Witch Shopping: Ouija Board and Vampire Candles

I went to Treadwell's Halloween fete last night and had a really fun time. It was a party in the shop with seasonal punch, party games and a chance to try out some traditional divination activities. I won a book by correctly pinning the wart on the witch while blindfolded (I had a bit of help, it wasn't just me being psychic) and I also had a go at using a spirit board, sometimes called a Ouija board.

It isn't the first time I've used a spirit board and I'm not overly superstitious about them. They are divination tools, but to be honest the messages are usually more from our own subconscious and imagination than genuine spirit contact. However, you should always cast a circle before using one, and dismiss any spirits when you finish, just in case a mischievous one turns up and doesn't want to go.

Then I bought one. A spirit board, that is, not a ghost. You can see it in the photo. Although I've used Ouija boards at ghost hunting events in the past, I've never owned one before. When I was younger, my family used to set out Lexicon cards on Halloween and use an upturned wine glass to point to the letters.

I couldn't afford to treat myself to one last night, but it was on very special offer, and I am pleased with it. It came with a free set of vampire candles too, which apparently look black, but melt with red wax when lit. I'm looking forward to trying these things out tonight.

Links and previous related posts
https://www.treadwells-london.com/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/06/pagan-eye-ouija-board-at-smoke-and.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/12/question-ouija-boards-good-or-bad-gifts.html

Rattle Upcycled From a Crisps Tube & Pumpkin Seeds

Rattles are quite a useful thing to have, especially if you like to make a noise as a witch or as a tool for shamanic journeying. Here is one you can upcycle out of leftover bits and pieces. I used a crisps tube, an old picture from a calendar and some dry pumpkin seeds.

The type of crisps tubes that have a snap-on lid at the top are notoriously hard to recycle as they contain lots of different types of material - or so I am told. So, when someone brought one to a party, I decided to find a new use for the tube. A rattle came to mind.

Pumpkin seeds might be left over if you carve a Halloween pumpkin lantern. Dry them at a low heat in the oven. You can eat them if you like, but a few could also go into the rattle. They make the perfect sound.

Then all I did was decorate the outside of the tube with a picture I liked from an old calendar, stuck on with glue. Then I put the plastic lid back on the top of the tube. It really does make a great sound.

You can see the picture of the one I made to the right.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/10/spell-halloween-divination-with-pumpkin.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/10/how-to-carve-perfect-pumpkin-lantern.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/10/halloween-craft-upcycled-ghostly-winter.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/09/crafty-recycling-earth-light.html

Halloween & Beyond: Pagan Events in & Near London

The festivals of Samhain and Halloween are tomorrow. Here is a listing of some of the events over the next couple of weeks that could be of interest to witches and pagans. Most of the ones I list are in London, because that's where I live, but I also include a few in other parts of England. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com

Throughout October; London Month of the Dead organised by Curious Invitation and Antique Beat in conjunction with London's Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Tours, talks, workshops and entertainment on the theme of death. For a full list of the events and to book tickets, visit the London Month of the Dead website: https://londonmonthofthedead.com/

Now - 2 February 2020; William Blake exhibition. Venue: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. Entry: £18/£17/Free for members. https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/william-blake-artist?

Now - 2 November; Damien Hirst - Mandalas exhibition. Venue: White Cube, 25 – 26 Mason's Yard, London, SW1Y 6BU.  Details: https://www.whitecube.com/exhibitions/exhibition/damien_hirst_masons_yard_2019?

Now - March 2020; Ithell Colquhoun exhibition. Venue: The Last Tuesday Society and the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RS. http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/

Now - November; Waking the Witch. Touring exhibition curated by Legion Projects and supported by Arts Council England. Venue:  Bonington Gallery, Nottingham. http://www.wakingthewitch.uk/#

Now to Wednesday 6 November, Ghost Writers for Halloween - Paintings by Anthony Keates. Art exhibition at The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Open during shop hours. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or visit http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Wednesday, 30 October and Thursday 31 October; The East Edge. Poet, librarian and literary investigator Chris McCabe performs a ritual awakening of voices lost to history through poetry, live strings and a disembodied essay. A Nocturnal Walking Tour hosted by Penned in the Margins and Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Venue: Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, The Soanes Centre, Southern Grove, London E3 4PX. Time: Various. Tickets · £13.48. https://www.facebook.com/events/391592614839219/

Wednesday, 30 October; Spindle, Shuttle and Needle: Folklore of wool and yarn. Talk by Folklore Podcast presenter Mark Norman on material from new book on Folklore and Rural Crafts. Venue: Botwell Green Library, Botwell Green Sports and Leisure Centre, East Avenue, Hayes, UB3. Time: 2pm. Free, but book your place in advance via the library. https://www.facebook.com/events/373081846680400/

Wednesday 30 October; Free Guided Tour of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (every Wednesday). Venue: UCL, Malet Place, London, WC1 6BT. Time: 2pm. Free, but book in advance: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?

Wednesday 30 October; 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 30 October (date tbc); Hedge Shamanism. Session 3 of 3 with Sarah Fox. Venue: Clearly Destiny, 12 Woburn Walk · London.  Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £15. https://www.meetup.com/Shamanic-Journeying-with-a-drum/

Wednesday, 30 October; Halloween Fete. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £5, includes a free glass of punch. You can reserve a place by visiting the shop or online: https://www.treadwells-london.com/

Wednesday, 30 October; The Occult. Lectures by Professor Lauren Kassell, Professor Richard Pettigrew and creative writing lecturer Nisha Ramayya, chaired by Professor Shahidha Bari, hosted by Forum for Philosophy and LSE Philosophy. Venue: LSE Old Building Lecture Theatre, London. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/theforum/forthcomingevents/the-occult/

Wednesday 30 October; Scorpio New Moon Gong Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Two sessions: 7pm and 8.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Wednesday, 30 October; Resurgence Talks: Resurgence Talks: The Fight for Beauty – Why it’s More Important than Ever, with Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE. Venue: 42 Acres, 66 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LW. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £12. For more details visit: https://www.42acresshoreditch.com/events/

Wednesday 30 October; Samhain Drum Ceremony Hosted by Seán Ryan,. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.aho.community

