Folklore & Customs: Dandelions on St George's Day

St George's Day, 23 April, is the traditional date to brew dandelion wine. Although National Dandelion Day is actually 5 April, folkloric customs state the cheery yellow flowers are most abundant and produce the sweetest wine if you pick them on the 23rd. Maybe the earlier date was chosen because climate change has meant they now ripen earlier. However, there are more of them in my garden at the moment than there were a couple of weeks ago.

In the Kitchen

If you want to give dandelion wine a go, here's a link to a recipe. I've not tried it personally, but I have made dandelion tea, which is supposedly good for the complexion. Cut off the yellow heads and steep four in a cup of boiling water for 20 minutes. I've also added the leaves to salad. They taste a little like rocket but are quite bitter. I recommend adding a few to other ingredients then use a sweet dressing. 

Nowadays, some vegans make dandelion syrup from the flowers, which supposedly tastes like honey. Recipe link here. I've seen some critics remark that dandelions are best left for the bees, which is certainly true in early spring, but there are so many of them growing now that picking a few is no problem so long as you only take what you need. Also, many gardeners mow lawns in April, so you could ask to forage before the wildflowers get chopped down anyway. 

By the way, if you make dandelion wine in April, it should be ready in time for Yule, when it's perfect to raise a glass in honour of newborn sun.

Flowers of the Sun and Moon

Dandelions are flowers with two  different faces. The bright yellow flowers with petals like the radiant sun, close up in the evening and transform. They re-emerge as a dandelion clock - a moonlike white sphere  - translucent and fragile. If you blow on one, the fluffy white seeds scatter to the wind. That's the time to whisper your dreams and make a wish. 

The Wheel of the Year

I've written a book offering 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. None of my posts are medical advice, always consult a qualified medical professional if you have health concerns.

Previous related posts
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/04/st-george-man-and-myths.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/04/dandelions.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/05/pagan-eye-dandelions-ii.html
badwitch.co.uk/2026/03/flower-folklore-heather-for-luck-and.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/03/green-london-flowers-on-street-where-i.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 for easier identification) and some bigger events further afield.  

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 to 2 May; 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 – 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/

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 – 13 September; The Material Heart: Front Line to Home Front. Exhibition of WWI folk art. Venue: Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF.  Open: Tuesdays – Saturdays, 11am – 6pm. Tickets free with general museum admission ticket or a ticket to the Paint, Pattern, Print exhibition that's also on, costing £11.50. https://fashiontextilemuseum.org/

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. 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

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/

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 22 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 22 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

Tuesday 21 April; Intermediate Tarot (Essential Spreads), Start of 4-part course with Adrien Mastrosimone via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £150. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events 

Tuesday 21 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

Wednesday 22 April;  Earth Day Ceremony with Sacred Earth Activism, Faith Bridge, Red Rebels, XR, Safe Landing and Movements.  Starts at Trafalgar Square, London, with gentle march toward Parliament Square . Time: 10.30am. Free. https://www.facebook.com/SacredEarthActivism

Wednesday 22 April (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 22 April; A Quest into the Past, Present and Future Akashic Records. Workshop with Vicky Sweetlove. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 5pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 22 April; The Grammar of Tarot. Start of 2-session course run by Laetitia Barbierk, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £120. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 22 April; Shakespeare's Magic and Creative Writing. Online Workshop with Bernadette Russell via Treadwell's Bookshop. Time: 7pm. Cost: £15 per person. Delayed viewing available https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Wednesday 22 April; Book Launch: Treasures on Earth by Jeremy Harte. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1A 1LY. Time: 7pm. Tickets for talk free but reserve a place, signed book £15.99. https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Wednesday 22 April; Woodland Cacao - Earth Day special with EcoMagic 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 £11.55. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mani-woodland-witch-34325436803 or https://mani.org.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/PaganFrontiersOfLondon.

