Lammas: Time for Protection from Covid and Corvids

Lammas, as well as being a time to celebrate the start of the harvest, is also when we must protect the crops we have gathered and the gains we have made so far in the year.

I once took part in a Lammas ritual in which people brought wheat, corn and barley to place in the centre of the circle along with bread and ale for a celebration feast. They then stood, hand in hand in around the harvest produce. Others, however, took the role of crows. I was one of them. We were outside the circle, trying to break in and steal the bounty. Despite it being theatrical in nature, it turned into something of a boisterous game, with the crows trying to find the weakest link to break in. There was cawing from us, and shouting from those in the circle.

But then drums rolled, and protection was called for to strengthen our defences. In the case of the ritual, it was an invocation of deities who traditionally help at harvest-time. Now, at Lammas 2020, it is Covid more than Corvids we need protection against. Hence my picture of masks at the top of this post - one of which has a fantastic crow on it and the other a black cat.

They arrived for me in the post yesterday, and were made for me by Kate Dicey, a friend who is very talented at sewing. She used the Olsen pattern, which is free. Kate co-runs a costume-making business called Jolly Dicey. I will feel very protected wearing one of my lovely masks when I have to go to the post office and supermarket later on, although hand washing and social distancing are also still important.

At the Lammas ritual, the Goddess charge ended with the message that all creatures need to eat for nature to be in balance. The crows were invited in to the circle to take their fair share of the food, beside the people. When it comes to the coronavirus, however, let's keep it out of our social circles and send it packing.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.jollydicey.co.uk/home
https://www.instructables.com/id/Olson-Mask-for-PPE-With-Filter-for-Personal-and-No/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/07/lammas-thoughts-looking-back-on-our.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/08/pagan-eye-corn-dollies-for-lammas-at-mwm.html

Lammas Thoughts: Looking Back on our Achievements

Lammas or Lughnasadh on August 1 is the festival at the start of the harvest. Although we might not have grain to gather, it can be a time to look back at what seeds we might have sown in a metaphorical sense, and what we are reaping from our work over the year so far. Here is what Jane Mortimer wrote:

Looking back over lockdown, I realise I dwelled an awful lot on what we weren't able to do, without seeing what we were able to. Comparing my journalling activity I found I'd made about 60 entries in my Book of Shadows - that's whole and double pages of pasted in text and photos - since the start of lockdown, against only about 10 for the same period last year.

The entries are a general mix of events happening currently and formative reminiscences going back through to early childhood. It just goes to show that no amount of lockdown restriction can keep us witches from finding ways to practise our craft, and I think journals are probably one of our most important tools to look back on, learn from and be inspired by. I've been taking photos of my books and a couple are here.

I think Jane's Book of Shadows puts mine to shame, as I just have a collection of papers in rather plain files and a stack of notebooks that aren't nearly as attractive as those in the pictures! 

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/07/pagan-eye-scrying-by-water-and-lantern.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/07/spells-making-peace-dust-from-foraged.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/04/candle-magic-doreen-valientes-candle.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/01/books-of-shadows-and-magical-art-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/08/review-witchcrafted-printable-book-of.html

Lammas Pagan Events In London and Online

Lammas is on August 1 and is a pagan festival to celebrate the start of the harvest. Here are details of some of the online events and outdoor events in London up to that time and in the week ahead. If you know of an event with a pagan or witchy theme that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Wednesday 29 July; Moon Books Live Talk and discussion with Taren S, author of Hoodoo in the Psalms, hosted by Moon Books. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/299480077902063/

Wednesday 29 July; July Hertford Moot - Social and Future Planning. Online. Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/338684727136517/

Wednesday 29 July; Sound Journey - Attune to the Moon. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£15). Time: 8.30pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Thursday 30 July; Chaos Witchcraft with Julian Vayne, co-author of Chaos Craft; The Wheel of the Year in Eight Colours. Online workshop via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £20. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Thursday 30 July; The Magic of Terry Pratchett. Online biography launch party. 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/574285250120156/

Thursday 30 July; Shamanic Journeying. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£1-£20). Time: 7pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Thursday 30 July; Talks From An Empty Bookshop: Lev Parikian looks at the quirks, habits and foibles of how we are in nature in a talk about his book Into a Tangled Bank. Online event hosted by The Bookseller Crow on the hill. Time: 7.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/1130875257294316/

Thursday 30 July - Sunday 2 August; Glastonbury Online Goddess Conference. Full online tickets £260, but cheaper options available. https://goddessconference.com/