Wednesday, 30 October; London Thames Halloween walk 2019 along the South Bank with London Woodland Witches. Meet at Bankside Pier, next to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre at 7.30pm. Suggested donation £3. Bring a lantern and food and drink to share. Details: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Pagans-Magicians/

Wednesday 30 October;  Mysteries of the Tarot revealed. Part of beginner's course on learning the tarot. Venue: Helgi's, 177 Mare Street, London E8 3RH. Time: 8pm. Cost: £5 on entry to the back room. https://www.facebook.com/events/550315232464567/

Wednesday, 30 October (tbc); Hertford and Ware Moot Moot. (Usually the last Wednesday of each month.) Venue: The White Horse, 33 Castle Street, SG14 1HH Hertford, Hertfordshire. Time: 8pm. Entry: £3. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047/

Wednesday, 30 October; Where we go one, we go all: the QAnon conspiracy. Talk by Fortean Times Conspirasphere writer Noel Rooney, at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £4/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Thursday 31 October; Earth Festival: Wheel of the Year Meditation - Resting, gather at the well head for meditation at noon, followed by conversation on the lower lawn. Venue: Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. Refreshments on sale. For more details, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Thursday 31 October - November 1; Aphrodite's Monthly Festival - September 2019, hosted by Aphrodite's Flame. Everyone around the world is invited to light Aphrodite's Flame in honour of her monthly festival. Keep a candle lit for as long or as short a time as you wish from dusk on the date listed to dusk the following day. https://www.facebook.com/aphroditesflame/

Thursday 31 October;  SLC Halloween Party with cocktails and 10 per cent off everything in the store. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Starts 6pm. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Thursday 31 October, Scared to Death in the Woods. Adult storytelling  with London Dreamtime. Venue: Secret location in London NW3. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £5, email to reserve a place: vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Thursday 31 October, Nigredo Nights presents Witches’ Sabbath - Part 2: Films and discussions that explore witchcraft, magical traditions and folklore on screen. Novmber (2017) with introduction by Patricia MacCormack. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD. Time: 7pm. Tickets from £7. More Details: https://www.thehorsehospital.com/events/nigredonight-hyjs7

Thursday 31 October; Mimosa Spiritual Development Circle - Victorian Seance.  This is an open circle all are welcome. Venue: Room 12, Fairkytes Art Centre, 51 Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1AX. Cost: £5, including refreshments. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/668793020310143/

Thursday 31 October;  Samhain Special Evening - Singing and Shamanic Drumming with Mindful Singing in Richmond and Kingston Upon Thames. Venue: Cambrian Community Centre, 1 Grove Rd, · Richmond. Time: 7.30pm. https://www.meetup.com/mindfulsingingrichmond/

Thursday 31 October; Witchcraft Movies: Here Be Witches and The Craft. Venue: The Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BY. Time: 8.45pm. https://princecharlescinema.com/PrinceCharlesCinema.dll/Home

Friday 1 November; All Hallows Witches' Tea Party. Social gathering plus a chance to have a reading (readings cost £20, but the social is free, just pop in). Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: noon-5pm. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/

Friday 1 November for 30 days; Witchy 30-Day Challenge November, organised by Kitchen Witch Coven of Natural Witchery ·and hosted by Rachel Patterson. Simple suggestions to help you connect with nature and your magic each day for 30 days. Free event, in your own home, at your own time: https://www.facebook.com/events/2419622258356977/

Friday 1 November, Meditation and Om Healing. (Weekly event, usually on a Friday). Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 7pm. Entry free. http://theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

Friday 1 November,  Holistic Sound Bath Meditation - Summoning The Sacred (weekly ceremonial gathering). Venue: Training Points Fitness and Therapy, 6 Coopers Yard, Crystal Palace, SE19 1TN. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £20. https://www.facebook.com/summoningthesacredsound/

Saturday 2 - 8 November; Witchcraft Retreat in East Anglia. Staying in a converted granary, surrounded by meadows and sheep. Home cooked food all week, visits to historical and sacred sites. Local speaker, workshops and a quiz with great prizes. Small group (12 people max). Tickets: £475 with a £100 non returnable deposit. For details email, arcanehare@gmail.com or visit https://www.arcanehare.wixsite.com or https://www.facebook.com/events/2615781265107454/

Saturday 2 November; Alchemy Symbolism workshop with Paul Cowlan. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am-5.30pm. Tickets £40. Book online at https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Saturday 2 November; Working with The Morrigan. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: noon - 4pm. Tickets: £19. For further details call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/ or https://www.wiccamoon.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1460861-Event-Workshops.html?

Saturday 2 November; Here Be Witches  Symposium. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD. Time: Noon - 5pm. Tickets £22. https://dice.fm/event/anvkv-here-be-witches-symposium-2nd-nov-the-horse-hospital-london-tickets  This event is followed by a film about witches: https://www.facebook.com/events/2432804703604334/

Saturday 2 November;  Travelling with the vine leaf: Dionysos, arabesque and alborello. Gallery Talk. Venue: Room 42, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free, just turn up. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/gallery_talks.aspx#

Saturday 2 November; All Souls Festival. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 2pm-5pm.  Entry free, but donations welcome. http://www.rsh.anth.org.uk/ and https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiners-spiritual-science/

Saturday 2 November; Sisters Meeting for Samhain with the Sisters of the Stones of Caer Abiri at Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire. Time: 1pm-1.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/445948386134988/

Saturday 2 November;  Free and Open Gorsedd Samhain Rite at Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire. Open Druidic style ceremony to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Meet at the Red Lion pub from Noon for ceremony at 1.30pm until 3pm. Free event - offerings of song, poetry, cake, mead are welcomed. https://www.facebook.com/events/379174049555132/

Sunday 3 November, Initiation into the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine. Workshop with Anthea of  Shamanism and Evolving Consciousness. Neal's Yard Meeting Rooms,
14 Neal's Yard Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP. Price: £78, all materials included. Time: 10.15pm-5.15pm. https://www.meetup.com/Shamanism-and-Evolving-Consciousness/

Sunday 3 November, Sunday Meditation class with Lisabetta (almost) every Sunday. Drop-in class suitable for beginners and more experienced meditators. Venue: The Little Escape Therapy Centre, 4 Paxton Mews, off Westow St, London SE19 3RW. Time: 10am-11am. Cost: £12 per class, £30 for 3 classes. https://harmonious-healing.com/

