Podcast Title: Otherworld
Episode: 132: The Fortress
Release Date: August 11, 2025
Host: Jack Wagner
Description: Otherworld delves into real stories of paranormal and unexplainable experiences, with host Jack Wagner taking an open-minded, journalistic approach to uncover some of the world's greatest mysteries and the human reactions to them.

Introduction

Jack Wagner opens the episode by introducing the story of a woman named Anna who encountered a perplexing paranormal event while visiting an ancient fortress during a family trip to Ireland. He sets the stage by highlighting Ireland's rich history and the challenge for modern individuals to comprehend the depth and age of its historical sites. Anna's trip, initially intended as a typical business excursion with her parents, took an unexpected supernatural turn.

Anna's Experience at the Fortress

Timestamp: [01:08]

Anna recounts her family's 14-day trip around Ireland, starting in Dublin and eventually heading to the Ring of Kerry. Their itinerary was casual, with spontaneous stops to explore intriguing sites. It was during one such impromptu detour to a site labeled "Old Fort" that Anna's experience unfolded.

• Setting the Scene: The family parked in a picturesque field with sheep grazing and a modest stone fort perched on a hill overlooking the ocean. The natural beauty and tranquility of the area captured Anna’s attention, leading her to take numerous photographs while her mother ventured into the fort alone.

• Entering the Fort: Approximately three minutes after her mother entered, Anna followed suit. As she crossed into the fort, she describes an immediate and profound shift in her sensory perception:

  “There was complete, super loud silence. [02:40] It got so quiet that the silence was deafening.”

• Physical Sensations: Anna felt a slow, electrical current coursing through her body, from head to toe, creating a sensation of floating and deep internal tingling.

• Emotional Overload: Suddenly, Anna was overwhelmed by a spectrum of emotions—love, joy, rage, and sorrow—without any external cause. This emotional surge was intensely human and unprompted:

  “I just started feeling every kind of emotion there is come over me. It felt so much love, and I felt a very deep connection.”

• Vision of the Past: Amid the silence and emotions, Anna perceived an overlay of past lives playing out around her. She saw individuals dressed in ancient attire, engaging in daily activities and ceremonial practices. A particularly vivid image was of a masculine figure resembling a warrior, holding a large shield:

  “There was this masculine being... I interpreted him as a warrior. He had some kind of war paint... I just immediately didn't question, really, like, who he was.”

• Shared Experience with Her Mother: Anna’s mother, Karen, also experienced the supernatural event simultaneously. Their shared encounter added credibility and depth to the experience. Karen describes standing with her hand on the fort's wall, feeling a similar surge of emotion and witnessing Anna's reaction:

  “We just kept walking around... We would love to go back, and I'm afraid it wouldn't happen. And that would be a disappointment.”

Karen's Account

Timestamp: [33:35]

Karen, Anna’s mother, provides her perspective on the event, emphasizing the shared nature of their experience and its lasting impact on their lives.

• Initial Observations: Karen describes the fort’s impressive architecture and the surrounding natural beauty. Upon entering, she felt an immediate sense of enclosure, akin to a vacuum effect:

  “Immediately I felt this almost like a vacuum. And you're walking into this very thick stone building.”

• Sensory and Emotional Experience: Similar to Anna, Karen experienced physical vibrations and an immersive sensation that transported her consciousness to another dimension. She heard sounds of life—people cooking, talking, children laughing—creating a vivid auditory backdrop:

  “I could hear life around me. People cooking, tools clanging, people talking... it was like a really fast movie going.”

• Spiritual Reflection: Karen, a Christian woman, reflects on how the experience reinforced her belief in a higher power and the continuity of life beyond death. The overwhelming sense of love and community she felt deepened her spiritual understanding:

  “I am a Christian woman. I believe in God. I believe in his son, Jesus Christ. And it was the most overwhelming love and feeling of love and care.”

