A part of The Serpentine Path series of classes curated by Spiritus Arcanum. this class will be live-streamed at 7pm on June 22nd. It will also be recorded and sent out afterwards for later viewing. 

About the class:

In Mesoamerican cosmology, the mother deities such as Coatlicue (Serpent-Skirt), Cihuacoatl (Serpent-Woman), and Toci-Tlazolteotl (Our Grandmother Eater of Filth) are heavily associated with the earth energy known as tlazolli, and always associated with serpents. Fertility, lust, creativity, deviousness and cunning and the struggle to maintain ourselves are all tied together in these conceptions– the earth is crawling with serpent energy! Drawing upon Aztec myth and the traditions of curanderismo and brujeria that inherit these worldviews in Mexico, we will explore the relationship to our Mother the Earth, the serpent and its shed, and the manipulation tlazolli and our bodily and spiritual health, in order to walk upright on this slippery earth who is our Serpent Mother, our Filth Mother.

For more information or to register for this class, follow this link.

For more information on The Serpentine Path series of classes offered by Spiritus Arcanum, follow this link.

My proposal for the Viridis Genii Symposium 2025– the Tenth of its name!– was accepted. Along many other amazing teachers and colleagues (plant magicians, green witches, drug wizards, and botany geeks all!), I’ll be presenting on a subject near and dear to my heart- the Magical Oil and its constituent parts, both material and immaterial. The conference is a long weekend near Olympia, Washington in July. Admission is for the whole conference. I have been every year since its creation, and spoken many times at the event. I highly recommend it, and also look for the accompanying publication that also comes out each year with articles from all the lecturers.

On the Very Viscous: In Defense of the Material and Immaterial Magical Oil

Through the centuries, magical oils have often followed a similar maxim as incense- sweet for fair things, noxious for foul things. However, such over-reliance on scent as the primary importance is a fallacy that has led to oil as secondary support rather than an oil as the magic itself. Much like traditional suffumigations, scent is a secondary, often collateral quality, of a traditional oil. So too are its constituent physical ingredients. An oil itself is a bottle-spell, containing the essences of plant, fungi, animal, mineral, place, human, and things subtler still–whereby the physical oil is the carrier of the combined essence and force of these ingredients delivered through the menstruum of a given oleum. They may come from inspired recipes brought forth from intellect or spirit communication; found in or inspired by ancient texts; and others the children of established tradition or any combination of such. Some oils can take years to make, being buried, stored away for certain tides of the year, or are merely prohibitive in their ingredients and can be made with ease once these are procured. Some are simple macerations and infusions, others given to the art of distillation, many combine both techniques. Some may address simple purposes, and others may be spirits unto themselves. But the Oil is more than the sum of its parts, and knowing all the ingredients will not, and should not, make the same oil. In this lecture, Hathaway Diaz will explore how the immaterial demands relationality that enhances the often over-commodification of the material and how, as magicians and witches, we should nurture and defend both the material and the immaterial oil.

For more information and to register for the Viridis Genii Symposium, follow this link.

My proposal for the Viridis Genii Symposium 2025– the Tenth of its name!– was accepted. Along many other amazing teachers and colleagues (plant magicians, green witches, drug wizards, and botany geeks all!), I’ll be presenting on a subject near and dear to my heart- the Magical Oil and its constituent parts, both material and immaterial. The conference is a long weekend near Olympia, Washington in July. Admission is for the whole conference. I have been every year since its creation, and spoken many times at the event. I highly recommend it, and also look for the accompanying publication that also comes out each year with articles from all the lecturers.

By Slick, By Grease, By Fat and Sap: The Devil’s in the Details
3 HOUR INTENSIVE WORKSHOP– space is limited to 15 participants

Building upon this exploration of the immaterial and the material oil, workshop attendees will explore a variety of materia- botanical and mineral, by which to construct their own magical oil. Using traditional and personal exemplars, we will discuss and explore seven different oils (four traditional recipes and three personal) detailing their construction, use, and care. Examples of empowerments and ensouling will be given as means of empowering the oil to life and purpose. Each participant will leave with a newly constructed ‘condition’ oil an oil used to aide a specific purpose. Further means by which each oil may be empowered and animated further will be detailed in further instructions should each participant choose to do so.

