Pagan Eye: Scarlet Oak Leaves in Autumn at Kew

Earlier this week I took advantage of the National Lottery #ThanksToYou offer to get free entry to Kew Gardens in London. When I arrived, I was asked if I wanted to go on a free tour of the garden's oak trees with an expert. Naturally, I said yes.

There are apparently about 500 species of oak (Quercus) in the world. Some of them don't look much like English oaks at all, but they can be recognised because they all produce acorns. The leaves in picture above are from the scarlet oak, which go that beautiful deep red colour in autumn.

The National Lottery #ThanksToYou offer lets people with a lottery ticket get free entry to a huge number of different places that you normally have to pay to visit. It runs until December 1, so there are still a few days left. You can find out more here: https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/life-changing/project-thankstoyou-25-years

On each Pagan Eye post, I show a photo that I find interesting, with a few words about it. I'm not quite sure what I'll be including - it could be a seasonal image, a pagan site, an event, or just a pretty picture.

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 and you must confirm that you are submitting it for A Bad Witch's Blog.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/08/pagan-eye-druid-oak.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/09/occult-london-temple-of-aeolus-at-kew.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/02/pagan-eye-west-wickham-oak.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/08/divination-for-day-oak-and-magic-of.html

Haunted Landscape: Magic, Monsters and Folklore

On Saturday 23 November, The London Fortean Society returned to the Haunted Landscape, its semi-annual one-day symposium on the folklore of the British Isles.

As usual, it was a brilliant day. This year the talks were on monsters, fairies, ghosts, witches' familiars, protection magic,  and strange annual customs in rural villages.

In the first talk, folklorist Doc Rowe looked at The Rites and Wrongs of Autumn, with the help of pictures and videos of events, including tar barrel burning in Devon's Ottery St Mary, the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance and numerous less well known but equally odd customs. He explained that these are living and changing customs, rather than ossified rituals. New songs get sung, new costumes are introduced and procession routes change. Also, few are quite as ancient as popular belief maintains.

Christopher Hadley, author of the book Hollow Places: An Unusual History of Land and Legend, then talked about his research into the story behind Piers Shonks, whose tomb in a Hertfordshire church bears the legend of supposed dragon-slaying in the Middle Ages. It was a fascinating insight into how tales of dragons grow, but Christopher Hadley didn't relate the entire story. Instead he encouraged listeners to buy his book, which I might be tempted to do. You can view Hollow Places on Amazon.

The talk I was most looking forward to was that of Dr Victoria Carr on English Witches and their Familiars. She looked at several witchcraft trials from the 16th and 17th centuries that involved both women and men making deals with magical creatures and sending them to create mischief. This is a subject I'm particularly interested in at the moment, so I will write up a longer account of Dr Carr's talk later.

The Croglin Grange Vampire was the subject of  Deborah Hyde's talk. The story goes that in 1875, a vampire removed the lead in a windowpane to let himself into a remote, rented farmhouse in Cumberland, and bit the throat of the young woman sleeping within. Attacks stopped when her brothers tracked the creature to a local crypt. Deborah Hyde showed that the house and church in the story had probably really existed, and also discussed reasons people believe in the undead. Deborah Hyde is a brilliant speaker and I always look forward to her talks. She is the editor of The Skeptic magazine, but also an expert on vampire folklore.

While English vampires are uncommon, English werewolves are rarer. Dr Samantha George looked at the tale of Old Stinker, the Hull Werewolf. This involves modern sightings of a wolf-like man near a remote ditch. She believes werewolf stories are rare in England because wolves are long extinct here, but the new story could be due to a resurgence of interest in them. Dr George is the author of In the Company of Wolves, due to be published in 2020.

Brian Hoggard looked at Magical House Protection: The Archaeology of Counter-Witchcraft. He is the author of a book of that name, and in his talk looked at witch-bottles, dried cats, horse skulls, written charms, protection marks, and concealed shoes, which were all used widely to repel, divert or trap negative energies. You can view Magical House Protection on Amazon.

Following on was a talk called England's Historic Graffiti: Voices Preserved in Stone, by Crystal Hollis. She covered some of the same material as Brian Hoggard, as many examples of graffiti are protection marks. However, there are also many other examples. Her advice was, if you spot some historic marks on walls, don't touch them as that can wear them away. Photograph them using an oblique light source to best record them.

