Review: British Library - Fantasy: Realms of Imagination

I went to the British Library exhibition Fantasy: Realms of Imagination earlier this week and I can honestly say I enjoyed it more than any other exhibition I've been to this year - probably more than any in the past few years. It ticked every box for me, but that's possibly because it crossed over most of my interests. 

It starts by explaining that modern fantasy can be traced back to ancient folk tales and epics, which continue to inspire creators and fans. The first things to see there relate to fairy tales, which I've loved since I was a child. It continues by showing fantastic art and literature over the centuries. The photo to the left shows an 1882 edition of Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, illustrated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

The history of fantasy literature is a topic I already knew quite well as I studied it at university as part of my degree. One course I took as part of my BA was Fantastic Literature and another was Heroic Epics in the Oral Tradition, so you can see this exhibition is right up my street. However, I still learnt things I didn't already know and saw some books that are now on my wish list!

But fantasy and mythology also tap into Paganism. Some tales date back to ancient times, but modern fantasy literature has also influenced current paganism. Many poeple I know say they've been inspired by reading books such as Alan Garner's The Owl Service or Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. (You can see one of the Owl Service plates in the photo on the right.)

The exhibition isn't just about books and art. There are displays relating to roleplaying games, fantasy boardgames and computer games. These are also things I enjoy. The picture at the top shows a section about a computer game called Fallen London, which I really got into in its early days.

The last bit covers fan creations including some wonderful costumes made for live action roleplaying and you can see some in the photo to the left. I admit that back in my younger, slimmer days I owned a replica Xena Warrior Princess costume that I wore to Larps. Wish I could get into it (and look good in it) now. I was reminded of that in the section on TV and films, which has one of my favourite scenes fromn the Xena series.

I'm going to try to get back to the exhibition again before it closes in February because I enjoyed it so much. I thoroughly recommend going if you get the chance. 

The British Library is at 96 Euston Rd., London NW1 2DB. You can get exhibition tickets here: https://fantasy.seetickets.com/timeslots/filter/fantasy-realms-of-imagination

There's also a catalogue alongside the exhibition which you can buy at the British Library shop or at places like Amazon.

Christmas Past: Yule in the Winter of Discontent

That room is intended to show a what an ordinary London home might have looked like in 1978 - the Winter of Discontent - with icy weather and powercuts. It's part of the Rooms Through Time: Winter Past exhibition at the Museum of the Home in East London. Every year they decorate their regular displays of domestic rooms through history appropriately for the winter festivities of those eras. 

It isn't the exactly same display every year as the museum rings the changes in the aspects they show. When I last went there the 1970s room was bright and cheerful and gave me a dash of nostalgia for the Christmases of my youth. 

Personally, I didn't have a miserable winter in 1978. It came at the end of my first year at university. It was cold, but I mostly recall I partied hard in the student house before the end of term. I don't remember any power cuts on December 25th itself but maybe I slept through one as I did catch up on sleep back at my parents' home. Looking through old family photos of that era I did find one picture of a Christmas Eve meal from the 1970s lit only by candles. I'm not sure if it was just for atmosphere or if there had been a power cut. I'm not in the picture but that's probably because I was behind the camera.

Do you want to share any memories of Christmases past?  Please leave a comment.

On Tuesday 12 December I've giving an online talk on Magic for the Yuletide through The Last Tuesday Society and I'll be talking about some Christmases past as well as looking at midwinter folklore and customs. The event starts at 7.30pm and tickets ·are from £5.82. You can find more details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/12/holly-folklore-from-rounding-wheel-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/12/pagan-eye-christmas-tree-in-trafalgar.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/11/yuletide-poem-capturing-mood-of-season.html

Magical Online & London Events in the Next Weeks

Here's a list of events for pagans, witches and those with similar interests over the next couple of weeks. I mainly include in-person things in or near London, because that's where I'm based, as well as online talks and workshops you can do anywhere. If you are running an event you want included, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com 

