A bad witch's blog: College of Psychic Studies

Showing posts with label College of Psychic Studies. Show all posts

Monday, 6 July 2026

Florence Farr Day: What Raffle Prize Would You Pick?

These were just some of the amazing prizes in the raffle at the Florence Farr Conference on Saturday. What would have you taken if your ticket was picked?

I was really lucky. One of mine was chosen early and I got the lovely Isis statue that I'd had my eye on all day. I later also won some beautiful jewellery.

It's probably unfair to focus on the raffle, even though I'm still glowing with happiness at the things I got, and the money raised from it went to a breast cancer charity. The entire conference was wonderful. Hosted by the College of Psychic Studies, it celebrated the extraordinary visionary, dramatist, pioneer of women's rights and leader of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Florence Farr. She was one of the most extraordinary women of the Victorian era, but until recently was almost forgotten.

This year saw the fourth in-person day of celebratiing her magic, art, drama and literature. There were talks and performances led by Caroline Wise, Sue Terry, Isabella Javor. Melissa Seims, and Sally North.. all of whom are experts in esoteric fields of study.

I'm looking forward to next years' event already, but you might see me post more photos of my Isis statue and maybe see me wearing the jewellery.

Tuesday, 24 March 2026

Planting Magical Seeds at the College of Psychic Studies

This is the perfect time of year to plant seeds as part of a spell to set intentions and manifest wishes. I did this at home with basil seeds a couple of years ago, but the photo shows an altar at the College of Psychic Studies at the Spring Equinox on Friday this year. Members were invited to plant nasturtium seeds.

Many modern witches consider nasturtiums as symbolising loyalty, victory or success in general, although older books on the language of flowers say they represent patriotism and conquest. Whatever they mean, nasturtiums are brightly coloured flowers that grow easily and are also edible.

At the college, everything was set out for us on an altar that also had dark and light crystals representing the balance of light and dark. If you're doing this at home, the altar is optional, but here are the essentials you'll need:

Compost or clean soil.
A seed of your choice.
A small pot - you could upcycle an old yogurt pot.
A spoon or small gardening trowel.
Water.

Here's a precis of the instructions you can see printed on the paper in the bottom left of the photo:

Clear your mind and centre your thoughts by sitting still and being present in your space.
Write an intention on a small slip of paper, fold it and put it in the bottom of your pot.
Half fill your pot with compost or soil.
Place a seed in the centre, then put a layer of soil or compost on top.
Put your hand over it and ask the earth to support you in your intentions.
Water the seed, pot then place the pot on a sunny windowsill.
Visualise your seed growing and your hopes manifesting

Watch your plant pot daily and keep the soil moist. I put mine into an improvised propagator, upcycled from two clear plastic food pots. One went underneath the plant pot, the other went on top. If you don't have a propagator then you will have to water your seed more frequently.

When my nasturtium has grown into a good sized seedling I will replant it in my garden.

Monday, 23 March 2026

Happy Birthday to 3 Magical London Locations

Three of London's best-loved magical venues celebrated birthdays over the Spring Equinox. Pictured on this post is the oldest of them: The Atlantis Bookshop. The esoteric bookshop and hub for occult gatherings has been at 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury, for 104 years. Proprietors Geraldine and Bali invited customers old and new into the shop on Saturday to enjoy a glass of bubbly and cake.

The College of Psychic Studies is 100 years old. On Friday, the venerable seat of learning about all things psychic had a special evening at its beautiful venue at 16 Queensberry Place, South Kensington. I went along and enjoyed a glass of wine or two and a chance to chat with staff and members. Everyone who attended was invited to do a little springtime spellwork by planting a seed and making a wish. I'll be blogging more about that tomorrow.

Wicca Moon, the lovely witchy shop in Eltham, had a 21st birthday tea party on Friday afternoon. Sadly I wasn't able to get along for that as I was busy working then.

I wish all three magical venues very happy solar returns, and hope they will be celebrating more years of success in future.

