Explore Rissa’s most popular talks and workshops, organized by theme.
Programs are available online or in person. Email for more details.
Dark History & Esoterica
Uncover the legends, hauntings, and cultural beliefs that shape how we understand fear, mystery, and the unseen world.
History of Superstitions
Trace black cats, broken mirrors, and other iconic superstitions back to their cultural roots in this fast-paced historical deep dive. An engaging overview of the cultural, religious, and psychological origins of superstitions and their lasting influence on modern life.
Full Moon Lore
Discover how cultures across the world have interpreted the full moon as omen, guide, and mystery. This talk traces lunar rituals, fears, and celebrations to reveal why moonlight still captivates us.
Uncanny: History of Dolls in Magic & the Supernatural
Explore the eerie history of dolls as vessels for magic, protection, and fear across global traditions. This program examines how these human-like figures became powerful symbols in ritual, spooky folklore, and hauntings.
Love Never Dies
Experience haunting tales of devotion that transcend mortality, from spectral lovers to unfinished romances. This poignant, emotional program explores why love may linger long after life ends.
Lore of the Werewolf
Travel through centuries of shapeshifter stories, from medieval terrors to modern transformations. This cross-cultural exploration uncovers what wolves, and our fears of them, say about humanity.
Ouija
Discover the surprising Maryland origins of the Ouija board and its rise to American superstardom. This historical exploration demystifies the myths and examines the folklore and science surrounding spirit communication.
About the Evil Eye
Trace the Evil Eye across continents, unraveling its symbolism and powerful protective traditions. This talk reveals why this ancient belief remains so culturally persistent worldwide.
History of Divination
Explore humanity’s earliest attempts to interpret signs, messages, and fate across thousands of years. This overview illuminates the universal need for meaning in chaos, and how divination soothes uncertainty.
History of Tarot
Follow tarot’s journey from a 15th-century card parlor game to a modern tool for insight and divination. This talk separates myth from mystery, while examining how the cards became cultural icons.
Creepy Little Christmas
Meet the wild winterfolk who once roamed the darkest nights with gifts, warnings, or punishment. This festive program examines how these creatures shaped holiday traditions both merry and macabre.
Between the Worlds: Liminal Spaces
Uncover why legends say thresholds and in-between places attract the mysterious. This reflective program blends psychology, symbolism, and cultural stories to explore these potent edge spaces.
Mothman
Investigate the Mothman sightings that electrified Point Pleasant and sparked international fascination. This talk analyzes witness accounts, symbolism, the Chicago sightings, and how the legend continues to evolve. Created with Lon Strickler.
Grave Obsessions
Step into the ornate and emotionally charged world of Victorian mourning customs. This richly illustrated talk reveals how a culture obsessed with death reshaped funerals, grief, and remembrance. Created in collaboration with Dr. Zoe Copeman.
the Goth Girl
Trace the evolution of the “goth girl” into modern subcultural icon. This talk explores aesthetics, rebellion, music, and identity to reveal why this archetype holds such enduring power in pop culture.
History of MD Witches
Uncover Maryland’s complex witchcraft past, from regional accusations to execution, to surviving folk practices. This research-rich program clarifies fact from fiction and explores how these histories still echo today.
Hell House
Unravel the unsettling history and folklore surrounding Ellicott City’s infamous Hell House site. This program blends local myth, real events, and cultural memory to show how one abandoned property became a lasting urban legend.
MD's Cemetery History
Walk through Maryland’s burial history, from early Native traditions to Victorian symbolism and modern memorials. This talk offers a thoughtful look at how memory and culture shape our burial customs.
MD Cryptids
Travel deep into Maryland’s wild backstory of mysterious beasts and uncanny sightings. This program explores cultural context, historical records, and the witness accounts that give these creatures life.
History of PA Witches
Trace the real history of witchcraft in Pennsylvania, far beyond the myths and headlines. Through records, folklore, and lived tradition, this talk reveals how belief shaped early communities.
PA Cryptids
Meet the Keystone State’s strangest creatures, from river monsters to forest beast and things with wings. Blending history and eyewitness stories, this talk uncovers why these beings linger in public imagination.
PA Urban Legends
Journey through PA’s unforgettable tales of haunted roads, elusive creatures, and whispered local lore. This spirited survey reveals how regional anxieties and community identity shape these enduring legends.
Divination & Mysticism
A blend of ancient practice and modern intuition, these workshops bring clarity, symbolism, and accessible magic to curious seekers.
Intro to Tea Leaf Reading
Discover how simple tea leaves become symbols, stories, and intuitive insight in this hands-on introduction to tasseography. Participants learn the fundamentals of cup preparation, interpretation, and cultural history.
Intro to Pendulum Divination
Explore the mechanics of pendulum work, from grounding techniques to clear question framing. This workshop teaches participants how to use a pendulum effectively with confidence in everyday decision-making.
Energetically Clear a Space
Examine cleansing traditions from around the world and learn practical, ethical methods for shifting energy at home or work. This workshop focuses on plants, intention, and non-appropriative approaches that create grounded, harmonious environments.
Flower Crowns
Uncover the surprising folklore and history of flower crowns across cultures before crafting your own botanical halo. This program blends story, symbolism, and creativity for an experience that is both beautiful and meaningful.
Develop Your Intuition
A gentle, experiential workshop guiding participants back to their inner knowing through sensory exercises, symbolism, and mindful awareness. This session helps quiet external noise and strengthen trust in personal insight.