Wednesday 22 April; A Short History of Celebrity Seances with Dr Kate Cherrell. Talk 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 23 April - 5 June; The Everyworld Redux exhibition. Venue: Swedenborg House, 20/21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Time: 10.30am To 5pm, Monday To Friday With Saturday Openings. Tickets free. https://www.swedenborg.org.uk/events/the-everyworld-redux/

Thursday 23 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 23 April; Water by Jalal Ad-Din Muhammad Rumi with Haleh Liza Gafori. Online poetry reading and talk via Watkins. Time: 5pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Thursday 23 April;  Drumming for Infinity. 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 23 April; St George's Day 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  

Thursdays 23 April; Work with the Fae and Forest Elementals. Start of 2-session course run by Pixie P Carney, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Healing in Everyday Life. Start of 6-session course run by Lars Muhl & Naleea Landmann, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £375. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 23 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 23 April; PF London Beltane Open Ritual via Pagan Federation London. Venue: Pirate Castle, Gilbey's Wharf Oval Road NW1 7EA London, UK Time: 7.15pm. Entry £8 for PF members, £10 for non-members (cash only). https://www.facebook.com/PaganFederationLondon

Thursday 23 April;  James Macpherson’s Epic Journey with Dòmhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart. Talk 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 24 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 24 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/

Friday 24 April  (4th Friday of the month);  The Wild Wood Tarot study group. Free online event. Time: 7pm. https://www.meetup.com/astrotarotkitchen/events/

Friday 24 April; Demonstration of Spirit Portraits with June-Elleni Laine. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 7pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 25 April; To Sleep Perchance for Psi. Full day event via The Society for Psychical Research (SPR). Venue: 1 Vernon Mews, West Kensington, London, W14 0RL. Doors open 9.45am. Tickets: Members £32/£25, Non-Members £38. https://www.spr.ac.uk/

Saturday 25 April; Crystals to Heighten Your Creativity. Workshop with Melissa Alley. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

​Saturday 25 April; Sacred Sweat Lodge. Venue: Shamanic Centre Caer Corhrain Kent. Run by Lynn Gosney. Time: noon Tickets £30, email lynn.gosney@hotmail.com for info and to book. https://www.facebook.com/shamaniccentrecaercorhrain/

​Saturday 25 April; The Warrior of Love Tarot by Luna Marie. 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 25 April; An Afternoon with Goddess Lilith. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9. Time: noon . Tickets £55. https://www.wiccamooninherservice.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/wiccamoonuk/

​Saturday 25 April; Caer Corhrain Shamanic Development Centre Beautiful Beltane Celebrations . Venue: Shamanic Centre Caer Corhrain Kent. Run by Lynn Gosney. Time: 1pm. Donations welcome, email lynn.gosney@hotmail.com for info and to book. https://www.facebook.com/shamaniccentrecaercorhrain/

Saturday 25 April; Connecting the Trees ritual with Trefor Wickens. Venue: Oxleas Wood, Crown Woods Lane, London, SE18 3JA. Time: 1.30pm. Tickets free. https://www.facebook.com/events/950316210811851/?

Saturday 25 April; The Kings and Queens in Tarot. Workshop with Amanda Watson, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 25 April;  Woodland Beltane and Maypole dance 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. Time: 2pm. Tickets £7/£5. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mani-woodland-witch-34325436803 or https://mani.org.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/PaganFrontiersOfLondon.

​Saturday 25 April (and other dates); Magic, Mystics and Martyrs Walking Tour with  Maria Beadell of Herstorical Tours. Meet: Fish St Hill, London EC3R 8AH. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £18. https://www.herstoricaltours.co.uk/book

Sunday 26 April; Shamanic Journeying for Beginners. Workshop with Andréa Ararê. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 10am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 26 April; Healing Through Ancestral Wisdom. Workshop with Frances Billinghurst, author of Contemporary Witchcraft and other books, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 10.30am. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 26 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 26 April; 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 26 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 26 April (and other dates and times); Viktor Wynd Museum Guided Tour and a Devil's Botany Absinthe. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. Time: from noon. Tickets from £12. Price includes a Cocktail with Devil’s Botany. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-last-tuesday-society-viktor-wynd-museum-33776720489

Sunday 26 April;  Live Music and Meditation. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 7pm. Free, but donations welcome. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Sunday 26 April; The Folklore and Women Course. Start of 6-session online course by Prof Diane Purkiss  via Seed Talks. Time: 5pm. Tickets £35 - £80. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/36463428713?