Dr Richard Sugg talked about fairies causing mischief, particularly in Ireland, and put forward the idea that many accounts of these activities might instead be the work of poltergeists. He is the author of Fairies: A Dangerous History, which you can view on Amazon. Paul Devereux also talked about fairies and how sightings of them related to death roads, where coffins were traditionally carried across country to churchyards for burial. He is a prolific author, but you can view Spirit Roads: An Exploration of Otherworldly Routes on Amazon.

The Haunted Landscape ended with Roar by Blanc Sceol, described as "A performative intervention exploring the other-worldly sounds of the ‘bullroarer' ‘buzzer’ ‘hummer’ ‘bummer’, using replicas of specimens found across the British Isles."

London Fortean Society hosts talks throughout the year. You can find the programme of events here:
http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

This Week's Pagan Events In and Near London

Here are 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 - 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 - 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 - 8 March 2020; Troy: Myth and Reality exhibition. Venue: Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. You need to prebook tickets (unless you are a member): £20. https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/troy-myth-and-reality

Now - 5 December; Divine Stroke - exhibition of art inspired by spirituality. Venue: Amina Malik Gallery, 28 Station Road, SE25 5AG. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/950087035356252/

Wednesday 27 November; 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 27 November; Here Be Witches Shorts Programme. The Final Girls presenting a curated programme of short films that explore the cult of the witch. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD. Doors open 6.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://dice.fm/event/l38mw-here-be-witches-short-films-27th-nov-the-horse-hospital-london-tickets

Wednesday 27 November; Sagittarius 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 27 November; Sacred Singing. Open your heart and voice through chanting. Venue in London N16. Time: 7.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/683456182148551/

Wednesday, 27 November; Resurgence Talks: A Green and Prosperous Land – A Blueprint for Rescuing the British Countryside with Professor Dieter Helm. Venue: 42 Acres, 66 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LW. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £12. For more details visit: https://www.42acresshoreditch.com/events/

Wednesday, 27 November; 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, 27 November; Fortean Travels in London. Talk by Chris Roberts, author of Bus Travel in South London – stories from the city over the water, at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £4/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Thursday 28 November; On the Mystery of Being. Talk and book signing by Shakti Caterina Maggi. 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 28 November; Yoga's Hidden Occultism. Talk by Phil Hine. 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/

Friday 29 November; Meditation and Om Healing. (Weekly, usually on Friday). Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 7pm. Entry free. http://theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

Friday 29 November; Honouring the Elder Moon Gong Bath with Diana Vernon. Relax in a candlelit hall where the resonance of gongs will help you recharge your spiritual self. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Tickets: Members £22/non-members £25. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 29 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/

Friday 29 November; Awakening in the Eternal Present hosted by Golden Rosycross. Venue: Pullens Centre, 184 Crampton Street, London SE17 3BF. Time: 7pm. Tickets free, but registration essential: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/awakening-in-the-eternal-present-tickets-81522404707?

Saturday 30 November; Grounding and Protection workshop with Lucy Aumonier. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time:10am-5pm. Tickets: £105/£85.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturdays 30 November and 7 December. Two-day workshop on Carl Jung: The Roots of his Thought and Practice, with tutor Kenneth Rees. Venue: The Mary Ward Centre, Queen Square, London WC1 (nearest tube stations – Holborn, Russell Square). Time: 10.15am – 5.30pm. Course No: 454. Fees: £57/ £20. Enrolment: 0207 269 6000 (or online). Enquires: 0208 671 6372. www.marywardcentre.ac.uk

Saturday 30 November;  Images and echoes of the Homeric world - Gallery Talk. Venue: Room 12, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free, but advance booking required. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/gallery_talks.aspx

Saturday 30 November; Tales of Death and Magic: storytelling and music around the fire in a secret garden. Venue: Secret location in Peckham/Bermondsey. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £6 email cunningfolkmusic@gmail.com to book a place. Dress warmly. For more details, visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Saturday 30 November; Gong Bath with Guru Ben. Venue: The Upminster Complementary Healing and Teaching Sanctuary, Pea Lane, Upminster, Havering, RM142XH. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.healingandteaching.co.uk or contact Ben on: yogawarrior1@hotmail.com