Now - 31 December;  Documenting British Folklore in Paint, Photography and Sculpture. Exhibition by Ben Edge at The Viktor Wynd Museum of UnNatural History. Venue: 11 Mare Street, London, E8 4RP. https://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/museum/

Now - 22 December; Exhibition - Histories and Hauntings.  Venue: Swedenborg House, 20-21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Tickets free https://www.swedenborg.org.uk/

Now - Saturday 23 December; Aleister Crowley Beastly Trumps - an art exhibition of the work of RH Stewart. Venue: The Gardner Room at The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY. Time: During shop opening hours. Free entry. https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Now - 25 February; Fantasy: Realms of Imagination. Exhibition at the British Library, 96 Euston Rd, London, NW1 2DB. Adult tickets £16, teenagers £8, under 11 free: https://fantasy.seetickets.com/timeslots/filter/fantasy-realms-of-imagination

Every Wednesday and Friday from 1 - 13 December: Festive Pop-In Days at the College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am - 4pm. Free, just pop in. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk

Wednesday 6 December (most Wednesdays); Live Chat hosted by Rachel Patterson, author of the Gods and Goddesses of England and the Kitchen Witch series of books. Time: 9am. Free. https://www.facebook.com/RachelPattersonbooks/

Wednesday 6 December (first Wednesday of the month); Drumming and Meditation online with Taz Thornton. Time: 7pm Price: free. https://www.facebook.com/TazThorntonOfficial

Wednesday 6 December (every Wednesday); Feeling Sound Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday 6 December; Hellenic Philosophy as a Path to Awakening and Happiness. Online talk by Dr Athena Potari, hosted by the Scientific and Medical Network. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £11.99. https://scientificandmedical.net/events

Wednesday 6 December; Restorative and Healing Breathwork. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £40. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Wednesday 6 December; Closer to the wisdom. Zoom event with Mark Bedford through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 9pm. Tickets · from £5.68. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Thursday 7 December; Midweek Meditation with the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 3pm. Tickets: free for members/£7.50 non members. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk

Thursday 7 December; Late night shopping event at Crystal Wicca with bubbles and mince pies. Two sessions: 5pm - 6.30pm/6.30pm - 8pm.  Venue: Crystal Wicca, 4a Station Buildings, Station Approach, Hayes BR2 7EN. Contact the shop to reserve a spot. https://crystalwicca.co.uk/

Thursday 7 December; Author Talk - Sarah Tomlinson on Planetary Yantras (Yantra Oracle Deck). Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 9-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 5.30pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events 

Thursday 7 December (and other dates); Sacred Sounds Healing. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £31. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday 7 December; Managing Stress with Yoga Nidra. Online talk by Grainne McAnallen via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 7 December; Shamanic Remote Seeing of the Unseen. Start of 2-session online workshop with Itzhak Beery via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 7 December (every Thursday); Talk on a paranormal subject for ASSAP members. Time: 7pm. Free event, with Zoom link details emailed out to members. To join ASSAP, for £5 per year, visit https://assap.ac.uk/

Friday 8 December;  Tales of Winter Magic - Family Storytelling. Venue: Butser Ancient Farm, Waterlooville, Hampshire. Time: 4.30pm. Tickets: £18/£10. https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/

Friday 8 December (and other dates); Mind, Body Restore Online Yoga. Time: 6.15pm. Free online event. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents/

Friday 8 December; Mermaids across the Millennia. Zoom talk with Professor Sarah Peverley through The Last Tuesday Society. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets · from £5.68. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Friday 8 December; K!Nkx-Mas Special - Transformative Healing and Kink. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £17.50.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Friday 8 December; Online Meditation Session. Time: 7.30pm. Free online event, but donations welcome. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents

Saturday 9 - Sunday 10 December; Spiritual Psychology, Opposites Within - 2- Day Workshop with

