Monday, 31 July 2023

Craft: I Wove a Basket from Foraged Honeysuckle


The little basket you can see in the photo above is one I made myself completely from scratch, using honeysuckle from my garden. It's a bit uneven, but I'm pleased with it as it's the first basket I've ever made.

Before starting, I watched several tutorials on YouTube and read some online instructions too. There are many methods, I discovered, but I chose one that seemed reasonably easy. Honeysuckle has really long stems, which makes it good for this kind of project. The most difficult part was prepping it.  

I picked enough honeysuckle to fill a large pan, filled that with water and boiled it for about an hour, then left it soaking in the water for a few hours longer. Boiling and soaking kills bugs, makes it easier to remove the outer bark, and softens it for weaving. By stripping the outer bark and cutting off random twiggy bigs, you're left with even strands of a lovely golden colour. It took me ages to strip the bark though. I used a scouring cloth, a knife and my nails, but it took ages and was quite hard work. If I do it again I'll see if there are better tools for bark stripping.

The prepped stalks can be used immediately if they're still damp, or you can leave them to dry. If you dry them you'll need to soak them again before weaving to make them supple.

To create a round basket like mine you place four strands of honeysuckle one way, then cross that with another four strands. Take a long strand of honeysuckle and use that to bind the eight crossed strands securely. Then you need to trim two of the crossed strands near the crossed section, so you have an uneven number of pairs of strands left. 

Start weaving the long strand in and out of pairs of strands around the basket frame. Because there's now an uneven number of pairs making the frame, the long strand will go over each one then under each one, keeping it all firmly in place. When the basket is as high as you want it to be, bend the tops of each of the frame strand pairs around the next pair and poke them back inside the basket. Trim the excess bits of honeysuckle off. 

I'll be honest with you, watching a YouTube video of someone making a basket is probably going to be easier to follow than my written instructions here.

It seemed to me that making a basket was a perfect craft to do before Lammas, the festival in the Wheel of the Year celebrating the start of the harvest. Our ancestors would have used baskets made in much this way when gathering fruit or herbs. My first basket is very small. It would be perfect to put on an altar or to leave out in nature with a few berries in as an offering to the spirits of the season and wild creatures. Being completely natural, it would harmlessly biodegrade in time. 

However, I have another planned use for it, which I'll be blogging about in the future. 

You can find more seasonal crafts and activities in my book, Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year, published by Moon Books.  

Friday, 28 July 2023

My Events: Scrying, Candle Spells & Autumn Magic


Here are details of the talks, workshops and other events I'm involved with from now until the end of September. There's a mix of online and in-person events on scrying, candle magic and the Wheel of the Year

August 

Online Evening Classes in Scrying 
On Wednesday 2 and 9 August  I'm running a two-part online evening class on Scrying: Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £75. You can find more details and book here: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

In-Person Scrying Workshop
I'm teaching an in-person scrying class on Saturday 19 August at Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Cost: £22 per person.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop. 


September

Scottish Goddess Conference
The Scottish Goddess Conference runs from 13 to 17 September and this year's topic is Oracles of the Divine. I will be giving an online talk on scrying as part of the programme. More details are due to be posted here: https://www.scottishgoddessconference.com/

In-Person Candle Magic Workshop at Crystal Wicca
On Tuesday 19 September I'll be running a candle magic workshop at Crystal Wicca, 4a Station Buildings, Station Approach, Hayes BR2 7EN. The event starts at 7.30pm. More details are on the shop's website: https://crystalwicca.co.uk/

Autumn Magic for the Equinox
I'll be giving an online talk, Autumn Magic for the Equinox, on Thursday 21 September. It will be via Zoom through The Last Tuesday Society and The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities. The talk starts at 7.30pm. Tickets · are from £5.82. You can find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

In-Person Candle Magic Workshop at Treadwell's
I'm runing an in-person candle magic workshop at Treadwell's in London on Saturday 30 September. It's based on my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic. Treadwell's Bookshop is at 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. It's an afternoon class, starting at 1pm. Tickets are £22 per person and can be booked at https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Launch Event for Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year
On Saturday 30 September I'll be doing the first official in-person launch event for my new book Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year with a signing and chance to chat at Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. It starts at 3.20pm and is free, just turn up. More details here:  https://www.treadwells-london.com/.

I'm Lucya Starza and as well as writing A Bad Witch's Blog I'm the author of books in the Pagan Portals series on Candle Magic, Guided Visualisations, Poppets and Magical Dolls, Scrying, and Rounding the Wheel of the Year. You can buy my books at Treadwell's Bookshop, via Amazon, at the College of Psychic Studies in London and at other bookshops. You can find more about me at my author page at publisher Moon Books, and on my Amazon author page.

Thursday, 27 July 2023

Book Review: Pagan Portals - Planetary Magic

Whenever I do spells, I check the phase of the moon and day of the week and try to use the prevalent energy. Most witches find magic works best when the moon is full.

In ancient times, the Moon was thought of as a planet, as was the Sun. Monday was the Moon's day. Sunday was associated with the Sun.  The other days of the week were also linked to planets: Wednesday with Mercury, Friday with Venus, Tuesday with Mars, Thursday with Jupiter and Saturday with Saturn. These planetary correspondences are still used by magical practitioners today because the power of tradition is also a strong force.