Saturday 30 November - December 1; Aphrodite's Monthly Festival, 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/

Sunday 1 - Saturday 7 December; PaganAid Yule Auction 2019. Online auction in aid of the pagan charity, starts 8am. Details on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2459571671035990/

Sunday 1 December; Are you about to get lucky? (Jupiter is on the move). Workshop with Yasmin Boland. Run by Alternatives. Venue: Regent's University, Acland Building, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London NW1 4NS. Time: 10am-1pm. Tickets £50 online. http://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Sunday 1 December; 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 1 December; The Hedge Witch in the Kitchen. Workshop on making lotions, potions, charms and creative items for Yule, with May Draper and Betsy Too. Venue: Moore Street, Strood, Kent. Time: 10am-5pm. Cost: £50 includes lunch. To book a place, email mayeve@blueyonder.co.uk
or louisebalderston1@virginmedia.com. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/516358839181610/

Sunday 1 December; Marseille Tarot III: Minor Cards. Full-day workshop 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 1 December; Crowleymass - Commemorating the Death of Sir Aleister Crowley. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Tickets: £10, includes a gift. Time: 1pm. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or pop in to the shop. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Sunday 1 December, West: Jerusalem's Pillars: A William Blake Walk. Part of a month of Blake walks by poet and walking artist Niall McDevitt in conjunction with New River Press.  Meet at the Marble Arch. Time: 1pm-3.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.facebook.com/events/896577437395325/

Monday 2 December; Watching Darkness Fall: a mindful meditation from daylight to darkness. Venue: Culpeper Community Garden, 1 Cloudesley Road, London N1 0EG. Time: 3.40pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.meetup.com/London-Forest-Bathing-Nature-Connection-Meetup/

Monday 2 December; 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 2 December; Talk for Young Urban Witches. Workshop evenings for under-30s with Rebecca Beattie. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. You can book by visiting the shop or online: https://www.treadwells-london.com/

Tuesday 3 December; 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 3 December; Yule meeting at Romford Pagan Moot. Venue: The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford RM1 1HR. Time: 7pm. Entry: £4 and raffle in aid of Essex wildlife £1. https://www.facebook.com/Romford-Pagan-Moote-634178063700381/

Tuesday 3 December; The Witches' Inn Yule Gathering. Venue: The Hatch Public House, 44, Hatchlands Road, Redhill, RH1 6AT. Time: 8pm. Free pagan moot, just turn up. https://www.facebook.com/The-Witches-Inn-1568424150049437/

Wednesday 4 December; 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 4 December; The psychology of conspiracy theories. Talk by Dr Dan Jolley at Greenwich Skeptics in the Pub. Venue: The Star and Garter, 60 Old Woolwich Road, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NY. Time: 7.30pm. Details: http://greenwich.skepticsinthepub.org

Thursday 5 December; Practical Mystics: Spirituality and Action. Talk and book signing by  Jennifer Kavanagh. 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 5 December; Book Launch party for English Illuminati. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Contact the shop to reserve a place. Time: 7pm. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or visit http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Thursday 5 December; Forgotten Studies of Memory: Hodgson and Davey’s Mal-Observation Report and the Psychology of Magic. SPR Lecture by Matthew Tompkins. Venue: Society for Psychical Research HQ, 1 Vernon Mews, London, W14 0RL. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £5/£2. https://www.spr.ac.uk/

Thursday 5 December; Mayan Cacao Ceremony hosted by Ricardo Goni. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £33. www.aho.community

Thursday 5 December; The Scarlet Woman - magical mistress to feminist archetype. Lecture by Dr Manon Hedenborg White. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £10. Book by visiting the shop or online: https://www.treadwells-london.com/

Friday 6 December; Open Evening with Taster Sessions and Demonstrations at the College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 4.30pm-9pm. Tickets: £25.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 7 December; Yule Social Gathering. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 5pm-11pm. Tickets: £3. www.aho.community

Sunday 8 December; 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 8 December; Embodied Archetypes - Winter Wisdom with Lewis Barfoot. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 11am-6pm. Tickets: £60. www.aho.community

Note: I am not responsible for any of these events. I try to ensure the details I list are accurate, but do not always know about late changes or ticket availability. Please contact the organisers before turning up to any event. If you spot something that needs correcting or are running an event you want listed, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Bettany Hughes on Helen of Troy and Mighty Aphrodite

After visiting the Troy exhibition at the British Museum on Friday I went to hear historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes give a talk about Helen of Troy and Aphrodite. The lecture marked the opening of the new exhibition as well as the release of Bettany's new book, Venus and Aphrodite: History of a Goddess.

