Books: Poppets & Magical Dolls is Published Today!

Today is the big day! My new book, Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls is now officially published. That means if you pre-ordered a copy from Amazon in the UK, it should be sent out to you. I think Amazon in the US sends books out slightly earlier than over here, so if you live in the States it is just about possible you have already got one if you ordered it.

A few copies went on sale early at independent pagan bookshop Treadwell's, at 33 Store Street, Central London, when I did an early book signing there in July. The shop should have more in stock soon if it hasn't got them already. The large chains Barnes and Noble and Waterstones will also have it available to order on their sites and in store.

On Saturday 8 September at 2pm, I will be reading from Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls at Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. There will be some on sale there then, if not before. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/

I will also be running a short workshop on poppets and signing copies of my books at the Henge Shop, Avebury, on Saturday 27 October as part of its Halloween Paranormal Weekend.

You can view Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls on Amazon and also order it via publisher Moon Books' website. (Please note I earn commission from some links)

Over the past few months I've been blogging about magical dolls and poppet-making. Here are a few links to some of those posts:
Magical Dolls: A Poppet I Made to Help Me Write
Magical Dolls: How to Make a Knotted Wool Poppet
Magical Dolls: Egyptian Paddle Dolls for Fertility
Magical Dolls: Healing Kundu at the Horniman Museum
Potato Dream, Night Cramps and Poppet Making

Folklore & Fairy Tales: Three Polish Wooden Dolls

These little wooden dolls in traditional costumes were sent to my family from relatives in Poland back before I was born, but I was always fascinated by them when I was a child.

The tall gentleman is in fact a needle case. He comes apart where his jacket meets his stripey trousers. The mother and girl are nesting dolls. The mother comes apart at the waist and her baby fits inside her.

I later bought a set of Russian Matryoshka dolls, which you can see in the photo to the left.

When I first read the fairy story Vasilisa the Beautiful, I imagined Vasilisa's magical wooden doll as being like the little pair of nesting dolls that had been handed down in my own family. To summarise the tale, on her death-bed, Vasilisa's mother gives Vasilisa a little wooden doll that she says will help her solve any problem.

Her father remarries, but her stepmother and stepsisters are wicked and cruel. When their only candle goes out, they send Vasilisa to their neighbour in the woods, Baba Yaga, to beg for a light. The evil hag sets Vasilisa seemingly impossible tasks to perform, saying she will give her a light if she manages them, but will eat her if she fails. To cut a long story short, Vasilisa succeeds with the help of her magical doll - although the light she brings back burns her wicked stepmother and sisters to a crisp.

I retell a longer version of that story in my book Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls, which is officially published tomorrow, 31 August. Three of my Matryoshka dolls appear  in the photo I took for the front cover of the book. At the end, I look at the history and meaning of nesting dolls:

In the first chapter I related a Russian fairy tale about a magical doll, so it seems right to end the book with another Russian doll tradition – the Matryoshka, or nesting doll. This is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. The name ‘Matryoshka’, which literally means ‘little matron’, is a diminutive form of the Russian female first name ‘Matryona’. They are also known as ‘babushka dolls’, babushka meaning ‘grandmother’ or ‘old woman’. It actually isn’t a very old tradition. The first set of Russian nested doll was made in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, a folk crafts painter at Abramtsevo. They were apparently inspired by a doll from Japan.
The outer layer is usually a woman dressed in Russian peasant costume; the figures inside can be of either gender and the smallest is usually a baby. Modern Matroyshkas can depict all sorts of things, from fairy tale characters to politicians.
Although this isn’t an ancient tradition, the Matroyshka doll is used as a metaphor in Jungian psychology for the levels we have within ourselves and in our relationship with societal forces. Understanding those different forces and how they affect us can help us in a quest for personal development and growth, which is often something those within modern pagan witchcraft use their magic to work towards.

My book Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls is published by Moon Books. On Saturday 8 September at 2pm, I will be reading from it and signing copies at Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/

I will also be running a short workshop on poppets and signing copies of my books at the Henge Shop, Avebury, on Saturday 27 October as part of its Halloween Paranormal Weekend.

You will be able to buy copies of the book at Wicca Moon. You can also view Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls on Amazon and order it from Treadwell's.

This Week's Pagan Events In and Near London

Here is a listing of events in London plus a few in other parts of the UK over the next week or so that could be of interest to pagans. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Now to Sunday 2 September; Paul Kidby: Discworld and Beyond. Art exhibition relating to Terry Pratchett's fiction. Venue: Maidstone Museum, St Faith's Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1LH. Tickets are adults £4, children £2. https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/whats-on/

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 29 and Thursday 30 August; LSA Astrology Summer Classes. A selection of classes each day for all experience levels. Venue: Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ. Time: various classes between 2pm and 9pm. Email admin@londonschoolofastrology.co.uk or call 020 8402 7772 to book. https://www.facebook.com/events/223419318286357/

Wednesday 29 August; Stories at the Garden Museum. Storytelling with London Dreamtime. Venue: The Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 7LB. Time: 11.30am. Price: free. For more details, email vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Wednesday 29 August; Time to Meditate - group meditation (every Wednesday). 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 29 August; Pisces Full Moon Gong Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: Sessions at 7-8pm and 8.30-9.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Wednesday 29 August; Chat about Pagan / Ritual Tools and Paraphernalia at 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 usually meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047/