Pagan Portals: Planetary Magic offers a really good explanation of the history and uses of the power of the planets, what each represents and the colours, herbs and other material components associated with them. Author Rebecca Beattie also goes into each day's planetary hours, to really tap into the right energy for whatever spell you're doing.

Publisher Moon Books says on its website:

"At the core of modern pagan witchcraft is a knowledge system concerning traditions of nature, connection, and embodiment to the astrological planets. Throughout magical history, practitioners of magic have looked to the planets for inspiration and magical help. From the earliest beginnings of written magical texts - the grimoires - magical systems were based on the seven planetary powers that were visible in the night sky. The grimoires were then studied by practitioners of folk-magic - the cunning folk - and by influential groups from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to practitioners of modern witchcraft."

After exploring the history of planetary magic, Rebecca Beattie explains how to work with the seven energetic powers. The book then has a full chapter on each of the planets in turn, including symbols and sigils; incense, oil and tea recipes; appropriate deities; tarot symbolism; and talismans to craft.

Planetary Magic is delightfully written, accessible and practical. I'd thoroughly recommend the book for anyone wanting to learn to use the correspondences of the planets and those with some experience already who want to delve a bit deeper into this essential aspect of witchcraft ancient and modern.

Rebecca Beattie's earlier Pagan Portals title, Nature Mystics, looked at ten writers and their influence on the cultural cauldron that enabled Modern Paganism to emerge in the Twentieth Century. You can find her website at www.rebeccabeattie.co.uk 

Pagan Portals: Planetary Magic can be viewed on Amazon and at publisher Moon Book's website.

(Note: I earn commission from advertisers for some links. This helps support my blog at no extra cost to those who read my posts.)

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/11/book-review-wheel-of-year.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/07/review-nature-mystics-literary-gateway.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/04/interview-rebecca-beattie-on-books-and.html

Wednesday, 26 July 2023

Lammas Rites & Pagan Events Online & Near London

Lammas is on August 1 and is a festival to celebrate the start of the harvest celebrated in the Pagan Wheel of the Year. Here are details of some of the online events you can do anywhere, and in-person events in and near London over that time and the week ahead.  

Now - 13 August; Luxury and Power - Persia to Greece exhibition. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tickets £15/free for members. https://www.britishmuseum.org/

Now to 30 July; Labyrinth - Knossos, Myth and Reality. Exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Full price tickets £15.30. https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/labyrinth-knossos-myth-reality

Now to 29 September;  For a Better Understanding of Life,  exhibition. Venue: Swedenborg House, 20-21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Tickets free. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-swedenborg-society-8460713300

Every Wednesday and Friday; Open Days at the College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am - 4pm. Free, just pop in. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 26 July (every Wednesday); Live Chat hosted by Rachel Patterson, author of the Gods and Goddesses of England and the Kitchen Witch series of books. Time: 9am. Free. https://www.facebook.com/RachelPattersonbooks/

Wednesday 26 July  - 16 September. Deep Time: Uncovering Our Hidden Past an exhibition of contemporary sculpture by Angela Palmer. Venue: Pangolin London, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG.  Free entry. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/deep-time-uncovering-our-hidden-past-tickets-661182844687

Wednesday 26 July (every Wednesday); Feeling Sound Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday 26 July; New Witches' Club - Beginners to Witchcraft. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283


Wednesday 26 July (last Wednesday every month); Resurrection - Talk at Hertford Pagan Moot. Venue: The White Horse, 33 Castle Street, Hertford. Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047

Thursday 27 July; Morning Meditation. Free online event via Rest Less Events. Time: 9am. https://events.restless.co.uk/event-calendar/30-minute-morning-meditation/?

Thursday 27 July; Midweek Meditation with the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 3pm. Tickets: free for members/£7.50 non members. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 27 July; Restorative Healing Breathwork. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £40. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday 27 July; Blue Lotus Ceremony. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £30.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Thursday 27 July (every Thursday); Talk on a paranormal subject for ASSAP members. Time: 7pm. Free event, with Zoom link details emailed out to members. To join ASSAP, for £5 per year, visit https://assap.ac.uk/

Friday 28 July; Resins Workshop. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 2pm (to be confirmed). Tickets: £40. https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Friday 28 July; Mind, Body Restore Online Yoga. Time: 6.15pm. Free online event. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents/

Friday 28 July; Ask a Witch in the Treehouse. Join Liz and Sheena for a witchy chat via Facebook live. Time: 6.30pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/1765337810551264/

Friday 28 July; Celestial Soundscapes Journey. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Friday 28 July; Womb Healing Ceremony. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Friday 28 July; Online Meditation Session. Time: Time: 7.30pm. Free online event, but donations welcome. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents/

Friday 28 July; Online Book Launch - Norns - Weavers of Fate and Magick by Irisanya Moon, Author and Witch. Time: 10pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/227902293343348/

Saturday 29 July; Interactive Talk with Palmist Robin Lown. Venue: Crystal Wicca, 4a Station Buildings, Station Approach, Hayes BR2 7EN. Time: 10am. Tickets: £15. https://crystalwicca.co.uk/shop-events-1

Saturday 29 July; How to Communicate with Your Unborn Baby. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 10.30am. Tickets: £150. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Saturday 29 July;  The Dragon and the Phoenix. Workshop with Joan Osborne. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £115. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 29 July; Womens Healing Circle and Picnic Social - Theme: "Gifts of the Mother". Organised by South London Womens Circles and Healing Space. Venue in Tooting, South London. Time: 11.45am. Tickets: £22 https://www.meetup.com/south-london-womens-circles/events/

Saturday 29 July; Free and Open Gorsedd For Lammas at Avebury Stones. Meet at the Red Lion pub, Avebury, Wiltshire, from noon for ceremony around 1.30pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/973833447401328?

