What is it about?
Tea at Mephisto's 2 is the second edition of an international multidisciplinary
conference focused on the research of occultism and alternative
religious movements.
We cordially invite
historians, scholars of religion, ethnologists, psychologists, and librarians who deal with topics such as occultism, esotericism, or hermeticism (...). Those who study the history of the Unity of the Brethren, Rosicrucians, Freemasons, Martinists, Theosophical Society, Universalie, Golden Dawn, or O.T.O. (...). And similarly, those who from various disciplinary perspectives deal with witchcraft, voodoo, astrology, alchemy, or magic (...).
The character of the conference is primarily academic, but occultists, inspiring artists, and the interested public are of course invited. The unconventional name of the conference refers to the theatrical drama Mephistopheles (1910) by Jiří Mahen, in whose memorial the conference is held for the second time.
The conference will be streamed, which is our way of opening it up to the general public. Last year's live broadcast of the conference was watched by over 300 people on YouTube, Facebook, and our website. The accompanying program will also be rich this year. You can look forward to an exhibition on scientific research of occultism, inspired art, demonstrations of mystical dances, tea rituals, performances, tours of the Memorial and interesting places in Brno, and more.
Tea at Mephisto's is the continuation of the Happy Hour VIII conference.
When and Where?
This
year's conference will take place on the last weekend of October,
specifically
October 25th to October 28th, 2024, in Brno.
The conference will be held at the Jiří Mahen Memorial, which
is a historical three-story villa with a garden. The
first floor of the villa hosts a public library; on the second floor,
the Jiří Mahen Museum is located; finally, in the former attic,
the lecture space of the conference is located. There is also a small
natural amphitheatre in the garden. All of these spaces will be open
and available for conference purposes during Friday and Saturday. On
Sunday, the library will be open to the public, while the rest of the
spaces will remain accessible.
How to Participate?
You can participate in the conference either as a speaker or as an attendee. Proposals for presentations can be sent to us from June 10 to August 4, 2023. Proposals that are accepted will be announced by August 11, and the proposers will be notified. Speakers do not have to pay a conference fee.
Attendees can register from August 12 to September 30. During this time, the registration form will be available. The number of physically present participants is limited to 60 people, including 17 speakers. The conference fee will be published before the start of attendee registration. Details can be found on the Registration page.
