of the odd, anomalous things they experienced there, and how it may compare to the Great Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio and other sites around the world like Stonehenge and the Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt. They conclude the episode talking about their upcoming docuseries with Ward Hiney called Shadow Appalachia, and when you can expect it to drop. Links: America Before by Graham Hancock - Amazon.com: America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization eBook : Hancock, Graham: Kindle Store Ages of the Giants by Jason Jarell and Sarah Farmer - Ages of the Giants: A Cultural History of the Tall Ones in Prehistoric America: Jarrell, Jason, Farmer, Sarah: 9780999501702: Amazon.com: Books

From Folklore to Flying Saucers with Tony Merkel from The Confessionals Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

In this week's edition of The Sword and Staff, you're going to get flooded with weirdness. This week, Josh and Ritchie sat down with Tony Merkel of The Confessionals and Merkel Media. They talk to Tony about all sorts of topics ranging from folklore to flying saucers. They talk about giants, fallen angels, ancient gods, ufos, indian mounds, conspiracy theories to cover up the true history of the earth, and then the guys reflect on some personal experiences towards the end of the episode. Let us know what you think of this week's editions and if you'd like to see more crossovers with Tony! Links: The Confessionals (theconfessionalspodcast.com) Merkel Media Watch Expedition Dogman Online | Vimeo On Demand on Vimeo

The Giants & Monsters of Halloween Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

In this week's edition, Josh and Ritchie pick up where they left off in their episode on the Fairy Gods of Ireland. They talk about how the same the major players in Irish Mythology become the giants and monsters of Samhain. They also talk about how Halloween is a distinctly Christian holiday (Like they did last year) and how it incorporates parts of Samhain into itself -- But not for the reasons you think. This isn't baptized paganism. This is putting paganism under the feet of King Jesus. They also get into reasons why you should consider celebrating Halloween and how it is a legitimate enterprise for the church to declare time as holy. They also close down the episode talking about the origin of the Jack-O-Lantern, and Shadow Appalachia!

More places for you to participate in the work they're doing with Shadow Appalachia will be coming out soon (Hopefully by the weekend)! Let us know what you think about this week's edition of the Sword & Staff!

Show Notes:

Shadow Appalachia Teaser: (259) Shadow Appalachia | First Look Teaser - YouTube

Shadow Appalachia Behind The Scenes: (259) Providentially Hindered: Serpent Mound Scouting Mission - YouTube

The Fairy Gods of Ireland: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/gddnHmEK5tb

Pagan Halloween & The Lordship of Christ: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/gddnHmEK5tb

Christians and Halloween: The Lordship of Christ Over The Seasons: Christians & Halloween: The Lordship Of Christ Over The Seasons — The Sword & Staff (swordandstaff.net)
The Sun, Moon, And Stars: The Responsibility of Sacred Time Keeping & The Sons of God: The Sun, Moon, and Stars: The Responsibility of Sacred Time-Keeping & The Sons of God — The Sword & Staff (swordandstaff.net)

The Legendary Cryptids of Appalachia Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

In this weeks Spooky Month edition of S&S, the guys get together with Bo Kennedy from The Bump Podcast and have a discussion on the legendary cryptids of Appalachia and some of the folklore surrounding them. They also spend some time connecting their folklore into the folklore of other cultures that may be somewhat surprising to listeners, and towards the end they sum up their thoughts on them. Are they angels? Demons? Something in between?

In the Uncut portion they talk for the first time about their new upcoming documentary called Shadow Appalachia with Ward Hiney, and the discuss a super secret lost serpent mound in their own back yard that they will be venturing to!

Let us know what you think about this first spooky month edition! Also make sure to check out Bo Kennedy's The Bump Podcast (Linked below) and add it to your rotation!

Show Notes (Books and Shows Mentioned):

The Bump

- Facebook: The BUMP Podcast | Facebook

- Instagram: @thebumpodcast

- Patreon: The BUMP Podcast is creating Podcasts and videos | Patreon

The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel - The Mothman Prophecies: A True Story: Keel, John A. + Free Shipping (amazon.com)
The Silver Bridge by Gray Barker - Amazon.com: The Silver Bridge: 9781517692179: Barker, Gray, Moseley, James W., Greenfield, Allen: Books

Hellier Season One - (240) Hellier Season 1: Episode 1 | The Midnight Children - YouTube

Hellier Season Two - (240) Hellier Season 2: Episode 1 | Noise and Signal - YouTube

Fire In The Sky: Abduction Phenomena, Fallen Angels, and Monsters in the Margins Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

The guys are back with a new edition!

In this weeks edition, Rev. Josh and Sketchy Ritchie have a conversation on abduction phenomena. They discuss the cases of Travis Walton (Which inspired Fire in the Sky) and Betty and Barney Hill. They zoom out and look at the phenomena as a whole and connect it to the Genesis 6 - Sons of God, Daughters of Men, Nephilim narrative. From there they get into some surprising and sure to be controversial application.

Let us know what you think about this weeks edition of S&S!

War Against The Rulers and Principalities Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

In this week's edition of the Sword and Staff, the boys get into a discussion about Spiritual Warfare. They shed light on the powers of the Kingdom of Darkness and the schemes of the enemy. They also talk about how Christians should think about Spiritual Warfare and how to war back.

Sources Used and Recommended Reading and Listening:

BibleProject Spiritual Beings Series - https://bit.ly/2Fz8l8E

Summa Theologica On The Hierarchy of Angels by Thomas Aquinas - https://bit.ly/3Q9KFtU

A Primer on Triperspectivalism by John Frame - https://bit.ly/2sjEvBS

Trinitarian Discipleship by Chase Davis - https://amzn.to/3cypIv3

Join the Order on Patreon and get exclusive content:

patreon.com/swordandstafforder

Keep up with us on Social Media:

Facebook: facebook.com/swordandstafforder

Instagram: @swordandstafforder

Twitter: @swordandstaffwv

Discord: https://discord.gg/772FXEqURK

Website: swordandstaff.net

The Gods of Egypt Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

In this week's edition of the Sword and Staff, the boys have Travis Turner back in house to discuss Ancient Egypt. They get into a discussion about the creation story in Ancient Egyptian myth. They talk about Egyptian cosmology, the construction of the pyramids, giants in Egyptian myth, and how fragments of Ancient Egyptian religion are still alive today in the world of the Occult and in the work of people like Aleistar Crowley and the Freemasons. They also conclude the episode by doing a classic S&S-style bless, baptize, and burn segment on the Egyptian myths, and show how some of the things contained in the myths foretold of Christ and with a conversation on how Christ has incorporated the Egyptians into the story of Redemption with Coptic Christianity founded by Saint Mark.

Sources Used and Recommended Reading and Listening:

BibleProject’s Ancient Cosmology Series - https://bit.ly/3A8AIXw

The Egyptian Book of the Dead -https://amzn.to/3A994tk

Egyptian Coffin Texts - https://bit.ly/3A8ANKO

Magical Egypt - https://bit.ly/3pqQhor

Join the Order on Patreon and get exclusive content:

www.patreon.com/swordandstafforder

Keep up with us on Social Media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/swordandstafforder

Instagram: @swordandstafforder

Twitter: @swordandstaffwv

Discord: https://discord.gg/772FXEqURK