Imbolc is on February 1 and is a celebration of the first stirrings of spring, as well as traditionally being the time when new lambs are being born. Here is a list of some of the paan events in London plus a few in other parts of the UK over that time. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.
Now - 8 April; Exhibition: Living with Gods: peoples, places and worlds beyond. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tickets: £15 standard, members free but booking essential. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/
Now - Wednesday 28 February; Harry Potter: A History of Magic. Venue: PACCAR Gallery, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB. Timed slots every day. Tickets £16 adult, £8 child. Enquiries: 01937 546546. https://www.bl.uk/
Now - Wednesday 28 February 2018; The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic: An exhibition dedicated to Cornwall’s most magical Museum, featuring photographs from Of Shadows: One Hundred Objects from The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic by Sara Hannant and Simon Costin. Last Tuesday Society. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/
Tuesday 30 January; Blue Moon Ceremony and Solar Eclipse Magic with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Meet at the cattle trough on Wimbledon Common, SW19, at 7pm to walk to the ritual site. Fee: £3. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring something to sit on and food and drink to share. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/
Tuesday 30 January; Making Sense of Changing Times - a Spiritual View. Talk by James Philip. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £12/£14. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Tuesday 30 January; The Tarot suits of Cups and Swords with the Tarot and Esoteric Discovery Group. Venue: Artillary Arms (private space upstairs), 102 Bunhill Row Nr Moorgate/Old St, London EC1Y 8ND. Time: 7pm. Entry: £5, but you must be a member of the meetup group and reserve a place in advance. https://www.meetup.com/Tarot-and-Healing-Group/
Tuesday 30 January; So Moot It Bee Imbolc Open Ritual. Venue: The Good Intent pub, John Street, Me11yl Rochester, Medway, Kent. Time: 7.30pm. Entry £2. https://www.facebook.com/events/356477638154064/
Wednesday 31 January; Time to Meditate - group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/
Wednesday 31 January; Full Moon Magic Ceremony. Venue: Hazelwood Crescent, London, W10 5FT (Exact address will be provided after booking). Time: 7.15pm. Tickets: £16. http://uk.funzing.com/funz/full-moon-magic-ceremony-11769?
Wednesday 31 January; Path of Bride: Candlelit walk from St Bride's Church to the Thames with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Meet by the main gate of the St Bride's Church, Fleet Street, London EC4Y 8AU at 6pm. There is also a Thames full moon ritual at 7.30pm. If you want to take part in the ritual as well as the walk, the fee is £3. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes. Details and bookings for both the walk and the ritual are here: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/
Wednesday 31 January; Hertford Pagan Moot. Venue: White Horse Pub, 33 Castle Street, Hertford, Herts SG14 1HH (45 mins from central London). The pub does not have disabled access. This moot meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047/
Wednesday 31 January; Wolf Moon Remote Rite with the Order of the Horse and Moon. The closed coven will be doing a private rite in woodland, but seekers are invited to tune in to the energy wherever they are. Details: https://www.meetup.com/Londonpagancommunity/events/246943316/
Thursday 1 February; Wheel of the Year Festival - Imbolc at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Gather at the well head for midday meditation until 12.30pm, followed by conversation on the lower lawn. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. For more details, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/
Friday 2 February; Full Moon Peace Fires. Light a candle or fire for peace wherever you are in the world, for as short or long a time as you like between 8am and 4pm PDT (US) time, which is between 4pm and midnight (UK time). You can light a candle just for an hour or so and state the intention: “Let there be peace on earth and love for one another.” Details: http://peacefires.org/
Friday 2 February; Folk Customs around Imbolc and Candlemas. Seminar Evening with Will Hunter and Ellie Hughes. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/
Friday 2 February; Holistic Sound Bath Meditation - Summoning The Sacred (fortnightly ceremonial gathering). Venue: Training Points Fitness and Therapy, 5-6 Coopers Yard, Crystal Palace, London SE19 1TN. Time: 7pm. Entry £15/£13. https://www.facebook.com/summoningthesacredsound/
Friday 2 February; East Meets West. Venue: The Upminster Complementary Healing and Teaching Sanctuary, Pea Lane, Upminster RM142XH. Time: 7.30pm. Entry: £15/£18. For further information or to book call Rain on 07786328908 http://www.healingandteaching.co.uk/
Saturday 3 February; Drum Birthing Workshop with Heron Drums. Venue: 3 Prince Edward Rd, London E9 5EU. Time: 9.30am-5pm. Cost: £200. http://www.herondrums.co.uk/shamanic-drum-birthing/4594020591
Saturday 3 February; AnderidaFest 2018. Venue: Southwick Community Centre, 24 Southwick St, Southwick, West Sussex BN42 4TE. Time: 10.30am-10pm. Tickets: £20 in advance, £25 on the day (if not sold out). https://www.facebook.com/events/1598437100212844/
Saturday 3 February; Digital workshop: Teens code the collection: lucky charms. For ages 13-15, but must be accompanied by an adult. Venue: Samsung Centre, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 11am-4pm. Free, just drop in. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/
Saturday 3 February; Sacred Feminine: The Art of the Goddess with the London Drawing Group. Venue: The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 11am. Tickets: £26.71. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sacred-feminine-the-art-of-the-goddess-tickets-41089354365?
