Lammas Pagan Events In London and Elsewhere

Lammas is on August 1 and is a pagan festival to celebrate the start of the harvest. Here are details of some of the events in London plus a few in other parts of the UK that could be of interest to pagans up to that time and in the week ahead. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Now to 31 December; The London Stone on Display. Venue: Museum of London, 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN. Free exhibition during museum opening ours. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london

Now to 30 September; Austin Osman Spare exhibition at the Last Tuesday Society. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/

Now to the end of 2017; Poppets, Pins and Power - an exhibition on the craft of cursing at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle, Cornwall. http://museumofwitchcraftandmagic.co.uk/

Wednesday 26 July; Stillness and Meditation at Mandeville Place. Venue: School of Economic Science, 11-13 Mandeville Place, London. Free lunchtime event starting 1pm. https://www.meetup.com/Light-in-London/

Wednesday 26 July; Let's Meditate - group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Starts 6pm. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Wednesday 26 July; Midweek Tarot. Event with the Tarot and Healing Group. Venue: The Plough 27 Museum Street, Bloomsbury, WC1A 1LH, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets £5, advance reservation necessary. https://www.meetup.com/Tarot-and-Healing-Group/

Wednesday 26 July; London Energy Share. Venue: The Skylight Centre, 49 Corsica Street, London N5 1JT. Time: 7pm. Tickets £10. https://www.meetup.com/londonhealingshare/

Wednesday 26 July; Lamiae, Transgression and Double Lives. Brooke Magnanti in discussion with Christina Oakley Harrington. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.30pm. Ticket price £8. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Wednesday 26 July; Hertford Pagan Moot. Venue: White Horse Pub, 33 Castle Street, Hertford, Herts SG14 1HH (45 mins from central London). The pub does not have disabled access. This moot meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 8pm. contact via Facebook page Hertford Pagan Moot.

Thursday 27 July; Gerry Thompson, author of Astral Sex to Zen Teabags, a New Age Spoofapedia, about humour for spiritual development. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website https://www.meetup.com/WatkinsBooks

Thursday 27 July; Free Social: Peaceful Meditation and Picnic with the London Spirituality Meetup Group. Meet outside Regents Park Station, London between 6pm and 6.30pm to walk to the park. Bring a picnic. https://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/

Thursday 27 July; Magic of the Iron Pentacle with Jane Meredith, based on her book of that name. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/479245622415159/

Thursday 27 July; We're All Gonna Die: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint. Talk by Dr Andrew Chesnut at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Tickets £4/£2. Time: 7.45pm. Details: https://www.facebook.com/LondonForteanSociety/

Thursday 27 July - 28 July. Rite of the Flamekeeper with Aphrodite's Flame. Wherever you are, you can light a flame to honour Aphrodite. To find out how to get an Aphrodite's Flame candle and for mor information about the event, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1718636448430160/

Friday 28 July; An Evening with Tiokasin Ghosthorse at the London College of Spirituality. Venue: Columbia Hotel, Windsor Room, 95-99 Lancaster Gate, London, W2 3NS. Tickets £15/£30. Time: 7pm. https://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/

Friday 28 July; Open Circle every Friday for anyone wishing to develop their psychic and mediumistic abilities. Venue: Woodford Church at 9 Grove Crescent, South Woodford, London E18 2JR. Time 7.30pm. Cost: £3. http://woodfordchurch.com/

Saturday 29 July; Online Lughnasad Festival 2017 hosted by Pagan Federation Disabilities Team. John in wherever you are to hear talks from pagan authors and teachers including Rachel Patterson, Mabh Savage, Nimue Brown and Debi Gregory. Time: 10am- 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/PFDisabilities/

Saturday 29 July; Festival of Paganism 2017; Venue Ipswich Oddfellows, The Oddfellows Hall, 37 High Street,  Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 3QH. Time: 10am-4pm. Free entry. https://www.facebook.com/events/154429345102050/

Saturday 29 July; Goddess Epona Workshop. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Rd, London, SE9 6SH. Time: 11am. Tickets £20 in advance, £39.99 on the day. For details or to book a place email shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk or call 020 8850 7803.