Vivianne and Chris Crowley. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am. Tickets £200.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Saturday 9 December;  Yule Psychic Fayre and Witches Market. Venue: Wainscott Memorial Hall, Holly Rd, Wainscott, Kent ME2 4LG. Time: noon. Entrance £2. https://www.facebook.com/events/734668128512650

Saturday 9 December; Welcoming the Hag of Winter Workshop. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London, SE9 6SH. Time: noon. Tickets: £41.99. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/product-category/events-and-workshops/

Saturday 9 December; Healing and Guidance with Merlin and the Goddesses of Avalon. Online workshop with Liesl Duffy via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: noon. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 9 December; Explore the Subtle Energies of Colour. In-person class with Hanelle Levine. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 1pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 9 December; Gothic Yuletide - A Journey Through Dark Christmas Folklore with Sam George, organised by London, City of the Dead. Venue: Guys Hospital Chapel, London SE1. Time: 3pm. Tickets £12 including a gin cocktail and 20% donation to Guy's and St Thomas' Charity. https://www.londonmonthofthedead.com/gothicadvent.html

Saturday 9 December (and other dates); Witches and Witchcraft History - Pay What You Can Walking Tour - London by Wonders of London. Meet outside the exit of Tower Hill Station by Trinity Square Gardens, Tower Hill Station, London EC3N 1JL. Time: 6pm  Tickets by donation https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/witches-witchcraft-history-pay-what-you-can-walking-tour-london-tickets-687827950917?

Saturday 9 December; Whispers of Winter. A Theremin Christmas Odyssey with Lydia Kavina and Thomas Ang, organised by London, City of the Dead. Venue: Guys Hospital Chapel, London SE1. Time: 7pm. Tickets £16 including a gin cocktail and 20% donation to Guy's and St Thomas' Charity. https://www.londonmonthofthedead.com/gothicadvent.html

Sunday 10 December; Satanic Flea Market - Anti-Christmas Fayre. Venue: Electrowerkz, 7 Torrens Street, London, EC1V 1NQ. Time: Noon - 6pm. Entry: £4  (card or exact change). https://www.facebook.com/events/331174902743365

Sunday 10 December; A Ceremony with Goddess Sekhmet for Healing and Transformation. In-person class with Pixie P Carney. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 1pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 10 December; Reading Hands to Discover Talents and Skills. Online workshop with Felicity Booth via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 10 December (and other times and dates); Soul Restore Sound Healing. Venue: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG. Time: 4pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-mandrake-17825575648

Sunday 10 December (every Sunday); 30-Minute Mindfulness for people of all beliefs. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 6pm. Free, just turn up. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Sunday 10 December; Christmas Gong Bath - Sound Meditation in Brockley. Venue: 179 Brockley Road London SE4 2RS. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/christmas-gong-bath-sound-meditation-in-brockley-tickets-767489079497?

Sunday 10 December; Labyrinth Walk Meditation. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 6pm. Free, just turn up. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Sunday 10 December; Tudor Folk Tales - Dave Tong through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 9pm. Tickets · from £5.68. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Monday 11 December; Kundalini Yoga - Beginner Friendly Class. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £15. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Monday 11 December (second Monday of the month); South East London Pagans Moot. Venue: The Ivy House, 40 Stuart Rd, London SE15 3BE. Time: 7.30pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/groups/7046502195365834

Monday 11 December; Meeting the Gods: Gods of Winter. Online talk with Dr Rebecca Beattie, author of Planetary Magic, via Treadwells Online, delayed viewing available. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10, delayed viewing available. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Monday 11 December; Where Magic Dwells in Sky. Class with Hannah Sanders on the magic of place and being, via Treadwells Online, delayed viewing available. Time: 7pm but delayed viewing available. Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Monday 11 December (second Monday of the month); The Power of Air. Training group workshop for solitary witches hosted by the Wytchery. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store St, London WC1E 7BS, UK. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.meetup.com/the-wytchery/

Monday 11 December;  Chicksands Priory. Is this England’s Most Haunted House?. Online  talk by Damien O’Dell hosted by the Society for Psychical Research. Time 8pm. Tickets: £5. https://www.spr.ac.uk/