Thursday 30 August; Full Moon After Party. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: Noon-1.30pm. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk


Thursday 30 August; Elliott O'Donnell: Strange Cults and Secret Societies of Modern London. Talk at London Fortean Society. View the book Strange Cults and Secret Societies of Modern London on Amazon. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX.. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £4/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Friday 31 August - 9 January 2019; Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft exhibition in Oxford. Venue: Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2PH. Tickets: £6/£11.25/£12.25. https://www.ashmolean.org/

Friday 31 August; 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 31 August; The River Thames: Myths and Legends – Storytelling with George Hoyle and Southwark Cathedral. Venue: Southwark Cathedral London Bridge, SE1 9DA. Time: 7pm. Price: £5. For more details, email vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/ Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-river-thames-myths-and-legends-storytelling-with-george-hoyle-tickets-46189914277

Friday 31 August; Love’s Secret: A Journey to the Beyond with Katie Abbott. Venue: 42 Acres, 66 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LW. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £30 (all proceeds donated to The Hunger Project). For more details visit: https://www.42acresshoreditch.com/events/

Saturday 1 September; 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

Saturday 1 September; The Fifth London Folk Festival. Venue: Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regents Park Road, London, NW1 7AY. Time: 10.30am - 11pm. Tickets: £30 adults. https://uk.patronbase.com/_CecilSharpHouse/Productions/5Q/Performances

Saturday 1 September; Kabbalah and the Divine Feminine. Workshop with Maggy Whitehouse, author of Living Kabbalah, Total Kabbalah and The Marriage of Jesus. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 11am-5pm. Tickets £50. Tel: 020 7405 2120. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Sunday 2 September; North West Kent Green Pagan Circle Moot. Venue: Chislehurst Caves, Bromley, BR7 5NL. Time: 11am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/

Monday 3 September; London Dreamtime Story Circle at Library London. Venue: Library London 112 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4BD. Time: 6pm. Price: £6. For more details, email vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Tuesday 4 September; Ancient Persia: Who are Zoroastrians? Gallery talk. Venue: Room 52, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free entry. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Tuesday 4 September; Effective Spell: Chaos Magic and Hypnosis for Results. Start of intensive four-week Course with Mark Vincent Mark Vincent. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Price: £140  (£80 deposit, balance due on first night). Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Tuesday 4 September; Heart Beat Drumming Collective 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/

Tuesday 4 September; Luthaneal Adams talking about magic in ancient Greece and Rome at Romford Moot. Venue: The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford, RM1 1HR. Time: 7.30pm. Entry £4. https://www.facebook.com/mammamoonmagick/

Tuesday 4 September; Ghosts of South London. Talk by George Hoyle, at The London Fortean Society. Venue: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields, London Bridge, London, SE1 3SS. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £5/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/

Tuesday 4 September; Witches' Inn Gathering. Venue: The Hatch Public House, 44 Hatchlands Road, Redhill, RH1 6AT. Starts at 8pm. Moots are the first Tuesday of each month. For more details visit: https://www.facebook.com/The-Witches-Inn-1568424150049437/

Wednesday 5 September; Time to Meditate - group meditation (every Wednesday). 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 5 September; Tarot Card Reading for Beginners. Start of eight-week course with Suzanne Corbie. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Price: £220  (£110 deposit, balance due on first night). Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Wednesday 5 September; The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories. Talk by Karen Douglas. Venue: The Star and Garter, 60 Old Woolwich Road, Greenwich, London SE10 9NY. Time: 7.30pm. Details: http://greenwich.skepticsinthepub.org

Thursday 6 September; Love Without Duality: Awakening in Intimacy. Talk by B Prior. 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 6 September; Candle Magic Workshop. I am running an evening workshop based on my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic. Venue: 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/ or reserve a place by calling 020 7419 8507, emailing info@treadwells-london.com or visiting the shop.

Saturday 8 September; 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

Saturday 8 September; Spiritual Psychology: the Outer Personality and the Deeper Self. Two-day Workshop with Vivianne and Chris Crowley . Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: Sat 10.30am– 5.30pm; Sun 10.30am–5pm. Price: £150. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 8 September. The Way of the Kairomancer: Navigating by Synchronicity. Workshop with Robert Moss organised by Alternatives Events. Venue: The Study Society, 151 Talgarth Road, London, W14 9DA. Time 10.30am. Tickets: £70 – £85. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-way-of-the-kairomancer-navigating-by-synchronicity-tickets-45474011994

Saturday 8 September; Tales of magic and adventure from the scribes of ancient Egypt. Gallery talk. Venue: Room 4, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free event. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Saturday 8 September. I will be reading from my book Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls at Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/or www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Saturday 8 September; Guided Walk – The Great Fire of London hosted by Astrological Lodge of London. Discover the history and astrology of the Great Fire of London on a guided afternoon/evening walk through central London. Meet at Monument, Fish St Hill London, C3R 8AH. Time: 2.30pm. Tickets: £5. Advance booking essential: https://astrolodge.co.uk/event/516/

Sunday 9 September; Start of Ancestral Healer Training course - 6-modules - with Shamanism and Evolving Consciousness. Venue: Neal's Yard Meeting Rooms, 14 Neal's Yard,
London E14 9DB. Time: 10.15am-5.15pm. Tickets £75. https://www.meetup.com/Shamanism-and-Evolving-Consciousness/

