Witchcraft: Is it a Bad Omen if Your Spell Goes Wrong?

I did a spell at the Spring Equinox. It involved planting a seed and setting an intention, with the idea that as the seed grew into a flower, so my wish would come true. Sadly, I have to report that the things I used didn't quite do what I wanted them to do. In fact my potting compost went mouldy and I had to throw the whole thing away. Does that indicate I'll never get whatever I wished for? 

It's the kind of question I often get asked when I teach practical magic classes. If a spell candle goes out, a wax or clay effigy cracks, or indeed a seed fails to germinate or even goes mouldy, is it a bad omen?  Will the spell backfire?

My answer is that it's far more likely to just mean that particular spell attempt didn't work. It won't backfire on you. You can try again. You can always try again. In fact, trying again is the best thing to do. 

Most spell component failures are for boringly mundane reasons. In my case, I'm pretty sure I know what I did wrong. I improvised a propagator, upcycled from two clear plastic food pots. However, I later realised I hadn't cleaned the pots properly before reusing them. They were in a warm place and obviously moist inside, which is the perfect environment for things to go mouldy.

Of course I'm a bit annoyed this happened, but I'm not taking it as an omen of doom and catastrophe. Instead, I'm going to have another go with more seeds and cleaner pots. The lesson I'll take is not to rush things and to check my spell ingredients more carefully in future.

The picture at the top shows the ingredients for a seed-planting spell I did a few years ago, which worked perfectly. I thought I'd show you that rather than a photo of something mouldy. The reason is that you shouldn't overly dwell on mistakes or things that go wrong. Recognise any error, learn from it, and move forwards with the intention of doing better in future.

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 for easier identification), and some bigger events further afield.  

Now to 20 April; Welcome To Fairy Land - Luciana Nedelea Art Exhibition. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. Time: Museum opening hours, free entry https://thelasttuesdaysociety.org/museum/events-exhibitions/

Now to 2 May  (but closed for Easter from 1-8 April); Conspiracies exhibition. Venue: Warburg Institute, Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AB. 11am to 6pm. Free entry. https://warburg.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/conspiracies

Now to end of May; Dark Secrets: The Esoteric Exhibition. Venue: The Vaults, Leake Street, SE1 7NN. Open Wednesdays to Sundays. Tickets from £21. https://darksecretsexhibition.com/london/

Now – 19 April; Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection Exhibition. Venue: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Free https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/thirst-in-search-of-freshwater

Now - 25 May; Hawaiʻi - a Kingdom Crossing Oceans exhibition. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Adult tickets £18. https://www.britishmuseum.org/

Now – 16 May; Witch/Craft. Art and Photography exhibition by Anne Jackson’s and Sara Hannant. Venue: St Barbe Museum, New Street, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 9BH. Open Monday – Saturday 10am-4pm. Adult tickets £6. https://www.stbarbe-museum.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/witch-craft/?

Now to 16 May; Broken, Burnt, Buried. Exhibition of Egyptians objects deliberately broken as part of ritual and religious practices. Venue: Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1E 6BT. Free. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-collections/

Now on; Vikings: The Immersive Experience. Venue: Dock X, Unit 1 Canada Water, Surrey Quays Rd, London SE16 2XU.  Opening hours: daily from 9am. Adult tickets from £23 and children from £16. https://vikings-immersive.co.uk/london/?

Now - 1 November; Exhibition: The Saxons. Opening day has talks, storytelling, crafts and other live events. Venue: Discover Bucks Museum, 9 Church Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP20 2QP. Time: Monday – Saturday 10am – 4pm. Sunday noon – 4pm. Adult tickets from from £5.90. https://discoverbucksmuseum.digitickets.co.uk/tickets

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 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

Various dates; London Witches and Chilling History Bankside Walking Tour. Meet at Southwark View Point, Minerva Square, London, SE1 9DF. Times various. Tickets around £15. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/enthral-experiences-58960674733

Wednesday 1 April; 7 Essential Plants for Enchantment. Class with Hannah Sanders via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events 

Wednesday 1 April; The Magical Fool. Talk by Julian Vayne via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events 

Wednesday 1 April (first Wednesday of the month); Drumming and Meditation online with Taz Thornton. Time: 7pm. Free  https://www.facebook.com/TazThorntonOfficial

