Pagan events in and near London

For details of future events visit my events page at http://paganevents.blogspot.com/, but here are this week's events of interest to pagans in London and other parts of the UK:

Now until 27 June. Free exhibition on the East Anglian witch hunt of 1645-7 at Epping Forest District Museum, Sun Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1EL in conjunction with the Renaissance in the Regions group. For more information and opening times call 01992 716882 or visit the website http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/museum/.

Tuesday 1 June; Enochian Magic. Talk by Rufus Harrington at The Sacred Hart Moot, The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford RM1 1HR. Time: 7pm-10.30pm. For more information visit: http://www.sacredhart.350.com/

Tuesday 1 June; Consciousness and Why We Must Listen to Our Light Encodement. Lecture by Tracey Ash at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm - 8.30pm. Cost: £5/£8. Advance booking essential. Tel: 020 - 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Wednesday 2 June; Weekly pagan talk at The Moot with No Name. Venue: Devereux public house, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, London WC2R 3JJ. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8pm. Admission £2.

Friday 4 June; Through A Glass Darkly: Inside the Victorian Seances of the Fraudulent Mediums. Lecture by The London Magician at Treadwell’s, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30 start. Tickets £7, booking essential. Tel: 020 7240 8906. For more details visit the website http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday, 5 June; Otherworld Beloved. Second workshop in a series of four, called Pwyll, Rhiannon and the Spirits of the Land, by Deertracks. The workshops take place in Harrow & Wealdstone, which is just north of London, 15 minutes by train from Euston. For more information, and to book tickets, visit http://www.firetree.net/wheel/Deertracks/Workshops/rhiannon.html

Sunday 6 June; Pendle Pub Walk. Walk in aid of charity, starting at 11am, in Pendle, Lancashire. You need to register in order to take part, visit www.pendlepubwalk.co.uk

“Witch Way Now” for Pendle Pub Walk

Organisers of the annual Pendle Pub Walk have named the winner of a competition they’ve been running to name a locally produced beer.

The Moorhouses ale - made to help raise money to support the charities the walk supports – has been named “Witch Way Now”.

The name was chosen by Bernie Mearns of Warton (pictured) and will be featured on pump clips in pubs along the route of the walk. It is highly appropriate, recalling the famous historic witch trials of the region.

David Grant, managing director of Moorhouses Brewery, said: “We think the name will go down well with walkers and patrons of pubs on the Pendle Pub Walk route. It’s a great play on words as it refers to our local heritage. We expect walkers will ask for 'Witch Way Now' as they enter the pubs and utter it again as they set off on their way – feeling a little more refreshed!”

Simon Tattersall one of the organisers of the walk, said: “It’s a great name that works on several levels – and I’ve no doubt that it will be a great ale too. I’ll certainly be partaking of a couple of pints as I walk the Pendle Pub Walk route.”

People interested in either participating in the walk or sponsoring walkers should visit the website set up especially for the walk - http://www.pendlepubwalk.co.uk/ – as you need to register. Organisers say that everyone is welcome on the walk, and are urging people to register now while places are still available.

The circular walk – scheduled to start from 11am on Sunday 6 June – is organised by Rotarians from Burnley Pendleside Club. The charitable event will this year raise funds for The Prostate Cancer Charity and the children's hospice Derian House.

Last year's event was the first annual Pendle Pub Walk, with around 50 walkers raising over £1,500 for Rotary charities, including Pendleside Hospice and The Air Ambulance.

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/calls-to-mark-anniversary-of-pendle.html
http://www.pendlewitches.co.uk/
www.pendlepubwalk.co.uk

Forget-me-nots and crocks of gold

My flowerbeds are always full of forget-me-nots at this time of year. The diminutive, delicate-looking blue flowers mean "true love" according to The Language of Flowersby Margaret Pickston.

Another book, The Meaning of Flowers: Folklore, Fairylore, Superstitions, Remediesby Cecily Mary Barker, gives a sadder meaning. In an Austrian folk story, two lovers were walking beside the Danube. The girl pointed to some blue flowers being swept along in the fast-flowing river, and wished she could have them. In the name of true love, the boy jumped in to get them for his sweet heart, but treacherous currents dragged him down. He threw the sprig of blooms to his beloved, shouting "Forget me not!" just before he disappeared below the water and was drowned.

The book also says that forget-me-nots are fairy flowers and can be used to help find fairy treasure.