Thursday 30 July; Breathwork for Creativity. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 7pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Thursday 30 July; TEDx Stormont Virtual Summer Camp Storytelling. Includes storytelling by London Dreamtime. Free, but donations welcome. Time: 8.30pm. Details:
https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/38652

Friday 31 July; Friday Live Chat hosted by Rachel Patterson, author of the Kitchen Witch series of books. Time: 9am. Free event. https://www.facebook.com/RachelPattersonbooks/

Friday 31 July; Tackling Anxiety. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 8am. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Friday 31 July; Online launch of The Secret of The Alchemist, by Colm Holland. Part of Mind, Body, Spirit Festivals. Time: 1pm. Free, but you must reserve a ticket in advance: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-secret-of-the-alchemist-launch-colm-holland-tickets-111127214490?

Friday 31 July; The Nature of Spellwork. Online talk via Children of Circe, is a private pagan group run by Richard Levy and sponsored by the Doreen Valiente Foundation. You have to join the group to watch the videos: Time: 8pm. Free event.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/725752541262809/

Friday 31 July; Lammas Witchcraft. Talk and discussion with Rebecca Beattie, author of Nature Mystics, through Treadwell's Online. Via Zoom. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £20. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Saturday 1 August; Soul, Body, Mind. Online course with Sarah Tyler-Walters through the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 11am-4pm. Tickets: Members: £65, Non-members: £85. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 1 - Monday 3 August; Online Full Moon Event with Healing Moons. Three live guided meditations over three days. Free. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/2588151531515215/

Saturday 1 August; Folkestone Pagans Lughnasadh Virtual Ceremony, with Folkestone Pagan Circle. Using Zoom and Facebook Live. Time: 7.20pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/750097392402875/

Saturday 1 August; Online Lammas Celebration hosted by Cunning Folk. Time: 8pm. Free, but you must reserve a ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lammas-celebration-tickets-111809685780?

Saturday 1 August; The Pendle Witch, storytelling by Lexi Wolfe - Live on Zoom. Time: 8pm. Free, but you must book a ticket: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-pendle-witch-live-on-zoom-tickets-113679845478?

Saturday 1 - Sunday 2 August; Aphrodite's Festival - Vinalia Rustica/Lammas. Join Aphrodite's Flame Keepers to tend a candle flame from for as long as you wish in your own home. You can use real candles or LED lights. Venue: Worldwide. Details: https://www.facebook.com/aphroditesflame/

Sunday 2 August; Foraging Walk with John the Poacher on Hackney Marshes. Organised by Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 11am-3.30pm. Tickets: £35. www.aho.community

Sunday 2 August; Lammas Harvest Ritual. Outdoor, social distanced ritual, with London Woodland Witches. Meet at the entrance to Queen's Woods, Highate, London N6 5UU, by 2pm. Tickets: £5 and you must reserve a place in advance. https://www.meetup.com/LondonWoodlandWitches

Sunday 2 August; 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 2 August; Symbolic Magic. Online talk presented by Kevin Groves, organised through the Centre For Pagan Studies. Time: 4pm. Details: http://centre-for-pagan-studies.com/kitchen-table-talks-with-the-centre-for-pagan-studies-speakers/

Sunday 2 August; UnRipped. An event celebrating the lives of women who are usually only known as “Victims of Jack the Ripper”. Online poetry, songs and storytelling with Vanessa of London Dreamtime and John Constable of Crossbones Graveyardk. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £5. Details: https://www.londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Sunday 2 August; Emma Kathryn (Herblore and Magick - An Exploration of Herb and Plant Use in Witchcraft) and Baya Salmon-Hawk (Bridget Cleary: the last witch to be burned in Ireland?). Part of the Magickal Women Conference Summer Salons series of short, engaging talks with discussion via Zoom, every Sunday at 7pm to 27 September. Tickets for entire series £70; individual talks £8.50. https://ti.to/magickal-women-conference/summer-salons?.

Sunday 2 August; Dream Academy - After Death Visitation Dreams. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Tickets: £11-£30. Time: 8pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Monday 3 August;  Mindful Still Life Monday Sessions with London Drawing, via Zoom. Two sessions: 12.30pm and 6pm. Free, donations welcome. http://londondrawing.com/events/mindful-still-life-monday-sessions/

Monday 3 August; Astrology Circle - Mars Retrograde. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 6.30pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Monday 3 August; Ways Into Witchcraft - Finding Your Coven. Online workshop with Rebecca Beattie, author of Nature Mystics, via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £20. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Monday 3 August; Full Moon Circle. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 8pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Tuesday 4 August; Intuition Masterclass. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Tickets: £20-£30. Time: 7pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Tuesday 4 August; Outdoor Lunar Ceremony by Thames in Central London. Organised through London Woodland Witches, Wiccans and Pagans.  Beginners of Wicca and Paganism welcome. Tuesday, Venue: Millennium Bridge, Thames Embankment. Meet at the Tate Community Gardens  by 7.15pm to be led to river bank area for ritual. Free event, but you must reserve a place. https://www.meetup.com/LondonWoodlandWitches

