Esotericism in Western Culture with Prof Wouter Hanegraaff

What if everything you think you know about Voodoo comes from Hollywood myths and colonial misconceptions?

What happens when art becomes a vehicle for hidden knowledge, spirit communication, and alternative forms of spirituality? In this livestream interview on Angela’s Symposium, I am joined by Dr Nina Kokkinen to explore the fascinating intersections of art, esotericism, occultism, mediumship, and spiritual seekership. We will discuss how esoteric ideas have shaped modern and contemporary art, why women’s contributions to occult and spiritual art have so often been overlooked, and how concepts such as occulture and seekership can help us understand artists whose religious and spiritual lives crossed conventional boundaries. We will also explore questions of mediumship, clairvoyance, artistic agency, and what happens when museums exhibit works that were originally understood as spiritually active or inspired. Nina Kokkinen (PhD, 2019) is an art historian, scholar of religion, curator, and award-winning non-fiction author specialising in the intersections of modern and contemporary art with esotericism, occultism, and alternative spiritualities. Her research has contributed to scholarly discussions of concepts including occulture and seekership, while her curatorial work has explored how academic research can be translated into exhibitions and public engagement. Her exhibitions include Arcana Borealis: Northern Women, Art and Esotericism (2026) at the Finnish National Gallery’s Ateneum Art Museum, and Aleksandra Ionowa: Visions of the Spirit World and Peace (2025) at the Gallen-Kallela Museum. From 2021 to 2024 she served as Editor-in-Chief of TaHiTi: Journal of the Society for Art History in Finland, and she is a member of the Advisory Board of Brill’s Aries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism. She also serves on the Scientific and Organising Committees of ESSWE 11: Alternative Epistemologies, to be held in Turku in 2027. Join us for an academically grounded exploration of occult art, women’s esoteric networks, mediumship, spiritual creativity, and the often invisible histories behind some of modern art’s most intriguing works.

What is Hoodoo, and how does its magic actually work? This episode explores the African American history of Hoodoo, rootwork and conjure, from slavery and resistance to healing, protection, divination and spiritual empowerment. Discover the meanings behind mojo hands, roots, Psalms, candles, ritual baths, graveyard earth and laid tricks, alongside the regional variations found in the Lowcountry, Mississippi, New Orleans and urban spiritual-supply traditions. We will also separate Hoodoo from Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo, examining how African, Christian, Indigenous and European influences were transformed within a distinctly African American tradition.

Were the Knights Templar really an occult secret society, or did that story emerge centuries after their destruction?

What if the biggest problem with explaining magic is the question we keep asking: “How does it work?”