Book Endorsement for Energy Magick - A User Guide

Moon Books is bringing out a new practical magic title tomorrow - the same day it's officially publishing my first Gothic novel, Erosion. Yes, it's a busy month for interesting books. Energy Magick: A User Guide for Empowerment, Protection, and Healing is by Mark NeCamp. Here's the endorsement I wrote about it:

“All witches need to be able to manipulate magical energy. It’s a fundamental skill taught in all good covens as basic training, but if you’re a solitary practitioner learning on your own, you’re likely to need help. Energy Magick by Mark NeCamp is the perfect guide – an instruction manual for all kinds of magical energy work from grounding through to invocation and evocation. It explains what these forces are, how they work, and how you can learn to sense and manipulate them.

"At each step of the way there are practical exercises. The book is in two sections: basic energy work, and advanced techniques. If you’re a complete beginner I’d recommend working your way through everything. If you’re more experienced then skim the early stuff as a refresher, then go on to section two. This should be an essential text for any trainee in the magical arts. The book is well written, concise and packed with useful information.”

You can view Energy Magick on Amazon and at collectiveinkbooks.com/

(Note: I earn commission from some links. This helps subsidise my blog at no extra cost to readers.)

Other previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/06/book-news-first-physical-copies-of-my.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/07/book-review-pagan-portals-planetary.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/11/books-on-witchcraft-fairy-path-by.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/04/rounding-year-milestone-for-my-book.html

Magical Online & London Events As We Approach Beltane

Beltane and May Day are in a week's time, on May 1, although the bank holiday is the following Monday. Here's a list of talks, workshops, rituals and other events for pagans, witches and those with similar interests over that time. As well as online activities, I also list in-person things taking place in or near London - and a few larger events further afield.  

Now - 22 June; Making More Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain. Folklore exhibition. Venue:  LCF East Bank, 105 Carpenters Rd, Stratford,  London E20 2AR. Time: 10am - 5pm. Free entry. https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/london-college-of-fashion/cultural-programme/making-more-mischief

Now - 2 June; Rediscovering Gems - Exhibition of gems depicting deities, mythology and more. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Free entry. https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/rediscovering-gems

Now - 28 April Cult of Beauty exhibition. Venue: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Entry is free.  https://wellcomecollection.org/

Every Wednesday and Friday (except bank holidays): Pop-In Days at the College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am - 4pm. Free, just pop in. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk

Various days except Mondays; Admission to the The Viktor Wynd Museum of UnNatural History. Venue: 11 Mare Street, London, E8 4RP. Various times. Tickets from £6.72 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/admission-apr24-viktor-wynd-museum-of-curiosities-unnatural-history-tickets-786693931727?

12203346619

Wednesday, 24 April (every Wednesday); Live Chat hosted by Rachel Patterson, author of the Gods and Goddesses of England and the Kitchen Witch series of books. Time: 9am. Free. https://www.facebook.com/RachelPattersonbooks/ 

Wednesday, 24 April; A Brand New You: Activate More Happiness, Success and Money Using Your Intuition. Workshop with Gary Quinn. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £115. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday, 24 April; The Western Magical Tradition. Hybrid talk by Professor Ronald Hutton, author of Queens of the Wild, via Gresham College. In-person venue Gresham College, Barnard's Inn Hall, Holborn, London EC1N 2HH. Time: 6pm. Free to register for online viewing. https://www.gresham.ac.uk/

Wednesday, 24 April; Full Moon Gong Bath - Sound Meditation in the Mansion. Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion (Old Dining Room), Place Park, The Mansion, Beckenham BR3 1SY. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/theresa-royle-18442369190

Wednesday, 24 April;  Psychic Night organised by In the Meantime. Venue: Old Mill Road, Plumstead, SE London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20 per reading. https://www.facebook.com/events/966930048278575/

Wednesday, 24 April; Full Moon Sound Bath. Venue: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £45. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-mandrake-17825575648