Sunday 3 and 17 November; Marseille Tarot II: Minor Cards. Full-day classes with Adrien Mastrosimone. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am-5.30pm. Tickets: £75. You can book by visiting the shop or online: https://www.treadwells-london.com/

Sunday 3 November, Druidic Samhain Celebration on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Gather in the Hawthorne Grove at Primrose Hill, London, NW1 8YH, between 12.30pm and 12.45pm to prepare the site ready for a prompt 1pm start. Nearest tube: Chalk Farm. Bring a small contribution of food and drink to share. All are welcome. https://www.facebook.com/events/2482685615133402/

Sunday 3 November,  William Blake in W1. Part of a month of Blake walks by poet and walking artist Niall McDevitt in conjunction with New River Press. Meet at the junction of Oxford Street and South Molton Street, London W1. Time: 1pm-3.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.facebook.com/events/896577437395325/

Monday 4 November; Free Beginners Astrology Class by Astrological Lodge of London. (Every Monday evening). Venue: 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA, Time: 6pm-6.50pm. Tickets: Free. https://astrolodge.co.uk/

Monday 4 November; Reclaim the Sacred 2019. Walk through London's sacred sites. Meet at the Dragon on the south east side of London Bridge. Time: 1pm – 5pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/413995649263707/

Monday 4 November; A Path Through Addiction. Talk by Carolyn Cowan at Alternatives. Venue: St James's Church Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. Doors open 6pm. Talk: 7pm - 8.30pm. Tickets £15/£20 online. For more details and to book tickets: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Monday 4 November; Robert Graves and Witches. Lecture by Grevel Lindop. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £10. You can book by visiting the shop or online: https://www.treadwells-london.com/

Tuesday 5 November; Sacred Sounds Monthly Gong Bath with Gong Master Olaf Nixon. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £22/£25.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Tuesday 5 November (date tbc); Talk at The Witches' Inn Gathering. Venue: The Hatch Public House, 44, Hatchlands Road, Redhill, RH1 6AT. Time: 8pm. Free pagan moot, just turn up. https://www.facebook.com/events/1107189122818970

Wednesday 6 November; Forest Bathing in Queen's Wood, Highgate. Meet in the cabin behind Queen's Wood Cafe, Highgate. Time: 9.30am. Ends at noon. Price: £25. https://www.meetup.com/London-Forest-Bathing-Nature-Connection-Meetup/

Wednesday 6 November; Sacred Singing. Open your heart and voice through chanting. Venue in London N16. Time: 7.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/683456182148551/

Thursday 7 November; Learn to read Tarot - three-day intensive course with Shirlee. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. For further details, including cost and times, contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/

Thursday 7 November; Lisa Sterle, creator of  Modern Witch Tarot, in conversation with Eleanor Tremeer. Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details visit the websites http://www.watkinsbooks.com/  or https://www.meetup.com/WatkinsBooks/

Friday 8 November, Ancestral Wounding and Healing. Talk by Jez Hughes, author of The Heart of Life. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Tickets:£13/£15. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 8 November; Intent and the Art of Dreaming: The path of the warrior-seer workshop with Iwan Bran y Dderwen. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £23. www.aho.community

Saturday 9 November; A Day Away Retreat hosted by Wild Peace. An energising morning and a relaxing afternoon with Qi Gong, sound bath, meditation, a healthy lunch and refreshments.Venue: Buckland Village Hall, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP22. Time: 10am-4pm. Early bird price £65 if paid before 9th October. After this date £75. Contact janeygoodear@gmail.com or chrissie@wildpeace.uk to book a place. https://www.facebook.com/events/420063821978885/

Saturday 9 November; Witchfest International 2019. Large pagan and witchcraft conference and evening entertainment with live music run by Children of Artemis. Stalls, talks, workshops, music, food, bar and more. I will be giving a talk on poppets, based on my book Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls. Venue: Fairfield Halls, Croydon, South London. Tickets for the entire festival are £35.70 for CoA members/£40 non-members, visit https://witchfest.net/events/witchfest-international/

Saturday 9 November; Heart Beat - Monthly Drumming Collective with Gong Master Olaf Nixon. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £21/£23.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 10 November;  Full Moon Event with Peace Fires. Light a candle or fire for peace wherever you are in the world, for 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/

Sunday 10 November; Shamanic workshop. Venue: Woodford Church at 9 Grove Crescent, South Woodford London, E18 2JR. Time: 11am-4pm. Cost: £10 pay at door.  http://woodfordchurch.com/

Sunday 10 November,  William Blake in East London: A William Blake /Wat Tyler Walk. Part of a month of Blake walks by poet and walking artist Niall McDevitt in conjunction with New River Press.  Meet at the main entrance to the Savoy Hotel, off the Strand.  Time: 1pm-3.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.facebook.com/events/896577437395325/

Note: I am not responsible for any of these events. I try to ensure the details I list are accurate, but please contact the organisers before turning up to any event in case of changes. If you spot something that needs correcting, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com

Guided Visualisation for Samhain: Visitor from the Past

Whether you celebrate Halloween or Samhain, the end of October has become a time to think about those who have passed on. The festivals and celebrations at this time of year are also when we traditionally celebrate the things we find scary, such as dark nights and spooky stories.

Here is a guided visualisation - or guided meditation - to help tune into the energy of the season. I should warn you, this is not intended to be an entirely safe and comfortable visualisation. It could be scary. Enter at your own risk...

A Halloween or Samhain Visualisation: A Visitor from the Past

Find somewhere safe, where you will not be disturbed. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take three deep breaths in and out and relax, then visualise the following:

Visualise that you are in a room where you feel comfortable and safe. Perhaps it is a room in your own home, a room you recall from your past, or a place created in your imagination as being the most wonderfully safe and comfortable place in the world. The room is pleasantly warm and well lit, as outside it is night. The room has a  place for you to sit and be at ease, a table where you can rest things, a door and a window or windows securely shut against the night. Around you are things you like.

You are contently seated in the chair and can relax. Everything you need at this moment is here. Look around the room. Visualise it. Enjoy it.

Then, suddenly, the window rattles. The lights go out. You are in darkness. You hear strange noises outside and know there is something out there. Something that would like to come in.

