Esoteric Crossroads: Scholars Meet Practitioners is a new collaborative video series, launched in 2025, co-produced by Rejected Religion and RENSEP. Hosted by Stephanie Shea, each session brings together scholars and practitioners for thoughtful dialogue on esoteric traditions.

This audio replay is an edited version of the live session that took place in September 2025. If you are interested to learn more and join the upcoming discussions, please visit www.rensep.org or my Patreon page: www.patreon.com/RejectedReligion. The Free Content video replay can also be viewed on my YouTube channel. 


In this episode, scholar Sarah Nimfürh and practitioner Raisel Tejeda explore the layered world of Regla de Osha—often known (and contested) as Santería—and its intersections with Judaism, Afro-Cuban spirituality, and lived ritual. 

Topics we explore: How Jewish exile histories in Cuba intersect with Afro-Cuban poly-religious traditions 
The term “Santería”: its contested use, political weight, and the preferred name “Regla de Osha” 
Oral transmission, secrecy, and gendered limitations in research 
Raisel’s training path across multiple traditions and what embodied practice looks like 
Orishas as energies, guides, and cosmological forces 
Ritual tools, altered states, and the material language of devotion 
How practitioners adapt sacred practice to local ecologies and diasporic settings 
This conversation bridges scholarship and lived experience, offering insight into a tradition that is both deeply rooted and dynamically evolving. 

Theme Music & Video Production: Stephanie Shea