Sunday 26 April;  Medieval Necromancy and the Cursed Imagination with Sophie Page. Talk 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 27 April; Protection, Boundaries and Trust. Class with Renee Baribeau, The Practical Shaman, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Monday 27 April; Chart discussion followed by talk by Alex Trenoweth: Zeus on the Loose: Unleash Your Inner Thunderbolt, via the Astrological Lodge of London. Venue: Steiner House, 35 Park Road,

London, NW1 6XT. Starts 6pm. Tickets £6/£9. https://astrolodge.co.uk/

Monday 27 April; Dark Fairy Tales - Arabian Nights with Viktor Wynd. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets  from £15. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-last-tuesday-society-viktor-wynd-museum-33776720489

Monday 27 April; The Original Full Moon Gong Bath – Sound Meditation in the Mansion. Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion, Place Park, The Mansion, Beckenham BR3 1SY. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.beckenhamplace.org/whatson/

Monday 27 April; Prosperity Magic. Class with Rebecca Beattie, author of Planetary Magic and Nature Mystics, via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events 

Monday 27 April (4th Monday each month); John Callow speaking on Gerald Gardner. Talk at Nova Stella pagan moot. Hybrid event. In-person venue: The Angel, City Road, London EC1Y 18D. Time: 7pm start of social for 8pm talk.  Entry £5/£6.13. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1472510443017948 or https://www.eventbrite.com/o/120712003251?

Monday 27 April; Sylvia Plath, Witchcraft and Radical Poetry.  Talk by Dr Dorka Tamás via Seed Talks. Hybrid event. In-person venue: 21 Soho, 3 Sutton Row, London W1D 3QP. Time: 7pm. Tickets  from £11.50. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/36463428713?

Monday 27 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 28 April (and other dates);  Journalling and Creative Writing for Wellbeing. Online via Rest Less Events. Time: 2.30pm. Tickets £3.99 per class. https://events.restless.co.uk/event-calendar/

Tuesday 28 April (and other dates and times); Viktor Wynd Museum Guided Tour and a Devil's Botany Absinthe. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. Time: 6pm. Tickets from £16. Price includes a Cocktail with Devil’s Botany. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-last-tuesday-society-viktor-wynd-museum-33776720489

Tuesday 28 April; The occult on screen. Start of evening class course with Gillian McIver  via City Lit.  Venue: Keeley Street, Londn. Time: 6pm. Full fee: £149. https://www.citylit.ac.uk/

Tuesday 28 April; The Magic of Place (Psychogeography). Class with Julian Vayne, via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events 

Tuesday 28 April; David Southwell on The Fortean and Folklore Origins of Hookland. Talk presented by London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7EX. Door time: 7.30pm. Start time: 8pm  Tickets £5.50/£3.30. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/LondonForteanSociety/ 

Tuesday 28 April; The Great Mandrake Robbery with the Seed Sistas. Talk 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 29 April; Secret Book Club - Hedge Witch by Rae Beth, organised by Bibi's Circle. Venue: Rons Coffee House, Holdrons Arcade 135a, Rye Lane London SE15 4ST. Time: 6pm. Tickets £10.46 (includes copy of the book) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/56277271483?

Wednesday 29 April; British Folk Magic workshop with Julian Vayne, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 29 April (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.

Wednesday 29 April; Working with Land Spirits. Class with Hannah Sanders via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events 

Wednesday 29 April; Sacred Gong Meditation with Joe Summerfield. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 7pm. Tickets: £45. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 30 April; Prophecies with Christopher Dell. 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 30 April; The Intuitive Drawing Circle. Venue: The Paxton Centre, 52 Anerley Hill, Crystal Palace London SE19 2AE. Time: Time: doors open from 6.30pm for refreshments - workshop 7pm. Tickets £22. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/12615056555?

