Wednesday, 13 June 2018

Summer Solstice Events in London and at Sacred Sites


The Summer Solstice in 2018 is just over a week away - on Thursday, 21 June. There are lots of things to do over the next week or so to mark the moment when the sun stands still before lengthening days turn into lengthening nights. The Summer Solstice is the most celebrated festival of the pagan Wheel of the Year, while traditional midsummer is a few days later on 24 June. Most of the pagan events I list are in London, because that is where I am based, but some are in other parts of England including the stone circles at Stonehenge, Avebury and the Rollrights.

Now - Saturday 30 June; Summer Solstice Celebration of the Goddess at Wicca Moon in south London. Each year Shirlee and her fellow witches raise awareness of the Divine Goddess of 10,000 names and funding for charity with a series of events including talks, ceremonies and workshops. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Some events are free. Tickets can be bought for individual activities, or you can pay a special price of £165 for the entire month. Contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/

Now - 28 October. Roman Dead. Exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands. Venue: No.1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London E14 4AL. Free entry.  https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands/whats-on/exhibitions/roman-dead

Wednesday 13 June; Goddess Kirtan - Singing Her 10,000 Names - part of  the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm-4pm. Free event. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Wednesday 13 June; 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 13 June; Wicca New Moon Circle with London Woodland Witches, Pagans and Ritual Magicians. Venue: Queen's Woods, Highgate. Meet in the garden area of the Woodman pub at 7pm promptly to walk to the woods. Cost: £3.· Wear outdoor clothes and bring food and drink. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Wednesday 13 June; Create and Activate with Mama Moon. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £30. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Thursday 14 June; Special morning tour: an introduction to ancient Egypt. Venue: Room 4, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 8.50am. Tickets £30.. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Thursday 14 June; Avalon Talk and Meditation with Anne Goodman - part of  the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm-4pm. Tickets £35 inc activation box. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Thursday 14 June; The Gate of Light. Talk by Lars Muhl. 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 14 June; Increasing Personal Power - evening talk by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10. Tel: 020 7405 2120. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Thursday 14 June; History of Chakras 4: Jung and Psychology. Lecture by Phil Hine. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.30pm start. Tickets £9. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 14 June; A Beginner's History of English Folk Song with folk performer Cunning Folk (George Hoyle). Talk 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 cunningfolkmusic@gmail.com

Friday 15 – Sunday 17 June; Pentacle Drummers Summer Solstice 2018 with stalls, food and music. Venue: Langney Sports Club, Priory Lane, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 7QQ. Free day entry (donations of £1 welcome). Camping £10 per person. https://www.facebook.com/events/2044703235773814/

Friday 15 June; Freya / Goddess of the Runes event - part of  the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm-4pm. Free event, but you will need runes. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Friday 15 June; The Astrology of Elizabethan Magic. Talk for the Witches' Banquet Hay Moon at the Wiccan Moot. Venue: Souk Medina, 1a Shorts Gardens, London WC2H. Time: 6.15pm. Advance booking recommended. https://www.meetup.com/London-Wicca/

Friday 15 June; Summer Gong Bath with Olaf Nixon. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm - 8.30pm. Cost: £20/£22. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 15 June; Holistic Sound Bath Meditation - Summoning The Sacred (weekly 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 15 June; Open Shamanic Drum Circle. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £5. www.aho.community

Friday 15 June; Water - Elixir of Eternal Life. Talk by Ralf Roessner at Earthstars Sacred Space. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 4SH. Time: 7.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/2077702915777666/

Saturday 16 - Sunday 17 June; Two Magical Workshops with Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. Gypsy Magic (this included a set of stones) and Thought-Forming workshop. Venue: Islington Ecology Centre, 191 Drayton Park, London. N5 1PH. Times: 9.30am-5.30pm each day. Tickets: £85/£80 or £155 for both. Email mariateresaharmer@yahoo.co.uk to reserve a place. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1491581800964232/

Saturday 16 June; Free Energy - Ether Technology - A question of our Time. One-day workshop by Ralf Roessner at Earthstars Sacred Space. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 4SH. Time: 9am-4pm. Tickets £45. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-energy-ether-technology-a-question-of-our-time-tickets-44403225242

Saturday 16 June; Manifesting with the Moon. Masterclass with Yasmin Boland organised by Alternatives. Venue: The Columbia Hotel, 95-99 Lancaster Gate, London W2 3NS. Time: 10am- 4pm. Tickets £40/£50 online. http://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Saturday 16 June; Venus in the Western Esoteric Tradition: Force of Love. Seminar-workshop with Vivianne and Chris Crowley. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm - 3pm. Tickets £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 16 June; Astrology, Magic and Alchemy in Shakespeare’s Plays. Afternoon workshop with Priscilla Costello. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 2pm-5pm. Tickets £30. Tel: 020 7405 2120. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Saturday 16 June; Isis Soul Healing - part of the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm-5pm. Tickets £35 inc ritual kit. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Saturday 16 June; Sacred Geometry. Talk at the Theosophical Society in London. Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 2pm. Cost: £5. http://theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

Saturday 16 June; Shamanic Sound Journey and Trance Experience with Diana Suemi. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £25. www.aho.community

Sunday, 17 June; Shamanic workshop. Venue: Woodford Church at 9 Grove Crescent, South Woodford, London E18 2JR. Time 11am-4pm. Cost: £10, bring your own lunch. http://woodfordchurch.com/

Sunday, 17 June; The Folklore of Wild Plants with the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. Venue: Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Southern Grove, London, E3 4PX. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £14.50-£19.62. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-folklore-of-wild-plants-tickets-46141550620?

