Lucky Times for a Bad Witch

I do believe that some people are just born lucky - their bread never falls butter side down; the rain starts just after they bring their washing in, not just after they put it out; and if they buy a raffle ticket they are likely to win a prize.

I'm not that kind of person. I've probably entered thousands of competitions over the years and all I've ever won was a cookery book and a bottle of wine - hardly mega-prizes. I also often buy raffle tickets to support charities or at pagan festivals, but I never win. That is, until recently.

At Witchfest South back in May I won some lovely Gothic jewellery in the raffle - although I'm still waiting for the right event to wear it to. Then, last Sunday, I bought two strips of tickets at
the Gaia-Sol Convention and won two really great prizes - one from each strip!

My first prize was a copy of Häxan - Witchcraft Through the Ages - a rare DVD of a classic black and white movie that was banned for many years because it was considered obscene. Produced in 1922, it is a documentary/drama about superstition in medieval times and the persecution of witches. I haven't watched the DVD yet, but I am looking forward to doing so and I'll definitely review it on A Bad Witch's Blog.

The second thing I won was a lovely set of Ogham staves made by Greenwoman Crafts, a pagan craft business that makes and sells Wiccan and magical items. I don't know how to use Ogham, but one of my New Year Resolutions was to learn a new witchy skill, so I guess I'll be looking for a book to teach me.

I don't know why my luck has recently changed, but I certainly thank Lady Fortuna for smiling on me, and I'll enjoy making good use of my prizes!

Links:
Häxan - Witchcraft Through the Ages [1922] [DVD]
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Greenwoman-Crafts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/05/review-witchfest-south-2009.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/review-pf-london-gaia-sol-convention.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/12/bad-witchs-resolutions.html

The Charge of the Goddess Conference

If you are a witch, you probably won't want to miss The Charge of the Goddess Conference - a Day for Doreen on Sunday 13 September, 2009, in London. However, I have been told that tickets are selling out really quickly, so if you want one, you probably need to order it very soon.

The Charge of the Goddess Conference celebrates the life and work of Doreen Valiente, the Mother of Modern Witchcraft. It is being put on by The Centre for Pagan Studies in association with The Atlantis Bookshop.

Speakers will include Isobel Andrade, Geraldine Beskin, Zach Cox, Marian Green, Prof Ron Hutton, Fred Lamond, Mary Rands, Maxine Sanders, Kate est, Gavin Bone, Lois Bourne, Janet Farrar, Ralph Harvey, Will Kale, Morgan (PFI), John Belham-Payne and Jean Williams. There will also be stalls selling books, jewellery, ritual items and other witchy goods.

The conference takes place at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn, London, and starts at 10am. Tickets are £15 in advance, and £2o on the door - although it is extremely unlikely there will be any left for sale by that time. For more details and tickets tel: 07733 581504 or visit http://doreenvaliente.com/

For details of other pagan events, visit my events page at http://www.paganevents.blogspot.com/

Review: PF London Gaia-Sol convention

Gaia-Sol - the deities of the earth and the sun - were chosen for the name of Pagan Federation London's third convention on the Gaia theme, which took place in London yesterday. Last year it was Gaia-Fortuna, and the year before that was simply called Gaia. I'm not sure if there will be a fourth, but I hope so.

I had a fantastic time at Gaia-Sol, not only because I heard some great talks on interesting subjects, but because the event was wonderfully friendly. I don't think it just seemed friendly because I met so many friends there - although I did - it also had a relaxed, welcoming and happy atmosphere.

It was the kind of event where everyone was invited to join in and take part, but without any criticism if they really only wanted to sit back, watch and listen.

Take the opening ritual, for example. In this, ritual group The Tribe of Avalon called for people to come and join the circle and call out anything they wanted as the elemental quarters were welcomed. The main part of the ritual involved weaving a web of yellow and green yarn by throwing the balls back and forth across the circle. It was a joyful summer game, so simple yet right for the season. And it was a reminder that, as pagans, we are all part of a fun, friendly community.

Community and relationships were also themes in the talk by druid Emma Restal Orr, entitled Paganism in the Modern World. She pointed out that although many people see paganism as a solitary spiritual path, where we can believe what we want and do what we want, it is our relationships with others that truly define us. Friends, family, colleagues and the community we live in can teach us as much if not more about ourselves as we can learn by meditating alone.

Towards the end of her talk, Emma mentioned a reburial of ancient bones that she had helped organise. Remains from the Roman era had been disinterred from a building site. After archaeologists briefly studied them, they were returned to the community to rebury. People from all parts of the community came to the funeral to honour those they saw as, at least symbolically, their ancestors.

The PF committee and the PFL team called on pagans to add to the community spirit and to help build relationships. A panel of PF luminaries talked about how they got involved in paganism and the PF, explained their current roles and also asked for more volunteers to help. I was fascinated to learn about the chaplaincy work the PF does in prisons, hospices and hospitals. If I wasn't so busy caring for my own elderly mum, I could be tempted to volunteer myself.

And as unlikely as it might sound, Steve Wilson's talk on Paganism and Sex even had roots in a community project, when he was asked to take part in a multi-faith project answering questions from school children about sex and morality. I'll be writing more about Steve Wilson's talk later in the week, because I think the subject deserves more than just a few lines.

The earth and the sun may have given their names to this convention, but the forms they took were the earthly communities and relationships we form, and the sunny warmth of friendship and kinship. These are vital things and it is right to honour them.