Saturday 29 July;  Make an Intuitive Clay Sculpture for Your Altar with Nicole Frobusch. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 1pm. Tickets: £75. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 29 July; Meet Your Dragon Team. Workshop with Caroline Mitchell online via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 29 July; Activate your 13 Chakra System with Linda Penny online via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 29 July; Lammas Ceremony with Watchers of the Old Ways. Venue: Rollright Stones, Little Rollright, Warwickshire, OX7 5. Time: 2pm. Entry £2. https://www.facebook.com/events/795356472241461

Saturday 29 July; Walking in the Footsteps of your Year, at this Lughnasdah Solar Festival. Guided walk with Jeremy Rye. Meet at the London Stone (TBC prior to the walk) 111 Cannon Street, London EC4N 5AR. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/jeremy-rye-31055883021#

Saturday 29 July; Detoxifying Masculine Trauma. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 5pm. Tickets: £44. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 30 July; Lammas/Lughnasadh Festival 2023. Online event by The Pagan Federation Community Support Team. Time: 10am-4pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/608604684737299/

Sunday 30 July; Shamanic Group with Les Fuller. All welcome Venue: Woodford Church at 9 Grove Crescent, South Woodford, London E18 2JR. Time 11am-3pm. Tickets: £10. http://woodfordchurch.com/

Sunday, 30 July; Herb walk at Walthamstow Wetlands. Meet at Coppermill Fields Car Park, Coppermill Lane, London E17 7HG. Time: 11.30am. Tickets: £23. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/herb-walk-at-walthamstow-wetlands-tickets-669348137297?

Sunday 30 July; Anderida Gorsedd Lughnasadh open ritual. Venue: Long Man of Wilmington, Wilmington, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. Meet near the car park between 1.30pm and 2pm, walk up to the chalk hill figure at 2pm. Afterwards, the Giants Rest pub. https://www.facebook.com/groups/227609495203/

Sunday 30 July (usually every 2 months); Meeting of Kith of The Tree and the Well. Venue: The Horseshoe Inn, 26 Melior St, London SE1 3QP. Time: 2pm. Entry £2. https://www.facebook.com/events/535659955332500

Sunday 30 July (and other times and dates); Soul Restore Sound Healing. Venue: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG. Time: 4pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-mandrake-17825575648

Saturday 29 July; Vortex Awakening Sound Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 5pm. Tickets: £25.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Sunday 30 July (every Sunday); 30-Minute Mindfulness for people of all beliefs. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 6pm. Free, just turn up. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Sunday 30 July; Loki's Banishment. Online event via Bennu's Table. Within Bennu’s Table, Katie Gerrard blends psychology with witchcraft and shamanism. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £2. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/bennus-table-48276445013

Sunday 30 July; Wheel of the Year: Lammas/Lughnasadh Pagan celebration for the harvest. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 7pm. Free, just turn up. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Monday 31 July; Full Moon in Aquarius Circle. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £25.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Monday 31 July; Lammas in the Wheel of the Year. Online workshop with Rebecca Beattie, author of The Wheel of the Year, via Treadwell's. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Monday 31 July; Taking Nature's Hand: August. What has nature in mind for you this month? Online event with Jeremy Rye.  Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/jeremy-rye-31055883021#

Monday 31 July;  Moon ritual: Fortune Beasts by Intimate Animals and Ugly Duck. Venue: Ugly Duck, 49 Tanner Street, London SE1 3PL. Time: 7pm. Tickets by donation. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/intimate-animals-ugly-duck-48346099203

Monday 31 July (every Monday); Tea With a Druid. Free online event by the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. Time 8pm. https://druidry.org/

Tuesday, 1 August; Lughnasadh Celebration Circle Harvest Festival, Spiritual Gathering on Peckham Rye. Meet at Rons Coffee House, Holdrons Arcade, 135a Rye Lane, London SE15 4ST. Time: 5pm. Free. Bring food and drink to share. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lughnasadh-celebration-circle-harvest-festival-spiritual-gathering-tickets-664600647427?

Tuesday 1 August; Launch Party and Blessing Ritual - Red Goddess, Come, with Halo Quin. Online event. Time: 5.30pm. https://haloquin.ck.page/ritual?

Tuesday 1 - Sunday 6 August; Glastonbury Goddess Conference. Hybrid event in Glastonbury and online. Full ticket £360, 1-day ticket £90-£100, Online ticket: £99 https://goddessconference.com/

Tuesday 1 August; Lammas - Fields of Abundance Ritual. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Tuesday 1 August; Lammas Full Moon in Aquarius Cacao Ceremony. Venue:  Revive Yoga Balham, 45 Balham High Road, London SW12 9AN. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £27.80. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lammas-full-moon-in-aquarius-cacao-ceremony-tickets-669286242167?

