Are dreams the bridge between alien minds and cosmic meaning? Starting Aug 20, How Aliens Might Dream explores how non-human beings could imagine myth. Astrobiology, depth psych, sci-fi..

Gates of Hell, Giacomo del Pò, ca. 1703–08. Princeton University Art Museum. A horned demon drags a soul to hell as flames and shadows swirl. Del Pò’s Baroque vision evokes divine justice through myth and chiaroscuro. How did hell’s imagery shape Baroque morality?

Is this the face of a body at war with itself? Surgeon-artist Sir Charles Bell captured the excruciating effects of tetanus in this drawing of a soldier stiff with lockjaw. “The Wounded following the Battle of Corunna: Tetanus Following Gunshot Wounds, Charles Bell, ca. 1809. Public domain.

What if we’re celebrating the wrong end of life? Tonight at 7pm EST: free online talk with bestselling author Karen Salmansohn on her new book To Die For Life—a guide to reverse-engineering your life from your deathbed. “My Funeral” (1910), Miguel Viladrich Vilá. Used for educational purposes.

Where does science end and art begin? A 18th-century anatomical plate depicting the muscles of the human face in meticulous detail. “Cette planche représente, en detail & de grandeur naturelle, les muscles de le face....” J.F. Gautier Dagoty, 1773. The New York Public Library. Public domain.

Could freedom from flesh be what makes angels more divine? In this art history class, August 26, we’ll explore the role of angels in Catholic cosmology, theology, literature, and especially visual culture. Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Purgatory the Musée Condé, Chantilly. Public Domain.

How do yokai take shape in Japanese folklore? Japanese woodcut from One Hundred Tales, the vengeful yokai Oiwa appears with a paper lantern for a head—her face warped by the poison her husband gave her. Oiwa, Katsushika Hokusai (ca. 1760–1849). Library of Congress. Public domain.

Why are we drawn to horror—and what does it reveal about us? Join Carl Abrahamsson for a 4-part class (starting Aug 24) on horror’s mythic roots, media evolution, and psychological grip. Still from Carrie (1976), dir. Brian De Palma. © MGM/UA. Used under fair use for educational commentary.

Is this a fragrance—or a formula for ritual? This ruby glass perfume bottle, circa 1880, is composed of four vials arranged in the form of a cross—each with its own silver screw cap and a central engraved brass panel. Science Museum Group, Object No. A641768.

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Deijman, ca. 1656. Public Domain. Originally part of a large group portrait, this fragment is all that remains of Rembrandt’s second anatomy lesson. Much of the painting was lost in an 18th-century fire, leaving only this haunting glimpse into early medical spectacle.

Which truths rise when the card turns upside down? August 10, join French-born scholar and professional tarot reader Laetitia Barbier for Dissecting the Tarot I: Reading Reversals, a class in our Dissecting the Tarot series. Tarot card (reversal of card no. 15). Source unknown.

Which myths lie beyond the veil of death? August 7, students will explore how cultures across time have envisioned the afterlife through mythology—from Norse, Greek, to the sacred Books of the Dead from Tibet, Egypt, and the Maya. Death and the Girl, Frans van Kuyck, 19th century. Public domain.

What power lies in threes? A surreal sideshow illusion that shaped 19th c. visual culture and reflects performers navigating a system that commodified identity. Archives now work to reframe such histories. Bunnell’s 3 Headed Songstress, c. 1875. Syracuse University Libraries.

Where does the archetype of the Witch come from? Beginning August 3, join cultural historian Jason Lahman for Part I of a two-part series exploring the archetype of the Witch. The Witches Sabbath, Francisco Goya, ca. 1797–1798. Museo Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid, Spain.

Shaman’s poncho, ca. 1850, A ceremonial garment from the Indigenous Tlingit people. Could a garment be both a form of protection and a portal? Portland Art Museum. Rasmussen Collection of Northwest Coast Indigenous Art. Shared for educational purposes.

What remains when dignity is framed in silk and silence? Joos van Cleve’s Lucretia (ca. 1525) captures the Roman heroine at the brink of her fateful act—her suicide after assault, a gesture that ignited revolution and the birth of the Republic. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Why do monsters thrill and terrify us? And how have they—and we—changed over the ages? Tonight at 7pm EST, join us for Monsterland: A Journey Around the World’s Dark Imagination with author Nicholas Jubber.

