Study shamanism at university

At the end of July, Zoë Brân of Shaman UK will be teaching an Introduction to Shamanism course over four afternoons at the Middlesex University Summer School.

The school has never offered courses in shamanism before, but this should be an interesting programme of study.

You can find out more about the Introduction to Shamanism course at Middlesex University Summer School on http://www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/short/summer-school/courses/personal-development/intro-to-shamanism.aspx

For details about Shaman UK, visit http://www.shaman.uk.net/ or call 07847 894453

Occult London: In the Shadow of the Tower

The office where I work has moved to almost within the shadow of the Tower of London. On a sunny lunchtime I take a book and walk beneath its historic walls to a seat beside the River Thames where I spend an hour reading in peace.

Often, my reading matter is a book of magic.

In centuries past, that is something that could have got me into serious trouble. Witchcraft was against the law and even owning books of spells - or grimoires - could get you arrested.

In 1561 an innkeeper called Hew Draper was imprisoned in the Tower of London for attempted witchcraft. He was accused of using sorcery against Lady St Lo, also known as Bess of Hardwick, and her husband Sir William St Lo.

One fact cited against him was that he owned several books of magic. In his defence he claimed that he had burnt all his magical books, but evidence on the walls of his cell in The Salt Tower show that he had certainly not given up all interest in the occult.

Deeply inscribed in the stone is an astrological diagram that says "Hew Draper of Brystow made this sphere the 30 daye of Maye anno 1561".

What happened to him after that is a bit of a mystery. There are no records to say if he was released, died or languished in jail - it is almost as if he vanished into thin air.

These days, of course, the glass-and-metal towers of the City of London - the seats of power of bankers and businessmen - loom higher than the turrets of London's historic royal fortress, and their shadows fall further.

To find out more about the Tower of London, including visitor information, see http://www.hrp.org.uk/

The picture of the Hew Draper's Salt Tower inscription (below) is copyright Historic Royal Palaces, The Tower of London picture (above) was taken by myself, The Bad Witch.

Links
http://www.hrp.org.uk/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2010/apr/12/hew-draper-tower-of-london-graffiti
http://www.toweroflondontour.com/martsalt.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/10/grimoires-history-of-magic-by-owen.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/06/review-planetary-spells-rituals.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/09/mystical-legendary-london-in-day.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/01/review-occult-london.html

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 28 June; Uranus and the Cartesian split. Talk by Frances Clynes 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 29 June; The Magic and Mystery of London’s Camelot. Lecture by Chris Street 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 30 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 2 July; Tools for Meditation: Part 2 - Mudra. Masterclass by 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

Full moon and lunar eclipse

There is a full moon on June 26 at 12.30 London time.

According to the online pagan calendar, June's full moon was called the Dyad Moon, meaning double or pair, in medieval times. Its Celtic name is Moon of Horses. One neopagan name for it is Planting Moon, while some people call it Strong Sun Moon. because it is close to the Summer Solstice.

There will also be a partial lunar eclipse that night. It is the first of two lunar eclipses in 2010. The second will be a total eclipse on December 21, 2010.

Sadly it won't be visible from the UK, but people in Australia and eastern Asia will be able to see it after sunset, while those in western North America and South America will be able to see it at about sunrise.

The picture above: Photographic Print of Full moon from Science Photo Library is available from Amazon.

Links:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/full-moon-to-meet-under.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/08/lunar-eclipse-and-full-moon.html
http://pagancalendar.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2010_lunar_eclipse
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/full-moon-to-meet-under.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/strong-sun-moon.html

Review: The Wizdom of Oz

Hitting the shops tomorrow is a book called The Wizdom of Ozby Philippa Merivale, but I was lucky enough to be sent a review copy earlier in the month. (Getting advance copies of lovely new books is one of the best perks of writing a blog!)

The Wizdom of Oz is a sort of book within a book. One one hand it follows the lives of a teacher and a group of students in their final months at college before they graduate; on they other it is an analysis of the symbolism found within the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Ozby L Frank Baum.