Thursday 30 April; Earth Grids and Ley Lines. Start of 2-session course run by Gemma Petherbridge, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £95. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 30 April; Moon City with Mimi Mollica and Iain Sinclair. Talk via the Swedenborg Society. Venue: Swedenborg House, 20/21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Time: 7pm. Tickets free. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/8460713300?

Thursday 30 April; Liminal Space in Horror. Discussion and Launch of a anthology exploring liminality and the uncanny thresholds of horror. Drinks follow..  Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10, or £30 with book. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Thursday 30 April; Spooky Isles Walpurgis and Beltane Social Evening. Venue: The King and Queen, 1 Foley Street, London W1W 6DL. Time: 7pm. Tickets £10. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/121088529614?

Thursday 30 April; Wild Women Writers Salon 23 - Tracing Footsteps. Live online, BSL supported. Recording available.  Time  7–8.30 pm. Tickets: Pay what you can. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/wild-women-writers-salons-4364153?

Thursday 30 April; Psychedelics as Catalysts of Creativity with Dr Sam Gandy. Talk online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society.  Time: 7.30pm. Tickets ·from  £3.35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Thursday 30 April (tbc but usually last Thursday every month);  Talk at Hertford Pagan Moot. Venue: The White Horse Pub, 33 Castle Street, Hertford, Herts SG14 1HH) (45 mins from central London). Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047

Thursday 30 April - Friday 1 May; Beltaine Celebrations at Avebury stone circle, Wiltshire, from sunset on Thursday to sunrise on Friday 1 May, and continuing through the day with various groups and activities including a Maypole and well dressing. https://www.facebook.com/events/1649289326310484/?

Friday 1 - Monday 4 May; Hastings Jack-in-the-Green Festival - traditional annual event to celebrate May with music, a procession, talks and workshops, Morris Dancing, a May Queen and Jack-in-the-Green. Full four-day festival programme culminating on Bank Holiday Monday with the Jack in the Green parade itself. https://hastingstraditionaljackinthegreen.co.uk/

Friday 1 May; Fowlers Troop and the Deptford Jack in the Green are usually out and about in Deptford and Greenwich on May Day from noon to 6pm. Everyone is welcome and this is a free event. However, the event is no longer advertised as widely as it used to be, as numbers need to be kept low for safety reasons. If you are local to the area, keep an eye out for Jack and his followers. One of the stops on the route is usually Deptford Market.

Friday 1 May (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 1 May; The Intuitive Magician. Talk on stage magic with Justin Higham. Venue: Watkins Bookshop, 19-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 5pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Friday 1 May (and other dates); Stars In Their Eyes: A Zodiac Themed Tour of the British Museum by Sacha Coward. Venue: The British Museum, Great Russell Street. London WC1B 3DG Times 6pm. Tickets: £19.12. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/25512092243?

Friday 1 May; Heartspaces - Beltane Pagan Ceremony. Venue: Essex Hall, Essex Street, London WC2R 3HY. Doors at 6PM. Free. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/heartspaces-beltane-pagan-ceremony-tickets-1985959466224?

Friday 1 May; Hekate - Guardian Of The Threshold Festival. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets £20. https://www.wiccamooninherservice.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/wiccamoonuk/

Friday 1 May; Beltane Pagan Ceremony Online via Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel. Time: 7pm. Free. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Friday 1 May;  Women's Full Moon Gong Bath. Venue:  Felstead Street, London E9 5LT. Time: 7pm. Tickets:  from £25.63. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/sunita-kaur-34415293427

Friday 1 May (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 2 May; Walking in the footsteps of your year, at this Beltane Solar Festival, with 

Jeremy Rye. Meeting: Tower Hill Terrace, The Tower of London, EC3N 4EE. Time: 10am. Tickets   £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/31055883021?

Saturday 2 May; The Original Essex Beltane Witchcraft Market. Venue: Mistley Village Hall, Furze Hills, Shrubland Rd, Manningtree, CO11 1HS. Starts 10.30am. https://www.facebook.com/events/1474179850742973?

