London Samhain and Day of the Dead Events

Here are events in London over the next week that could be of interest to pagans – and a few events in other parts of southern England.

Throughout October to All Souls Day; London Month of the Dead organised by Curious Invitation and Antique Beat in conjunction with Brompton and Kensal Green cemeteries. Tours, talks, workshops and entertainment on the theme of death. For a full list of the events and to book tickets, visit the London Month of the Dead website: http://londonmonthofthedead.com/index.html

Now to Thursday 29 October.‘Magic and Rituals’ Art Exhibition. Venue: Treadwell’s, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm – 9pm. Free event but advance booking required. After the launch, the show will be up 11.30 am – 6pm. For further details: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Now to – Friday 30 October; Half-term activity for families: The world of the Celts. Art, storytelling and other activities. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 11am-60pm. Free event, just drop in. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Wednesday 28 October; Fairytales for Grown-Ups. Storytelling by Ben Haggarty and Sherry Robinson with the Crick Crack Club. Venue: The Forge, 3-7 Delancey Street, London, NW1. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £10. Booking and details: https://uk.patronbase.com/_Forge/Productions/UB/Performances

Thursday 29 October; God’s Blueprint.Book signing and talk by Christopher Knight at Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Thursday 29 October; London Fortean Society: Halloween Gathering: Encountering Ghosts. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EX. Tickets: £4/£2. Time: 7.45pm. http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/

Thursday 29 October; The Day of the Dead. Storytelling by Clare Muireann Murphy, Xanthe Gresham Knight and TUUP with the Crick Crack Club. Venue: Rich Mix Bar, Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA. Time: 8pm. Tickets: £8, £6. Booking and details: http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-crick-crack-club-presents-the-day-of-the-dead15/

Thursday 29 October; PF-London Samhain Open Ritual. Venue: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn London. Time: 7.30pm for 8pm start. Ritual ends around 9pm followed by feasting until 10pm. Entrance: £6/£5 PF members. Please bring seasonal food and drinks to share at feast after ritual. For more details, visit http://london.paganfed.org/

Thursday 29 October; Fortnightly Druid Order Open Introductory Evening. A chance to learn more about at The Druid Order (A.D.U.B.) at an evening with talks and a meditation. Venue: Treadwell’s, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Price: £5 on the door. For more details, visit http://thedruidorder.org/druidorder/Meetings.html

Thursday 29 October; Talk: Astrology, Time and Consciousness with Zoe Hind at the London College of Spirituality. Venue: Latvian House, 72 Queensborough Terrace, London, W2 3SH, Time: 7pm. Tickets £10. Details: http://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality

Thursday 29 October; Earthstars Group open meeting with Chris Street. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT. Time: 7.30pm. Details: http://www.meetup.com/Sacred-Sites-and-Sacred-Walks/

Friday 30 October – Friday 6 November; Samhain with White Horse Camps – druid event with include ritual, crafts, oracular work, dreaming and deep journeying. Venue: Wildways, Borle Mill Bank, Highley, Shropshire Price: Full price: £32 per day, concessions £22 per day, Half day (30 October and 6 November) £15, Children £7/£15 per day. Details: http://whitehorsecamps.co.uk/?event=samhain-2015

Friday 30 October, Art of Witchcraft – talk and look at the paintings of artist Lachlan Goudie. Venue: National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London. Time: 6.30–8pm. Tickets: £26/£24 concessions/£22 Members. For more details and to book tickets, visit: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/calendar/friday-lates-social-30-october-2015-18-30

Friday 30 October, The Nine Resonance Patterns. Lecture by Joseph Sylvia Francke at Rilko (Research Into Lost Knowledge). Public lecture. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 6.45pm, lecture starts 7.15pm. Entrance: £7/£5. http://www.rilko.net/EZ/rilko/rilko/home.php

Friday 30 October; Launch Party: The Arabic Influences on Early Modern Occult Philosophyby Dr Liana Saif. Venue: Treadwell’s, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm – 10pm. This event is free but advance booking is essential. Call 0207 419 8507. For further details: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Friday 30 October; Druid Samhain Ritual Discussion and Bardic Class with Oak Druid Order and London Pagan and Heathen Circle. Venue: Souk Medina, 1a Short’s Gardens, London WC2H 9AT. Time: 6.30pm. Details and reservations: http://www.meetup.com/London-Pagan-Circle/

Friday 30 October; Yoga and Gong – Vauxhall Yoga and Sound Meditation. Venue: Bonnington Centre, 11 Vauxhall Grove, London SW8 1TD. Time: 7pm. Entry: £15. http://www.meetup.com/Vauxhall-Gong-Bath/

Friday 30 October; Ghosts and Monsters of Bankside walk with Scott Wood of the London Fortean Society. Meet at the exit for Southwark Station, 68 – 70 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8JZ. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Tickets: £5. Details: http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/

Friday 30 October; Silver Chalice Twilight Samhain Ritual in the Sun Circle, Avebury Henge, Wiltshire. Starts at 4pm. All most welcome, but bring a lantern or pumpkin.

