0:05

Am I have great news today, we re visiting an old friend from a past episode were revisiting mr.

Jack Parsons.

Oh, well I remember, freaking out about him last time because I realized he was involved, somehow, very distantly and Project, Pegasus?

Okay, excited to learn more about him today.

0:23

Besides my own fun fact, we’re full of fun facts today.

I cannot wait to tell you we often talk about a cult Groups or spiritual events that include certain people like Jack Parsons, but sometimes we need to get a little more personal and kind of dive into their life and figure out who they are.

0:39

Always happy to get a little too personal.

What is that Emma?

And I are nothing.

If not nosy, Jack Parsons is an interesting guy if you remember him from our episode about the Babylon working experiments, let’s talk about his Instagram, bio that way to do this as you know just like picture a modern-day version of From the past.

1:01

I guess you could call them in a cult rocket scientist is one way to put it.

Yeah, I do like that.

Yeah, I notice you’ve already changed your own Instagram bio to that within the last four seconds that we’ve been talking.

Okay, well these figures aren’t running anywhere but they might change it by the end, you know?

1:17

Okay, well I need you to hit edit profile again because another name that he sometimes went by, was the James Dean of chemistry.

Okay, that one’s a curveball.

That one’s, let’s occur Fallon’s.

Let me know to not know what to expect.

Spect for the rest of this journey.

I think it’s just as mysterious as he is.

1:34

It really fits the bill.

So if that gives you any indication of this guy and how interesting he is, we’re going to get into it and dissect, his background, a little more.

Can’t wait.

1:58

Hi everyone.

And welcome.

To rituals a Spotify original from par cast.

I’m Christine Schieffer and IMM Schultz and every week, we’ll explore the evolution of spiritualism and the Occult through stories practices and the impact, on Modern culture, we’re talking mr.

Parsons today we’re going to learn all about his pretty bananas background, and then ultimate like demise.

2:20

It’s a roller coaster.

I was just excited the last time we mentioned him because I know he’s also a well.

I remember the Parsons lab, right?

I remember you have.

Hang like a mind-blowing experience, don’t worry.

I’ll get into it.

Okay, I remember it as well.

It was a very embarrassing moment when two pieces clicked, I’m no rocket scientist.

2:39

Like this guy like two pieces collect and I went, oh, I get it and we’ll definitely get it.

Okay, perfect.

Well, they quickly, let’s crack into it.

So we can humble Christine Jack Parsons sort of found his passions early in life.

3:04

He basically founded passions early and then like ran with them.

I feel like the answer for you is similar as far as how early in your life.

You remembered becoming aware of like being interested in something that you kind of took forward and to me for you.

3:19

That’s ghosty experiences.

Hmm.

Yeah.

Speaking of Instagram Baez, you know, how like Instagram Pet People.

They’re like, I don’t know if I found him, or he found me, right?

Who saved who I feel.

Like, that’s kind of the chicken, or the egg with my interest in ghosts.

3:35

It started happening to me in my life before I was even aware of it and seek it out.

Yeah, it was so fascinating from the start that I was like, oh yeah, well, I’m going to definitely get obsessed with this.

So yeah, that was when I was seven at least and I actually in hindsight remember earlier experiences back to when I was like, If three or four, but I think that’s the only like consistency I’ve ever had in my life.

3:58

I feel like every week is a new adventure with me.

So do you have any actual like passions that have stuck with you?

I mean, along that same vein, I feel like True Crime found me, unfortunately, before I found it.

That’s true.

You’ve been through a lot.

So in that, we had quite a few, you know, break-ins and fun stuff like that, which I think cause may be a slave fixation on understanding crime.

4:22

And, you know, Getting a better grasp on it.

And you know, I’ve had a Ouija board under my bed.

Since I was probably 4 before I could even really speak English.

I was probably doing it in German God.

That’d be a long session to fill out one word.

So since we were four, you know, how like they had the Looney Tunes and then they had Tiny Toon Adventures.

4:41

It was like, a prequel to all their Antics.

I feel like the fact that four-year-old you was doing a Ouija board in four year old me was experiencing ghosts in the house is like our prequel our origin stories.

Before we This path.

See ya later.

And then ensemble cast really came through eventually with all the ghosts to discuss.

4:58

And anyway, well, Parsons was a co-founder of what would come to be known as the jet propulsion laboratory, the JPL, which is a research and development lab funded by NASA today.

And I feel like, I don’t know this about you.

5:13

I know this about our producer, one of our producers Eva, I’m on our other show, but do you follow NASA at all?

I know Eve is a big space person and yeah.

I love space to but I wonder where you stand.

Oh, I was going to say if I think the closest to space I’ve gotten is with Eva when we built a space camp for her, right?

5:31

Exactly.

Yeah.

But no.