The teacher, Professor Theo, is obviously popular with his pupils, who happily agree to meet him after school each week to study Baum's novel. They identify with the novel's main character, orphan Dorothy, who was sent to live with her dull relatives in boring Kansas, with a nasty neighbour and no friends. At times everyone feels their life is miserable and they are powerless to change it.

As they read the novel, following Dorothy on her journey to the Land of Oz and then via the Yellow Brick Road in search of the wizard who can solve all her problems, the students learn that it can be read as an allegory. The Yellow Brick Road is the road of following our dreams, full of adventures that test us, teach us about ourselves and eventually give us the strength to face our fears.

The witches within the book are also seen as symbolic; The Wicked Witch of the West representing how jealousy and hatred can blind us to the good things in life, and the Good Witch of the North representing the power of love and hope that can open our hearts to happiness.

Publisher O-Books says:

"Read this book and find your very own yellow brick road to enlightenment! Have you ever felt short of direction or personal power, been out of a job or out of love? Then take solace. In The Wizdom of Oz, old professor Theo takes a bunch of his best-loved students on a journey through this brightly-lit and colourful place, the mythical planet of Oz, where the hearts and minds of its inhabitants and its visitors is more visible than they are in the half-light, or the humdrum of ordinary existence on planet Earth. He shows them what this place, or this state of mind, really has to offer anyone ready to follow their hearts and light up their lives."

The Wisdom of Oz is a really good book to read when you feel life's problems have worn you down and you need a bit of encouragement to brighten up your life - much like the novel and the movie that inspired it, really.

The Wizdom of Oz, a DVD of the movie The Wizard Of Oz [1939]and the original book containing the story The Wonderful Wizard of Ozare available through Amazon.

Links
http://www.o-books.com/
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Penguin Popular Classics)
The Wizard Of Oz (3 Disc Collector's Edition) [DVD] [1939]
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/07/bad-witchs-guide-to-bad-witches.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/scarecrows-monstors-or-friends.html

In the news: witchcraft and insanity

Delusions of witchcraft in the witchcraze and today

In article entitled Witchcraft or Mental Illness? on the Psychiatric Times website, Beatriz Quintanilla, MD, PhD, says that many women who were condemned as witches during the witchcrazes from the 15th to 17th century, including the famous Salem Witch Trials, were in fact mentally ill.

The article states: "Hysteria and epilepsy were the two illnesses that were most frequently confused with witchcraft or demonic possession, especially if they were accompanied by tremors, convulsions or of loss of consciousness."

At the time, women were thought to be weaker than men and therefore more prone to demonic possession or to be led astray by the devil. Mental illness was also not understood as well as it is today and there were few treatments available.

On the same day as the Psychiatric Times feature appeared, the TVNZ website ran a news story about a man being jailed after manipulating teenage girls into having sex with him by claiming he was a witch and a vampire. At the trial, a psychiatric report said that the man, 22-year-old Ricky Horsburgh, had the mental age of a 16-year-old. The judge said Horsburgh was living in a "little cocoon of fantasy".

News stories like these can be uncomfortable for modern, neo-pagan witches, such as Wiccans. We would never cause harm to another person using magic or in the name of witchcraft. When we hear about people calling themselves witches and doing terrible things, we feel shocked and also concerned that it gives genuine witches an undeserved bad name.

Clearly, some people with mental health problems suffer delusions that they are witches and can commit appalling crimes. It is also easy to see that in bygone centuries people might have mistaken mental illness for demonic possession or witchcraft. Whether all historic cases of witchcraft can be explained by this is another matter.

What do you think?

The picture shows a recent production of The Crucible, a play about the Salem Witch Trials, at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Photo by Catherine Ashmore.

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/review-witchcraft-very-short.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/04/malcolm-gaskill-on-witch-hunts-in.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/06/anniversary-of-witchcraft-act.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/06/anniversary-of-salem-witch-trial.html
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/vampire-jailed-underage-sex-3604929
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/schizoaffective/content/article/10168/1596272

Football, birds and lucky underpants

The reason the England football team failed to score a goal in their World Cup match against Algeria is because a witch doctor protected the Algerian team's goal with a spell sent by pigeon post, according to sports website sify.com

The website said that African medicine men often spells using birds as carriers, and the pigeon seen perched on the Algerian goal for much of the match last Friday was one such example.