Tuesday 1 August;  Creating Sacred Space for Magic - Workshop with Suzanne Corbie  via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Tuesday 1 August; Moon Space - SLC's cosmic cyber circle with Tree Carr. Online via She's Lost Control. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Tuesday 1 August (first Tuesday each month);  Talk on shrooms at Romford Pagan Moot. Venue: The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford. Time: 7.30pm. Entry £4. https://www.facebook.com/Romford-Pagan-Moote-634178063700381

Tuesday 1 August;  Full Moon Ceremony and Magic by the Thames with Mani via London Woodland Witches, Wiccans and Pagans. Venue: Meet by the Millennium Bridge, · London. Time: 7pm. Tickets £5. https://www.meetup.com/londonwoodlandwitches/events/

Tuesday 1 August; Full Moon Celeration with South East London Pagans. Venue: One Tree Hill, Honor Oak, London. Time: 7.30pm. Free, bring food and drink to share. https://www.facebook.com/events/800700261707859/

Tuesday 1 August; We are the Harvest: a free online celebration of Lughnasadh and Lammas with Cunning Folk. Time: 7pm. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-are-the-harvest-a-free-online-celebration-of-lughnasadh-and-lammas-tickets-667589447007?

Tuesday 1 August; Lucky For Some: Gypsies and the Supernatural. Talk by Jeremy Harte at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7EX. Door time: 7:30pm, Starts: 8pm. Tickets: £5/£3. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Tuesday 1 August (tbc but usually first Tuesday each month); The Witches' Inn Moot. Venue: Halt and Pull pub, Horley. Time: 8pm. Free event. https://www.facebook.com/The-Witches-Inn-1568424150049437

Wednesday 2 August; Full Moon Sound Ceremony. Venue: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG. Time: 7pm. Tickets from: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-mandrake-17825575648

Wednesday 2 and 9 August;  I'm running a two-part online evening class on Scrying: Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £75. You can find more details and book here: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 2 August;  Full Moon and Lammas Celebration. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Wednesday 2 August; Full Moon Lammas Goddess Circle. Venue: The Goddess Studio, Whitehouse Way, London N14 7LU.  Time: 7pm. Tickets: £25.63. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/full-moon-lammas-goddess-circle-tickets-684876362637

Thursday 3 August; Leo Astro Circle. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday 2 August (first Wednesday of the month); Drumming and Meditation online with Taz Thornton. Time: 7pm Price: free. https://www.facebook.com/TazThorntonOfficial

Thursday 3 August;  PF London Open Ritual via Pagan Federation London. Venue: Pirate Castle, Gilbey's Wharf Oval Road NW1 7EA London, UK Time: 7.20pm. Entry £8 for PF members, £10 for non-members (cash only). https://www.facebook.com/PaganFederationLondon

Friday 4 - 13 August; The Spirit of Awen 2023. Camping festival. Venue: West End Farm, Church Road, Arlingham, Gloucestershire, GL2 7JL. Tickets: £185 (Full rate from 30 June £245), weekend ticket £150. https://www.spiritofawen.co.uk/

Friday 4 August; Dmitry Ermakov on his work Bo and Bon - Ancient Shamanic Traditions of Siberia and Tibet in Their Relation to the Teachings of a Central Asian Buddha. Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 19-21 Cecil Court, · London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 5pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Friday 4 August; Lughnasadh - Ancient Celtic Harvest Celebration. Venue: Butser Ancient Farm. Hampshire, P08. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £18. https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/whats-on

Friday 4 August; Heart of Sekhem. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £60.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Saturday 5 August; Lughnasadgh/Lammas Ritual. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London, SE9 6SH. Time: 3pm. Tickets: £20. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/product-category/events-and-workshops/

Saturday 5 August; Lammas Seasonal Gathering with Mani via London Woodland Witches, Wiccans and Pagans. Venue: Queen's Wood, Highgate, North· London. Time: 3pm. Tickets: £7 https://www.meetup.com/londonwoodlandwitches/events/

Saturday 5 August; OBOD Online Lughnasadh Ceremony on the OBOD Facebook Page and the OBOD YouTube Channel. Time: 7pm. Free.  https://www.facebook.com/druidry

Saturday 5 August; Online talk. Mining Superstitions in Western Australia presented by Dr David Waldron, via the Folklore Podcast. Time: 8pm. Tickets £5. http://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/

Sunday 6 August; The Art of Automatic Writing. Workshop with Sarah Tyler-Walters. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £115. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 6 August;  Lammas Gathering All Heart Led by Kent Goddess Group. Venue: Private residence in Cheriton, Folkestone, Kent. Time: 11am. Cost £5 and bring veggie food and drink to share. https://www.facebook.com/events/200103823032380/

Sunday 6 August; Storytelling Co-Operative with London Dreamtime. Venue: Pullens Centre (Green door) 184 Crampton St SE17 3LL. Time: 2.30pm for  3pm. Tickets  Free. https://www.londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Sunday 6 August (first Sunday of the month); Woodspirits in August (Lammas). Meet at Cheshunt station before walking to Lee Valley Park. Time: 3pm. Free in-person event for members of Woodspirits group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/4032235040150960

For events after 6 August 2023, please see my events page.

Notes: I am not responsible for the content of these events except my own scrying course. Contact the organisers directly with questions. I generally list things in the UK, especially in or near London, but some are outside that time zone. Where a practitioner is offering information about magical wellbeing and healing, this is *not* medical advice. The photo at the top was taken by me, Lucya Starza.