Wednesday 1 April (and other dates); Moonchild - A Libra Full Moon Gong Bath Journey in the Mansion. Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion, Place Park, The Mansion, Beckenham BR3 1SY. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.beckenhamplace.org/whatson/

Wednesday 1 April (most Wednesdays); Gong Bath. Venue:  Akasa, 5a Prince Edward Rd, Hackney Wick,  London E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets:  from £23.46. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/sunita-kaur-34415293427

Wednesday 1 April (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 1 April; The Making of Medusa: Why does she still haunt popular art and culture? with Dr. Natalie Lawrence. Hybrid event via By Seed Talks. In-person venue: The Blues Kitchen Brixton, 40 Acre Lane, London SW2 5SP. Time 7pm. Tickets £13.37/ £18.20. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/seed-talks-36463428713

Wednesday 1 April (usually on a Wednesday each month);  Anna Milon on The Horned God of the Witches. Online talk via the Folklore Centre. Time: 7pm. Tickets £5. https://www.folkloremythmagic.com/

Wednesdays 1 April; An Evening of Psychic Mediumship with Nicoletta Stephens. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Times 7pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 1 April; Create a Successful Psychic Business. Start of 3-session course run by Aude Firmin, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £120. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 2 April (most Thursdays); Shamanic Dance with Luisa Passalacqua. Venue near Wandsworth Town Station, London. Time: 11am. Tickets donations (or free) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/luisa-passalacqua-16972493584?

Thursday 2 April (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 2 April; The Korean Art of Living Well. Online talk by Dr Jenelle Kim via Watkins Bookshop. Time: 5pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Thursday 2, 9 and 16 April; Soul-Loss Retrieval Ceremony with Pixie P Carney. Online via the College of Psychic Studies. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 2 April;  Core Texts: Exploring Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell. Venue: Swedenborg House, The Swedenborg Society, 20/21 Bloomsbury Way London WC1A 2TH. Time: 6pm. Tickets £5 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/8460713300?

Thursday 2 April;  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

Thursday 2 April (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

Thursday 2 April;  Women's Full Moon Gong Bath. Venue:  Akasa, 5a Prince Edward Rd, Hackney Wick,  London E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets:  from £25.63. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/sunita-kaur-34415293427

Thursday 2 April; Full Moon Ritual by the Thames with London Woodland Witches and Pagans. Meet at Millennium Bridge, Thames Embankment, · London. Time: 7pm.   Tickets: £6.13. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mani-woodland-witch-34325436803 or https://mani.org.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/PaganFrontiersOfLondon.

Thursday 2 April;  Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris's Thoth Tarot. Event with Kingfisher Coven. Venue:  Lost Souls Pizza Camden, 245 Eversholt Street, London NW1 1BA.  Time: 7pm. Tickets: £6.13 https://www.eventbrite.com/o/keith-broad-kingfisher-coven-88810783003

Thursday, 2 April; The Reality of the Invisible. Talk by Dr Serge Kahili King online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £3.35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Friday 3 April (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 3 April; Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn by Felix John Taylor. 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

Friday 3 April (and other dates); Holistic Sound Bath Meditation - Summoning The Sacred. Venue: Training Points Fitness and Therapy, 5-6 Cooper's Yard, London SE19 1TN. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/holistic-sound-bath-meditation-summoning-the-sacred-tickets-223970159777?#

Saturday 4 April (and other dates);  Reiki and Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls Healing. Venue: Hilton, 61 - 67 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3HU. Time: 11am. Tickets £30. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/121074557489?