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/09/gaia-fortuna-convention-2008.html
http://pflondon.org/

This week's pagan events

For details of future events visit my events page at http://paganevents.blogspot.com/, but here are this week's pagan events in London:

Sunday 28 June; Gaia Sol Convention 2009. Festival and convention organised by Pagan Federation London at ULU, Malet Street, London. Time: 11.30am- 6.30pm. Tickets £10/£12. http://pflondon.org/

Sunday 28 June; The Centre for Wildlife Gardening 20th birthday celebrations at 28 Marsden Rd, London SE15 4EE, from 10.30am to 4.30pm. For more details, visit http://www.wildlondon.org.uk/ or call 020 7252 9186.

Monday 29 June; Shamanism and Death: Initiation into Reality. Seminar at The Open Centre, 188 Old Street, London EC1V 9FR. 6.30pm -9pm. Cost £12, £8 concessions. Booking essential as there is no reception on the door at the centre. Tel 07748 964 986 or visit http://www.shamanintheuk.blogspot.com/ or http://www.shaman.uk.net/.

Tuesday 30 June; The Ring of Cerridwen Moot. This is a social evening, so guests are welcome. Time: 8pm - 11pm. Venue: The Golden Grove Pub, Ruxbury Road, St Annes Hill, Chertsey.

Wednesday 1 July; Spiritual Runes. Talk by Harmonia Saille about connecting with your runes at The Moot With No Name, Devereux public house, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, London WC2. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8pm. Admission £2.

Wednesday 1 July; Fetich Sorcery in La Couleuvre Noire - Explorations within Bertiaux's System. Talk by David Beth (L.C.N) at Treadwells, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Entry £5, booking advised. Tel: 020 7240 8906 or email: info@treadwells-london.com. www.treadwells-london.com/lectures.asp

Friday 3 July; Demonstration of Mediumship. Demonstration by College of Psychic Studies lecturer Anthony Kesner at The College of Psychic Studies 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm - 8.30pm. Cost: £5/£8. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

If you know of any pagan events and want them listed on A Bad Witch's Blog, email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Review: The Mythology Bible

Myth is at the heart of most religions and belief systems - it is a poetic, artistic and literary way of understanding the world through stories that are rich in symbolism. Myths tell tales of gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters and men in ways that reflect our own desires, fears, feelings and hopes.

The Mythology Bible, a new book by Sarah Bartlett in the Godsfield Bible series, is a guide to myths from all over the world, including Egypt, Rome, Greece, Scandinavia, Europe, the Americas, Australia, Africa and Asia. What I particularly like is that it not only covers myths I am reasonably familiar with - such as those of Greece and Rome - it also covers gaps in my knowledge, such as many of the myths from Africa and the Australian Aborigines.

As interesting as individual mythic stories are in themselves, what I find most fascinating about mythology is why it is important to human beings everywhere, from the earliest times.

Myths are much more than simply works of fiction - they serve psychological, social, cultural and spiritual purposes. Various people have tried to explain why this is, and how this works. The Mythology Bible gives a succinct account of major theorists, such as mythology professor Joseph Campbell and psychologist Carl Jung.

The book also covers comparative mythology - themes that reoccur in many different myth systems. These include creation stories; the origins of the sun, moon and stars; battles with beasts and monsters; the trials of love; heroes, tricksters and quests; and death and the underworld.

The Mythology Bible is a lovely reference book if you want an overview of world mythology that is easy to read, with beautiful artwork. It is something you can easily dip into and could be a good starting point for more in depth study of mythology in general or a specific belief system.

The Mythology Bible: Everything You Wanted to Know About Mythology (Godsfield Bible) goes on sale on July 6 with an RRP of £12.99. It is available to order through Amazon.

Stoned wallabies make crop circles

I've just seen this on the BBC News website and had to mention it on my blog:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8118257.stm

In Australia, Government officials have apparently said wallabies are responsible for crop circles.

The official line is that they get high on opium poppies growing in fields, stagger about and make the circular patterns that prompt so much debate.

So there you have it. X File closed...

A hidden London wildlife garden

Yesterday, I discovered one of London's hidden treasures - a beautiful wildlife garden. The Centre for Wildlife Gardening is tucked away behind a residential road in Dulwich, SE15, and isn't easy to find unless you know exactly where you are going.

Perhaps that was why, when I visited it yesterday, I had the place almost entirely to myself. It was lovely to wander around its winding paths, watching butterflies flitting over flowers, then sit beside a pond watching dragonflies resting on lilly pads on a pond dappled in summer sunshine.

Yet this secret garden, I discovered, has been going for nearly two decades. In fact, it is celebrating its 20th birthday this Sunday. On June 28, from noon until 4pm, you can drop in to enjoy strawberries and cream and take a look at an exhibition on how the garden has grown over the years.

Run by volunteers, it offers a peaceful haven to have a picnic, go for a stroll, learn about conservation or buy plants to support the project as well as embellish your own garden.

The Centre for Wildlife Gardening is at 28 Marsden Rd, London SE15 4EE. It is open from 10.30am to 4.30pm from Tuesday to Thursday and on Sunday each week. For more details, visit http://www.wildlondon.org.uk/ or call 020 7252 9186.

Recycled Runes

As this is Recycling Week I was trying to think of another pagan recycled art project other than my fortune telling deck made from greeting cards.

After eating a ready meal, I came up with the idea for a set of fortune telling runes made from the used container.