Friday 30 October; Group Healing Night with the London College of Spirituality. Venue: Windsor Suite, Columbia Hotel, 95- 99 Lancaster Gate; London, W2 3NS. Time: 7pm. Price: £15. For more details and to book places visit http://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/

Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November; Workshop: Day of the Dead family festival. Art, storytelling and other activities. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 11am-60pm. Free event, just drop in. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org

Saturday 31 October; Wheel of the Year Festival – Resting Meditation at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Gather at the Well Head at noon for meditation until 12.30pm, followed by a chance to chat on the lower lawn. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Saturday 31 October; Free and Open Gorsedd of Caer Abiri Samhain Ritual at Avebury Sun Circle, in Avebury, Wiltshire. Open druidic style ceremony to mark Samhain, the end and beginning of times. Meet at the Red Lion Pub, Avebury, around noon for rite at around 1.30pm, ending at around 4.30pm. Contributions of song, poetry, mead and cakes are welcome. There will be music and entertainment in the Red Lion pub in the evening. Overnight camping will be allowed in the nearby overflow car park.

Saturday 31 October; Samhain – Woodland Wicca Seasonal Ritual and Halloween social with Mani of London Woodland Wiccans Meet-up group. Location: Queen’s Woods, Highgate, north London. Meet at The Woodman’s pub, Archway Road, from 4pm for a ritual talk-through and then a walk to the woods around 4.30pm to start the ritual. Wear sensible clothing and bring food and drink to share. More details and to reserve a place: http://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Saturday 31 October; The Halloween of Crossbones. A ritual drama to honour the Outcast Dead of Crossbones Graveyard,with performance from The Southwark Mysteries, Magical poems and songs by John Constable aka John Crow,Moksha, and Nigel of Bermondsey plus a Samhain ritual and procession to Crossbones Graveyard. Venue: The Table Cafe, 83 Southwark Street, London SE1 0HX. Time: 7pm (Doors open 6pm for welcome, bar and snacks). Tickets £10 (+ £1 booking fee) – advance booking essential. For tickets: www.wegottickets.com/event/335617 For more details: http://www.crossbones.org.uk/#/events/4527977528

Saturday 31 October; The Unbelievers Ghost Walk (London EC1) with Scott Wood of the London Fortean Society. Meet outside Farringdon station on Cowcross Street, London EC1. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Tickets: £5. Details: http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/

Saturday 31 October; The Circle of Ankerwycke will be holding its amazing 12th Samhain Ritual and Celebration near Staines on the evening of October 31st. Attendees are required to arrive by 7.30pm and to wear something warm as the ritual will be held outdoors in the woods. For more information and an invitation, please call 07889 126311 or email [email protected]

Sunday 1 November; Meditation at Russell Brands Trew Era Cafe, 30 Whitmore Road, London N1 5QA. Starts 10.15am. Free event. Details: http://www.meetup.com/londonspiritualcommunity

Sunday 1 November; Inspired Living – practical techniques to transform your life with New Thought Minister Heather Andrews-Dobbs. Venue: South Woodford Spiritualist Church, Grove Crescent, London E18 2JR. Time: 11am-4pm. Cost: £20 for one person, or £15 each for two people if you book in advance. Bring a packed lunch. Email [email protected] or phone 07773 127178. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Everything-for-The-Goddess-Heather-Andrews-Dobbs-1644965855741568/

Sunday 1 November; Halloween – A Spell to Banish Negative Energies and Protect from Harm with Global Wicca Earth Healing Temple. Meet at the Meet at Italian gardens entrance, Kensington Gardens in London at 2.30pm. For details and to reserve a place, visit http://www.meetup.com/Global-Wicca-Earth-Healing-Temple-London/

Sunday 1 November; Day of the Dead on the rooftop with London Dreamtime. Venue: Queen of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Road, London E2. Time: 4pm-6pm. Tickets £5, booking essential, For more details, visit http://londondreamtime.com/calendar/ or https://queen-of-hoxton.eventcube.io/events/2481/day-of-the-dead-storytelling-on-the-rooftop

Sunday 1 November; Kali Puuja – A one day workshop to explore the wisdom of the Vedas with ancient mantras and meditation techniques. Venue: Caer Corhrain, 1 Southleas farm cottages, Lower Road, Minster, Sheppey ME12 3SW. Time: 10am-4pm. Bring packed lunch. for booking and more info contact Bruce at [email protected] or phone on 07928 149659 http://www.touchtheearthuk.com/

Monday, 2 November; Group Healing Share with London Energy Share. Venue: Friends Meeting House, 52 St Martins Lane London WC2N 4EA. Time: 7.15pm.
Price: £10 per person. http://www.meetup.com/londonenergyshare/

Tuesday 3 November; Sound Meditation. Venue: Goose Green Clinic, 57 East Dulwich Road, London SE22 9AP. Time: 10.45am. Cost:£12/£10. More information and booking: http://www.meetup.com/Holistic-SoundBath-Meditation-Summoning-The-Sacred-Dulwich/

November 3 – November 30; Out of the Fire Exhibition. A photographic installation by Sara Hannant that re-enchants the power of fairy tales. Venue: Oxford House Gallery, Derbyshire St, London E2. Free entry. More details and booking: http://www.oxfordhouse.org.uk/

