Peg Aloi is an author, media scholar, film critic, horticulturist and traditional singer. She has published books on teenage witchcraft and HBO’s ‘Carnivàle,’ and her forthcoming book ‘The Witching Hour’ explores the portrayal of witchcraft, paganism and the occult in popular culture. She is also editing an an anthology of essays on women and folk horror. Peg is one of the co-founders of The Witches’ Voice (Witchvox) and served as the organization’s media coordinator. She’s given workshops at Sirius Rising for over 20 years, and has led Open Mic and Bardic Circle events for over a decade.
Witchvox: Its History and Legacy 25 years ago, in 1997, a non-profit organization was formed in Boston, MA called The Witches’ Voice. Its website at witchvox.com became the most popular pagan website of its kind, providing networking, information and educational materials for millions of witches, pagans and others around the world. It won awards from Wired magazine, consulted with the ACLU on religious persecution cases, and showcased thousands of pagan artists. But mostly, Witchvox was “home” for millions of pagans and witches on the fledgling pagan web. This presentation will share high points of its history and legacy. All Welcome Sirius Rising Mon, July 18 3:00 pm
Bardic Circle at the Didge Dome The Didge Dome is a special space where people can gather around the fire for an ancient tradition: the Bardic Circle. Songs, poems or other acoustic forms of performance can be shared in a “round robin” style that goes around the circle. The Bardic Circle traditionally begins fairly late at night after previous stage performances have concluded, so bring a comfy chair and a blanket and a beverage, and hang out and listen, or share a song if you feel so moved. All Welcome Sirius Rising Wed, July 20 10:00 pm
The Ascension of Tarot in Popular Culture This lecture and discussion will explore the growing presence of tarot in films, television and social media. Recent appearances of tarot in ‘Nightmare Alley,’ ‘Archive 81,’ ‘Killing Eve,’ and ‘House of Gucci’ follow previous portrayals in ‘Carnivàle,’ ‘Mad Men’ and ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.’ Tarot is a social phenomenon on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok, and an explosion of newly designed decks appear every day. Alongside astrology and witchcraft, tarot as an occult practice has gained many new seekers during the pandemic. What does it all mean, and what can we learn from it? All Welcome Sirius Rising Fri, July 22 5:00 pm