Helen and Aphrodite are interlinked. Across three millennia, both have been both idealised as symbols of beauty and demonised as reminders of the terrible power beauty can wield. Bettany's talk was about both of their stories. However, in this blog post I am mainly going to cover what Bettany said about Helen, because I'll be reviewing her new book within the next week or so. That is all about the goddess of love.

Bettany started her talk by saying that the big question is not about who Helen is, but what she means and why she matters. When Bettany was filming a documentary about the Trojan wars, modern-day Romany travellers, who were camped in the region of where Troy has been discovered, remembered Helen but not the heroes Achilles or Hector.

There is a carving in the British Museum showing the conception of Helen. It depicts her mother, Leda, having sex with Zeus in the form of a swan. Bettany said it is both a beautiful and a troubling image. This image was popular in the ancient world and tells us two things that make Helen special: she is half divine, but she is also involved in trouble.

Later, Aphrodite offers Helen to Prince Paris to influence his judgement of which goddess is the most beautiful. Images on pots from the ancient world often show Helen as a willing accomplice. She is often depicted wearing purple, which was both the colour of royalty, but also associated with prostitutes.

Whether the cause of the Trojan war was Helen or Aphrodite mattered to the Greeks, but the message was that desire can lead you to do good things or bad things. Sappho tells us in her poetry that Helen was led away by desire.

Most images of Helen show her abduction or rape. She is a woman taken by force. She is also described as the most beautiful woman in the world, which has given artists trouble when painting her. She is described as having terrible beauty, with a power to make men do things they shouldn't.

Helen was worshipped by women of Sparta as a mythical figure and a nature goddess. They honoured her with races and gymnastics and made sacrifice to her. To them, she was more than just a pretty face. Helen was also worshipped in Egypt and in Troy. In Troy she was Helen the Destroyer.

In the 19th century, Evelyn de Morgan painted Helen in a chocolate box type way. Bettany said that we should banish that image from our minds and think more about ways she was depicted in ancient Troy, with a white face, red cheeks and dark eyes that show how powerful she really is.

As well as writing about Venus and Aphrodite, Bettany's earlier books include Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore.

You can view Venus and Aphrodite on Amazon and also view Helen of Troy on Amazon.

Pictures: Roman depiction of Helen being coaxed by Aphrodite, Helen of Troy in a 1898 painting by Evelyn De Morgan, book cover.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/11/troy-myth-and-reality-at-british-museum.html
https://www.britishmuseum.org/events/bettany-hughes-helen-troy-and-mighty-aphrodite
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/05/review-aphrodites-magic.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/09/day-with-aphrodite.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/11/tv-bettany-hughes-venus-uncovered.html

Troy: Myth and Reality at the British Museum

On Friday afternoon I went to the British Museum's new exhibition Troy: Myth and Reality and I thought it was really good. It aims to show the lasting legacy of stories from the Trojan War, first told by Homer and Virgil and reinterpreted up to the present day. The first part of the exhibition retells the Trojan cycle of myths through works of art from ancient times to recent history. The picture at the top shows a 19th century sculpture of the hero Achilles.

I was particularly pleased to see a rare depiction of Eris, goddess of strife and discord, who started the contest for the golden apple that led to the Trojan wars (see picture right). According to historian Bettany Hughes, who gave a lecture on the Friday evening, the reason it is rare to find works of art showing Eris is that it was considered unlucky to paint her image.

The second part of the exhibition looks at the archaeologists and adventurers who sought to prove the reality of ancient Troy, including the discoveries made by Heinrich Schliemann in Turkey in the 1870s, who revealed that Troy was a real place.

This is the first time finds from Schliemann’s excavations at the site of Troy have been on display in London since the 1870s. A large number of his original finds, including pottery and silver vessels, bronze weapons and stone sculptures, have been loaned by the Berlin Museums to the UK for the first time in nearly 150 years. The picture to the left shows a terracotta pot found at Troy.