Intro to Cleromancy
Step into one of humanity’s oldest forms of divination through stone casting traditions. This workshop teaches symbolic reading, pattern interpretation, and how to work with a curated set of objects for intuitive guidance.
Intro to Smoke Scrying
Learn to interpret the movement, shapes, and soot patterns of smoke in this deep, meditative divination practice. Participants explore both technique and history while witnessing how flame and air reveal symbolic messages.
Using Crystal Grids
Discover how geometric patterns and curated stones work together to amplify intention. Participants learn grid basics, symbolic placement, and how to build personalized layouts for clarity, protection, or creative goals.
Magical Bells Workshop
Trace the ancient use of bells in protection, ritual, and music across global traditions. Participants then create their own charm bell while learning how sound has long been used to shift energy and intention.
Herbal Wisdom & Plants
Rooted in tradition and practical use, these plant-focused classes explore the healing, culinary, and energetic gifts of the green world.
Midnight Apothecary
Explore calming nervines, dream herbs, and bedtime rituals that support deep, restorative rest and meaningful dream experiences.
DIY Herbal Smoke Bundles
Create your own herbal smoke bundles while learning about plant uses, cleansing practices, and respectful cultural alternatives.
Herbs for Dogs and Cats
An introduction to gentle, pet-safe herbs that support common concerns in dogs and cats, with clear guidelines for responsible use and dosing, as well as recipes.
Herbal First Aid
Build confidence with gentle, effective herbal tools for cuts, scrapes, colds, bruises, and more. Includes learning what belongs in a simple herbal first-aid kit and how to use it.
Winter Care Herbs
Explore herbs that support immunity, warmth, digestion, and emotional resilience during the colder months.
Liminal Wild
Travel the edges: hedgerows, riverbanks, abandoned lots and explore powerful herbs that thrive in liminal spaces, on the edges of traditional growing spaces.
Herbal Aphrodisiacs
An intriguing look at herbs linked to vitality, circulation, and desire. This class is grounded in history, safety, and modern herbal understanding.
Foraging Walks
A beginner-friendly introduction to ethical foraging, plant identification, and seasonal awareness, taught outdoors as a guided walk.
DIY Syrups
Craft a classic herbal syrup for cold-weather support with guided instruction on preparation, ingredients, storage, and dosing.
Nervous System Herbal
A grounded introduction to nervines, adaptogens, and nutritives that calm stress, support burnout recovery, and help repattern the nervous system.
DIY Fire Cider
Make a warming, traditional tonic for seasonal wellness while learning about its folk roots and delicious variations.
Blending Herbal Teas
Craft balanced, flavorful teas while learning the basics of herbal energetics, aroma, and blending ratios. Participants leave with confidence, and their own custom blends.
Plant-based: Introduction
A welcoming, beginner-friendly overview of plant-based eating focused on flavor, accessibility, and real-life practicality, taught by a vegan of 31 years. Bring your questions!
Plant-based: Eat the Rainbow
Discover the vibrant world of whole-food, plant-based eating through a celebration of color. This workshop explores how fresh fruits and vegetables support energy, wellness, and creativity in the kitchen.
Plant-based: Holidays
A festive look at plant-based cooking for Thanksgiving, and the winter season. Learn how to create impressive centerpiece dishes and cozy comfort classics; proof that holiday meals can be abundant, delicious, and entirely compassionate.
Nighttime Gardens
Explore the sensory magic of after-dark gardens: night-bloomers, moon cycles, pollinators, and the human traditions surrounding them.
DIY Cone Incense
Make your own botanical incense cones using powdered herbs, spices, and flowers while learning about scent, smoke, and meaningful ritual use.
Herbalist as Witch
A historical unbraiding of why herbalists, midwives, and healers were labeled “witches,” and how plant knowledge became tied to magic and fear.
Edible Flowers
Too pretty to eat? Explore the beauty and flavor of edible flowers through identification, kitchen uses, and easy recipes to incorporate blooms into food and drink.
Intro to Flower Essences
Learn what flower essences are, how they’re traditionally made, and how to create blends that support emotional and energetic well-being.
Healing Herbs for Everyday Cooking
Discover simple ways to bring wellness into every meal with herbs that nourish, flavor, and support the body. A deliciously approachable class with tips, recipes, and everyday techniques.
Literary Workshops
For writers, poets, and storyteller ~creative sessions that unlock imagination, deepen voice, and reconnect participants with the art of expression.
Dark Poetry Workshop
Plunge into the shadows where language, emotion, and imagination intersect. This workshop guides writers into crafting vivid, atmospheric poems that embrace the uncanny with depth, artistry, and bold creative expression of dark poetry.
Seance Poetry Workshop
Channel intuition, symbolism, and the unseen into your writing. This session blends lore, divination systems, and guided prompts to help create poems that feel whispered from the veil between worlds.
Poetic Language for Prose Writing Workshop
Learn how to bring sensory richness, metaphor, and rhythm into your prose. This workshop helps fiction and nonfiction writers elevate their voice, deepen imagery, and craft sentences that resonate long after reading.
Storytelling 101
Uncover the timeless elements that make stories unforgettable. Through structure, voice, and folktale techniques, this workshop helps speakers and writers create compelling narratives that captivate audiences of any age.
Love Poems (to Yourself)
A gentle writing workshop that helps you craft heartfelt, empowering poetry centered on self-honoring and emotional truth. Explore metaphor, memory, and language to reconnect with your inner voice.
Literary History of
Ellicott City, MD
Journey through the lesser-known literary legacy of one of Maryland’s most storied towns. This talk highlights authors, poets, recipe writers, and overlooked voices who shaped the region’s creative identity.