Wednesday, 24 April; Full Moon Sound Bath and Cacao. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £45. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Wednesday 24 April (every Wednesday); Feeling Sound Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday, 24 April (monthly event); Midweek Meditation. Venue: Crystal Wicca, 4a Station Buildings, Station Approach, Hayes BR2 7EN. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £22. https://crystalwicca.co.uk/shop-events-1

Wednesday, 24 April (last Wednesday every month); Fire! Talk about Paganism at Hertford Pagan Moot. Venue: The White Horse, 33 Castle Street, Hertford. Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047

Wednesday  24 April; Tibetan Sound Bowl Meditation - online meditation class with Spiritual Tiik. Time: 8.30pm. Tickets from £11.11. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/spiritual-tiik-29294295627

Wednesday, 24 April; Dark Fairy Tales by Viktor Wynd on Zoom via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 9pm. Tickets · from £6.72. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Thursday, 25 April; Theosophy - In-person study group. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Rd, London · NW1 6XT. Time: 10.30am. Tickets £3 https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiner-spiritual-science/events/

Thursday 25 April; 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, 25 April; Paths on the Tree of Wisdom: A course in 21st Century Kabbalah. Talk and book signing by Mike Bais. Venue: Watkins Bookshop, London, 19-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ, UK. Time: 5.30pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Thursday 25 April; Online Monthly Psychic Development Circle via Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £22. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday 25 April (every Thursday); Talk on a paranormal subject for ASSAP members. Time: 7pm. Free event, with Zoom link details emailed out to members. To join ASSAP, for £5 per year, visit https://assap.ac.uk/

Thursday 25 April; Wheels Within Wheels: Chakras and Western Esotericism. Book Launch and party with Phil Hine; Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Cost: £10/£17.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Thursday 25 April; PF London Beltane Open Ritual with Loose Association of Druids of Primrose Hill via Pagan Federation London. Venue: Pirate Castle, Gilbey's Wharf Oval Road NW1 7EA London, UK Time: 7.20pm. Entry £8 for PF members, £10 for non-members (cash only). https://www.facebook.com/PaganFederationLondon

Thursday, 25 April; Full Pink Moon Community Fire Gathering with  Secret Soul Sanctuary. Venue: Sydenham Hill, London, SE23 3PH. Time: 7.30pm Tickets on pay what you can basis. https://www.facebook.com/events/720676166722672/?

Thursday 25 April (usually every Thursday); Crimson Circles. Livestream by Halo Quin, author of Crimson Craft. Time: 8pm. Tickets: various options including Patreon membership. https://www.facebook.com/groups/crimsoncoven

Thursday 25 April; Mystery Symposium: Ted Serios: The Mind's Eye. Zoom talk by Emily Hauver via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 8pm. Tickets · from £6.72. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Friday 26 April - 24 May (preview at 6pm on Thursday, 25 April);  Exhibition - Pariah Genius: John Deakin, The Psychobiography of a Photographer.  Venue: Swedenborg House, 20-21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH.   Open Mondays-Saturdays 10am-5pm. Tickets free but reserve a place https://www.swedenborg.org.uk/

Friday 26 April - 12 July;  History: British Folklore. Start of Beginners evening course with tutor

Gary Slator. Online event with WEA. Time: 11.30am - 1.30p0m. Course code

Q00014176. Tickets:  Free to £81.40 https://www.wea.org.uk/courses/humanities-science/history/26-april-history-british-folklore-beginners

Friday 26 April; I'm doing an online launch event for my Gothic novel Erosion. You are welcome to drop in and say hello. Time: 3pm and the recording will be available to watch later. Free online event. https://www.facebook.com/events/426303556406630/?

Friday 26 April (and other dates); 2-4-1 London Witches and History Walking Tour. Meet at Southwark View Point, Minerva Square, London SE1 9DF. Time: 4pm. Tickets: £14. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2-4-1-london-witches-history-walking-tour-tickets-852453670877?