Yet, this room is safe. You know that. The door and windows are securely shut. Surely what is outside, cannot come inside unless you let it - can it? Slowly your eyes adjust to the gloom. You can just make out the outlines of what is in the room by faint starlight in the night sky through the window. You see familiar things in the room as dark shapes. You can see the edges of the chair you are in. You can see the table.

You get up and try to put the lights back on, but the room remains in darkness.

Then you realise there are some things on the table that you do not recall being there earlier. There is a candle in a candlestick, and the means to light it. There is also a crystal ball, next to it.

You light the candle. Its wick splutters, then the flame becomes strong. Its light illuminates a circle around around it, falling gently across the crystal ball. The rest of the room is still only dimly lit, but the room seems still safe. The door and the windows are still closed against the blackness outside.

You sit at the table with the candle on it, and then you notice something flicker within the crystal ball. You move the crystal closer to the candle so that the light falls on it. You look into the ball. What you see in it is not your own reflection or a reflection of the room. Instead, you see a person. Someone who is not you, but who you feel you recognise from the past. Perhaps someone who has passed beyond the veil of life. Perhaps they are an ancestor you have only seen pictures of in the past, perhaps they are someone you have imagined meeting, but who lived long ago.

As you look at the person in the crystal, you realise they are looking back at you. Your eyes meet and you are certain that they can see you as well as you can see them.

Then, they speak. You can see their lips move, and it is as though you can hear the words they are saying in your mind.

Hear what they say. What do you say to them in reply?

Spend time conversing with this person. Tell them things you want to say and listen to the words they say to you. Ask them things you want to ask, and hear what they reply.

After you have been conversing with the person in the crystal for a while, you realise that the candle light is dimming. The flame has burnt low. Say your last few words of conversation with the person from the past and say your goodbyes now.

Then the candle goes out. You are plunged in darkness once more. You hear sounds outside the room, outside the windows and door, of someone walking away into the blackness of the night. Then, all is quiet.

You sit for a moment in the dark room in silence, then the lights come back on. Not the candle light, but the light that was illuminating the room at first. You glance at the table. The candlestick and crystal ball are not there any more, but the room is back to the way it was when you first visualised it. The room is safe and warm and comfortable. The door and the windows are securely shut. Look around you and see that all is returned to normal.

When you are ready Shake your arms and legs and open your eyes to the real world.

I always recommend having something to eat and drink after doing a guided visualisation, or any ritual or magical work, as it can help you ground properly. That is particularly important if you done work that has led you to face fears or visualise anything unsettling. Happy Halloween!

You can find more guided visualisations in my book Pagan Portals - Guided Visualisations.

Pagan Eye: Halloween Lantern Carved from a Swede

Here's a photo of a Halloween lantern I carved from a swede yesterday. This was the way we used to make them back with I was a child, before pumpkins were readily available in shops in England.

Swedes and turnips are a lot harder to cut into than pumpkins. The method I use is to cut off the top, stab the insides with a potato peeler, then scoop out the bits with a spoon before using a knife and apple corer to make the features. However, I broke my potato peeler yesterday on this very tough swede.

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/08/pagan-eye-pumpkns-mean-halloween-is.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/10/pagan-eye-gothic-angel-at-nunhead.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/10/pagan-eye-pumpkins-in-borough-market.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/02/i-treated-myself-to-this-lovely.html

Witchy Shopping: Pointy Hats and Kitchen Witches

Sara Hafiz, of online retailer Diva and Noel sent me these pictures of two of their best-selling items - and they are so brilliantly witchy, I had to share.

Sara said: "We have these two best selling products: the modern witch hat and the kitchen witch doll. The modern witch hat is made of soft wool, head circumference 57cm, brim 5cm, and us available in six colours.

"The kitchen witch doll resembles a stereotypical witch to be displayed in a residential kitchen as a good charm and to ward off bad spirits. it is made of resin, size 20 by 19cm, and is available in three colours."

You can find the shop website here: https://divaandnoel.com/

I've blogged about the folklore of kitchen witch dolls in the past. You can read my earlier post here: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/08/magical-dolls-kitchen-witch-for-home.html

Intersex Awareness: Hermaphrodite & Ardhanarishvara

Today is Intersex Awareness Day, and I am sharing the details of two deities with intersex features that you can see portrayed in London.

The small statuette of Hermaphrodite (pictured right), the mythical being combining both male and female characteristics, is on display in the British Museum. The metal effigy dates back to Roman times and was probably kept by an individual because it had a personal meaning for them.

However, as the statuette was found in the river, it might have been given as an offering. Many similar items have been discovered in London and I mentioned a few in an earlier post about the Little Gods and Goddesses of London.

In the V&A museum, you can see a red sandstone carving of Shiva Ardhanarishvara, who is the androgynous form of the Hindu deity Shiva, depicted as 'the Lord who is half-woman'.

Intersex Awareness Day falls on October 26 to commemorate the first intersex protest in North America in 1996. It is an international day of grass-roots action to end shame, secrecy, and unwanted genital cosmetic surgeries. You can find out more here: https://intersexday.org/en/

One of my resolutions this year was to blog about gods and goddesses of London, and today seems a good one to point out places in London that you can view deities who do not clearly fall into either category, or could fall into both. It is a reminder that perhaps it is inaccurate to try to define deities as either gods or goddesses, perhaps a more neutral term would - at least sometimes - be better.

Links and previous related posts
https://intersexday.org/en/
https://www.vam.ac.uk/
https://www.britishmuseum.org/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/09/pagan-eye-little-gods-and-goddesses-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/01/looking-back-at-gods-and-goddesses-of.html

Review: Cursed Britain - A History of Witchcraft

In his book, Cursed Britain: A History of Witchcraft and Black Magic in Modern Times, Thomas Waters looks at the evidence that cursing – the belief in it and fear of it – has been alive and well from the 19th century and is still with us in the 21st century, despite many academic claims that it had died away due to better education and scientific thinking.

Thomas Waters writes that people who are experiencing misfortune have, since historic times, sometimes come to believe they were cursed. His book looks at witchcraft from the 1800s to now. Over that time the way we live has, of course, changed considerably from being largely rural, to being technology-driven and largely city-based. In the 1800s, those suspected of witchcraft were often persecuted in villages, even if campaigners against superstition said it was nonsense. Thomas Waters writes that increasingly effective policing made alleged witches generally safer.

