A bad witch's blog

Tuesday, 4 August 2026

Green London: Nature Suffering in the Drought

I often write that London is one of the world's greenest cities, but it is now far less green than it should be. We might not be experiencing wildfires here, but everywhere is suffering in the extreme heat. The photos on this page show expanses of brown grass, a river far lower than it should be, and ducks in the mere puddles that remain of their dried-up lake.

A few years ago I walked part of Waterlink Way through South East London following the Pool and Ravensbourne rivers. It was a idyllic corridor of natural beauty running throught the city, and you can see what it looked like here. Last weekend I decided to continue the walk to the Thames, then under it by the Greenwich foot tunnel. It still took me through urban nature reserves, parks and beside flowing water, but it was tragic to see how much plants and wildlife are struggling in the heat.

What makes it even more poignant for me is that I did my earlier walk as part of an eco-awareness project, involving writing to hightlight the problems of climate change and other environmental issues. I hope this post continues to do that.

We can all do a bit to help by conserving water. Personally, I'm not flushing the toilet every single time I go for a wee. If everyone one reduced their number of flushes, it would make a bit of a difference. I'm also leaving bowls of water out in my garden for birds and animals. I know there's still more I could be doing, and I'd welcome comments with suggestions how how we can all do our bit.

London's 'Green' Places Pictured

Woman and Fish statue at Millwall Park with London's Docklands skyline in the background
The lake at Brookmill Park. If you look closely you can see a sad looking duck at the edge. This park also contains a small nature reserve
The Ravensbourne river at Lewisham, SE London
Island Gardens, which is next to the Thames on the north side of the Greenwich foot tunnel.

I regularly write Green London posts to show that the city isn't all concrete. It has many parks, commons, woods, nature reserves and other places where nature usually thrives.

Other Previous Related Posts

https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/06/green-london-bloomsburys-secret-gardens.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/07/green-london-strange-things-in-soho.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/07/green-london-st-jamess-park-ghost-and.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/06/green-london-lincolns-inn-fields.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/06/green-london-great-plane-in-brunswick.html

Monday, 3 August 2026

My Witchy Events: Cloud & Tree Scrying + Poppets

Here are details of the witchy events I'm involved with from now until the end of September. I'll be at the Awakened Spirit festival in August where I'll be teaching cloud and tree scrying, then in September I'll be at Romford Pagan Moot to talk about poppets and magical dolls.

August

Cloud and Tree Scrying at the Awakened Spirit Festival
This lovely community based festival runs from Friday 14 to 16 August, offering workshops and live music. I'll be running a cloud and tree scrying session on Saturday afternoon. The venue is Crossland Riverside, Box End, Bedford, MK43 8RN. Weekend tickets including camping are £150, day tickets are £60. https://awakenedspirit.co.uk/

September

Poppets and Magical Dolls at Romford Moot
On Tuesday 1 September I will be talking about Poppets and Magical Dolls at Romford Moot. This monthly Pagan gathering meets at The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford. it starts at 7.30pm. Entry is just £4, pay at the event. You can find out more about the moot here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064489640955

About me

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 as well as at my author page at publisher Moon Books. Please note I earn commission from advertisers for some links.

Friday, 31 July 2026

A Card for the World: 4 of Bows in the Wildwood Tarot

For Lammas Eve I drew a card for the world from the Wildwood Tarot and revealed the Four of Bows. It shows joyous figures dancing around a blazing fire. The bows are unstrung, there's food and drink aplenty, and it's a time for parties and celebrations, not conflict or work.

These days it's rare I find such happy cards when I do a reading for the world, but it is appropriate. We are at the feast of the first fruits of the harvest, and at the start of the summer holidays for many. Let yourself enjoy life's pleasures.

For pagans that could well mean going to an actual festival or ritual outdoors, putting aside cares and worries, and maybe even dancing around a bonfire (if allowed for saftey reasons, of course!). Personally, I will be at the Awakened Spirit Festival from Friday 14 to 16 August, and this card has made me look forward to it even more than I was already.

If you can't get away yourself, at least allow yourself time to do things purely for fun. Go out with friends or visit them, sit in a park or garden and enjoy late summer, hold a party - big or small - and invite those you want to celebrate with.

As a genuine prediction, I believe the next few weeks could well hold things that can be celebrated. I'm not saying all the world's problems will be solved. They certainly won't be. But it's important to recognise success, achievement and bounty - especially when life is otherwise difficult.

The Four of Bows in the Wildwood Tarot corresponds to the Four of Wands in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, and can also indicate weddings, anniverseries and birthdays. If you are involved in any of those kinds of events, this is a very good card to see.

You can view The Wildwood Tarot on Amazon.

