The Sacred Space Conference

The central social unit of society is the household, but we are in a time in which the Oikos has taken on a different shape and form than it held in Ancient Greece. This workshop explores both ancient practice and modern adaptations to build a meaningful and relevant practice for today. Learn about the deities and spirits of the household, how to build a household shrine, and how to make a kadiskos to bless the household’s wealth. Gwendolyn will also share some reinterpreted rites to bless the household and its members, including rituals to bring spiritual meaning to life transitions. Household practice brings the sacred consciously into everyday life in ways that are both profound and transformative.

March 25th – March 29th, 2025 is cursed! This presentation will cover the annual unholy times of the Mayan Calendar known as the Wayeb. Solomon Pakal draws from anthropological material, primary resources, and knowledge from his Maya heritage to inform audiences of the ungodly spirits that spread bad luck every year. In the coming decades the end of March will be plagued by time demons. What are they? Where do they come from? Can we defend the Sacred Space Conference from the fractured time? The Mysteries of the Mayan Calendar and Maya ceremony hold the key. Learn the wards and lore needed to fend off the Wayeb! 

Woven into Welsh tradition is the concept of ‘Awen’. It is an enchanted force which stirred the spirit of the bard, opened doorways for the Witch, and illuminated foresight for the oracles. Awen is inherently linked with breath, song, and spoken word, all of which are potent, powerful tools for the practitioner of magic. During this workshop we will explore the concept of Awen and examine methods of drawing on this force within our magical operations. Learn how to conjure Awen from the very depths and direct it with song.

Join Wendy Mata, Ivo Dominguez Jr., Solomon Pakal, Jesse Hathaway Diaz, and Ron Padrón for a panel discussion exploring their experiences navigating the American pagan landscape as Latinx practitioners. Topics will include: How do we carve out identities in a country that is not the one of our roots? Why does cultural diversity matter for the future of Paganism and the occult? What does it mean to be “ni de aqui ni de alla”? How do our syncretic practices both reinforce colonial hegemony and rebel against it from within?

Anthropologists tell us the word “shaman” derives from Tungus language and traditions, but few understand what that means. We will explore the history and practice of shamanism, and walk through the landscapes of North Asia, and the largely hidden and unfamiliar traditions of Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic shamanism, exploring the subtle and unique aspects of each tradition. In this class, we will explore the Indigenous spiritual and shamanic traditions and beliefs of the Turkic, Mongol, and Tungus peoples, a broad cosmology and mythology of these shamanic cultures, the shamanic tools used by these cultures, and practical concepts and methods that can enhance your own practice. This class will largely draw from topics and themes from David’s book Spirit Voices.