Now, I know ready meals are generally a Bad Thing. They are expensive, full of salt and fat and stuff that's unhealthy, and the containers they come in aren't easy to recycle. But, I'm a Bad Witch and I admit I do sometimes eat Bad Things - even the occasional ready meal.

But I'm feeling slightly less bad now that I've thought of something to make out of the container - my recycled runes.

First, I cut the ready meal box up into little plastic oblongs. To stop them being sharp and a bit flimsy, I slightly melted each side on the electric ring of my cooker. This rounded the edges nicely and also made each oblong feel more substantial.

I'm not sure the fumes given off when the plastic melted were quite in keeping with my environmental aim - they smelled foul and were probably toxic. Even with all the doors and windows open, I was probably in danger of poisoning myself, but I was moderately pleased with the end result after I'd drawn the runes on the oblongs with a silver pen.

What I particularly like about my new set of runes is that they are small and light and much easier to carry around in a pocket or bag than a set on actual stones.

And seeing as they are made out of something almost totally non-biodegradable, they could foreseeably last until Ragnarok.

Links:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/pagan-plans-for-recycling-week.html
http://www.recyclenow.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2007/12/bad-witchs-guide-to-fortune-telling.html

Pagan plans for Recycling Week

This week is recycling week. From June 22 to June 28, people are being asked to pledge to make a specific plan to do more recycling.

Now, pagans are already among the most active recyclers - it just goes with being part of a nature religion - but it can't hurt to make that extra bit of effort.

Earlier this month, I said I was going to take a bag to my local park to clear up rubbish other people had left behind and take it to the recycling bins. I admit I haven't actually gone back to the park to do that yet, but I'm certainly going to pledge that I will, and soon.

And as it was my birthday not that long ago, I'm going to add some summertime cards to my home-made fortune telling deck, which I started with recycled Yule cards some time ago. It could do with some flowers and fairies from birthday cards to add to the robins and snow scenes!

If you know of any pagan groups that are organising any recycling events or have an idea for a pagan-themed recycled craft project, do leave a comment.

Links
http://www.recyclenow.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2007/12/bad-witchs-guide-to-fortune-telling.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/stop-polluting-our-parks.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/real-foxes-dont-eat-quiche.html

Review: The Crystal Bible V2

If you use crystals for healing or for spiritual or psychic work you probably know about The Crystal Bible. You quite likely own a copy, as it is one of the best selling books about crystals.

Now publisher Godsfield Press is bringing out a second volume - The Crystal Bible V2, by Judy Hall. If you like the first volume, you will almost certainly want this one too.

It includes details about more than 200 new crystals - including what it calls "high vibration crystals". The book explains that the crystalline structures of different stones emit and enhance energy, which we can use for healing or to help make the space we live and work in safe. High vibration crystals, it says, can help bring about "spiritual alchemy".

Among the crystals covered is the Preseli Bluestone - famous for being the type of stone that forms the inner ring at Stonehenge, the famous stone circle in Wiltshire. The book says:

"With its powerful telluric electromagnetic charge, Preseli Bluestone opens a cosmic anchor and attaches to the core of the earth, creating unshakable inner-core energetic solidity to stabilize you through earth changes. It then aligns your energy to the galactic centre so that you are held suspended between the earth and the galaxy and allows waves of energy to pass through your body."

It says that this unique British stone - which comes from just one mountain in Wales - "links to the shaman in everyone".
Now, I'm not really an expert on crystals, but I certainly think they can help create a lovely atmosphere around the house. I also use them for their symbolic significance in spells, such as my Spell to Make Money; and I sometimes use them as an aid to healing. I was first introduced to the therapeutic powers of crystals back when I was a student, by a boyfriend who swore that holding an amethyst crystal was a good cure for a hangover. He certainly should have been an expert on the subject, as hangovers were something he frequently suffered.

Books like The Crystal Bible, The Crystal Bible V2 and Crystal Chakra Healing, which I reviewed on A Bad Witch's Blog recently, are teaching me a lot more. I'm certainly now going to be looking out for a paraiba tourmaline - even though this new book tells me they are rare and expensive.
The beautiful turquoise stone is not only said to sort out hayfever, which I suffer from, but also invokes tolerance, assists in the verbalisation of thought and feeling and calms stressful situations. It is said to "bring harmony and light into the darkest situations, helping in finding the gift of spiritual evolution at its heart".

Yes, I could do with this stone. As I told my partner recently: "If you are ever in doubt about what present to get me, buy me jewels."

The Crystal Bible: v. 2: Featuring Over 200 Additional Healing Stones (Godsfield Bible) has an RRP of £12.99. It is due to hit the shelves on July 6 and can be ordered through Amazon as well as most good book shops.

Links
The Crystal Bible: v. 2: Featuring Over 200 Additional Healing Stones (Godsfield Bible) The Crystal Bible: v. 1: The Definitive Guide to Over 200 Crystals (Godsfield Bible)
http://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/03/spell-to-make-money.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/03/review-crystal-chakra-heaing.html

This week's pagan events

For details of future events visit my events page at http://paganevents.blogspot.com/, but here are this week's pagan events in London:

Tuesday 23 June. 2012 - Awakening to the Aquarian Age. Lecture by Tony Neate at The College of Psychic Studies 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm - 8.30pm. Cost: £5/£8. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Wednesday 24 June; Gorsedd of Bards of Cor Gawr Alban Hefin (Midsummer) Gathering at Stonehenge, Wiltshire. Ritual starts at 4am. Entry by pre-booked ticket only. Tickets cost £2 each. For more details, or to book tickets, visit http://druidnetwork.org/ or http://druidnetwork.org/contact/Cor+Gawr+Tickets.