Sunday 9 September; 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 9 September; The British Museum and the Awakening of English Magic. Walking tour with Caroline Wise organised by Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am. Ticket price £18. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Sunday 9 September; A Year With Our Gods: Mabinogion. Online conference hosted by Land Sea Sky Travel. Time:10.30am - 8.30pm EDT. Tickets: from $40. https://www.facebook.com/events/1434167596695651/

Sunday 9 September; Secret Doctrine Study Day at the Theosophical Society in London. Some knowledge of the teachings of Helena Blavatsky required. Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 11am-5pm. Donations of about £3 welcome. http://theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

Sunday 9 September; New Moon: Divine Feminine Play and Fire Ceremony with Wild Women Gatherings. Venue: Private address near Forest Hill station, London SE23 3HB. Time: 3pm. Suggested donation: £15. https://www.meetup.com/WILD-WOMEN-CIRCLES-LONDON/

Sunday 9 September; New Moon Rituals with Wolf Sister and Danielle Copperman. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 4pm-pm. Tickets: £40. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Please note: I do not organise any of these events except my candle magic workshop and Poppets and Magical Dolls book signing. Although I try to make sure the details on my listing are accurate, I do not always know about late changes or ticket availability etc. Please contact the organiser before attending any event. If you want an event listed on my blog, or spot anything that needs changing, please email badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Exhibition: Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft

An exhibition called Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft begins at the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum this Friday, 31 August. I have a ticket to see it next weekend and I'll be blogging about it after that, but in the meantime here is some information about it from an Ashmolean press release:

The Ashmolean’s autumn exhibition explores the history of a fascinating cultural phenomenon – magic. Spellbound will display 180 objects from 12th-century Europe to newly commissioned contemporary artworks. They range from the beautiful and mysterious (crystal balls, books of spells), the bizarre and macabre (a unicorn’s horn, a human heart encased in lead), to the profoundly touching (the testimony of women accused of witchcraft, the lovers’ padlocks cut from Leeds Centenary Bridge).

The exhibition explores the inner lives of our ancestors, offering an insight into how people in the past actually felt and what they did to cope with the world they lived in. Looking at human hopes, fears and passions and asking visitors questions about their own beliefs and rituals, the exhibition aims to show how, even in this sceptical age, we still use magical thinking and why we might need a bit of magic in our lives.

Spellbound will be a dramatic and unsettling experience. Specially commissioned works by contemporary artists (Ackroyd and Harvey, Katharine Dowson and Annie Cattrell) will provide evocative responses to the themes of the show, conjuring demons, flames and unnerving noises.

People will encounter six objects and six questions which challenge the extent to which we still think magically. ‘Do you have a lucky object?’ is linked to a carved coral brooch (17th/18th-century) of St Michael defeating Satan – an image of good triumphing over evil made in a material believed to have protective properties. ‘Could you stab the image of a loved-one?’ is asked next to a Chinese wax figurine pierced with pins.

One of the most famous objects is a silver flask from the Pitt Rivers. It was obtained in 1915 from an old woman who lived in Hove, Sussex, who remarked: ‘They do say there be a witch in it and if you let un out there it be a peck o’ trouble.’ To our knowledge, it has never been opened: people can contemplate whether they would dare. Visitors can then enter the exhibition, if they choose, by walking under a ladder and the museum will monitor how many are happy to tempt fate.

The exhibition opens in the medieval cosmos, a place swarming with spirits and supernatural currents which affected everything from an individual’s health to an army’s triumph. In this precarious world where mass disease, death in childbirth and warfare were features of everyday life, magical interventions offered people a sense of control over their fate and a means of relieving anxieties. Magical enquiry also had intellectual respectability.

By the end of the 14th century physicians in many countries were legally required to calculate the position of the moon before they performed operations. There were many well-known university magicians and astrologers including Oxford’s Elias Ashmole whose clients included Charles II. Perhaps the most famous magician in England was John Dee who advised Elizabeth I. A tool in his armoury, featured in the exhibition, was a beautiful purple crystal ball which was used to invoke a benevolent spirit or trap an evil one. He claimed the crystal was given to him by the angel Uriel in November 1582.

Despite the risks (and clerical opprobrium), in times of stress and heightened emotion evidence of people resorting to magical intervention abounds. There was no subject more important than love, especially unrequited and frustrated love. Hundreds of magic rings, seals and brooches survive, engraved with mottos and lines from famous romances with words ranging from hope (‘Joy without end’) to warning (‘Desire no other’). They were intended to bind another person with an appeal to supernatural power.

The ritual has been revived in recent years by couples attaching inscribed padlocks to city bridges and throwing the keys into the river. The inscriptions on locks from Leeds Centenary Bridge include ‘I wanna lock your love’, ‘LOCKED + SEALED’ and ‘Be Mine’. While in many cases a merely symbolic gesture, the outcry at the removal of locks, in spite of the obvious problems they cause for structural engineering, and authorities’ reluctance to simply destroy or dispose of them, suggests that people attach significant emotion to the ritual. The locks might be considered as modern magic objects.