I don't think it can mean fairies plant forget-me-nots as a memory aid to mark the spot they have buried a hoard of gold, because the flowers grow just about everywhere. If that was the case, either fairies have huge amounts of buried treasure or else they also plant lots of forget-me-nots as decoys, which would rather defeat the object!

The photograph above shows forget-me-nots growing among my primroses - another flower associated with finding fairy treasure. Both are sometimes called "key flowers".

Seeing them growing together, I naturally had a good look for any signs of treasure, but all I dug up was an old flower pot - which could mean someone had been there before me or perhaps I am being blinded by fairy magic and only seeing an empty pot when really it was a crock of gold.

John Fiske, in his book Myths and Myth-makers: Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology, suggests that wearing a spring of forget-me-nots in your hat can help you see past such illusions.

It tells the tale of a man travelling alone on a mountain who picks a blue flower to wear on his hat. He instantly sees an iron door in the mountainside, which was not apparent before. It opens to a lighted passage, leading to a magnificent hall heaped with gems.

The traveller fills his pockets, then greedily also fills his hat, not noticing as he turns it upside down that the flower has fallen from the band. As he leaves, the little flower calls: “Forget me not!” He looks around at the sound, but does not notice the tiny blue petals among the glittering jewels, so leaves without it. But, without the magical flower, he becomes hopelessly lost, doomed to wandering the lonely mountains with nothing to guide his way.

If you fail to find fairy gold with flower magic, you might at least get a new frock. According to a book called Kentucky Superstitions,if you swallow the first forget-me-not of the season, you will get a new dress of the same colour.

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/02/primroses-for-love-protection-and-fairy.html
The Language of Flowers
The Meaning of Flowers: Folklore, Fairylore, Superstitions, Remedies
Kentucky Superstitions
Myths and Myth-makers: Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forget-me-not

Hekate - Goddess of the Week

Today witches around the world will be honouring the Goddess Hekate - and so I have chosen Hekate as The Bad Witch's Goddess of the Week.

Hekate - sometimes known as Hecate - is the goddess of hidden wisdom, change and darkness, and is also called the Goddess of Witches.

Her power is associated with the phases of the moon and on the night of the full moon, May 27, people are being invited to light a fire to Hekate and to perform The Rite of Her Sacred Fires - a ritual that can be downloaded at the website sacredfires.co.uk

The event is being organised by Sorita d’Este, creator of the ritual and editor of a book called Hekate: Her Sacred Fires,which is also being launched today.

As the full moon is a particularly powerful time to cast spells for success in new projects, Sorita could be considered a very clever witch to be inviting people to do a ritual for Hekate on that night. I am sure her book will sell well.

The book is a collection on essays and illustrations from 50 international contributors. In its publicity material, publisher Avalonia says:

"Hekate is a Goddess of great antiquity. She is primordial, powerful and sometimes animalistic – and yet, she is also sophisticated, modern and capable of adapting to different cultures. She is the Torchbearer, the Cosmic World Soul, the Guide and Companion. She is Mistress of the Restless Dead, who rules over the Heavens Earth and Sea. She is the Keybearer and so much more. Her devotees today, as throughout the ages, include philosophers, poets, sorcerers, theurgists, witches, root-cutters, enchantresses and ordinary people."

It looks a fascinating book, which I will be adding to my wish list. And, never being one to turn down a free gift, I have also downloaded the ritual and may light a fire to Hekate tonight.

Hekate: Her Sacred Fires: A Unique Collection of Essays, Prose and Artwork Exploring the Mysteries of the Torchbearing Triple Goddess of the Crossroadsis published by Avalonia and available through Amazon.

Links
Hekate: Her Sacred Fires: A Unique Collection of Essays, Prose and Artwork Exploring the Mysteries of the Torchbearing Triple Goddess of the Crossroads
http://sacredfires.co.uk/
http://sacredfires.co.uk/?page_id=64
http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/greek-mythology.php?deity=HECATE

Hare Moon: May's full moon

There is a full moon tonight and according to the online Pagan Calendar, the medieval name for this is Hare Moon - although I have also heard it called Hare's Moon.

I seem to have written a lot about hares on my blog, so what could be finer than celebrating the Hare's Moon!

Last week I reviewed the beautiful Moon Hare Oracle, in March at the time of the full moon I posted a picture of Daisy the Moon Gazing Hare bronze statue and last year I saw several hares while out on country walks and wrote about Magical Mad March Hares.

