Rick de Yampert is a Florida resident and freelance writer, musician, artist and lecturer on sacred topics. He has followed a Pagan path since the early 1990s, and has presented workshops and performed on sitar and Native American flutes at Pagan festivals and UU churches throughout Florida. He has lectured on shamanic drumming, the Hindu sacred Om, Goddess worship, Taoism and other metaphysical subjects.

Rick’s book “Crows and Ravens: Mystery, Myth, and Magic of Sacred Corvids” explores the curious, amazing ways of these birds that the ancient Norse, Celts, Native Americans and other cultures revered as clever, magical creatures.

As an artist, Rick takes photos of crows and shape-shifts them using a half-dozen digital programs, then prints the results on canvas. See his work at mistercrowart.com.

Previously Rick wrote about the arts, entertainment and pop music for 25 years at newspapers in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Nashville, Tennessee, before becoming a freelance writer and musician in 2015. Rick also served a tenure as the arts, entertainment and culture writer for The Wild Hunt, a Pagan news website.

His workshop at AM24 is Uncanny Corvids: Myths and Magic of Crows and Ravens
This workshop, based on his book, will examine the history and mythology of crows and ravens through the ages, the science of corvids (one prominent biologist calls them “feathered apes”), their supernatural abilities and behaviors, and ways to build communion – both practical and magical – with these intelligent beings. The workshop will include a PowerPoint program featuring Rick’s crow photos and Mr. Crow art.