Friday 26 April; The Night Watchman: Amazonian Guayusa Dream Tea Ceremony. Workshop with Itzhak Beery. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £75. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 26 April; Sacred Sound Healing. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £38.62. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Friday 26 April (every 2 weeks on Friday);  Gong Meditational Sound Healing. Venue: Leytonstone United Free Church, 55 Wallwood Road, Leytonstone, London, E11 1AY. Time: 7.15pm. Tickets: £15. https://www.meetup.com/Meditational-Sound-Healing-Gong-Bath/events/

Saturday 27 April; Day of talks and workshops on the theme From the Mouths of Babes: Children and Psychical Experiences Hybrid event hosted by the Society for Psychical Research.  In person venue: Society for Psychical Research HQ, 1 Vernon Mews, London W14 0RL. Time 9.45am. Full day tickets £20/£25 https://www.spr.ac.uk/

Saturday 27 April;  Suffolk Earth Spirit Pagan and Alternative Beltane Fayre. Venue: Woodbridge Community Centre, Shell Waitrose Woodbridge, Woodbridge, IP12. Time: 10.30am. Tickets £2 at the door  in advance at www.earthspiritevents.co.uk

Saturday 27 April;  The Birdman: The Path of the Andean Healer. Workshop with Itzhak Beery. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £230. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 27 April; Hearing Spirit: Clairaudience. Online workshop with Hernan Cotroneo via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 11am. Tickets: £105. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 27 April; Working with Runes Nordic Magic. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 11am. Tickets: £27.80. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Saturday 27 April; Senses of  Spring Sensory Guided Walk at Dulwich Woods , South London. Time: 11am. Tickets: free. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/london-wildlife-trust-7357843879

Saturday 27 April; Magical uses of British Herbs workshop. Venue: Chislehurst Caves, 14 Imperial Place, Chislehurst, BR7 5QX. Time: 11am. Tickets: £45. https://www.facebook.com/events/944584363714807/?

Saturday 27 April; Sacred Sweat Lodge for Beltane. Venue: Shamanic Centre Caer Corhrain Kent. Run by Lynn Gosney. Time: 11.30am. Tickets tbc, email lynn.gosney@hotmail.com for info and to book. https://www.facebook.com/shamaniccentrecaercorhrain/

Saturday 27 April; Protection and Cleansing Magic- In-person Class me, Lucya Starza. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Cost: £22 per person.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Saturday 27 April; Beltane Celebration. Venue: Shamanic Centre Caer Corhrain Kent. Run by Lynn Gosney. Time: 1.15pm. Tickets tbc, email lynn.gosney@hotmail.com for info and to book. https://www.facebook.com/events/255631663896600/

Saturday 27 April; Walking in the footsteps of your year, at this Beltaine Solar Festival. Sacred walk. Starts at: London Stone (TBC prior to the walk), 111 Cannon Street London EC4N 5AR. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/jeremy-rye-31055883021

Saturday 27 April; Taking Nature's Hand on a Sacred Guided Walk with Jeremy Rye. Starting Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £75. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 27 April;  Coming of the Sun workshop. Venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London, SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £40. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/product-category/events-and-workshops/

Saturday 27 April; Herbs and Biodiversity Talk. Venue: Hackney Herbal Garden, Trowbridge Rd, London E9 5LD. Time: 2.30pm. Tickets: free https://www.hackneyherbal.com/events

Saturday 27 April; Cosmic Crystal Cacao Ceremony - Journey To Sacred Lands With Galactic Light. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 4pm. Tickets: £40. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 28 April; Violet Rainbow Rising. Workshop with Joan Osborne Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £115. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 28 April; Hampstead Heath Spiritual Gathering and Walk with Spiritual Creatives. Meet at Hampstead Heath Railway Station, 4 South End Road, · London. Time: 11am. Tickets: Free. https://www.meetup.com/spiritualcreatives/

Sunday 28 April (and other times and dates); Soul Restore Sound Healing. Venue: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG. Time: 11am. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-mandrake-17825575648

Sunday 28 April; North West Kent Pagans Moot. Organised by NWK Pagans for members of the group. Venue: Chislehurst Caves. Time: 11.30am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/445487428816887

Sunday 28 April;  Beltane Floral Crown Making Workshop. Venue: Flopsy Wood Community Project CIC, Cock Lane, Hoddesdon, EN11 8LS. Time: noon. Tickets Donation. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beltane-floral-crown-making-tickets-880337823127

