Speakers
Check out our wonderful speakers below, listed here alphabetically.
Peregrin Wildoak | Esotericist
Author of “By Names and Images: Bringing the Golden Dawn to Life", Peregrin was born in Warwickshire, UK and emigrated to Perth, Western Australia at age 12, where he has lived ever since. In his youth he came into contact with the western mystery traditions and was initiated into the Golden Dawn, eventually running an Order based in Perth. He holds a Masters of Divinity and has received initiation and training in several other traditions including Wicca, Vajrayana Buddhism and an Isis Mystery School.
Setken | Artist & Researcher
Setken is an accomplished artist and researcher whose work explores themes of mythology, history, and spirituality, especially Kemetic (i.e. Ancient Egyptian) spirituality. With a background as an actor and another in visual arts, and years dedicated to uncovering hidden stories from Australia’s past, Setken brings a unique perspective to historical narratives. Passionate about preserving cultural heritage, Setken combines meticulous research with creative expression to shed light on forgotten histories. His documentaries have won awards on the alternative film festival circuit. His paintings have been featured in academic Egyptology books, including on the cover of one, and most recently in the Complete Encyclopedia Of Egyptian Deities. His book The King Of Melbourne: the spiritual life of David Syme, his newspaper The Age, and the legacy of his monumental tomb is being published in 2026.
Benjamin Turale | Lab Alchemist & Teacher
Benjamin Turale is a practicing laboratory alchemist whose work spans the three kingdoms of nature, specifically the vegetable, animal and mineral/metallic kingdoms, with a focus on metallic alchemy and the antimonial path to the Magnum Opus (Great Work). His creative output also focuses on the manufacturing of spagyric products and teaching traditional Hermetic alchemy through his enterprise the Temple of Mercury, for which he received the prestigious Paracelsus Award in 2021 for outstanding contributions to alchemy. Benjamin has been a teacher in one form or another since 2007. A former psychotherapist and university lecturer, now full-time Hermetic alchemist, he has a diploma in Hermetic Science from the International Alchemy Guild (IAG). Having also studied at the now closed Paracelsus College in Australia, he completed his training in the Frater Albertus alchemical lineage under Robert Allen Bartlett in the USA. Benjamin has spoken at many occult conferences internationally. He currently serves the IAG as Director of Education and on the executive board. Benjamin’s focus is to preserve and pass on the Hermetic tradition.
Dr. David Waldron | Associate Professor
Dr. David Waldron is an Associate Professor of History at Federation University Australia, specialising in folklore and community heritage. He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (2008), Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – A Case Study in Local Folklore (2010), Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (2013), editor of Goldfields and the Gothic: A Hidden Heritage and Folklore (2016), and author of Aradale: The Making of a Haunted Asylum (2020). Dr Waldron is widely involved in public history through festivals, tours, and multimedia, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival and the award-winning podcast Tales from Rat City (winner of the 2019 National Trust People’s Choice Award & the 2023 Victorian Community History Award). In the tabletop role-playing community, he is an award-winning writer whose scenario William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion received a Silver ENNIE and a Victorian Community History Award, and The Last Dance of Lola Montez was nominated for an ENNIE. He is also a TEDx speaker and dramaturg.
Josephine Winter | Witch, Teacher, Author, High Priestess
Josephine Winter has been a Pagan or witch of some flavour for most of her life, beginning as a daggy teen witch in the 1990s before joining Norse-inspired Heathenry and later the Alexandrian tradition of Wicca. She holds degrees in education, literature, and the arts. She lives in country Victoria, in Australia’s leafy southeast. Over the last few decades, Josephine has been a regular volunteer and organiser at various Pagan and Witchy events around Australia, including the Mount Franklin Pagan Gathering, the Australian Wiccan Conference (AWC) and countless meetups and public rituals. She co-founded the Pagan Collective of Victoria in 2014, organising several Pagan Pride Days and the 2019 AWC under the Collective’s auspices. Josephine is a cofounder of Lepus Lumen, a teaching collective of covens, outercourts, and solo practitioners founded in 2019 with Jason Tremain. The Lepus Lumen course is now taught across multiple Australian states and is offered free of charge. Josephine has written several books on witchcraft, all available from good booksellers everywhere.
Shu Yap | Teacher & Consultant
Shu Yap is a globally recognised consulting astrologer, writer, and teacher, based in Central Victoria, Australia, on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. Certified through the Melbourne School of Astrology and the School of Traditional Astrology in London, with a passion for Medieval Astrology throughout the Persian, Arabic and Latin periods, Shu maintains an international consulting practice and lectures to professional audiences worldwide. Shu leads the Medieval Astrology Certificate program at Kepler College, mentors foundational to advanced students, and contributes monthly planetary forecasts for The Interpsycle Observator. Shu is also a dedicated practitioner of Jyotish under the lineage of Śrī Achyutānanda Dāsa of Orissa, India, bringing an integrated Eastern and Western perspective to her research, teaching, and practice.