Belief in mystical powers grew in the Victorian era, with fortune tellers and cunning folk making a living, sometimes fraudulently, but sometimes helpfully, in an age before the NHS and proper counselling services. Witchcraft beliefs declined in the first half of the twentieth century, with the advent of better health care, but there was a big revival from the 1970s onwards. Although many magical and faith practitioners provided curse removal services, the problem of financial frauds also became more common.

Studying the Victims
Waters writes that investigating black magic is difficult, because witchcraft is secretive, and people don’t like to write about their fears of being cursed. One should also remember the other side of that, such as the baseless Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990 in which people were wrongly accused of ritual abuse, due to other people’s fearful fantasies. Yet Waters writes that the most important figures in his topic are the victims – those who believe they have been cursed, whether they have actually been or not. The clients of cunning folk had to believe that the witch bottle or other remedy would work. Witchcraft is about belief, not calculation.

Protection against Witchcraft
Usually people come to believe they are cursed after experiencing a series of misfortunes, rather than a single one, and after having tried mundane remedies. In the 19th century, if a specific person was suspected, then the most common first approach was to ask the witch to revoke their spell or to bless the afflicted person. If that didn’t work, then scratching the witch – drawing blood, particularly on the head – was often tried. Sometimes this could be a violent assault.

Protection against witchcraft included putting a horseshoe, or rowan or alder branch, above the door; witch marks carved in buildings, certain items such as knives, open scissors or shoes left in the attic, or witch bottles placed up the chimney. (The picture to the left shows a witch bottle found in London.)

To protect yourself when out and about, in Scotland special brooches, know as ‘luckenbooth brooches’ were produced. These were often shaped like a heart with a pin through the middle. Cunningfolk proliferated, although technically illegal, and offered remedies including animal hearts stuck with pins, herbs to burn, Bible verses written on paper, and words to utter. The frequently charged high prices.

Poppets and Dolls used for Cursing
Waters then looks at how witches did magic, and says that “torturing figurines representing their victims” was common and that “attacking effigies…is probably the oldest, most widespread and most enduring type of magic.” (The picture to the right shows curse dolls from the MWM exhibition Poppets, Pins and Power.)

He points out that people accused of witchcraft in the 19th century in England didn’t often actually do this, but other people did – sometimes to get their own back at supposed witches. Sometimes the effigies were burnt or melted or left to rot. Sometimes they were hanged – as was the effigy of a fortune teller in London’s Moorgate in 1821. It was dressed as a witch and hung in a window.

You can view Cursed Britain: A History of Witchcraft and Black Magic in Modern Times on Amazon.

You can read my write-up of Thomas Waters' talk at London Fortean Society here: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/09/thomas-waters-on-cursed-britain.html

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/11/magical-dolls-history-of-poppets-effigy.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/05/pagan-eye-dolls-from-poppets-pins-power.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/11/occult-london-greenwich-witch-bottle.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/09/thomas-waters-on-cursed-britain.html

Folklore: Slavic Witchcraft and the Hereditary Question

The latest episode of The Folklore Podcast, in which Mark Norman talks to Slavic witch Natasha Helvin, got me thinking about the different ways hereditary witchcraft and family folklore traditions are portrayed.

Natasha Helvin, the author of Slavic Witchcraft: Old World Conjuring Spells and Folklore, describes herself as a Slavic hereditary witch.

In the podcast, she mentioned that she came from a long matriarchal line of hereditary witches, yet the descriptions Natasha gave of her families practices didn't seem that different to some of the traditional folklore practices I learnt from my mother, grandmother and auntie. However, none of my family called themselves witches.

In England in the mid 20th century, when I was a child, the word 'witch' was generally a rude term. It was what you might call someone if you thought they were mean and nasty, looked like a hag, or went around cursing people. Children did sometimes call my aunt a witch behind her back - she did look the part, with a long nose and a silver streak in her grey hair - but they would never call her that to her face. When my aunt used traditional folklore practices for things like weather prediction or growing plants, she simply described them as 'old wives tales'. Then she should would often say: 'I know a lot of old wives tales, my dear, but those old wives knew a thing or two...'

Yet Natasha happily uses the word witch to describe herself and her family. I did wonder whether it was due to translation. Natasha comes from eastern Europe and English is not her first language. Nowadays, the word witch is used for all kinds of magical practitioners, from modern pagans to those practising older cunning crafts. It isn't a rude word any more. Maybe 60 years ago, Natasha would have simply said her mother came from a long line of wise old wives, like my aunt.

The podcast has made me interested in reading Natasha's books. As well as the one on Slavic witchcraft, she has also written Russian Black Magic: The Beliefs and Practices of Heretics and Blasphemers, which is due to be released in November.

You can listen to The Folklore Podcast here: http://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/

You can view Slavic Witchcraft: Old World Conjuring Spells and Folklore on Amazon and view Russian Black Magic: The Beliefs and Practices of Heretics and Blasphemers on Amazon.

Halloween/Samhain Pagan Events in London & Outside

Samhain and Halloween, both festivals of the dead, are just a week away. Here is a listing of some of the events over the next couple of weeks that could be of interest to witches and pagans. Most of the ones I list are in London, because that's where I live, but I also include a few big festivals, exhibitions and rituals in other parts of England. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com

Throughout October; London Month of the Dead organised by Curious Invitation and Antique Beat in conjunction with London's Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Tours, talks, workshops and entertainment on the theme of death. For a full list of the events and to book tickets, visit the London Month of the Dead website: https://londonmonthofthedead.com/

Now - 27 October, Secret Rivers: discover the secrets of London's historic waterways. 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

Now - 31 October; Betwixt and Between: Isobel Gowdie, the Witch of Auldearn - the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic's summer exhibition. Venue: The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle, Cornwall. Entry with museum ticket. https://museumofwitchcraftandmagic.co.uk/

Now - 2 February 2020; William Blake exhibition. Venue: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. Entry: £18/£17/Free for members. https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/william-blake-artist?

Now - 2 November; Damien Hirst - Mandalas exhibition. Venue: White Cube, 25 – 26 Mason's Yard, London, SW1Y 6BU.  Details: https://www.whitecube.com/exhibitions/exhibition/damien_hirst_masons_yard_2019?