I am not quite sure why a full moon at the end of May should be called Hare Moon, rather than the March full moon, as March is a month more often associated with hares. If you know the reason, do let me know.

To illustrate this post I have used a picture called Moon Hares Dancing.This lovely canvas art pictureis available from Amazon.

The full moon is at 11.07pm on May 27 Universal Time, which is just past midnight - 00.07am on May 28 - in London by British Summer Time according to the online pagan calendar.

Links
http://pagancalendar.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/05/review-moon-hare-oracle.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/full-moon-and-march-hares.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/03/magical-mad-march-hares.html
Moon Hares Dancing Print, Canvas Art Picture Hare 42 x 60cm

Pagan Perspectives - choices

Pagans seem to have been particularly outspoken on a variety of subjects recently. Many of the posts are essentially about people's freedom of choice on various issues. Here are links to a few interesting web postings over the past week:

Feminist pagan Starhawk, author of the highly influential book The Spiral Dance,wrote an article called A Woman's Sacred Right to Choose on the Washington Post website. She asked: "Can you be a feminist and oppose abortion in all circumstances? Can you be a person of faith and support abortion in some circumstances?" Read the full story at: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/starhawk/2010/05/a_womans_sacred_right_to_choose.html

The author of the blog Thoughts from Kansas wrote about a new Lousiana law defending pagans. It says the US state has passed legislation reaffirming American constitutional guarantees of freedom of religious expression. Valli Henry, president of the Louisiana Alliance of Wiccans, is quoted as saying the legislation “bolstered our hope of spreading Wicca and paganism throughout Louisiana.” To me, the concept of wanting to "spread Wicca" seems a little strange as UK Wiccans usually believe trying to convert people to any religion is opposed to the principle of allowing people to do what they will, so long as it is harmless. Read the full story at: http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2010/05/new_lousiana_law_defends_pagan.php

A witch wrote to the Boston Globe, saying that her extended family had recently started saying grace before meals and asking whether she should stay silent while they prayed, go along with them even though it was not her religious belief. To see the full story and read the response visit: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/family/articles/2010/05/24/witch_is_vexed_by_familys_grace/

On the website Modern Ghana, Melanie Miller wrote about The Witch in All of Us. She explained what she does as a modern witch and how to do some simple spells to gain love or money. She also said that witchcraft is part of our heritage and history and that we all have the power to do magic, should we choose to. Read the full story at: http://www.modernghana.com/lifestyle/1434/16/the-witch-in-all-of-us.html

The picture at the top shows Starhawk's book The Spiral Dance: A rebirth of the ancient religions of the great goddess

Children of Artemis is dissolved

The rumour that Children of Artemis Limited has been dissolved as a company has been confirmed by Companies House.

I have just had an email from Philip May of Companies House Contact Centre saying:

"Name & Registered Office:
CHILDREN OF ARTEMIS LIMITED
17B KING STREET
CASTLE DOUGLAS
DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY
DG7 1AA
Status: Dissolved 07/05/2010
Company No: SC261100

Accounting Reference Date: 31/12
Last Accounts Made Up To: 31/12/2006 TOTAL EXEMPTION SMALL
Last Return Made Up To: 18/12/2006

I can confirm that the above company was struck off and dissolved on 7 May 2010.

This was because we believed the above company to be neither carrying on business nor in operation. We may take this view if, for example:

He has not received documents (e.g. Accounts/Annual Returns) from a company that should have sent them to us; or mail that we have sent to a company's registered office is returned undelivered.

More information about this striking off procedure can be found on our website at the following link:

http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/gbhtml/gp4.shtml#ch2"

I am still not sure what this will mean for Children of Artemis in its everyday business - it still seems to be operating as before and the person I spoke to seemed unaware that the company had dissolved. In fact, they said they thought it must be a computer error.

More on Children of Artemis Limited

A few days ago, I wrote on A Bad Witch's Blog that according to Companies House records, Children of Artemis Limited dissolved as a company on 7 May 2010.

I also emailed Children of Artemis to ask about this. I have just had a reply from the Children of Artemis Team. The email stated: "We have not dissolved, this is just a computer error."

I have since checked the Companies House website and it is still saying that Children of Artemis Limited dissolved on 7 May 2010.