Sunday, 17 June; Earth Spirit: Wheel of the Year Workshop at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 2pm. Tel: 020 7433 3267. http://www.rosslynhillchapel.com

Sunday, 17 June; Dawn of the Oak. Pagan moot (normally on the third Sunday of each month). Venue: The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon Road/Greville Street, London EC1M 3JF. Time: 3pm-6pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/dawnoftheoak/

Sunday, 17 June; Celebration for the Summer Solstice at the Rollright Stones, Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, hosted by The Cotswold Order of Druids. Time: 3pm-5pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/240753376691810/

Monday  18 June; Summer Solstice Celebration. Concert at Alternatives. Venue: St James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1J 9LL. Doors open 6.30pm. Event starts: 7pm. Tickets £10/£15 online. http://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Monday 18 June; Just Breathe: an evening of modern mindfulness and meditation. Venue: Great Court, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 7pm. Tickets £12. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Monday 18 June; Planetary Magic:  Understanding Personality. Lecture with Priscilla Costello. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.30pm start. Tickets £9. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Monday 18 June; Pagan Pathfinders Summer Solstice Event. Meeting suitable for all pagans in Finchley, London N3. Time: 7.30pm. (Meeting is usually on the 3rd Monday each month.) Free, but bring food and drink to share. Contact Pagan Pathfinders for more details: https://www.facebook.com/PaganPathfinders/

Tuesday 19 June; Rite of passage Life / Death / Rebirth From a Witches’ point of view - part of  the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm-4pm. Free event. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Tuesday 19 June; Mental Illness as Shamanic Initiation. Talk by Jez Hughes. (You can view his book The Heart of Life on Amazon.) Venue: 69 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3QQ. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £12. https://uk.funzing.com/funz/funzing-talks-mental-illness-as-shamanic-initiation-14945/

Tuesday 19 June; The Art of Receiving. Lecture by David Manning. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm start. Cost: £14/£12. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Tuesday 19 June; Witches of London Gathering. Venue: front bar of the Cittie of Yorke, 22 High Holborn, London WC1V 6BS. Starting for 7.30pm. onwards. Meets on the third Tuesday of each month. For any questions email coacentral@witchcraft.org or visit http://www.witchfest.net/

Wednesday, 20 June; Daily Ceremony - part of  the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm-4pm. Free event. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Wednesday, 20 June; 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, 20 June; Candle Magic Workshop - I am running a special Summer Solstice Eve candle magic workshop at Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Cost: £20 per person. You can book online at https://www.treadwells-london.com/event/practical-candle-magic-11/ or reserve a place by calling 020 7419 8507, emailing info@treadwells-london.com or visiting the shop.

Wednesday 20 June; Midsummer Night's Dream Goddess Circle with Lucy North. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Wednesday, 20 June; More Mead Moot promoted by Pagan FutureFests. Venue: Hope Pub, 48 West Street, Carshalton SM5 2PR. Time: from 7.30pm. Meets on the third Wednesday of each month. https://www.facebook.com/Pagan-FutureFests-352385661439366/ http://www.meetup.com/Londonpagancommunity/

Wednesday 20 - 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. English Heritage, which manages the site, allows free "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 (charged) and buses run from Salisbury railway station. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/summer-solstice/

Thursday 21 - Friday 22 June; Summer Solstice 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  2am PDT (US) time, which is from 10am UK time on 21 June until 4am US time/noon UK time on 22 June. You can light a candle just for 10 minutes or an hour or longer and state the intention: “Let there be peace on earth and love for one another.” Details: http://peacefires.org/

Thursday 21 June; Solstice Ritual and World Peace Day Celebrations at Avebury Stone Circle in Wilthsire. A Solstice sunrise ceremony will be conducted by local elders at dawn, followed by a Druid ceremony in the Sun Circle. There will be a closing ceremony at 11.45am. The ceremonies are free to attend. From noon, there will be a World Peace and Prayer Symposium at Avebury Sports and Social Club. Tickets for this are £29. https://www.facebook.com/events/372575339888098/

Thursday 21 June; Wheel of the Year Festival - Summer Solstice 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/

Thursday 21 June; Litha Summer Solstice Ritual (free event) at noon followed by Emotional Freedom Technique workshop (tickets £15) at 2pm. Part of  the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Thursday 21 June; Being Present. Talk by Darren Cockburn. 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 21 June; The Secret History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult. A walking tour with storyteller Nigel hosted by Funzing Talks. Meet at Saint Paul's Churchyard, London, EC4M 8BX. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://uk.funzing