Saturday 3 February; Celtic Spring Festival at Butser for Imbolc. Venue: Butser Ancient Farm, Chalton Lane, Petersfield PO8 0BG. Time: 1pm. Tickets: £12. http://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/2088-2/
Saturday 3 February; Tarot Cards for Absolute Beginners - Major Arcana. Afternoon workshop with Sue Terry. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Tickets £40. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/
Saturday 3 February; West African traditional religions. Gallery talk. Venue: Room 25, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free, just drop in. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/
Saturday 3 February; Free and Open Gorsedd of Cear Abiri Imbolc Rite at Avebury stone circle, Wiltshire. Time: Meet at the Red Lion pub from noon to start the ritual at 1.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/143313086369458/
Saturday 3 February; Public Imbolc Rite organised by New Dawn Pagan Kinship. Venue: tba. Time: 1.30pm. https://www.meetup.com/New-Dawn/
Saturday 3 February; Imbolc Ceremony with Watchers of the Old Ways. Venue: Rollright Stones
Chipping Norton OX7 5QB. Time: 2pm. Entry: £1. https://www.facebook.com/events/1945308175796504/
Saturday 3 February; Imbolc Ceremony with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Meet in the heated patio area of The Woodman's Pub, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6 at 3.30pm to walk to the ritual site in Queen's Woods for 4pm. Fee: £5. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring something to sit on and food and drink to share. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/
Sunday 4 February; North West Kent Green Pagan Circle Moot. Venue: Chislehurst Caves, Bromley, BR7 5NL. Time: 10am-noon. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/
Sunday 4 February; Imbolc Blessing Ceremony - Sacred Union. Venue: Greenwich Park. Time: 11am. Cost: £25. https://www.facebook.com/events/879894872191221/
Sunday 4 February; Imbolc on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Open ritual hosted by Jeremy Morgan, the Druid of Wormwood Scrubbs. Venue: The Hawthorne Grove, Primrose Hill, Regents Park, London NW1. Starts at 1pm, ends at around 3pm. Nearest tube: Chalk Farm. https://www.facebook.com/events/792282144229769/
Sunday 4 February; Ageless Wisdom for Everyone. Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 2pm. Donations welcome. https://www.meetup.com/Theosophical-Society-in-London/ and http://www.theosophicalsociety.org.uk/
Monday 5 Feb to 25 March. Exhibition: Safeguards Against Witchcraft. Venue: The Museum of Cambridge, 2/3 Castle Street , Cambridge, Cambs CB3 0AQ. Museum entry £4/£2. http://www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/
Tuesday 6 February; Magic as Treason. Talk by Francis Young, author of Magic as a Political Crime, which can be viewed at Amazon. Venue: The London Fortean Society, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £5.87. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/magic-as-treason-tickets-39517410639? Info: http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/
Tuesday 6 February; Witches' Inn Gathering. Venue: Red Lion, 48 Linkfield Lane, Redhill, RH1 1DP. Starts at 8pm. Moots are the first Tuesday of each month. For more details visit: https://www.facebook.com/The-Witches-Inn-1568424150049437/
Wednesday 7 February; Time to Meditate - group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/
Thursday 8 February; Shamanic Witchcraft. Talk by Barbara Meiklejohn-Free and Flavia Kate Peters. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/
Thursday 8 February; First Steps in Thelema. Evening workshop with Marco Visconti. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/
Thursday 8 February; Our personal stories of ancient stone mystery centres. Talk by Mary Anne Paterson at Earthstars. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 4SH. Time: Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start. Entry £12. https://www.facebook.com/Earthstars-Sacred-Space-104790729559515/
Thursday 8 February; PFL Imbolc Open Ritual with the Kith of the Tree and the Well. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7.30pm. Entry: £6/£5 (PF members and concessions). https://www.facebook.com/events/388240274979390/
Thursday 8 February; Ghost hunting in the Magical Library: Harry Price and the Ghosts. Talk by Sarah Sparkes at South East London Folklore Society (SELFS). Venue: The Old King's Head, Kings Head Yard, 45-49 Borough High St, London SE1 1NA. Entry: £5/£1.50 concessions. Time: 8pm. (Meetings are normally the second Thursday of each month.) https://www.facebook.com/groups/2438110887/ To guarantee a seat, email nigelofbermondsey@gmail.com