I have now emailed Companies House to ask if it is indeed a computer error.


Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/05/rumour-changes-at-children-of-artemis.html

Pagan events, festivals and lectures in and near London

For details of future events visit my events page at http://paganevents.blogspot.com/, but here are this week's events of interest to pagans in London and other parts of the UK:

Now until Sunday 5 September. Myths and Monsters; exibition at Horniman Museum, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ. Telephone 020 8699 1872 or visit http://www.horniman.ac.uk/. The opening hours are 10.30am – 5.30pm.

Now until 27 June. Free exhibition on the East Anglian witch hunt of 1645-7 at Epping Forest District Museum, Sun Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1EL in conjunction with the Renaissance in the Regions group. For more information and opening times call 01992 716882 or visit the website http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/museum/.

Monday 24 May; A Time for Murder: A look at Antiscia. Talk on the astrological charts of murderers by Genda Cole at Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Event starts at 7pm. Admission: Members £6, Concessions £4, Non-members £8 Non-Members Concessions £6. For more details visit http://www.astrolodge.co.uk

Monday 24 May; The Devil and the Female Pope - Origins Of The Tarot. Talk by Gareth Medway at pagan forum Secret Chiefs. Venue: Devereux public house, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, London WC2R 3JJ. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8.30pm. Admission £2. For more details, visit http://secretchiefslondon.wordpress.com/

Tuesday 25 May; Know Your Life Code. Masterclass by Heidi Sawyer at The College of Psychic Studies 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm - 9pm. Cost: £8/£12. Advance booking essential. Tel: 020 - 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Wednesday 26 May; Vestigia Through the Looking Glass: Moina Mathers of the Golden Dawn.
Lecture by Blair Cowl, Caroline Wise and Christina Oakley Harrington at Treadwell’s, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30 start. Tickets £7, booking essential. Tel: 020 7240 8906. For more details visit the website http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Wednesday 26 May; Weekly pagan talk at The Moot with No Name. Venue: Devereux public house, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, London WC2R 3JJ. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8pm. Admission £2.

Thursday 27 May; International Day of Devotion to Hekate. An international act of devotion to the Goddess Hekate will be taking place on the full moon of Thursday, 27 May 2010 by goddess worshippers all over the world. Those wanting to take part can download the The Rite of Her Sacred Fires at http://sacredfires.co.uk/?page_id=64 The rite can be performed by itself, or as part of a larger ceremony. For more details, visit http://sacredfires.co.uk/

Rumour: Changes at Children of Artemis

OK, I couldn't wait any longer to spread the juicy rumour I heard. Here it is:

According to Companies House records, Children of Artemis Limited dissolved as a company on 7 May 2010.

I was told this rumour yesterday by a friend with his ear to the ground in the pagan community, but I wanted to check it out before posting it on my blog. I looked on the Companies House website: http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/index.shtml and found that the facts were correct as stated there.

I then sent a email to Children of Artemis asking:

"I notice on Companies House records that Children of Artemis Limited dissolved as a company on 7 May 2010. Can you give me any reasons why this has happened and what it means for the future of CoA?"

I have not yet had a reply.

I have no idea what this will mean in practical terms for the day-to-day business of Children of Artemis. Everything looks normal on the CoA website and the organisation is still running events - earlier this week it announced a new masked ball to take place this summer. Also, the company Witchfest Limited is still active on the Companies House website.

If you know any more about this, do let me know.

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/05/fama-goddess-of-week.html
http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk//index.shtml
http://www.witchcraft.org/

Fama - Goddess of the Week

Fama Goddess of Rumours is the Bad Witch's Goddess of the Week. I found her when I opened a page at random in my copy of The Concise Mythological Dictionary. However, it was a rather timely coincidence as just before that I had heard a rather juicy rumour myself.

The book says Fama, which translates literally as "rumour", was a personified goddess of the Romans:

"What she heard she repeated first in a whisper to a few, then louder and louder until she communicated it all to heaven and earth."

With the modern power of the internet and mobile phones, I reckon Fama must be more powerful than ever as rumours can now spread all over the world in moments. Although rumours can be fascinating, and sometimes useful, they can also be dangerous when there is no truth behind them.

According to the book On Rumours: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, What Can Be Done:

"Rumours are nearly as old as human history, but with the rise of the internet they have become ubiquitous... False rumours are especially troublesome and often resist correction. They can threaten careers, policies, public officials, and sometimes even democracy itself."