The cause of the Trojan War was a woman, Helen, who was taken to Troy by Paris. Part of the exhibition presents a chance to re-examine Helen, through artwork up to the present day.

The curatorial team apparently took a new approach to co-producing content with local community groups, to include contemporary voices. The Trojan War story evokes the human cost of conflict, from the displacement of people to the lasting psychological impact. The exhibition includes responses to key objects in the exhibition created with participants from two charities, Crisis and Waterloo Uncovered, to highlight how the experiences of characters in the story resonate with displaced people and soldiers today.

The BP exhibition Troy: Myth and Reality runs until 8 March 2020 in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery at the British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. You need to prebook tickets unless you are a British Museum member. The exhibition catalogue, The BP exhibition Troy: Myth and Reality, by Lesley Fitton, Alexandra Villing, Victoria Donnellan and Andrew Shapland, is available there and you can view the catalogue on Amazon.

Picture credits: Filippo Albacini (1777-1858), The Wounded Achilles, 1825, marble, Chatsworth House. Photograph © The Devonshire Collections, Chatsworth. Reproduced by permission of Chatsworth Settlement Trustees. Eris painted on pottery, photographed by myself, Lucya Starza, at the exhibition. Terracotta face pot from Troy, c. 2550–1750BC, Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Photograph © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Photo: Claudia Plamp. Exhibition catalogue.

Troy, Helen, Aphrodite and the Haunted Landscape

I took the photo above at the new exhibition Troy: Myth and Reality at the British Museum on Friday afternoon before going to a talk by historian Bettany Hughes on Helen of Troy and Mighty Aphrodite in the evening. On Saturday I was at the London Fortean Society conference on The Haunted Landscape: Magic and Monsters of the British Isles at Conway Hall.

They were all superb events and I took lots of pictures and notes - as well as buying Bettany Hughes' new book, Venus and Aphrodite, which I'm currently reading. I'm going to blog more about all of those things, but I thought I'd write this post just to let you know what I've been up to and what posts to look forward to over the next week.

Links:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/
http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

​Martin Duffy: The Sorcerous Cauldron at Nameless Arte

​Martin Duffy gave a talk called The Sorcerous Cauldron at The Nameless Arte conference on traditional witchcraft last weekend. In my earlier write-up, I promised to blog more about this exploration of one of the most familiar accoutrements of witchcraft.

Martin looked at artwork depicting witches, focusing on how cauldrons were portrayed and what that can tell us about views of their magical uses and symbolism. He started by pointing out that historically, cauldrons were cooking vessels associated with women's traditional role in preparing food. However, many pictures of witches from the 17th century show them using cauldrons filled with skulls and other human remains, suggesting that witches brewed up poisons rather than nourishment. It implied the cauldron was an inverted motif of female domesticity.

This is also shown in Scene 4 of Macbeth, which starts with witches around a boiling cauldron and the words:

Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.

They put in things that are vile and poisonous and it seems they are brewing a potion. One of the potions most associated with witches is flying ointment, which was reputedly used for both out-of-body experiences and for travelling to the Sabbath. They might also brew love potions and special fluids in which to baptise poppets.

As in Macbeth, words would be chanted over the pot. Symbols could also be traced on its edge. Scents arising could be used to attract spirits to aid in spellwork or for divination. The steam could be sent to raise storms, and the vapour could be sent as mist to conceal people or to confuse enemies.

The cauldron was often placed in the centre of the circle, just as one would be the hub of the home. In the circle, it is a symbol of gestation and birthing. It transforms things and unites them, and also symbolises the vagina. Its use in poppet-making symbolises the child gestating in the womb.

Martin pointed out that cauldrons are still used by many modern witches and are an important symbol in various magical traditions. However, rather than being full of gruesome things, nowadays they are more often depicted as being positive symbols. In the picture by Waterhouse, the cauldron is filled with light and is helping keep at bay the night-time creatures outside the magic circle.

Doreen Valiente describes a method of scrying by filling a cauldron with water, placing inside a silver coin representing the moon, then peering into its depth by moonlight or candlelight. Last year at The Nameless Arte I bought a cauldron, which I have used for scrying that way.

Doreen's Charge of the Goddess also includes the words: "...mine is the Cup of the Wine of Life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality."

