Rounding the Year: My Book is 3 Years Old This Month

The wheel of the year turns, and my Pagan Portals title Rounding the Wheel of the Year is now three years old. The witchy month of October always seems like a good time to celebrate my book on the seasons. It goes into the history behind annual customs and modern pagan traditions as well as offering ideas for celebrating nature in all her changing forms. Here's the description:

"Every month is full of magic, each day has its own energy, and the seasons rotate as part of the cycles of nature. Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year looks at ways to honour each month with folkloric customs, herb and plant lore, traditional crafts, spells, visualisations, and pagan rites that go beyond the eight festivals of Imbolc, Spring Equinox, Beltane, Summer Solstice, Lammas, Autumn Equinox, Samhain, and Winter Solstice. The wheel of the year turns smoothly, it doesn’t bump over eight cogs, and that’s the meaning of the title of this book. Inside these pages you will find the history behind some much-loved folklore and modern pagan customs, as well as practical suggestions for ways to celebrate the turning of the year."

Share your seasonal photos

Since Rounding the Wheel of the Year came out I've been inviting people to share seasonal pictures, art, crafts, words and other creativity. I'd love to encourage readers to record what's happening in nature in various ways including photographs, as well as other seasonal journalling, musings, drawing, painting and crafting.

Here are ways to share the things you're doing or what you see out and about as the wheel turns:

• Leave a comment on this post about what you're up to
• Find my prompts to share on my Facebook Page: Lucya Starza Pagan Portals Author
• Share on Instagram with the tag #RoundingtheYear
  

Where to find my book

My book offers more ways to acknowledge and celebrate the seasons in ritual, magic, folklore and nature. You can view Rounding the Wheel of the Year on Amazon, find it at esoteric bookshops or via my publisher Moon Books: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-rounding-wheel-year

(Please note: I earn commission from some links.)

Previous Related Posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/09/rounding-year-when-do-you-think-autumn.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/08/rounding-year-whats-your-lammas-harvest.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/07/rounding-year-wheel-turns-july-is-here.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/08/rounding-year-damsons-first-harvest.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/07/rounding-year-hollyhocks-with-minds-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/01/rounding-year-sharing-seasonal-pictures.html

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 (bolded) and a few conferences further afield.

October 1 to early November; London Month of the Dead organised by Curious Invitation and Antique Beat in conjunction with London cemeteries. Talks, walks, workshops, and performances,  on the theme of death. For a full list of the events and to book tickets, visit the London Month of the Dead website: http://londonmonthofthedead.com/index.html

Throughout October: 31 days of Witchcraft Daily Practice with author Rachel Patterson. Free online event. No need to sign up. https://www.rachelpatterson.co.uk/single-post/31-days-of-witchcraft-daily-practice?

Now to 8 November;  The Occult Temple of Agape - Exhibition. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. Time: 6pm. Tickets free. https://thelasttuesdaysociety.org/museum/

Now - 25 October; Richard Dadd - Beyond Bedlam exhibition. Venue: Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD Time: 10-6pm every day. Tickets £15. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/

Now to Friday 23 October; The Soothsayer's Chorus. Art exhibition inspired by Cassandra, the mythological prophetess whose warnings went unheeded. Venue:  35 Britannia Row, London N1 8QH (nearest stations Angel and Essex Road). Time: Monday–Saturday 11am–6pm (closed Sundays). Free, no booking needed. https://thesoothsayerschorus.com/

Now to 9 January 2027; Anne Ryan’s Folkmoot art exhibition on London archaeology. Venue: London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, 12 Walbrook, London, EC4N 8AA. Free entry during opening hours. https://www.londonmithraeum.com/bloomberg-space/

Now to 16 December. Visionary Landscapes. Exhibition. Venue: Swedenborg House, 20/21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Time: during opening hours. Tickets free. https://www.swedenborg.org.uk/

Most lunchtimes and some other times: Meditation - in-person or online. In-person venue: Inner Space, 36 Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden, London · WC2H 9AB. Time: 1pm (for lunchtime meditation). Free. https://www.meetup.com/inner-space-covent-garden/events/