Monday 11 December; The Krampus and The Old, Dark Christmas with Al Ridenour. Zoom lecture through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 8pm. Tickets · from £5.68. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Monday 11 December (every Monday); Tea With a Druid. Free online event by the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. Time 8pm. https://druidry.org/

Tuesday 12 December; 12:12 New Moon Ceremony with LBRP, Cacao and Chakra chants with Mani via London Woodland Witches, Wiccans and Pagans. Venue: Hampstead Heath,·North London. Time: 11.45am. Tickets: Free but donations welcome https://www.meetup.com/londonwoodlandwitches/events/

Tuesday 12 and 19 December (and other dates); Tea with a Medium. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 2.30pm. Tickets: £55. https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Tuesday 12 December (and other dates); Viktor Wynd's Guided Tour of His Museum plus a Devil's Botany Absinthe. Venue: The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London, E8 4RP. Time: 6pm. Tickets from £16 , includes a drink. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/viktor-wynds-guided-tour-of-his-museum-a-devils-botany-absinthe-tickets-492386570487?

Tuesday 12 December; New Moon Sound Bath and Meditation with Spiritual Tiik London. Free online event. Time: 6.30pm. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/spiritual-tiik-29294295627

Tuesday 12 December; New Witch's Club. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £27.80. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Tuesday 12 December; A Demonstration of Angel Mediumship. Online talk by Kim Pilkington and Liesl Duffy via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £16. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Tuesday 12 December; Transmissions New Moon Session. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £25.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Tuesday 12 December; The Scriptorium: Ghosts. Online creative writing workshop  via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm, but recording avaiable. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Tuesday 12 December (and other dates); New Moon, Full Moon or Divine Union Cacao Ceremony, Heart Ritual and Gong Bath. Venue: Private Location near Wandsworth Town/Clapham Junction, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £29.70. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-moonfull-moon-or-divine-union-cacao-ceremony-heart-ritual-gong-bath-tickets-169545022727

Tuesday 12 December; Magic for the Yuletide. Zoom talk by me, Lucya Starza, through The Last Tuesday Society and The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets · from £5.82. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Tuesday 12 December;  Myth-busting: What is humanism? Talk by Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, Humanists UK, at Greenwich Skeptics in the Pub. Venue: The Star of Greenwich, 60 Old Woolwich Road, Greenwich. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: donations of £3 welcome.  

 https://sitp.online/sitp/greenwich

Wednesday 13 December (tbc but usually 2nd Wednesday each month); Enfield Town Circle Moot. Venue: Crown and Horsehoes, Enfield  Time: 6pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EnfieldTownCircle/

Wednesday 13 December; Space for Storytelling (crowdfunded workshops, free to access). Venue: The Bridge St John Waterloo. Time: 6.30pm.  Free (Crowdfunded) workshops guest-hosted by Niall Moorjani with London Dreamtime. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/space-for-storytelling-crowdfunded-workshops-free-to-access-tickets-678030446317 or https://www.londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Wednesday 13 December; New Moon In Sagittarius Cacao and Sound Healing Ceremony. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Wednesday 13 December; Moon Space Online Moon Coven with She's Lost Control. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday 13 December; On Modern Necromancy and Demonology. Dr Alexander Cummins examines the history and traditions of black magic online via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm, but delayed viewing avaiable. Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Wednesday 13 December; Winter Tales of Ice and Fire with Hannah Brailsford on Zoom through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 9pm. Tickets · from £5.68. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Thursday 14 December; In Person Study and Conversation Group - Theosophy. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Rd, London · NW1 6XT, Time: 10.30am. Tickets £3 https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiner-spiritual-science/events/

Thursday 14 December; Nightmares Before Christmas: Dark Tales and Scary Superstitions by Sun Jester through Rest Less Events. Time: 11.30 am. Free online event. https://events.restless.co.uk/event-calendar/nightmares-before-christmas-dark-tales-and-scary-superstitions/?