Wednesday 24 June; The Esoteric Properties of Light. Talk by scientist and theologian Colin Price about man's perception at various levels of consciousness. Venue: Secret Chiefs, Devereux public house, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, London WC2. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8.30pm. Admission £2/£1.

Thursday 25 June; Launch Party: The Book of English Magic by Philip-Carr Gomm and Richard Heygate at Treadwells, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. 7pm start. Free, but advance booking required. Tel: 020 7240 8906 or email: info@treadwells-london.com. www.treadwells-london.com/lectures.asp

28 June; Gaia Sol Convention 2009. Festival and convention organised by Pagan Federation London at ULU, Malet Street, London. Time: 11.30am- 6.30pm. Tickets £10/£12. http://pflondon.org/

Watching the ferns for midsummer magic

Ferns might seem a bit dull - just leafy things that never flower - but, according to folklore, they are among the most magical of plants, especially at midsummer.

According to the website Old Time Remedies:

"It was customary to 'Watch the Fern' on Midsummer Eve, when the plant put forth at dusk a blue flower, and a wonderful seed at midnight, which was carefully collected, and known as 'wish seed'. This gave the power to discover hidden treasures, whilst to drink the sap conferred perpetual youth."

And according to Shakespeare (Henry IV, act 2, scene 1 ), fern seeds - themselves invisible and only shed on Midsummer Eve at precisely midnight - also gave anyone they touched the power to "walk invisible".

This belief in the magical powers of the "invisible" fern seeds possibly came from centuries of bafflement over how ferns reproduced. Most plants produce seeds, but not ferns, which reproduce through spores so tiny they are hard to spot. They can be produced around midsummer and are shed as a light dust.

According to Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns by Sue Olsen, it wasn't until the 19th century that people fully understood this. In previous centuries, Sue Olsen says:

"Speculation led to some fanciful theories, the most common being that the seeds, though there, were invisible. In turn, this brought forth some magical connotations."

And the magical connotations are certainly plentiful. Cunningham's Encyclopaedia of Magical Herbs devotes an entire page to ferns. It says they have magical powers associated with rain-making, protection, luck, riches, eternal youth, health, exorcism and the fairy Puck. It adds that:

"Carried or worn, fern has the power to guide its bearer to discover treasures... If you ever find yourself in a spot covered with ferns, exactly at midnight, where no sound can be heard, Puck will appear and give you a purse of gold. When done intentionally, this is 'watching the fern'."

Old Time Remedies adds:

"During the Seventeenth Century it was customary to set growing Brakes [bracken]on fire with the belief that this would produce rain. A like custom of "firing the Bracken" still prevails to-day on the Devonshire moors. By an official letter the Earl of Pembroke admonished the High Sheriff of Stafford to forbear the burning of Ferns during a visit of Charles I, as 'His Majesty desired that the country and himself may enjoy fair weather as long as he should remain in those parts'."

In medieval times, dried ferns were often hung in homes because it was believed they would protect the dwelling from being struck by lightning.

Ferns have also been used for healing purposes to bind wounds and alleviate stomach ache.

However, if you do decide to go watching the ferns this Midsummer Eve, you might want to heed one other piece of folklore - that if a traveller treads on a fern, they will become confused and lose their way - perhaps even wandering off into fairyland, never to be seen again.

Note: This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified herbalist before taking any herbal remedy.

Links:
http://www.oldtimeremedies.co.uk/2008/07/ingredients-ferns.html
http://www.home.aone.net.au/~byzantium/ferns/about.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plantprofile_fern.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern
http://www.simplesite.com/theapothecary/4732205
http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/plants/plants_f.html

Midsummer - A question of dates

Someone emailed me a question the other day:

"I’m trying to find out the date of the next witches meeting, is it on the longest day/shortest night and is it the 24th/25th June this year?"

Witches' summer festival takes place on 20/21st of June, which is the date of the Summer Solstice - or the longest day - each year. Wiccan witches call this festival Litha, which means summer in Saxon.

It is one of their eight solar holidays in the Wheel of the Year - others being the equinixes, when night and day are equal length; Imbolc, or the start of spring; Beltane, or May Day; Lughnasadh, or the harvest; Samhain, or Halloween; and Yule, or midwinter.

Litha is a festival to mark the marriage of the God and Goddess and is also a popular day for handfastings - pagan weddings, in which the couple to be married are symbolically joined by a chord around their hands.

However, for hundreds of years most people in Europe have celebrated midsummer on June 24, the Christian Feast of John the Baptist. This is only a few days after the solstice and just before the days start to become noticeably shorter.

According to Ronald Hutton's well-regarded book Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain, mid to late June appears to have been a popular time for festivities in many parts of Europe. These often involved fire - with bonfires, torchlit processions and sometimes rolling burning wheels down a hill.

These fires were often seen as a form of purification and to ward off evil, but may also have symbolised the fire of the sun, particularly as a burning wheel is a common sun symbol. Ronald Hutton believes there is enough evidence to suggest midsummer fire festivals stretch back to pagan times. He states:

"The dossier seems to be complete enough to speak confidently of a pre-Christian seasonal ritual of major importance."