At the centre of the exhibition is a selection of the many thousands of items that have been discovered concealed in homes to protect them against mundane and supernatural threats. Dead cats were deliberately entombed in wall cavities in acts of ‘sympathetic’ magic to chase away vermin. Old buildings are full of enigmatic marks and symbols which have magical meaning such as the round ‘hexafoils’ on a pair of 19th-century barn doors from Suffolk. Witchcraft was considered one of the greatest dangers and thousands of concealed objects have been found in homes around the country
 and abroad, the result of rituals conducted by people known as cunning-folk, the formidable foes of witches.

Some remedies were simple: horseshoes placed above doors, iron thought to repel witches. Others are more complicated such as ‘witch bottles’ placed under hearths and thresholds, the vulnerable points of the house where a witch might gain access. They contained urine, small sharp objects and human hair and nail clippings, possibly stolen from the supposed witch. Pierced animal hearts found in chimneys were placed there, in the beating heart of the home, to punish the witches who dared endanger life. Concealed objects are most often found during modern renovations and are frequently reinterred during the course of the work – probably ‘just in case’. Many of the objects on display come from private collections and the lenders have expressed their wish to have them back as soon as the exhibition ends so they can be returned to their finding places.

The exhibition closes with dramatic accounts of witch trials. Four-in-five suspects were women, many elderly dependents who made defenceless scapegoats. Methods of detection and punishment were cruel. The water ordeal or ‘swimming’ of a witch galvanized communities into initiating prosecutions. Margaret Moore’s is one of the saddest stories. She lived in Sutton-in-the-Isle, a village near Cambridge and had four children, three of whom had died. She confessed to a ‘witchfinder’ that she had made a pact with the devil, in exchange for her soul, to save her last surviving child. A magistrate recorded this ‘examination’ on 26 May 1647. An illiterate woman, Margaret signed with a crude mark. She repeated her confession in court and was hanged.

The last person tried for witchcraft in Britain was Helen Duncan (1897–1956), a Scottish medium and spiritualist who claimed to be able to conjure spirits draped in ‘ectoplasm’ emitted from her body. This was proved to be cheesecloth which she swallowed and regurgitated, while her spirits were props – dolls and photographs cut out from magazines. In the 1930s she was denounced as a fraud and in 1944 prosecuted under the Witchcraft Act of 1735 which forbade conjuring spirits. A six-month prison sentence made her a spiritualist martyr and led to the repeal of the Act in 1951.

Dr Xa Sturgis (AKA Magician, The Great Xa), Director of the Ashmolean, says: ‘Magic has always been a subject close to my heart and I’m thrilled that this exhibition takes such an imaginative and impactful approach to the subject. We may think that we’ve grown out of the magical belief of our forebears but Spellbound makes clear that we still think magically.’

Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft runs from 31 August to 6 January 2019 at the The John Sainsbury Exhibition Galleries. Tickets are £12.25/£11.25 concessions. Details and tickets: https://www.ashmolean.org/spellbound

Here are links to two news stories about the exhibition:

"Pierced hearts, unicorn horns and a bottled witch: Oxford show investigates the history of magic and witchcraft" - story at Art Newspaper: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/preview/ashmolean-museum-show-investigates-the-history-of-magic-and-witchcraft


"Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft" - story at Apollo Magazine: https://www.apollo-magazine.com/art-diary/spellbound-magic-ritual-witchcraft/

Picture captions from top: Two Unicorn Horns, 13th–15th century, Narwhal tusks (© New College, University of Oxford); A witch trapped in a bottle, England, c. 1850, (© Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford); Gold locket in the form of a miniature padlock with the inscription ‘sauns repentir’ (‘without regret’), English or French, mid- to late-15th century (© British Museum); Oak calf-shed door marked with magical symbols to protect livestock, From Laxfield, Suffolk, 19th century (Private collection); Henry Fuseli (1741–1825), The Witch and the Mandrake c. 1812 (© Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford)

News: Archaeological Finds from the Ancient World

Here is a round-up of recent news stories about archaeological finds that reveal secrets about our ancestors:

"Evolution's Holy Grail: 90000-year-old Hybrid Teenager Stuns Science World" - story at Haaretz: https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-archaeologists-find-hybrid-neanderthal-denisovan-in-siberian-cave-1.6409494

"Scientists Stunned by a Neanderthal Hybrid Discovered in a Siberian Cave" - story at The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/08/a-neanderthal-and-a-denisovan-had-a-daughter/567967/

"Research Of Sacrificed Animals Unravels New Information On Viking Age" - story at Reykjavík Grapevine: https://grapevine.is/news/2018/08/23/research-of-sacrificed-animals-unravels-new-information-on-viking-age/

"Early Roman Settlement Discovered in Yorkshire" - story at Archaeology: https://www.archaeology.org/news/6924-180827-yorkshire-roman-coins

"Viking Town Was an Immigrant Mecca" - story at Archaeology: https://www.archaeology.org/news/6922-180827-sweden-sigtuna-immigrants

"The secret in the world's oldest cheese" - story at The Economist: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2018/08/25/the-secret-in-the-worlds-oldest-cheese

Magical Dolls: How to Make a Knotted Wool Poppet

Poppets are magical dolls that you can create to to give you a little magical help with all kinds of things. You can make them out of all sorts for things, but one of the easiest methods is to use knotted wool or string. The are sometimes called yarn dolls.

You can see an example of one in the bottom left of picture, next to my book on the subject of poppets and magical dolls.

