Danny Jones Podcast #371
Guest: Peter Levenda (Occult Expert)
Air Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Danny Jones (Daylight Media)
Episode Overview
In this enthralling episode, Danny Jones hosts renowned occult and conspiracy researcher Peter Levenda for a deep exploration of America’s hidden networks: the interplay between the occult, intelligence agencies, shadowy churches, the Kennedy assassination, and new revelations tied to UFOs and the Epstein files. Levenda unpacks decades of firsthand experiences, historical investigation, and esoteric analysis, showing how politics, religion, occultism, and intelligence were (and are) inextricably intertwined.
The conversation flows from Levenda’s own bizarre coming-of-age in the Bronx—where he evaded the Vietnam draft by creating a fake church—through deep dives on the Church of Satan and Temple of Set, to the murky overlaps between Cold War mind control, Nazi networks, CIA “special projects,” and the readout of recent Epstein files.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Levenda’s Origin Story: The Bronx, Religion, and Esoteric Curiosity
[02:13-13:19]
- Growing up Catholic in Cold War Bronx, Levenda experienced a fusion of politics and faith, praying in church against “godless communists.”
- The assassination of JFK and the Vietnam War were pivotal events that led Levenda to “question reality itself” (15:17).
- As a teen, he and a friend established a fake church to get a 4D ministerial deferment from the draft; this inadvertently tossed him into the orbit of real-life intelligence fronts posing as churches.
Notable Moment:
“How did two 17- and 18-year-olds walk into a church... later revealed as a hotbed of intelligence activity?” – Peter Levenda [15:17]
2. Weird Churches, Intelligence Fronts, and the Kennedy Connection
[13:19-26:59]
- The fake church led Levenda into contact with the American Orthodox Catholic Church, a front run by anti-communist Ukrainian exiles, which had CIA/FBI connections.
- Churches operated as “non-official cover” for intelligence—sending “bishops” on sketchy missions (23:35). These fronts provided credentials to operatives and were also used for influence operations abroad.
- Levenda discovers with time that his church’s stationary and records ended up in the hands of Jim Garrison’s JFK assassination investigation.
Notable Moment:
“Garrison... said, ‘You gotta look into these weird churches...they’re all over the assassination.’” – Peter Levenda [13:19]
3. The Intersection of Politics, Religion, and Occultism
[30:55-38:39]
- Orthodox, Catholic, and American churches were rife with Cold War espionage. Putin’s manipulation of the Russian Orthodox Church continues this legacy.
- Danny notes the recent convergence of Christianity and tech culture (e.g., Peter Thiel’s antichrist conferences); Levenda observes that religion enables simpler, more effective mass emotional manipulation compared to politics.
- Symbols function as occult memes—wielded politically much as in esoteric traditions.
Notable Quote:
“The symbols have power...Silicon Valley has begun to realize this. All they deal with are symbol systems.” – Peter Levenda [37:11]
4. Lee Harvey Oswald, Ruth Paine, and the Occult “Nine”
[39:13-47:48]
- Detailed walkthrough of Lee Harvey Oswald and Marina’s ties to Ruth Paine, her occultist father-in-law Arthur Young, and a strange clique obsessed with ESP and channeled entities called “The Nine.”
- Andreja Puharich, CIA-aligned paranormal researcher, conducted séances with the Nine; later Uri Geller connects to the same circle, linking psychical research and intelligence.
Memorable Moment:
Describes a 1950s séance where high society, including John Dulles’ mistress, channeled “The Nine”—entities later suggested to be extraterrestrial or interdimensional beings. [45:29]
5. Cancer Viruses, Mary Sherman, and Bio-Occult Weirdness around the JFK Plot
[47:48-51:55]
- Discusses Dr. Mary Sherman and David Ferrie’s connection to the development of viral cancer agents, polio vaccine contamination, and claims that Lee Harvey Oswald was used to smuggle bioweapons.
- Levenda is careful to separate established fact from murky speculation, but acknowledges the deep overlaps between clandestine science, the mafia, and intelligence.