Now - March 2020; Ithell Colquhoun exhibition. Venue: The Last Tuesday Society and the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RS. http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/

Now - November; Waking the Witch. Touring exhibition curated by Legion Projects and supported by Arts Council England. Venue:  Bonington Gallery, Nottingham. http://www.wakingthewitch.uk/#

Now to Wednesday 6 November, Ghost Writers for Halloween - Paintings by Anthony Keates. Art exhibition at The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Open during shop hours. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or visit http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Wednesday 23 October;  Nara: sacred images from Early Japan - Gallery Talk. Venue: Room 92, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free, just turn up. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/gallery_talks.aspx

Wednesday 23 October; Free Guided Tour of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (every Wednesday). Venue: UCL, Malet Place, London, WC1 6BT. Time: 2pm. Free, but book in advance: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/booking?

Wednesday 23 October; Talk on the Traditions of All Hallows Eve by Elizabeth Gale. Venue: Friends Meeting House, Hemnall Street, Epping, CM16 4LL. Time: 4pm to 8pm. To reserve a place in advance text 07927 288904 or email rainbowhealingsanctuary@outlook.com More details: https://artfromtheheart1.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 23 October; 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 23 October; Halloween Portal - Vigil for the Outcast at Crossbones to honour The Goose and the outcast dead of Cross Bones Graveyard. 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/ or https://www.facebook.com/GooseandCrow/

Wednesday 23 October; Hedge Shamanism. Session 2 of 3 with Sarah Fox. Venue: Clearly Destiny, 12 Woburn Walk · London.  Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £15. https://www.meetup.com/Shamanic-Journeying-with-a-drum/

Wednesday 23 October; Drumming up your Ancestors with Melonie Syrett and Steve Altman. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.aho.community


Wednesday 23 October; Cursed Britain: A History of Witchcraft and Black Magic in Modern Times. Lecture by Thomas Waters, author of the book Cursed Britain (viewable on Amazon). Event hosted by London Fortean Society. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £6  Details: http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 23 October; More Fright By Rail. George Hoyle will be telling Dickens’ classic tale The Signalman and playing live transport-themed classic songs, plus folklore and discussion from author Chris Roberts. Venue: The Station Hall, Herne Hill. Time: 7pm doors open. Tickets: £10 email cunningfolkmusic@gmail.com for tickets. For more details, visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Wednesday 23 October;  Mysteries of the Tarot revealed. Part of beginner's course on learning the tarot. Venue: Helgi's, 177 Mare Street, London E8 3RH. Time: 8pm. Cost: £5 on entry to the back room. https://www.facebook.com/events/550315232464567/

Thursday 24 - Saturday 26 October; Borough Market Harvest Celebrations, in Borough Market, London SE1 1TL. Time: 11am-4pm. Price: free. http://boroughmarket.org.uk/events/harvest-celebration

Thursday 24 October; Maritime Lecture Series: The Moon, Faith and Spirituality. Venue: National Maritime Museum, Park Row, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF. Time: 5.30pm. Tickets: £8/£6. https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/mls-the-moon_3?

Thursday 24 October; Health in Theory and Practice - Circling the Square. Talk and book signing with Steve Kippax. Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details visit the websites http://www.watkinsbooks.com/  or https://www.meetup.com/WatkinsBooks/

Thursday 24 October; Introduction to Lucid Dreaming and Mugwort by Ricardo Goni. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £30. www.aho.community

Thursday 24 October; Corridor Gothic - hosted by The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies and The Horse Hospital. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £13.20. https://www.wegottickets.com/event/479440?

Thursday 24 October; PFL Samhain Ritual facilitated by Sorita d'Este and the Covenant of Hekate. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7.30pm for 8pm start. Entry: £6/£5 (PF members and concessions). https://www.facebook.com/groups/pflondon/

Friday 25 October; Meditation and Om Healing. (Weekly event, usually on a Friday). Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 7pm. Entry free. http://theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

Friday 25 October; How the Ass Became Golden - Mysteries Ancient and Modern. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 7pm.  Entry: £5. http://www.rsh.anth.org.uk/ and https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiners-spiritual-science/

Friday 25 October; Anthony Kesner Presents his Students - Evening of Mediumship. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £12/£14.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 25 October;  Holistic Sound Bath Meditation - Summoning The Sacred (weekly ceremonial gathering). Venue: Training Points Fitness and Therapy, 6 Coopers Yard, Crystal Palace, SE19 1TN. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £20. https://www.facebook.com/events/517353859098147/

Saturday 26 October; The Green Stone 40th Anniversary Convention. Venue: Britannia Hotel, Lichfield St, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DD. Time: 9am - 8.30pm. Tickets: £48. https://www.andrewcollins.com/page/conference/conferencenews.htm?

Saturday 26 October; Numerology Workshop with Richard Abbot. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Tickets: £50. Time: 11am-5pm. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or visit http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Saturday 26 October;  The Omphalos of London. A guided tour of St Pancras Old Churchyard with Robert Kingham of Minimum Labyrinth. Part of London Month of the Dead. Venue: St Pancras Old Church, Pancras Rd, London NW1 1UL. Time:  10.30am. Tickets £12. Details: https://londonmonthofthedead.com/

Saturday 26 October;  SLC Halloween Hangout with aura photography, jewellery launch and zodiac perfumes. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 11am-5pm. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Saturday 26 October; Pagan Future Fests Samhain Celebration. Venue: Stanley Halls, South Norwood, London SE25. Time: noon-10pm. Prebooked tickets: £13.50. http://www.paganfuturefests.org.uk/id1.html

Saturday 26 October; Royal Witches at Leeds Castle. Talk by historian Gemma Hollman about her new book, Royal Witches, and the castle's witchcraft history. Venue: Leeds Castle, Kent, Maidstone
ME17 1PL. Time: noon. Talk  included with the price of admission to the castle. https://www.leeds-castle.com/

Saturday 26 October; Anderida Rutting Moot with Anderida Gorsedd. Watch the deer and their seasonal displays. Venue: Petworth Park, Sussex, which is on A283 about 3/4 mile north of the entrance to Petworth House. Meet in the car park at noon for a 12.30pm walk start. The car park is on the A283 north of Petworth and is about 3/4 mile north of the entrance to Petworth House. https://www.facebook.com/events/389976598564819/

Saturday 26 October; Public Samhain ceremony with Watchers of the Old Ways. Venue: Rollright Stones, Little Rollright, Warwickshire, OX7 5. Time: 1pm. Bring a picnic. https://www.facebook.com/events/2438058993105602/

Saturday 26 October; Hekate Workshop. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm -4.30pm. Tickets: £19. For further details call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/ or https://www.wiccamoon.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1460861-Event-Workshops.html?