Every Tuesday to Sunday except over bank holidays; College of Psychic Studies -  pop in to have a look around the lovely building.  Venue: College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am-4pm. Free entry. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk

 https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Now – 29 November; The Coming of Age Exhibition - including displays on witches and crones. Venue: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Open daily 10am-6pm.  Free. https://wellcomecollection.org/

Every lunchtime: Rainbow Spirit offers a shared vegetarian lunch from a flat in Soho, London, for all people LGBT+Allies. The foundation is British witchcraft. Each meal is followed by Ancestor Circle, passing the talking stick. Alcohol-free event. To attend join the Whatsapp chat group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LhDxaCzGsmE2YI6AReyw3W

or email: rainbowawakening1@gmail.com

Wednesday 14 October (and other dates); Spirit Guide Mediumship Circle with Hannah Macintyre Spirit Medium. Time: 9am. Tickets  £13.70. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spirit-guide-mediumship-circle-tickets-1991970157363?

Wednesday 14 October; Spellbound: A History of Witchcraft, Magic and the Occult (live online). Start of 20 week course with Dr Tom Waters via Imperial. Fees: Standard £531,  Associate £419. Internal £324. For course content enquiries: Contact t.waters@imperial.ac.uk, For booking enquiries contact Christian Jacobi at c.jacobi@imperial.ac.uk  More information at https://www.imperial.ac.uk/evening-classes/winter-courses-list/spellbound-history-of-magic-online/

Wednesday 14 October; Psychic Mediumship for Beginners with Sarah-Jane Jay. Start of  6-session course. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 5pm. Tickets: £200. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 14 October; Working with the Spirit Doctor Team with Susan Gash. Start of  6-session course. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £200. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 14 October; An Evening With…Jake Morningstar. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 6.30pm  Cost £20 https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Wednesday 14 October; Sacred Gong Meditiation with Joe Summerfield.  Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 7pm. Tickets: £45. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday  14 October (every Wednesday); Feeling Sound. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £18.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday 14 October; The Power of Psychic Reiki with Nicholas Pearson. Start of  6-session course. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £200. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 14 October; Explore your Psychic Senses with Tyrone Cusack. Start of  6-session course. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £200. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 14 October (2nd Wednesday each month); Power of Intention. Training group workshop by the Wytchery. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store St, London WC1E 7BS, UK. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.meetup.com/the-wytchery/

Wednesday 14 October (tbc as the group is considering shifting to Tuesdays);  Enfield Town Circle Moot. Venue: Crown and Horsehoes, Horseshoe Lane, Enfield, EN2 6PZ.  Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EnfieldTownCircle/

Wednesday 14 October; Connect With Your Witch Ancestors with Benjamin Stimpson, author of Of Toads and Hares. Start of  2-session course. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 15 October;  Intuitive Living with Sarah-Jane Jay.  Start of 6-session course. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 1pm. Tickets: £165. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 15 October (every Thursday); 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 15 October; Love's Secret with Katie Abbott. Talk and signing, Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 19-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 5pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Thursday 15 October; Morris Dancing Workshop. Venue: The Victory Club, 227 Selhurst Rd, S Norwood. Time: 7pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/oldpalaceclog

Thursday 15 October; Magic in Contemporary Art. Talk and Soirée with Dr Amy Hale . Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Thursday 15 October and 22 Oct; Phantom Femmes walk with  Maria Beadell of Herstorical Tours. Meet: Cowcross St, Farrringdon, London EC1M 6BY.  Time: 7.50pm. Tickets from £10. https://www.herstoricaltours.co.uk/book

Thursday 15 October (recurring event); Welcome Women's Circle. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: optional donation of £5 - £15. https://rsh.anth.org.uk/whats-on/

Thursday 15 October; Occult Music. Talk by Cunning Folk at South East London Folklore Society. Venue: The Electric Elephant Cafe, 186A Crampton Street, London, SE17 3AE. Time: 8pm, Free but £5/£8 donations welcome.  Email cunningfolkmusic@gmail.com to book a space or visit  https://www.eventbrite.com/o/cunning-folk-7829505560 or https://connectionwithwonder.com/events/

Thursday 15 October; The Mysteries of Easter Island with James Grant-Peterkin. Talk online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £6.59. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Friday 16 October (and other dates); Drum Birthing Workshop with Lynn Gosney. Venue: Shamanic Centre Caer Corhrain, Minster, Kent. Starts 8.45am. Tickets £225/£250. https://www.facebook.com/shamaniccentrecaercorhrain