Thursday, 22 January 2026

Occult London: Helen Duncan's Scrying Devices

This scrying mirror, crystal ball and planchette were once owned by the famous medium Helen Duncan. They are on display at the College of Psychic Studies as part of The Medium is the Message. This exhibition is in its final weeks, and covers four floors of the CPS's beautiful building in South Kensington.

You can visit The Medium is the Message for free from now until the end of January at 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. It's open from 11am to 4pm Tuesday to Thursday and at the weekend, until 7pm this Friday, plus a late opening on Friday 30 January to 9pm. There will also be a live music performance at the college for the final late opening night. You can find out more here: collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/exhibition/

Learn Scrying Online via the CPS

On Wednesday 4 and 11 March I'm running a two-part online evening class on Scrying: Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire via the College of Psychic Studies. Each class starts at 7pm. Tickets are £90. Find out more here: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/workshops/psychic-training/scrying-with-crystals-mirrors-water-fire/?

Friday, 10 October 2025

Occult London: The Medium is the Message

The College of Psychic Studies has a new exhibition called The Medium is the Message, which explores the connection between artistic practice and mediumship. The displays cover four flours of the college's beautiful building at 16 Queensberry Place, South Kensington, where the college has been since 1925, and in fact marks the centenary of being in its historic home.

I went along yesterday on the first day the exhibition was open to the public and took the photos on this post. These show only a tiny fraction of the 100-plus artworks and rare archival materials on display. It brings together more than 30 artists from the mid-19th century to the present day, examining how artists have visualised supernatural connection and imagined radical futures shaped by the ghostly and the unseen.

The description of The Medium is the Message says it "invites visitors to consider the artist as a channel between worlds – as a receiver of visions, energies and ideas. It highlights the enduring role of mediumship within the College's history, with particular focus on the vital contributions of women – as artists, mediums, and feminist visionaries."

Anyone can visit The Medium is the Message for free from now until the end of January 2026 at 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. It's open from 11am–4pm Tuesday to Thursday and at the weekend, and to 7pm on Friday. There are lates on Fridays 12 December and 30 January to 9pm. You can find out more here: collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/exhibition/

The photos show: pictures by Austin Osman Spare; digitised film by Paulina Peavy; art by Chantal Powell relating to Earth as Being, and Ithell Colquhoun's dream journal.

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

I Bought a Pendulum at the College of Psychic Studies

I treated myself to one of these lovely dowsing pendulums when I was at the College of Psychic Studies for the weekend of Divination and the Esoteric.

Although I already own a few pendulums, including a couple I inherited from my dad who was a keen dowser, I was really taken with the ones you can see in the picture above. Not only did they look great, the weight felt perfect when I picked one up. Not only that, but the bob (the heavy pointed bit at the bottom) is detachable, meaning I can swap it for different crystals.

That's really useful because I have a lot of crystals that I wear as pendants which could now easily be adapted for dowsing and divination.

The College Of Psychic Studies is at 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. You can pop in and look around the lovely building, as well as visit the library and shop, on Wednesdays and Fridays any time from 11am-4pm.

Online evening class on scrying

On Wednesday 27 November and 4 December I'm running a two-part online evening class on Scrying: Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire via the College of Psychic Studies. Tickets are £75. You can find more details and book here: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/workshops/psychic-training/scrying-divination-using-crystals-mirrors-water-fire/

Other previous related posts

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/10/using-pendulum-as-divination-to-make.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/04/craft-making-divining-rods-from-twigs.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/10/divination-dowsing-rods-that-found.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/04/spells-and-divining-to-find-lost-things.html

Monday, 11 November 2024

College of Psychic Studies: Intuitive Art & Spirit Portraits

I had a fabulous time at the College of Psychic Studies weekend of Divination and the Esoteric. The photo above shows June-Elleni Laine demonstrating spirit portraiture in the first event on the programme, on Saturday morning.

She gave a talk explaining how she does portraits of spirits using the same techniques as scrying. This includes letting your intuition and psychic senses detect images that might not be apparent to the naked eye. My own talk was next, and was on scrying with crystal balls, mirrors and water. It was really interesting to first hear about using similar techniques in an artistic way. I usually take notes when I do divination, but next time I might try sketching what I see instead.