I know about the pictures and I think they’re fascinating but I think my little human pea brain is not comprehending how amazing they are.

I mean if they look cool and I’ve heard like the each of those is a Galaxy in a little greater rights analogy, but like, if I were like Neil deGrasse Tyson my brain would be exploding right now and how cool they are.

5:51

That’s not my experience.

Experience right now, I’d open to it.

I went into kind of a little deep dive and spend an hour just like blowing up the photos on my computer and like zooming around and just being overwhelmed over stimulated.

I love space stories, I’m just fascinated by it.

6:08

They terrify me that I’m fascinated, which I guess is kind of the same for all of these topics we discuss about Eddie time I have let myself deep dive into the world of space science or even there.

But a few times on and that’s why we drink where I’ve stumbled into astrophysics.

Oops.

Oops.

6:24

Anytime I’ve let myself really fall down the rabbit hole.

It is fascinating.

I think I’m just overwhelmed that it’s something.

I’ll never be able to fully understand unless I was literally, like, a rocket scientist or Quantum astrophysicist.

Like, I’ve already aware that like, there’s too much.

6:41

Yeah, I understand.

I mean, it’s very overwhelming.

I’d say definitely.

We had those little Skylab or starlab things.

When we were kids we lay in the inflated it and you just stare at the Sky and I just remember being like so overwhelmed that I think the rest the day I would just kind of stare off into the distance.

7:00

I am impressed with the amount of toys that like, I guess like NASA isn’t producing them but I think NASA could actually get it on the toy merchandise for children and really expand, I think they might be because even I went to the was at Huntsville Rocket Center and they had one of the most impressive gift shops I’ve ever seen.

7:18

So I think they are pretty much doing their part on it.

I think there are All right there on it.

All right, then I know you’ve mentioned the laboratory.

Do you remember anything else about Jack Parsons life or career from when we last discussed him?

I know he was he was like part of like a magic sex and had like a moon baby.

7:37

Okay.

It sounds like you’re having a bad dream but you are right on the Mark.

It’s like are the words coming out of my mouth?

Got to make sense or no, you are right on track even though it sounds like you fell off the track and tumbledown it into if I just like fell down the stairs and started talking, that’s what it sounds like you started using my German Ouija board.

7:59

But really what you’re saying doesn’t make sense.

Okay.

And in the context of this story so we’re gonna meet Jack Parsons a little better and I think the first thing you need to know is that his real name was Marvel?

Okay already side out but that’s amazing guy.

8:16

Like, that’s amazing as a big barbell fan.

Yeah, he’s still your future child’s name which is unfortunate But also like okay, you go from something like Marvel.

They pick Jack, what?

I’ll tell you why, I’ll tell you why I actually have that information here.

Okay.

So his name was Marvel Whiteside Parsons when he was born in 1914, and he was apparently named after his father Marvel, but his dad cheated and left the family.

8:42

And so Marvel decided to start going by John instead or Jack as a nickname.

He really ran away from any unique name.

He was like, all of it reminds me.

Yeah, he Didn’t want to be a Marvel like his dad.

So he started going by John, which is interesting because it’s not even like his middle name or anything.

8:59

But right also, why not the fact that there’s two human beings out there who have been named.

Marvel is like so cool and then he just cut that is like, no, no more.

Yeah, I’m going to be adding it to my baby list just so we’re clear it.

I’m surprised it’s not on there already.

It’s on my future pet name list but will shift it over.

9:18

Yeah, you can say it’s a historic name.

If anyone asks know, it’s a cult Rocket scientist, family name?

Yeah, ever heard of him.

Like, wow, someone is out of touch.

So despite having a deadbeat dad, Jack was well off from the start.

He was actually born into a wealthy family in Pasadena, California, who lived on millionaires, row, which we discussed in that last episode, where we talked about Jack, but it is basically the exact kind of neighborhood.

9:46

You think it is.

Hmm.

And this is where he grew up.

So, as a kid Jack, really loved science fiction.

He got very interested in Rock.

A tree.

And in his teens he actually began amateur rocket experiments with one of his friends Edward S foreman and the two of them would be, you know, side by side through a lot of life together.

10:04

As the years went on cool.

While Parsons was at the University of Southern, California.

He and Foreman heard about a rocket propulsion and high altitude Rockets project at the California Institute of Technology AKA Caltech and somehow despite being in college still.

10:22

They convinced the director of Cal Tech’s Guggenheim aeronautical laboratory who was also by the way, one of the world’s leading scientists to let them work on the project.

I don’t know how they convinced him to let them in the lab for this but they must have been very convincing.

Yeah.

A very Catch Me.

10:38

If You Can or something like who?

I’ve no idea what were they doing.

I don’t know.

Presented their sex Magic Theater.

I’ve no idea.