Here's how to make one:

You need
Cardboard
Wool or string (You can choose a colour that matches the intention of your spell or just use white wool)
Scissors

Cut an oblong of stiff cardboard the same height as you want your poppet to be. Loop the wool or string around the cardboard. You will need about 50 loops for a small doll.

Slide a piece of wool between the loops and the cardboard and push it up to the top, then tie it in a tight knot to mark the top of the head. Slide the wool loops off the cardboard, then tie a length of wool in a tight knot around the neck.

Pull a few loops sideways to form the arms. Tie a strand tightly around the middle of the poppet to form a waist and others where you want the wrists. Cut the loops to form hands. You can leave the bottom of the doll as a skirt or you can separate the loops into legs and tie at the ankles. Finally trim loose ends.

To enchant your doll, pick it up in your hands, name it and charge it with its intended purpose. An example could be: "I name you Fortune, and charge you to bring me good luck when I need it."  Finally blow a puff of air onto your doll, to symbolise bringing your poppet to magical life.

My book Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls, published by Moon Books, is officially launched this Friday, August 31.

On September 8 I will be reading from it and signing copies at Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH at 2pm. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/or www.wiccamoon.co.uk

I will also be running a short workshop on poppets and signing copies of my books at the Henge Shop, Avebury, on Saturday 27 October as part of its Halloween Paranormal Weekend.

You can buy copies of the book at Wicca Moon. You can also view Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls on Amazon and order it from Treadwell's. (Please note I earn commission from some links)

Peace Fires: Light a Candle for Peace this Full Moon

Today, take a little time to join in a worldwide peace movement by lighting a candle. Peace Fires is a global movement uniting people to wish or pray for world peace and healing.

At the time of each full moon people all over the globe are invited to light a candle or a fire outdoors and state the intention: "Let there be peace on earth and love for one another."

Light your fire for peace wherever you are in the world, for as short or long a time as you like between 10am and 4pm PDT (US) time, which is from 5pm UK time. You can light a candle just for an hour or so or longer.

You can find out more here: http://peacefires.org/

Do remember that for safety reasons you shouldn't leave lit candles unattended.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/03/a-ritual-for-planet-by-candlelight-for.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/05/be-safe-with-candles-after-my-beltane.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/03/craft-upcycled-jam-jar-buttons-tealight.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/08/the-museum-of-witchcraft-magics.html

Magical Dolls: A Poppet I Made to Help Me Write

Here is the poppet I made when I was just about to start writing Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls - which is officially published in just one week's time!

Poppets are dolls used for sympathetic magic. They are often designed to represent people in spells to help, heal or harm. While you can make a poppet that looks ultra-realistic, most are stylised and you can use the symbolism of colour to boost an endeavour. I chose orange for my poppet because the colour is associated with Mercury, God of Communication - fitting for a writing project.

I filled my little doll with herbs to boost the effect as well: rosemary, which is good for all mental powers; thyme for courage; lavender for clarity and balance. After I had finished sewing the pieces together, I cast a circle and enchanted my poppet to help me with the work that lay ahead.

Writing a book is only the first stage though. The final manuscript went to the publisher, Moon Books, nine months ago. I held an early launch event at Treadwell's bookshop, in London, last month, where a few early copies were available to buy, but Friday 31 August is when it reaches general sale.

On September 8; I will be reading from Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls at Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH at 2pm. For further details about that you can contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/or www.wiccamoon.co.uk

I will also be running a short workshop on poppets and signing copies of my books at the Henge Shop, Avebury, on Saturday 27 October as part of its Halloween Paranormal Weekend.

You will be able to buy copies of the book at Wicca Moon. You can also view Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls on Amazon and order it from Treadwell's.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/07/magical-dolls-folklore-wishbones.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/08/magical-dolls-egyptian-paddle-dolls-for.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/08/magical-dolls-mystery-of-edinburghs.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/08/magical-doll-healing-kundu-at-horniman.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/07/photos-of-my-poppets-and-magical-dolls.html

Create Your Own Tarot Deck & a Cat in a Box

Here's a photo of cat in a box and two others showing the latest addition to my large collection of tarot decks - only I'm supposed to colour it in before I start using it. (The tarot deck, that is, not the box.)

I really like the idea of making my own tarot set. I've thought about doing it by taking photographs of places, people and landmarks and putting together a Tarot of London from scratch. I even started, but didn't get very far before a far better London Tarot was published than I could make.

The Create Your Own Tarot Deck is a kind of half-way house between buying a printed deck and making your own, as what you do is punch out the cards and colour them in. Nevertheless, you are still putting a lot of your own work into each card. You will certainly be studying the images, symbols and correspondences as you go about it.

The artwork is a simplified version of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and the book includes colour images of many of the cards that you can follow if you want to. It shouldn't be too difficult task, just a lengthy one. The backs are already printed in colour, so you don't have to do anything to that side of the cards.

At the front of the book there is an introduction offering a brief history of the tarot, basic spreads and a short meaning for each card. That's useful for beginners, but doesn't offer much much for experienced readers. It did have to include something like that, of course.

I ordered my copy of the Create Your Own Tarot Deck last week because it was on a particularly good deal at The Works. It was £4 instead of the RRP of £9.99, plus I took advantage of one of the retailer's special days when it was offering an extra 25% off all purchases.