The cauldron represents birth, life, death and rebirth as well as the underworld; in the fires that heat it, the living world in the nourishment it contains, and the heavens to which the steam from it rises.

Pictures: Witches Sabbath by Hans Baldung and The Magic Circle by John William Waterhouse.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/11/traditional-witchcraft-magic-at.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/10/pagan-shopping-cauldron-of-just-right.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/03/tales-from-witch-room-cauldrons-big-and.html

News: Archaeology, Paganism, Witchcraft & Folklore

Here's a round-up of recent news stories about archaeology, paganism, occult books and witchcraft:

"Wood yew believe it?" - column on the folklore of yew trees at Gazette and Herald: https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/18017839.column-wood-yew-believe/

"Archaeologists find 3000-year-old megalithic temple in Peru" - story at The Sun: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/10370623/3000-year-old-megalithic-temple-peru/

"The Witches' Voice is Shutting Down" - story at Patheos: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/panmankey/2019/11/the-witchs-voice-is-shutting-down/

"Who is Pachamama? Did Pope Francis worship pagan idol in the Vatican?" - story at International Business Times: https://www.ibtimes.sg/did-pope-francis-worship-pagan-idols-vatican-pachamama-statue-row-flares-34356

"How Paganism is Influencing a New Breed of Heavy Artist" - story at Kerrang!: https://www.kerrang.com/features/is-paganism-is-influencing-a-new-breed-of-heavy-artists/

This Week's Pagan Events In and Near London

Here are 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 - 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 - 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/

All of November; 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/

Wednesday 20 November; 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 20 November; High Magic for Beginners workshop with Mani. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Tickets: £20. Time: 6.30pm. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or visit http://theatlantisbookshop.com/ or https://www.meetup.com/LondonWoodlandWitches/events/265472503/

Wednesday 20 November; Witch Bottles and Worn Shoes: Home Protection Folklore. Talk at the Geffrye Museum. Venue: 136 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8EA. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £13/£16. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/witch-bottles-worn-shoes-home-protection-folklore-practices-tickets-78595052919?

Thursday 21 November; Here Be Witches: Belladonna of Sadness. An exploration of witches in film at The Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BY.  Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £11.50/£9. https://princecharlescinema.com/PrinceCharlesCinema.dll/

Thursday 21 November; Meeting the Shadow with Obsidian Mirror by Ricardo Goni. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £33. www.aho.community

Friday 22 November, Meditation and Om Healing. (Weekly, usually on Friday). Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 7pm. Entry free. http://theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

Friday 22 November; Demonstration of Angel Mediumship with Edwin Courtenay. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £13/£15.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 22 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 23 November; The Haunted Landscape: Magic and Monsters of the British Isles. The London Fortean Society one-day symposium on the folklore, magic and monsters of the British Isles and beyond. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 10am - 5pm. Tickets: £22 / £16 concessions plus booking fee. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Saturday 23 November; Vigil for the Outcast at Crossbones to honour The Goose and the outcast dead of Cross Bones Graveyard. This is the last vigil to be conducted by John Constable (John Crow) who originated this event. 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/

Sunday 24 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 24 November; NWK Moot. Venue: Chistlehurst caves.  Time: 11am. You must be a member of the group to attend. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887/

Sunday 24 November,  North: William Blake and the Visionary Poets of Hampstead. Part of a month of Blake walks by poet and walking artist Niall McDevitt in conjunction with New River Press. Meet at Hampstead underground station. Time: 1pm-3.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.facebook.com/events/896577437395325/

Sunday 24 November; Sigil Magic Workshop with Mark Vincent. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Cost: £40 per person. You can book online at https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Sunday 24 November; Kith of the Tree and the Well Heathen Moot. Venue: The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon Road/Greville Street, London EC1M 3JF. Time: 2pm, talk at 3pm followed by a short seasonal rite. Entry £2. https://www.facebook.com/events/561803474583773/

Monday 25 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 25 November; 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 25 November; Candle Magic Workshop. 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 visiting the shop.

