Dusk and Dreams - Sleep Science, Folklore, and Mythology After Dark

The secret to a peaceful night isn’t just in your habits. It’s in your heritage.

Greetings, night wanderers! I’m Yarrow Diamond, and tonight on Dusk and Dreams we’re exploring the ancient, universal power of nighttime ritual.

Long before smartphones and neon glare, our ancestors treated the night as a sacred threshold. They entered it with intention, creating rituals that calmed the body, soothed the mind, and opened the door to dreams.

In this episode, we’ll travel across time and cultures to uncover forgotten wisdom and...

What flickers in the dark when no torch is near?

From marshy paths in Europe to the wide deserts of Texas, strange lights have flickered in the night for centuries. Known as ghost lights, will-o’-the-wisps, Aleya lights, Marfa lights, and more, these glowing phenomena have been feared as omens, followed as guides, and debated by scientists and storytellers alike. Some lure travelers to doom. Some guide the lost to safety. Others… simply watch.

In this episode of Dusk and Dreams, YLDragons takes wing and takes you...

What if your best night's sleep is just one experiment away?

I'm Yarrow, and tonight on Dusk and Dreams: The Unquiet Mind’s Guide to Myth and Rest, we're stepping into the Nighttime Lab—a sanctuary where you're both the scientist and the subject.

In this episode, we explore the simple tweaks, old and new, that can shift the way our minds and bodies move into rest. You'll hear the results of my own personal trials with various sleep strategies, from journaling methods and environmental shifts to the surprising effectiveness of tech experiments with binaural beat...

The city is sleeping, but its secrets are not. Are you ready to walk the streets where old myths put on new clothes?

Tonight on Dusk and Dreams, my alter ego, YLDragons, takes wing and takes the lead. We’re wandering into the half-lit places where modern life and ancient myths blur together and exploring urban legends—the whispered, "friend of a friend said this totally happened!" tales that haunt our cities and our minds.

In this episode, we'll fly out and see why these stories stick, exploring the haunting commonalities that make them so effe...

What if the very device that keeps you awake... could also be the key to helping you rest?

Tonight on Dusk and Dreams, join me, Yarrow, as we explore the modern paradox of sleep and technology. We all know the glow of a screen can be a thief of rest, but in this episode, we’ll discover how our devices can also be our heroes.

I’ll share the surprising science behind why your phone is your sleep enemy, delving into concepts like melanopsin cells and dopamine spikes that keep you awake. We'll also unpack the...

What if the most dangerous song isn't the one you hear from the waves... but the one your own soul is trying to sing, that you never let play?

Tonight on Dusk and Dreams, I'm a bit wilder and YLDragons is taking the lead. Join me as we plunge into moonlit waters, haunted coastlines, and myths that sing in the dark.

In this episode, we're following the siren’s call far beyond the jagged coasts of ancient Greece to uncover the psychological snare that lured sailors to their doom.

We'll journey around the gl...

What if sleep isn't something you need to fight for... but something you've simply forgotten how to find?

Tonight on Dusk and Dreams, join me, Yarrow, as we explore something beautifully ancient and deeply personal: how the cosmos regulates our rest.

In this episode, we’ll trace the hidden rhythms of sleep across time and cultures. You’ll hear how ancient Egyptians used the moon as a spiritual clock, how Greeks built temples for dreams, and how medieval Europeans practiced a natural two-sleep cycle. I'll also share wisdom from desert nomads who navigated by starlight and...

What if the sound of hoofbeats in the night isn't a warning... but a call?

Tonight, my alter ego, YLDragons, is plunging into the storm-swept realm of The Wild Hunt—a chilling, ghostly procession that streaks across the night sky, a terrifying and awe-inspiring myth that has haunted cultures for centuries.

In this episode, we'll journey through the origins of the Wild Hunt, from the ancient Norse sagas of Odin’s Furious Ride to the Celtic lore of The Cŵn Annwn and the Slavic tales of The Furious Host. Together, we'll discover how this myth...

Welcome to Dusk and Dreams! Join me, Yarrow, as I invite you to look upward and inward, finding profound connection in the cosmos.

In this episode, we'll explore ancient eyes on the sky, traveling across time and continents. Discover how civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, India, the Andes, Lakota, and Aboriginal Australians didn’t just map the stars but wove them into their daily lives, spiritual beliefs, and very identity. You’ll learn about everything from divine constellations and celestial rivers to dark patches of sky that held powerful stories, showing how the cosmos was their calendar, comp...

Welcome back to Dusk and Dreams! Tonight, I'm YLDragons, and we're plunging into the shadowy depths of The Witching Hour; that fabled time between midnight and 3am when the veil between worlds feels incredibly thin.

In this episode, I'll guide you through a global exploration of why these hours hold such raw power. We'll delve into the history of this liminal hour, from medieval fears of witches and demons in Europe to chilling vengeance practices in Japan and comforting reunions with ancestors in Mexico. We'll uncover how the Nahual shapeshifters, Zvidhoma shadow beings, bhoot spirits, and the...

