2026 Featured Presenters

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 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. Follow Tamar on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tamar.silvertav   

Jack G. Montgomery

Originally from South Carolina, Jack was born into a Protestant Christian family that practiced elements of folk religion, which he later learned stemmed from his maternal great-grandfather, a Powwow Doctor who specialized in healing animals. Jack was raised not to fear, but to accept the presence of spirits, interpret dreams, and experience spiritual visions. As an adult, Jack became a university professor and librarian. He retired in 2021 when he and his wife, Lesley, moved to New Orleans in 2023.

As a spiritual person, Jack has been involved with traditional American folk magic since 1974 as a folklorist and practitioner of the Powwow and Hoodoo shamanic traditions. He received training in Hoodoo from James E. McTeer, 1903-1979, and learned Powwow/Braucherei from Hexenmeister, Lee Raus Gandee, 1917-1998, who authored “Strange Experience: The Secrets of a Hexenmeister.”  Jack has authored numerous articles for academic and spiritual magazines, and his book, “American Shamans: Journeys with Traditional Healers,” was published in 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.

 Samantha Rose Hicks is a witch, tarot reader, Llewellyn author and grief coach who helps others rediscover their magic and come home to themselves. Based in Atlanta, she uses tarot, ritual, and holistic coaching to guide her clients through transformation, self-reclaimation, and healing.

After leaving her corporate career in 2018, Samantha followed her calling to build a practice rooted in intuition, depth, and truth. Through one-on-one sessions, workshops, and her online community The Ritual Garden, she teaches others how to navigate change, grief, and rebirth with courage and compassion.

When she’s not reading tarot or teaching, you’ll find her at home with her husband and pets or visiting her tribal roots in North Carolina with the Sappony People. Her work reminds us that healing is sacred and magic is an act of remembering who we are.

Ashara Mayim was initiated as a High Priestess in 2022 and ordained in May of 2024.  She has been a teacher in her daily life for 20 years and deeply enjoys using her educational background to further education, understanding, and acceptance within the pagan community.

Ashara currently lives in New Orleans with her family, including one dog, two cats, one snake, and one husband. She is an aspiring author and has recently discovered a deep passion for magickal storytelling and modern myth as an avenue for exploring and sharing her magickal experiences and lessons with others. Her ministry focuses on building community and destigmatizing paganism and witchcraft in modern society.

Ashara can be reached at asharamayim@gmail.com.

Izzy Swanson is a trauma-informed healer, mentor, and ritualist specializing in the intersection of addiction, trauma recovery, and spiritual practice. Their blended approach to healing work integrates evidence-based research methodologies with intuitive guidance and devotional polytheism. Izzy has been practicing Earth-based spirituality for more than 30 years and has cultivated a deep relationship with Irish and Welsh spiritual traditions. They have been a speaker and facilitator of courses focused on Celtic polytheism since 2013. Izzy is a co-founder of the Order of the Crows, a priesthood tradition honoring the Morrigan. They are the owner of Transformation Reik and Liminal Crossings in downtown Austin, Texas, USA. Izzy makes a living as a integrative trauma coach and trauma-informed Reiki practitioner, providing healing services to clients with PTSD, auto-immune disorders, and various stress-related illnesses. 

     Gaybrielle Gray is initiated into 5 different traditions, and is most public about her initiation as a Gnostic Bishop. At a young age she started having intense experiences with entities; predictive dreams, and forming friendships with trees and rocks. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Detroit Mercy. In her free time Gaybrielle is a poet, avid reader, foodie, dancer, hiker, animal lover, and traveler.  

Mamba MiRah is a veteran Army officer turned spiritual teacher whose journey spans continents, cultures, and more than two decades of magical practice. While serving overseas, a tragic event in Germany led her to question her traditional faith and take her first steps onto the mystical path. Called to connect with the divine feminine, she began healing and expanding her practice through goddess work and ancestral exploration.

As a mixed-race woman, MiRah initially started her spiritual work in Celtic traditions, while also seeking ways to reconnect with her African ancestral magic. She found a Hoodoo mentor in Georgia who recognized her calling and guided her into rootwork, connecting her to the soul magic of her lineage. Later, after meeting her father’s family for the first time, her ancestral roots deepened into a source of empowerment and wholeness. Mirah sees the diversity of her lineages, magical experiences, and reclaimed wisdom as a strong source of power and healing.

In 2015, Mamba founded Hearth Wisdom Store in Texas - an inclusive, award-winning community space recognized as Best in Class for its commitment to representing diverse magical paths. Her vision has since grown into multiple spiritually aligned businesses, including marketplaces, a witchy clothing store, and the celebrated Texas Witches’ Ball, which has hosted more than a dozen enchanting gatherings in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

With over 10 years of teaching experience in magic, rootwork, tarot, and astrology, Mamba MiRah is passionate about empowering practitioners to honor their heritage, expand their craft, and build authentic connections. She has been married for 25 years and is the proud mother of two adult children. Today, she continues to share her knowledge and inspire seekers across the country with her blend of discipline, mysticism, and radical inclusivity.

Rev. Sharon Ross is a longtime Ecclectic Witch, Rootworker, Elemental/Planetary Herbalist, and Metaphysician.  She is also the owner of Bayou Seawitch Apothecary, LLC.  She holds a Bachelor's Degree from The University Of Metaphysics in Metaphysical Science and also is currently finishing a Master's Degree, also in Metaphysical Science.  She is also is an Advanced Crystal Practitioner.  She is a member of the American Rootwork Association.  She and her family live in Greencastle, PA. 

 Eron Mazza is the author of The Living Lenormand and the host of The Witching Hour with Eron Mazza, a podcast devoted to the sacred, strange, and subversive heart of witchcraft. A queer witch and experienced diviner, Eron is best known for their engaging and accessible approach to Lenormand card reading, which they teach through classes, workshops, and one-on-one mentorship. Their work demystifies the art of cartomancy while honoring its roots in folk magic, practical spellwork, and spirit-led insight. Eron is a contributing writer for Out in STL, their local LGBTQ+ magazine, and HORNS, the national publication for queer witches.   Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Eron offers readings, teaches witchcraft and divination, and builds community through words, ritual, and wit. 

 Greg Stevens has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Michigan and taught introductory Cognitive Science and Neural Network Programming courses at UCLA in the early 00’s. More recently he worked for The Satanic Temple (TST) as their first Director of Ministry, where he created and rolled out the online curriculum for TST’s minister training program. He currently enjoys writing and presenting on a wide range of topics related to hermeticism, esoteric studies, left hand path philosophy, artificial intelligence, and the scientific study of the mind. 

Scott Brown is a wildlife and portrait photographer and owner of Dream Wolf Photography. He has been a student of several branches of magick and metaphysical disciplines for well over twenty years, including most types of eclectic paganism, and he is a founder of the tradition of Modern Totemism. His formal education is as an electrical and computer engineer.   

Emily Schumacher is an educator, writer, and ritualist.  She is an initiate of multiple traditions and oversees curriculum at Académie Gnostique, a school of magic and esotericism in New Orleans. Emily is also an artist working in textile and paper mediums creating tarot, book bindings, and talismanic art.