Saturday 4 April (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, London. Time: 3pm. Tickets:  From £32.93 https://www.eventbrite.com/o/fouzia-javaid-7885666957

Saturday 4 April (date tbc but usually first Saturday each month); Gong Bath. Venue: Upminster Sanctuary Pea Lane, Upminster, RM142XH. Time: 7pm. Tickets: tbc.  https://upminstersanctuary.com/

Sunday 5 April; Group Constellation Workshop by Avideya. Venue: 30 Friern Watch Avenue, London N12 9NT. Time:  from 10am to 5pm.  From £53.80. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/avideya-30020254011

Sunday 5 April (and other dates); British Museum and the Magical Revival Walking Tour with Caroline Wise organised by Treadwell's. Time: 10.50am. Meet outside the British Museum (North Entrance), Montague Place, London, WC1B 3DG. Tickets: £50. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Sunday 5 April;  Throat Chakra. Wicca Women’s Circles Focus on a Chakra . Venue: Crystal Wicca,  West Wickham, BR4. Time: tbc. Tickets: £33 or £55 for two classes. https://www.facebook.com/TheCrystalWicca

Sunday 5 April (date tbc); Ritual in the Tower (Luna Iter). In-person ritual in Hackney, East London for members of the group, guests and seekers on the path. Meet at the Pembury Tavern, 90 Amhurst Rd, London, from 4.30pm, moving on to a historic site to start the ritual at 6pm. Entry: £9.73. https://www.hildegardmaier.co.uk/luna-iter or https://www.facebook.com/groups/1230392930656154 

Sunday 5 April; Mr. Punch’s journey from Napoli to somewhere-on-sea. Talk by John Rudlin online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £3.35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Monday 6 April; Greenwich Easter Lifting. Folklore event with Blackheath Morris group. Venue: Cutty Sark gardens, Greenwich, London SE10 9HT. Time: 11.45am. Tickets free but reserve a place. https://www.meetup.com/saturday-morning-folklore-club/

Monday 6 April; The Rowan Tree: Myth, Folklore, Art. Talk by Oliver Southall online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £3.35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Monday 6 April (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

Tuesday 7 April;  Pir Zia Inayat Khan on Tears from the Mother of the Sun. Talk and signing, Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 19-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Tuesday 7 April; Ascending with Angels workshop Led by David Goddard. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 6.30pm  Cost £40 https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Tuesday 7 April; An Introduction to the Ancient Runes with Andreas Kornevall. Online via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Tuesday 7 April;  Beginner Tarot. Start of 4-Part course with Delphine de la Mar. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £150. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Tuesday 7 April;  Macbeth: The Fairy Tale?. Talk by Tom Barnes via the Folklore Society online. Time: 7pm. Tickets £6. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-folklore-society-32190494089

Tuesday 7 April (tbc but usually first Tuesday each month); Talk  at Romford Pagan Moot. Venue: The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford. Time: 7.30pm. Entry £4: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064489640955

Tuesday 7 April; Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Talk by Mariska Beekenkamp online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £3.35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Wednesday 8 – Friday 17 April; The Art and Beauty of True Will  BEAUTY of  – Magical Robes and Sacred Implements of Thelema. An Exhibition of Handcrafted Artifacts by the Artistic Workshop LOGOS 373. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 11am – 6pm (closed Sunday) Free entry https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Wednesday 8-10 April; Finding Your Life’s Purpose: An Interactive Workshop on the True Will with Dr. David Shoemaker, hosted by Atlantis Bookshop. Venue: The Plough, 27 Museum St, London WC1A 1LH. Time: 7pm each evening. Tickets £16 www.totss.org or https://theatlantisbookshop.com/events/event/finding-your-lifes-purpose-an-interactive-workshop-on-the-true-will/

Wednesday 8 April; Meet Your Guides, Helpers and Gatekeepers. Start of 8-session course run by Hernan Cotroneo, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £255. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 8 April; An Evening With the Author of 'Pixie', Jill Dawson. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Times 7pm. Tickets: free, but reserve a place. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 8 April  (2nd Wed each month); Spirits of Place 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 1 April; Crowley's 'Book of The Law'. Start of 2-part workshop with Julian Vayne via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £50. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events 

Wednesday 8 April  (tbc but usually 2nd Wed each month);  Enfield Town Circle Moot. Venue: Crown and Horsehoes, Horseshoe Lane, Enfield, EN2 6PZ.  Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EnfieldTownCircle/

Wednesday 8 April;  Calm Within: A Breathwork and Sound Bath Journey. Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion, Place Park, The Mansion, Beckenham BR3 1SY. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £45. https://www.beckenhamplace.org/whatson/

Wednesday 8 April; Wealth and Wicca Series:  Protection, Banishing and Reversal. Venue: Crystal Wicca,  West Wickham, BR4. Time: 7.15pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.facebook.com/TheCrystalWicca

Wednesday 8 April; Britain’s Black Hauntings and The Future . Talk byTré Ventour-Griffiths online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 8pm. Tickets ·from  £3.35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Thursday 9 April; HERMĒNEIA 2026 Esotericism in the Modern World: Bridging Scholarship

and Public Engagement. Venue: Swedenborg House, The Swedenborg Society, 20/21 Bloomsbury Way London WC1A 2TH. Time: 11am - 6pm. Tickets £100 https://www.marcovisconti.org/hermeneia?