Other topics covered on the Saturday were handreading, numerology and animal communication. Sadly I wasn't able to be there on the Sunday, and missed talks on automatic writing, tarot, runes, remote viewing, and dowsing. As well as the talks and demonstrations, all the in-person attendees got a lovely goodie bag containing a magazine, incense sticks, a pen, and a programme. The College put on a sumptuous tea in the beautiful library in the afternoon too.

Online evening classes on intuitive art and scrying

June-Elleni Laine will be teaching an 8-session online evening class course called Intuitive Art: Develop Psychic Ability in February 2025. You don't need to be good at drawing or painting, but will learn to draw unseen energy and information that sits on the very edge of consciousness, and use it to boost creativity, intuition and wellbeing. You can find out more here: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/courses/psychic-training/intuitive-art-develop-psychic-ability/

Tuesday, 24 October 2023

Pagan Eye: A Jolly Skeleton at the CPS for Halloweek

This skeleton is browsing one of the esoteric tomes in the College of Psychic Studies, but he's ready to meet anyone who ventures through the doors for Halloweek! I popped in this morning to have a look and took this photo as well as several others I'll share another time.

From today until 31 October the College of Psychic Studies' doors are open for Halloweek. You can explore six floors of haunted photos, spirit art and intriguing artefacts and enjoy a programme of Halloweek specials. This evening (Tuesday 24th October) I'm giving an online talk on October Magic and Folklore for the Thinning of the Veil as part of the activities. It starts at 7pm and tickets are £16. You can find the details here: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/talks/myth-magic/october-magic-and-folklore-for-the-thinning-of-the-veil/

If you want to pop in to see the exhibition, rhe College of Psychic Studies is at 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. There's free entry to explore the college during the day, some ticketed lates and special events. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

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

Thursday, 13 July 2023

College of Psychic Studies Otherworldly Art Competition

The College of Psychic Studies is inviting entries for its 2023 art competition, with the title Inspiration from the Otherworldly. The prizes on offer are brilliant, and what's more the competition is completely free to enter. There are hints about what the College is looking for on its website:

"We all travel between worlds. Whether it's a daydream or flight of fancy, a peek beyond the veil, an angelic encounter or a glimpse into another dimension, there is so much to explore beyond our three-dimensional reality. We hope you take up this opportunity to bring something of those other worlds back with you for our 2023 art competition."

The closing date for submissions is midnight on 20 October 2023. You can send in up to three different works of art as entries in high res jpg format to art@collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk

Make sure you include details of your contact name and email address, the image as a jpeg, its title, date it was created, media for the original (i.e. oil on canvas, embroidery etc.), size of the original, and up to 200 words of description.

The winner will be announced on 17 November 2023. The prize is:

A College voucher, worth £250
A year of College membership, worth £65
A luxury hamper of College goodies including crystals, tarot cards, books, incense, candles and room mists.
Invitation to join the College art collection

There will be an exhibition of the winner, judge's choices and shortlisted entries in December.

For full details and to register an interest, visit the College of Psychic Studies website: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/special-events/spirit-inspired-art/art-competition/

You can read my post about last year's College art exhibition here: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/10/college-of-psychic-studies-creative.html

Tuesday, 17 January 2023

Poppets, Dolls and Effigies for Healing, not Harm

When I talk about poppets, I often find people saying that they don't like them because they're only for cursing. It really isn't true. Dolls and effigies have been widely used for healing and protection throughout history and in cultures all over the world. The photo at the top, which I took at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, shows effigies used by people wanting magical or divine healing.

Since ancient times people have made little wax, stone or metal figures as votive offerings to represent themselves if they were ill or injured. Sometimes this was a model of a part of their body that needed healing, like the arm, leg, head and ear on the top picture. They would leave the effigies at sacred sites like temples or churches with the idea that this would send them healing energy even when they weren't there. This is still done in countries including Greece, Italy, Spain and Latin America.

