2025 Presenters

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Mawiyah Kai El-Jamah Bomani is an award-winning writer, educator, and spirit woman born and raised in the most African City in the North America – New Orleans. Mawiyah is an eighth-generation Witch, Egun Medium, and Priestess of OYA in the Yoruba system of spirituality. Mawiyah’s writings have appeared in Thicker Than Water, The Crab Orchard Review, Beyond The Frontier, Family Portraits, African Voices, and Essence Magazine. Mawiyah hosts FishHeadsinRedGravy, a podcast dedicated to celebrating marginalized people of the esoteric/occult world. She is the recipient of the Southern Black Theatre Festival’s 2012-2013 Playwright of the Year award for her play, Spring Chickens. Mawiyah is also the author of the plays Crows Feet, Bourbon, Men of the AmonRa Society and Hair Anthem. Mawiyah is the Critical Mass 8 Literary Award Winner and a KAT Artist Residency recipient for her Poetry/Art/Ritual Installation Thick Air: Rituals of Resistance.

Mawiyah is the author of the newly released Conjuring the Calabash: Empowering Women with Hoodoo Spells and Magick, published by Llewellyn Worldwide. 

These days, Mawiyah may be working on her Middle-Grade series titled The Cool Beans Ghost Hunter Society, exploring the inclusiveness of special needs superhuman teens fighting against paranormal racists.

Sen Elias’ journey to Hoodoo began with his grandmother’s guidance and wisdom and  ancestral Gullah blood. Hereditary spiritual practices empower Sen Elias’   work. In 2015, he founded Crescent City Conjure, a full-service Hoodoo shop   in the heart of New Orleans. Sen Elias is a third degree High Priest in the   Alexandrian tradition, scratched in Palo Mayombe, High Priest in the Hoodoo   tradition, and has received the Hand of Ifa. Although his journey started at   a young age, he never stops growing, learning and educating others in the   spiritual arts. Sen Elias teaches courses both in-person and through his   virtual educational portal called Crossroads Academy. He also presents  sessions around the country at conferences and workshops on Hoodoo, conjure,  and rootwork.     

 Ivo Dominguez, Jr. has been active in Wiccan and the Pagan community since 1978. Ivo is a founding member and first High Priest of Keepers of the Holly Chalice, the first Assembly of the Sacred Wheel coven. He currently serves as one of the Elders of the ASW. Ivo is the author of The Four Elements of the Wise; Keys to Perception: A Practical Guide to Psychic Development; Practical Astrology for Witches and Pagans; Casting Sacred Space; and Spirit Speak. He is the anchor author for the new twelve book Witch’s Sun Sign Series. In his mundane life, he has been a computer programmer, the executive director of an AIDS/HIV service organization, a bookstore owner, and more. 

 Matthew Venus is an artist, folk magician, and traditional witch based in Salem, Massachusetts whose craft is centered around a deep heart of animism and a dedication to ancestral and land-based traditions. His practice is further enriched by his role as Tata Ndenge in a lineage of Kimbanda Angola, and his experiences as an Aborisha in the Lucumí Orisha tradition. Over the past two decades Matthew has been sharing his teachings with students around the world through classes and courses which explore a diversity of topics related to witchcraft and folk magical traditions.  Matthew is the owner and lead apothecary of Spiritus Arcanum (@spiritus_arcanum) an online and brick and mortar shop which specializes in handcrafted ritual incenses, oils, and talismanic art. Additionally, he is the co-founder of the Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival (@SalemWitchFest) which hosts both in person and online events centered around magical education, community building, and activism. 

 Meg Raphoon grew up gazing at the ocean and climbing trees on the north shore of Long Island. She currently resides in Detroit Michigan with her amazing son and the cats who have adopted them. She is on the Board of Directors for the Magical Education Council and one of the Convention Chairs for ConVocation 2025.   Meg's studies at the University of Michigan (phD -ABD), particularly her research on the patronage of alchemists, demonstrate her depth of knowledge in Renaissance and Medieval history. Her teaching experience in various topics, including Kunstkammern, Cartography, and Early British History, further solidify her academic credentials.   Meg's exploration of the intersections between religion, science, and magic signifies her interdisciplinary approach to understanding historical phenomena. This approach allows her to offer nuanced perspectives on complex subjects.  As a practitioner of alchemy, Meg not only engages with alchemical principles theoretically but also applies them in her spiritual practices, daily life, and even professional endeavors such as bartending. This practical experience adds a unique dimension to her understanding of alchemy and related subjects.  Meg's interest in the history of witchcraft and occultism in modern pop culture indicates her ability to connect historical concepts with contemporary trends, making her insights relevant and accessible to a wide audience. 

Grandmaster de Biasi currently heads two initiatory traditions: The Aurum Solis and the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross. Along with his wife he is the founder of Mediterranean Yoga - Aurum Solis, a registered school with the International Yoga Federation.  He has written over a dozen books and is currently an author with Llewellyn Publications.

He was initiated into Freemasonry in 1990. He is a Master Mason (raised in 1992) and a Past Master. He has been a member of Grand Lodges in Canada, the G. L. F.A.A.M. of the District of Columbia and the G. L. of the State of Nevada (USA). He currently belongs to the United Grande Lodge of England, Province of Province of East Lancashire, Lodge #9659 and the Grand Lodge of California, La France Lodge. While living in France and prior to joining American Freemasonry, he was the Grand Officer of the Grand Orient de France (Largest Masonic Organization in France). He has received all the degrees of the Egyptian Freemasonry (33°-95°-AA) and other allied degrees. He also received the 32 degrees of the American Scottish Rite in Washington D.C. and was initiated in the Royal Arch in Canada. 