(Please note I earn commission from some links)

Wednesday, 29 July 2026

Lammas Rites & Pagan Events Near London & Online

Lammas is on August 1 and is a festival to celebrate the start of the harvest in the Pagan Wheel of the Year. Here are details of some of the magical events in and near London over that time and the week ahead, as well as a few further afield and some online talks and rituals.

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 - 8 September; The Sun and The Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial. Exhibition. Venue: Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London, SW3 4RY. Open 10am-6pm. Tickets from £13. https://www.saatchigallery.com/whats-on

Now to 13 September; Hail, Delirium! Surrealist Dorothea Tanning art exhibition. Venue: The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: during normal opening hours. Free entry. https://thelasttuesdaysociety.org/museum/

Now – 16 August; Olivia Plender: Little Fennel’s Complaint Exhibition. Venue:: Modern Art Oxford, 30 Pembroke Street, Oxford, UK, OX1 1BP. Open from 11am Tuesday - Sunday. Tickets from £7.21. https://modernartoxford.org.uk/

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/?

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 – Friday 31 July; Celtic Lughnasa Celebration: The Games! Family days out. Event organised by Celtic Harmony Camp. Venue: Brickendon Lane, Brickendon SG13 8NY. Times from 10am. Tickets £16.96. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celtic-lughnasa-celebration-the-games-tickets-1993344076793?

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

Wednesday 29 July; Bloomsbury Folklore Club – Merfolk. Via London Dreamtime. Venue: Gower Street Waterstones event space, 82 Gower Street, Lower Ground Floor, London WC1E 6EQ. Doors at 6.30pm.Tickets £10. https://connectionwithwonder.com/events/

Wednesday 29 July; Members-Only Summer's Night at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 6.30pm. Tickets: free. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 29 July (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 July (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

Wednesday 29 July; Full Moon Walk in Richmond Park with London Woodland Witches and Pagans. Meet at Richmond Park Gate, Star and Garter Hill, Richmond TW10 5HU. Time: 7pm. Free. More info: https://mani.org.uk/ or visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mani-woodland-witch-34325436803

Wednesday 29 July (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 29 July; Spirit of Creativity with Zara Waldeback. Creative writing session online via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets ·from £6.59. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Thursday 30 July - 11 September; After Fragments by Hannah Hughes - Exhibition. Venue: Swedenborg House, 20/21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Time: during daytime opening hours. Tickets free. https://www.swedenborg.org.uk/

Thursday 30 July (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 30 July; Sian Sibely on Black Paths and Green Cathedrals. 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 July; Death Rituals. Talk and Soirée with Dr Sarah Hiepler-Basty. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Thursday 30 July; PF London Lammas 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/groups/pflondon

Thursday 30 July; Full Moon Celebration with South East London Pagans. Venue: One Tree Hill, Honor Oak, South London. Time: 7.30pm. Free. https://www.facebook.com/groups/7046502195365834

Thursday 30 July (last Thursday every month); Celebrating Lammas and Lughnasad 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

Friday 31 July (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 31 July; Women's Circle - Harvest, Gratitude and Renewal, with ReNurture. Venue: Northumberland Road, Harrow HA2 7RB. Time 7pm. Tickets tbc. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-circle-harvest-gratitude-renewal-tickets-1994204018903?

Friday 31 July; Harvest Healing: A Lammas Ceremony and Guided Shamanic Journey by Priest of Indigo Earth Joseph Atiase. Venue: Hackney Marshes, 146 Lea Bridge Road, London E5 9RB. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets by donation. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/35528479563?

Friday 31 July (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: £21.84. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/claire-the-soul-nurturer-35479207053

Saturday 1 August; Walking in the Footsteps of your Year, at this Lammas Solar Festival. Walk with Jeremy Rye. Meet under the Tower of London sign, Tower of London, London EC3N 4AE. Time 10am. Tickets: £26.64. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/31055883021?

Saturday 1 August; Equine Healing and Communication classs with Elizabeth Whiter. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 10am. Tickets: £135. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 1 August; Essex Witches and Pagan Lammas Festival by by Earth Spirit Events. Venue: Galleywood Heritage Centre, CM2 8TR. Time: 10:30am – 4pm. Entry £3. https://www.facebook.com/events/1098254762270990/?

Saturday 1 August; Family: Folk Craft Morning to celebrate Lammas, also known as Lughnasa. Venue: Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS. Time: 11am-1pm. Tickets:

£15-£20. https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/visit/whats-on/

Saturday 1 August; Ancestral and Past-Life Influences class with Julia Shepherd. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 1 August; Lammas Mini Outdoor Retreat with Cacao and Fire Ceremony and Gong Bath. Venue: Private Location near Wandsworth Town/Clapham Junction. Times from 11.45am. Tickets from £64.63. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lammas-mini-outdoor-retreat-with-cacao-fire-ceremony-gong-bath-tickets-1993928329308?