Friday 9 February; A Demonstration of Mediumship with Q and A: Anthony Kesner. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £12/£14. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Friday 9 February; Oasis of Sound - Sound Bath and Mantra with Anne Malone. Organised by the Oasis of Sound Meetup Group. Venue: The Life Centre Islington, Brittania Row, North London. Tickets £15. Time: 7.30pm. Details: https://www.meetup.com/Oasis-of-Sound-Sound-Bath-n-Sound-Scape/
Saturday 10 - Sunday 11 February; The Enchanted Market. Two-day pagan festival with talks, workshops, entertainment and a market. I will be giving a talk based on my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic. Venue: The Enchanted Market, Garth Hill College, Bull Lane, Bracknell, Berks RG42 2LN. Tickets: £15. Tel: 07916173517 http://www.theenchantedmarket.com/
Saturday 10; Heart Beat - Drumming Collective for February with Gong Master Olaf Nixon Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £20/£22. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Sunday 11 February; The Bleeding Heart Walk with Scott Wood of Haunt London and London Fortean Society. Starts: Bleeding Heart Yard, London, EC1N 8. Times: 2.30pm. Tickets: £7.70. http://www.wegottickets.com/event/427250
Note: I am not responsible for any of these events except my own talk on candle magic at the Enchanted Market. I try to make sure the details on my listings are accurate, but do not necessarily know about any late changes or ticket availability. Please contact the organisers before attending any event. If you spot something that needs correcting, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com Note: I earn commission from some links. This helps subsidise my blog at no extra cost to readers.
19 comments:
This mad old witch really is into getting Pagans to part with huge sums of money for little return. Celebrating Imbolc and anything else should be free, I know, I've played fiddle and sung (well) at no charge for Pagan ceremonies. It was male capitalists who invented money, and this daft geezeress is all for continuing the rip-off.
Anonymous, which event were you specifically complaining about? I don't think I've listed any that are "huge amounts of money". Most are less than £10 to attend and many are at venues that charge people to use the rooms and so the organisers have to charge a few quid for admittance or they wouldn't be able to run the event at all. However, if you know of any free pagan events taking place, do let me know and I will eagerly list them on my blog.
Anonymous, do take up the mad, old, daft, geezeress's generous and warm-hearted response. If you can find or organise an event that doesn't 'rip off' people for these 'huge sums' I'm sure she would love to publicise it.
Frankly, if it was me I wouldn't have replied so calmly but would have told you to stick your fiddle bow where the sun doesn't shine....
Get a venue in London free? No chance. It's entirely reasonable to charge a little to cover room hire and expenses and for people giving up their time to be compensated. And it's not jus Pagans that can't live on fresh air. Even churches pass the plate round at half-time. And Anonymous - have the courage of your convictions and give your name!
Notable that such a negative response was posted anonymously!
If you'd rather not help contribute to the costs involved with an event, that's fine. Just don't go.
The need to insult, though? Very strange. Totally at odds with the spirit of Imbolc.
Best of luck with your fiddling and singing well.
"I'm free", as John Inman used to say. I have to agree with other's comments, tho'. You cannot run any complex event without having to pay out quite a bit. And the only reason the LADs on Primrose Hill can do it is that I subsidise it quite a bit (2 bottles of mead & a bottle of ginger wine every time, plus other seasonal its & bobs) & everyone else brings picnic food & drink to share. I also feel strongly that if you are going to criticise anyone or anything you should have the Pagan attribute of Courage & name yourself. I believe in, & promote: Freedom of Thought; of Speech; & of Association, & I extend the same courtesy to you. There are plenty of things & people to criticise within the Greater Pagan Community, but the costing of events is not one of them as I can assure you they are all run on a shoe-string & Good-Will
Good job you are anonymous...not a good idea to go up against a witch or her family...