Tuesday, 25 July 2023

Divination: Phyllis Wheatley, 8 Pentacles from Our Tarot

I treated myself to a new tarot boxed set - Our Tarot: A Guidebook and Deck Featuring Notable Women in History. It's rather unusual because the cards all depict real historical women rather than goddesses or figures from mythology, and the book that comes with the set includes a lot of information about them and their importance in the world. 

Using the deck, I drew a card as a reading for the world, although to be honest I felt it had a message for me too. The card was Phyllis Wheatley, who represents the Eight of Pentacles. It tarot, the Eight of Pentacles is about hard work and mastery of a craft. Phyllis Wheatley certainly did all of those things. She was an amazing woman who had an extremely hard life yet excelled as a writer of poetry. 

Born in West Africa, Phyllis was sold into slavery as a child and bought by the Wheatley family of Massachusetts. Despite being slave owners, the Wheatleys were relatively progressive because they taught Phyllis not only to read and write, but also let her study the classics. She started writing poetry at the age of 14. The Wheatleys took her to England and helped her find a patron to publish her first book: Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. They then emancipated her. However, her life was short as she died of an illness at the age of 31. 

The guidebook suggests that the Eight of Pentacles "calls you to look for the moments in your daily life to practice your chosen discipline. Don't wait for a better day or an easier time." 

I feel this is a very apt message for myself. I have a lot of creative projects on the go. As well as writing my daily blog posts I'm editing the very rough first draft of my second novel, I have several workshops to plan, and I'm crafting things I want to complete. I know I'm far more privileged than Phyllis ever was, and sometimes I just need to force myself to get on with the things I want to do. I hope this card also works as a general reading for others, reminding us that time is precious and sometimes we need to make a bit more space to get creative projects finished.

Our Tarot is by Sarah Shipman and is published by Harper Design.

You can view the deck on Amazon. (Note: I earn commission from advertisers for some links. This helps support my blog at no extra cost to those who read my posts.)

Monday, 24 July 2023

Green London: St James's Park, a Ghost and a Goddess

I've been blogging about London's green spaces in an effort to dispel a prevalent myth in the pagan community that the city is all concrete. St James’s Park is huge - nearly 57 acres of lawns, flowers, trees and a lovely lake that's home to waterfowl including pelicans. The latter were a gift from the Russian ambassador to King Charles II 400 years ago.

The park lies between Buckingham Palace to the west and Horse Guards to the east, and is one of the poshest of the eight Royal Parks in London. It wasn't always like that. The land was originally a marshy area through which the Tyburn river flowed and the site of a hospital dedicated to St James the Less, which treated "maidens that were leprous". The area was enclosed as a deer park for King Henry VIII in the 1530s. Charles II had it redesigned in a formal style. He opened it to the public and used it very much as a pleasure garden. In that time it was the place to go for causal sexual pick-ups, as described in John Wilmot 2nd Earl of Rochester's highly explicit poem "A Ramble in St James's Park". 

According to legends, the park is haunted by the ghost of a headless woman in a red striped dress. In 1804, George Jones, an officer in the Coldstream Guards told a newspaper:
"...whilst on guard at the Recruit House, about half past one o’clock in the morning, I perceived the figure of a woman, without a head, rise from the earth, at a distance of about three feet before me. I was so alarmed at the circumstance, that I had not power to speak to it, which was my wish to have done; but I distinctly observed that the figure was dressed in a red striped gown, with red spots between each stripe, and that part of the dress and figure appeared to me to be enveloped in a cloud."

Over the years other people have reported similar sightings as well as strange sounds. There's been speculation that the woman was the wife of an 18th century soldier who murdered her by chopping off her head and tried to get rid of the body in the lake.

On the edge of St James's Park, in Waterloo Place, is a gilded statue of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. She stands on the balcony of the Athenaeum, a private members' club founded in 1824 for professional people in fields such as literature and the arts, science and education. The Athenaeum's website describes Athena as "the Club’s tutelary spirit and guide".

The pelican photo is copyright Sandra Lawrence, the Athenaeum photo is copyright John Davies, the other photos were taken by me, Lucya Starza.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/07/green-london-strange-things-in-soho.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/06/green-london-lincolns-inn-fields.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/06/green-london-great-plane-in-brunswick.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/06/green-london-betts-park-tales-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/01/green-london-bloomsbury-square-gardens.html

Friday, 21 July 2023

Book Extract: Runes and Astrology by Nigel Pennick

Here's an extract from a new book, Runes and Astrology: Symbol and Starcraft in the Northern Tradition, by Nigel Pennick:

The Runes and Their Meaning

Runes shalt thou find, and fateful signs,
That the king of singers colored,
And the mighty gods have made;
Full strong the signs, full mighty the signs,
That the ruler of the gods doth write.