Saturday 1 August (tbc but usually Saturday closest to the festival); Lammas at Coldrum Stones with Kent Gorsed. Venue: Coldrum Long Barrow, West Maling, Kent. Time: noon. Free. https://www.facebook.com/kentgorsedd/

Saturday 1 August; Blessing Your Home With Solar Magic. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9. Time: 12.30pm. Tickets £25. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/shop/events-and-workshops/blessing-your-home-with-solar-magic-workshop-25-00/ or https://www.facebook.com/wiccamoonuk/

Saturday 1 August (Saturday closest to the festival); Lammas 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 1 August (Saturday closest to the festival); Woodland Lammas Harvest Ritual 2026 with London Woodland Witches and Pagans. Meet at Queens woods cafe', 42 Muswell Hill Rd, London N10 3JP, to be led into woods to the ritual spot. Time: 4pm. Tickets £6.13. More info: https://mani.org.uk/ or visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mani-woodland-witch-34325436803

Saturday 1 August; Lammas Day Yoga, Cacao and Sound Healing Ceremony with Little Pause Retreats. Venue Light Centre Monument, Idol Lane, London EC3R 8DU. Time: 5.30pm. Tickets £22.38. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lammas-day-yoga-cacao-and-sound-healing-ceremony-tickets-1991716356237?

Saturday 1 August; Folklore Feast of Gold with the Kitchen Witch for Lughnasa. Venue: Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS. Time: 6.30pm-8pm. Tickets:

£50. https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/visit/whats-on/

Saturday 1 August (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 1 August; Concrete Atlantis presents: A Lammas Night Gathering with Gilroy Mere live. Venue: The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £11.55. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/concrete-atlantis-present-a-lammas-night-gathering-with-gilroy-mere-live-tickets-1991469794765?

Sunday 2 August (closest Sunday to the festival); Pagan Federation Online Lammas Festival. Starts 10am. Free. https://www.facebook.com/paganfederation/events

Sunday 2 August; Introduction to Shadow Integration with Charlie Morley. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 2 August; Orpington Alternative Market. Venue: The Priory, Church Hill, Orpington. Time: 11am. Free entry. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1335736923852705/

Sunday 2 August;; Tree Walk with David Hamblin via North West Kent Pagans Moot. Organised by NWK Pagans for members of the group. Meet outside the coach house cafe, Beckenham Place Park. Time: 11.30am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887

Sunday 2 August (closest Sunday to the festival); Druidic Ritual to celebrate Lammas 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 2 August (closest Sunday to the festival); Lammas ritual for members of the Woodspirits group. Venue: Highgate, London. Meet from noon for a social then ritual at 3pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/4032235040150960

Sunday 2 August; The Bard’s Garden: Folk Songs of Herbs and Healing. Venue: Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS. Time: 1pm. Tickets:

£25. https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/visit/whats-on/

Sunday 2 August (tbc but usually the closest Sunday to the festival); Anderida Gorsedd Lammas 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 2 August; Tarot Psychogeography class with Bel Senlle, via the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 2 August; Lammas Festival. Venue: Flopsy Wood, Cock Lane, Hoddesdon EN11 8LS. 2pm. Readings £20. https://www.facebook.com/HertsEvents

Sunday 2 August (closest Sunday to the festival); Lammas Wheel of the Year: 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 2 August (first Sunday each month); Gratitude and Abundance - 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/?

Sunday 2 August; The History of Mermaids, Sea Spirits and Women via Seed talks. Online event. Time: 10pm. Tickets from $19.95. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/seed-talks-online-1262239?

Monday 3 August; Family Activities: Witch’s Knots and Braiding Spells. Venue: Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS. Time: 2pm. Tickets:

£25/£20. https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/visit/whats-on/

Monday 3 August; The British Cemetery with Dr Roger Bowdler. Venue: Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets from £16.14, includes a cocktail. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-last-tuesday-society-viktor-wynd-museum-33776720489

Monday 3 August; Radio Sorcery with Dr Matteo Polato. 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 3 August (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 4 August (fortnightly); Writing Group. Venue: Swedenborg House, 20/21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Time: 6pm. Tickets free. https://www.swedenborg.org.uk/

Tuesday 4 August (and other dates); Yoga for Mind, Breath and Body. Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion, Place Park, The Mansion, Beckenham BR3 1SY. Time: 6.15pm. Tickets: £12. https://www.beckenhamplace.org/whatson/