This year, with the solstice falling at a weekend, most pagans will be definitely celebrating midsummer on the 20th or 21st of June. However, when that date is midweek, most witches will celebrate on the closest weekend - which may sometimes be nearer to the 24th of June, or traditional midsummer.

To find out about organised pagan events this solstice, have a look at What to do this summer solstice.

Links:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/what-to-do-this-summer-solstice.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/doing-your-own-solstice-thing.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/midsummer-and-solstice.html
Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

Two more summer solstice events

Two pagan events are happing this Saturday, June 20, in Queens Wood, Highgate, London.

Drum & Dance
From noon until 3pm there will be a drumming, chanting and dancing social organised by PF London veterans April and Mani.
Turn up with a musical instrument of your choice - drums, percusion instruments, singing bowls, rattles, empty glass bottles, your own voice or anything else that makes a sound - for freeflow entertainment.

Hern's Tribe Midsummer Ritual
At 3.30pm, following on from the drumming, Hern's Tribe will be holding a midsummer open rituals. This will call to the spirit of the woods, Hern and the Green Lady. The Hollys and the Oaks will compete for the sun trophy with dancing, drumming and races and share the triumph of the sun as it reaches it's height.

Bring food and drink for a picnic.

To find Queen's Woods, north London, see map ref: http://www.multimap.com/s/NC9I1b9e
The nearest tube station is Highgate (northern line).
Directions from the station: come out of tube station to Archway Road. Turn
right. There is a pub called Woodmans and to the immediate right is a small road called Wood Lane. Walk along this for about 5 minutes. The picnic spot is on the left and the ritual site will be signed.

For details of more Summer Solstice events, see http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/what-to-do-this-summer-solstice.html

Helios: A Sun God for Fathers' Day

This Sunday, June 21, is not only the Summer Solstice, it is also Fathers' Day, so for The Bad Witch's God of the Week I have chosen a sun deity who is also a prolific father.

Helios, the Greek god who drove the chariot of the sun through the sky each day, had more than two dozen children, by several different consorts. This handsome god loved getting about and having a good time, but never settled down and married.

Perhaps luckily for Helios, Fathers' Day doesn't date back as far as Ancient Greece, or he would have been a very busy deity. In fact, the celebration is only about 100 years old. At the start of the last century, several people independently seemed to get the idea that if there was a Mothers' Day, there ought to be a Fathers' Day too.

The first recorded observance took place on July 5, 1908, at the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South of Fairmont, USA. A year later, in 1909, a woman called Sonora Smart Dodd, of Washington, USA, while listening to a Mothers' Day service, also thought it would be nice to have a day for fathers. She worked hard to get Fathers' Day officially recognised internationally, but it was only made a federal holiday in America in 1966. In England, Fathers' Day is celebrated, but isn't marked with an official bank holiday - although as most countries celebrate it on a Sunday - the third Sunday in June - most people aren't at work anyway.

Fathers' Day isn't a particularly religious event, but with it falling on the same day as the Solstice, it would seem appropriate to honour father gods, as well as our own paternal ancestors, in whatever rituals we have planned.

Here are details of organised events and rituals taking place over the solstice: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/what-to-do-this-summer-solstice.html

Or if you fancy doing a quiet solstice ritual on your own, here are a few suggestions: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/doing-your-own-solstice-thing.html

The Hendrik Goltzius Helios Framed Art Poster Print - 11" X 17" pictured above is available for sale through Amazon

Links:
http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/greek-mythology.php?deity=HELIOS http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Helios.aspx#1E1-Helios
Hendrik Goltzius (Follow »ancient gods," Helios) Framed Art Poster Print - 11" X 17"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fathers_Day

Summer Solstice weekend camp in Sussex

If you fancy a lovely weekend camping and taking part in a pagan gathering and Summer Solstice ritual, then you might be interested in one that is happening in Sussex this Saturday and Sunday.

On June 20 to June 21, Circle of the Old Ways is hosting a Summer Solstice Gathering. It will include workshops, a Mummers' play and a Summer Solstice Ritual. There will be barbecues - including veggie food - but bring food for a sharing feast.

The celebration is taking place at Daisyfields Campsite in Littlehampton, Sussex. Day tickets are £3/£1, camping tickets are available at the campsite rates. For more details and to book tickets, visit http://www.cotow.org/

To find out about other events taking place this solstice, see my roundup of midsummer events at http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/what-to-do-this-summer-solstice.html

If you fancy doing your own things but want some suggestions, visit http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/doing-your-own-solstice-thing.html

London Solstice Psychogeography

While I was browsing the internet looking for stuff going on in London this summer solstice, I came across something called A Summer Solstice Perambulation of the Prehistoric Mounds of London on the website National Psychogeographic.

Ever since I discovered Merlin Coverley's book Pyschogeography, I've been fascinated by psychogeography, which seems to combine two things I enjoy - going for a walk and immersing oneself in the occult. The idea is that by perambulating around a city you are also going on a kind of visionary journey as well as being an active force for change.

The author of A Summer Solstice Perambulation of the Prehistoric Mounds of London, whose name I can't see mentioned on the site, was inspired by the book Prehistoric London: Its Mounds and Circles by E O Gordon to "perambulate between its founding sites - the great monuments that were at the centre of a thriving city long before the Romans rocked up", as a psychogeography solstice ritual.

It has to be said that opinions on Prehistoric London: Its Mounds and Circles are divided. The Summer Solstice Perambulation website calls the book "criminally under-celebrated", but a review on Amazon's website says "There is almost nothing to recommend this book" and that it is based on "speculation without any evidence".