I also bought a few other things - including some boardgames - at the same time, so I got free postage and packing and the large box you can see my cat Tuppence enjoying.

Here is the link to the deck at The Works

Links and previous related posts
https://www.theworks.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/10/london-tarot-fools-journey-and-folklore.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/12/review-london-lore-tarot.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/09/are-some-tarot-decks-more-genuine-than.html

This Week's Pagan Events In & Near London

Here is a listing of events in London plus a few in other parts of the UK over the next couple of weeks that could be of interest to pagans. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Now to Sunday 2 September; Paul Kidby: Discworld and Beyond. Art exhibition relating to Terry Pratchett's fiction. Venue: Maidstone Museum, St Faith's Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1LH. Tickets are adults £4, children £2. https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/whats-on/

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 22 August; 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 22 August; Astral Projection Workshop with Jade Shaw. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 7pm-9.30pm. Tickets: £30. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Thursday 23 August; Wasteland to Pureland. Talk by Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat. 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 23 August; 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/

Thursday 23 August; Drink and Draw social evening. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets £10. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 23 August; Spiritual Development Circle hosted by Mimosa Spiritual Experiences. Venue: Fairkytes Arts Centre, Hornchurch, RM11 1AX. Time: 7pm. Cost: £5. https://www.facebook.com/events/2102023836737122/

Friday 24 – Monday 27 August; Into the Wild Festival. Venue: Chiddinglye Farm, Selsfield Road, West Hoathly, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 4QS. Weekend adult tickets £113, Sunday adult tickets £50. https://event.bookitbee.com/17359/into-the-wild-2018

Friday 24 August; 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 24 August; A Night of Pagan Poetry organised by Math Jones and Eileen Thenamelessone. Venue Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden, London. Time: 7.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/292912921478587/

Friday 24 August; A Ceremony of Love with Luxmi and Aphrodite. Full moon ritual by Thames with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Meeting  by the main door of Tate Modern at 7.30pm for a ritual on the river bank at 8pm. Cost: £3/£2. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring food and drink to share. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans

Saturday 25 August; 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

Saturday 25 August; Men's Mysteries Workshop. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Rd, London, SE9 6SH. Time: noon-5pm. Cost: £35.99 each including a fantastic ritual kit for you to take home. Tel: 020 8850 7803.  https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/

Saturday 25 August; Tarot Cards for Absolute Beginners – Minor Arcana. Afternoon workshop with Sue Terry. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm start. Tickets £40. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 25 August; 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 10am and 4pm PDT (US) time, which is from 5pm 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/

Sunday 26 August; Pagan Pride Anglia Festival. Venue: Campbell Park, Milton Keynes, MK9. Starts at noon. Free event. https://www.facebook.com/events/1760760567468888/

Sunday 26 August; Herb Magic: Spells, Lore and Workings. Afternoon Class with Rebecca Beattie. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm start. Tickets £40. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Sunday 26 August; Full Moon Magic Ceremony. Venue: London, NW1 7SU (Exact address will be provided after booking). Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £18. http://uk.funzing.com/funz/full-moon-magic-ceremony-11769?

Monday 27 August; 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: Different venue than usual as the Pembury is being refurbished: The Old Ship, 2 Sylvester Path, Hackney E8. (Usual venue is 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/

Monday 27 August; Full Moon in Pisces - Earthly Love. Moonpsycles meditating with the rhythm of nature and astrology. Meet at Hyde Park (close to Lancaster tube station entrance), 1 Lancaster Gate Road, Bayswater Road, London W2 4QH. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.meetup.com/MOONPSYCLES/

Tuesday 28, Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 August; LSA Astrology Summer Classes. A selection of classes each day for all experience levels. Venue: Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ. Time: various classes between 2pm and 9pm. Email admin@londonschoolofastrology.co.uk or call 020 8402 7772 to book. https://www.facebook.com/events/223419318286357/

Wednesday 29 August; Stories at the Garden Museum. Storytelling with London Dreamtime. Venue: The Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 7LB. Time: 11.30am. Price: free. For more details, email vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Wednesday 29 August; Time to Meditate - group meditation (every Wednesday). 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 29 August; Pisces Full Moon Gong Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: Sessions at 7-8pm and 8.30-9.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Wednesday 29 August; Chat about Pagan / Ritual Tools and Paraphernalia at 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 usually meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047/

Thursday 30 August; Full Moon After Party. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: Noon-1.30pm. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Thursday 30 August; Elliott O'Donnell: Strange Cults and Secret Societies of Modern London. Talk at London Fortean Society. View the book Strange Cults and Secret Societies of Modern London on Amazon. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX.. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £4/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Friday 31 August - 9 January 2019; Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft exhibition in Oxford. Venue: Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2PH. Tickets: £6/£11.25/£12.25. https://www.ashmolean.org/

Friday 31 August; Love’s Secret: A Journey to the Beyond with Katie Abbott. Venue: 42 Acres, 66 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LW. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £30 (all proceeds donated to The Hunger Project). For more details visit: https://www.42acresshoreditch.com/events/

Saturday 1 September; 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

Saturday 1 September; The Fifth London Folk Festival. Venue: Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regents Park Road, London, NW1 7AY. Time: 10.30am - 11pm. Tickets: £30 adults. https://uk.patronbase.com/_CecilSharpHouse/Productions/5Q/Performances

Saturday 1 September; Kabbalah and the Divine Feminine. Workshop with Maggy Whitehouse, author of Living Kabbalah, Total Kabbalah and The Marriage of Jesus. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 11am-5pm. Tickets £50. Tel: 020 7405 2120. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Sunday 2 September; North West Kent Green Pagan Circle Moot. Venue: Chislehurst Caves, Bromley, BR7 5NL. Time: 11am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/

Thursday 6 September; Candle Magic Workshop. I am running an evening workshop based on my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic. Venue: 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/ or reserve a place by calling 020 7419 8507, emailing info@treadwells-london.com or visiting the shop.

