This Week's Pagan Events In and Near London

Friday 11 July; The System of Aleister Crowley's A.'.A.'- Methods and Tools of Attainment. Talk by David Shoemaker and book signing of Living Thelema: A Practical Guide to Attainment in Aleister Crowley's System of Magick.Venue The Atlantis Bookshop, Museum Street WC1. Time: 7pm. Cost: £10. Contact The Atlantis Bookshop on 020 7405 2120 to reserve your place.

Friday 11 July; Building Bridges. Workshop by philosopher Brennan Jacoby and urban historian Leo Hollis about connections in the modern world. Venue: Museum of London, 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN. Time: 7pm-9pm. Tickets £25. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/

Saturday 12 July; Old-fashioned Perfume Making. Day workshop with Tanya Moulding. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 10.45am arrival for 11am start; runs to 5.30pm. Tickets £55, advance booking and £30 deposit required. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 12 July; The Power of the Subconscious. Dreams and guidance. Organised by the Sensing Energy and Intuition Development meetip group. Venue: Latvian House, 72 Queensborough Terrace, London, W2 3SH. Time: Noon-2pm. Cost: £10. For more details to reserve places: http://www.meetup.com/Sensing-Energy-and-Intuition-Development

Sunday 13 July; Oneness Picnic and Meditation in Regents Park with the London College of Spirituality. Location: The Inner Circle of Regents Park in Queen Mary's Gardens by the water fountain. Time: 1pm-6pm. Bring your own picnic, but no alcohol as this is an alcohol-free event. Free entry. Nearest tube Baker street or Great Portland street, London. For more details: http://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/events/

Sunday 13 July; Woodland Wicca Circle - an introductory-level Wiccan ritual with some basic instructions in Wicca, witchcraft and ritual magic, suitable for newcomers and beginners to the Craft. These rituals are part of a monthly training programme facilitated by Gardnerian HP Mani of Pagan Frontiers and take place outdoors at London locations including Richmond Park, Trent Park, Queen’s Woods, woods in Croydon, Hyde Park and riverside locations by Thames. The events are free but small donations to running costs are appreciated. For more details and to reserve a place, visit: http://www.witchcraftandmagic.org/html/wicca_full_moon_rituals.html

Sunday 13 July; Wassily Kandinsky, Alice Bailey and the Astrological Psychology of Bruno and Louise Huber. Talk by Sue Lewis. Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Time: 6pm-7.30pm. Fee £7/£5, TS members: £4. Website: www.theosoc.org.uk

Monday 14 July; Treadwell's Open Circle. Wiccan-style ceremony for those with some experience led by Lisa Grace and Ellie Hughes. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7, advance booking required. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Monday 14 July; Sharpen Your Brain. Talk by Dr John Arden. Venue: Alternatives, St. James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. Time: 7pm to 8.30pm. Tickets £12/£8 concs if booked online in advance. To book tickets and for more info visit the Alternatives website: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/Site/Talks.aspx

Tuesday 15 July; Book Launch Party: Witchcraft Today Sixty Years On. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm start. Free entry but advance booking essential via RSVP to info@treadwells-london.com. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Wednesday 16 July; Mesopotamian Gods: Who is Dagon? Lecture One in Treadwell's Mesopotamian Occult Series. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7, advance booking recommended. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Wednesday 16 July; Dr Who in An Exciting Adventure With Charles Fort. Talk by Gordon Rutter at the London Fortean Society. Venue (not the usual venue): The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Time: 7.45pm.

Thursday, 17 July; An evening of Mediumship and the Quantum Law of Attraction, organised by Oracle TV. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7pm - 10.30pm. Early bird tickets only £15, tickets on the door £22. Price includes a glass of wine. For more info visit www.oracletelevision.com

Thursday, 17 July; Croydon CoA Witches Gathering with talks and social activities at 1 Matthews Yard, Off Surrey Street, Croydon. 8pm start. Entry: £1/£2. Event held on the third Thursday each month. For more details visit: http://www.witchfest.net/

Thursday, 17 July; Third Eye Salon Presents: Strings and Loops - Concert with Jo Quail and Orryelle. Venue: The Birdcage, 58 Stamford Hill, London, N16 6XS. Time: 7.30pm start. Entry: £5.