Saturday 2 May; Heartwood Family - 'Jack in the Green' May Time Gathering 2026. Family-friendly event by Go Wild With Us UK. Venue:  Heartwood Woodland Wellness, Featherbed Lane, Croydon CR0 9AA. Time: 11.30am. Tickets: Free. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/39763045473?

Saturdays 2 May and 9 May; Making, Breaking, Sharing: Ritual Practice in Ancient Egypt. 2-part pottery workshop organised by the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology. Venue:  1 Rochester Square, off Camden Road, London NW1 9SD. Time: noon–2pm. Tickets £65 for both classes.  https://www.rochestersquare.co.uk/

​Saturdays 2 May (tbc); Beltane at Coldrum Stones with Kent Gorsed. Venue: Coldrum Long Barrow, West Maling, Kent. Time: noon. Free. https://www.facebook.com/kentgorsedd/

​Saturdays 2 May (Saturday closest to the festival); Beltane Free and open Gorsed of Caer Abiri ritual at Avebury stone circle in Wiltshire. Meet at the Red Lion pub from noon for druidic ceremony at 1.30pm. Offering of bread, mead, or Bardic performance always welcomed. Free event, just turn up. https://www.facebook.com/groups/49080749624/

Saturday 2 May; Sisters Gathering to Celebrate Beltane. Venue: Berkeley farm, a few miles outside London. Time: noon. Tickets:  free. https://www.aho.community/

Saturday 2 May; 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

Saturdays 2 May; Beltane  Ritual  Celebration with South East London Pagans. Venue: Peckham Rye Common, 190 Peckham Rye, London, SE22 9QA. Time: 6pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/groups/7046502195365834

Saturday 2 May (date tbc but usually first Saturday each month); Gong Bath. Venue: Upminster Sanctuary Pea Lane, Upminster, RM142XH. Time: 7pm. Tickets: tbc.  https://upminstersanctuary.com/

Saturday 2 May (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 3 May; Writing and rewriting fairytales course via City Lit. Venue: Keeley Street, London. Time: 10.30am. Fee: £79/£40. https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writing-and-rewriting-fairytales

Sunday 3 May (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 3 May (closest Sunday to the festival); Druidic Ritual to celebrate Beltane on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Gather in the Hawthorne Grove at Primrose Hill, London, NW1 8YH, at 12.30pm to prepare the site for the ritual at 1pm. Nearest tube: Chalk Farm. Bring a small contribution of food and drink to share. https://www.facebook.com/LooseAssociationOfDruidsOfPrimroseHill

Sunday 3 May (tbc but usually on the closest Sunday to the festival);  Anderida Gorsedd Beltane 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 3 May (closest Sunday to the festival);  Wheel of the Year: Beltane Pagan Ceremony. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 7pm. Free, but donations welcome. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Sunday 3 May (first Sunday each month); Compassion and Kindness - Collective World Meditation with Pauline Flitton. Online event. Time: 7:30pm - 8:30pm. Free. Contact Pauline 07415 054280 or Email

contact@crystal-manifestations.co.uk for the free Zoom link. Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1514249646502331/?

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.

Music: Scream! - A Passionate Song for Earth Day

I'm delighted to share Scream!, a call to action for Earth Day, which is Wednesday 22 April in 2026. The link and info were sent to me by Pagan musician Alexian, who is based in Oviedo, Florida, USA. 

Released for Earth Day, Scream! is a poignant single with an urgent environmental message. The track aims to resonate with listeners across the globe who are concerned about climate change and ecological damage.

"Art is the whisper that becomes a roar when words are not enough," said Alexian. "With 'Scream!', we give voice to the planet's cries for help amidst the silence of complacency."

Written over two decades ago but relevant today, “Scream!” offers an emotional narrative on humanity's impact on nature. The timing aims to galvanize listeners into awareness and action.

"In moments where destruction feels inevitable, music offers both solace and solution," said Alexian. "We must recognize art’s potential as a catalyst for transformation, both personal and planetary."