Sunday 28 April;  The Art of Using and Interpreting Oracle Cards. Online class with Geoffrey Beitz Via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 1pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 28 April;  Beltane Celebration Women's Circle. Venue: Queen's Wood, Queen's Wood Road, London N6 6UU. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £31.05. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/here-comes-with-meg-and-jade-63051934473

Sunday 28 April; 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 28 April; Death Cafe. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3, 1NG. Time: 2pm. Free, but donations welcome. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Sunday, 28 April; Beltane Urban Retreat - A Spring Clean For The Soul. Venue: Wonderful Things, Hoy Street, Thanet Tower, Unit 11 London E16 1ZA. Time: 3.30pm. Tickets: £76.55. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beltane-urban-retreat-a-spring-clean-for-the-soul-tickets-837333124917?

Sunday, 28 April; London Beltane 2024 Ceremony and Maypole Dance in Woods with Mani via Woodland Witches. Venue: meet Queen's Wood Road, Highgate,· London. Time: 5pm. Tickets: £5. https://www.meetup.com/londonwoodlandwitches/events/

Sunday 28 April; Gong Bath - Sound Meditation in Brockley. Venue: Andosteo, 179 Brockley Road, London SE4 2RS. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/theresa-royle-18442369190

Sunday 28 April; Journey Into The Wild - Power Animal Retrieval and Embodiment. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 630pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 28 April; Bedtime Stories: These Woods More Free by Madeleine Grantham via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 9pm. Tickets · from £6.72. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Sunday 28 April; Starlight's Magic Month of May. Free online webinar. Time: 9.45pm. https://www.meetup.com/GoddessAwakening/events/300305929/

Monday 29 April ; Kabbalah: Revealing the Wisdom of the Tree of Life within the Soul. In-person class with Mike Bais. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £115. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Monday 29 April (most Mondays); Chart discussion / How to get to the Heart of a chart. Two talks on astrology via the Astrological Lodge of London. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Rd, London · NW1 6XT. Time: 6pm/7.15pm. Tickets £9 per talk or event for non members/ £6 members. https://astrolodge.co.uk/

Monday 29 April; Kundalini Yoga. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 6.30pm . Tickets: £15. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Monday 29 April; Taking Nature's Hand: May. What has nature in mind for you this month? Online event with Jeremy Rye.  Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/jeremy-rye-31055883021

Monday 29 April; Reading Dreams. Class with Hannah Sanders via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start, delayed viewing available. Tickets: £10. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Monday 29 April;  Witch Lit Book Talk. A livestream event featuring six Witch Lit authors discussing their books and writing: Katherine Genet, Sheena Cundy, Mariëlle S. Smith, Lisa, Irisanya Moon and Rachel S. Roberts. Organised by Treehouse Witch.  Time: 7pm. Free online event. https://www.facebook.com/events/796173365303094/

Monday 29 April; Pendulum Basics part 1. Venue: Crystal Wicca, 4a Station Buildings, Station Approach, Hayes BR2 7EN. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £22. https://crystalwicca.co.uk/shop-events-1

Monday 29 April;  Livestream Walk in Machu Picchu - Incas Lost World. Time: 8pm. Free online event. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents/

Monday 29 April (every Monday); Tea With a Druid. Free online event by the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. Time 8pm. https://druidry.org/

Monday 29 April; An Intellectual Adventure of Celestial Navigation. Talk by Robert Hicks on Zoom via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 8pm. Tickets · from £6.72. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Tuesday 30 April (every Tuesday); Ceremonial Yoga. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 12.15pm Tickets: £12. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Tuesday, 30 April (and other dates); Tea with a Medium. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 2.30pm. Tickets: £55. https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Tuesday 30 April; Beltane Celebration, Journaling and sound. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 6.30pm Tickets: £30. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Tuesday 30 April; Monthly Chakra Activation. Online via Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary. Time: 7pm Tickets: £25. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Tuesday, 30 April; Learn Tarot (Minor Cards) – Online Course. Start of 4-session course with Adrien Mastrosimone via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £120. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Tuesday, 30 April; LCF Sampled: Folk Customs and Costumes in May. Simon Costin in conversation with Professor Andrew Teverson about May Day customs. Venue: London College of Fashion (Lecture Hall), 105 Carpenters Road London E20 2AR.  Time: 7pm. Tickets: free https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lcf-sampled-folk-customs-and-costumes-in-may-tickets-872560470857?