Saturday 26 October; Gong Bath with Guru Ben, Venue: The Upminster Complementary Healing and Teaching Sanctuary, Pea Lane, Upminster, Havering, RM142XH. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £30. Contact The Sanctuary on 01708 251124 or info@healingandteaching.co.uk. Tickets: https://www.healingandteaching.co.uk/course/gong-bath-with-ben-saxon-of-golden-path-yoga/all/

Sunday 27 October, Sunday Meditation class with Lisabetta (almost) every Sunday. Drop-in class suitable for beginners and more experienced meditators. Venue: The Little Escape Therapy Centre, 4 Paxton Mews, off Westow St, London SE19 3RW. Time: 10am-11am. Cost: £12 per class, £30 for 3 classes. https://harmonious-healing.com/

Sunday 27 October; NWK Moot. Venue: Chistlehurst caves.  Time: 11am. You must be a member of the group to attend. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/

Sunday 27 October; Open Samhain ritual. Meet at Hampstead Heath rail station to walk onto the heath. Time: 1pm. Fundraiser for TreeSisters £5 donation but advance booking is essential: https://www.facebook.com/events/983131478703653/?ti=icl

Sunday 27 October; Woodland Witches - Samhain 2019 Gathering with London Woodland Witches and Outdoor Pagans. Venue: Queen's Woods, Highgate, North London. Meet at The Woodmans pub patio area at 2pm to walk to the outdoor site, ends 6pm. Fee: £5/£3. Details: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Pagans-Magicians/

Sunday 27 October;  Divination Circle with Self-Development and Spiritual Workshops Central London. Venue: The Chartherhouse Clinic, 98 Crawford Street, London W1H 2HL, Time: 2pm. Entry: £10. https://www.meetup.com/Self-Development-and-Spiritual-Workshops-Central-London/

Sunday 27 October; New Moon Tea Ceremony and Women Circle with T-Lovers. Venue: Globe House Yoga, The Tanneries, Crucifix Lane, London SE1 3JW. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £20. https://t-lovers.com/tea-ceremonies/

Monday 28 October; Free Beginners Astrology Class by Astrological Lodge of London. (Every Monday evening). Venue: 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA, Time: 6pm-6.50pm. Tickets: Free. https://astrolodge.co.uk/

Monday 28 October; Meditational Sound Experience. Venue: Bankside Hotel, Autograph Collection, 2 Blackfriars Rd, Upper Ground, London, E1 9JU. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. https://www.meetup.com/Meditational-Sound-Healing-Gong-Bath/

Monday 28 October; The Power of Compassion Concert. Venue: Alternatives. Venue: St James's Church Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. Doors open 6pm. Talk: 7pm - 8.30pm. Tickets £15/£20 online. For more details and to book tickets: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Monday 28 October; Moon Magic Gong Bath. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. www.aho.community

Monday 28 October; Study Group: The Temple Legend. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 7pm.  Entry: £3. http://www.rsh.anth.org.uk/ and https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiners-spiritual-science/

Monday 28 October, Häxan (1922) - film screening plus live performance by The Begotten. Banned in many countries on its release, Häxan is a series of disturbing and visionary vignettes exploring the history of witchcraft, demonology and Satanism through the ages. Venue: The Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Pl, London WC2H 7BY. Time: 8.45pm. Tickets: £12.50. More details: https://princecharlescinema.com/PrinceCharlesCinema.dll/WhatsOn?f=13309246

Tuesday 29 October;  The Superstitious Tudors. Talk by Tracy Norman hosted by Hillingdon Libraries and The Folklore Podcast. Venue: Manor Farm Library, Bury Street, Ruislip, London HA4 7SU. Time: 11am. Free event but booking is essential by emailing culturebite@hillingdon.gov.uk https://www.facebook.com/events/418606478776538/

Tuesday 29 October; Beginning Oracle card reading. Free mini workshop. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: noon. For further details contact Shirlee@wiccamoon.org.uk, call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/

Tuesday 29 October; Fairies: Family Friendly Folklore. A free talk hosted by The Folklore Podcast and Hillingdon Libraries. Venue West Drayton Library, Station Road, West Drayton, UB7 7JS. Time: 4pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/321289075454668/

Tuesday 29 October; (2017) Nigredo Nights presents Witches’ Sabbath Part 1:The Witch (2015) and conversation with Christina Oakley Harrington on folk witchcraft. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD. Time: 7pm. Tickets from £7. More details: https://www.thehorsehospital.com/events/nigredonight

Wednesday, 30 October and Thursday 31 October; The East Edge. Poet, librarian and literary investigator Chris McCabe performs a ritual awakening of voices lost to history through poetry, live strings and a disembodied essay. A Nocturnal Walking Tour hosted by Penned in the Margins and Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, Venue: Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, The Soanes Centre, Southern Grove, London E3 4PX. Time: Various. Tickets · £13.48. https://www.facebook.com/events/391592614839219/

Wednesday, 30 October; Spindle, Shuttle and Needle: Folklore of wool and yarn. Talk by Folklore Podcast presenter Mark Norman on material from new book on Folklore and Rural Crafts. Venue: Botwell Green Library, Botwell Green Sports and Leisure Centre, East Avenue, Hayes, UB3. Time: 2pm. Free, but book your place in advance via the library. https://www.facebook.com/events/373081846680400/

Wednesday, 30 October; The Occult. Lectures by Professor Lauren Kassell, Professor Richard Pettigrew and creative writing lecturer Nisha Ramayya, chaired by Professor Shahidha Bari, hosted by Forum for Philosophy and LSE Philosophy. Venue: LSE Old Building Lecture Theatre, London. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/theforum/forthcomingevents/the-occult/

Wednesday, 30 October; Halloween Fete. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £5, includes a free glass of punch. You can reserve a place by visiting the shop or online: https://www.treadwells-london.com/