We certainly didn't manage to get one into the net that game.

And judging by England goalkeeper Robert Green's fumble of the ball that allowed the USA to equalise in the previous Saturday’s 1-1 draw, I think the England team could do with a lucky pigeon in their goal too.

Or perhaps England fans could use a bit of traditional English football magic, and wear their lucky underpants when England play Slovenia on Wednesday. I know I'll be wearing mine :)

Links
http://sify.com/sports/witch-doctor-s-pigeon-curse-on-england-news-news-kgvnafgbiee.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2007/11/superstitions-and-folk-traditions.html

The England FA 2010 World Cup - Come On England! - Maxi Poster - 61 cm x 91.5 cmpictured above is available on Amazon.

Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

The BBC has posted some wonderful pictures of people celebrating the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge this morning. You can see them athttp://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/front_page/newsid_8750000/8750983.stm

Wish I'd been there.

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/

Now until 23rd July. The Spirit of Nature. Art exhibition at Littlehampton Museum, Church Street, Littlehampton. West Sussex. BN17 5EW. Entry to the exhibition is free, and any paintings sold will benefit The Goddess Foundation, Sussex International Womens Day Group (formerly Arun IWD), and Worthing Women's Aid. For more details, visit http://www.littlehampton-tc.gov.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.

Monday 21 June; huge Litha celebration and ritual near Oakhampton, Devon. It starts at 8pm. For further information, please call Eileen on 07889 126311.

Monday 21 June; Ceres, mother and provider. Talk by Pam Crane 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 21 June; Shiva - Origins, Symbolism, Aspects. Talk by Kumar Devadasan 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 8pm (half-hour earlier than normal). Admission £2. For more details, visit http://secretchiefslondon.wordpress.com/

Tuesday 22 June; Midsummer Magic and Monsters. Talk by Scott Wood at London Earth Mysteries Circle, Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, W1U 8EA. From 7pm. Admission £4 non-members, £3 members. http://www.londonearth.com/

Tuesday 22 June; Animal Healing. Masterclass by Elizabeth Whiter 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 23 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.

Wednesday 23 June; Cross Bones Vigil and Ceremony. Free monthly vigil at 7pm on the 23rd of each month to honour The Goose and the outcast dead of Cross Bones Graveyard.
Gather from 6.45pm in Redcross Way outside the Memorial Gates, SE1, opposite the Boot and Flogger, just north of the junction with Union Street, London. Nearest tubes Borough or London Bridge, 5 minutes walk away.

Wednesday 23 June; Avalonian Aeon - A Personal Occult Odyssey Book Launch by Avalonian Aeon Publications, Paul Weston and Friends at Treadwell’s, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. Time: 7pm to 10pm. Free but booking essential. Tel: 020 7240 8906. For more details visit the website http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 24 June; A Life in Magic: Phil Hine in Conversation with 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/

Thursday 24 June; Magic and the Occult. Exhibition including Better Place Portraiture in which artists Flora Whitley , Darren Banks and Christopher Rollen attempt to contact the spirits of departed pets; and Occult Jam, a culinary performance. Venue: Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. Time: 6:30–10pm. Free to same day ticket holders. For more details call 020 7638 8891 or visit http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery

Friday 25 June; Book launch of Philena Bruce's Know That You are Loved: Self-healing Techniques for Everyoneat Treadwell’s, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. Time: 6.30pm to 9pm. To book a place and for more details call: 020 7240 8906 or visit the website http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Sunday 27 June, Wyrd-i-Day in the Web of Magic. PF London one-day event with talks, workshops, stalls and rituals at University of London Union, Malet St, London. Time 11am-5.30pm. Advance tickets £10/£12, on the door £12/£14. http://www.pflondon.org/

Sunday 27 June, Meditation in the Park. Day of meditation, picnics and prizes from noon-4pm. Free event, for everyone, even if you have never meditated before. Bring your own picnic and something to sit on. Venue: Russia Dock Woodland Green, Rotherhithe, London SE16. For more details, visit the website http://www.meditationinthepark.com/

Druids: A Very Short Introduction

I've just received a review copy of a new book called Druids: A Very Short Introductionby Barry Cunliffe, which is published by Oxford University Press.