They must have wowed guy though because he led them in just for a more modern reference, very Nancy.

And Robin and stranger things.

10:53

If, if you’ve watched the most recent season, you know what we’re talking?

Just try to just shove your little crushes on wherever I can I think you.

And I also love Leo DiCaprio.

So you know what?

You’ve hit all three the Triad as I call them.

11:11

I hope there’s a text with each other, they’re sort of group chat together called the Triad.

They just talk about you.

It’s not about me and how much I’ve just fangirling all the time Halloween.

The group working on that project, all went out to the Arroyo Seco, which is a dry Canyon wash and Pasadena.

11:28

And there they tried to test a rocket motor that they had built.

And with that test, they essentially launched.

So to speak, the start of rocketry and California, big moment and on Halloween, so it becomes spookie ookie.

11:44

Oh yeah, oh yeah, who Woulda thunk?

His interests are colliding.

Hopefully, not colliding in actuality but just metaphorically to rockets in the Bye-bye the following year, 1937 the group, which the LA Times, by the way, called the rocketeers, oh, that’s so sweet.

12:02

Isn’t that nice?

I really liked that nickname.

They had lab space at Caltech, but they had become destructive.

Let’s put it that way.

They were experimenting with explosives so you can only imagine how messy things got.

Yeah, if you’re just giving random people now with a team name access to Sure, rockets for testing.

12:24

It’s not really always land or be perfect.

Yeah, exactly.

And so at Caltech after their second explosion, I guess they were given a pass after the first one.

They were sent out of the lab and back to the Arroyo Seco.

So like, they were like, go outside.

12:40

Go play with your big rocket ship outside.

Get out of here.

You’re making a mess.

Yeah.

And so, that’s what they did several years later.

Things got more professional in 1941 when the rocketeers founded the aerojet engineering.

Corporation and this company would sell Rockets, the US military during World War Two.

12:57

So they were in the big leagues.

Now, you could say, they went from, just like things accidentally exploding to like, oh, the Military OneSource tunnel World War Two.

Hey, we’re in it.

Yeah, but two years earlier in 1939 and this is most relevant to.

13:13

Our world Parsons was introduced to the work of a cult, leader, Aleister, Crowley AC AC car.

Had made his way through many, a cult groups in his life by that point.

And he had founded a system of beliefs known as the thelema which focused on the pursuit of each individual’s will, okay?

13:34

So in 1949 Crowley was the leader of the Ordo, templi orientis t0 t0 and they were this International secret society and of course Parsons said, sign me up.

I would too.

I would tell.

You know, you have you will mean you haven’t signed up but you’ve said oh, sign me up.

13:51

I bet there was a All Aleister Crowley episode.

So sign me up.

If you want to listen, I’ll be scream about it.

You go check that upside up.

So Parsons joined, the Oto is local group in Pasadena called the Agape.

Lodge number two and started going to their meetings and add is Oto.

14:07

Meetings Parsons witness rituals being performed including the quote Gnostic Mass, which was reportedly an interpretation of the Catholic mass and I don’t know if you remember this, I started reading these bullet points and went oh yeah, I recall there was this stage with Alter that had hieroglyphic patterns on it and then there was this upright coffin and the group’s leader would emerge from the coffin.

14:31

This is very showy.

When I tell you, there’s nothing, I remember better.

I feel like we spent way too long and I probably got edited down, but like we talked about how quickly we would have joined simply for the theatrics to see a trick.

Yeah, we should just like, take that and run for like, our next big tour.

14:50

Like honestly, You Name It, We Are Willing to be a part of it until the sex magic.

That’s not really my Bible.

You know, we both kind of stepped out at that point I think.

Yeah, we were potential interests, and then they took it too far.

I think with us and we have never mind.

And we just took the part about the coffin and the theatrics and went home.

15:08

And, you know, messed around with that the stage, Walk-Ons, that was all we really wanted.

And then we tell you about pain, and without out yet.

So the Showmanship was next level at this thing.

And like I said, in that episode, where we discussed this very Catholic ritual, symbolic situation happening here, probably not so much Catholic.

15:28

There was also a very highly charged sexual atmosphere, which is once again, where things kind of took a turn and you and I went, oh, oh, okay, that sounds so great for you and wonderful for you.

And I’m happy for you and everyone has before you and interest, but that’s not mine.

15:44

Goodbye exactly.

So on the scientific side of life in 1943, the rocketeers group had a full Full circle moment when they formally became the jet propulsion laboratory, AKA JPL, which still exists today.

16:01

Can actually find the lab next to the Arroyo Seco.

Where they pulled off their first rocket experiment, which is sweet.

Nice.

Yeah, very symbolic and touching.

Yeah.

And at this point if you can’t tell Parsons basically has two lives like, you know, the 1/2.