Can artificial intelligence teach us something about the soul? In the class Soul & the Machine: AI, Myth, & Depth Psychology, beginning today 7/28, we’ll explore how our evolving relationship with AI reflects timeless myths of creation, consciousness, and the blurred line between human and machine.

Can peace be forged on a scale dripping with blood? Karl Alexander Wilke, “All right!” Illustration for Die Muskete, January 23, 1913.

When will war stop feeding the grave? During the First World War, Mrs. Kitchener took over her husband’s work as a gravedigger at Aley Green Cemetery in Luton while he served on the front. Mrs Kitchener, female gravedigger, Aley Green Cemetery, Luton, c.1917. Imperial War Museums

Can archetypal images take shape in non-human minds? Beginning August 20, How Aliens Might Dream with Jason D. Batt, Ph.D. explores how alien mythologies could emerge from non-human worlds—shaped by exoplanet science, astrobiology, and depth psychology.

Robe and Axe of Giovanni Bugatti, Criminology Museum, Rome. Giovanni Battista Bugatti (1779–1869), known as Mastro Titta (“master of justice”), was the official executioner of the Papal States in Rome from 1796 to 1864. If beheading is a ritual, who—or what—is truly being sacrificed?

What dreams rot beneath empire? This 1906 cover of Strana Mechty (Land of Dreams) emerged from the shadowy fringe of Russian Symbolist print culture. Strana Mechty No. 1, 1906. Russian Symbolist journal. Artist unknown.

What might a saint keep in a cabinet of curiosities? August 15, Join us for a 5-week online course exploring the poetic history and contemporary practice of Cabinets of Curiosity. From Renaissance wonder to personal altar, we’ll trace how objects become portals to memory, mystery, and meaning.

What happens when famine is felt in the belly—and the soul? John Charles Dollman’s Famine (1904) was originally conceived as an allegory—a reflection on spiritual emptiness and the death of the soul through long neglect. Famine, John Charles Dollman, 1904. Salford Museum & Art Gallery.

Ozzy Osbourne, photographed by Fin Costello, c. 1981. RIP to the Prince of Darkness. In his honor—and the occult visionaries he drew from—join us Oct 12 for The Angel & The Beast: Aleister Crowley & The Book of the Law, a two-part online class with scholar Julian Vayne.

L’Anatomie de l’Homme, ca. 1831–1854. Plate 86 from Traité complet de l’anatomie de l’homme (1831–1854) by Jean-Baptiste Marc Bourgery, illustrated by Nicolas Henri Jacob. Public domain.

Where does jest end and judgment begin? Once a staple of court and carnival life, fools ranged from the mentally disabled—mocked for public entertainment—to sharp-tongued satirists cloaked in absurdity. An Allegory of Folly, Quentin Massys, ca. 1510. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Why do witches rise when they do? What do they reveal about feminism’s place in the culture? Free Online Talk · That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film with author Payton McCarty-Simas — today at 7pm EST! “Das Opfer der Zauberei”, Compendium of Demonology and Magic, ca. 1775.

Could solitude bring us closer to the divine? Saint Paul the Hermit fled to the desert for nearly a century, seeking not escape but revelation. Ribera paints not despair—but divinity found within. Saint Paul the Hermit, Jusepe de Ribera, c. 1635. Museo del Prado.

Is preservation a form of devotion? August 9, join renowned taxidermist Divya Anantharaman for a hands-on class exploring the delicate art of bird skeleton preservation. Students will work with ethically sourced English sparrow skeletons alongside naturalistic or fantasy habitat materials.

How closely are love and loss entwined? In Love and Death, Ignacy Pieńkowski presents an intimate and symbolic confrontation between passion and mortality. Love and Death, Ignacy Pieńkowski (1877–1948) Public domain.

What if mortality was the first lullaby? In this 17th-century work, Juan van der Hamen y León surrounds the sleeping Christ child with quiet symbols of mortality. Juan van der Hamen y León, Garland with the Sleeping Christ Child, c. 1628–1630.