Tuesday, 30 April; THow to Navigate the Year of the Wood Dragon. Online talk with Janine Lowe via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £16. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Tuesday, 30 April; The Witches' Way. Start of 2-session online workshop with Julian Vayne via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Tuesday, 30 April - 28 May; Make your Own Memento Mori: Befriending Death. Start of course with Joanna Ebenstein on Zoom via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets · from £83.49. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Tuesday 30 April;  The Supernatural on Trial. Talk by Naomi Ryan at London Fortean Society. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX, Doors: 7.30pm. Start: 8pm. Tickets: £5/£3 http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, 1 May; May Morning - Dancing at Dawn with the Belles of London City and London Pride Morris. Venue: Primrose Hill, London Borough of Camden. Time: Sunrise on May Day at 5.31am. Free, just turn up. https://www.facebook.com/events/7254226881279911/?

Wednesday, 1 May; Beltane Breathwork and Sound Journey with Campfire. Venue: Seven Sisters Sanctuary, Page House 6a Wakefield Road London N15 4NL. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets:  £54.88. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beltane-breathwork-sound-journey-with-campfire-tickets-848493897087?

Wednesday, 1 May; The New Witches Club - Beginners Witchcraft Circle and Beltane Ceremony. Venue: Soma hŌṃe, 231 Stoke Newington Church Street, Studio 2 and 4, London N16 9HP.  Time: 7pm. Tickets:   £30. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/desiree-sacred-wise-magick-41151406443

Wednesday, 1 May; Leveraging the Power of Consciousness to Heal Ourselves and the World. Online talk by Dr Guy Hatchard hosted by the Scientific and Medical Network. Time: 7pm. Tickets:  £11.99/£9.99. https://scientificandmedical.net/events

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

Wednesday, 1 May; Cunning Folk Archive Hour - The Wheel of the Year. Venue: Dash The Henge Store, 348 Camberwell New Road, London SE5 0RW. Time: 7pm, Free.  https://www.eventbrite.com/o/cunning-folk-7829505560

Wednesday, 1 May; In Season: Into the Green. Online storytelling with Jason Buck. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: Various prices with Patreon membership. https://www.facebook.com/events/3817232521843568/

Thursday 2 May; Energy Healing and Breathwork. Online via Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary. Time: 8am Tickets: £18. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday, 2 May; The Modern Art of War. Zoom talk by Hunter Liguore via Watkins Bookshop. Time: 5pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Thursday, 2 May; Beltane/Mayday and Trefor Wickens' birthday party, organised by Trefor and South East London Pagans. Venue: Peckham Rye Common, South East London. Time: 5pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/1761484621028145/

Thursday, 2 May; Hand Reading for Careers and Success. Online class with Robin Lown via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £75. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday, 2 May; The Conscious Breath: Where Spirit and Matter Meet. Free online event with Doe Warnes via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: free. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday, 2 May; Pariah Genius: Stewart Lee and Iain Sinclair in conversation. Venue: Venue: Swedenborg House, 20-21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15 (including signed book and drink); or £3 (admin fee; no book or drink). https://www.swedenborg.org.uk/event-type/talks/

Thursday 2 May; May Day Death Cafe (veggie/vegan food available). Venue: The Electric Elephant Cafe, 186A Crampton Street, London, SE17 3AE. Time: 7.15pm, Free. https://www.facebook.com/events/1795290144218278/?