6. UFOs, Nazi Technology, and Intelligence “X-Files”
[53:41-58:55]
- The Maury Island UFO/shrapnel incident—tying together Fred Crisman (later called to testify in the JFK assassination), Guy Bannister, and other characters who appear in both early UFO investigations and Cold War intrigues.
- Bannister, an FBI agent, was sending “X-Files” to Hoover as early as 1947.
Notable Quote:
“How can I not be involved in researching UFOs, occultism, politics, assassinations, and all the rest of it? It’s a stew.” – Peter Levenda [58:19]
7. Mind Control, MK-ULTRA, and Symbolic Precognition
[61:56-70:18]
- The “Bluebird” and “Artichoke” projects: CIA’s early attempts at mind control; Levenda highlights how pre-existing literature and symbolism (like Maeterlinck’s play “Bluebird”) eerily foreshadowed elements of the JFK assassination, even down to key names (“Alex”), shots from the grassy knoll, and ambiguous motives.
- Details Canadian lawsuits just now proceeding over CIA-sponsored experiments at the Allan Memorial Institute (Montreal) where patients’ minds were intentionally erased and reconstructed.
Notable Quote:
“Mind control... was a system of occult initiation that CIA tried to force onto people. Bluebird was the way it all started.” – Peter Levenda [67:10]
8. QAnon, Epstein Files, and the Limits of Conspiracy Logic
[71:38-77:22]
- Levenda distances himself from QAnon and adrenochrome fantasies, emphasizing that real abuse is systemically widespread but "high-level" conspiracies are often logistically implausible.
- Skeptical of interpreting Epstein’s “BAAL” bank account as literal cult signaling—likely a clerical, not occult, code.
Notable Moment:
Levenda points out that wealthy conspirators would not stage blood rituals in a crowded DC pizza parlor—“They couldn’t control a bake sale.” [75:28]
9. Church of Satan, Temple of Set, and Military Psychological Operations
[78:10-90:38]
- Levenda recalls meeting Michael Aquino (Temple of Set founder, former Army PSYOPs) and distinguishes staged Satanic symbolism from actual malevolence.
- Dives into the Phoenix Program: U.S. military using local superstitions (e.g., faked vampires) as psychological warfare in Vietnam.
- CIA plans to project a hologram of Jesus over Havana to destabilize Castro’s regime.
Notable Quote:
“Does that sound familiar? Phoenix program did stuff like that. Mind control kind of psychological warfare… Does that sound familiar?” – Peter Levenda [80:59]
10. Occultism: Roots and Modern Manifestations
[106:27-123:27]
- Modern Satanism is a recent, largely theatrical development (connected more to literary figures like Crowley and fringe “science of mind” trends than the Bible).
- Christianity absorbed pagan elements, and the idea of the devil as adversary/lord of evil is late and culturally limited.
- Joseph Smith’s roots in sorcery; parallels between L. Ron Hubbard, Jack Parsons, science fiction, and applied occultism (Scientology as “techno-exorcism”).
11. Books, Occult Practice, and the Modern Crisis of Meaning
[123:27-133:34]
- Written occultism rarely grants transformative power without actual practice—most books only guide; direct participation is key.
- Information overload and screen-based living foster detachment from direct experience and make culture more susceptible to manipulation and collapse.
12. Nazi Networks, Hitler’s End, and South American Escape Routes
[135:00-171:33]
- Nazis actively expatriated technology and scientists before Germany’s defeat; South America (Chile, Argentina, Brazil), Indonesia, and the Middle East became hotbeds of postwar activity.
- Colonia Dignidad in Chile and Nazi infiltration of Tibet explored; real-world overlap between Nazi fugitives, SS-Ahnenerbe (“ancestral research”), and the Dalai Lama’s circles.
- Levenda discusses research (and skepticism) into Hitler's survival. East German “Hitler’s skull” was a female’s; circumstantial evidence of a high-ranking Nazi or even Hitler escaping to Indonesia.