Friday 16 October (every Friday); Live Chat hosted by Rachel Patterson, author of Gods and Goddesses of England and the Kitchen Witch series of books. Online event. Time: 9am. Free. https://www.facebook.com/RachelPattersonbooks/

Friday  16 to Sunday 18 October; The Mind Body Soul Experience and OM Yoga Show. Venue: Alexandra Palace, London N22 7AY. Tickets from £16.44 for one day. https://www.mindbodysoul.show/

Friday 16 October (and other dates); Shamanic Drumming, Healing and Journeying. Venue: Atlantis Spiritual Centre, Crews Hill, Enfield EN2 9DG. Time 10.30am. Tickets:  £11.55. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/110820030781?

Friday 16 October - 3 May 2027; Exhibition: Folklore. Venue: The Museum of Cambridge, 2-3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0AQ. Entry: Adults: £7.70, Children: Free. https://www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/event/folklore/

Friday 16 October (tbc but usually 1st and 3rd Friday each month); Pagan Portal Podcast by Moon Books. Time: noon (or listen to recording later). Free event. https://open.spotify.com/show/11N4kNj65tTz9NFUcZTMa7?

Friday 16 October (and other dates); Thoth Tarot study group. Free online event. Time: 7pm. https://www.meetup.com/astrotarotkitchen/events/

Friday 16 October; Dreaming for Dreamers: Visionary Tools for Life and Creativity. Venue: Abney Park Cemetery, Harriet Delph Room, Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0LH. Time: 7pm. Tickets £16.96. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/6361564401?

Friday 16 October (various dates); Hex and the City Walking Tour with  Maria Beadell of Herstorical Tours. Meet: Cowcross St, Farrringdon, London EC1M 6BY. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets from: £25. https://www.herstoricaltours.co.uk/

Saturday 17 October;  The Vampire's Tale Tarot with Sasha Graham. Talk and signing, Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 19-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: noon. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Saturday 17 October; Shamanic Drumming. Venue: Flopsy Wood, Cock Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8LS. Time  noon. Tickets £20. https://www.facebook.com/HertsEvents

Saturday 17 October; Grounding Rituals, East and West – In-person workshop with Lucia Ring-Watkin. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Tickets: Contact Treadwells for info. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Saturday 17 October; Astrology for Shadow Work with Tree Carr. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 1pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 17 October; Collective Storytelling with Tarot with Bel Senlle and James Jude. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 1pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 17 October; Egyptian Temple Rites with Pixie P Carney. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 17 October; Qigong. Venue: Flopsy Wood, Cock Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8LS. Time  3pm. Tickets £10. https://www.facebook.com/HertsEvents

Saturday 17 October; Fairies and the Deqad. Talk on Folklore from the Edge of the Otherworld with Elizabeth Dearnley as part of London Month of the Dead. Venue: Brompton Cemetery, London.

Time: 3.30pm Tickets £13.50 http://londonmonthofthedead.com/index.html

Saturday 17 October; Sound Bath South East London - Samhain Special. Venue: Telegraph Hill Centre, Pepys Road, London SE14 5TY. Time: 4.45pm Tickets  £22.38. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/121806657566?

Saturday 17 October; (usually 4th Friday or Saturday of the month); An Evening with Joanne Harris - Sleepers in the Snow.  Online event via the Folklore Library and Archive. Time: 8pm. Tickets:  £11.55. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-folklore-library-archive-68703440013?

Sunday 18 October; Reading Tea Leaves and Coffee Grounds with Kylie Holmes. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 18 October;  The Witchcraft Summit. Part of the Seed Talks Online Summits collection. Starts 11am. Tickets from £29. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/seed-talks-online-summits-3977003/?

Sunday 18 October; Candle magic workshop based on my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic. The venue is Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. It starts at 1pm and tickets are £25 per person. To find out more and reserve a place visit: https://www.treadwells-london.com/.

Sunday 18 October; Adults Forest Bathing in South Norwood Lake and Grounds. Meet at Sylvan Road, London SE25 4AN. Time: 1pm. Free. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/parkbathe-34393467709

Sunday 18 October; Apple Day at the Tree Nursery. Venue: Hackney Community Tree Nursery, Homerton Road, London E9 5PF Time: 2pm. Tickets £0 - £5 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/33594237991?