It’s hard enough finding people willing and capable of organising events, expecting them to meet all the costs too would make it impossible. If you want a pagan community you have to expect to pay your share of what it costs to make one. No-one is raking in big bucks running community events. Having said that, contributions don’t have to be money. Performing, baking, cleaning up after etc are equally valid
Venues cost, food costs, transport costs, materials cost, speakers have expenses, and anyone who has developed expertise in something deserves to be compensated for their time. There are some free and very low cost events on the list, some reasonably priced ones, and one or two that I would probably quietly pass on in terms of cost, but I don't see any shameless profiteering. I have organised events and managed buildings. For something to be free at point of use, for rude oiks like Anonymous, someone community minded has to pay out. Thanks, Anonymous, for discouraging all the community members who do organise events, by reminding them of the ingratitude, lack of empathy and general immaturity of some of the people that make this such a thankless task. (I no longer organise events, and entitled idiots like you were a good part of the reason!)
While it would be a wonderful world to have everything for free, all contributions freely given, venue and advertising donated in the spirit of oneness ... sadly, the world we live in is a long way from that. You are not the only one who provide a service or product for free but we are in a minority, sadly.
It's not unreasonable to ask for a charge to cover costs. This isn't profit-making (the capitalist dream) but enabling an organiser to ... um ... organise.
You chose to play for free. Good for you. However, this doesn't give you the right to demand everyone does too, sorry. Do you get free internet to post your comment? The device you use, was it a gift? What about the electricity you use or, if it's provided by renewable energy, was the generator parts free?
Do you turn up to events - clearly showing an admission fee - and demand your "right" to enter without payment?
Or are you just disgruntled about the insidious grip that money has in life and look for things to complain about?
Anonymous sounds deeply ignorant. I sincerely hope the unwarranted criticisms, and totally unacceptable personal insults, will not discourage our irreplaceable Badwitch. Without her selfless commitment to making this information available to us - FOR FREE, you horrible Anonymous creep - our lives would be poorer and our community meaner.
On the question of prices - most of the 'charges' are as my fellows have said, just to cover costs. We all know of events that have left the organisers out of pocket, so paying our way to make it possible for events to continue is just sensible.
Where some workshop or similar is beyond my purse, I just don't go. I certainly don't decry the chance to know it is available to me, or abuse the person who has collated all this information to share for the good of all.
Blessings to all. (with the possible exception of one rude, ignorant, entitled coward!)
Venues cost money. Transport food costs money. Resources cost money. Maybe, in an ideal world then all these things would be provided under some kind of barter system, but as the world is a lot more complicated than that money works as a good marker for value exchanged.
It's not ideal. There's plenty to criticise in late stage capitalism but money as a medium of exchange and marker of value is not the one I'd pick to go after first/
Anonymous you are a total twonk, and clearly not living in the real world.
Oh give it a rest, Anonymous. Do you really think the organisers of these events don't have to pay rent? Or eat? Do you really think they should be covering all the costs, eg room hire, themselves? I am not sure what your complaint is, but our beloved Badwitch - who you obviously do not know personally - is the wrong target.
Wow! Thanks for all the words of support! I am so cheered up to know that people find my listings of events useful. I can confirm that I don't get paid any money to compile my weekly events listing on my blog and it does take quite a bit of time to put the posts together. It is good to know that some people find the information useful.
I think rituals should be free. There are plenty of free outdoor venues. Workshops however involve a lot of preparation so a fee is perfectly reasonable. A pity about the insulting tone of the first post.
If you don't want to pay the don't go but do not insult the messenger who gives her time for free to let people know where events are being held.
You know, this has made me realise how completely for granted I have come to take your regular round-ups of event information. Easy to forget how much effort you put in for us - so this seems an appropriate time to say 'thank you' xxx
Anonymous. Lovely that you provided your services for free ... is that what the kids call virtue signalling? Why should these events be free if someone is paying for transport or hire or other costs (let's not talk time or expertise)? With the best will in the world it really is okay to cover costs. I do not share your sense of entitlement in this regard. Most of the events above are priced pretty modestly. Also whatever one believes, I think a tenner is a small price for an enlightening lecture or talk. If you expect people to work for free then *that's* really not fair.
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