Wednesday 5 August; Introduction to Shamanic Drumming. Online workshop with Heron Drums. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £29. Details: https://www.herondrums.co.uk/workshops

Wednesday 5 August; Moon Books Live Talk and Discussion with Steve Andrews, author of Herbs of the Northern Shaman, hosted by Moon Books. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/618103335801623/

Wednesday 5 August; Soul Circle: Online Colour Meditation and Energy Healing, hosted by Emily Rose Home Design. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £6.57. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/soul-circle-colour-meditation-energy-healing-tickets-114875337226?

Wednesday 5 August; Full Moon Sound Journey. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£15). Time: 8.30pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Thursday 6 August; Psychedelic Magic. Online workshop with Julian Vayne via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £20. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Friday 7 August; Shakti Yoga. Online event with Dancing the Goddess. Time: 7am. Tickets: £7. https://www.meetup.com/Dancing-the-Goddess/

Friday 7 August; Feel Good Friday - Mastering Productivity. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£15). Time: 8am. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Friday 7 August; Traditions. Online talk via Children of Circe, is a private pagan group run by Richard Levy and sponsored by the Doreen Valiente Foundation. You have to join the group to watch the videos: Time: 8pm. Free event.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/725752541262809/

Saturday 8 August; Story Circle: The Supernatural Sea, with Vanessa of London Dreamtime. Time: 7pm. Free, but donations for Justice for Grenfell are encouraged. Details: https://www.londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Sunday 9 August; Druidic First Fruits of the Harvest Celebration on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Gather in the Hawthorne Grove at Primrose Hill, London, NW1 8YH, by 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.

Sunday 9 August; Greek Magical Papyri and exploring Aleister Crowley’s Bornless Rite. Online talk presented by Tom McArthur, organised through the Centre For Pagan Studies. Time: 4pm. Details: http://centre-for-pagan-studies.com/kitchen-table-talks-with-the-centre-for-pagan-studies-speakers/

Sunday 9 August; Carrie Kirkpatrick (Working with Goddesses) and Lyn Thurman (Energetic and Magickal Implications of a Pandemic). Part of the Magickal Women Conference Summer Salons. An online series of short, engaging talks with discussion via Zoom. Time: 7pm. Tickets for individual salons: £8.50. https://ti.to/magickal-women-conference/summer-salons?

Monday 10 August; Witchcraft with Mercury. Online workshop with Rebecca Beattie, author of Nature Mystics, via Treadwell's Online. Via Zoom. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £20. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Free Practical Magic 101 tutorials: How to do Candle Magic, How to Burn Loose Incense, How to use a Sage Smudge, How to use a Pendulum at https://www.treadwells-london.com/intro plus free podcasts: https://www.treadwells-london.com/treadwell-s-podcast  For  £12.99 a month you can also subscribe to gain access to uploaded illustrated lectures and seminars from Treadwell's renowned catalogue of events: https://www.treadwells-london.com/lectures

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not responsible for the content of any of these events. Where a practitioner is offering information about magical protection, this is *not* medical advice.

House of Spells & the Backward-Looking Beast Mystery

Here is a Viking mystery: what is the meaning of the Backward-Looking Beast?

I only came across this little beastie when I saw this brooch (pictured) in the House of Spells Viking collection. The description says it is a replica of a Viking brooch found at Coppergate, York. The original dates from the 10th century and features an animal looking over its shoulder. A similar design is seen on quite a few Viking brooches from that era.

Curious about what the Backward-Looking Beast represented, I did a bit of research. I found a picture of an original brooch on the Vikings in the East Midlands virtual museum website. It suggests the animal is meant to be a horse, and that brooches were commonly worn by Viking women as fastenings for clothing.

Last summer one was on show at Norwich Castle in an exhibition of Viking-era finds. It prompted an article in the Eastern Daily Press, reporting that hundreds of similar brooches have been unearthed, mainly in East Anglia and Yorkshire: "Each has a running animal, its head on the left of the design with a mane flowing down the left of the brooch, its spiky tail pointing upwards and its snout filling the space above its back as it glances, with a circular eye, back over its shoulder."