The models could be all sorts of body parts. The Science Museum in London has votive male genitalia made of marble from Ancient Rome, possibly made in the hope of a cure for impotence or in thanks for improved function.

I'm giving an online talk on Poppets and Magical Dolls in History, Folklore and Practical Spellcraft this Thursday, 19th January, at the College of Psychic Studies. It starts at 7pm UK time. Tickets are £16 for non-members, with discount for members of the college. You can find the details here: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/talks/myth-magic/poppets-and-magical-dolls-in-history-folklore-and-practical-spellcraft/

You can find copies of my book Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls at my publisher Moon Books, at the College of Psychic Studies shop and at other booksellers. You can also view the book 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, 7 November 2022

Ithell Colquhoun's Taro at the College of Psychic Studies

The photos at the top and bottom of this post show cards from Ithell Colquhoun's fascinating tarot deck, Taro as Colour, on display at the College of Psychic Studies as part of the Creative Spirits Art Exhibition. It's in a room dedicated to tarot and divination. Here's the information given beside cards:

"In 1977 the Newlyn Gallery in Cornwall exhibited a series of 78 taro designs quite unlike any other. Artist and occultist Ithell Colquohn's bold project sought to dispense with the figurative narratives of the traditional taro and reimagined the forces behind each card as pure colour.
"Drawing on the pioneering work of Samuel and Moina MacGregor Mathers and Florence Farr in the 1890s, Colquhoun integrates the esoteric teachings of the Golden Dawn with surrealist semi-automatic techniques to produce a design for a taro deck that remains unique in western esotericism.
"Each card is signed with Ithell's monogram devised from her magical name: the letters S.V., Splendidior Vitro: "More sparkling than crystal."
"Ithell's was originally reproduced in 2009 by Adam McLean and more recently in 2022 by Fulgur Press."

I have to say I was so fascinated by the unusual deck that I treated myself to the Fulgur set and the book about it published a few years ago and I'm looking forward to trying the cards out. You can see my copies in the picture to the right. I very much recommend going to the exhibition, which is on at the College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB, until early December.

The college is hosting a Zoom talk called Ithell Colquhoun: Symbols of the Magian World, by Dr Richard Shillitoe tomorrow, Tuesday 8 November, at 7pm. Tickets are £16. Starting Friday 18 November the college is holding a three-day event with a series of talks called Tarot for Dreamers and Visionaries: A Dialogue of Self and Soul. You can find out more about all of these at the college website: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/ Copies of this tarot deck, and others, are available to buy at the college shop.

Monday, 17 October 2022

College of Psychic Studies' Creative Spirits Exhibition

The College of Psychic Studies is currently hosting a wonderful art exhibtion called Creative Spirits over the entire six floors of its London headquarters. It "invites you on an odyssey into the otherworldly in which you will encounter art and photography created by 100 mediums, dreamers and visionaries over the last 165 years." I've been around it and it is spectacular.

Famous artists' work on display includes pictures by Aleksandra Ionowa, automatic drawings by the college's founder member Anna Mary Howitt Watts and works by surrealists, musicalistes and visionaries such as Louise Janin, Alan Davie, Grace Pailthorpe and Ithell Colquhoun (such as the picture photographed on the left).

There's also a celebration of the history of tarot and women of the Golden Dawn, including a pastel drawing by the Golden Dawn founder, Moina Mathers, a lost treasure that hasn't been seen since it was exhibited in Paris in 1903 at the Salon d'Automne.

Contemporary artists, some who entered the college's recent art exhibition, have work on display too. I met up with several painters, photographers and other creators of visionary art at the launch party last week. I took the photos on this post while I was there, but they only show a little of what's on display and I will be sharing more over the next weeks.

You can view Creative Spirits at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB from Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-5pm, with late opening on Thursdays, until it closes on Saturday 10 December 2022. Entry is free for members and £5 for non-members. There are also evening talks by the curator on various dates.

I'd also like to mention that I'm giving a talk on Candle Magic as Practical Spellwork on Zoom via The College of Psychic Studies on Tuesday 18 October at 7pm. Tickets for that are £16/£14. You can find details of all college events here: www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

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