Now, I haven't read the book, but fact or fantasy, I see no reason why a walk between Westminster, The Tower of London, Penton and Parliament Hill shouldn't form the basis of great summer solstice psychogeography ritual, resonant in history even if some of that history is a bit spurious.

The psychogeographer initially intended the solstice perambulation to be "a grand ritual unifying the city led by the nation’s Druids". In the end, he just went on it with his sister. Nothing wrong with that though, and the two of them found pagan symbolism is everywhere.

There is Great Maze Pond SE1, which fitted in "with the pagan theme of the derive (mazes being created in oak groves and markers of places of druidic ritual)"; Tower Hill "where the severed head of Bendigeid Vran, first king of this island, is said to be buried"; "Mount Zion Chapel - redolent of a riff in Gordon that links the British Mounds to their spiritual cousins in Palestine"; and finally Parliament Hill Fields, where a druid was seen celebrating the solstice and there is also a modern monument to free speech.

If you want to try this summer solstice psychogeography ritual for yourself, why not take read the account on National Psychogeographic and have a go?

A midwinter solstice psychogeography trek, following the sun from its rise in East London to its setting in the west, is described in the book London Walking, by Simon Pope. Perhaps city perambulations are a great new trend in solstice celebrations, even if they aren't genuinely connected to the prehistoric past?

Prehistoric London: Its Mounds and Circles is available to buy through Amazon

The photo shows a view over London from Parliament Hill

Links:
http://www.nationalpsychogeographic.com/page11.aspx
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/02/psychogeography-by-merlin-coverley.html
Prehistoric London: Its Mounds and Circles

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/01/ley-lines-and-london-walkiing.html

Call for erotic fairy tales

If you've ever fancied having a go at writing a fairy story, you might be interested to know that Circlet Press is looking for submissions of fairy tales for publication.

And "submission" is definitely an appropriate word, because the publisher is looking for erotic tales with a BDSM twist, as well as gay, lesbian and bisexual stories.

The idea of gay, lesbian or S&M sex as a theme for fairy tales might not be as unusual as it first appears. According to David Boyle who talked about fairy superstitions at the South East London Folklore Society earlier this year, many fairy stories are really about love outside social norms. He said: "Fairies are the ultimate outsiders and so are a way of talking about all things forbidden."

One of my favourite fairy stories is Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti. On the surface, it is about two sisters tempted to buy cursed pomegranates, grapes and suchlike offered by goblin men, yet this is symbolic of the forbidden fruit of sex. And with one sister saying to the other, "Never mind my bruises, hug me, kiss me, suck my juices", you can certainly see a suggestion of incestuous lesbian BDSM.

Circlet Press, however, is looking for more than erotic allegory. Its guidelines for the kind of tales it is looking for states: "Fresh and direct language is preferred to overly euphemistic."

You can enter under three categories:
Like a Queen: gay and lesbian fairy tales
Like A Thorn: BDSM fairy tales
Like Twin Stars: bisexual-themed erotic sf/fantasy

Stories must be original and between 3,000 and 7,000 words. The closing date is July 7.

You can find out more details about Circlet Press and its call for erotic fairy tales at http://www.circlet.com/?p=243

The picture above is from an edition of Goblin Market published by Macmillan & Co in 1865.

Links:
http://www.circlet.com/?p=243
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/02/fairy-tales.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/10/faerie-book-by-samantha-gray.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/02/fairytale-tarot.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/03/david-boyle-on-fairy-superstitions-at.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/03/oberon-bad-witchs-god-of-week.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/04/fantasy-puts-stamp-on-royal-mail.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/04/enchanted-faerie-fantasy-art-of-linda.html
http://wikis.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/ENG_463_Christina_Rossetti
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wLMDAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Goblin+market&ei=7mAzSpfFB4eyyQTx5IH1BQ#PPP7,M1

This week's pagan events

A few days ago on A Bad Witch's Blog I wrote about What to do this summer solstice, but here are details of pagan events in the week running up to June 21.

Monday 15 June; Transmitting the Fire - Initiation in the Work of Kenneth Grant. Talk by Michael Staley at Treadwells, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Entry £5, booking advised. Tel: 020 7240 8906 or email: info@treadwells-london.com. www.treadwells-london.com/lectures.asp

Wednesday 17 June; author Jake Arnott will be talking about his new novel, The Devil's Paintbrush, fictionalising a meeting between Aleister Crowley Sir Hector 'Fighting Mac' MacDonald. The talk is at The Moot With No Name, Devereux public house, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, London WC2. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8pm. Admission £2.

Thursday 18 June; Children of Artemis Witches Gathering at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, Surrey. Free £2/£1 members. Event begins 8pm. For more info call 0870 442 290. http://www.witchfest.net/croydon_gathering.htm

Thursday 18 June; Druids and Their Magic in Early Ireland - Making Sense of the Clouds, Stars, Ogham and Bull's Blood. Talk by Dr Mark Williams of Cambridge University at Treadwells, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Entry £5, booking advised. Tel: 020 7240 8906 or email: info@treadwells-london.com. www.treadwells-london.com/lectures.asp

Saturday 20 June; Foundations of Tarot Part II. A journey through the major arcana with Hilde Liesens and Cilla Conway. Time: 11am - 6pm. Tea and biscuits provided but bring your own packed lunch. Venue: a private house near Harrow & Wealdstone Station; address will be confirmed when you book. Cost £40 per day. To book phone or email Hilde (07768 377 646 - hilde@firetree.net) or Cilla (07949 7666 34 - cilla@cillaconway.com).