HÁVAMÁL (TRANS. BELLOWS)

All over the world, people have devised devices and techniques that give some insight into the hidden processes of life. This recognition is at the base of those sacred traditions in which knowledge and wisdom are valued. There are many symbolic techniques that allow people to interact with the unseen, of which alphabets are perhaps the most developed. In the West, there are five main alphabets that have magical connections: Hebrew, Greek, Glagolitic, Ogham, and Runic. Although they were or are used in everyday life for written communication, they all began as sacred symbolic alphabets in which every character had an array of meaning far beyond the mere sound it represented. The runes, which originated in central Europe about 2,500 years ago, are the prime example of such an alphabet. Strictly speaking, the runes are not an alphabet at all. An alphabet begins with alpha and beta—A, B, and so on. The runic rows do not have this Greek-derived character sequence, but a different one. They are known as the Fuþark because the characters (or staves) are arranged in a specific order, which begins F, U, Þ, A, R, K. As the third runic stave (Þ/þ) is equivalent to the sound “th,” a common alternative transliteration is Futhark, which will also be used in the present book.

However, the word alphabet is used now (incorrectly) to refer to any system of writing comprising separate individual characters with phonetic meanings. But whether we call their array an alphabet or a Futhark, the runes are far more than mere phonetic sigils designed for information interchange in so-called “barbarian” central and northern Europe. They encapsulate symbolic meanings that go far beyond the modern materialist images of practical necessity.

The connotations surrounding the word rune itself provide evidence for this. They are far removed from the idea of a character or letter, words used to describe an individual stave in more prosaic alphabets. The rune is a precise concept in its own right. The word itself possesses associations with the carefully guarded inner secrets of the esoteric mysteries. This is apparent in the old languages of northern Europe, where it is directly cognate with words meaning “to whisper” such as the archaic English verb to rown and the modern German verb raunen. There are also related words in the Celtic languages, including Old Irish word rún, “mystery, secret; secret intention” (modern Irish rún, “intimate friend”), and Middle Welsh rin, “secret, mystery,” “privacy, intimacy,” and “magic spell, charm” (modern Welsh rhin, “virtue, essence”). The leaders and councilors of Anglo-Saxon England called their discussions “runes” (rūne), where the runes were used for divination when problems arose. For instance, the meeting where Magna Carta was signed in 1215, which guaranteed the citizens of England certain civil rights, was held at a traditional site of royal councils, Runnymede, the “Meadow of the Runes.” This site was the place of former runic consultations in Anglo-Saxon times. ***

At the basic level, a rune is literally a mystery that -comprehends -fundamental secrets of the inner structure of the reality. Each stave, which we call a rune, is a storehouse of knowledge and meaning, which is apparent only to those who study runecraft in all its aspects. Each individual rune expresses an amorphous yet eternal reality, which is revealed in the world of our experience as the specific things or processes characterized by it. Unlike many rigid magical disciplines, the runic system is dynamic, creative, and developing. At a fundamental level, the meanings of the runes are fixed, yet every day new things are made and new experiences, new juxtapositions, and new relationships occur. No time or place is ever like any other, and accordingly, the action of the runic archetypes is affected by the specific conditions there. 

From Runes and Astrology by Nigel Pennick © 2023 Destiny Books. Printed with permission from the publisher Inner Traditions International. www.InnerTraditions.com

You can view Runes and Astrology on Amazon. 

(Note: I earn commission from advertisers for some links. This helps support my blog at no extra cost to those who read my posts.)

Thursday, 20 July 2023

Pagan Eye: A Sacred Spring on a Sussex Beach

If you Google "Holywell Eastbourne", you'll probably find details of a nice beach at the end of the Sussex seaside town's Western Parade. There's an excellent a cafe, public toilets, some chalets and a path leading up the cliff to pleasant gardens. It's a nice place, but you won't find an actual well there. To see the holy well I've photographed above, you need to go further along the cliff top and then down a very narrow path and steep steps. It's one of the area's hidden gems.

Technically, it isn't a well. It's a freshwater spring that emerges from the side of the cliff and forms a beautiful pool on the beach. The site feels sacred and there's plenty of evidence people go there to remember lost loved ones. Painted stones have been left beside the pool with names and poignant messages. Leaving things at sacred sites is a controversial subject. Personally I don't leave anything except footprints and I don't take anything except photos and a tiny bit of water if permitted.  I've blogged in the past about what not to do at holy sites

However, it was good to see no one had left plastic tat. As I'm sure everyone who reads my blog is aware, people should always take all their own stuff home with them and if possible also try to clear up any other litter they see lying about.

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.

Other previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/12/sacred-sites-st-cedds-well-north.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/11/pagan-eye-spring-of-dionysus-at-dion-in.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/05/pagan-eye-beltane-fire-ceremony-at.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/05/walking-art-of-tides-stones-god-of-sea.html

Wednesday, 19 July 2023

Magical Online & London Events in the Next Weeks


Here's a list of events for pagans, witches and those with similar interests over the next couple of weeks. I mainly include in-person things in or near London, because that's where I'm based, as well as online talks and workshops you can do anywhere.