Welcome to Dusk and Dreams! Tonight, join me, Yarrow, as we explore a topic that’s both ancient and deeply relevant: intentional nighttime rituals. Long before modern distractions, our ancestors understood that night was a sacred threshold, a time for profound connection and release.

In this episode, I'll guide you through echoes of ritual across lands and time. We’ll visit moonlit baths in ancient Rome, fire dances among the Tuareg in the Sahara, tea ceremonies in Japan, and ancestral customs in the Andes and Yoruba traditions. You’ll discover the universal elements these rituals share: warmth, rhythm...

Welcome back to Dusk and Dreams! Tonight, I'm your Wild Dragons guide and we're embarking on a moonlit journey into the heart of folklore. The full moon is shining bright on our campsite by the river, and she's awakening ancient things and powerful stories.

In this episode, we'll first explore the moon's mythic magnetism, asking why her full glow has long been a trigger for transformation, deep mystery, and even madness across cultures. We’ll dive into how the moon pulls at everything from ocean tides to our very emotions, often revealing what daylight hides.

Ne...

Welcome to Dusk and Dreams! Tonight, I'm inviting you to dim the lights and curl up with a topic both wonderfully mysterious and incredibly heartwarming: our beloved pets at night. If you share your life with a curious cat, a loyal dog, or even a quiet reptile or feathered friend, you know there’s something truly magical about the bond we share once the sun sets.

In this episode, I'll explore the science and magic behind why our pets behave so uniquely after dark. We'll dive into their nocturnal instincts, delve into the neuroscience of co-sleeping (and ho...

Welcome back to Dusk and Dreams! Tonight, I'm YLDragons, and we're flying out into the wilder, darker side of folklore, exploring legends that haunt our deepest fears. Get ready to journey into the realm of the werewolf and other powerful shapeshifters from across the globe.

In this episode, I'll take you through the chilling origins of the werewolf myth, starting with the ancient Greek tale of King Lycaon and how his transformation became a powerful warning about control and primal instincts. We'll explore how this legend shifted through history, from divine punishment to diabolical curses.

...

Welcome to Dusk and Dreams! Tonight, I'm opening up about something many of us intimately understand: nighttime anxiety. That frustrating feeling when the world quiets down, but your mind decides to get louder. If you've been there—tossing, turning, watching the clock—please know you are absolutely not alone. This space was made for you.

In this episode, I'll gently guide you through why anxiety often seems to bloom at night, diving into the natural shifts in our brain chemistry (like changes in melatonin and our nervous system) when the day's distractions fade. You'll discover why these rest...

Welcome back to Dusk and Dreams! Tonight we're plunging into the darker side of dreams on the wings of my alter ego, letting the Dragons take flight. Not all dreams are peaceful; some bring terror, while others carry urgent messages. In this episode, we step into the shadowy realm of the Oneiroi—the ancient Greek spirits of dreaming.

These black-winged sons of Nyx (the primordial Goddess of Night) delivered dreams to both gods and mortals. We'll explore the three main brothers: Morpheus, who shaped dreams with familiar faces; Phobetor, the 'frightener' who specialized in nightmares; and Phantasos, wh...

What if your dreams aren’t random? What if they’re your subconscious speaking in symbols, emotions, and midnight metaphors? In tonight’s episode, Yarrow gently guides us into the inner world of dreams...where science meets symbolism, and emotion weaves meaning into the shadows. Whether you've had a dream that lingered all day or a surreal sleep-scape you couldn’t make sense of, this episode is here to help you understand what your mind may be trying to tell you.

We’ll explore:

🔹 Why dreams aren’t just “mental noise” (they’re part of your brain’s emotiona...

In tonight’s mythic journey, we step into the cosmic shadows with Nyx: the Greek Goddess who is the night itself. Before Olympus rose, before Zeus claimed the sky, Nyx reigned in the darkness...formless, powerful, and eternal. From her alone came gods of sleep, death, fate, and dreams. Even Zeus, the thunder-wielding king, dared not cross her. Join me, Yarrow, as I let my wilder side, YLDragons take wing and take the lead as we explore:

▪️ Nyx’s ancient origins from Chaos

▪️ Her role as a mother to some of mythology’s most haunting and essential...

Welcome to Dusk and Dreams! Tonight, I'm opening up about those moments after dark when my body craves rest but my mind won't stop reaching. If you've felt that struggle, you're not alone. This space is for you.

In this very first episode, I'll guide you through why the night is a powerful mirror for reflection. We'll explore the natural shifts in our brain chemistry (like cortisol dropping and melatonin rising) that loosen our thoughts, allowing for deeper processing and unexpected insights. You'll discover why those late-night thoughts aren't a problem, but an invitation for personal growth.<...

Step into the quiet. In this special preview of Dusk and Dreams, host Yarrow welcomes you to a podcast designed for the thinkers, the wanderers, and the myth-chasers. Some nights bring calm reflection. Others, wild stories and whispers in the dark. Tuesdays offer neuroscience, dreamwork, and nighttime rituals to soothe the soul. Fridays? That’s when YLDragons takes flight, guiding you through ancient legends, chilling folklore, and mythic soundscapes that stir something deeper. Whether you're here for comfort or curiosity, clarity or chaos...this is your invitation. The night listens back.