Tuesday 26 November; Moon Magic Gong Bath with Amanda Jane Chappell. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. www.aho.community

Wednesday 27 November; Here Be Witches Shorts Programme. The Final Girls presenting a curated programme of short films that explore the cult of the witch. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD. Doors open 6.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://dice.fm/event/l38mw-here-be-witches-short-films-27th-nov-the-horse-hospital-london-tickets

Wednesday 27 November; Sagittarius 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 27 November; Sacred Singing. Open your heart and voice through chanting. Venue in London N16. Time: 7.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/683456182148551/

Wednesday, 27 November; Resurgence Talks: A Green and Prosperous Land – A Blueprint for Rescuing the British Countryside with Professor Dieter Helm. Venue: 42 Acres, 66 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LW. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £12. For more details visit: https://www.42acresshoreditch.com/events/

Wednesday, 27 November; 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, 27 November; Fortean Travels in London. Talk by Chris Roberts, author of Bus Travel in South London – stories from the city over the water, at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £4/£2. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Thursday 28 November; On the Mystery of Being. Talk and book signing by Shakti Caterina Maggi. 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 28 November; Yoga's Hidden Occultism. Talk by Phil Hine. 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/

Friday 29 November; Honouring the Elder Moon Gong Bath with Diana Vernon. Relax in a candlelit hall where the resonance of gongs will help you recharge your spiritual self. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Tickets: Members £22/non-members £25. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 30 November; Grounding and Protection workshop with Lucy Aumonier. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, Kensington, London, SW7 2EB. Time:10am-5pm. Tickets: £105/£85.  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturdays 30 November and 7 December. Two-day workshop on Carl Jung: The Roots of his Thought and Practice, with tutor Kenneth Rees. Venue: The Mary Ward Centre, Queen Square, London WC1 (nearest tube stations – Holborn, Russell Square). Time: 10.15am – 5.30pm. Course No: 454. Fees: £57/ £20. Enrolment: 0207 269 6000 (or online). Enquires: 0208 671 6372. www.marywardcentre.ac.uk

Saturday 30 November;  Images and echoes of the Homeric world - Gallery Talk. Venue: Room 12, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free, but advance booking required. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/gallery_talks.aspx

Saturday 30 November; Tales of Death and Magic: storytelling and music around the fire in a secret garden. Venue: A secret location in Peckham/Bermondsey. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £6 email cunningfolkmusic@gmail.com to book a place. Dress warmly. For more details, visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Saturday 30 November; Gong Bath with Guru Ben. Venue: The Upminster Complementary Healing and Teaching Sanctuary, Pea Lane, Upminster, Havering, RM142XH. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £20. www.healingandteaching.co.uk or contact Ben on: yogawarrior1@hotmail.com

Saturday 30 November - December 1; Aphrodite's Monthly Festival, 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/

Sunday 1 December; Are you about to get lucky? (Jupiter is on the move). Workshop with Yasmin Boland. Run by Alternatives. Venue: Regent's University, Acland Building, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London NW1 4NS. Time: 10am-1pm. Tickets £50 online. http://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Sunday 1 December; Marseille Tarot III: 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 1 December; Crowleymass - Commemorating the Death of Aleister Crowley. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, Eng WC1A 1LY. Tickets: £10, includes a gift. Time: 1pm. For more details, call 020 7405 2120 or pop in to the shop. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Sunday 1 December, West: Jerusalem's Pillars: A William Blake Walk. Part of a month of Blake walks by poet and walking artist Niall McDevitt in conjunction with New River Press.  Meet at the Marble Arch. Time: 1pm-3.30pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.facebook.com/events/896577437395325/

Note: I am not responsible for any of these events except my candle magic workshop at Treadwell's. I try to ensure the details I list are accurate, but do not always know about late changes or ticket availability. Please contact the organisers before turning up to any event. If you spot something that needs correcting or are running an event you want listed, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Pagan Eye: Animated Witch Figure with Glowing Eyes

When I was at The Nameless Arte traditional witchcraft conference in Essex at the weekend, I went shopping during the lunch break, and I was delighted to discover a lovely witchy shop - Wytchworks - just down the road. I took this photo of an amazing life-size animated witch doll, with glowing eyes and a great cackle, which is part of the shop's display.