Barry Cunliffe is Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford. He is the Commissioner of English Heritage and has been a Trustee of the British Museum, Governor of the Museum of London and President of the Society of Antiquaries.

The blurb that came with the book says:

"The Druids first came into focus in Western Europe - Gaul, Britain, and Ireland - in the second century BC. They are a popular subject; they have been known and discussed for over 2,000 years and few figures flit so elusively through history. They are enigmatic and puzzling, partly because of the lack of knowledge about them has resulted in a wide spectrum of interpretations.

"Barry Cunliffe takes the reader through the evidence relating to the Druids, trying to decide what can be said and what can't be said about them. He examines why the nature of the druid caste changed quite dramatically over time, and how successive generations have interpreted the phenomenon in very different ways."

I'm very much looking forward to reading this book - which seems appropriate to be doing over the Summer Solstice. When I've read it, I'll review it on A Bad Witch's Blog.

Druids: A Very Short Introductionis available to order through Amazon

Links
Druids: A Very Short Introduction
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/

Midsummer, divination and mugwort tea

Midsummer Eve is traditionally a time for divination and spells to see into the future. In bygone centuries, young women would often perform acts of folk magic - such as gathering wild flowers growing in a churchyard and putting them under their pillow - in the hope of dreaming of their future husband.

For us witches, however, divination is a thing to be taken more seriously, so I decided it was time to dust down my crystal ball.

I mean that literally as well as figuratively. It had been sat on a shelf, gathering dust, for some time.

Now, to clean a crystal ball you don't just spray a bit of mass-produced cleaner on it and polish it up with a J-cloth. You have to go about these things properly.

Ritual cleansing in mugwort tea is something I have often seen recommended as the right way to cleanse both mundane house dust and unwanted negative energy from scrying devices, so I thought I'd try it out before the Summer Solstice.

Dried mugwort is easy to obtain. Most witchcraft supply shops sell it and you can also order it via Amazon.

To clean a crystal ball, you first need to make mugwort tea by infusing a spoonful of the dried herbs in a cup of boiling water. I used my round-bottomed porcelain teacup that I normally employ for tea-leaf reading. It was the right shape and size, and seemed more appropriate than a coffee mug, which is better for dunking a chocolate HobNob than a crystal ball .

Wait until the tea is cool, then carefully immerse the crystal ball in the liquid and leave it for a few moments, before drying it off. You can say a few words while you do this, such as "may this crystal be cleansed of all impurities", if you feel like it.

Some people like to take a few sips of mugwort tea because it is reputed to boost psychic powers, particularly when scrying. If you do decide to try this, I'd recommend drinking a little before you dunk your grubby crystal ball into it.

However, there is a health warning that goes with mugwort - it is slightly toxic. Probably because of that, herbalists have sometimes prescribed it as a laxative or to get rid of intestinal parasites. Applied externally, by rubbing it on your body, it is supposed to offer protective powers against hostile spirits.

Do consult a qualified medical herbalist or your doctor before drinking mugwort tea, and never take mugwort if you are pregnant as it can cause miscarriages.

I didn't drink any myself - I didn't want to be rushing to the toilet instead of gazing into my crystal ball - but I did inhale the vapour that rose from the cooling liquid. And I have to say even that was enough to make me feel my consciousness altering. I felt more psychically aware and receptive to any messages my crystal ball might choose to show me.

After drying and polishing my crystal ball - using a black silk scarf rather than an old tea towel from the kitchen - it seemed to sparkle as never before.

Then I set it on its stand and gazed into it.

And I definitely began to see things. In the past, I had often struggled to successfully scry using my crystal ball, but this time shapes and patterns formed quickly.