More than just another addition to his repertoire, “Scream!” exemplifies Alexian’s aim to art that transcends entertainment by fostering spiritual connection and introspection. It taps into global conversations around Earth Day, period marked by reflection on human-environment interaction.

You can find it here: www.AlexianMusic.com/scream

What are you doing for Earth Day?

On Wednesday 22 April, if you are in London you could take part in an Earth Day Ceremony with Sacred Earth Activism, Faith Bridge, Red Rebels, XR, Safe Landing and Movements.  It starts at  10.30am  in Trafalgar Square, London, with gentle march toward Parliament Square . There's more info here: https://www.facebook.com/SacredEarthActivism

Due to work, I won't be able to take part in the march or ceremony, but I will do something I've often done before, which is clear up the scattered litter in my street and put it in the recycling. It's a small thing, but everything anyone does helps a bit.

Previous related posts
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/04/earth-day-our-roots-reach-by-imelda.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/04/spells-earth-dragon-drumming-chant-for.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/04/celebrating-earth-day-with-hymn-to-gaia.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/04/festival-of-week-earth-day.html

Book Excerpt: Love Philtres - Magicis Materiae of Witches

Here's an extract from a new book called Love Philtres by Jon G. Hughes. The subtitle is The Magicis Materiae of Witches, Cunning Folk, Druids, and Conjurors. It's published by Inner Traditions International and Bear and Company:

Ethics Governing Love Magic

Cautionary Considerations on the Dangers of Crafting and Using Love Philtres and Other Love Magic Devices

One of the enduring dichotomies of the use of love potions is whether they may be cast with a genuine desire to enhance and direct an individual’s loving emotions toward another, or whether their use is a planned and deliberate attempt to coerce, entrap, or subjugate an unwitting individual, by someone wishing to manipulate and control them. The simple answer to this prevailing question is that, like all other forms of magic, Love Magic’s purpose and use is ultimately dependent upon the integrity of the adept employing it. Without exception, every aspect of magic is open to deliberate abuse, distortion, and exploitation. Similarly, every element of magic may be misused unintentionally, through the ignorance or lack of experience of the newly initiated adept. For millennia, the teacher–learner paradigm of the Druidic tradition has ensured that no neophyte can inadvertently misuse their burgeoning powers. However, there are no safeguards to prevent an experienced adept who is fully conversant with the ethics governing the use of all Love Magic from deliberately misusing the powers and knowledge they possess.

With this in mind, I make no apologies for choosing this section on the ethics and dangers of Love Magic as the first that readers encounter in this book, and I have little doubt that it may also be the most contentious. Since the earliest mention of the use of Love Magic recorded in the cuneiform tablets of the ancient Near East around 2300 BCE, we see repeated examples of the use of Love Magic as a means of coercion and entrapment, in a way that would most certainly be considered inappropriate, if not illegal, in the majority of today’s societies. While it may be easy to demonize the use of animal organs, human corpses, and many of the other bizarre substances used in these early love philtres, it should also be remembered that the borders between magic, religion, and nascent science were nonexistent when these early accounts were recorded some 4,300 years ago, and that the social and cultural mores of the time were very different from today’s.

While the use of the “blood from a blind infant, the flesh of a dead brigand and the black dust from a decomposing tomb” are recommended ingredients of a love potion devised by the Italian Girolamo Folengo (1491–1544 CE) in his “Le Maccheronee” (1519 CE),1 this does not mean that such materials would be considered acceptable ingredients for a modern-day love philtre. However, does this imply that using love philtres per se must be dismissed out of hand, even if other, more palatable (and legal) ingredients were to be employed? Furthermore, just because the infamous Bavarian physician and alchemist Albertus Magnus (c. 1200–1280), also known as St. Albert the Great or Albert of Cologne, recommended that a particular love charm should be “given to her to drinke when she knoweth not, and she shal desire no other man,”2 does this therefore suggest that all love philtres, or “love charms” as he refers to them, must be administered secretly without the knowledge of the subject for them to be effective?