16:17

He’s like the sexual coffin Showmanship.

And then on the other side it’s like Very precise, you know, literal rocket science.

So he’s kind of has two lanes going here at once a true double life of like, yeah, logic and Math and Science and then magic magic.

16:35

Yes in.

I mean, it really is there two different lives going on at once?

I don’t know.

I just wonder what his mind would have been thinking at this point, is it like I wonder if it was at one of those moments of like trying to balance both and knowing He has to give, or if he was like, no, I’m nailing this double interest thing.

16:57

Like, I wonder I wonder how he felt at this point.

Yeah, part of me.

Feels like maybe him being part of like them or a cult crew.

I feel like he was just like, letting his like, logical brain take a break.

He’s like, let me just lean into my interests in, like, put my thinking, brain, mmm on the side.

17:16

And just like, feel like this was feeling and the other part of his life was thinking, like, yes, part is spiritual.

This part has a This part doesn’t have to make sense on the flipside, maybe he was doing, like The Logical brain type of person thing.

And he’s trying to understand the magic behind all of this.

17:33

And that’s a good point.

That’s a good point.

Like, maybe he’s trying to get to the bottom of it, and actually, I think we will touch on that a little bit.

So keep that thought in mind.

Coming up while his science career pays the bills.

The occult side of Parsons life grows.

17:49

Even more until finally it all comes together in one magical science experiment.

So eccentric, we already did an entire episode about it.

We did and it was mighty, strange out-of-this-world Mighty strange indeed.

18:11

You tell yourself, it’s only a movie none of this could ever happen to you.

You feel relieved until you discover what you’re watching is based on actual events.

Hi listeners.

It’s Vanessa.

And Greg from the Spotify original from par cast, serial killers in our Halloween special Real Horror were spotlighting.

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19:15

By the early 1940s, Jack Parsons was both a rocket scientist and a rising, a cult star.

So I mean Best of Both Worlds.

This is like a Hannah Montana situation just like I’m glad you said it that was about to slip out of my mouth.

That’s like where my mind went like a rock star here and then just like in the lab over here, you know, a rocket scientist and stardom like what?

19:38

Wow, beautiful, beautiful.

He and his friends, founded the JPL, the jet propulsion.

Laboratory and the aerojet Engineering Corporation and made deals with the US military to develop new rocket technology and Rocket Fuel.

This was again the big leagues and wouldn’t, you know, it a bunch of scientists who had laughed at Parsons work before this all of a sudden wanted to be part of it all.

20:02

And ain’t that just how it goes?

That’s the pits.

Yep.

Mmm Parsons was also moving up the ranks of this secret society.

He was in.

So his other interests to the other lane of life.

If he’s moving up in the ranks over here as well, the Oto, the Ordo, templi orientis, and he eventually succeeds in becoming the group’s chapter leader.

20:24

Wow, he is just climbing climbing climbing success.

Success.

Success.

The Two Worlds started blending because apparently Parsons started bringing the occult to the workplace, I mean, I have to imagine it was hard to keep those separate and they had to eventually, like I said, Something’s Gotta Give, You know, eventually I I feel like something had to kind of crossover.

20:48

I guess that’s true.

I would also argue the like, I would look at my life choices and be like the only reason both are doing so well, is because them keeping them so separate.

So I feel ya.

He was getting a little cocky or a little too comfortable and he was like, oh, I can start merging the two and it’s like girl that has never happened before and we’ve been fine without it.

21:06

So exactly.

I think that’s kind of what happened.

He maybe got a little too comfortable because he recited a pagan poem.

To ancient Greek.

God pan while working on his rocketry experiments, that’ll do it.

Yeah, that’ll do it and no surprise here, of course, Parsons is making bank doing rocket science.

21:28

He’s making his living doing that.

So he bought himself a nice big fancy mansion on wouldn’t, you know?

It Pasadena’s, Millionaire Row.

That’s where he grew up.

Can you imagine getting to say, you’ve lived on millionaires, wrote twice.

And like, yeah, also how nice like, Like if I think about moving back home, I’m like I have to move back to like Spotsylvania County Virginia.

21:50

He gets to move to millionaires room.

Be nice just for the Nostalgia.

Not even because it’s a mega mansion, you know whatever.

Want to be near my parents, you know I’ve got a John Millionaire’s Row, something cozy, like 10,000 square feet, it’s not that big of a deal.

And then he moved, not only himself but the Oto is operations into his new house.

22:15

And now we’re getting into it here and to my shame, which is that, the residents nicknamed, the house, the parsonage, which took me a little too long and I was reading the notes to you.

So I had already like red.

You had said, parsonage, a few times many times like I guess we’re not talking about it, okay?

22:34

I had a lot of chances to kind of pick up on the pun of the name.

So, Parsons parsonage.

Get it.