Saturday 8 September. I will be reading from my book Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls at Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/or www.wiccamoon.co.uk

Note: I do not organise any of these events except my candle magic workshop and Poppets and Magical Dolls book signing. Although I try to make sure the details on my listing are accurate, I do not always know about late changes or ticket availability etc. Please contact the organiser before attending any event. If you want an event listed on my blog, or spot anything that needs changing, please email badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Exhibition Looks at Memory, History & Imagination

Our memories are precious - but are they accurate or are they rosy-tinted?

There's an exhibition on at Eastbourne Pavilion at the moment called Eastbourne Remembers. I popped in to have a look - largely because it was free - expecting it to be a nostalgic look at the seaside resort's history through the personal accounts of both residents and holidaymakers.

It was partly that, but it was also a whole lot more. As well as showing objects from Saxon treasures to 20th century postcards, the exhibition looks at how our memories work and why they aren't entirely trustworthy. An explanation on one wall says:

"Memories are added to and embellished every time they are brought out and thought about. The additions to the memory change depending on where you are when you remember it, who you're with and how you are feeling. Every time you think about them your memories actually get further away from the truth, yet feel more real. Even remembering and retelling a story can change the details depending on who the story is being told to, their beliefs, what they think might be irrelevant and what they find most important... When we listen to someone speaking, we interpret and remember the message of what they are saying rather than their exact words. In fact, similar neural systems in our brains are used for both autobiographical memory and future thinking - they both rely on a form of imagination."

I found this particularly fascinating as I had earlier that day been reading a thread on a pagan social media group in which a vast number of those commenting claimed they came from a long line of hereditary witches. They recalled memories of being taught witchcraft by their parents or grannies etc. Some of the stories they told seemed to me far-fetched and unlikely. I didn't like to call any of them liars, of course. That would have been rude.

Then, going to the exhibition, I realised they weren't lying. They genuinely remembered being taught witchcraft at the knees of their elderly relatives and being told that this had been passed down through generations. Except, of course, their memories were partly formed by their imaginations interpreting something that probably really had happened in a new way because they were chatting to fellow witches who were saying similar things.

They weren't lying, but most likely their memories weren't entirely accurate either. That's the way memory works - and is why we always need to look at the evidence when writing history, as well as recording people's personal anecdotes. Memories aren't always real.

It was a little while ago that I went around Eastbourne Remembers. I'm visiting the town again over the Bank Holiday weekend and I might pop in to the exhibition again and have another look. My memory of it probably isn't as good as I would like to think it is...

Eastbourne Remembers is at the Pavilion, Royal Parade, Eastbourne, BN22 7AQ. The exhibition is free and runs until Sun 4 Nov 2018. http://www.heritageeastbourne.co.uk/eastbourne-remembers.aspx

The photos on this page are ones I took at Eastbourne Remembers.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.heritageeastbourne.co.uk/
https://www.visiteastbourne.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/04/thoughts-stories-from-bones-of-past.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/05/harry-potter-and-sussex-downs.html

News: Occult, Paganism, Witchcraft, History and Art

A round- up of news of recent stories including the unveiling of a Baphomet statue, Celtic pilgrimages, witchcraft, witch hunts, archaeology, TV, movies and music:

"The Satanic Temple Protested a Ten Commandments Monument in Arkansas With Its Baphomet Statue" - story at TIME: http://time.com/5370989/satanic-temple-arkansas/

"Satanists unveil 8-foot 'Baphomet' statue at Arkansas State Capitol" - A blog post on the same subject at Big Think: https://bigthink.com/stephen-johnson/satanists-unveil-8-foot-baphomet-statue-at-arkansas-state-capitol

"Witchcraft in the #MeToo Era" - story at New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/nyregion/witchcraft-in-the-metoo-era.html

"In Rural India, Protecting Women From Witch Hunting, and an Impending Flood" - story at SELF: https://www.self.com/story/in-rural-india-protecting-women-from-witch-hunting-and-an-impending-flood

"Celtic spirituality draws pagans and Christians alike" - story at Religion News Service: https://religionnews.com/2018/08/17/celtic-spirituality/

"This Golden Head Adds a Twist to Ancient Roman History" - story at National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/08/news-ancient-rome-statue-horse-head-germany-waldgirmes-archaeology/

"A Discovery of Witches streaming: How to watch A Discovery of Witches online" - story at Express.co.uk: https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1004115/A-Discovery-of-Witches-streaming-how-to-watch-online-Sky-Now-TV-cast-plot-trailer

"20 Crazy Revelations Behind The Making Of The Witches" - story at Screen Rant: https://screenrant.com/the-witches-behind-scenes-making-details-trivia/