Saturday 20 June; Drum Skills Training from 1pm - 3pm at Small Boat Owners Club, Guilford Lawn, Ramsgate. Entry £2. This event happens every two weeks. For more details, call 07912746264.

For details of future events visit my events page at http://paganevents.blogspot.com/,

Doing your own solstice thing

Many of us will be just doing our own thing next weekend to celebrate the summer solstice rather than taking part in an organised ritual, if those who voted on my summer poll are anything to go by. You can see the result of the poll by scrolling down to the very bottom of the page.

With the summer solstice falling over a weekend this year, and the weather predicted to be fine, it does seem like a great idea to get out, enjoy the sunshine and do what you want.

However, I may be having a quiet solstice at home this year - although I have been invited to a few celebrations, including a heathen blot - a feast with many toasts to the sun, the gods and ancestors, intended to go on until the sun has risen or everyone falls unconscious. That sounded fantastic, but sadly I can't leave my elderly mum, who is recovering from a broken wrist, alone for long.

Instead, I will very likely be having a quiet, personal time of reflection, possibly getting up before dawn to watch the sunrise.

Normally, getting up at around 4am would seem impossible for me, but at the moment my mum is waking me up several times in the night - by ringing a wire-free doorbell - so I can help her to the loo. I've seen the dawn several times over the past couple of weeks because of this, so I should be able to manage it on the solstice.

After tucking my mum back in bed, I have watched out of the window at that early hour, with the sun just rising, and seen the garden behind my house transformed into a magical place. I have seen a mother vixen and her cub playing on the lawn in the pre-dawn half-light, watched rays of sunlight stretch across the dew-sparkled grass, heard the dawn chorus of birds and felt quite at peace with the moment, before returning back to my own comfy bed for a few more precious hours of sleep.

One easy thing to do at the summer solstice is to use the power of the sun to charge a bottle of water with solar energy. Leave the item in a sunny spot from the eve of the solstice, right through the longest day, until the sun has set once more. You can then drink the water, irrigate plants or use it as an offering at another ritual. Crystals, wands or amulets can also be charged with solar energy in the same way.

A great thing to do on your own is a guided visualisation, such as the Visualisation on the element of fire I posted on A Bad Witch's Blog last summer. Find a lovely sunny spot where you will be undisturbed and let the visualisation take you on a personal journey, even if you cannot actually get out yourself.

In folklore, midsummer is considered a good time to harvest herbs if you grow them and want to use them for magical, healing or culinary purposes. In particular, this is a good time to harvest St John's Wort, as 24 June is St John the Baptist's Day as well as being traditional midsummer.

If you want to do a short solitary ritual, then there is a lovely and unusual one on the pagan website Pagan Magic, which is called Everything From The Sun. For this, you fill a bowl with sunflower seeds, yellow and orange sweets or other little things that remind you of the sun. Put them in a sunny spot, or on your altar with a lit a gold or yellow candle, and say:

"Helios and Lugh,
Amaterasu and Sekhmet,
I thank you for your many gifts.
Let me learn to be as generous as you."

Then you can take a few charged items in the bowl yourself and keep the rest to offer to friends, relatives or anyone who visits your home.

The Sun & Moon Brass Sundial pictured is available from Amazon for £21.99.

Links:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/what-to-do-this-summer-solstice.html
Sun & Moon Brass Sundial
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/visualisation-on-element-of-fire.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/midsummer-and-solstice.html
http://www.paganfed.org/pagan-heath.php
http://pagan-magic.co.uk/shop/litha-everything-from-ritual-a-845.html?ad=badwitch

What to do this Summer Solstice

Midsummer - when the days are at their longest and sunniest and the nights are short and, hopefully, warm - is our favourite time of year, at least according to a poll I ran on A Bad Witch's Blog last year.

This year, I am running a poll to find out what we are intending to do for the solstice. The results so far varied, with people saying they will be doing public rituals, private rituals, going to outdoor events, staying indoor with their friends and many just doing their own thing. There is still a little time to vote. To do so, scroll down to the very bottom of the page to find the poll.

If you haven't yet decided what to do for the Summer Solstice, here are a few ideas:

Stonehenge, Avebury and other Stone Circles
Stonehenge, the 5,000-year-old megalithic monument on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, is the most famous place in England to celebrate the solstices. Entry is normally restricted although English Heritage, which manages the site, is expected to provide what it calls "managed open access" to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice and there will be a one-day free festival near the stones on Sunday June 21. For more details of the festival, visit http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/stonehenge/2009/

If you want to take part in a druid ritual at Stonehenge, there is one on Wednesday 24 June. it is organised by the Gorsedd of Bards of Cor Gawr Alban Hefin. The ritual starts at 4am and entry is by pre-booked ticket only. Tickets cost £2 each. For more details, or to book tickets, visit http://druidnetwork.org/ or http://druidnetwork.org/contact/Cor+Gawr+Tickets.

Avebury, near Marlborough, Wiltshire, a prehistoric stone circle not far from Stonehenge and almost as famous, is probably the second most popular site for midsummer rituals in England.