I remember thinking, why would they named it?

The parsonage.

Did I didn’t get it, obviously.

So I want to be clear.

I get it now.

So, it’s hilarious.

22:51

I wonder if he could also do like the Parson on.

I think that’d been cool.

Maybe harsh Sonata Parthenon, isn’t that?

What a woman is, isn’t like a place.

Like, okay, let’s move on quickly.

It’s like a Greek.

Okay, I’m not gonna go there so the house became a Gathering Place for both the scientific and occult circles.

23:09

And so you’re thinking about this party or I’m thinking about this party and Having a grand old time picturing rocket.

Scientists and guys, who on their average day, climb out of coffins for magic.

23:24

Rituals just having a beer together and the thought of it is beautiful.

Well, see, I think it’s the opposite.

I’m imagining.

Well maybe he really is trying to blend everyone in his life together but I’m thinking like can you imagine hosting a party like this and trying to make sure you’re like your to friend groups don’t mingle and like, oh no, like In like a blaze, I’m using Blaze as the symbolism for rocket scientist.

23:49

Blazers, Christine’s husband, who is very logical Rockets nights.

No, but his Works.

In medicine is very lifelike sound and logic great.

Yes, very right braid and then just meeting like anyone that listens to either of our podcasts.

And then it’s just like I can’t imagine like one of them is going to eventually like back out and say they have to go to the bathroom.

24:10

You know.

Yeah, someone has forgot.

They didn’t let their dog out earlier and has to Run a home-based ago like wash their hair or somebody’s do something, do something a little bit less overwhelming than this party.

Yeah, I don’t know how went, but I guess all of them gathered there.

24:26

So I have to imagine there was a little bit of crossover between what I’m picturing.

Men in lab coats and men in capes.

I don’t know.

That’s just how my mind perceives it.

I’m sorry but like the reminds me of the play Arsenic and Old Lace but it’s lab coats and capes.

Good, some Gabe’s it.

24:43

Yeah, I think I’m turning this into my own little fictional story.

It’s gonna be minor on Broadway but it will make a splash to some.

It’ll be off off off off.

Yeah Broadway but it’ll be good.

That’ll be good.

So turns out not everyone in the rocket business was fond of Parsons.

24:59

I think we probably are not too surprised by that.

They found him a little too weird or eccentric to keep working in this like obviously very scientific business and there were allegations that he would also seduce aerojet secretaries by inviting them back to the parsonage.

25:14

For let’s say Shenanigans some fun times.

Yeah, yeah.

A little sketch by Shenanigans.

You don’t know what that means in a place that’s also hosting like sex magic.

So you’re completely right?

It could be a number of Hume, ajan that poor secretaries like her first week there and he’s like, oh come back to my place and she thinks it’s for like drinks.

25:33

And like it really could be Moon baby.

Really?

Like it could be there’s suddenly a coffin in the living room and it’s like oh I don’t think I signed up.

I feel like with him he has to show you on a scale.

Like how crazy of a night he’s looking, you know, it’s only a six, don’t worry.

25:52

He also apparently greeted other scientists at his front door with a snake around his shoulders which is when M would say.

So yeah, I forgot to wash my hair or my dog or whatever I think out of my mouth I’ll like would be able to think as now that’s a power move like as you walk down the driveway back to your car.

26:10

Yeah I keep monitoring it over and over down the driveway just that was a power move.

That was one big.

Power move.

That is one way to get em out the door fast and it said, he and Edward S Foreman.

Remember the friend that he played with rockets with when they were kids and his business partner?

26:26

They would apparently.

Hold duels on the rocket testing range.

Hmm.

And they would shoot at each other’s feet to make the other Flinch first, which, oh my God.

That’s it’s something you could only do with like a lifelong best friend or a lifelong enemy.

26:44

Right.

There’s only two possible.

Nothing good comes from this, as far as I’m concerned.

But apparently, they just had a great time.

So reminds you of like maybe they are trying to mimic like an old Western Wear was like they’re shooting at the floor and like trying to make people dance.

It all that horrible stuff.

That’s what I think of to.

27:00

I mean what a sight to see that out in Pasadena, just what a risky do.

Oh what a risky game, a ragtag team team indeed.

Well after a controversial, explosion, that Parsons caused the heh, Yeah, I began investigating him as a possible security risk.

27:18

And finally, I was going to say, I can only imagine this was a matter of time.

In 1943, Parsons took the hint that the other scientists didn’t want him around.

And he left the company.

And at this point he threw himself totally into the occult and his magic.

27:34

Well, sure, yeah, he’s jumped ship on the rocket science.

Now, he is in it with the magic stuff.

He’s performing rituals that he learned from Aleister Crowley, he’s now making up his Own rituals, he’s in it, he’s on it.

He’s all about it.