The book goes on to point out that stock markets and economies are particularly susceptible to rumour, which is particularly relevant in the current financial crisis. It urges us to be cautious when faced with a rumour, and not to take them at face value.

Sounds like good advice to me - and I am currently checking out the facts behind the rumour I heard, before I post anything about it on A Bad Witch's Blog.

Nevertheless, I do enjoy hearing a good rumour. Have you got any good rumours to share?

I'll post something about the one I heard as soon as I know more details...

The picture above is entitled 1874 Women Gossip Scandal Man Listening Upstairsand is a print available from Amazon.

Links
The Concise Mythological Dictionary
On Rumours: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, What Can Be Done

News: Pagans angry at UKIP attack on holidays

Pagans in Sefton and West Lancashire have complained after a UK Independence Party statement said letting police officers celebrate pagan festivals was “madness”.

According to Sefton and West Lancashire newspaper Champion, the UKIP statement described as “politically correct madness” the Home Office ruling allowing Pagan police officers leave for festivals.

Paul Nuttall, MEP for UKIP, who was behind the statement, also criticised what he called "unabashed sexuality and promiscuity" at pagan festivals.

Pat Regan, founder of the Pagan Anti-Defamation Network, told the newspaper that she considered the comments offensive and called for Nuttall to resign.

You can see the full story on the Champion website at http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=8268

Magical Times starts new TV service

Magical Times Magazine has started running a new magical online TV service on its website at http://themagicaltimes.com/

It is currently showing video clips from The Magical Faerie Festival 2010, which took place in Canterbury, Kent earlier this year. More videos will be added regularly showing talks, entertainment and fun from the Magical Festivals and other events.

The Magical Times Magazine is a faerie and pagan publication produced in the UK. You can order it at http://themagicaltimes.com/

Previous posts:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/magical-times-is-two-years-old.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/01/faeries-return-to-canterbury.html

Children of Artemis Masked Ball

Children of Artemis has just announced it is to have a Masked Ball on the 19 June at Scream Lounge, Croydon, in Surrey.

The Masked Ball is a new event for 2010 and will be a fun social evening featuring the Daughters of Gaia and DJs from Witchfest.

The organisers say that tickets for the event are limited so it is worthwhile booking early if you want to go. Tickets cost £7.50 or £6 for CoA members. For more information and to book tickets, visit http://www.witchfest.net/masked_ball.htm

CoA is also offering people who attend events a chance to win back the cost of the tickets. If you have bought a ticket for one or more CoA event this year, you have a chance to win a refund of your ticket price. The money paid for any ticket selected in the draw will be refunded.

The special draw will be held at the Masked Ball, everyone who has bought a ticket for either Witchfest International 2010 or The Artemis Gathering 2010 will be included in the draw.


The Masquerade Eye Maskpictured above is available from Amazon.

News: Hospital workers get spiritual guidelines

Hospital workers in Scotland are being taught how to avoid offending members of religious groups, including pagans.

NHS Scotland has drawn up a 64-page guide called Spiritual Care Matters. It includes details of pagan religions, including druidry, wicca, shamanism and heathen beliefs, and is aimed at nurses, doctors and midwifes to help them deal better with people from all backgrounds.

A full news story appears at Express.co.uk

Review: Moon Hare Oracle

I've just got a new addition to my collection of divination sets. It is the Moon Hare Oracle by Hannah Willow, and it is absolutely lovely.

Not only is the artwork delightful, with beautiful pictures of hares through the phases of the moon, the Moon Hare Oracle is also unusual in the way it is used. It consists of a deck of 12 cards as well as a set of 12 rune stones with hand-painted symbols that correspond to the cards.

To do a reading, you lay out the cards in a circle then cast the runes in the centre. You interpret them depending on where the stones have fallen. It is a simple system and easy to learn, but powerful because of the layers of meaning.

The booklet that comes with the set clearly explains the definition of each card and rune, but you need to use a little intuition to decide what they mean to you and how they relate to each other in the casting. However, if you fancy an even simpler method, the booklet shows how to find the answers to questions with three cards or runes, or single card and rune.

Hannah chose Hare as the subject of the oracle because it is one of her totem animals. She said:

"Hares have always been an inspiration for me since I read Masquerade as a child and tried to solve the clues. I read up on hare mythology and found a worldwide fascination with hares, the moon and the link to the Goddess. As one of my totem animals, Hare inspired and guided me with the oracle: it was kept as simple as possible, but with infinite possibilities to go deeper within."