Wednesday 30 October; Scorpio New Moon Gong Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Two sessions: 7pm and 8.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Wednesday, 30 October; Resurgence Talks: Resurgence Talks: The Fight for Beauty – Why it’s More Important than Ever, with Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE. Venue: 42 Acres, 66 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LW. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £12. For more details visit: https://www.42acresshoreditch.com/events/

Wednesday 30 October; Samhain Drum Ceremony Hosted by Seán Ryan,. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.aho.community

Wednesday, 30 October; London Thames Halloween walk 2019 along the South Bank with London Woodland Witches. Meet at Bankside Pier, next to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre at 7.30pm. Suggested donation £3. Bring a lantern and food and drink to share. Details: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Pagans-Magicians/

Wednesday 30 October;  Mysteries of the Tarot revealed. Part of beginner's course on learning the tarot. Venue: Helgi's, 177 Mare Street, London E8 3RH. Time: 8pm. Cost: £5 on entry to the back room. https://www.facebook.com/events/550315232464567/

Wednesday, 30 October (tbc); Hertford and Ware Moot Moot. (Usually the last Wednesday of each month.) Venue: The White Horse, 33 Castle Street, SG14 1HH Hertford, Hertfordshire. Time: 8pm. Entry: £3. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047/

Wednesday, 30 October; Where we go one, we go all: the QAnon conspiracy. Talk by Fortean Times Conspirasphere writer Noel Rooney, at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £4/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Thursday 31 October; Earth Festival: Wheel of the Year Meditation - Resting, gather at the well head for meditation at noon, followed by conversation on the lower lawn. Venue: Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. Refreshments on sale. For more details, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Thursday 31 October - November 1; Aphrodite's Monthly Festival - September 2019, hosted by Aphrodite's Flame. Everyone around the world is invited to light Aphrodite's Flame in honour of her monthly festival. Keep a candle lit for as long or as short a time as you wish from dusk on the date listed to dusk the following day. https://www.facebook.com/aphroditesflame/

Thursday 31 October;  SLC Halloween Party with cocktails and 10 per cent off everything in the store. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Starts 6pm. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Thursday 31 October, Scared to Death in the Woods. Adult storytelling  with London Dreamtime. Venue: Secret location in London NW3. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £5, email to reserve a place: vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Thursday 31 October, Nigredo Nights presents Witches’ Sabbath - Part 2: A selection of films and discussions that explore Witchcraft, Magical Traditions and Folklore on screen. Novmber (2017) with introduction by Patricia MacCormack. In November, a group of peasants uses magic and folk remedies to survive the winter, and a young woman tries to get a young man to love her.
Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD. Time: 7pm. Tickets from £7. More Details: https://www.thehorsehospital.com/events/nigredonight-hyjs7

Thursday 31 October; Mimosa Spiritual Development Circle - Victorian Seance.  This is an open circle all are welcome. Venue: Room 12, Fairkytes Art Centre, 51 Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1AX. Cost: £5, including refreshments. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/668793020310143/

Thursday 31 October; Witchcraft Movies: Here Be Witches and The Craft. Venue: The Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BY. Time: 8.45pm. https://princecharlescinema.com/PrinceCharlesCinema.dll/Home

Friday 1 November for 30 days; Witchy 30-Day Challenge November, organised by Kitchen Witch Coven of Natural Witchery ·and hosted by Rachel Patterson. Simple suggestions to help you connect with nature and your magic each day for 30 days. Free event, in your own home, at your own time: https://www.facebook.com/events/2419622258356977/

Friday 1 November; Screening of Conjuration and Thelema, by Gary Parsons. Venue: S. Peters Church Hall, Clapham, London SW4 6BX. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £5. https://www.facebook.com/events/493461901388815/

Saturday 2 - 8 November; Witchcraft Retreat in East Anglia. Staying in a converted granary, surrounded by meadows and sheep. Home cooked food all week, visits to historical and sacred sites. Local speaker, workshops and a quiz with great prizes. Small group (12 people max). Tickets: £475 with a £100 non returnable deposit. For details email, arcanehare@gmail.com or visit https://www.arcanehare.wixsite.com or https://www.facebook.com/events/2615781265107454/

Saturday 2 November; Alchemy Symbolism workshop with Paul Cowlan. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am-5.30pm. Tickets £40. Book online at https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Saturday 2 November; Working with The Morrigan. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London SE9 6SH. Time: noon - 4pm. Tickets: £19. For further details call 0208 850 7803 or visit https://www.facebook.com/WiccaMoonEltham/ or https://www.wiccamoon.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1460861-Event-Workshops.html?

Saturday 2 November; Here Be Witches  Symposium. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD. Time: Noon - 5pm. Tickets £22. https://dice.fm/event/anvkv-here-be-witches-symposium-2nd-nov-the-horse-hospital-london-tickets

Saturday 2 November;  Travelling with the vine leaf: Dionysos, arabesque and alborello. Gallery Talk. Venue: Room 42, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free, just turn up. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/gallery_talks.aspx

Saturday 2 November;  Free and Open Gorsedd Samhain Rite at Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire. Open Druidic style ceremony to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Meet at the Red Lion pub from Noon for ceremony at 1.30pm until 3pm. Free event - offerings of song, poetry, cake, mead are welcomed. https://www.facebook.com/events/379174049555132/

Sunday 3 November, Initiation into the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine. Workshop with Anthea of  Shamanism and Evolving Consciousness. Neal's Yard Meeting Rooms,
14 Neal's Yard Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP. Price: £78, all materials included. Time: 10.15pm-5.15pm. https://www.meetup.com/Shamanism-and-Evolving-Consciousness/

Sunday 3 November, Druidic Samhain Celebration on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Gather in the Hawthorne Grove at Primrose Hill, London, NW1 8YH, between 12.30pm and 12.45pm to prepare the site ready for a prompt 1pm start. Nearest tube: Chalk Farm. Bring a small contribution of food and drink to share. All are welcome. https://www.facebook.com/events/2482685615133402/

Sunday 3 and 17 November; Marseille Tarot II: Minor Cards. Full-day classes with Adrien Mastrosimone. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am-5.30pm. Tickets: £75. You can book by visiting the shop or online: https://www.treadwells-london.com/

Note: I am not responsible for any of these events. I try to ensure the details I list are accurate, but please contact the organisers before turning up to any event in case of changes. If you spot something that needs correcting, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com