May 20–24 2024

The Temple of Witchcraft’s spiritual tour of the magick of the Crescent City returns for 2024!

Come join Christopher Penczak and ministers of the Temple of Witchcraft for a journey to the city of New Orleans, a crossroads of magick, spirit, and tradition from many cultures and times. Tour the historical French Quarter: its occult and Voodoo shops, its haunted history, and its cemeteries, and partake in classes and rituals with experienced guides.

Apply to Join the Retreat Here

Payment Info

Total Cost: $765 ($150 non-refundable deposit required)

Use the Magick of New Orleans Retreat 2024 product in the Temple Class Store to pay your deposit and balance online.

Please make all payments by check or money order payable to the “Temple of Witchcraft,” and send all payments to:

The Temple of Witchcraft
Attn: New Orleans Retreat
49 North Policy Street
Salem NH 03079

Please notate payment is for “NOLA 2024” and that the payment includes your contact information (mailing address, phone and/or email). If you need to make other payment arrangements, please contact Jocelyn at [email protected] for further information. Initial $150 deposit to reserve your space required within 30 days of acceptance. Full payment is required no later than March 1, 2024, and installment payments are available.

Includes: All itinerary items – does not include airfare, hotel, or meals.

Our planned itinerary of events includes:

• Welcoming night, with a riverside offering ritual and an evening steamboat dinner cruise on the Mississippi River.
• The Craft and the Crossroads: In Witchcraft and the Temple Tradition, we recognize there are many paths and many ways of experiencing Spirit. One of these is the rich family of African-Diasporic traditions, including the New Orleans Voodoo. In this class, we will “orient” ourselves at the crossroads to experience the magick of New Orleans by learning the essentials of Voodoo cosmology and comparing and contrasting them with the Temple’s own.
• Spiritual Direction and Protection: Temple Founder Adam Sartwell guides you through how to walk through the world of spirits and protect yourself from outside or malign influences.
• Art and Altars of Africa and Beyond with author and teacher Lilith Dorsey: This class will explore the traditional religious art and altars of Africa and the Afro-Diasporic world. Many different traditional and modern artists will be profiled and examined. The artful mystery of veves, or sacred ground drawing and symbols for the Lwa will be explored.  We will also discuss instructions for setting up your own altars and shrines to help attract love, money, peace, healing, and more.
• Workshop and Tour with Bloody Mary: Born on the bayou and baptized as Mary Millan in the Crescent City where waters surrounded on the Isle of Orleans, Bloody Mary is voodoo queen, mambo, Mamiissi and Swamp Witch with a 300 year old bloodline in NOLA. Bloody Mary will guide us to work in the river, in the cemetery, and in the forest.
• Guided Shopping Trip: The Temple founders escort you through the occult and esoteric shops of the French Quarter.
• Congress of the Bones Ritual: In sacred space, we commune with the Ancestors, our Beloved Dead, and the Hidden Company of our Timeless Tradition, and learn what messages they have to offer us, and ask us to bring back to the community. The Congress of the Bones is one of three “foundation” rituals facilitated by the Temple’s founders.
• Royal Carriage Tour: Ride a horse-drawn carriage through the French Quarter of New Orleans to learn about its history, culture, and occult influence.
• Airboat Swamp Tour: Ride in an airboat to tour the Louisiana bayous and experience the spirits of the natural world.
• Plus more classes and free time to explore New Orleans and the French Quarter on your own!

Exact presentations and guests are subject to change (based on scheduling) but will be of similar quality and caliber.