Sunday 18 October; Autumn : An Aromayoga Journey. Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion, Place Park, The Mansion, Beckenham BR3 1SY. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.beckenhamplace.org/whatson/

Sunday 18 October (3rd Sunday each month); Dawn of the Oak Pagan moot. Venue:  The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon Road/Greville Street, London EC1M 3JF. Time: 2.30pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/dawnoftheoak/ 

Sunday 18 October; ‘Resting in a cemetery’ - Legends and Legacy of the Whittington Stone with Alessandra Curtis. Venue: Abney Park Cemetery Trust, Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0LH. Time: 3.30pm. Tickets £10 - £16. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/6361564401?

Sunday 18 October;  Heart and Soul Gathering. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 7pm. Free, but donations welcome. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Sunday 18 October;  In Season: Ghosts and Gargoyles. Online with Jason Buck Storyteller. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets From £3.50. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/5020006777?

Sunday 18 October; A Halloween Evening of Fear on Film with Dr Murray Leeder. Talk online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £6.59. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Monday 19 October; The Prometheus Code: A Traditional Horary Investigation into Super AI with Jason Hyams. Hybrid event via the Astrological Lodge of London. In-person venue: Steiner House 35 Park Road, London, United Kingdom. Starts 6.30pm. Tickets £9. https://astrolodge.co.uk/

Monday 19 October (usually every other Monday); MHA The Wilderness forest bathing walk (all mobilities welcome). Meet MHA The Wilderness, 17 Shirley Church Road, Croydon CR9 5AL. Time: 11am. Free. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/parkbathe-34393467709

Monday 19 October; Death Masks: The Final Portrait with Nick Reynolds. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets  £16.14, includes a cocktail. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-last-tuesday-society-viktor-wynd-museum-33776720489

Monday 19 October; The Many Faces of Death. Online class with Rebecca Beattie author of Planetary Magic via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Monday 19 October (every Monday); Welcome Men's Circle. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: optional donation of £5 - £15. https://rsh.anth.org.uk/whats-on/

Monday 19 October (tbc but usually every Monday); Tea With a Druid. Free online event by the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. Time 8pm. https://druidry.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/druidry

Monday 19 October;  The Same Mountain, Different Paths: A Cross-Cultural Investigation into Consciousness, Death, and the Nature of Reality with Chris McKinnell. Online  presentation hosted by the Society for Psychical Research via Zoom. Time: 8pm. Tickets: Free for members/£5 non members. https://www.spr.ac.uk/

Monday 19 October;  The Brompton Time Machine with Stephen Coates. Talk online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £6.59. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Tuesday 20 October; Writing and rewriting fairytales. Start of 2-session course via City Lit. Online event.. Time: 5.30pm. Fee: £79/£51. https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writing-and-rewriting-fairytales

Tuesday 20 October; The Banshee in Irish Folklore: Folklore, history, gender and belief with Dr Gillian Kenny via Seed Talks. Hybrid event. In-person venue: 21 Soho, 3-5 Sutton Row, London W1D 4NR Time: 7pm. Tickets: from £13. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/seed-talks-in-london-1252979?

Tuesday 20 October; The Brothers Grimm: A Biography with Ann Schmiesing . Talk via the Folklore Society online. Time: 7pm. Tickets £6. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-folklore-society-32190494089

Tuesday 20 October (monthly); Melissa's Tarot Club. Monthly In-Person Workshop. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Cost: £15 per person.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Tuesday 20 October; Séances, Spectres and Ghost Stories with Dr Emily Vincent. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £22. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Tuesday 20 October;  Applying Investigative Psychology with Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe. Talk online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £6.59. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Wednesday 21 October; Family Halloween: Cauldron Candle Making. Venue: Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS. Time: 11am. Tickets: £20. https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/visit/whats-on/

Wednesday 21 October to 17 Apr 2027; Night Maps exhibition. Venue: Warburg Institute, Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AB. Open Tuesday - Saturday from 11am. Free. https://warburg.sas.ac.uk/

Wednesday 21 October; Family: Witch’s Knots and Braiding Spells. Venue: Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS. Time: 2pm. Tickets: from £10. https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/visit/whats-on/

