I actually met Katelan van Foisy through her writing, but it turns out this is only one of her many talents. She's a wonderful artist- you can see the Tarot cards she's created here- how many of our past interviewees can you spot? There's Warren Ellis, Sxip Shirey and Gabby Young in there!

In Katelan's other incarnation as La Gitana, she's set up London Conjure with Sister Enable that uses the wonder of the internet to share their spiritual services on both sides of the Atlantic.

We chatted to them both about the influence their heritage has had on them, combining modern technology with ancient rituals and how to help yourself get off to a fresh start in the new year.

RR: How did London Conjure come about?

Sister Enable: London Conjure came to be over a series of Skype calls with Katelan who I had known for years. I mentioned something about setting up a website called "Sister Enable's Justified Conjurations" to see how going online with my conjure work might work out. I had a frozen shoulder at the time and was finding it hard to do the seamstress work I had been doing before due to the restriction of movement and at the same time, various personal changes in my life had shown me that I was being called to do this work for others full-time. Katelan said she would be able to help me with the website, as my computer skills extend to email, online grocery shopping and uploading photographs. I was happy she was willing to help...and then for no apparent or obvious reason at the time I said, "Do you want to come in on this with me?" She agreed. Obviously the name had to change and somewhere in my head "London Conjure" came to mind. So we stuck with it and the business itself just naturally evolved.

La Gitana/Katelan Foisy: Basically what Sister Enable said. From there we set up a simple facebook page and to our surprise had clients right away. I started designing and setting up the website. We had an idea of what we wanted to offer and knew we wanted an old style traditional look to the website and products. We shared recipes and came up with a code of ethics for the business. Like Sister Enable said, our goal has always been to help people, with the products some people choose to do things on their own so we wanted to make good products to aid them in their workings and on their spiritual journeys.

RR: Does it feel odd combining such ancient practices with modern technology like Skype and Youtube?

Sister Enable: For me it did feel odd because I had always worked by word of mouth. Never advertised at all. So it was a little strange. But I think it's a good thing now, ultimately. We have managed to meet some wonderful fellow workers in the spiritual arena which were it not for things like YouTube and Facebook we never would have even heard of, let alone befriended. It's also a valuable source of information and resources can be pooled among the spiritual community. Also, if we need back up on a job ever, it is very straightforward and fast to be able to contact, for example, priests in Nigeria or a Mambo in Haiti and get a response back the same day. Without the internet none of this would be possible.

La Gitana: I absolutely adore it. I believe as we move forward in our lives we have to embrace technology. Growing up I would have to special order books from the library in order to find certain information. Now I can go online, browse a book, take it out from a library or buy it if I choose too. The information is right there. I have the internet to thank for even having a career. It has put me in touch with so many amazing people. I met Sister Enable off a social network years ago. I met my Godfather Ocha ni Lele from a friend in London who recommended his blog to me. It also helps with hard to find herbs. I go online, look it up and there it’s delivered to my door and I can finish a working. I still go to the botanica (spiritual shop) but some things are just not found there. Damon Stang (my partner in The Wtches’ Compass) and I joke that our smart phones are scryphones because they give you all the information you need. My phone has a compass on it so when we’re trying to figure out where East is I pull it out and hold it over the cauldron. I love that all this information and access is right there in the palm of my hand. It also makes it so much easier for clients to get ahold of us.

RR: You have both Romani and Native American heritage- how has this shaped your faith and does it influence the practices of London Conjure?

Sister Enable: I have Creole as well as Romany and Cherokee. Many of the traditions have some interlap, the principles are the same. However, for me personally I am a lot more influenced by the Creole aspects in my background which is traditional conjure/hoodoo and my work is incredibly centered around that. That said, the Romany aspect has given me a huge appreciation of nature and animals. I have to be honest... the Cherokee side I am still learning about and much as it is facinating I cannot in all honesty say that it has as yet influenced by personal practice. I work as a rootdoctor, or two-headed doctor and work with roots, herbs and condition oils as well as with the saints and other spirits. I am a bit one-track!

La Gitana: I’m a mutt. I'm part Austrian, Russian, Polish, French, Cree Indian, Romany, Hungarian, Czech and I’m sure there’s more in there somewhere. I think because of this I flow easily between workings with different spirits. A lot of my work is based on whatever spirit is coming to me for the working. It’s very much based on the background of who is coming to us as well. I do find that the Rom has shaped a lot of what I do as well as the Cree part. My Grandmother on my mothers side taught me about herbs, nature, and how to use candles. She was Austrian and worked as a nurse and healer. When I joined with my Godfather in Santeria is was a whole new network and system. But all in all I am completely spirit guided in all my workings. if they tell me to stick feathers in a lemon packed with herbs I’m going to do it to get the job done. They’ve never lead me wrong.

La Gitana

RR: Tell us about the Witches Compass events you hold in New York? Is there anything similar people can get involved in in the UK?

La Gitana: Damon Stang and I started The Witches’ Compass in October. We had met through social networking and found that we worked very similarly. He had been mulling over the name The Witches’ Compass and asked what I thought. I loved it. We pitched the idea to the guys at Catland and they loved it too. Basically The Witches' Compass is an interactive ritual environment and celebration. Participants are guided along 'the crooked path' of sorcery, to work both the mysteries of the Waxing Moon. Each round of the Witches' Compass is a unique event inspired by the balance of the elements and the flux of the lunar tide.These gatherings are not lectures or classes in the traditional sense but immersive experiences that engage all of the senses of mind, body, and soul, and are generally spiritual and not devotional in nature. Participants may be of any 'magico religious' lineage (or in fact none at all) , but our primary focus will be on the ways and means of Witching. The rituals are designed for anyone, both the curious and the studied will feel at home and in good company. I’m not sure if there is anything like The Witches’ Compass in London. The next time I travel there I’d be happy to host an event though.