Tuesday 4 August; Overcoming Magical Self-Sabotage. Start of 2-Part Workshop with Mark Vincent via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £50. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Tuesday 4 August; Beginner Tarot (Major Cards). 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 4 August; Beginner Tarot (Minor Cards). Start of 4-Part Course with Delphine de la Mar. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Cost: £150 per person. https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Tuesday 4 August (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 4 August; Academy of Witchcraft (Advanced) Online Introduction Evening via Wicca Moon. Free Event. Time: 9pm https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/shop/events-and-workshops/academy-of-witchcraft-advanced-introduction-evening-free-event/

Wednesday 5 August (montlhly); Allan Johnson leads a discussion of 'Lolly Willowes', Sylvia Townsend Warner’s novel of witchcraft and freedom at Treadwell's Esoteric Book Club. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Wednesday 5 August; A Demonstration of Psychic Mediumship with Daniel Pitt. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 7pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday 5 August (first Wednesday of the month); Drumming and Meditation online with Taz Thornton. Time: 7pm. Free https://www.facebook.com/TazThorntonOfficial

Wednesday 5 August; An Exploration of Tarot and Comic Books with B.Earl. 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 6 – 10 August; Out To Grass - Malvern: The Great Heathen Gathering - Friggsmoot. Venue: Woodend Farm/Bromyard Rd, Malvern WR13 5JW. Adult tickets £140/£125/£45. https://www.asatruuk.org/

Thursday 6 August; Sussex Coils and Loops with Paul Holman. 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 7 August (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 7 August; Know: Where the Status Quo Ends and You Come to Life with Amy Vasterling. 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 7 August; Lions Gate Ritual. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets £25. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/shop/events-and-workshops/lions-gate-ritual/? or https://www.facebook.com/wiccamoonuk/

Friday 7 August (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: 7pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/20043657289?

Friday 7 August (and other dates); Magic, Mystics and Martyrs Walking Tour with Maria Beadell of Herstorical Tours. Meet: Fish St Hill, London EC3R 8AH. Time: 8pm. Tickets: £19. https://www.herstoricaltours.co.uk/book

Saturday 8 August; Karmic Configurations talk by Zsuzsanna Griga. Online talks via the Astrological Lodge of London. Starts 10.30am. Tickets £6/£9. https://astrolodge.co.uk/

Saturday 8 August; Source Healing to Meet Your Multidimensional Self workshop with Giancarlo Serra. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time 11am. Tickets: £130. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 8 August; Hindu Gods Tarot with Iulia Filipovscaia. 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 8 August; 8/8 Lionsgate Portal Soul Alignment with Gemma Petherbridge. Online event. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 8 August; Son’s Of Shadow: Men Of Craft. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9. Time: 2pm. Tickets £10. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/shop/events-and-workshops/lions-gate-ritual/? or https://www.facebook.com/wiccamoonuk/

Saturday 8 August (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

Sunday 9 August; 8/8 Goddesses of Land, Sea and Sky workshop with Frances Billinghurst. Online event. Time: 10.30am. Tickets: £90. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 9 August; The British Museum and the Magical Revival Walking Tour with Caroline Wise organised by Treadwell's Bookshop. Meet at: British Museum (North Entrance), Montague Place, London, WC1B 3DG. Time: 10.50am. Tickets: £50. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Sunday 9 August; Unseen - Alexandrian Witchcraft x Bexhill Museum. Live online viewing Alex Sanders exhibition with walkthrough by Julian Porter. Time: 4pm. Tickets: £7.50. https://www.alexandrianwitchcraft.com/unseen

Sunday 9 August (tbc); Luna Iter (Ritual in the Tower). 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: £10. https://www.hildegardmaier.co.uk/luna-iter or https://www.facebook.com/groups/1230392930656154

Sunday 9 August ; Psychedelic Plant Medicines and Faerie Realms with Zina Brown. 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 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 from advertisers for some links.

Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Moon Books Podcast: Celebrating Lughnasadh

This weekend I'll be celebrating Lammas, or the first fruits of the harvest. I'll probably pick blackberries from my garden and make a crumble or maybe berry flapjacks. Yum. Otherwise known as Lughnasadh, Lammas is the first harvest festival in the Modern Pagan Wheel of the Year, and takes place at the start of August.

On a recent Moon Books podcast, Rachel Patterson chatted with Jessica Howard, Katie Ness, and me - Lucya Starza - about how we work with the magic of the season.

We discuss baking bread, making corn dollies, river offerings, foraging, journaling, working with deities, and simple seasonal spells, as well as a few personal stories. We also talk about how changes in the seasons and climate can affect traditional celebrations, why gratitude matters more than obligation, and how it's fine if your practice is different from others.

Even for non-Pagans, this can be a time to pause, notice what has grown, be grateful for what you have, and get ready for the slow shift toward autumn. This conversation offers some practical ideas, as well as fun and laughter.

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