Tuesday 3 November; Talk on History of Wicca Part 1: Gerald Gardner. Venue: Souk Medina Tea Room, 1a Short’s Gardens, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9AT. Time: 6pm-9pm. Free event. http://www.meetup.com/London-Pagan-Circle/

Tuesday 3 November; Cobwebs and Cauldrons Moot. Venue: White Horse Pub, Chadwell Heath, Essex. Moot takes place on the first Tuesday of every month. 7.30pm start. http://www.cobwebsandcauldrons.co.uk/

Tuesday 3 November; Spiritual Messages in Symbols – Gateway to the Heavens. Lecture by Karen French. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Cost: £10/£12 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Tuesday 3 November; Drumming Circle run by Shamanic Spirit at a venue in New Addington, Croydon, South London. Every second Tuesday starting 7.30pm. Cost £10. For more details and to book places call 07952 041477. For more information, visit http://shamanicspirit.co.uk/

Wednesday 4 November; The Witches’ Inn Gathering. Venue: The Feathers Hotel Merstham in Merstham, Surrey RH1 3EA. Starts at 8pm. Moots are normally on the first Wednesday of each month. For more details and to reserve a place visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Witches-Inn/1568424150049437

Wednesday 4 November; Taliesin and the Cauldron of Ceridwen. Storytelling – Annette Armstrong. Venue: Treadwell’s, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: Time: 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start. Tickets £10. For further details: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 5 November – 3 December; Voices of the Winter Hearth – A mixed media art exhibition exploring the theme of winter in a time of folklore and superstition. Situated in a Grade 1-listed church, in the candlelit and richly atmospheric setting of the belfry, it conjures the bleak yet beautiful landscape of winter, interspersed with images of myth and folk tales. Venue: St John on Bethnal Green, London E2. Opening Times: Saturdays and Sundays 1pm – 6pm; Thursdays 6pm-9pm. Free entry Website: http://www.stjohnonbethnalgreen.org/?p=1879190. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winterhearth?ref=hl Twitter: @thewinterhearth

Thursday 5 November; Talk on the Power of Spells, Curses and Blessings by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. Venue: Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. To reserve a place, contact Bali on 020 7405 2120.

Thursday 5 November; Mudras for Modern Life.Book signing and talk by Swami Saradananda at Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Friday 6 November; Dark Fairytales, Storytelling with London Dreamtime and Bernadette Russell in a crypt in London. Location details given to those who sign up. Tickets £3, booking essential, email [email protected]. For more details, visit http://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Saturday 7 November; One-day conference on sleep, co-organised by the APRU and Centre for Inquiry UK. Venue: LG02 – Professor Stuart Hall Building, Goldsmiths University, London, SE14 6NW. Starts 9.30am. Tickets £10/£5. Full details:
https://humanism.org.uk/events/cfi-sleep/

Saturday 7 November; Origins Conference. Ancient Mysteries talks by Graham Hancock, Clive Prince, Lynn Picknett, Dr Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, Andrew Collins, Jim Vieira, and Hugh Newman. Venue: Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Road, London E1 4NS. Time: 10am – 9pm. Early bird ticket £48, thereafter £52 per ticket). Optional Sunday Walkabout of London’s East End £14. Early bird combined Saturday and Sunday ticket £62. More details and bookings: www.andrewcollins.com

Saturday 7 November; Seven Tines Conference – Exploring Male Spirituality and the Masculine Divine. Talks from Pete Jennings, David Knight and more. Organised by The Pagan Federation London. Venue: Treadwell’s Books, 33 Store Street, London, WC1E 7BS. Time: noon-5pm. For details and tickets visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seven-tines-conference-exploring-male-spirituality-tickets-18439969445 or email [email protected]

Saturday 7 November; Lunchtime Social at Dou-Dou, Oriental Buffet in Camden with London Spirituality Meet-up Group. Venue: Dou Dou Restaurant, 6 Kentish Town Road, London NW1 9NX. Time: 1.30pm. Details: http://www.meetup.com/londonspiritualcommunity

Saturday 7 November; Hendon Heathens Moot, Venue: Greyhound Pub, Church End, Hendon, London, NW4 4JT. Time: 6pm. Hendon Heathens meets at this pub the first Saturday of every month.

Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 November; Workshop on the Mysteries of Orpheus with Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. Venue: the Islington Ecology Centre, London N5 1PH. Tickets: £140, deposit £70. To book a place, contact Maria-Teresa Harmer at [email protected] or call 07963428992.

Sunday 8 November; Meditation at Russell Brands Trew Era Cafe, 30 Whitmore Road, London N1 5QA. Starts 10.15am. Free event. Details: http://www.meetup.com/londonspiritualcommunity

Sunday 8 November; Witchcraft workshop. Venue: with Cobwebs at Cauldrons, Unit 137, Romford Shopping Hall, 43 Market Place, Romford RM1 3AB. For times and other details Visit http://www.cobwebsandcauldrons.co.uk/ or email [email protected]

If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at [email protected]

To read more posts like this visit A Bad Witch’s Blog at www.badwitch.co.uk