Thursday 14 December; Jemma Foster on the Wild Alchemy Lab Deck. Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 9-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 5.30pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Thursday 14 December; Christmas Ghosts. Talk at South East London Folklore Society. Venue: The Electric Elephant Cafe, 186A Crampton Street, London, SE17 3AE. Time: 8pm. Free. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/cunning-folk-7829505560

Thursday 14 December; From Folk Horror to Horror of the Folk in Thai Cinema. Zoom lecture with Katarzyna Ancuta through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 8pm. Tickets · from £5.68. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Friday, 15 December;  Shamanic Drums and Drum Birthing Workshop with Lynn Gosney. Venue: Shamanic Centre Caer Corhrain, Minster, Kent. Starts 8.45am. Tickets £200/£230. https://www.facebook.com/events/724342802441412/

Friday, 15 December; Psychedelic Meditation. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Friday, 15 December; Spirit Baby Mediumshop. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £45. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Friday, 15 December; Frontline Folklore Film Screening, A film by Ben Edge. Venue: All Hallows-On-The Wall, 83 London Wall London EC2M 5ND. Time: 8.30pm. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/ben-edge-68151432823

Saturday 16 December (date tbc but usually once a month); Sweat Lodge organised by Aho Studio. In-person event. Venue: Berkeley Farm, a few miles outside London. Time: 11am. Online tickets: £55/£30; in-person tickets from £20 student rate for a single day to £380 full rate for the entire conference. www.aho.community 

Saturday 16 December; Sacred Sweat Lodge Celebratin Winter Solstice and Yule. Venue: Shamanic Centre Caer Corhrain, Minster, Kent. Starts 11.30am. Tickets tbc. https://www.facebook.com/events/724342802441412/

Saturday 16 December; Kent Gorsedd Winter Solstice. Venue: Coldrum Stones Neolithic Longbarrow, Trottiscliffe, Kent. Meet at noon in the Coldrum stones car park, to walk to the stones together. https://www.facebook.com/events/3724581741105160/

Saturday 16 December; Walking in the footsteps of your year, at this Yule Solar Festival. Sacred walk. Starts at: London Stone (TBC prior to the walk), 111 Cannon Street London EC4N 5AR. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/jeremy-rye-31055883021#

Saturday 16 December; Introduction to Sekhem Heka Taster Day. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London, SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/product-category/events-and-workshops/

Saturday 16 December; Secret Storytelling: The Journey of Dr Dee with London Dreamtime. Venue:  A secret location in E1. Time: 6pm. Tickets £20/£10/£5. https://www.londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Saturday 16 December; Kitchen Witch Coven and  School of Witchcraft Online Gratitude Ritual. Free and open to all. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/1271355686893045/

Saturday 16 December; Lessons From The Land: How Ghosts Can Help Us Understand, by Amy Boucher. Online talk via the Folklore Podcast. Time: 8pm. Tickets £5. http://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/

Sunday 17 December; Druidic Ritual to celebrate Alban Arthuan, the Midwinter Solstice, on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Gather in the Hawthorne Grove at Primrose Hill, London, NW1 8YH, at 12.30pm to prepare the site for the ritual. Nearest tube: Chalk Farm. Bring a small contribution of food and drink to share. https://www.facebook.com/LooseAssociationOfDruidsOfPrimroseHill

Sunday 17 December;  Anderida Gorsedd Yule open ritual. Venue: Long Man of Wilmington, Wilmington, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. Meet near the car park between 1.30pm and 2pm, walk up to the chalk hill figure at 2pm. Afterwards, the Giants Rest pub. https://www.facebook.com/groups/227609495203/

Sunday 17 December; London Woodland Witches Winter Ceremony 2023  - Seasonal Ritual with Mani via London Woodland Witches, Wiccans and Pagans. Venue: Queen's Wood, Highgate, North· London. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £5 https://www.meetup.com/londonwoodlandwitches/events/