Saturday 29 July; Self-Love Healing Workshop with Sensing Energy and Intuition Development. Venue: Latvian House, 72 Queensborough Terrace,· London, W2 3SH. Time: Noon. Price: £15. https://www.meetup.com/Sensing-Energy-and-Intuition-Development/

Saturday 29 July; The Masonic Magician. Talk and book signing with Philippa Faulks. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 5pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Saturday 29 July - Sunday 30 July; Eastbourne Lammas Festival. Lammas ritual plus music, dance, stalls, food and drink on Eastbourne seafront. Western Lawns, Eastbourne Seafront West, King Edwards Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4EE. Free. http://www.lammasfest.org/

Sunday 30 July; Meditation at Russell Brands Trew Era Cafe, 30 Whitmore Road, London N1 5QA. Starts 10.15am. Free event. Details: https://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Sunday 30 July; The British Museum and the Awakening of English Magic. Walking Tour with Caroline Wise organised by Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 10.30am. Ticket price £15. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Sunday 30 July; Silver Chalice Lammas Celebration in the sun circle Avebury henge, in Wiltshire. Time: 12 noon. Free event, everyone welcome. Afterwards there will be a handfasting, again all welcome.

Sunday 30 July; Woodland Lammas: Wiccan Harvest Ceremony open ritual with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Meet in the garden  of  the Woodmans Pub on Archway Road, Highgate, North London at 2pm for a short walk to the woods where the ritual will take place. Cost: £3. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring a blanket to sit on. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Sunday 30 July; The Ageless Wisdom For Everyone. Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place London, W1U 8EA. Time: 2pm. Entry: Donations welcome. Details: https://www.meetup.com/Theosophical-Society-in-London

Sunday 30 July; Lammas Wheel of the Year ritual at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 7pm. Tel: 020 7433 3267. http://www.rosslynhillchapel.com/

Monday 31 July; Aspecting the Goddess. Morning workshop with Jane Meredith, author of Aphrodite's Magic and Journey to the Dark Goddess (links view the books on Amazon). This workshop covers material from her next book in the series. Venue: Goddess Hall, Glastonbury, Somerset. Time: 10am-4pm. Fee: £50. https://www.facebook.com/events/1974627612775237/

Tuesday 1 August - Sunday 6 August. Glastonbury Goddess Conference. Week of events at various venues in Glastonbury, Somerset. Tickets for the entire week: £390, but you can buy tickets to individual talks, workshops or storytellings from £10/£12. http://goddessconference.com/2017/

Tuesday 1 August; Wheel of the Year Festival - Fruition at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Gather at the well head for midday meditation until 12.30pm, followed by conversation on the lower lawn. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. For more details, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Tuesday 1 August; Conspiracy Theories are for Losers. Talk by Joseph Uscinski, author of American Conspiracy Theories. Venue: LG02 in the Professor Stuart Hall Building, Goldsmiths College, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW. NB: Not LG01. Time: 6:10 pm. Free. http://www.gold.ac.uk/

Tuesday 1 August; Karen Phillips talking on the history of Spiritualism. Romford Moot hosted by Mamma Moon Magick, Venue: Golden Lion, Romford, Essex. Time: 7.30pm. Entry £4. https://www.facebook.com/mammamoonmagick/

Tuesday 1 August; Salon Du Voile. Talk on occultism with Ian "Cat" Vincent. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets £9. https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/something-a-little-different-events/salon-du-voile-ian-cat-vincent

Tuesday 1 August; Knot Magic at the Witches' Inn Gathering. Venue: Red Lion, 48 Linkfield Lane, Redhill, RH1 1DP. Starts at 8pm. Moots are the first Tuesday of each month. For more details visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1219954618115987/

Thursday 3 August; Freda Bedi and Tenzin Palmo. Talk and book signing by Vicki Mckenzie. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Thursday 3 August; PFL Lammas Open Ritual with Kith of the Tree and the Well hosted by The Pagan Federation London and guests. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL/, Time: 7.30pm for 8pm start. Entry £5/£6. https://pflondon.info/

Thursday 3 August; Guildford Moot (every 1st Thursday). Venue: Kings Head, Quarry Street, Guildford, Surrey. Time: 7.30pm. Details on Facebook, meetup and Twitter.

