Pagan Events Over Valentine's Day & Chinese New Year

Here are some of the pagan events taking place in the week ahead, including over Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year. Most of the events I list are in or near London, because that’s where I live, but I have mentioned a few big festivals and exhibitions taking place in other parts of England. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at [email protected].

Now – Wednesday 28 February; Harry Potter: A History of Magic. Venue: PACCAR Gallery, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB. Timed slots every day. Tickets £16 adult, £8 child. Enquiries: 01937 546546. https://www.bl.uk/

Now – 8 April; Exhibition: Living with Gods: peoples, places and worlds beyond. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tickets: £15 standard, members free but booking essential. For more details visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/

Now – Wednesday 28 February 2018; The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic: An exhibition dedicated to Cornwall’s most magical Museum, featuring photographs from Of Shadows: One Hundred Objects from The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic by Sara Hannant and Simon Costin. Last Tuesday Society. Venue: Viktor Wynd’s Museum of Curiosities, 11 Mare Street, London E8 4RP. http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/

Now to 25 March. Exhibition: Safeguards Against Witchcraft. Venue: The Museum of Cambridge, 2/3 Castle Street , Cambridge, Cambs CB3 0AQ. Museum entry £4/£2. http://www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/
Wednesday 7 February; Time to Meditate – group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Wednesday 7 February; Study Group – Ancient Myths with David Lowe. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 7.15pm. https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiner-spiritual-science/

Thursday 8 February; Shamanic Witchcraft. Talk by Barbara Meiklejohn-Free, and Flavia Kate Peters, authors of The Shamanic Handbook of Sacred Tools and Ceremonies. Venue: 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 8 February; First Steps in Thelema. Evening workshop with Marco Visconti. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7pm. Tickets £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 8 February; Our personal stories of ancient stone mystery centres. Talk by Mary Anne Paterson at Earthstars. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 4SH. Time: Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start. Entry £12. https://www.facebook.com/Earthstars-Sacred-Space-104790729559515/

Thursday 8 February; PFL Imbolc Open Ritual with the Kith of the Tree and the Well. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 7.30pm. Entry: £6/£5 (PF members and concessions). https://www.facebook.com/events/388240274979390/

Thursday 8 February; Ghost hunting in the Magical Library: Harry Price and the Ghosts. Talk by Sarah Sparkes at South East London Folklore Society (SELFS). Venue: The Old King’s Head, Kings Head Yard, 45-49 Borough High St, London SE1 1NA. Entry: £5/£1.50 concessions. Time: 8pm. (Meetings are normally the second Thursday of each month.) https://www.facebook.com/groups/2438110887/ To guarantee a seat, email [email protected]

Friday 9, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 February; Witches, Monsters and Beasties. Three one-day workshops on drawing and the art of the supernatural at the National Gallery. Venue: The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN. Starts: 11am. Tickets: £26.71. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/witches-monsters-and-beasties-the-art-of-the-supernatural-at-the-national-gallery-tickets-41089651253

Friday 9 February; Holistic Sound Bath Meditation – Summoning The Sacred (weekly ceremonial gathering). Venue: Training Points Fitness and Therapy, 5-6 Coopers Yard, Crystal Palace, London SE19 1TN. Time: 7pm. Entry £15/£13. https://www.facebook.com/summoningthesacredsound/

Friday 9 February; A Demonstration of Mediumship with Q and A: Anthony Kesner. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £12/£14. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 9 February; Turning points in our Biographies. Talk by Julia Dvinskaya. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 7pm. http://www.rsh.anth.org.uk/whats-on/

Friday 9 February; Psychic Circle – Working with Spirit. Hosted by Mamma Moon Magick. Venue: The Upminster Complementary Healing and Teaching Sanctuary, Pea Lane, Upminster RM142XH. Time: 7pm. Entry: £15/£18. For further information or to book call Rain on 07786328908 http://www.healingandteaching.co.uk/

Friday 9 February; Oasis of Sound – Sound Bath and Mantra with Anne Malone. Organised by the Oasis of Sound Meetup Group. Venue: The Life Centre Islington, Brittania Row, North London. Tickets £15. Time: 7.30pm. Details: https://www.meetup.com/Oasis-of-Sound-Sound-Bath-n-Sound-Scape/

Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 February; The Enchanted Market. Two-day pagan festival with talks, workshops, entertainment and a market. I will be giving a talk based on my book Pagan Portals – Candle Magic. Venue: The Enchanted Market, Garth Hill College, Bull Lane, Bracknell, Berks RG42 2LN. Tickets: £15. Tel: 07916173517 http://www.theenchantedmarket.com/

Saturday 10 February; Psychic Saturday hosted by The Witches’ Inn and Crossed Palms. Venue: The Essential Training Organization, The Pilot Building Quarryside Business Park Thornton Side Unit 1, Redhill, RH12LJ. Time: noon. https://www.facebook.com/events/1953520881580412/

Saturday 10 February; The Bleeding Heart Walk with Scott Wood of Haunt London and London Fortean Society. Starts: Bleeding Heart Yard, London, EC1N 8. Times: 2.30pm. Tickets: £7.70. http://www.wegottickets.com/event/427248

Saturday 10 February; Heart Beat – Drumming Collective for February with Gong Master Olaf Nixon Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £20/£22. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 10 February; Arcturian Sound Bath. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. www.aho.community