How does a fairy tale survive time and change? Join our story-telling course starting Aug 19 to explore how folk and fairy tales evolve—and learn to reimagine them with power, clarity, and personal meaning. Photograph by Joseph Albert, 1862. Collection of the Münchner Stadtmuseum.

The Devil’s Daughter (1917) by Margaret Lindsay Williams. A woman cradles a skull—mourning the death of her “virtue” as society punishes her for embracing a liberated, boundary-breaking femininity.

When power becomes monstrous, who suffers beneath its weight? A Russian satirical journal from the revolutionary unrest of 1905–1907, shows a grotesque figure—an allegory of imperial tyranny—crushing a bound female form. Artist unknown. Satiricheskoe Obozrenie, Russia, 1906.

Step into the Morbid Anatomy Library for an afternoon of quiet wonder—rare books, curiosities, and our free weekly Tarot Salon. Sundays, 12–5pm beginning July 20. Devineresse étudiant un livre de nécromancie, Clémentine Dondey, 1847. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon.

What can a mouse teach us about life, death, and detail? On August 3rd, join award-winning taxidermist Divya Anantharaman for a hands-on introduction to traditional mammal taxidermy.

Prophets’ heads are a girl’s best friend. Sebastiano del Piombo’s The Daughter of Herodias (c. 1510–15) offers a chilling take on Salome with the head of John the Baptist—an enduring image of power, obedience, and spectacle. Oil on panel. Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome.

Is your most-loved object a portal to something deeper? Join artist Rebecca Purcell July 20 for Crafting a Personal Talisman—a 4-week journey into creativity through image, memory, and meaning.

Where do tattoo, ritual, and folk craft converge? Part folk art, part sideshow relic—this 1925 banjo by Gus Wagner features horns, bells, a devil’s head, and a moon-faced turtle shell. Moon Face Devil Banjo, c. 1925. Image via Invaluable.com.

Who rides through the night when the world sleeps? Tonight at 7PM EST, join us for an illustrated talk as we explore the ghostly cavalcades of premodern Europe—phantom processions like the Wild Hunt, the Fairy Rades, and the Witches’ Sabbath. Witches Going to Their Sabbath, Luis Ricardo, 1878.

Can a painting glimpse the future? In a vanished Poland, Kotarbiński’s mystical ruins preserved a stolen homeland—hauntingly prophetic of tragedies to come. Angel of Sadness, Wilhelm Kotarbiński, (1848–1921). National Museum in Warsaw.

"Eat cake, drink tea and discuss death." Today at 3pm EST, join death midwife Lisa Cox for a free online Death Cafe. Bring a snack, a beverage, and any questions or stories you'd like to share as we gather to discuss death in a sacred space. Life and Death, ca. 1860. Wellcome Collection, London.

What does a world without patriarchy look like? Today, July 13, join Morbid Anatomy founder for a provocative reading group on Matriarchal Societies. Students will explore ancient cultures rooted in balance, ritual, and the sacred feminine. The Break of Day by Paul Delvaux, 1937.

Which deity signs the consent form in the underworld? In this 20th-century watercolor, breast cancer is rendered not as a diagnosis, but as a spiritual and psychological assault. Breast Cancer (A Giant Claw), Richard Tennant Cooper, ca. 1912. Wellcome Collection, London. Public Domain.

The Mother of Sorrows This painting of Saint Monica—shown in the traditional guise of the Mater Dolorosa—offers more than devotional piety. She is a mother cloaked in silence and tears, embodying the sacred endurance of grief. Saint Monica as Mater Dolorosa. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.

Is war a sacred ritual if it elevates death? A sunlit mound of skulls confronts the glorification of conquest in this haunting 1871 painting—banned in Russia, Austria, and Germany for its brutal honesty. Vasily Vereshchagin, c. 1871. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

When the goddess descends, will you follow? ⁣ July 21st, Divine Eros: Myth, Sensuality, and the Feminine Soul is an immersive course that explores the erotic feminine as a generative force: wild, sacred, and world-shaping. Kali, chromolithograph, c. 1910–1920. Wellcome Collection, London.

An image meant to awaken the second sight. A detail from a 19th-century Masonic tracing board by John Harris Jr., where radiant blue and gold converge to signal insight beyond appearances. Detail from “Third Degree Tracing Board,” ca. 1845–1849, by John Harris Jr. Public domain.