So this is kind of where I feel like Jack Parsons becomes his own character, his own like legendary character in the world of the occult because he’s not just participating in it, but he’s making his own rules.

28:05

His own rituals.

He has this parsonage where they perform this stuff, I mean, he’s making a name for himself, sure in the occult world, but you I’ve hinted at this earlier, once a scientist, always a scientist.

So his goal was to try to find physical proof that the magic he was performing was real.

28:24

So it’s sort of like he was not necessarily, I mean, we know that he combined both of his worlds, but at this point, he’s taking the science aspect of his old job and putting it into the kind of ritualistic Magic World.

I see.

Well also, yeah, if you were once spending fifty percent of your energy into science and now you can bring that 50% of energy and Designs into magic.

28:48

Of course you’re going to combine them eventually.

I feel like I saw that coming from a mile away.

Did you called it earlier?

And like the fact that he was already so good at being a rocket scientist?

Which I imagined to be a rocket science, you probably got to be pretty good at it.

Yeah, and now he’s using that here.

So it’s an interesting kind of combo.

29:05

It’s also worth noting I will say, around this time that he was reportedly using peyote mescaline cannabis opiates and hallucinogens and and since Ian, the power of science, I feel like at least one of the formulas he wrote down was misspelled like I don’t think he was a sharpshooter as he might have thought he was, I really hope they didn’t play that shooting game while they were be using any of these but I wouldn’t put it past him honestly.

29:33

Yeah I know a lot of people when they like quit their job and they just kind of have like a week to just like go all out.

I like to think that he was just like let all my inhibitions go you know absolutely.

Just give it 110%.

Yeah.

Jump all in and indeed he did but sadly his big thinker.

29:52

Mixed with the need for scientific proof is sort of what made his life and career crumble.

So let’s go over, Jack Parsons downfall which it’s never fun.

But you know it, it’s how it went.

This is the story.

So we got to cover it as we covered on this show.

30:09

In January, 1946 Parsons held a series of ritualistic experiments that he called The Babylon working.

And so this is what we’re getting into your ghost baby reference and all that business or Moon baby wouldn’t you?

Call it.

I keep saying different things.

30:25

Only, you know, what’s so funny about Moon?

Baby is what didn’t we nicknamed your baby?

The lunar something Lunar Lemon.

Yes, I’m like that.

Yeah, anyway, those are wild gamut of options for a moon baby.

Yeah.

I mean, it could mean any number of things and I said ghost, baby, which actually is a bar, in Cincinnati.

30:42

So, I feel like, pow, everyone’s just taking my hymns.

People are loving this name, you know.

So he causes Babylon working, and his goal was to summon a spirit and using Jake.

Turn this Spirit into a tangible.

Being, he essentially wanted to turn the filament goddess of female sexuality Babylon.

31:01

Into a real life human being.

Aha, if you recall, I recall, this being where I decided he was a full-blown, toxic male.

Narcissist following the patriarchy?

This is where we said, oh, remember how we were out an hour out of.

31:16

Yeah, we were on the soapbox and we were quickly off the soapbox and then we were back on.

Just a scrape about this.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So spoiler alert Babylon working.

Wouldn’t, you know, it was not a success and I know that surprising to hear, but he did fail at this experiment, but you should definitely go listen to that episode, to get all the details because it is a roller coaster of a story, a few months after the failed Babylon.

31:42

Working experiments Parsons was no longer Lodge master of Agape.

Lodge Number Two, he then gave up the parsonage.

The very sad moment.

I bet and He moved out of his mansion and into a rented room, over a garage.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen, right?

31:59

Like wow, such a quick Fall From Grace.

Mmm, if that weren’t enough, the FBI also added an investigation into him on suspicion of Espionage working with Communists, including allegedly, at Caltech, and cult activities.

I imagine that when they listed this out, he was like, no Espionage know, working with communist, no occult activities.

32:19

That one down that without one all admit to me because I I feel that is the least surprising of the accusations.

Yeah, I’m a man of integrity.

Okay, I’m not here to putz around but the cult thing is true.

Nothing else.

It’s true communist no way.

But yeah I do kind of host Sex Magic rituals in my house so this led to him having his government security clearance revoked.

32:41

I imagine that’s not a good feeling.

Yeah.

It had hurt.

Yeah.

And so in order to make money he worked for some local Aviation companies and he bootlegged nitroglycerin.

Oh, you know, We’ve all been there.

We’re going to make a few bucks.

We we’ve all at least wondered what that life.

32:58

Might be like paid the rent at millionaires row by bootlegging.

Some nitroglycerin, you know, don’t worry of all of our Lives.

You feel me?

Yeah.

Classic La hustle.

So eventually he ended up creating pyrotechnics and explosives for movies so that is kind of a fun LOL.

33:18

Its outcome.