Interpreting them is the hard part, but I have learnt that it is often best not to try to analyse things too much while you are actually scrying. Just make a note of what you see and feel, then return to your notes later to try to make sense of them.

After I had finished, I made sure to ground myself properly, by having a proper cup of strong English breakfast tea and a couple of choccy biccies. Just the job.

Mugwort can also be used to help promote prophetic dreams. So, if this Midsummer Eve you fancy trying out that old folk magic to dream of your future lover, add a little mugwort to the wild flowers you gather to put under your pillow.

Happy dreaming, and a happy solstice!

The photo of wildflowers in a churchyard was taken by myself, the Bad Witch. The Mugwort For Protection and Psychic Visions 50grmspictured above right can be ordered via Amazon.

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/watching-ferns-for-midsummer-magic.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/midsummer-and-solstice.html
http://www.realmagick.com/articles/73/2273.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/01/tea-leaf-reading-my-first-attempts.html

Review: The Meditation Experience

Meditation is one of those things that I know is supposed to be good for me, but I've rarely done.

The main excuse I've made is that I'm a busy person, but I also had this niggling feeling that I wasn't very good at it.

I felt that "proper meditation" meant being able to empty one's mind and sit still for long periods of time. Being naturally impatient and having to juggle the many different responsibilities of work, home and family, being a carer and also writing a daily blog, mean sitting still and doing nothing is something I find almost impossible.

Of course, meditation is actually one of the best things for busy people as it helps reduce stress and improves concentration.

And, of course, I was completely wrong in thinking that meditation is only done correctly by sitting still and emptying one's mind - as I found out when I recently read The Meditation Experience: Your Complete Meditation Workshop in a Book.

The Meditation Experienceis by Madonna Gauding, who is also the author of The Meditation Bible: The Definitive Guide to Meditations for Every Purpose, in the Godsfield Bible Series. It aims to be a complete meditation workshop in a book and presents a range of meditation techniques from around the world, with practical exercises that do not require any prior experience of meditation. A CD that accompanies the book provides verbal instructions, guided meditations and instrumental tracks to use as required.

The book is a series of exercises in the form of meditations, building up from very basic techniques such as taking deep, steady, regular breaths and learning to relax your body while listening to gentle music.

I was also very relieved to learn that I'm certainly not alone in finding it hard to empty my mind - and most meditative techniques don't even require that. The book explains that there are four basic types of meditation: using an object or image to focus on; using mindfulness to become more aware of the contents of one's mind, the feelings in one's body or the outside world; using a topic such as a philosophical concept or a passage from a spiritual book; and using the senses, such as chanting a mantra, listening to music or harnessing the mind's power in a guided visualisation or pathworking.

Madonna Gauding recommends reading the book through from cover to cover before starting the exercises, which I did. I found it easy to read, and highly informative.

I'd had a particularly stressful morning just before I began actually doing the exercises. I won't go into the full details, but it included heavy grocery shopping, an appointment being cancelled at the last minute, a minor car incident and a frustrating argument with my mother. Just a couple of easy meditative exercises got me feeling calm, relaxed and able to cope with the day ahead - which included writing this review.

Of course, as well as being a useful relaxation technique, meditation is used for spiritual development in religions from all over the world - by Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and pagans.

The publisher, Octopus Books, says:

"Practiced throughout the world and within many different religions, meditation has long been a pathway to spiritual harmony and enlightenment. This book provides you with a personalised, practical and direct experience of meditation, and demonstrates the powerful healing that can be achieved by mastering this art."

The Meditation Experience is not at all preachy, however. It allows people to pick what suits their own belief system and ignore anything they feel uncomfortable with.

The book seems pretty good value for money and ideal for someone who wants to learn to meditate, but can't afford the time or expense of going to a supervised weekend workshop.

The Meditation Experience: Your Complete Meditation Workshop in a Bookis available through Amazon

God of the Week: Maahes

With the Summer Solstice in just a few days, I have chosen Maahes, the Ancient Egyptian god of midsummer, protector of the barque of the sun and guardian of sacred places, as The Bad Witch's God of the Week.