Thursday 9 April; Heal Your Shadow, Reclaim Your Power, workshop with Abiola Abrams, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 9 April; The Going Down by Duncan Barford. 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 9 April; Magick Without Tears Moot. Venue: Fitzroy Tavern, 16 Charlotte St., London W1T 2LY. Time 6pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/mwtpubmoot

Thursday 9 April;  Bran: A Mabinogion Tale. 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

Friday 10 April (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 10 April;  Celtic Magic: A Practitioner's Guide by Brigid Ehrmantraut. 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

Friday 10 April (and other dates); Southwark Hyseries with  Maria Beadell of Herstorical Tours. Meet: Green Dragon Court, London SE1 . Time: 6pm. Tickets: £22.50. https://www.herstoricaltours.co.uk/book

Friday 10 April (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 10 April; Welcome Women's Circle. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House | 35 Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 7pm - 9pm. Tickets: optional donation of £5 - £15. https://rsh.anth.org.uk/whats-on/

Fri 10 April; Greco-Egyptian Statue Magic. In-person workshop with Jules McArthur. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets £25 per person.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/.

Friday 10 April (Normally the 2nd friday of every month);  Wiccan Apprentice Circle (1 of 9)  with London Woodland Witches and Pagans. Meet at the entrance to Queen's Woods, Queen's wood Road, London N6 5UU, to be led into woods to the ritual spot. Bring a torch and wear suitable clothing and footwear. Time: 7pm. Tickets: free, but donations welcome. More info: https://mani.org.uk/ or visit  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mani-woodland-witch-34325436803

Friday 10 April; Game of Crones - performance. Venue:  Stanley Hall; 12 South Norwood Hill, London, SE25 6AB. Time 7:30 pm till 9:15 pm. Tickets £17. https://stanleyarts.org/event/game-of-crones/?

Friday 10 April  (and other dates); Cosy Candlelit Gong Bath by Claire The Soul Nurturer. Venue: Secret Soul Sanctuary, Sydenham Hill, London SE23 3PH. Time: 7.45pm. Tickets: £20.21. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/claire-the-soul-nurturer-35479207053

Saturday 11 April; Palmistry for Beginners workshop with Madalyn Aslan. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Times 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 11 April; The Tools of a Medium, workshop with Maria Antoniou. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Times 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 11 April;  Belostra 2026 organised by Pagan Future Fests.  Live music, market stalls, readers, talks and workshops. Venue: Cryer Arts Centre,  39 High St, Carshalton SM5 3BB. Time: noon - 11pm. Tickets: £30 all day - £15 evening only (5pm - 11pm) https://www.paganfuturefests.org.uk/tickets-for-belostra-2026?

Saturday 11 April;  Brothers: Meet Up, Work and Fireside Gathering. Berkeley Farm. Event organised by Aho. Venue: Berkeley farm, a few miles outside London. Time noon-6pm Tickets: free. https://www.aho.community/

Saturday 11 April; 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/.

Saturday 11 April; Death and Dreams: The Liminal Realms. Workshop with Tree Carr, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 1pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April; Festival of Magical History with 4 talks each day. Online 2-day event via the Folklore Library and Archive. Time: 2pm. Tickets:  £11.55 per day. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-folklore-library-archive-68703440013?