Friday 3 - Monday 6 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. For full details visit the festival website: https://hastingstraditionaljackinthegreen.co.uk/

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

Friday 3 May (date tbc), Pagan meet up for In the Meantime. Venue: The Old Mill pub, London, SE18 1QG. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555658315696

Saturday 4 to Monday 6 May; Rochester Sweeps Festival, International Festival of Folk Music and Dance. Time: 10am to 6pm. Free, just turn up. https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200773/rochester_sweeps_festival

Saturday, 4 May; Foraging, Ethnobotany and Plant ID walk. Venue: Cody Dock, 11c South Crescent, London E16 4TL. Tim: 11am. Tickets: £20. https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-urban-crone-20053393972

Saturday 4 - Sunday 5 May;  The Embodied Tarot – 2-day Workshop with Adrien Mastrosimone. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 2.30pm. Cost: £250 per person.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Sunday 5 - Monday 6 May; Enchanted Landscapes: Exploring British Folk Tales. Venue:  Braziers Park, Ipsden, Wallingford. Starts 10am. Tickets from £65. https://www.facebook.com/events/719819643689466/

Sunday 5 May; Balance Your Mind, Balance Your Life. Start of 6-session online course with Sven Carlson via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 10am. Tickets: £175. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 5 May;  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 5 May (tbc but usually first Sunday of the month); Woodspirits. Venue: Chorleywood, Hertfordshire. Time: 2pm. Free in-person event for members of Woodspirits group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/4032235040150960

Sunday 5 May; Pipes of Pan Market followed by late night Heavy Rock night. Venue: Helgi's, 177 Mare Street, London E8 3RH. Time: 4pm market. https://www.facebook.com/events/935525714742017/

Sunday 5 May; Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth. Talk by Cathi Unsworth on Zoom via The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 8pm. Tickets · from £6.72. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Monday 6 May; Conjuring Inanna and the Trancestors - Moon Ritual by Intimate Animals and Ugly Duck. Venue: Ugly Duck, 49 Tanner Street, London SE1 3PL. Time: 7pm. Tickets from £10 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/intimate-animals-ugly-duck-48346099203

For activities after these dates please visit my events page. 

Please note that I am not responsible for the content of any of these events except my own protection magic workshop and book launch. 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 I earn commission from advertisers for some links, this helps support my blog at no extra cost to readers.

Craft: Making Divining Rods from Twigs & Using Them

Divining or dowsing rods are a traditional tool used by witches and cunning folk to find water, lost items, and even buried treasure. There are many kinds, but the easiest type are simply made from local twigs. 

All you need to do is go for a walk in a wood, park or your garden after there's been a storm and pick up a suitable fallen branch with a Y-shaped fork. Trim it down to a suitable length so you can use the two branching parts of the Y as handles and the single stem as the pointer. About 30-45cm is probably about right, but you can leave it longer or cut it shorter if you prefer. 

You can use wood from any tree, but hazel and willow are customary. The ones in my photo aren't either of them. One is silver birch from my garden, one is horse-chestnut from my nearest park. I picked up the third in the park too, but I'm not entirely sure what tree it fell from. Some dowsers say that "green" freshly cut twigs are best, but please don't go pruning branches from any tree without permission of whoever owns the land, and from the tree itself.

The best way to find out what kind of wood works best for you is simply to make a selection and try them all out. Here's how to do it.

How to dowse with wooden rods

Hold the handle part of the rod with your palms facing upwards and your thumbs towards you. It feels a bit strange at first, but it is the traditional way. I believe the reason is that resting the handles in the V-shaped gap between your thumb and index finger allows the rod to pivot easily at the slightest movement. 

• Take a deep breath and clear your mind, then focus on what it is you are trying to find. You can close your eyes if it is safe to do so for a moment or so, then open them again. 
• Holding your rod, walk slowly over the ground you are exploring. 
• Allow your intuition to direct you.
• Keep your attention on your hands and any sensation you are feeling
• The rods should feel as though they want to dip when you are approaching the target of your search. Let them.
• Approach the same area from another angle and note if and when you get a similar response. That should indicate the place to look more closely.

An easy way to both test your rods and learn to feel how dowsing works is to put a bowl of water visibly on the ground first. Once you've got the hang of how dowsing works with a visible bowl, have someone set out closed boxes, some of which are empty but a few with bowls of water in them. Walk around them to train yourself in finding hidden things. 

