Dual-Faith Observance: Always Heresy, Never Blasphemy

The various streams of 'Traditional Witchcraft' often adhere to a concept of 'dual-faith observance' - a conception of multiple belief, where by the esoteric interpretation of one tradition allows for the praxis of another. Here we navigare a thin line between religion and spirituality, belief and faith, and modern conceptions of politics and Abrahamic cultural inheritance complicate it further. The religions of the right, expressed through orthodoxy, are practiced in tandem with the spiritualities of the left, expressed by heresy - but it's beyond compartmentalization. This is not ignorance of, or even ignoring the discrepancies, it is an embracing of them. Can someone practice two seemingly conflicting traditions at once? Once denial is sidestepped, and heresy embraced, all manner of things can be achieved!

Drawing upon a background in ritual theory and performance studies, and over two decades in the traditional craft community, Hathaway-Diaz will explore theory and praxis both, giving examples from many streams of magical thought where power is embraced not only through societal and cultural acquiescence, but through the witch's cross-cultural universal drive: to obtain and maintain power and autonomy.

About the Presenter:

Jesse Hathaway Diaz is a folklorist, artist and performer living in New York City. With initiations in several forms of witchcraft from Europe and the Americas, he is also a lifelong student of Mexican curanderismo, an initiated olosha in Lucumí, and a Tatá Quimbanda. For the last decade he has been a member of Theatre Group Dzieci, an experimental ensemble based in NY dedicated to the search for the sacred through the medium of theatre. He is half of Wolf & Goat, a store specializing in both Traditional Craft and Quimbanda materia magica and magical art, a co-host on the Radio Free Golgotha podcast, and a co-editor on the Folk Necromancy in Transmission Series through Revelore Press. www.serpentshod.com   www.wolf-and-goat.com

*This class is part of the General Admission & Saturday 8/14/21 Day Pass registrations, if you are interested in attending all of the events during this festival, or all of the events offered on Saturday 8/14/21, please select the appropriate registration type on our Events & Registration page.*

**Attendees will have access to this recording until the end of 2021 - class recording links will be emailed to attendees within 7 business days of the conclusion of the festival. To protect the IP of our presenters, class recordings will not be downloadable.**

***Your class link will be emailed to you in your confirmation email. If you have not received your registration confirmation email within 24 hours please email info@salemsummersymposium.com***

****PLEASE NOTE: We cannot guarantee that any class registration within 24 hours of the class start time will be admitted to the livestreaming of the class. You will however receive the class recording link within 7 business days of the conclusion of the festival and will have access to the recording for the remainder of 2021****