Friday 18 July; Student demonstration with Gerrie March. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Cost: £10/£12 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 18 July; Group Healing Night with the London College of Spirituality. Venue: Westminster Quakers Meeting House, 8 Hop Gardens, off St Martins Lane (alleyway between Gymbox and Cote Brasserie) London WC2N 4EA. Time: 7pm. Cost: £10. Details and booking: http://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/

Friday 18 July; London Dreamtime presents... Into the Greenwood. Join musician Nigel of Bermondsey and storyteller Vanessa Woolf in a secret location as the sun sets over the ancient woodlands of South London. Time: 9pm - 10.30pm Booking essential; email vanessa@londondreamtime.com to get all the details and meeting place. Bring a torch and wear suitable footwear.

Saturday 19 July; Magical Astrology workshop - Gateways between Heaven and Earth, Exploring the Four Angles of the Birth chart with Cat Cox. Venue The Atlantis Bookshop, Museum Street WC1. Time: 11am-5pm. Cost: £45. Contact The Atlantis Bookshop on 020 7405 2120 to reserve your place.

Sunday 20 July; Trip to Crop Circles in Wiltshire and Illustrated Talk with Francine Blake. Pick up point: St. James's Square, London, W1J. Time: 9am to 9pm. Tickets £75/£55 (includes coach fare). To book tickets and for more info visit the Alternatives website: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/Site/Talks.aspx

Sunday 20 July; Dawn of the Oak. Pagan moot on the third Sunday of each month. Venue: Upstairs at The Castle, 34-35 Cowcross Road, Farringdon, London EC1M 6DB (near Farringdon tube). Time: 3pm-6pm.

Gods and aliens on TV

The History Channel is showing a programme called Ancient Aliens today at 9pm. The blurb says:

"The Visitors: From the Dogon people of Mali to the Native American Zuni tribe, many ancient cultures believed in visitors from the stars. Could aliens have played a hand in human history?"

This is obviously not a new idea. Erich Von Daniken has been writing about that subject for about 40 years, with books such as Chariots of the Gods? : Was God An Astronaut?

However, I'd be interested to see whether this History Channel documentary has anything new to say. Sadly, I won't be able to, as the channel isn't available on freeview. If you do watch it, please leave a comment saying what you thought.

Links
http://www.history.co.uk/tv-schedule.html
Chariots of the Gods? : Was God An Astronaut? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past

Pagan events in and around London

For details of future events visit my events page at http://paganevents.blogspot.com/, but here are this week's events of interest to pagans in London and other parts of England:

Monday 23 November 13th Anniversary Mysteries Pilgrimage at Crossbones Graveyard, in London. Thirteen years ago, The Goose revealed her secret history of the outlaw borough of Southwark to John Crow (otherwise known as writer John Constable) in The Southwark Mysteries. The anniversary pilgrimage starts at 5.30pm and ends in a the vigil at the gates of Crossbones Graveyard, which will begin at 6.45pm. To take part, meet outside John Harvard Library, 211 Borough High St, London (near St George the Martyr church) Borough tube. The cost is £7 (£5 concessions), no advance bookings. Bring flowers and ribbons to tie to the gates. For more details, visit http://www.crossbones.org.uk/

Tuesday 24 November, Geosophy: Defining the Landscape's Mystifying Appeal and Spirit. Talk by David Lowe at London Earth Mysteries Circle, Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, W1U 8EA. From 7pm. Admission £4 non-members, £2.50 members. http://www.londonearth.com/

Wednesday 25 November; Gerona: City of Secrets. Carrie Kirkpatrick of Divine Productions will be showing her film and talking about why it was recently banned. Venue: Pagan Forum Secret Chiefs, Devereux public house, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, London WC2. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8.30pm. Admission £2. For details about Divine Productions email mailto:info%40divinetv.net

Thursday 26 November; Kenneth Grant's Magic: Lecture Four in the Typhonian Series by Michael Staley of the Typhonian Order. Venue: Treadwells, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. 7.15 for 7.30pm start. Entry £5, booking essential. Tel: 020 7240 8906 or email: info@treadwells-london.com.

Friday 27 November; Some Secret Place: Pagan Ceremony Evening. Pagan ritual evening, perfect for solitary witches (some basic knowledge of pagan theory necessary). Venue: Treadwells, 34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PB. 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Entry £5, advance booking necessary. Tel: 020 7240 8906 or email: info@treadwells-london.com.