Jewellery was popular with both Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Some designs may have been worn by people as symbols of their cultural identity at a time when newcomers were integrating with older communities. Some, such as Thor's hammers (the picture right is an example from the House of Spells website), were also worn as good luck charms. The Backward-Looking Beast appears both as a Anglo-Saxon and Viking symbol, so isn't likely to be just for cultural identity.

Archaeologist Norman Smedley, in 'Some Anglo-Saxon Animal Brooches', writes that the design was originally popular with Anglo-Saxons, but was later copied and adapted by Vikings. He suggests the design might have had magical significance, as all of the complete versions he studied had precisely 28 beads around the border. He writes:

"It seems quite incredible that this constancy in the number of marginal beads can be the result of mere chance, though the precise significance is impossible to determine. Was the brooch some form of distinctive badge? Or had it some magical import? Twenty-eight is a multiple of seven, a number generally regarded as having an occult significance."

I'm not sure whether that completely solves the mystery, but it does suggest the Backward-Looking Beast brooch is more than just an attractive design. The replica you can buy from House of Spells is a cleaned up version of the original, which was severely worn. The brooch is available in pewter or bronze, and comes with a gift box. As I mentioned last week, I've managed to arrange 10% discount for readers of A Bad Witch's Blog on items bought from House of Spells, using this link:  https://houseofspells.co.uk/discount/BADW1  Delivery in the UK is free.

As well as ordering online, you can visit the shop in person and use the code BADW1 at the checkout to get the 10% discount. House of Spells is a two-minute walk from Leicester Square tube station at 69-71 Charing Cross Rd, West End, London WC2H 0NE. The hours are Monday to Friday from 10am to 8pm, and to 9pm at weekends.

Previous post
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/07/house-of-spells-magical-offer-for.html

Pagan Eye: White Butterfly on Sea Kale

I'm so enjoying being able to get to the seaside again this summer, but I'm keeping away from crowds by walking along the less-frequented coastal paths. Yesterday morning I took photographs of wildflowers, including this sea kale - being enjoyed also by a small white butterfly. Kale is one of those vegetables that some love and some hate. I happen to like it, but it is a protected plant so I didn't go foraging, even though it would have gone very well with the veggie sausages and mash I cooked for lunch.

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.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/06/pagan-eye-sea-kale-on-sussex-beach.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/08/pagan-eye-stone-skull-with-crystal-eye.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/05/pagan-eye-sussex-beach-sea-and-sky-at.html

House of Spells: Magical Offer for Readers of this Blog

Back in the before times, when I was wandering around London one day last winter, I came across a magical shop I had not seen before. Drawn inside, I discovered a place I could happily browse for ages. I was captivated. The shop was the House of Spells on Charing Cross Road.

The House of Spells describes itself as: "An unabridged world of enchanted artefacts and collectables from Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of The Rings, Fantastic Beasts, The Hobbit, Vikings or any other fandom." As well as being a real-world witch, I'm a big fan of all of those books, films and series, and I've got quite a few collectables around the house.

What I'm really excited to announce today, is that I've managed to arrange 10% discount for readers of A Bad Witch's Blog on items bought from House of Spells, using this link:  https://houseofspells.co.uk/discount/BADW1  Delivery in the UK is free.

As well as ordering online, you can again visit the shop in person, as it is open once more following lockdown, with social distancing in place. If you haven't been before, I thoroughly recommend doing so, as it is so witchy and magical in its concept and design. The staff are really lovely and happy to answer questions, and there are some virtual reality experiences to try out too. You can use the code BADW1 both online and in the shop at the checkout to get the 10% discount.

House of Spells is a two-minute walk from Leicester Square tube station at 69-71 Charing Cross Rd, West End, London WC2H 0NE. The hours are Monday to Friday from 10am to 8pm, and to 9pm at weekends.

Over the next week I'll be blogging more about items at the House of Spells that have caught my eye, including the mystery of the Backward-Looking Beast...

The pictures on this page are from the House of Spells on Twitter @HouseofSpells

Pagan Eye: Scrying by Water and Lantern-Light

Jane Mortimer photographed her scrying bowl, lantern and scented oil burner, and I think the image is really evocative. She wrote: "I don't do magickal workings at the dark of the Moon, but it's a good time for scrying, so I thought I'd have a go. The 5p coin in the bowl looked a bit like the moon with the frankincense oil fumes wafting across it. The oil burner was a little treat when I went shopping to my favourite witchy shop... 13 Moons."

I admit I hadn't heard of 13 Moons before, so I did a search and discovered the shop is at
855 Forest Road, London E17, and has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MOONSnStar/

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.