Thursday 3 - Monday 7 August; The Green Gathering. Venue: Piercefield Park, Chepstow, NP16 6BE. Tickets: Adults £95, young adults £75, youth £55, children free. http://www.greengathering.org.uk/where-how/

Friday 4 August; Open Evening at the College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 4.30pm-9pm. Cost: £25. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 4 August; Bronze Oak Grove. Storytelling from London Dreamtime with Royal Parks for children aged 4-10 and their families. Venue: North Flower Walk Kensington Gardens. Time: 3pm and 5pm. Price: £5. http://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Friday 4 August; Shamanic Journeying Circle run by Shamanic Spirit at a venue in New Addington, Croydon, South London. Time: 6.30pm. For details and to book places call 07952 041477 or visit http://shamanicspirit.co.uk/

Saturday 5 August; Magical Bloomsbury Walking Tour with Christina Oakley Harrington. Meet at Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Ticket price £15. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 5 August; Magical Baths - Folk Magic at Home. Mini-workshop with Rebecca Beattie . Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Ticket price £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 5 August; Conan Doyle and the Mysterious World of Light. Paranormal talk by Matt WIngett, the author of a book of that name, with Spooky London Pubs. Venue: King and Queen Hotel, 1 Foley St, London W1W 6DL. Time: 7pm. Entry by donation of £2 to charity. Copies of the book will be available at £10. https://www.meetup.com/spookylondonpubs/

Sunday 6 August; North West Kent Green Pagan Circle Moot. Venue: Chislehurst Caves, Bromley, BR7 5NL. Time: 10am-noon. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/

Sunday 6 August; Meditation at Russell Brands Trew Era Cafe, 30 Whitmore Road, London N1 5QA. Starts 10.15am. Free event. Details: https://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Sunday 6 August; Druidic Lughnasadh/Lhammas Celebration on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Gather in the Hawthorne Grove at Primrose Hill, London, NW1 8YH, between 12.30pm and 12.45pm to prepare the site ready for a prompt 1pm start. Nearest tube: Chalk Farm. Bring a small contribution of food and drink to share. All are welcome.

Sunday 6 August; The Woman Most Wild Workshop with author Danielle Dulsky. Venue: About Balance, 14 East Street, BN1 1HP Brighton. Time: 1pm-4.30pm, Pre-registration required: https://www.facebook.com/events/229554254191017/

Note: I do not organise any of these events. For more information and to check ticket availability and any changes to details, please contact the organisers.

Pagan Eye: A View of the Thames and a Cat Statue

Here is a view of the Thames as the sun set last Saturday at the end of the 10-hour, 10-pub psychogeography walk run by Minimum Labyrinth, based on Peter Ackroyd's books about London.

I took the photo at Bermondsey and the cat in the foreground is part of a group of statues called Dr Salter's Daydream, which commemorates Dr Salter and his wife - a local couple who dedicated their lives to helping the local community.

This is one of my favourite parts of the Thames. It is much less crowded than the banks of the river in Central London and very atmospheric. There are good pubs there too, including the Angel and the Mayflower, which were the last two drinking stops at the end of the pub crawl.

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/04/event-peter-ackroyd-charity-pub-crawl.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/07/images-and-reflections-of-thin-veil-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/04/walking-into-grey-soul-of-london.html
http://www.bewsgorvin.co.uk/sculpture-dr-salters-daydream.html
https://londonist.com/pubs/pubs/the-angel
http://www.mayflowerpub.co.uk/

News: Witches in History, Today & in Entertainment

"Sudden death of much-loved Glastonbury witch and astrologer leaves family grief-stricken as tributes poor in" - story at Somerset Live: http://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/sudden-death-much-loved-glastonbury-221218

"Disney to release new English translations of fantasy comic series ‘W.I.T.C.H.’" - story at Inquirer: http://entertainment.inquirer.net/235790/disney-release-new-english-translations-fantasy-comic-series-w-t-c-h

"Meet the kawaii witches of the East" - Story at The Japan Times: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2017/07/13/films/meet-kawaii-witches-east/

"Salem, Danvers ceremonies to honor Witch Trials victims" - Story at The Salem News: http://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/salem-danvers-ceremonies-to-honor-witch-trials-victims/article_4b9280d7-a39e-5663-8c3d-767d03c3f411.html

"Warding Off Witch Hunting" - story at The Regulatory Review: https://www.theregreview.org/2017/07/19/wong-witch-hunting/

"Woman, two sons killed over witchcraft" - story at Times of India: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/woman-two-sons-killed-over-witchcraft/articleshow/59726851.cms

"In Image's Redlands, Witches Are Feared Not Just for Their Magic, But Because They're Women" - story at Gizmodo: http://io9.gizmodo.com/in-images-redlands-witches-are-feared-not-just-for-the-1796832446

"The Witch's Mark review" - story at Entertainment Focus: http://www.entertainment-focus.com/theatre-section/theatre-reviews/the-witchs-mark-review/

July Mandala: Lavender, Mint, Meadowsweet & Mallow

Every month this year I have been making a picture from flowers. It is both a record of the passing seasons and serves as a mandala to meditate upon.