It will you know what’s weird is that I used to work in props and And there was a weird and out of stereotypes the right word, but that’s kind of common knowledge that if someone’s ex-government, especially like ex-military.

And like, they’ve done a few tours, those people after they retire and they live in LA and they don’t really know where to go next career-wise.

33:38

A lot of them go into pyrotechnics for movies, because they have such a niche, understanding of, wow, explosives!

And things like that.

So interesting.

And I bet they would know what looks real.

What doesn’t look real.

That’s so cool.

Yeah, especially because we also in our office, we had like a whole weapons department where you had like a shooting range at the office, all these ex-military.

34:01

Men would just come in and teach actors how to shoot gun.

So, it looked realistic than the movie anyway, fun fact for you.

Yeah, Ellie is really a wild place.

I gotta say.

So eventually, he’s creating these pyrotechnics and explosives for movies, and this is his most recent talk about like making inroads in different fields for himself.

34:20

This is most recent path.

Up next will bring Jack Parsons downward spiral to a tragic end and I gotta warn you folks and um that it’s pretty dramatic and it’s pretty graphic.

Oh okay.

34:35

I’m here for the drama that all say for but I am nervous about the graphic part.

Yeah, you should be All right.

34:55

Now, we got to get into the sad part of the story which is the demise of Jack Parsons.

So by the early 50s, Jack Parsons had lost both his thriving rocketry career and a devoted life in the occult.

So, as a way to make money, he landed in the film industry, creating pyrotechnics and explosives.

35:13

Movies which we’ve now learned from m is apparently kind of a Trope, which I think is really fascinating.

Honestly, it’s a really good one.

I like that rope.

It’s really interesting in 1952, he was about to head off for a planned trip.

After getting a very large order of explosives for a movie and while mixing up the chemicals explosives, experts said, Parsons dropped his concoction, reportedly including fulminate of mercury and this concoction exploded.

35:42

Well, apparently, We it was such a loud and giant explosion that the blast Was Heard.

Two miles away.

Oh my god.

Wow, alright, crazy Parsons lost, one of his arms and the skin from one side of his face and he broke both legs.

36:00

Just whoa, really unsettling and scary.

Oh my God.

As we probably imagined, he died pretty quickly.

He actually died less than 45 minutes later.

Oh my God.

Wow.

And it just a thought that he was even alive for that long as we have the suffering herbing.

36:18

Yeah, it’s all and to put it in perspective, he was only 37 years old.

So what?

Yeah, he was young, he lived quite a life for only 37 years.

I know this man was like, minimum 60, I was going to say it sounds like he explored every possible career Avenue in a very short period of time.

36:37

Hey, he did it.

Alright, he did little listed at all.

It gets even sadder because Has Parsons mother heard the news of his death and she took her own life as a result.

Oh yeah.

Very tragic ending to the story but we will get into Parsons Legacy here.

36:55

So as for science, the curator emeritus of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

One of my favorite places wrote in 2017 for the Smithsonian Magazine, about Parsons contributions to the space rocket industry.

And then in 1972, the international astronomical Union named.

37:13

Crater on the moon after him.

So that’s fun.

It’s like when you buy a star for someone.

Yeah, but also, like, you worked in Stars, you know.

But like this is actually a real thing I guess that NASA recognizes.

So he should get a Moon.

37:28

Crater named after him and he should get a Hollywood star named after him.

Wait a second, that’s pretty cool.

And then a called how do we get those Stars involved astrology?

I don’t know.

We’ll shop it a new constellation.

Maybe.

Oh, fun.

Yeah, that way he’s got a star everywhere.

37:44

He’s been involved.

That’s fun.

I like that for him.

Well, various groups, call him one of the most significant figures in spreading thelema across North America.

Which I am not going to argue with, I mean, yeah I don’t know too much about that whole field but we don’t have the stats on that.

38:02

No, I don’t this Dad’s but I’m gonna go ahead and trust them.

And so that’s the story of Jack Parsons and I mean, what a story it is.

Yeah.

Wow.

That’s about the darkest ending to a Was up.

So we’ve done so far but in the maybe the Babylon working episode, I was very focused on how Wild some of this man’s thinking was, but this was really a different spin on it.

38:27

This was definitely.

Yeah, you kind of get a full picture of what was going on and how tragic his untimely demise was.

Yeah, this is so random.

But since he had two places in his lifetime on millionaires row, which one do you think claims to be Because I know there’s the parsonage, but do you think there’s another house?

38:45

It’s like really fighting for the title of, like, Jack Parsons lived here or do you think they’re hoping the parsonage?

Which is exactly what I was about to say.

I wonder if it depends on the decade, like, I wonder if in the 80s they were during satanic Panic.

They were like, we had nothing to do with that, but now that everyone’s kind of into the woowoo stuff there.