The photo at the top is copyright Jane Mortimer.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/03/witchcraft-on-shoestring-scrying-on.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/10/guided-visualisation-for-samhain.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/10/craft-making-dark-mirrors-scrying-balls.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/04/pagan-eye-flame-of-avalon-burning-for.html

Online and London Pagan Events in the Next Week

Here is a list of (mostly) online events for pagans, witches and those with similar interests. I've also added a few in-person activities in or near London, which I am starting to include as we come out of lockdown. I generally list events in the UK, but some of the online activities are outside that time zone, so check when it will start in your location. If you know of an online ritual, talk, meeting or workshop you want included, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com

Wednesday 22 July; New Moon Sound Journey. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£15). Time: 7pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Wednesday 22 July; Essential Oils for the Body. Online workshop with Hackney Herbal. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £20. http://www.hackneyherbal.com/workshops/

Wednesday 22 July; Moon Books Live Talk with Ellen Evert Hopman, author of A Legacy of Druids, hosted by Moon Books. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/704800746968008/

Thursday 23 July; Academic online workshop on The Decline of Magic. Brendan Walsh: ‘The Demonologist King: James Stuart’s role in the collapse of English Protestant Demonology’; Laura Kounine: ‘Emotions, the body, and the supernatural in an 18th-century German criminal trial’; Kristof Smeyers: ‘Religious disenchantment in the 19th and 20th centuries: qualifying the supernatural’; Jan Machielsen: ‘Making Witchcraft a Thing of the Past: Scholarly Masculinity and the Origins of Witchcraft. Moderated discussion of papers. Time: 10am-noon. To register email MachielsenJ@cardiff.ac.uk and william.pooley@bristol.ac.uk

Thursday 23 July; Uncovering the Parish Church’s Naughty Bits. Live video with Dr Emma Wells. Time: 1pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/826316977895379/

Thursday 23 July; Isis-Magdalene Crossbones Vigil (on the Astral). At 7pm on the 23rd of every month since June 2004, people led by John Crow and friends have gathered by Crossbones Graveyard in Redcross Way, London, to honour the outcast dead. In your own space, light a candle and say the words you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/GooseandCrow/

Thursday 23 July; Being Baphomet. Online workshop with Julian Vayne via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £20. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Thursday 23 July; Shamanic Journeying. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 7pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Thursday 23 July; Kundalini Activation and Shamanic Journey - the Soul Star Chakra, with the Divine Awakening Sacred Circle London Meetup Group. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £13. https://www.meetup.com/The-Divine-Awakening-Sacred-Circle-London/

Friday 24 July (tbc - usually every Friday); Friday Live Chat hosted by Rachel Patterson, author of the Kitchen Witch series of books. Time: 9am. Free event. https://www.facebook.com/RachelPattersonbooks/

Friday 24 July. Mystic Dreams Shop Launch. Online Event. Time: 9am-11pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/285354089202963/

Friday 24 July; The Long Road to Swedenborg Gardens. Online talk with Iain Sinclair. Hosted by Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and Swedenborg House. Time: 6.30pm. Free, but you must book a ticket and donations welcome. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thefriendsoftowerhamletscemeterypark/388414?

Friday 24 July; Friday Night In - Breathwork for Creativity. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 7pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Friday 24 July; The Mechanics of Magic. Online talk via Children of Circe, is a private pagan group run by Richard Levy and sponsored by the Doreen Valiente Foundation. You have to join the group to watch the videos: Time: 7pm. Free event.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/725752541262809/

Friday 24 - Saturday 25 July; Aphrodite's Flame Monthly Festival. Join Aphrodite's Flame Keepers to tend a flame from dusk to dusk in your own home. Venue: Worldlwide. Time: 9pm to 9pm. Details: https://www.facebook.com/aphroditesflame/

Saturday 25 - Wednesday 29 July; Fringe events and concerts before Glastonbury Online Goddess Conference. Tickets £15-£60. https://goddessconference.com/

Saturday 25 July; Harvesting and using herbs to make remedies. Online workshop with Hackney Herbal. Time: 11am. Tickets: £20. http://www.hackneyherbal.com/workshops/

Saturday 25 July. Witchfest Online: Songs by Paul Mitchell. Time: 4pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/1109713506070607/

Sunday 26 July; Waffling Witches Book of Shadows Live. Online event with the Kitchen Witch Coven of Natural Witchery and author Rachel Patterson. Time: 10am. https://www.facebook.com/events/272157724049168/

Sunday 26 July; North West Kent Pagans - Virtual Moot on Zoom. Time: 11am. https://www.facebook.com/events/358622681788247/