Maahes is depicted as a lion or a lion-headed man carrying a sword or knife, and is a rather warlike deity. According to the website, wepwawet.org/wiki, common epithets for Maahes include Lord of Slaughter, Manifester of Will, Avenger of Wrongs and even The Scarlet Lord, because he was rather partial to bloody sacrifices.

Ancient Egyptians saw Maahes personified in the heat of the midsummer sun, which can be pretty deadly in hot, desert countries.

However, he isn't all that bad. In his guise as a god of war, Maahes fights the enemies of the god Ra, battles evil, defends the innocent, protects initiates and guards magical places. He is also called Helper of the Wise Ones and can be called upon to guard magic rites.

I do hope our sacred places and solstice rituals don't require any warlike protection this year, but it is worthwhile remembering that not so long ago a battle did take place just outside Stonehenge stone circle, in Wiltshire, in the run-up to the Summer Solstice.

On Saturday, 1 June, 1985, Wiltshire Police clashed with several hundred new agers, travelling as The Peace Convoy, on their way to the 11th Stonehenge Free Festival at Stonehenge. The incident became known as the Battle of the Beanfield.

English Heritage, which manages Stonehenge and was worried about potential damage to the ancient monument, had been granted a four-mile exclusion zone around the stones. However, the police were accused of using extremely heavy-handed tactics when they tried to enforce this and stop people arriving at Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice.

Eye-witness accounts said that officers beat unarmed people on the head with truncheons, including women and children, and used sledgehammers to trash travellers' coaches. Many travellers were arrested when they tried to escape through a beanfield, which gave the incident its name, The Battle of the Beanfield.

A court judgement six years later found the police guilty of wrongful arrest, assault and criminal damage.

After many years of negotations between pagan groups and English Heritage, people were once again allowed to worship at Stonehenge at the Summer Solstice. This year, from Sunday, 20 June, to Monday, 21 June, English Heritage will provide what it calls "managed open access" to Stonehenge to honour the sun on the longest day of the year. There will also be a one-night free festival near the stones.

For details about access to the stones, visit http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/explore/summer-solstice-2010/ For more details of the festival, visit http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/stonehenge/2010/.

For details about other Summer Solstice events, visit http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/06/summer-solstice-open-rituals-and-events.html

The picture above shows sunrise over The Valley of the Kings, Egypt, and was taken by myself, The Bad Witch, from a hot air balloon while I was on holiday there in 2003.

Links
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/maahes.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maahes
http://wepwawet.org/wiki/index.php?title=Maahes
http://bulfinch.englishatheist.org/b/pantheon/God-List-M.htm
http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/egyptian-mythology.php?deity=MAHES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Beanfield
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/midsummer-question-of-dates.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

Witches in the news

Witch doctor helps World Cup footballer
Witch doctor Bishop Nonyane claimed that injuries sustained by Australian footballer Harry Kewell were caused by malicious spirits, and that prayers would help him recover. He also asked Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd to send Harry get well wishes.

The magical aid was obviously insufficient to get Harry match fit for Australia's game against Germany on Sunday, which Germany won 4-0.

You can read the full story at: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/odd/news/a225418/pm-witch-doctor-cure-harry-kewell.html

In the past, Harry played for Leeds United, as shown above in the Photo of Harry Kewell/Leeds United 1999/2000 from Fotosportswhich is available from Amazon.

Memorial to 22 Scottish "witches"
A couple in Forfar, Scotland, have erected a memorial to 22 women who were executed for witchcraft in their home town during the witch-hunting hysteria of the 17th century.

A report on News Scotland says that Mark and Marie Cashley were shocked that there was nothing to mark the terrible injustice meted out to these unfortunate women. They said: "We believed that it was time that something was done to remember these poor women."