39:03

Huh.

Oh yeah.

A lot of magic rituals were performed here.

Right.

Right.

Read that on the Zillow page.

I’m not sure.

I do wonder.

It could go both ways.

It could be a good.

Distance yourself from it or just get an engraved, parsonage sign, but I’m not really sure.

39:21

Do you think there could be a parsonage today or do you think there is one or maybe they’re just see.

I think it’s called the Zak Bagans.

Haunted Museum.

I don’t know if there is one.

I mean I’m clearly not like trustworthy enough that I’ve been in on the secrets, but they wouldn’t let us in for sure.

39:40

I do think it’d be cool if there was like you know, like how this generation And all the content creators they have like, hype houses where they all like, rent out one big house.

I think all the True Crime podcasters should just have one big spooky hype house.

Do you have any idea how many like Simply Safe?

Alarm systems would be installed?

39:57

It would actually be the safest high pass or ever was.

Because we’d all be just solo paranoid just like ragged with paranoia.

There would also be like hellofresh every night.

I mean it would be such a riot.

I think it would be fun, I would steal that idea.

I might write a script and got think we’ll all drink wine and go.

40:13

Ed by 10.

It’ll be like a lovely.

A lovely place to catch.

A good time.

I don’t know if one exists today.

I think if there was one it would be a especially like how you said?

Today’s everyone.

Everyone’s kind of been like the woowoo stuff.

Yes.

I feel like everyone us included.

40:29

Would just want to go see it.

I feel like it would turn into by accident.

Like a tourist attraction.

Yeah.

Kind of, like, I don’t know, the right word.

But yeah, like kind of I feel like it would lose some of its value if they were truly just trying to learn about something.

Spiritually.

But I will say I have heard from some people who worked in catering and some other kind of odd jobs and Los Angeles, that there are quite a few really strange activities that some billionaires partake in and some strange rituals so to speak and parties and Gatherings that, you know, you got to sign an NDA for.

41:06

If you want to attend I’ve heard some of these things too.

But I’ve only heard about like Hollywood celebrities and some of the things That have been witnessed at parties.

I don’t know about any like group Gatherings that all have the same intention.

All I’ve heard is like wild stories that have happened at parties.

I know of one that I’m not going to talk about because I don’t want to get in trouble, but you’re gonna text me, right?

41:27

I’m sure I’ve told you this already.

Anyway.

This is like, immediately.

You’d be the first person I called if I ever heard about this.

Okay good.

So I wonder if there are some, you know, like, very elite groups that participate in like some strange activities.

Well, that’s also the, what did we talk about?

41:42

And that’s why We’d racial the bohemian, something Bohemian Society, something like, oh my God, that one was a weird one.

That was yours.

We are to like so you never know what these old men with money, get up to, you know, it’s just like, they’re full of surprise and nothing but time and money and wonder you just who knows what’s gonna happen.

42:01

What a life that must be boy.

Well, talk about a good episode Christine.

Thank, um, I had a blast going through it and, you know, imagining life in the parsonage with you.

Only me and aren’t only everal true crime hosts.

That would also be joining in on the rent because it sounds expensive.

42:18

A Millionaire’s really will go to like what’s the under millionaire?

It’s like five figure Ro o.

We are like middle class.

Make an okay living.

Still can’t afford.

Rent will be the final figure for you.

42:34

That’s where I figure freeway.

We got a little Studio above I-5 and it’s, it’s loud.

Yeah.

42:53

Thanks so much for listening.

We’ll be back next week with another great episode.

Information.

On today’s episode came from strange Angel the other worldly life of rocket scientist, John Whiteside Parsons by George Pendle Saxon Rockets.

The occult world of Jack Parsons by John Carter and Robert Anton Wilson LA Times LA s Vice and wire Tired, remember to follow rituals on Spotify to get a brand new episode every week and you can listen to this and all other episodes of rituals for free exclusively on Spotify.

43:22

And if you like the show, follow at par cast on Facebook, and Instagram, and at Park has Network on Twitter, you can find me at VM Schultz and you can find me at Eckstein cheaper, thanks again for listening and we will see you next week.

Rituals is executive produced by Max Cutler and as a Spotify original from par cast, it was created by Max color, sound design by Kristen Acevedo with.

43:43

It sound design by Kevin McAlpine back checking by Laurie Segall research by Chelsea would it’s produced by Kristen Acevedo and Jonathan Ratliff with production assistants by Ron Shapiro.

We’re your host, Christine cheaper and M Schultz.

Listeners, the Halloween season is upon us and at par cast, that means giving you more tricks treats and terrifying specials to sink your teeth into on female criminals, revisit the complicated lives, and cryptic, after lives of four, Infamous names in the spine tingling series women who haunt us on serial killers.

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