Sunday 26 July; Joint Kith of the Well and Luna Iter Outdoor Ritual. Hackney Marshes. Meet outside Lee Valley Ice Centre, Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, E10 7QL between 4pm and 5pm to walk to the ritual site in the marshes. Ritual starts at 6pm. Bring your own picnic food and drink, as well as your own cup, for the feast afterwords. https://www.facebook.com/events/633537757369369/permalink/633887080667770/

Sunday 26 July; Dream Academy - Mutual Dreaming. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Tickets: £11-£30. Time: 8pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Monday 27 July; Shakti Yoga. Online event with Dancing the Goddess. Time: 7am. Tickets: £7. https://www.meetup.com/Dancing-the-Goddess/

Monday 27 July; Mindful Still Life Monday Sessions with London Drawing, via Zoom. Two sessions: 12.30pm and 6pm. Free, but donations welcome. http://londondrawing.com/events/mindful-still-life-monday-sessions/

Monday 27 July; Young Urban Witches. Workshop for the under-30s with Rebecca Beattie, author of Nature Mystics, via Treadwell's Online. Via Zoom. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Monday 27 July; Astrology Circle - Mars Retrograde. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 6.30pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Monday 27 July; Online Planetary magic for Beginners. Organised through London Woodland Witches, Wiccans and Pagans. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.meetup.com/LondonWoodlandWitches

Tuesday 28 July; Root, Branch and Weave: In Search of a British Creation Myth by Jon the Storyteller. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £5 – £8. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/root-branch-and-weave-in-search-of-a-british-creation-myth-tickets-110808749954?

Wednesday 29 July; Moon Books Live Talk and discussion with Taren S, author of Hoodoo in the Psalms, hosted by Moon Books. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/299480077902063/

Wednesday 29 July; July Hertford Moot Social and Future Planning. Online. Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/338684727136517/

Wednesday 29 July; Sound Journey - Attune to the Moon. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£15). Time: 8.30pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Thursday 30 July; Chaos Witchcraft with Julian Vayne, co-author of Chaos Craft; The Wheel of the Year in Eight Colours. Online workshop via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £20. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Thursday 30 July; Shamanic Journeying. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£1-£20). Time: 7pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Thursday 30 July - Sunday 2 August; Glastonbury Online Goddess Conference. Full online tickets £260, but cheaper options available. https://goddessconference.com/

Thursday 30 July; TEDx Stormont Virtual Summer Camp Storytelling. Includes storytelling by London Dreamtime. Free, but donations welcome.
Time: 8.30pm. Details:
https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/38652

Friday 31 July; Online launch of The Secret of The Alchemist, by Colm Holland. Part of Mind, Body, Spirit Festivals. Time: 1pm. Free, but you must reserve a ticket in advance: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-secret-of-the-alchemist-launch-colm-holland-tickets-111127214490?

Friday 31 July; The Nature of Spellwork. Online talk via Children of Circe, is a private pagan group run by Richard Levy and sponsored by the Doreen Valiente Foundation. You have to join the group to watch the videos: Time: 7pm. Free event.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/725752541262809/

Friday 31 July; Tackling Anxiety. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 8am. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Friday 31 July; Friday Night In - Breathwork for Creativity. Digital event organised by She's Lost Control. Pay what you can sessions (£5-£20). Time: 7pm. https://www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk/digital

Friday 31 July; Lammas Witchcraft. Talk and discussion with Rebecca Beattie, author of Nature Mystics, through Treadwell's Online. Via Zoom. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £20. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Saturday 1 August; Soul, Body, Mind. Online course with Sarah Tyler-Walters through the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 11am-4pm. Tickets: Members: £65, Non-members: £85. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 1 - Monday 3 August; Online Full Moon Event with Healing Moons. Three live guided meditations over three days. Free. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/2588151531515215/

Saturday 1 August; Folkestone Pagans Lughnasadh Virtual Ceremony, with Folkestone Pagan Circle. Using Zoom and Facebook Live. Time: 7.20pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/750097392402875/

Saturday 1 - Sunday 2 August; Aphrodite's Festival - Vinalia Rustica/Lammas. Join Aphrodite's Flame Keepers to tend a candle flame from for as long as you wish in your own home. You can use real candles or LED lights. Venue: Worldwide. Details: https://www.facebook.com/aphroditesflame/

Sunday 2 August; Foraging Walk with John the Poacher on Hackney Marshes. Organised by Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 11am-3.30pm. Tickets: £35. www.aho.community

Sunday 2 August; Lammas Harvest Ritual. Outdoor, social distanced ritual with London Woodland Witches. Meet at the entrance to Queen's Woods, Highate, London N6 5UU, by 2pm. Tickets: £5 and you must reserve a place in advance. https://www.meetup.com/LondonWoodlandWitches