Read the full story at: http://news.scotsman.com/news/39We-were-so-sickened-by.6348991.jp

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 19 June; The Crucible. Arthur Miller's play about the Salem Witch Hunts. Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park London NW1 4NR. For tickets and times, call: 0844 826 4242. For more information or to book tickets online visit http://openairtheatre.org/p16.html

Now until 23rd July. The Spirit of Nature. Art exhibition at Littlehampton Museum, Church Street, Littlehampton. West Sussex. BN17 5EW. Entry to the exhibition is free, and any paintings sold will benefit The Goddess Foundation, Sussex International Womens Day Group (formerly Arun IWD), and Worthing Women's Aid. For more details, visit http://www.littlehampton-tc.gov.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 14 June; Live long and prosper: an astrological perspective on health and wealth: promises of success and fulfilment in the natal chart. Talk by Luís Ribeiro and Helena Avelar 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 15 June; The Soulmate Myth: A Dream Come True or a Hideous Nightmare? Masterclass by Judy Hall 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 16 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.

Thursday 17 June; CoA Witches' Gathering organised by Children of Artemis. Venue: The Dog and Bull pub, Surrey St, Croydon at 8pm. No need to book in advance, just turn up. Entry is £1 for CoA members and £2 for non-members. For more details, call 0870 442 290 or visit the website http://www.witchfest.net/

Thursday 17 June; What John Dee Did When He Wasn't Chatting with Angels: His Natural Magic, Science and Religion Lecture by Liana Saif 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/

Friday 18 June; What a Healer Can Do. Lecture by Stefan Rippel 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

Saturday 19 June; Children of Artemis Masked Ball. Evening social event at Scream Lounge, South End, Croydon, Surrey. Tickets £6/£7.50 advance booking essential from http://www.witchfest.net/masked_ball.htm

Saturday, 19 June; Free and Open Gorsedd Summer Solstice Rite at Avebury stone circle, in Wiltshire. Druidic style ceremony to celebrate the upcoming Summer Sun Standstill. Meet at the Red Lion Pub from noon for ceremony around 1.30pm. Offerings of music, song, poetry, cake and mead are welcome.

Saturday, 19 June; Hilly Fields Midsummer Fayre. Fayre run by the local community every year beside the stone circle at Hilly Fields, Brockley, SE4 1QA. Although this is not a specifically pagan event, it has a wonderful atmosphere and is really friendly - and where else in London has a festival right beside a stone circle? It runs from noon - 5pm. For more details visit http://www.brockley.com/brocsoc/ Read more about Hilly Fields stone circle at http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/hilly-fields-stone-circle.html

Sunday, 20 June; Summer Solstice on Primrose Hill plus a Public Handfasting, starting at 12.30pm and going on until 3pm. This is a chance to celebrate Alban Heruin. Meet at The Hawthorne Grove on top of Primrose Hill, Regents Park Rd, London. The ritual will be conducted by Jay the Tailor, Druid of Wormwood Scrubbs, of the Loose Association of Druids. Afterwards there will be a gathering in the Washington Pub, 50 Englands Lane, London NW3 4YD. Please bring food and drink to share during the ritual.

Who do you think you are?

On BBC 1's family history programme tonight, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker traces her ancestors to Salem, famous for its witch trials. Could be interesting.

Review: Planetary Spells & Rituals

Books of spells can be a bit hit and miss, in my opinion. Some are full of useful and original ideas for spellcraft, some are rehashes of traditional folklore and others are really only amusing fluff - intended more for entertainment than as practical magic. When I get a new spellbook I tend to dip into it, then put it on the bookshelf for future reference (or take it to the charity shop to save my shelf space if it falls into that last category)

I was recently given a copy of a new book called Planetary Spells and Ritualsby Raven Digitalis. I'd never read anything by this pagan priest of the Eastern Hellenistic tradition before, so didn't really know what to expect. Yet, after just a few pages, I have to say I was dead impressed and read the whole thing from cover to cover.

The full name of the book is Planetary Spells and Rituals: Practicing Dark and Light Magick Aligned with the Cosmic Bodies. As you might expect from that, it has chapters of spells on each of the planets, related to their astrological correspondences.

The book states: "The history of astrology and planetary magick is vast, hearkening back to the beginning of human civilization... It's widely accepted that planets influence energy."