Now - 13 August; Luxury and Power - Persia to Greece exhibition. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tickets £15/free for members. https://www.britishmuseum.org/

Now to 30 July; Labyrinth - Knossos, Myth and Reality. Exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Full price tickets £15.30. https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/labyrinth-knossos-myth-reality

Every Wednesday and Friday; Open Days at the College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am - 4pm. Free, just pop in. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
ays to Work with Trees at West Byfleet and Woking Monthly Moot.  Venue: The Station Pub next to West Byfleet Station. Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/269236719025528/

Wednesday 19 July (every Wednesday); Live Chat hosted by Rachel Patterson, author of the Gods and Goddesses of England and the Kitchen Witch series of books. Time: 9am. Free. https://www.facebook.com/RachelPattersonbooks/

Wednesday 19 July;  Sacred Earth Activism Monthly Gathering. Free online event. Time: 7pm. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sea-monthly-gathering-tickets-502764932447

Wednesday 19 July (every Wednesday); Feeling Sound Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday 19 July; Sacred Circle Shamanic Drumming. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £26. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Wednesday 19 July; Witch-Bottles - Lecture by Brian Hoggard  via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm (or watch later with delayed viewing). Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Wednesday 19 July. Talk by Chris French:  Putting the claims to the test. Invited presentation to PubSci. Venue: Old King’s Head, London. https://www.skeptic.org.uk/cgi-bin/paranormal/mail.cgi/archive/paranormal/20230505095315/

Wednesday 19 July (3rd Wednesday each month); Witches of Zoom CoA Gathering. Free online event. Time: 7.30pm, for an 8pm start.  https://www.facebook.com/ZoomWitches

Wednesday 19 July (tbc but usually 3rd Wednesday each month); The More Mead Moot. Venue: The Hope pub, Carshalton, Surrey. Time: 7.30pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/Pagan-FutureFests-352385661439366/

Thursday 20 July; Morning Meditation. Free online event via Rest Less Events. Time: 9am. https://events.restless.co.uk/event-calendar/30-minute-morning-meditation/?

Thursday 20 July; Midweek Meditation with the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 3pm. Tickets: free for members/£7.50 non members. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 20 July; Ithel Colqhoun - Language of Body. Online talk via London Drawing Group. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets by donation. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/london-drawing-group-11407647443

Thursday 20 July (every Thursday); Talk on a paranormal subject for ASSAP members. Time: 7pm. Free event, with Zoom link details emailed out to members. To join ASSAP, for £5 per year, visit https://assap.ac.uk/

Thursday 20 July;  Intro to Sound Healing. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Thursday 20 July; Self Love Circle - Reclaim Your Power in Love. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday 20 July; Poetry Evening. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets by donation https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiner-spiritual-science/

Thursday 20 July;  Drum Circle. Venue: Caer Corhrain, 1 Southleas farm cottages, Lower Road, Minster, Sheppey ME12 3SW. Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/1286678218713364

Thursday 20 July; Loftus: The Hall of Dreams - new ebook and paperback book launch by author Helena B. Scott. Time: 8pm. Free online event. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/loftus-the-hall-of-dreams-new-ebook-and-paperback-book-launch-tickets-674156589507

Friday 21 – 22 July; African Spiritual Practices. Two day conference exploring African spirituality. Venue: Richmix Cinema, 35-47 Bethnal Green Rd, Shoreditch, London E1 6LA. Starts 10am. https://www.facebook.com/events/207564488757739/

Friday 21 July; College of Psychic Studies Guided Tour with Curator and Archivist Vivienne Roberts. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 21 July; The Sun of Knowledge (Shams al Ma'arif) presented by Dr Amina Inloes. Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 19-21 Cecil Court, · London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 5.30pm. Free https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Friday 21 July (and other dates); Mind, Body Restore Online Yoga. Time: 6.15pm. Free online event. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents/

Friday 21 July; The Human Being Stands Between... Free online seminar with Rudolf Steiner - Spiritual Science, Time: 7pm. https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiner-spiritual-science/events/

Friday 21 July;  Connecting to your Higher Self. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £40. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Friday 21 July (and other dates); Online Meditation Session. Time: Time: 7.30pm. Free online event, but donations welcome. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents/

Saturday 22 July; Embodied Kabbalah, one day workshop with Jane Meredith, author of Falling Through the Tree of Life. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 11am. Tickets: £60. Call Atlantis  020 7405 2120 for bookings. https://www.facebook.com/events/1616899305463176

Saturday 22 July; Candle Magic workshop based on my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Cost: £22 per person.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Saturday 22 July; Healing with the Archangels and Goddesses: Transition and Change. Workshop with Liesl Duffy online via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 22 July; An evening with the Anglo Saxons - Mead, Music and Storytelling. Venue: Butser Ancient Farm. Hampshire, P08. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £18. https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/whats-on

Saturday 22 July; Monthly Shamanic Drumming. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £26. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 23 July; Blessing and Bards 2023. Venue:  Crossbones Graveyard, Redcross Way, London, SE1 1TA. Time: 12.30pm. Free,  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blessing-and-bards-2023-tickets-640069323577?

Sunday 23 July; Vision Board Visionaries. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 23 July (and other times and dates); Soul Restore Sound Healing. Venue: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG. Time: 4pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-mandrake-17825575648

Sunday 23 July (every Sunday); 30-Minute Mindfulness for people of all beliefs. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 6pm. Free, just turn up. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Sunday 23 July; Woodland Bard Online - Hawthorne. Event by Walkwithtrees. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £8. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/jonathon-huet-at-walk-with-trees-30650264428

Sunday 23 July (every 23rd of the month); Crossbones Vigil to honour the outcast dead of Crossbones Graveyard, Southwark. Location: Redcross Way, London, SE1 1TA. Time: 6.45pm for 7pm. Free, just turn up  http://crossbones.org.uk/