Historical accounts drawn from ancient Greece, classical Rome, the Near East, and other arcane sources, tell us that such philtres and potions were used by scheming, manipulative individuals who would cast a spell upon an unsuspecting ingenue for their own malevolent purposes. Few if any of these spells appear to have turned out well. Medieval texts and later references from Shakespearean literature reinforce the sinister aspects of the use of such love philtres, once again with predominantly dire consequences. It must be noted, however, that these historical and literary references surely represent a very small proportion of the many, many occasions when love philtres were used, and moreover, we have no reliable information on the success or failure of the efforts that went unrecorded. One thing is consistent across all these accounts, however, which is that none of them suggest that the recipients/victims knowingly consented to the administration of the love philtres.

There is not a single account that may be interpreted as: Girl meets boy. Girl falls in love with boy. Boy is not so keen. Girl says to boy, “I’ve made this special drink that I believe will make you love me deeply, even though you may not want to. Will you drink it please?” Boy replies, “That seems like a good idea! Pass me the bottle!”

No matter how hard you try, it seems impossible to interpret any of these ancient accounts as anything other than coercion when viewed within today’s societal mores. Having said that, it seems unlikely that a person with little or no affection for another would willingly consent to taking a draft that would alter their feelings in such a profound way, sacrificing their own free will to the whims of someone who, by definition, they have no real affection for. Taking a love philtres by mutual consent seems an extremely unlikely (and infrequent) event. Does this then leave us with a definition of all love philtres as being solely malevolent potions that may only be used for unwitting coercion and entrapment? This takes us to the core of the love philtres dichotomy: are they malevolent, manipulative concoctions used for ill intent, or may they be innocuous, beneficial philtres, innocently used to amplify and direct existing, unrecognized emotions with harmless and loving intent?

It is imperative that these challenging ethical dilemmas be considered and resolved by anyone intending to craft and use any form of Love Magic in today’s world.

About the Author

 Jon G. Hughes is from of a lineage of Druids that has been practicing for five generations in a remote area of Wales. He is now teaching the tradition at his home in western Ireland and gives workshops and seminars throughout Europe under his Welsh name, Cynon. Author of Sexual Practices of the Druids, he is the director of the Irish Centre for Druidic Practices.

Love Philtres is published by Inner Traditions International and Bear & Company, © 2026. All rights reserved.  http://www.Innertraditions.com Reprinted with permission of publisher. Available wherever books are sold.

Previous related posts
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/03/flower-folklore-hyacinths-and-tragic.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/02/a-reading-balance-v-inbalance-in-lovers.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/05/strawberries-fruits-of-may-in-magic.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/09/pagan-eye-goddess-aphrodite-at-feminine.html

Pagan Eye: Samurai Goblin Helmet at the British Museum

The helmet on the right depicts a Japanese mythological creature. I took the photo at the Samurai exhibition currently on at the British Museum. Here's the details about the two items of head gear:

"Helmet designs could be inspired by nature, myth, or the wider world. These helmets are formed to represent the mythological tengu goblin... The cylindrical brimmed hat shows how the arrival of European objects...also inspired new designs." 

The Samurai is an iconic figure, evoking images of formidable fighters possessing ideals of courage, honour and self-sacrifice. The exhibition shows how much of this is actually invented tradition, but I was fascinated by the amount of mythology and spirituality that inspired customs and designs.

The Samurai exhibition runs until 4 May. The British Museum is at Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Adult tickets are £25 but members get in for free. Find out more here: https://www.britishmuseum.org/

Pagan Eye Posts

On each of my Pagan Eye posts, I show a photo that I find interesting, with a few words about it. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself and you must confirm that you are submitting it for A Bad Witch's Blog.

Previous Related Links

https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/03/pagan-eye-gods-from-hawaii-at-british.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/05/british-museum-exhibits-ancient-india.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/03/pagan-eye-woodland-witch-from.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/02/pagan-eye-roman-dragon-standard-at.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/05/exhibition-gods-goddesses-in-luxury.html
badwitch.co.uk/2022/09/pagan-eye-goddess-aphrodite-at-feminine.html