Hares appear in folk tales from around the world. Pretty much every culture holds hares in high esteem and gives them mystical significance. There is also an astonishing amount of similarity in the tales about them, linking them to the moon, fertility, long life, craziness and sometimes trickery. They also symbolise the cycles of life and to see one is often considered good luck.

Hannah is a talented artist and designer, who is also part of the team that produces the Earth Pathways Diary series. The Earth Pathways Diary 2011 is due out in June. You can see some of her other artwork and find out how to order the Moon Hare Oracle via her website at http://www.hannahwillow.com/


Links
http://www.hannahwillow.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/full-moon-and-march-hares.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/goddess-of-week-ostara.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/03/magical-mad-march-hares.html
Masquerade
Earth Pathways Diary 2011

News: Tourists destroy pagan temple

According to Interfax, a family of holidaymakers in Moscow, Russia, mistook a pagan shrine for a log pile and started to use it as a barbecue.

Members of the pagan community arrived to protect the shrine, and an altercation took place when the tourists refused to move.

One person was taken to hospital with an eye injury.

You can read the full story at: http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=7264

Pagan Eye: Bluebell wood

Bluebell woods are among the most magical of places in my opinion, and one of my favourites is Arlington Bluebell walk, in East Sussex. I took this photograph there last weekend. The bluebells are fully out and the ground is a carpet of blue.

The wood is managed by local charities and only open to the public for a few weeks of the year in April and May. You do have to pay to go in - £4 for adults this year - but the money goes to worthwhile causes. There is also a charity bookshop selling secondhand books, and a tearoom selling sandwiches, cream teas and lovely home-made cakes.

The organisers are also running a photography competition for the best bluebell photographs.

Arlington Bluebell Walk and Farm Trail is open daily until next weekend, May 23. It is at Bates Green Farm, Tye Hill Road, Arlington, near Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6SH. Tel 01323 485151. The website is: www.bluebellwalk.co.uk/

On each of my Pagan Eye posts, I show a photo that I find interesting, with a few words about it.
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 and you must confirm that you are submitting it for A Bad Witch's Blog.

Links
http://www.bluebellwalk.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/04/woodland-bluebell-walk.html

This week's pagan events in and near London

For details of future events visit my events page at http://paganevents.blogspot.com/, but here are this week's events of interest to pagans in London and other parts of the UK:

Monday, 17 May to 27 June. Free exhibition on the East Anglian witch hunt of 1645-7 at Epping Forest District Museum, Sun Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1EL in conjunction with the Renaissance in the Regions group. For more information and opening times call 01992 716882 or visit the website http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/museum/.

Monday 17 May; Pagan Moot - open to anyone interested. Venue: Red Lion pub, Ramsgate, Kent. Meet from 7.30pm in the downstairs bar before going up to the private room for the moot. For more details email M.Hill@thanetic.fsnet.co.uk

Monday 17 May; Placebo – the role of astrology in Fertility treatments. Talk by Nicola Smuts at Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Event starts at 7pm. Admission: Members £6, Concessions £4, Non-members £8 Non-Members Concessions £6. For more details visit http://www.astrolodge.co.uk

Tuesday 18 May; Personal Spiritual Development and Trance. Talk by Robin Winbow at The College of Psychic Studies 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm - 8.30pm. Cost: £5/£8. Advance booking essential. Tel: 020 - 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Wednesday 19 May; The Practice of Magical Healing in late 19th Century England: Folk Magic in the Victorian Countryside. Lecture by Julie Wakefield at Treadwell’s, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30 start. Tickets £7, booking essential. Tel: 020 7240 8906. For more details visit the website http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Wednesday 19 May; Weekly pagan talk at The Moot with No Name. Venue: Devereux public house, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, London WC2R 3JJ. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8pm. Admission £2.

Friday 21 May; Tools for Meditation: Part 1 - Mantra. Masterclass with Swami Saradananda at The College of Psychic Studies 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm - 9pm. Cost: £10/£15. Advance booking essential. Tel: 020 - 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Sunday 23 May; Shamanism and Creativity. Workshop by Shaman UK at The Open Centre, 188 Old St, London, EC1V 9FR. Time 10.30am - 5.30pm. £35. Concessions available for full-time students, unemployed persons and elderly and disabled people on low-income. booking essential. For further information and to book places contact info@shaman.uk.net

Review: Aphrodite's Magic

"Aphrodite’s Magic is a magical spell." Those are the first words in a new book called Aphrodite's Magic: Celebrate and Heal Your Sexualityby priestess of the goddess Jane Meredith.