Wednesday 21 October (and other dates); Tea with a Medium. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 2.30pm  Cost £60 https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Wednesday 21 October  Witchcraft, Necromancy, Politics - Eleanor Cobham's 1441 Trial. Talk by Dr Joanne Edge. Venue: The London Archive, 40 Northampton Rd, London EC1R 0HB. Time: 5.30pm. Tickets £10. https://www.thelondonarchives.org/

Wednesday 21 October; Writing Spells and Blessings. Online class with Bernadette Russell via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Wednesday 21 October;  Psychic Mediumship and Psychometry with Amanda Watson. Talk. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 7pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 21 October (tbc but usually 3rd Wednesday each month); The More Mead Moot. Venue: The Hope pub, Carshalton, Surrey. Time: 7pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/Pagan-FutureFests-352385661439366/

Wednesday 21 October; The History of Witch Hunts in Ireland.  Talk by  Dr Gillian Kenny via Seed Talks. Hybrid event. In-persoon enue: The Blues Kitchen Brixton, 40 Acre Lane, London SW2 5SP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: from £13. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/seed-talks-in-london-1252979?5

Wednesday 21 October;  Seasons of the Witch with Dr Alex Carabine. Talk online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £6.59. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Thursday 22 October; Ibn Arabi's Oneness of Being with Michael Cohen. Talk and signing, Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 19-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 5pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Thursday 22 October;  Drum Circle. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets  £15. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/shop/ or https://www.facebook.com/wiccamoonuk/

Thursday 22 October; Spoon Bending and Telekinesis with Kim Chestney.  Start of 2-session course  online via The College of Psychic Studies.. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 22 October; Telepathic Drawing: Creative Encounters in the Astral Plane. Venue: Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0LH. Time: 7pm. Tickets £16.96. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/6361564401?

Thursday 22 October; Psychic Plants with Bel Senlle. Start of  6-session course. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £165. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 22 October; Victorian Death and Afterlife – In-Person Lecture by Paul Gambino. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Friday 23 October;  Scotia: Lost sister of Tutankhamun with Luke Eastwood. Zoom webinar  via Watkins Bookshop. Time: 5pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Friday 23 October; Samhain 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  You can also view the vigil online.   http://crossbones.org.uk  

Friday 23 October; Samhain Ceremony on a Canal Boat with Woodland Witches.  Meet at The Pirate Castle, Oval Road, London NW1 7EA. Time: 6.45p. Tickets £46.21. More info  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mani-woodland-witch-34325436803

Friday 23 October (and other dates); New Moon, Full Moon or Divine Union Cacao Ceremony, Heart Ritual and Gong Bath. Venue: Private Location near Wandsworth Town/Clapham Junction. Time: 7pm. Tickets from £36.17. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/7885666957?

Saturday 24 October;  Messengers of Grace led by David Goddard. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 11am  Cost £65 https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Saturday 24 October; Connecting with Trees - A Call to Arms.  Venue:  Epping Forest Visitor Centre at Chingford, 6 Ranger's Road London E4 7QH. Time: 12.30pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/groups/7046502195365834

Saturday 24 October; Weird Wessex 2026. Conference organised by Organiser: Dr. Sue Terry. Venue: The Croft Hall, Hungerford, RG17 0HY.  Time: Doors open 9.30am finish 5.45pm. Earlybird tickets £28 until the end of August. https://www.weirdwessex.com/

Saturday 24 October; Forest Bathing at West Norwood Cemetery. Meet at West Norwood Cemetery and Crematorium, Norwood Road, London SE27 9JU. Time: 11am. Free. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/parkbathe-34393467709

Saturday 24 October;  Creating a Faerie Grotesque with Tia Price.  Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 1pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 24 October; Dowsing: How to Use a Pendulum with Pixie P Carney. Online via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October; Freemasonry and the Hidden Goddess with Helena B. Scott 2-session course. Online via The College of Psychic Studies.  Time: 5pm. Tickets: £240. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 24 October; An Evening of Practical Magic. Venue: Crystal Wicca,  West Wickham, BR4. Time: 6.45pm. Tickets: £45. https://www.facebook.com/TheCrystalWicca

Saturday 24 October (usually 4th Friday or Saturday of the month); The Wild Hunt in the Netherlands: Comradery, Hijinks, and Modern Mythology with Arjan Sterken  Online event via the Folklore Library and Archive. Time: 7pm. Tickets:  £6.13. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-folklore-library-archive-68703440013?