       Stephanie   Brown is an artist, educated as an anthropologist, who has been a student of   several branches of magick and metaphysical disciplines for many years. She crafts fine art and original   metaphysical tools that combine natural elements and primitive themes to   honor the earth in both aesthetics and in function. Stephanie is the co-creator of the   tradition of Modern Totemism, and is also a practitioner of eclectic paganism   and neo-shamanism. She is the author of the 2019 book The Modern Totemist.  

     www.paintedcavesstudio.com      

   Jamie Waggoner is an author, Pagan priestess, and occult expert. She has been a practicing witch for 25+ years. Jamie is the author of Hades: Myth, Magic and Modern Devotion (Llewellyn, 2024), and contributor to Witchology Magazine, Haunted Magazine, and The Feminine Macabre, among others. Jamie is also a cofounder and teacher for Way of the Weaver, an inclusive program of magical study, social justice, and community building. Learn more at jamiewaggoner.com or follow @jmwaggoner on social media. 

     Jack   G. Montgomery: Biography Jack was born in 1953 in Columbia, South Carolina.   His family though Christian, practiced elements of folk religions which he   later came to learn stemmed from his maternal great-grandfather who was a   Powwow Doctor who specialized in healing animals through sacred touch. Jack   was raised not to fear, but to accept the presence of spirits, dream   interpretation and spiritual visions. Jack earned his B.A. from the   University of South Carolina in 1976 with a major in Religious Studies and   Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. Jack earned his Master of Library   Science at the University of Maryland–College Park in 1987. First, as a law   librarian Jack worked in academic law libraries in Virginia, Ohio, and   Missouri. In 1998, he made the transition to the general academic library and   to Western Kentucky University in 1998 and retired in 2021. As a spiritual   person, Jack has been involved with traditional American shamanism since 1974   as a folklorist and practitioner of Powwow and Hoodoo shamanic traditions. He   received training in Hoodoo from James E. McTeer, 1903-1979, and others and   learned Powwow/Braucherei from Hexenmeister, Lee Raus Gandee, 1917-1998 who   wrote Strange Experience: The Secrets of a Hexenmeister. Their student/teacher   relationship lasted from 1973-1977. Jack went on to meet and learn from other   Powwow doctors in Pennsylvania and mountain magic from an Appalachian granny   woman in south central Virginia. His own practice has led him to speak since   1976 at events in Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Georgia, North and   South Carolina and even at institutions like Harvard University, Swarthmore   College and as far afield as Pescara, Italy. He has authored numerous   articles for spiritual magazines and his book, American Shamans: Journeys   with Traditional Healers, was published March 2008 by BUSCA Press. The book   is still selling well in the U.S., U.K., and Europe and as far away as Japan   and South Africa. Jack discovered modern paganism in 1991 through a CUUPS group   and has been going to gatherings like PCCO, PSG and PUF ever since. Jack also   began studying guitar at age thirteen and played my first professional gig in   1967. He sings and plays guitar, harmonica, and Appalachian dulcimer.   Musically, he is interested in pagan, Celtic and traditional folk music. He   writes his own songs and poetry. His four CDs, Onward to Avalon, Everywhere I   Look, Tradition with a Twist and Watersprite have enjoyed considerable   airplay and sales in the US and abroad.    

Find Jack on Facebook

 Bishop Sean Wilde UE, the author of Magic Without Tools, is a member of the Aurum Solis. He is the only publicly verified traditional sin eater in the world. He holds multiple degrees in multiple systems, with his first initiation 30 years ago. His spiritual and magical journey began at the age of 4, with a haunting in his childhood home. His first public speaking engagement was at the age of 11. He has spoken in Canada and the United States at conferences, festivals, universities, and secondary schools. Trained at university in Anthropology, Philosophy, and Religion and Culture, his post-secondary background introduced Sean to a variety of traditions, faiths, and systems of thought. Throughout his journey, he’s been a professional psychic, ghost hunter, a teacher of magic without tools, co-authored a published training manual for a Western Magical Tradition in Ontario, and advised on books about living vampires. 

Miss Shannon is a vibrant soul who co-owns Sassy Magick, Sassy Magick Noir, Sassy Magick Boutique, and SassyCon. Residing in the city of New Orleans alongside her husband, teenage twins, and French bulldog Nola, she embraces the magic and mystique of the Crescent City. As a devoted voodoo initiate, Miss Shannon infuses her life with spiritual wisdom and a deep connection to spirit which guide her to make a number of the products offered at the Sassy shops. 

Miss Shannon is also a professional photographer and owner of Sassy Wilde Photography which specializes in helping everyone find their outer beauty and inner Sass!

Born  and raised in Jerusalem, Tamar has been steeped in the city’s magic and energy all her life. This ancient place has shaped her development, as both a  person and a practitioner. Always drawn to the unseen forces around and   within us, she began consciously practicing at the age of 21, developing her   reach and understanding ever since. As a result, she is knowledgeable in   several types of work: ancestor, energy, herbal, divination, and more. Her   experiences in New Orleans have further deepened and expanded her practice   and understanding. Tamar has a unique perspective of Jewish Magic, given her   depth of knowledge in Jewish custom, history, magical practice and the magic of place. She is currently writing a book on these topics.