This month - July - I created one pretty much at random  - scattering tiny petals from buddleia, lavender, mint, meadowsweet, enchanter's nightshade and mallow picked either from my own garden or the verges beside the roads near where I live.

More than encouraging meditation, this month's mandala felt it was calling me to divine from the patterns, like tea leaf reading. After a while, I could see a heart-shaped face in the middle of the image. I'm not sure what it means, but it seems a good omen - perhaps the counterpoint to the sad face I created in my mandala for January.

But, more than the picture itself, it was the smell of the flowers that was most inspiring for me. The cooling, soothing scent of lavender, mint and meadowsweet - among the other less-scented blooms - was perfect for a hot summer's afternoon. I spent more time lying on the sofa in the afternoon heat enjoying the perfume and wishing there was a way I could share that on my blog as well as a photo, than I did studying the mandala. I do recommend picking that combination yourself and letting the fragrance fill the room as you quietly meditate.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/06/june-mandala-summer-solstice-sun-in.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/01/january-mandala-lips-as-red-as-blood.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/09/buddleia-for-bees-butterflies-and.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/lavender.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/07/flower-magic-and-folklore-enchanters.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/04/review-herbs-of-sun-moon-and-planets.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/01/tea-leaf-reading-my-first-attempts.html
https://wildplants.wordpress.com/tag/edible/

Occult London: The London Stone Myths and History

Despite being just a modest-sized lump of limestone, the London Stone has huge symbolic significance in the folklore of England's capital. For many with an interest in the occult, it is the stone heart of London, as important to the city as Stonehenge is to England (although considerably smaller and less impressive to look at).

There is nothing wrong with the stone having mythic importance, but it is always worthwhile examining the facts before confusing powerful stories with recorded history.

In an article on the Museum of London website, curator Emeritus John Clark looks at seven myths about the London stone - and the truth behind them. The are:

1: It has been in London from prehistoric times
It more likely dates from Saxon or Medieval times. Some think it was originally a Roman milestone, but there is no evidence to support this.

2: Ancient Druids used it as a sacrificial altar
It is too late to be Druidic.

3: Medieval kings and queens ceremonially took control of London by touching the stone
In 1450, Jack Cade, leader of the Kentish rebellion against Henry VI, entered London and struck the London Stone claiming to be ‘lord of this city’. However, there is no recorded precedent for this and chroniclers at the time were bemused as to why he did it.

4: The London Stone has never (until now) been moved from its site
It was moved a few times in the 18th century because it was a traffic hazard. It was also briefly at the Royal Exchange in the 1960s.

5: London will fall if the stone is moved or destroyed
This is a fantasy made up in the 19th century (a time when many such legends were created), based on a suggestion first stated in the late 18th century.

6: The stone has been protected by a long line of guardians
This is a relatively modern legend, although in recent times some people have enjoyed the unofficial title of custodian of the stone.

7: London Stone is the magical heart of London
It seems this idea began in the late 19th century when folklorist George Laurence Gomme said it was London’s ‘fetish stone’ and that when London was just a village, the head man made an offering to it once a year. Since then many books on legendary London and urban fantasy novels have built on or used this idea. There is no evidence that it is true, but it makes a great story.

What I would say is, whatever the London Stone might have been in the past, today it serves as a powerful symbol of London's history and legends as well as the ability of those who live here to create wonderful ideas from very little.

You can read John Clark's full article here: https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/london-stone-seven-strange-myths

You can also read a blog post I wrote back in 2009, when the London Stone was in a metal cage embedded in the wall of an old bank at 111 Cannon Street: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/10/ancient-stone-heart-of-london.html

It is interesting to see that much of what I wrote in that early post has now been debunked. Nevertheless, for me, the London Stone is still London's magical heart, even if it isn't a very ancient one.

The London Stone is currently on display at the Museum of London, 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN. You can see it for free during museum opening ours until 31 December 2017.

Links and previous related posts
https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london
https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/london-stone-seven-strange-myths
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/10/ancient-stone-heart-of-london.html