Saturday 24 October; Creating a Faerie Grotesque with Tia Price.  Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 1pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 25 October; Greenoaks Gathering Magickal Mystical Market, Food and drink available. Venue: Barking and Dagenham College, RM7 0XQ. Timings: 10am - 4pm Entry: £2 for 16+, kids free. Parking on site. https://www.facebook.com/events/993590610107738/

Sunday 25 October; Twisted Roots: Gathering - Creative Writing Day. Venue: Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS. Time: 10am. Tickets: £35. https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/visit/whats-on/

Sunday 25 October; Transformational Healing with Joan Osborne.  Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 25 October;  Tarot Reflections for Samhain with Avril Price.  Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 25 October; 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 25 October; Storytelling Sunday: THE VIY (Gogol’s Vampire) by London Dreamtime. Venue: Love Shack 299 Cambridge Heath Road #Arch 298 London E2 9HA. Time: 2pm. Tickets  £8.83 https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Sunday 25 October or 1 November (tbc, usually closest Sunday to the festival); Samhain  Anderida Gorsedd  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 25 October; Storytelling Sunday: Vampires, organised by Connection With Wonder. Venue: Love Shack, 299 Cambridge Heath Road, #Arch 298 London E2 9HA. Time: 2pm. Tickets from £6.13. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/3858279213?

Sunday 25 October; Deep Dive into the Air Signs and Houses with Carmen Turner-Schott. Online via The College of Psychic Studies.  Time: 6pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 25 October; Full Moon Celebration with South East London Pagans. Venue:  One Tree Hill, Honor Oak, South London. Time: 7pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/groups/7046502195365834

Sunday 25 October  (every full and new moon); Moon Space online event via She's Lost Control. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Sunday 25 October; Divination Customs in Early Halloween Postcards. Talk online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £6.59. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

For activities after these dates please visit my events page. 

Please note that I am not responsible for the content of these events except my own talks, workshops and appearances. Contact organisers directly if you have questions or to check ticket availability. Where a practitioner is offering information about magical healing, this is *not* medical advice. If you're running an event you want included, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com Also please note I earn commission for some links.

Book Review: Thresholds - Spiritual Exploration of Edges

Thresholds, by Nick Hanks, begins at Chalice Well in Glastonbury, examining the meaning and symbolism created in the space at the edge of the water. It's one of my favourite places, a beautiful garden where people following many religious and magical paths meet. 

The book is philosophical as well as spiritual, and it's one of the best non-fiction books I've read this year. I happily wrote this endorsement for publisher Vox Clamanti:

"We are surrounded by transitory spaces. They can be physical or abstract, psychological or emotional, social or defined by rules. Our own minds and bodies exist in them and are even part of them. 

"Thresholds by Nick Hanks explores the way we intersect with everything, everyone and every idea around us. Nick uses science and philosophy as part of a spiritual exploration of edges. He starts by taking the Vesica Piscis – the symbol of threshold found at the head of Glastonbury’s Chalice Well – and shows how this Venn diagram of intersecting circles exists in all aspects of life.

"This is a brilliant book, clearly and gently written, that takes the reader on a thought-provoking journey through edgelands, interzones and liminal spaces. Highly recommended!"

To give you a bit more information, here's part of the description from Vox Clamantis' website:

"This book is an antidote to the polarised thinking of our time. It is a journey along the threshold edge of things: thresholds of ideas, body, mind, mindfulness, environment, society, identity, belief, ritual, architecture, theatre, writing, landscape, life, death, and time. They are everywhere. This middle ground is not dull and indifferent, but the dynamic point of difference and exchange."

I cannot recommend this book enough. 

You can view Thresholds on Amazon

(Please note: I earn commission from some links)

Previous related posts
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/12/review-all-acts-of-love-and-pleasure.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/03/review-dark-mirror-inner-work-of.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/10/pagan-eye-chalice-well-wellhead.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/10/chalice-well-goddess-and-grail.html

Review: The We'Moon Calendar and Datebook 2027

I love getting a new We'Moon calendar and datebook each autumn, ready to fill with future events, and as an inspiration and guide.