Sunday 17 December; North West Kent Pagans Moot. Organised by NWK Pagans for members of the group. Venue Chislehurst Caves. Time: 11am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887

Sunday 17 December; Dawn of the Oak. Pagan moot. Venue: The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon Road/Greville Street, London EC1M 3JF. Time: 3pm. https://www.meetup.com/the-kith-of-the-tree-and-the-well/events/

Sunday 17 December; Esotericism in the Enlightenment - Seminar with Dr Sasha Chaitow  online via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm, but delayed viewing avaiable. Tickets: £40. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Sunday 17 December; A Free Group Healing with Students of the Spirit Doctor Team Practitioner Programme with Susan Gash. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: free but reserve a place. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 17 December; Summoning The Spirits - Seance with Medium Patti Negri on Zoom hrough The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 8pm. Tickets · from £26,43. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

For details of events after Sunday 17 December please see my events page.

Please note that I am not responsible for the content of any of these events except my own talks and workshops. Contact organisers directly if you have any questions or to check ticket availability. Where a practitioner is offering information about magical protection, this is *not* medical advice.  

Holly Folklore from Rounding the Wheel of the Year

As many of us are starting to decorate our homes for Yule, the Winter Solstice or Christmas, here's a seasonal extract from my book Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year. It's about holly in folklore and nature:

Holly

Before Christmas trees, people brought holly into the home. Romans decorated their villas with it for Saturnalia, which was somewhat like modern Christmas. Magically, holly has protective powers, particularly if planted around your home, and brings good luck if you hang it inside at Yule. Put it in your bedroom to help your pleasant dreams come true, and put on your altar to boost the success of your spells. However, it was traditionally considered unlucky to bring holly into the house at any time other than midwinter. 

Rachel Patterson, in A Kitchen Witch’s World of Magical Herbs, writes: “The holly berry is symbolic of the life-giving blood of the Goddess.” I agree holly is a goddess tree, although many books on herbal magic list it as male. Actually, holly trees, or more accurately shrubs, can be male or female. Only female bushes have berries and they need to be close to a male bush for the flowers to be pollinated. If you have holly in your garden that never produces berries, it’s a male or a lonely female. The tale of the Holly King ruling over the half the year from midsummer to midwinter, then fighting with his rival the Oak King at Yule, who defeats him to lead us back into summer, is a relatively modern myth. It comes from Robert Graves’ The White Goddess, although he was inspired by older mythology of battling heroes.

Holly berries are poisonous, so don’t eat them, and make sure they’re out of reach of any pets.

You can find copies of Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year at Treadwell's bookshop in London, at online shops including Amazon and at my publisher Moon Books: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-rounding-wheel-year 

On Tuesday 12 December I've giving an online talk on Magic for the Yuletide through The Last Tuesday Society. It starts at 7.30pm and tickets ·are from £5.82. You can find more details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/10/video-of-my-talk-on-rounding-wheel-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/11/authors-on-their-own-writing-ellen.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/06/im-at-book-festival-heres-my-magical.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/03/books-first-copies-of-rounding-wheel-of.html

Gifts: The Tiniest, Cutest Tarot Deck - With Cats

A friend gave me the tarot deck in the picture above. I photographed it with a ruler to show just how tiny it is. What's more it has really cute cats on it!  I love it! I particularly like the Hanged Man, which is a kitty all tied up in a ball of wool.

The cards are actually stickers and intended for use in scrapbooking but they seem firm enough to use as cards if I leave them on their backings. I wanted to blog about them so my friend sent me the link to where she got them. Here it is: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005906168759.html?

I reckon a set would be a purrfect stocking filler at Yule (excuse the pun)

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/10/a-lucky-black-cat-poppet-for-black-cat.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/08/some-cat-wisdom-for-international-cat.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/03/books-folklore-magic-of-cats-by-andrew.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/01/pagan-eye-lucky-cat-for-chinese-new-year.html