Sunday 23 July; Potions (pharmakeia) of the Ancient World. Talk by Prof. Marguerite Johnson,. part of the Magic and Witchcraft in Ancient Greece and Rome Series on Zoom through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets · from £6.86. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Monday 24 July;  For a Better Understanding of Life. New exhibition opening evening. (Exhibition runs until 29 September.) Venue: Swedenborg House, 20-21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Time: 6pm. Tickets free but reserve a place. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-swedenborg-society-8460713300

Monday 24 July; Introduction to Crystal Healing  (pt 1) with  Hannah Jones. Venue: Crystal Wicca, 4a Station Buildings, Station Approach, Hayes BR2 7EN. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £15. https://crystalwicca.co.uk/shop-events-1/ola/services/intro-to-crystals-and-healing-part-one-in-person

Monday 24 July (every Monday); Tea With a Druid. Free online event by the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. Time 8pm. https://druidry.org/

Tuesday 25 July;  Bronze Casting Workshop. Venue: Butser Ancient Farm. Hampshire, P08. Time 10am. Tickets: from £195. https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/whats-on

Tuesday 25 July;   The KLF - Chaos, Magic and the Band That Burned a Million Pounds, with John Higgs. Part of the Walthamstow Rock 'n' Roll Book Club collection. Venue Walthamstow Trades Hall, 61-63 Tower Hamlets Road, London, E17 4RQ. Time: 7pm. Tickets from: £9.38. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-klf-chaos-magic-and-the-band-that-burned-a-million-pounds-john-higgs-tickets-656099690837

Wednesday 26 July (tbc but usually the last Wednesday every month); Hertford Pagan Moot. Venue: The White Horse, 33 Castle Street, Hertford. Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047

Thursday 27 July; Restorative Healing Breathwork. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £40. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday 27 July; Blue Lotus Ceremony. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £30.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday 26 July; New Witches' Club - Beginners to Witchcraft. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Friday 28 July; Resins Workshop. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 2pm (to be confirmed). Tickets: £40. https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Friday 28 July; Celestial Soundscapes Journey. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Friday 28 July; Womb Healing Ceremony. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Friday 28 July; Online Book Launch - Norns - Weavers of Fate and Magick by Irisanya Moon, Author and Witch. Time: 10pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/227902293343348/

Saturday 29 July; Interactive Talk with Palmist Robin Lown. Venue: Crystal Wicca, 4a Station Buildings, Station Approach, Hayes BR2 7EN. Time: 10am. Tickets: £15. https://crystalwicca.co.uk/shop-events-1

Saturday 29 July;  The Dragon and the Phoenix. Workshop with Joan Osborne. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £115. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 29 July;  Vedic Sound Healing. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 11am. Tickets: £25.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Saturday 29 July; Womens Healing Circle and Picnic Social - Theme: "Gifts of the Mother". Organised by South London Womens Circles and Healing Space. Venue in Tooting, South London. Time: 11.45am. Tickets: £22 https://www.meetup.com/south-london-womens-circles/events/

Saturday 29 July;  Make an Intuitive Clay Sculpture for Your Altar with Nicole Frobusch. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 1pm. Tickets: £75. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 29 July; Meet Your Dragon Team. Workshop with Caroline Mitchell online via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 29 July; Activate your 13 Chakra System with Linda Penny online via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 29 July; Walking in the Footsteps of your Year, at this Lughnasdah Solar Festival. Guided walk with Jeremy Rye. Meet at the London Stone (TBC prior to the walk) 111 Cannon Street, London EC4N 5AR. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/jeremy-rye-31055883021#

Sunday 30 July; Shamanic Group with Les Fuller. All welcome Venue: Woodford Church at 9 Grove Crescent, South Woodford, London E18 2JR. Time 11am-3pm. Tickets: £10. http://woodfordchurch.com/

Sunday, 30 July ; Herb walk at Walthamstow Wetlands. Meet at Coppermill Fields Car Park, Coppermill Lane, London E17 7HG. Time: 11.30am. Tickets: £23. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/herb-walk-at-walthamstow-wetlands-tickets-669348137297?

Sunday 30 July;  Anderida Gorsedd Lughnasadh open ritual. Venue: Long Man of Wilmington, Wilmington, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. Meet near the car park between 1.30pm and 2pm, walk up to the chalk hill figure at 2pm. Afterwards, the Giants Rest pub. https://www.facebook.com/groups/227609495203/

Sunday 30 July (date tbc but usually every 2 months); Meeting of Kith of The Tree and the Well. Venue: The Horseshoe Inn, 26 Melior St, London SE1 3QP. Time: 2pm. Entry £2. https://www.meetup.com/the-kith-of-the-tree-and-the-well/events/

Sunday 30 July; Loki's Banishment. Online event via Bennu's Table. Within Bennu’s Table, Katie Gerrard blends psychology with witchcraft and shamanism. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £2. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/bennus-table-48276445013

Tuesday 1 August (date changed due to tube strike); Lucky For Some: Gypsies and the Supernatural. Talk by Jeremy Harte at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7EX. Door time: 7:30pm, Starts: 8pm. Tickets: £5/£3. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 2 and 9 August;  I'm running a two-part online evening class on Scrying: Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £75. You can find more details and book here: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

For details of events after these dates, please visit my events page.

Please note that I am not responsible for the content of any of these events except my workshops on candle magic and scrying. Contact organisers directly if you have any questions or to check ticket availability. Where a practitioner is offering information about magical protection, this is *not* medical advice.  If you know an event you want included, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com