Here's a photo of the covers of the 2027 We'Moon editions. As usual, they're full of beautiful art and words. The calendar obviously has larger pictures and is something I love to see on my kitchen wall to inspire me each day.  The datebook is far more than just a diary. As well as illustrations, it has astrological and moonphase information for the coming year plus articles on topics including herb lore, holy days, tarot and women's spirituality. 

It says on the We'Moon website: 

"We’Moon is a lunar calendar, a handbook in natural rhythms, and a collaboration of international women's cultures. We'Moon is an astrological planner complete with moon signs and phases. A calendar filled with beautiful and inspiring art and writing. Art and writing by women from many lands... give a glimpse of the great diversity and uniqueness of a world we create in our own images. We’Moon is about womyn’s spirituality (spirit-reality). We share how we live our truths, what inspires us, and our connection with the whole Earth and all our relations."

Each month of the datebook offers astrological analysis of the year at a glance for a relevant star sign. Being born with the sun in Taurus, I was particularly glad 2027 could be a good year for me in terms of my creativity and being able to take pleasure in it rather than regarding it as a chore. Apparently I should also find success and a boost of confidence. I could do with that.

If you purchase something from the We'Moon website you can use the discount code Badwitch27 for 15% off site-wide.

Please feel free to share this post and, if you can, include the tag @wemoonofficial

You can follow We'Moon on social media: Instagram @wemoonofficial / Facebook We’Moon

Horrific Historic Customs: Dog-Whipping and Wife-Selling

Are we guilty of over-romanticising customs of the past? There's been a huge resurgence of interest in folklore and seasonal festivities, with revivals of parades and festivals from bygone times. Mostly these are viewed as rebellious fun, something good from that past. But it's easy to overlook the horrific historic customs that happened too. 

Old Michaelmas Day is on October 10 and was in the past a time for agricultural fairs in many parts of England. As well as being when animals were sold, it was a time when summer farming contracts ended and labourers would be looking for new employment over the winter months. They might even have been turned out of homes that were tied to that seasonal work. That in itself could mean hardship. But I'm going to mention two even worse customs.

Dog-Whipping

In Yorkshire, October 10 was Dog-Whipping Day. This began when a stray dog ate the consecrated wafers during a mass at York Minster. According to Steve Roud in The English Year, many churches all over Europe regularly employed people to keep stray animals - and apparently beggars - out of the services. They were sometimes called dog-whippers or dog-rappers. That job title explicitly shows these were not charitable concerns aiming to rehome the poor creatures. Thankfully the practice was stopped in the mid to late 19th century.

Wife-Selling

An even worse fate might await women with abusive husbands. Back in the 17th century, divorce wasn't possible for anyone unless they were really wealthy, but a form of unofficially ending for a marriage developed in which a husband brokered a contract to sell their spouse to another man, often for an exchange of money. It was never legal, but became a recognised folk practice with a set ritual. It continued until the 19th century.

The wife would be led by a halter to an inn or marketplace and sold in public like a horse or cow, sometimes by auction to the highest bidder. The central character in Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge sells his wife at the start of the novel, an act that leads to misery throughout the story. 

In The English Year, Steve Roud places Wife-Selling as something that might happen at fairs around the time of Old Michaelmas Day. Perhaps this was more likely to happen at a time of seasonal change when hardship and poverty lay ahead. Whether or not that was the reason, no one should doubt that the women suffered far more than the men over being treated like cattle brought to market. 

The picture at the top is called Selling a Wife (1812–1814), by Thomas Rowlandson. The painting is thought to try to give the impression that the sale was jolly - but it gives me the shivers just thinking about it.

Let's not over-romanticise the past

Both of the customs I've mentioned here seem far more horrific than any of the activities of Halloween, and I think it's important to remember the past wasn't all dressing up and dancing in a way that made everyone happy. Let's not over-romanticise the past.

You can view The English Year on Amazon. 

(Please note: I earn commission from some links)

Previous related posts

https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/08/folklore-customs-londons-historic.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/09/folklore-abbots-bromley-horn-dance.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/05/folklore-customs-bromleys-broom-day.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/06/midsummer-lore-street-parties-and-st.html