Saturday 11 April; Moon Magic Workshop. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9. Time: 2.30pm . Tickets £20. https://www.wiccamooninherservice.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/wiccamoonuk/

Sunday 12 April (and other dates and times); Soul Restore Sound Healing. Venue: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG. Time: 11am. Tickets: £30. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-mandrake-17825575648

Sunday 12 April;  Malice Market. Venue: Chislehurst Caves, Imperial Place, Chislehurst, NW Kent. Time: 11am. Free entry. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1335736923852705/

Sunday 12 April; Learn to Interpret Playing Cards with Bel Senlle. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Times 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 12 April; Poetry as Ritual and Revelation. Workshop with Sarah Fletcher. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Times 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 12 April;  Crystals workshop at North West Kent Pagans Moot. Organised by NWK Pagans for members of the group. Venue: Chislehurst Caves, NW Kent. Time: 11.30am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887

Sunday 12 April (and other dates);  Mythic London Walking Tour with with Caroline Wise, organised through  Treadwells. Meet outside St Mary le Strand Church, Strand, London, WC2R (nearest tube: Temple). Time: 11.50am. Tickets: £35. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events 

Sunday 12 April; Magic For Overcoming Creative Blocks. In-person workshop with Mark Vincent. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Tickets £60 per person. https://www.treadwells-london.com/.

Sunday 12 April; Mindful Stroll and Forest Bathing in Crystal Palace Park. Meet at Sydenham Gate, CP Park, London SE20. Time: 2pm. Free, but parking is paid. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/parkbathe-34393467709

Sunday 12 April; Crystals for the Heart and Soul, workshop with Nicholas Pearson, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 12 April;  Labyrinth Walking Meditation. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 7pm. Free, but donations welcome. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

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 and workshops. 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.

Black Stars in Dim Carcosa: Necronomicon Field Notes

Why does anyone attempt the rites of Necronomicon, the madness-inducing grimoire first mentioned in the horror fiction of HP Lovecraft?

It's a question I've often asked myself. I've heard a few people talk about it in the past, from chaos magician Steve Ash to occulture scholar Dr Justin Woodman. I've also previously read a few books by ceremonial magicians, including Kenneth Grant and Donald Tyson.

The answers I got ranged from the lure of forbidden knowledge to actually wanting to bring about the end of the world. The first I kind of get, the second seems a daft act of nihilistic rebellion. 

Nevertheless, I have a fascination with the Cthulhu Mythos, as it's called. I love the stories and have myself written scenarios for Chaosium's roleplaying game Call of Cthulhu, under the name Lucya Szachnowski. But I was still wondering why people don't simply appreciate it as fiction? Why attempt to contact - or bring into being - powers described as utterly inimical to humanity?

I've just read a new book called Black Stars in Dim Carcosa - Necronomicon Field Notes which fully explains the various approaches to it, and the reasons, with clear guides on how to do it without going mad or ending the world. Here's a description from author Marco Visconti's website:

"Black Stars in Dim Carcosa is the definitive Necronomicon field notes, the bridge between the book’s messy legend and the step-by-step reality of practice. [It] opens with the strange, contested story of the Simon Necronomicon and the postmodern current it helped catalyse, a volatile braid of Mesopotamian sorcery and the literary mythos of H. P. Lovecraft." 

As Black Stars in Dim Carcosa explains, the Simon Necronomicon was the first non-fiction book that claimed to be the tome Lovecraft described. It wasn't. Instead, it was written later and inspired by the fiction, overlaying that onto traditional Mesopotamian deities and planets. It offered an initiatory system of ceremonies to walk through seven "gates" on a spiritually transformative journey. It also offered ways to contact the Ancient Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos.

I'll admit I've never read the Simon Necronomicon so I was fascinated to read Marco Visconti's description of it, commentary on how it works in practice, and guidance to: "What changes when you practice it with discipline rather than curiosity?"

Marco adds: "The first half [of Black Stars in Dim Carcosa] offers a clear, operational reading of the Seven Gates and the logic that drives them, then moves into step-by-step gatewalking as a repeatable method."

He goes into similar analysis of the other, later, occult grimoires and types of working that have been inspired by the Mythos. These are primarily: 

• Kenneth Grant's Typhonian Trilogies and other material, which "wove together strands of Thelema, Tantric and Qabalistic mysticism.
• Polish occultist Asenath Mason's book Necronomicon Gnosis: A Practical Introduction.
• Karl Stone's The Moonchild of Yesod: A Grimoire of Occult Hyperchemistry.