Sister Enable: As far as something similar to Witches' Compass here in England..I'm not sure yet. We're still in the early stages of London Conjure, but the idea of hoodoo teaching conferences has been thrown around. I can't personally imagine doing what Katelan does... I am a lot more of a private person, and while I can lose myself in the actual work, I am not so confident in large groups of people I do not know. It's not something I am used to or feel comfortable with, so I am behind the scenes quite a lot of the time and that suits me. We do offer online one on one tuition though and that is something I enjoy -passing on the traditions to people and tutoring on an individual basis, so anyone in the UK can contact me or Katelan about that.

RR: The New york Times recently wrote about the Witches Compass nights- the pieces ended with a great quote from Mr English: “It used to be that with witchcraft and the occult, the anger was directed toward perceived diabolism,” “And now it’s directed at the idea of hipsterdom or gentrification. I have trouble making the connection. If you’re going to hate us, hate us for the traditional reason to hate us. Call us witches, not hipsters.” Do you find that people are disrespectful towards your faith in a way they wouldn't be towards other religions they come across that may not be their own? How do you deal with this?

Sister Enable:I have personally never had anyone be direspectful about my beliefs or what I do. But I live in a very small place out in the boonies and we're not thin on the ground as far as spiritual variation goes. I live next door to a druid and we often run into each other in the woods doing our spiritual practices. Never even had a funny look from people passing. The only "issue" I have ever had was online when a working I was doing for healing with Pope John Paul II created quite the drama from anti-Catholics. I explained this was not Catholicim per se but it appeared to fall on deaf ears.

La Gitana: Most people I encounter are really respectful of what I do. I have friends that are spiritualists, atheists, internet trolls, libertarians etc. We respect each other. I think if you can get past the idea of beliefs and just see the person as another human being you can usually get past these issues. Sometimes people try to troll me on the internet but that doesn’t really bother me either. Essentially they are just looking for a reaction or a fight. You’re really not going to get that from me. I usually send them off with some logical advice on how to block me from their feed if they don’t like what I have to say. 

RR: We all know that Christmas takes place in the midst of winter because it took the place of a traditional Pagan festival- what winter celebrations do you observe?

Sister Enable: I personally don't observe any. I may attend my neighbor's solstice event but personally I loathe the festive season and endeavor to treat it all just as a normal week. It's all way too commercial. I do celebrate Fet Gede, the vodou festival of the dead but that is more a service to the spirits as opposed to a winter festival as such.

La Gitana: I’m pretty much the same way. I enjoy celebrating the changing of the seasons but the only holidays I actually observe are All Hallow’s Eve, Day of the Dead, All Souls Day, and All Saints Day. Since I work so much with spirits I feel it’s important to pay reverence and celebrate them. I also love New Years because I get to set new goals for myself. I get to look back at the year before and see how far I’ve come. I absolutely adore it.

RR: What can people do in the New Year to help themselves get off to a good start?

Sister Enable: I would suggest that people use the new year to free themselves from whatever does not benefit them and be fearless enough to be consistent with the changes that brings. If that means big, radical changes, so be it. Sometimes that is necessary to move forward with ones life and spiritual growth. The New Year is psychologically a great time to do this... out with the old and in with the new.

La Gitana: The New Year is meant to give people a fresh slate. I usually suggest people do a spiritual cleanse of some kind. A great one is sea salt, a bit of rosemary and some lavender. use it as a scrub or just put it in the bath. As you do this think about the things you want to let go of and as the water runs down the drain those things you want to lose are washed down with it. I have this little ritual I like to do. First round is the dedication round. Dedicate the year to something, an idea, a goal, etc. Write it down and keep that in your thoughts with whatever you do for the year. Then there’s the Bragging Round which is funny, I call it that because it’s not really bragging but more of writing down what you accomplished during the year. You will be amazed when you see it on paper. The third round is the oath round and there you make your resolutions. Make sure they are realistic and take them on one by one. I wrote a little something on how to keep your new years resolutions: sticking to your resolutions can be complicated if you don't know where to start.

Here's a few tips.

1. Don't go crazy with the resolutions. Pick a few things you know you can keep. You can add more as you go along.

2. Get a planner or use the calendar in your phone. Get organized. The more you are aware of what's going on, where you have to be, and what you have to do the more you can accomplish. Plus you won't feel like you are always trying to remember what you are doing.

3. Eliminate unnecessary feeds, twitter follows, emails, and facebook friends. I seriously just deleted 4,000 + emails. Feels good. I'll also be trimming down my twitter feed.

4. Clean out your purse or wallet, put last years receipts in a folder and get a fresh new start.

5. Day by day is the way to do it. Don't try to cram everything you want into one day. Make a schedule and take small steps to achieve your goals. For example, you want to have your art featured in certain publications. Take time everyday to either search appropriate publications or contact them. Just one or two a day adds up over a year. Baby steps, baby steps.

6. Eat better. The best way to make sure you are getting things done is to make sure your body is getting properly fed. I started doing this in 2011 and have been reaping the benefits ever since. Exercise + healthy food is a win/win situation.

7. Clean your house and create a place for everything in it. You'll feel better and your mind will feel less scattered.

8. Make a list of your resolutions and keep it either in a journal that you use often or post it up where you can see it. That way you can check things off as you achieve them. Remember to simplify.

9. Think about yourself as a whole. Does everything you do come together? If there's anything that doesn't quite fit in with the bigger picture get rid of it. You can always go back later. Remember one day at a time.

10. Be proactive. It's easy to get lazy or let our doubts take over. Keep focused and carry on every day. Somedays will be more productive than other but stay open and you'll see it all start to come together.

See more from London Conjure here.