• Aftermath and Souvenir: After the event, the family visited an artist at the fort, purchasing paintings to commemorate their experience. These souvenirs now hold significant personal meaning, symbolizing the profound connection they felt:

  “I have a picture of that, of me standing with my hand on the wall. It still gives me that same peaceful, warm feeling.”

Impact on Personal Beliefs

Timestamp: [48:01]

Anna delves into the long-term effects of the experience on her personal beliefs and spirituality. Raised in a Southern Baptist, Evangelical environment, Anna had experienced trauma associated with her religious upbringing. The paranormal event compelled her to reassess her faith and understanding of the divine.

• Questioning and Growth: While the experience did not make Anna doubt the existence of God, it led her to question the rigid doctrines she was raised with. She finds solace in the ambiguity and the inclusive, gentle nature of the encounter:

  “It's a lot nicer to think that it's not as black and white as I was raised to believe... it gives me hope.”

• Emotional Healing: The overwhelming emotions during the experience helped Anna cope with her fear of death, providing a sense of peace and hope that transcends her previous doctrines:

  “As a little traumatized kid in the church, it gives me hope because I was always really, really afraid of death.”

• Evolution of Beliefs: Over time, Anna's beliefs have become more nuanced. She remains a believer in God but acknowledges the complexity and the unanswered questions surrounding existence and the afterlife:

  “Living in this, like, curious state kind of brings me more peace than all of the answers that I thought I used to have.”

Host's Analysis and Conclusion

Timestamp: [51:22]

Jack Wagner reflects on Anna and Karen's shared experience, comparing it to a previous story featured on the podcast about a man named Reese in Sedona, Arizona. He explores the concept of "thin places"—locations where the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is thin, allowing for such profound connections across time.

• Thin Places Concept: Jack discusses the possibility that ancient sites like the fortress may hold unique energy or significance that enables individuals to tap into historical or spiritual dimensions:

  “The idea that there might be thin places where time sort of ceases to exist and that some people might be able to tap into that, even if it's very brief.”

• Shared Experiences: The simultaneous nature of Anna and Karen's encounter adds a layer of credibility, suggesting that such experiences might not be isolated incidents but could indicate a deeper, universal connection to these sacred sites.

• Encouragement to Explore: While respecting the narrators' desire for privacy regarding the exact location, Jack invites curious listeners to explore ancient sites, hinting at the potential for their own profound experiences:

  “If you're truly curious, you could always just fly to Ireland and start asking local people if they know any old buildings made of stone.”

• Final Thoughts: Jack concludes by appreciating the story's blend of historical mystery and personal spirituality, highlighting the enduring human quest to understand our place in the universe and the unseen connections that bind us across time.

Notable Quotes

• Anna on the Silence:

  “It was complete, super loud silence... like that, just like a vacuum or vortex...”
  [02:40]

• Anna on Emotional Overload:

  “I just started feeling every kind of emotion there is come over me.”
  [02:54]

• Karen on the Shared Experience:

  “We would love to go back, and I'm afraid it wouldn't happen. And that would be a disappointment.”
  [33:35]

• Anna on Faith and Hope:

  “It gives me hope because I was always really, really afraid of death.”
  [48:01]

• Jack on Thin Places:

  “The idea that there might be thin places where time sort of ceases to exist...”
  [51:22]

Conclusion

Episode 132 of Otherworld, titled "The Fortress," presents a compelling narrative of Anna and Karen's paranormal experience in an ancient Irish fort. Through vivid descriptions and emotional depth, the story explores themes of connection, spirituality, and the enduring human spirit. Host Jack Wagner effectively ties their experience to broader concepts of historical resonance and spiritual thin places, offering listeners both intrigue and a sense of wonder about the mysteries that lie beyond our everyday perceptions.

If you haven't listened to this episode yet, it's a fascinating exploration of how ancient places can still impact our modern lives in profound and inexplicable ways.