"The secrets of Led Zeppelin IV: from ecology to the occult" - story at Louder: https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-secrets-of-led-zeppelin-iv-from-ecology-to-the-occult

Naomi Dickins on A Historie of Magick in Kent

Last Saturday I went to hear a talk called A Historie of Magick in Kent by Kent local historian Naomi Dickins at Maidstone Museum. I was very interested in the topic as I myself am a Kentish maid – I was born in Bromley, in north-west Kent. I also went to the University of Kent, at Canterbury, and I lived in the county for several years. Here are my notes on some of the cases Naomi spoke about:

The Witch Craze in Europe happened between 1400 and 1700. Naomi said the word “craze” was appropriate because it did mark a time of “general human craziness”, when people were looking for witches as the causes of any misfortune and some of the confessions made were quite ludicrous.

During that time there were a large number of cases in Kent, south-east England. You can still travel to Canterbury and see a ducking stool over the River Stour, which was used to test people to see if they were witches. If they sank they were innocent, if they floated they were a witch.

There were two different courts in England that could try cases of witchcraft accusations. These were ecclesiastical courts and the local assizes. The Church tended to be a bit more lenient in punishments meted out if you were found guilty. You were more likely to be given a penance to perform than hanged.

Luckily, if you were an accused witch living in Kent, you were more likely to be tried at the ecclesiastical court at Canterbury Cathedral than have a secular trial, at least in the early days of the Witch Craze. This was relatively unusual for that period. However, there were lots of accusations.

One famous trial in Kent was that of Eleanor of Cobham. I’ve blogged about that case before. Naomi explained that Eleanor was accused of conspiring to produce a child who would be a rival for the throne. It is possible she was struggling to get pregnant and she consulted midwife Margery Jourdemayne. Eleanor was also connected with two astrologers, Roger Bolingbroke and Thomas Southwell, who were accused of diabolical magic in producing horoscopes to predict the death of King Henry VI. Margery admitted giving Eleanor a potion to conceive, but was accused of also giving her a poison to kill the King.

Eleanor was examined at Leeds Castle, in Kent. She was found guilty, but was not executed. Instead she was imprisoned. Margery Jourdemayne was not so lucky. She was burned at the stake for treason, even though the usual execution for witches in England was hanging.

The second case Naomi mentioned was that of Elizabeth Barton, the Blessed Nun of Kent, from 1534. She was a popular and well loved young woman who worked for a clerk at Canterbury Cathedral.

Elizabeth was epileptic. She said that during her fits she spoke to the Virgin Mary, who gave her messages to tell people. At first this was comforting stuff – telling people to go to church, for example. In 1525, she was called to the Cathedral where the Archbishop told her she should become a nun, which she did. She was still considered blessed.

However, when she later said Mary Magdalene had told her King Henry VIII should not divorce Catherine of Arragon or he would go to hell, she became a problem for those in power. She was brought before Thomas Cromwell, who took her “confession” – written in his hand, with no witnesses. Elizabeth was hanged at Tyburn and her head put on a spike at London Bridge.

A case in Westwell in 1575 concerned the 17-year-old Mildred Norrington and an old woman called Alice. Mildred claimed to be possessed by the devil and was publicly exorcised. She roared and gnashed her teeth and it took four men to hold her down for two hours during the exorcism. She said the devil came to her bed as a black dog called Satan and claimed Alice kept him in a bottle, but released him to attack her. Three people in the village were taken ill. Alice was condemned, but later Mildred was accused of fraud and Alice was released.

In 1652 18-20 people were accused of witchcraft and became known as the Penenden Heath witches. Most came from the Maidstone area. They were mainly accused of ruining crops, but also of a murder using maleficia. They were convicted and sent to be hanged on at Penenden Heath. One of them confessed to having been made pregnant by the devil. She asked to be burned “so as not to become hereditary to her progeny in evil”.

The judge was not convinced by the evidence, but the jury convicted them. The judge sent for a reprieve order, but it arrived too late and they were hanged on Penenden Heath. Penenden is a Saxon word for a place associated with punishment.

Fear of witchcraft was widespread in Kent, as can be attested by the number of witch marks in old buildings. These were supposed to offer protection from witches. You can see an example at Knole (pictured above left).


Reginald Scott, who wrote Discoverie of Witchcraft in 1590, lived in Kent. His book was a sceptical view of witch trials. He asked for better tactics in investigations and said that tests like swimming or ducking were torture.

A Historie of Magick in Kent was at Maidstone Museums and was part of a series of events running alongside its current Terry Pratchett exhibition. The museum is at St Faith's Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1LH. You can find out more here: https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/

Naomi is teaching a Saturday class called History - Bewitched - 17th Century Witch Trials on 20 October at Tonbridge Adult Education Centre, in Kent. The cost is £30. You can find the details here: https://www.kentadulteducation.co.uk/products/pid_39905/History---Bewitched---17th-Century-Witch-Trials.aspx

The top four pictures on this post are of slides from the Naomi's talk.

Links and previous related posts
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knole
https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/
www.kentadulteducation.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/08/witchcraft-making-terry-pratchett-style.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/11/witches-demons-and-ghosts-at-fortean.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/10/review-haunted-bromley-kents-mines-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/08/days-out-coldrum-long-barrow-on-north.html