On Saturday 20 June; Cauldron of Cerridwen is putting on a Summer Solstice Open Ritual at the stones. This is advertised as a family-friendly open ritual starting at 12 noon at the circle. For further details call Sian on 07746365980 or email sian_ap_pysgotwr@yahoo.co.uk. For more details about Avebury, visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-avebury

Many people prefer to visit smaller, less busy stone circles and other megalithic sites. To find out details of one near you, visit the website http://www.megalithic.co.uk/

A City Solstice
Londoners who don't want to venture far can find plenty to do over midsummer near the city.

The regular Summer Solstice on Primrose Hill is running again this year, on Sunday, 21 June, starting at 12:45pm. This is a chance to celebrate Alban Heruin with the Loose Association of Druids and is hosted by The Druid of Wormwood Scrubbs. Meet at The Hawthorne Grove on top of Primrose Hill, Regents Park Rd, London. For more details, email jtmorganhaberdasher@yahoo.co.uk.

The Tribe of Avalon is putting on a Grand Ritual for Midsummer to honour the Goddess of the London river, Tamesa. This will take place at Victoria Tower Park, London, near Parliament. The ritual starts at 3pm on Sunday, 21 June. if you are going, bring food and drink to share, water as an offering and poems and songs about summer. For more information contact the organiser, Drew Galdron, at drewdruid@gmail.com.

Also on Sunday 21 June, there also Summer Solstice Evening Ritual near Staines, including a Litha ritual, party, a Mummer's Play and Eisteddfod. This free open ritual starts at 8pm, but you must contact the organisers to book a place before the event. Call 07889 126311. The ritual and party will take place at an ancient pagan site in woodlands. Bring drink and food to share.

If you want to do something less formally ritualistic, arts and mental health charity CoolTan Arts is organising a midnight summer solstice guided walk on Saturday June 20 entitled From the Madhouse to Modern Psychiatric Hospital. It starts at the Tate Modern and ends the Maudsley Hospital, covering parts of historic London relating to Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens. For more information, call 07985 658443 or visit http://www.cooltanarts.org.uk/

Midsummer Night's Dream
A visit to an open-air performance of Midsummer Nights Dream is one way anyone can enjoy a magical summer evening.

This year, Chapterhouse Theatre Company is putting on performances of Shakespeare's famous play in some of the most beautiful country houses, castles and heritage sites in the UK and Ireland. The picture above comes from promotions for the event. If you want to book tickets for a show, here are the dates in June and contact details:

June 19: Cely Woods, Averly, Essex. Tel: 01842 814612.
June 20: Hazeley House, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire. Tel: 01252 842215.
June 21: Porlock Recreation Ground, Exmoor, Somerset. Tel: 01643 863150.
June 27: Woburn Abbey, Woburn, Bedfordshire. Tel: 01525 290333.
For more information, visit the website http://www.chapterhouse.org/main_page.htm

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/hilly-fields-stone-circle.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/midsummer-and-solstice.html
http://www.chapterhouse.org/main_page.htm
http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/stonehenge/2009/
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-avebury
http://www.cooltanarts.org.uk/
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/
http://druidnetwork.org/

Minerva - Goddess of Wisdom

This Saturday, as well as being the birthday of Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, is the date of a Roman festival sacred to Minerva, goddess of war and wisdom, according to pagancalendar.co.uk.

So, I have chosen the Minerva as the Bad Witch's Goddess of the Week.

Minerva was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena. Both were patrons of warriors, poets, healers, traders, craftsmen and musicians. Their sacred animal was the owl - also symbolic of wisdom, although in reality it is not known to be the brightest of birds.

Minerva was worshipped widely throughout the Roman world. In Rome itself, her warlike aspect was particularly venerated. She was usually portrayed armed and helmeted, ready for battle. In Britain, she was more often associated with Sulis, a goddess of wisdom native to our isles.

Known as Sulis Minerva, Romans dedicated a temple to her in Bath, adorned with a gilt bronze sculpture of her head, which is on display at the Roman Baths museum. The hot springs there were sacred to Sulis Minerva and worshippers would throw votive offerings into the water - as well as curses.

Modern pagans might feel a bit uncomfortable about the idea of cursing, but not pagan Romans. They would inscribe on strips of lead all sorts of unpleasant things that they would like to see happen to those who had pissed them off, then throw the strips into the sulphurous water for the goddess to read and make happen.

Although I wouldn't want to curse anyone, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Minerva because I believe that if you are going to fight for a cause, it is vital to think carefully about how you are going to go about it. Most of the battles we find ourselves in are best fought with words and wisdom rather than weapons.

Romans celebrated Minerva's main festival on March 19, but June 13 - known as the Quinquatrus - was also sacred to her, possibly because that was the day her temple on Rome's Aventine Hill was consecrated. At the festival, women would consult fortune tellers, men would go hunting and in the evening everyone would enjoy plays and poetry reading.

Hunting doesn't seem a very politically correct activity these days, but I can think of worse things to do on a warm Saturday evening in June than watch a play, preferably at some lovely open air theatre - just like the Romans.

The picture shows an Art Nouveau Minerva Mirror in Faux Ivory wall decoration, which is available from Isis Rising Gifts through Amazon for £24.99.

Links:
Art Nouveau Minerva Mirror in Faux Ivory - Wall Décor
http://www.pagancalendar.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinquatria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minerva
http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/index.cfm?UUID=80FE53CD-5D86-475E-89B9A476314E8892
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/roman_empire/97436
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/383802/Minerva
http://www.crystalinks.com/minerva.html http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/r/the_roman_goddess_minerva.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulis
http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/bath.html