For more information and to register for the Viridis Genii Symposium, follow this link.

Queen of Judea, Mother of Salome, Wife of Herod Antipas, and instrumental in the death of John the Baptist, the Biblical Herodias is an infamous figure who by the Middle Ages was named as the principal figure of a witch cult pervasive across Europe: a teacher of diablerie and mistress of magic and leader of the Wild Hunt. At once the cursed but immortal ancient queen, Herodias was considered a gifted magician and teacher and revolutionary in Leland’s “Aradia”, perhaps a survival and weaponization of pagan magics in a Christian world. Inspiring many great works of art and music and theatre, Herodias proves to be an enigmatic figure whose lore and practice are sadly less talked about. Tracing her history and influence from the historical figure through Mediterranean and Iberian folk expressions as well as literary and artistic explorations, come learn about and pay homage to the “Daughter of Babylon”, the Witch Queen Herodias!

For more information or to register, follow this link.

For more information on the Salem Witch Fest, follow this link.

This presentation is part of the programming scheduled for Templefest and co-presented with Dr Alexander Cummins, together as Radio Free Golgotha.

Necromancy can have a bad rap sometimes. In older times, it has been framed as the preserve of creepy magicians skulking about graveyards disrespecting the restful slumber of the dead…

Yet outside of accusations of ghost-bothering and other such harmful stereotypes about “black magic”, many if not all world traditions hold important regard in their folk magics for honouring the beloved dead, communicating with benevolent ancestors of both blood and chosen family, venerating lineage-founders and other such “Mighty Dead”, and finding empowering and life-affirming ways of working with wise tutelary souls.

In this two-headed presentation, Dr Alexander Cummins and Jesse Hathaway Diaz, co-hosts of the Radio Free Golgotha podcast and avid proponents of folk necromancy, will consider a range of wonderful ways we can explore and celebrate helpful interactions and engagements between the living and the dead from a variety of folk magical perspectives, cosmo-visions, and practices.

For more information and to register for Templefest, follow this link.

For more information on Radio Free Golgotha and Folk Necromancy, follow this link.

This presentation is part of the programming scheduled for Templefest.

The woman known as Maria de Padilla was 14th century Spanish noblewoman who was the mistress to King Pedro of Castile. After her death, the King had his marriage annulled and Maria de Padilla named Queen. This ‘crowning in hell’ increased her notoriety among the people, most especially witches, who began to call upon her as a source of power, naming her the wife of the Devil, and patron of outcasts, of women, of divination and love magic, and more.

In Brazil her cult found new life and expression within the Afro-Diasporic traditions, earning her a unique place among the Pomba Giras, those female crossroads spirits of Quimbanda. Here as Dona Maria Padilha, she still reigns, a celebration of witch, of fire, of Woman. Is she merely a legend? The memory of a witch? A Demon? A Witch-Goddess?

Come celebrate the Queen of Hell, who flows through magic and love and laughter and music, lending her aide and power to those who call upon her. With song and laughter, through the intercession of Maria Padilha, may we recognize the power of our choice in the fire that burns at the crossroads of each moment!

For more information and to register for Templefest, follow this link.

This presentation is part of the programming scheduled for Templefest.

A source of safety and comfort, shelter from the elements and prowling predators of the night, our Homes as witches are often protected with magic, a place where magic occurs, but less commonly thought of as magical entities in their own right. As technology helps us keep the fire burning (in our stoves and ovens), to keep the water flowing (in our sinks and showers), it is easy to forget the soul of the house in our everyday chores and pursuits.

Drawing from traditional witchcrafts and folkloric traditions of Europe and the Americas, we will look at the House as a divine entity, a cult of which you, its owner or occupant, are a priest. How does this viewpoint change our magic? How do we serve the house? How can we truly make it a home?

There is a spirit to each rafter, each hinge, each intersection of wall and floor. Fire brings the dead and the living together, the windows are liminal spaces where we might appease minor spirits; the walls have feelings, the doors are strong allies, and the House always has a name. Come join us as we dive into folklore and traditions to enliven our own relationship with where-we-live. Come join us as we look to honor the spirit of that great being that shares itself with us, a temple to the Land upon which it sits, and claim your rightful spot as its caretaker, emissary and priest.

For more information and to register for Templefest, follow this link.