Sunday 2 August; 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 2 August; Symbolic Magic. Online talk presented by Kevin Groves, organised through the Centre For Pagan Studies. Time: 4pm. Details: http://centre-for-pagan-studies.com/kitchen-table-talks-with-the-centre-for-pagan-studies-speakers/

Sunday 2 August; UnRipped. An event celebrating the lives of women who are usually only known as “Victims of Jack the Ripper”. Online poetry, songs and storytelling with Vanessa of London Dreamtime and John Constable of Crossbones Graveyardk. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £5. Details: https://www.londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Sunday 2 August; Emma Kathryn (Herblore and Magick - An Exploration of Herb and Plant Use in Witchcraft) and Baya Salmon-Hawk (Bridget Cleary: the last witch to be burned in Ireland?). Part of the Magickal Women Conference Summer Salons. An online series of short, engaging talks with discussion via Zoom, every Sunday at 7pm to 27 September  Tickets for entire series: £70, or you can book up for individual talks at £8.50 each. https://ti.to/magickal-women-conference/summer-salons?.

Free Practical Magic 101 tutorials: How to do Candle Magic, How to Burn Loose Incense, How to use a Sage Smudge, How to use a Pendulum at https://www.treadwells-london.com/intro plus free podcasts: https://www.treadwells-london.com/treadwell-s-podcast  For  £12.99 a month you can also subscribe to gain access to uploaded illustrated lectures and seminars from Treadwell's renowned catalogue of events: https://www.treadwells-london.com/lectures

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not responsible for the content of any of these events. Where a practitioner is offering information about magical protection, this is *not* medical advice.

News: Witches, Curses, Persecution, Pagans & History

Here is a round-up of news stories including young witches cursing the moon, discovery of a witch bottle, plans for teaching Aleister Crowley's magic, witch persecution and a look at history, archaeology and art:

"TikTok Witches Are Claiming to Have Cast a Hex on the Moon" - story at Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-witches-cast-hex-moon-1519022

"New Orleans Man Finds 'Witch Bottle' With Teeth Inside Buried In Ground By Mississippi River" - Story at UNILAD: https://www.unilad.co.uk/life/new-orleans-man-finds-witch-bottle-with-teeth-inside-buried-in-ground-by-mississippi-river/

"Restored Boleskine House to promote doctrines of 'sex magick' occultist Aleister Crowley" - story at The Times: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/restored-mansion-to-promote-doctrines-of-sex-magick-occultist-aleister-crowley-vv32z80gn

"Tackling Witch Persecution Amid COVID19 Pandemic in Africa" - story at Modern Ghana: https://www.modernghana.com/news/1016956/tackling-witch-persecution-amid-covid19-pandemic.html

"Julian Clary on his new pagan beliefs and saucy persona, Odette" - story at The Times: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/julian-clary-on-his-new-pagan-beliefs-and-saucy-persona-odette-rjrfczx0b

"Netflix Cursed: Could the cast survive medieval times?" - interviews with the creators and cast at BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/newsbeat-53417705

"The Druids: Philosophers, Politicians, Priests or Sorcerers?" - A look at historical sources on druidry at HowStuffWorks: https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/druids.htm

"Vast Temple Complex Found at Navan Fort in Northern Ireland" - story at Ancient Origins: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/navan-fort-0013992

"Who was this witch's occult rival? The great British art quiz" story at The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jul/10/great-british-art-quiz-royal-cornwall-museum

"Surreal Santa Rosa Art Show Looks at the Occult in America" - story at Bohemian: https://www.bohemian.com/BohoBlog/archives/2020/07/01/surreal-santa-rosa-art-show-looks-at-the-occult-in-america

Pagan Eye: Two Frogs and a Newt in a Garden

The two frogs and a newt were discovered by Mark Jones when he was weeding his garden. He said the frogs were about the size of his thumb and he found them underneath some greenery.

You can tell the difference between a frog and a toad because frogs have smooth, wet skin and toads have warty, dry skin. This looks to me like a common frog. They are very useful in the garden because they eat slugs and snails. I'm not quite sure what type of newt it is. If you can identify it, do leave a comment. Please also let me know what wildlife you are seeing in your garden.

On each of my Pagan Eye posts, I show a photo that I find interesting, with a few words about it. 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.

The photo is copyright Mark Jones.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/08/pagan-eye-pair-of-hedgehogs.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/05/pagan-eye-common-toad-my-new-little.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/01/pagan-eye-fox-and-badger-in-south.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/07/pagan-eye-wildflowers-growing-around.html

Scary Dolls: What Should I Do With This Broken Head?