Actually, I would say it is much more than a simple spell - it is a powerful ritual. It describes a series of magical workings for women to celebrate, understand and embrace their sexuality and, if necessary, heal psychological damage related to their sexuality, through the creation of a Girdle of Aphrodite.

In the books, Jane Meredith says:

"Aphrodite, Goddess of love and sexuality was known in ancient times for her beauty, sensuality and sexual freedom. She owned a magical girdle – a belt worn low about the hips – which was forged from precious metals and gave powers of irresistible sexual attraction to whoever wore it."

She goes on to say that women in our society have lost their understanding of "the essential power and beauty of women's sexuality". Social pressures, pain and illness, abuse, broken hearts and media images that imply we can only be sexy if we are an anorexic teenager, combine to have the effect that most women do not believe they are beautiful and lack confidence in their sexuality.

The ritual within Aphrodite's Magic enables us to make our own magical girdle - or belt - by weaving seven cords, each representing one aspect of our sexuality.

Each cord is created individually, on a separate day (or longer). As well as meditating, dancing, chanting and keeping a journal, this involves studying what that aspect means to us, looking into ourselves to bring our own thoughts and feelings to light, and looking in a mirror with honesty to learn to see our own beauty.

The first cord represents the Goddess Aphrodite herself and the Goddess within each of us; the second is the Eye of Beauty; the third is the Voice of Truth; the fourth is the Heart; the fifth is the Body; the sixth is the Red Womb; the seventh is our secret Inner Mysteries. In the final part of the ritual these seven cords are be woven together into an Aphrodite's Girdle - a belt that can be worn as a symbol of our sexuality, beauty, femininity, power and achievement.

Publisher O-Books says:

"Aphrodite’s Magic is a journey into seven aspects of women's sexuality. Enter the Temple of Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and explore the layers of your most private, feminine self. This book will guide you to resolve and heal past trauma, grief and abuse so your sexuality is set free from the past. You will be inspired to honor and celebrate your unique embodiment of the feminine and allow the magic of the Goddess to enter your body with every breath you take."

Although the ritual is not an easy one to complete, as it not only takes quite a long time with many different steps and also involves some serious soul-searching, the book explains it simply enough that even those with very little experience of working magic could do it.

An introductory section includes practical guidelines for casting spells and doing magic, covering the basic concepts you need to understand before starting the Aphrodite's Girdle ritual. Each chapter has step-by-step instructions to follow and the physical craft of how to plait cords is also explained in easy-to-follow terms.

Aphrodite's Magic: Celebrate and Heal Your Sexualityis a lovely book for women of all ages who want to explore the magic of their sexuality, gain confidence and heal damage they possibly didn't even realise they had suffered.

Aphrodite's Magic: Celebrate and Heal Your Sexuality has an RRP of £11.99. It is available slightly cheaper on Amazon.

Links:
http://www.o-books.com/obookssite/
http://www.janemeredith.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/03/venus-goddess-of-gardens.html
Aphrodite's Magic: Celebrate and Heal Your Sexuality

Ananke: Goddess of Unalterable Fate

I opened up my The Concise Mythological Dictionaryto pick a goddess or goddess of the week, and came across Ananke.

According to the bookAnanke is the "personified Greek goddess of unalterable necessity, or fate".

This led me to wonder how much people today believe fate is unalterable. I'm not sure that I do. Some things might be pretty likely to happen, but I think most things can be changed if we try hard enough.

Even death and taxes, which according to Benjamin Franklin are the only certainties in this world, can be delayed with healthy living and a good accountant.

I frequently do tarot readings for myself and others, but even then I believe that the outcome shown is only the most likely event and that it is possible to make different choices and change the future.

So, although I am picking Ananke as The Bad Witch's Goddess of the Week, I am also asking the question, how far do you think our fates can be altered?

Please leave a comment below.

The picture shows a Photographic Print of FORTUNE TELLING from Mary Evansavailable from Amazon





Links
The Concise Mythological Dictionary
Photographic Print of FORTUNE TELLING from Mary Evans