Sun spells relate to power, confidence and strength, moon spells are for emotions, psychic ability and imagination, Mercury is for communication, Venus relates to love, the Earth is grounding, Mars is warlike, Jupiter brings abundance, Saturn relates to death in the cycle of life, Uranus brings change and freedom, Neptune is about intuition and vision, and Pluto brings about rebirth and transformation.

Publisher Llewellyn adds: "When you attune your magick to planetary energies, it becomes infinitely more powerful."

The book's subtitle also mentions "Dark and Light Magick", which are certainly another aspect of the spells within it. While many of the spells are what one would call light magic - for healing and good fortune - there are some pretty dark rites too. There are spells to explore the dark places in our minds, spells using lust and anger, and even a couple of curses.

Some modern witches are utterly opposed to even considering dark magic, which is fair enough. If you hold that view, leave this book alone. However, if you are interested in finding out about such things as curses, even if you would never cast one yourself, you will find Raven's writing on the subject to be intelligent, sensible and thought-provoking.

Raven's curses are only intended to harm those who are genuinely a threat, and the caster is warned that they must take responsibility for their own actions.

The book states: "It can be tempting, especially in youth, to curse other people. Ninety-nine percent of the time, there is not a valid reason to curse another person, even in cases of extreme frustration and hardship. If you have a tendency to get worked up or easily upset by occurrences in life, counteract your negativity by cultivating compassion instead. Turn to cursing only as a final outlet."

Raven also recommends taking practical steps to further one's goals when casting any spell. This can include seeking help from experts - be they doctors, therapists or lawyers.

Raven Digitalis is also the author of Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spiritualityand Goth Craft: The Magickal Side of Dark Culture. I haven't read those books yet, but I was so impressed with Planetary Spells and Ritualsthat I'll definitely be looking out for them in future.

Planetary Spells and Rituals: Practicing Dark and Light Magick Aligned with the Cosmic Bodies is published by Llewellyn and is available through Amazon

Note: I earn commission from some links

Links
http://www.llewellyn.com/
Planetary Spells and Rituals
http://www.ravendigitalis.com/

Anniversary of Salem Witch Trial hanging

On this day, June 10, in 1692 Bridget Bishop, the first person to be tried and convicted in the Salem witch trials was hanged.

From June to September that year, 19 men and women from Salem, Massachusetts, in the USA, were hanged after being convicted of witchcraft. Another man was pressed to death by heavy stones after he refused to enter a plea in response to charges of witchcraft. About 150 others spent time in jail, in fear of their lives, as the witch hunt intensified throughout the area.

No one knows exactly what caused the witchcraft hysteria and persecution; politics, economics, religious differences, social factors, sexism, classism, insanity, paranoia and a grab for land have all been blamed. Most people now agree they were a terrible miscarriage of justice and stand as an example of how normal, well-meaning people can do appalling things to their fellow men and women.

Playwright Arthur Miller used the Salem Witch Trials as the subject of his play The Crucible.He wrote it in the 1950s, during the McCarthy period in America, when many people were accused of being Communists and brought before government committees charged with subversive activities, often with little evidence to back the allegations. This became known as the McCarthy Witch Hunts.

It led to the term "witch hunt" becoming commonly used to describe all kinds of persecution in the form of investigations carried out ostensibly to uncover subversive activities, but actually used to harass and undermine those with differing views.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is currently being performed at The Regents Park Open Air Theatre, in London. For more details and to buy tickets, visit the website http://openairtheatre.org/ The picture at the top shows Emily Taaffe (Abigail Williams) and company in the production. Photo by Catherine Ashmore

The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts (Penguin Modern Classics)is available through Amazon (pictured left)

Links
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/review-witchcraft-very-short.html
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/06/04/a-week-in-history-d-day-salem-witch-trials-and-the-declaration-of-independence.html
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials
http://summarycentral.tripod.com/thecrucible.htm
http://www.cornellsun.com/section/opinion/content/2010/02/26/witch-hunting-not-just-history-books
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/7802994/The-Crucible-at-the-Open-Air-Theatre-Regents-Park-review.html
http://openairtheatre.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism