Friday 15 June 2012

Summer Solstice Events in London and Elsewhere



Midsummer, or the Summer Solstice, on June 20/21 is the time of the longest day of the year and is celebrated by Pagans as one of the biggest festivals. Here are some of the events taking place over the next week or so:

Saturday 16 June. Open Family Celebration for the Summer Solstice. Open Ritual run by the Cauldron of Cerridwen. Location: The Stone Circle in Avebury (pictured right), Wiltshire, England. Starts at noon. For further information call Tyto on 07534661392.

Sunday 17 June; Dawn of the Oak. Pagan moot on the third Sunday of each month. Venue: Upstairs at The Castle, 34-35 Cowcross Road, Farringdon, London EC1M 6DB (near Farringdon tube). Time: 3pm-6pm.
Sunday, 17 June; Anderida Gorsedd Summer Solstice open ritual at the Long Man of Wilmington, Sussex. Meet near the car park between 1.30pm and 2pm for a walk up to the chalk hill figure at 2pm. Afterwards back to the Giants Rest pub in Wilmington for a social drink together.

Sunday 17 June; Jyorei healing workshop with Shumei UK. Flat 5, 25 Adamson Road, London NW3 3HT. Time: 10am - 7pm. Suggested donation £10. For more details about Shumei visit http://www.shumei.org/. For details about the workshop, call 0207 483 2700

Sunday 17 June; Treadwells Open House with Kate McKnight reading from Robert Graves' The White Goddess.Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: Noon to 7pm. Free social event, but please book your place in advance. Readings from books at 2pm and 4pm - this week Orphic Hymns. info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Monday, 18 June; Croydon Crows. PF moot held every 3rd Monday of each month at the Skylark pub, South End, South Croydon from 8pm onwards.

Monday, 18 June; Summer Solstice Celebration at Alternatives, St. James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. Time: 7pm to 9pm. Tickets £10/5 concs. To book tickets and for more info visit the Alternatives website: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/Site/EventDescription.aspx?EventID=1017

Monday, 18 June; The Running Well Mysteries Revisited. Talk by Adrian Hyde 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. http://secretchiefslondon.wordpress.com/

Monday 18 June; Introduction to Wicca and Witchcraft. Second session in a three-week evening course. The course covers Wiccan rituals, consecrations, circle casting, working with elements and quarters, energy raising, the God and Goddess in Wicca and the eight pagan festivals. It doesn't matter if you missed the first session as you can still attend single evenings at a cost of £12. Times: 7pm-10pm. The third sessions is 28 June. You can book online at http://www.witchcraftandmagic.org/

Tuesday 19 June; Universal Energy. Lecture by Douglas Ballard at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 12.30pm.- 1.30pm Cost: £5/£8. Advance booking advised. Tel: 020 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/events/lectures/index.html

Tuesday 19 June; The Meaning of Co-Creation. Talk by Sangeeta Sahi at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm.- 8.30pm Cost: £8/£12. Advance booking advised. Tel: 020 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/events/lectures/index.html
Tuesday 19 June; Secrets of Spiritual Energy. Talk at the Aetherius Society. Venue: Inner Potential Centre, 36 Kelvedon Road, Fulham, London SW6 5BW. From 7pm. Cost: £5.. For more details and to book places, visit http://www.aetherius.org/ or call 020 7736 4187

Tuesday 19 June;  Floraphilia: Or, Revenge of the Flowers - A Philosophical Provocation. Short film followed by discussion with Stephen Alexander at Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7. Reserve a place by emailing info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/


Wednesday 20 June; Summer Solstice at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury (pictured right). Gather at noon at the well head for a meditation on the lawn at 12.30. This is a free event, although normal admission prices to the garden apply from noon. For more details and to book places, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Wednesday 20 June; Celebrating Litha - Summer Solstice Ritual with the The Circle of Ankerwycke. Location: Ankerwycke, near Staines. Places are limited, if you want to attend, call 07889 126311. Time: 7.30pm for 8pm.

Wednesday 20 June; Atlantis Bookshops Presents Magic and Music with XO Jammer at Milfords, 1 Milford Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2R 3LL. Milford Lane is the street parallel to Essex Street. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8pm. Admission £5. Visit http://www.theatlantisbookshopevents.com//

Wednesday, 20 June-Thursday 21 June; 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, will be providing what it calls "managed open access" to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice. English Heritage allows individuals and groups to conduct their own ceremonies and rituals during the opening times, from 7pm on 20 June until 8am on 21 June. No camping is allowed. There is a car park half a mile from the stones, but it is more environmentally friendly to use public transport to get there, buses run from Salisbury railway station. For details about access to the stones, visit: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/summer-solstice/

Thursday 21 June; Evening for Wiccan Solitaries and New Explorers. Talk, Meditation and Ceremony: The Moon. Illustrated talk followed by a simple rite with meditation, suitable for those with basic knowledge of Wiccan and pagan rituals. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £10. Reserve a place by emailing info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 21 June; Croydon CoA Summer Solstice Witches Gathering with talks and social activities at the The Green Dragon, High St, Croydon. For more details visit: http://www.witchfest.net/

Thursday, 21 June - 9 September; London 2012 Festival. Although this is an arts and entertainment festival rather than a pagan event, the London 2012 Festival starts on the day of the Summer Solstice. The massive festival offers around 10 million opportunities to see 12,000 performances and events to celebrate London 2012. Many of the events are free. For full details, visit http://festival.london2012.com/

Friday 22 June; How to be a Happier Empath. Talk by Rose Rosetree at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm start Cost: £10/£15. Advance booking advised. Tel: 020 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/events/lectures/index.html

Saturday 23 June; Ceremony 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. Nearest tubes Borough or London Bridge, 5 minutes walk away. The event is free. http://www.crossbones.org.uk/

Saturday, June 23; Free and Open Gorsedd Summer Solstice Rite at Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire. Open Druidic style ceremony to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Meet at the Red Lion pub from Noon for ceremony at 2pm until 3.30pm. Free event - offerings of song, poetry, cake, mead are welcomed. There is no camping at Avebury this Saturday as Solstice camping is 20th and 21st only.

Saturday 23 June; Mysteries of Midsummer: Custom, Lore, Magic. One-Day Workshop with Suzanne Corbie. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Price: £35 (£20 deposit, balance due on the day) Time: 11am until 5.30pm. Reserve a place by emailing info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 23 June; CoolTan Arts guided Summer Solstice Midnight walk, exploring the urban psycho-geography of South London and examining local history and familiar landmarks in a new light. The procession sets off from the Tate Modern to the home of contemporary psychiatry, the Maudsley Hospital. Meet at 11:45pm at the Turbine Hall entrance of Tate Modern and finish the walk in the wee hours of Sunday at the Maudsley Hospital. For more information, contact Emma Thatcher, Communications Officer CoolTan Arts on emmathatcher@cooltanarts.org.uk, call 020 7701 2696, www.cooltanarts.org.uk.

Sunday 24 June; Greenman Walk organised by The Goddess Foundation. This is a family event that takes place every summer in Arundel, Sussex. It is an event for all of the family to celebrate Summer Solstice, the date of the event actually being on Midsummers Day! Bring a picnic, go for a walk, watch the Summer Solstice Mummers Play and take part in a treasure hunt. No charge, but donations greatly appreciated. The location has a public car park, refreshments and public toilets. For more details, contact The Goddess Foundation via its website: http://www.goddessfoundation.org.uk/

Sunday 24 June; Celebrating the Summer Solstice and what it means in various cultures. Event led by Hillary Ratna at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 11am. Tel: 020 7433 3267.

Sunday 24 June; Yeo London yoga sessions with Yeotown and Royal Parks Foundation. Outdoor yoga class at Round Pond, Kensington Gardens, London. Time: 11am - 12.30pm. Cost: £5 per person. For more details visit http://www.yeolondon.com/ or email yeolondon@yeotown.com

Sunday 24 June; Midsummer on Primrose Hill (pictured at the top). Open ritual hosted by Jeremy Morgan, the Druid of Wormwood Scrubbs. Venue: The Hawthorne Grove, Primrose Hill, Regents Park, London NW1. Starts at 12.30pm, ends at 2.30pm. Meet at the entrance opposite Rothwell St.

Sunday 24 June; The Spark that Ignited the Flame - Talk and Open Ritual by Training Priestess of the Goddess Jas. Time: 2pm - 4pm. Location: Primrose Hill (pictured at the top), Regent's Park, London NW1 - nearest tube station Chalk Farm. Suggested donation £2. For more information and to RSVP email Jas on Rememberingher@hotmail.com

Sunday 24 June; Discover Your Psychic Ability. Workshop at the Aetherius Society Meetup. Venue: Inner Potential Centre, 36 Kelvedon Road, Fulham, London SW6 5BW. From 2pm-5pm. Cost: £25. For more details and to book places, visit http://www.aetherius.org/ or call 020 7736 4187.

Sunday 24 June; The Forgotten Theosophist - Anna Bonus Kingsford A Woman Clothed with the Sun. Lecture by Kenneth Rees on a woman who was very important in the revival of Christian Hermeticism. Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Start: 6pm. Cost £7, £5 concessions.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

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