I found Marco's book fascinating. I absolutely loved it! Black Stars in Dim Carcosa is well written and engaging. It clearly explains and describes the different approaches and where they fit in to postmodern occult theory. If you want to work with the forces of the Necronomicon, I thoroughly recommend Marco Visconti's book as a helpful and common-sense companion on the potentially dangerous path. It's also worth reading if, like me, you're just curious.

But what are the sensible reasons one might choose to work Necronomicon rituals? 

Well, facing one's fears and active taboo-breaking are initiatory techniques in many spiritual and magical traditions. Many chaos magicians work with fictional entities, saying they can be as powerful as more traditional gods, goddesses, and demons because of the belief invested in them. But what if the Ancient Ones are real? Well, in that case, learning about them in a managed and controlled way is perhaps safer than sitting around waiting until the stars are right.

At the end, Black Stars in Dim Carcosa offers another approach to Mythos magick apart from gatewalking or invoking entities. It's a Lost Carcosa guided visualisation, shaped around Hastur and the King in Yellow, which is a ruined city and it's mysterious ruler originating in the fiction of Robert W. Chambers. 

Marco writes that integration is the point of the work. "Dread is treated as a way of knowing, and tangential tantrums as usable data, those sideways eruptions that may signal real contact, real risk, and, sometimes, real initiation."

I'll probably not do any of these magical workings. However, Marco points out: "Grant and those inspired by him often treat art, whether writing, painting, music, or even performance, as a magical act and a channel for the Nameless forces."

Grant believed that Lovecraft had in fact been inspired by those forces, even though the horror author didn't know it. Perhaps that's true for me too. Perhaps my own writing, fiction and roleplaying scenarions (pictured), are magical workings of a kind. That's certainly something to think about.

You can view Black Stars in Dim Carcosa on Amazon as well as on Marco Visconti's website, which I linked to earlier.

Please note: I earn commission from some links

Other previous related posts
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/05/books-aleister-crowley-manual-thelemic.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/08/necronomicon-lecture.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/10/review-grimoires-history-of-magic-books.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/10/god-of-week-dagon.html

My Witchy Events: Divination, Books and Candles

Here are details of the witchy events I'm involved with from now until the end of May. There are workshops on scrying, candle magic. I'll also be giving a free talk at the Beckenham Library Wednesday Waffle.

April

Candle Magic Workshop In-Person at Treadwell's

On  Saturday 11 April I'm running an in-person workshop on candle magic at Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time:1pm  Cost: £25 per person.  Visit https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

May

Beckenham Library Wednesday Waffle

On Wednesday 13 May I'll be talking about my writing, including my inspiration for my gothic novel Erosion, at Wednesday Waffle, a regular meeting to chat about books and writing. Venue: Beckenham Library,  22 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, BR3 4 PE. Time: 10am-11.30am. Free but reserve a place by phoning 020 8650 7090 or email beckenham.library@gll.org.

Scrying In-Person at Treadwell's

On Saturday 16 May im running an in-person Scrying workshop, on divination using crystal balls, mirrors and water. This is at Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. It starts at 1pm and costs £25 per person. Find out more or book tickets here:  https://www.treadwells-london.com/events-1/the-art-of-scrying-in-person-workshop-6

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. My Gothic novel Erosion is also published by Moon Books.

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. Please note I earn commission from advertisers for some links.

Rounding the Year: Damson Blossom & Green Buds

Spring is marching on!  Yes, that's a deliberate pun, as we're nearly at the end of the month of that name. I took this photo of my damson tree in blossom with the first few tiny green leaves just starting to show. A few days ago it was full of white flowers and not a leaf to be seen. The tree in the background is still bare.

I love this time of year, although sometimes I feel it rushes on just a little too fast. Earlier this month I photographed my garden's first camellia bloom this year. More flourished, and fell. The forsythia is now turning from yellow to green. But spring and the blossom season aren't over yet. 

Share your Pictures

Since my book 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 Rounding the Wheel of the Year

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.)

Other previous Related Posts
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/01/rounding-year-when-snowdrops-bloom.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/02/rounding-year-daffodils-narcissus.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/03/springtime-camellias.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/01/rounding-year-flower-of-love-hope-or.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/03/rounding-year-too-soon-for-silver-birch.html