Some people seem to be able to dowse naturally, but for most people it can take a lot of time and practice to develop the skill. My dad was a keen dowser, and very good at it. He taught me when I was a child, but I spent many frustrating hours learning to be sensitive enough to make divining tools work for me. Be patient.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/10/divination-dowsing-rods-that-found.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/09/excerpt-pendulum-power-from-book.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/10/extract-foot-dowsing-from-following.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/04/spells-and-divining-to-find-lost-things.html

Earth Day Craft: Turn a Bottle into a Bird Feeder

 

 

Today is Earth Day, and the focus this year is on trying to reduce single-use plastic. Obviously it's best to avoid buying plastic things in the first place, but most of us still sometimes do. The video at the top shows how to turn a plastic bottle into a bird feeder, created by the Natural History Museum. I'm going to have a go at crafting one myself today from the empty squash bottle you can see in the photo on right.

Here are instructions in writing:

Materials neded

• Plastic bottle (with cap)
• A stick (or two)
• A pin
• Scissors
• String

Making the bird feeder

• Clean the bottle and unscrew the cap off.
• Punch several small holes in the bottle's bottom with the pin.
• Punch two level pin-holes on opposite sides of the bottle, near the base, then widen these slightly with scissors.
• Push a stick through the holes, leaving enough poking out for birds to perch on. 
• Cut small holes a little way above the perches for the birds to reach the seed. 
• If the bottle is big enough you can make another set of perches and holes at right angles to the first.
• Punch two pin-holes on opposite sides of the bottle's neck and thread string through these to hang it from.
• Fill the bottle with a bird food and screw the cap back on.
• Hang the feeder outdoors in a sheltered place.

If you can't find a new use for any plastic bottles, please recycle them when you've finished with them.

EDIT: The picture at the  bottom, next to this, shows the bottle bird-feeder I made on Earth Day after writing the original post.

Here are some links to previous Earth Day posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/04/craft-twig-tree-with-upcycled-plastic.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/04/spells-earth-dragon-drumming-chant-for.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/04/earth-day-clean-ups-media-magic-what.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/04/earth-day-our-roots-reach-by-imelda.html

Rounding the Year: Time to Get Out & Smell the Lilac

The beautiful photo of lilac in bloom at the top of this post was taken by my witchy friend Jane Mortimer. She sent it to me with the message: "Just thought I'd send you a snap I took of the lilac blossom in my back garden before it goes over. It smells absolutely divine, and each time I go out there I just have to bury my nose in it. I wish I could bottle the lovely scent.  The dried flowers don't smell anything like as good as when they're fresh, so I just have to accept that lilac blossom is one of the fleeting pleasures of April!"

I replied: "Just the other day I was walking through my local park and stopped to enjoy the scent of lilac growing there!" 

You can see it on the right in the photo I took, but I think smelling spring flowers can be even more lovely than seeing them. In fact, lilac scent is said to help raise the spirits and alleviate depression. I can well believe it. Artificial perfume just doesn't compete. 

Lilac in folklore and mythology

In Greek mythology, lilac is associated with sound too, as the branches can be hollowed out and turned into pan-pipes, as used by the god of nature: Pan.

You can use lilac flowers in love spells, both to attract a new love and revive an old one. However, in parts of Eastern Europe, lilac is commonly picked to adorn rooms in times of mourning and at funerals,  perhaps because they symbolise remembering loved ones who have passed on.

What's in bloom in your area? Is it early or on time this year? 

Share your seasonal photos!

I recently started prompts to share seasonal pictures, art, crafts, words and other creativity. I'll continue this over the months ahead. I'd love to encourage readers to record what's happening in nature in various ways including photographs, journalling, drawing or 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 or X (formerly Twitter) with the tag #RoundingtheYear

Where to find my book

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

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/03/rounding-year-new-leaf-buds-at-spring.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/02/rounding-year-camelia-forsythia-blossom.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/07/spells-making-peace-dust-from-foraged.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/09/the-triple-tree-seeing-and-hearing.html