Wytchworks sells items crafted by members of the local pagan community as well as a great range of regular witchcraft supplies. The shop is open on Saturdays, but also some evenings by appointment for readings. You can find it at 279 London Road Southend-on-Sea Essex SS0 7BX. The website is https://www.wytchworks.co.uk/

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/2017/09/pagan-eye-folk-charm-pictured-at.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/11/traditional-witchcraft-magic-at.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/10/pagan-eye-ghostly-witch-for-halloween.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/08/pagan-eye-stage-enchantress-at-smoke.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/01/pagan-eye-museum-of-witchcraft-in-london.html

Traditional Witchcraft & Magic at The Nameless Arte

The wonderfully spooky skeletal horse in the photo to the left is an 'Obby 'Oss, normally part of a folk custom in which a pair of such creatures dance through the streets as part of a May Day festival in Padstow, Cornwall. It is similar to the Mari Lwyd skeletal hobby horse that is part of wassailing traditions in South Wales.

The beast in the picture was part of the finale at The Nameless Arte traditional witchcraft conference at Westcliff, on the Essex coast, on Saturday. It was a brilliant day.

The first speaker was Jon Kaneko-James, with a talk called The Books of Anna Taylor: Women and Grimoire Magic. I'd heard Jon talk about Anna Taylor at an ASSAP conference on fairies a few years ago. You can read about that here. Anna Taylor was put on trial for witchcraft in Rye in the early seventeenth century, accused of summoning fairies in order to search for treasure. In his latest talk, Jon considered Anna as an example of women as part of a grimoire tradition, using literate magic in the sixteenth and  seventeenth centuries, like their male counterparts.

​Martin Duffy then spoke on The Sorcerous Cauldron. The cauldron is one of the most familiar accoutrements of witchcraft. Martin looked at artwork depicting witches, focusing on how cauldrons were portrayed and what that can tell us about people's views of their magical uses and symbolism. I aim to write up a longer account of that at a later date.

Georgi Georgiev offered a view of an ancient folkloric ritual and performance art from southern Indian, called Teyyam. His talk was called Dancing Vessels of the Gods. He discussed possession rituals in Dravidian culture and its links to Tantric occultism. After the talk there was a short film showing the dances by costumed performers who represent traditional gods during festivals.

The History, Development and Practice of the Grimoire Tradition was the title of a talk by ​David Rankine, who is renowned for his books on traditional magic. He is the co-author of The Veritable Key of Solomon, which is probably the most comprehensive version of the Key of Solomon ever published. His presentation looked at the grimoire tradition, from its roots in texts of the ancient world through its development in the Middle Ages and Renaissance to modern times.

Although the description of his talk in the programme said that the focus would be on significant grimoires and the magicians who worked them, in fact he also gave lots of advice to anyone wanting to practise grimoire magic. This included working in a group with a minimum of two people, starting with The Key of Solomon before going on to more difficult things, and making sure that at the end of the rite you fully dismiss any spirits summoned. (You can view David's Key of Solomon on Amazon.)

The finale of the day was music from a new band called Morvoren formed by traditional witches Gemma Gary, Jane Cox and Anna Dowling. It was entitled Music for the Devil.

The idea for Morvoren arose from the invocations and chants found in Gemma’s book The Devil’s Dozen – Thirteen Craft Rites of The Old One. Anna, who composed the music, said: "The book contains many invocations that naturally lent themselves to being put to music. Morvoren aims to capture the mystic nature of the invocations and bring them to life in a new way outside of ritual. The band is also very inspired by the guising tradition of West Cornwall, and we also perform guising tunes in costume."

Morvoren are pictured to the left, and it is their 'Obby 'Oss in the picture at the top. You can view The Devil's Dozen on Amazon.

I had a wonderful time at The Nameless Arte, learnt a great deal, met up with some great friends and wished I had more money to spend at the market stalls packed with all the books, spell components and ritual tools a traditional witch might need (pictured right). It was very different from Witchfest, which I went to the previous weekend. While Witchfest is full of pretty young witches, many wanting to learn the basics of the Craft, The Nameless Arte is more a gathering of wise old crones enjoying a good cackle and exploring the darker side of magic.

Sadly there will be no Nameless Arte in 2020. Organiser Andy Mercer has decided to take a break for a year. Hopefully it will return in 2021. You can follow The Nameless Arte on Facebook to find out more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thenamelessarte/

Links and previous related posts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thenamelessarte/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/09/review-nameless-arte-traditional.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/09/the-nameless-arte-learning-traditional.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/03/witches-and-faeries-assaps-seriously.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/10/review-grimoires-history-of-magic-books.html