If you find a broken doll in by your home, it can be a curse. In some magical traditions, a practitioner will make a poppet or sometimes use a mass-produced toy, which looks pretty but is damaged in some - often hidden - way. They enchant it so that whoever picks it up suffers pain just as the doll was broken, then leave it by the home of whoever they feel needs punishing.

I went into my garden yesterday and found this creepy doll's head on my lawn. I don't really think this one is a curse. I suspect it was left by one of the fox cubs I regularly see playing. It does look a bit spooky though. I photographed it, but didn't bring take it into my house. Maybe I'm a little superstitious - or maybe I just didn't want to deprive the foxes of their plaything.

It is still there again this morning. What do you think I should do with it?

You can find out more about effigy magic in my book Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/07/curses-what-would-you-do-if-you-found.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/11/magical-dolls-history-of-poppets-effigy.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/03/crafting-magical-dolls-guatemalan-worry.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/04/witchfest-online-my-talk-on-poppets-and.html

Magic and Games: Monopoly Charm Candle Spell

Did you know that the original Monopoly playing pieces were bracelet charms? Charles Darrow was using buttons to test his new game, but the women in his family preferred using the more personalised good luck trinkets on their bracelets instead. Parker, which published Monopoly in America, agreed and kept the concept. That's how the classic Monopoly playing tokens came about. There's a long history of magic and games being intertwined, and this is just a tiny part of it. You can also bring Monopoly charm magic full circle and use the playing pieces as part of candle spells.

When you do a candle spell, you can just burn a tealight and make a wish, but you can make it more effective by adding things that symbolise or correspond with what you want. Traditionally, you can pick a candle of a suitable colour, carve words into it, anoint it with oils, add scents, and possibly pick a special candle holder to put it in before you light it and cast your spell. However, sometimes you don't have all those things in the house when you need them, or you can't afford to buy them.

An ordinary white tealight is fine - and you can use other things around the house to add symbolism. If you have a copy of Monopoly, those playing pieces are perfect. The ones in the photo above are from the 1970s American set. Modern copies have done a bit of switching to keep up with the times. If you bought your game recently, it might have a cat, a duck, a penguin or a T-rex. You can also use the houses, money and dice. Here's a list of the pieces and what they could represent in spellwork, but feel free to use your own intuition and come up with other ideas:

• Boot: Safe journey on foot; give someone or something the boot; healing for the feet or legs; putting your best foot forward in any venture
• Top hat: Job success; help in theatrical ventures; healing for matters of the mind; confidence in general; performance of magic
• Iron: Smoothing out difficulties; help with domestic matters
• Thimble: Protection; love and romance (thimbles were traditional gifts as love tokens); thriftiness
• Wheelbarrow: Gardening; help with carrying heavy loads both physical and emotional; the environment
• Ship: Safe journey by water; dealing with emotional issues
• Car: Safe journey by road; help with mechanical matters; finding your route ahead in life
• Gun: Protection; help in winning battles of any kind
• Horse and rider: Gaining control of your life; help with moving forward; relationship issues; emotional balance; health in general
• Dog: Protection; companionship; assistance with life's difficulties; courage; healing for animals; 
• Cat: Psychic powers; companionship; independence; healing for animals
• Duck: Safety in water; emotional issues; healing for aquatic creatures
• Penguin: Family issues; good parenting; coping with harsh environments; environmental problems 
• T-rex: Protection; courage; facing fears
• House: Anything to do with the house or home, especially moving home; security and safety; family issues
• Hotel: Safety when staying away from home
• Money: Wealth; abundance; getting a pay rise or a new job
• Dice: Luck

You can also use the Community Chest and Chance cards for their specific wishes, although I hope you don't often need a Get Out of Jail Free card.

Here's how to do a simple candle spell using Monopoly pieces. All you need is a white tealight candle, some matches and the bits from a Monopoly set. Decide what you want to wish for and then choose the game pieces or cards that most closely match your aim. You might just use one, or you could use a combination. 

Then, try to sum up your wish in one or two words. Inscribe those words on your candle with the end of the match, then place it on a heat-proof surface and put the Monopoly pieces around it or in front. Light the candle. As you do so, visualise your wish coming true. You can say some words out loud too:

By candle flame
And token's charm
My wish be made
To no one's harm

Let the candle burn down, but for safety don't leave it unattended. If you need to leave it, extinguish it and relight it another time.

You can find more candle spells in my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic, and you can see details of my other books on my Moon Books author page.

(Please note I earn commission from some links)