Thursday 21 June; PFL Summer Solstice Open Ritual facilitated by Snow Wolf Coven. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7.30pm. Entry: £6/£5 (PF members and concessions). https://pflondon.info/

Thursday 21 June; The Wild Hunt Bedlam Morris Summer Solstice Celebration. Dance at Addington Hills Viewpoint from 8pm then watch the sunset.  Free, just turn up. https://www.facebook.com/events/215933525678405/

Friday 22 June; Goddess Juno Workshop to Celebrate the Solstice Goddess - part of  the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm-5pm. Tickets £35 inc ritual kit. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Friday 22 June; Midsummer Gongbath with Diana Vernon MCSH. On this first day of midsummer after the summer solstice, in a beautiful period candle-lit hall, allow the sun energy of this time to combine with the resonance of the gongs to promote peace, tranquility and relaxation. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Cost: £20/£22. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 22 June (tbc); Holistic Sound Bath Meditation - Summoning The Sacred (weekly 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/

Saturday 23 June; Drum Birthing Workshop with Heron Drums. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London E9 5EU. Time: 9.30am-5pm. Cost: £200. http://www.herondrums.co.uk/shamanic-drum-birthing/4594020591

Saturday 23 June; Kabbalah, Astrology and You. One-day workshop with Rev. Maggy Whitehouse. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 11am start. Tickets: £50. Tel: 020 7405 2120. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Saturday 23 June; Free and Open Gorsedd Summer Solstice Rite by the Free and Open Gorsedd of Caer Abiri at The Sun Circle, Avebury, Wilts, Avebury, United Kingdom. Druidic style open ceremony to celebrate summer - all faith paths welcome. Meet at the Red Lion pub from noon for ceremony from 1.30pm. Offerings of bread or cake, mead, poetry and song are welcome. https://www.facebook.com/events/1213809608753855/

Saturday 23 June; Woodland Midsummer Gathering 2018 - Ceremony and Social with London Woodland Witches, Pagans and Ritual Magicians. Venue: Queen's Woods, Highgate. Meet in the garden area of the Woodman pub at 2pm to walk to the woods at 2.45pm. Cost: £3.· Wear outdoor clothes, something to sit on and bring food and drink. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Saturday 23 June; Crystal Angel Activation workshop - part of  the Summer Solstice Celebration at Wicca Moon. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Tickets £35 inc ritual kit. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/591360514554349/ or http://www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Saturday 23 June; Portals of London: Abney Park. Storytelling for adult audiences with London Dreamtime. Venue: A secret location in North East London. Time: 5.45pm for 6pm start. Price: £8 - you must book a place in advance.  For more details, email vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Saturday 23 June; St John's Eve Vigil at Crossbones to honour The Goose and the outcast dead of Cross Bones Graveyard and the dead and wounded of the London Bridge attacks. Bring a flower, a ribbon, a totem or memento to tie to the shrine. Gather from 6.45pm for a 7pm start in Redcross Way outside the Memorial Gates, London SE1 1TA. For more details, visit  http://crossbones.org.uk/

Saturday 23 June; Heart Beat - Drumming Collective with Gong Master Olaf Nixon. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm start. Cost: £20/£22. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday, 24 June; London Rathayatra 2018 - Krishna Chariot Festival. Annual festival with procession, music and free vegetarian food. Procession starts at Hyde Park, London, at noon and goes to Trafalgar Square. Festival ends at 5pm. Free event. Details: https://rathayatra.co.uk/london/.  London Woodland Witches and Outdoor Pagans will be attending, to join them sign up here: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Pagans-Magicians/

Sunday, 24 June; Summer Solstice 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. Gather at 12.45pm for 1pm start. https://www.facebook.com/LooseAssociationOfDruidsOfPrimroseHill/

Sunday, 24 June; Anderida Gorsedd Summer Solstice open ritual at the Long Man of Wilmington, Wilmington, East Sussex. Meet near the car park between 1.30pm and 2pm, walk up to the chalk hill figure at 2pm. Afterwards, the Giants Rest pub. https://www.facebook.com/groups/anderidagorsedd/

Sunday, 24 June; Luna Iter - Journey of the moon - for Pagan and Wiccan Seekers with Luna Iter- Wiccan Seekers London NE. Pub moot followed by a ritual close to each full moon. Venue: Pembury Tavern, 90 Amhurst Road, Hackney. Moot starts at 4.30pm, then at 6pm moving to a historic site for the ritual. Fee: £4/£5. https://www.meetup.com/Luna-Iter-WiccanSeekersLondonNE/

Sunday, 24 June; Summer Solstice Wheel of the Year ritual at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 7pm. (At lunchtime there is also a picnic to celebrate the sun.) Tel: 020 7433 3267. http://www.rosslynhillchapel.com

Please note that I am not responsible for any of these events except my own candle magic workshop at Treadwell's. I try to ensure my listings are accurate but do not always know of late changes, cancellations or ticket availability. If you do spot anything that needs correcting, please email the details to badwitch1234@gmail.com

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