Notable Moment:
Levenda’s years-long project to trace Nazi gold and exfiltrated war criminals, resulting in discoveries about Indonesian banks and hidden Nazi trajectories [161:07–164:42]
13. UFO Disclosure, the “Collins Elite,” and Psychological Warfare
[174:34–203:47]
- The “Collins Elite”: a group inside U.S. government convinced UFOs were demonic, not extraterrestrial, thus blocking disclosure on religious grounds.
- Levenda scoffs at notions of “alien treaties,” noting disclosure would reveal U.S. powerlessness over its own territory—a political nonstarter.
- Raises the notion that the “phenomenon” (UFOs, contact, abductions) is at least partially a manipulation of consciousness, not necessarily nuts-and-bolts craft.
- CIA’s interest may lie in leveraging experiencers as probes for the phenomenon, pushing them to extremes to “take apart the radio and see how it works.”
Notable Quote:
“The invasion may not be physical craft... It could be consciousness, be manipulation—one day we all wake up having had the same dream.” – Peter Levenda [192:44]
Memorable Exchange:
Danny [203:27]: "I gotta process this. This is deep, scary stuff, man."
Peter [203:29]: "You wanted 30,000 feet, but I had to get deeper."
Notable Quotes & Moments
- “We’re not equipped spiritually for what’s happening. We don’t have the power of discernment.” – Peter Levenda [104:32]
- “It’s the practice that has to precede some of this. There’s a lot of written stuff out there. The first book you got was probably enough.” – Peter Levenda [125:33]
- “Our technology is getting to the point—plus everybody has a cell phone—we can take pictures of [UFOs]. If it shows up, anybody can.” – Peter Levenda [102:53]
- On the possibility of mind control and alien abduction overlap:
“If the human consciousness is the nexus point...are we just coming up with these memories as ways to screen something else?” – Peter Levenda [202:15] - Regarding the Finders Cult (alleged CIA child exploitation):
“If this was a...what was the CIA trying to get out of it? I would just say it’s an outgrowth of MK Ultra.” – Peter Levenda [190:02] - On the nature of conspiracies:
“The QAnon stuff to me was a manipulation...If you’re involved in occult organizations, they’re kind of pathetic, really. They couldn’t control a bake sale.” – Peter Levenda [75:28]
Important Segment Timestamps
| Segment | Timestamps (MM:SS) | |--------------------------------------------------|-----------------------| | Levenda’s Bronx and the Occult | 02:13–13:19 | | Fake Church — Draft Dodging and Kennedy’s Funeral| 13:19–17:40 | | Church Fronts for Intelligence | 20:22–26:59 | | Church/State/Occult Overlap | 30:55–38:39 | | Oswald, Ruth Paine, and The Nine | 39:13–47:48 | | Cancer Viruses and JFK | 47:48–51:55 | | UFOs and Nazi Tech | 53:41–58:55 | | MK-ULTRA and Mind Control | 61:56–70:18 | | Epstein, BAAL, QAnon Skepticism | 71:38–77:22 | | Temple of Set, Aquino, and Psyops | 78:10–90:38 | | Modern Occult, Satanism, and Religion | 106:27–123:27 | | Occult Practice vs. Reading | 123:27–133:34 | | Nazi Networks and Escape Narratives | 135:00–171:33 | | UFO Disclosure, Collins Elite, Phenomenon | 174:34–203:47 |
Final Reflections
Peter Levenda delivers a dizzying yet brilliantly interconnected map of America’s hidden fringe, showing how the same networks—spanning occultism, intelligence, power, and science—have generated the real, the mythic, and the conspiratorial right into the present day. For Levenda, the most important work is not despair but radical questioning, direct experience, and spiritual discernment in an age of information overload and psychological warfare.
For Further Exploration:
- PeterLevenda.com
- “Sinister Forces” (reissued by To The Stars)
- Watch for upcoming episodes focused on the Manson Family, Jonestown, and deep dives into the intersection of religion, politics, and the occult.
Note:
This summary omits advertisements and non-content sections. All timestamps reference the original episode audio.