Friday 27 November; The Song of the Earth: A New Look at Crop Circles and Landscape Zodiacs. Talk by Anthony Thorley at Research into Lost Knowledge Organisation (Rilko). Venue: Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, W1U 8EA. Admission £7 non-members, £5 members. Time: 7.15pm start. For more details see http://www.earthskywalk.com/

Sunday 29 November; Magical Presents for Yule (on a shoestring). A practical day making magical gifts including sachets and talismans, magical pouches, runic scripted candles, sigils for Yule wishes and a witches bottle. It is being run by Priestess Lyn Baylis and teacher Storm Bower. For more details and to book a place contact Marie on 01903 717000 or email mailto:mariedragon%40hotmail.co.uk.

If you know of any pagan events and want them listed on A Bad Witch's Blog, email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Stoned wallabies make crop circles

I've just seen this on the BBC News website and had to mention it on my blog:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8118257.stm

In Australia, Government officials have apparently said wallabies are responsible for crop circles.

The official line is that they get high on opium poppies growing in fields, stagger about and make the circular patterns that prompt so much debate.

So there you have it. X File closed...

Crop Circles

Crop circles continue to fascinate people. They are often amazingly complex designs that appear overnight in fields of crops without anyone witnessing who made them or how.

They first came to public attention on 14 July 1988, when one was spotted on Silbury Hill, the mysterious neolithic earth mound in Wiltshire. It was a simple pattern of circles that seemed to defy rational explanation. The Atlas of the Super Natural, published in 1990, said: "The walls of the standing crops defining the circle are perfectly sharp. The evidence clearly excluded human agency."

Since then, people have claimed responsibility for creating that circle and even shown how they made it, using planks of wood to flatten the crops. The website circlemakers.org is a forum for crop circle makers, describing the techniques used, and clearly proves that at least a large number of crop circles are man made.

Nevertheless, the debate still rages over whether all crop circles are of human construction. The website Crop Circle Secrets says:

"Crop circles are scientifically proven to be manifestations of energy under intelligent guidance. Over 80 eyewitnesses describe them to be made by tubes of light, in less than fifteen seconds, and this was once proved by a Japanese camera crew in 1990. The evidence for crop circles as a genuine phenomenon is found in Freddy Silva's book Secrets In The Fields."

Crop circles were around before 1988, and were given a variety of explanations. An English woodcut from the 17th Century, called The Mowing Devil, shows a demonic figure creating a circle in a field. In 1966, an Australian farmer claimed to see a flying saucer hovering over a sugar cane field. When he went to investigate, he found a flattened circle below where he said he saw the craft hovering. In the early 1980s, mysterious flattened circles in crops growing in Surrey where blamed on a freak storm.

The early reports described shapes that were simple circular patterns. Since then, crop circles have become increasingly more elaborate.

Last month, timesonline reported a massive pattern in a field in Wiltshire that has been identified as a mathematical symbol depicting the first 10 digits of Pi. Debate rages over whether it is the work of aliens trying to communicate with us, or a group of clever engineering students prepared to get up at dawn, which is 4am in mid June.

The picture above shows a friend of mine sitting in a crop circle. She said: "I tried sitting in the middle and waiting for the mothership, but it never came for me. I guess even aliens get fed up with spirographs pretty quickly."

What do you think? Are all crop circles man made? Are those that currently defy explanation just very clever hoaxes or are they caused by something else - natural or supernatural? Could freak storms cause these patterns or are aliens trying to tell us something using complex symbols in our fields? Is there some other paranormal explanation - perhaps mischievous imps or fairy folk with a knowledge of maths?

Leave a comment on my blog to have your say. If you have any pictures of crop circles, email them to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com

Photo by DMWCarol

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/interface2005.htm
www.circlemakers.org/
skepdic.com/cropcirc.html
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4160477.ece
www.cropcircleresearch.com/
http://home.clara.net/lovely/crop_circles_early.html
http://www.cropcirclesecrets.org/

Crop circles

Tomorrow, The Moot With No Name will be hosting a talk entitled Crop Circles for Fun and Profit.

Darren Francis will be exploring the various theories on how crop circles are created, whether they are entirely man made or if there is something more mysterious behind their origin.

The talk is on January 16 and starts at 7.30pm. Entry is £2.

The Devereux is at 20 Devereux Court, off Essex St, London WC2. For a map of how to get there visit: www.multimap.com/maps/?&hloc=GBWC2R%203JJ

For more details:
www.pflondon.org/html/moot_with_no_name.html