Sunday 11 February; Spellcraft half-day workshop. Learn candles, cord and rune magic outdoors with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Meet in the heated patio area of The Woodman’s Pub, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6 at 11.15am to walk to Queen’s Woods. Fee: £13. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring something to sit on and food and drink. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Sunday 11 February; Ageless Wisdom for Everyone. Venue: The Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8EA. Time: 2pm. Donations welcome. https://www.meetup.com/Theosophical-Society-in-London/  and http://www.theosophicalsociety.org.uk/

Sunday 11 February; The Bleeding Heart Walk with Scott Wood of Haunt London and London Fortean Society. Starts: Bleeding Heart Yard, London, EC1N 8. Times: 2.30pm. Tickets: £7.70. http://www.wegottickets.com/event/427250. https://www.facebook.com/pg/LondonForteanSociety/events/

Sunday 11 February; The Crick Crack Club storytelling: The fate we bring ourselves: Greek myths unleashed. Venue: BP Lecture Theatre, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 2.30pm. Tickets £10. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Monday 12 – Sunday 18 February; Jorvik Viking Festival 2018 in York. Various events taking place throughout the week. Main venue: 15 Coppergate Walk, YO1 9WT York. Tickets and information
www.jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk

Monday 12 February; Young Urban Witch Workshop: Spirit. Evening Mini-workshop with Rebecca Beattie. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Monday 12 February; Night of Shiva: Shivarathri Pooja and chants in the Woods with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Meet at Pret A Manger opposite Wimbledon Station, SW19,  at 6.30pm to then take a bus to Wimbledon Common. Fee: £3. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring something to sit on and vegetarian food and non-alcoholic drink to share. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Monday 12 February; Tarot Reading Practice Evening with the Tarot and Esoteric Discovery Group. Venue: Artillery Arms (private space upstairs), 102 Bunhill Row Nr Moorgate/Old St, London EC1Y 8ND. Time: 7pm. Entry: £5, but you must be a member of the meetup group and reserve a place in advance. https://www.meetup.com/Tarot-and-Healing-Group/

Tuesday 13 February; The Bleeding Heart Walk with Scott Wood of Haunt London and London Fortean Society. Starts: Bleeding Heart Yard, London, EC1N 8. Times: 7pm. Tickets: £7.70. https://www.facebook.com/pg/LondonForteanSociety/events/

Tuesday 13 February; Energetic Connections Workshop with The Calmery. Venue: She’s Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £30. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Tuesday 13 February; South London Wicca Meetup. Nova Stellar Presents an Evening with Pete Jennings, author of Blacksmith Gods. Venue: The Castle, 34-35 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6DB. Time: Doors open 7pm, talk starts at 8pm. Entry £3. https://www.facebook.com/events/1758343710874671/

Tuesday 13 February; Wicca and Witchcraft – Monthly Initiatory Study Circle with the New Dawn Pagan Kinship meetup group. Meet at Carshalton station, North Street, Carshalton SM5 2HW. Time: 7.30pm. Free event but you must reserve a place in advance. https://www.meetup.com/New-Dawn/

Wednesday 14 February; The Bleeding Heart Walk with Scott Wood of Haunt London and London Fortean Society. Starts: Bleeding Heart Yard, London, EC1N 8. Times: 7pm. Tickets: £7.70. https://www.facebook.com/pg/LondonForteanSociety/events/

Wednesday 14 February; Time to Meditate – group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Wednesday 14 February; The Zero Point Field. Talk by Andrew Martin. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £12/£14. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 15 February; Lost Knowledge of the Imagination. Talk by Gary Lachman. Venue: 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 15 February; Breaking the Code of Psi. Lecture by Simon Duan. Venue: Society for Psychical Research HQ, 1 Vernon Mews, London W14 0RL. Time: 6.30pm. Entry: Free for members. https://www.spr.ac.uk/

Thursday 15 February; Divination with Marc Salem. Hogwarts Curriculum Lecture – part of a series running alongside the Harry Potter Exhibition. Venue: British Library Knowledge Centre, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15/£10. Visit https://www.bl.uk/events/hogwarts-curriculum-lectures? or call 01937 546546

Thursday 15 February; Woodland Wicca: New Moon Ritual and Partial Solar Eclipse Magic  with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Meet in the heated patio area of The Woodman’s Pub, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6 at 7pm to walk to the ritual site in Queen’s Woods. Fee: £3. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring something to sit on and food and drink to share. Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 February; Into the Wild Winter Warmer festival. Venue Emerson College,
Pixton, Hartfield Road, Forest Row RH18 5JX. Tickets and information: www.intothewildgathering.com

Friday 16 February; The Voice of the Gongs: Optimum Healing with Gong Master Olaf Nixon. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 6pm. Cost: £40/£44. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 16 February; Magickal Alchemy- workshop looking at how nature, the seasons and our energy can be used to transform our lives.. Venue: The Upminster Complementary Healing and Teaching Sanctuary, Pea Lane, Upminster RM142XH. Time: 7pm. Entry: £15. For further information or to book call Rain on 07786328908 http://www.healingandteaching.co.uk/

Friday 16 February; Alexandrian Witchcraft Soiree. Venue: Address in Central London. Time: 8pm. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/163582384284460/

Saturday 17 February; Study Day: Faith, belief and religion in the classical world. Venue: BP Lecture Theatre, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 10.30pm. Tickets £49. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Saturday 17 February; Sacred Feminine: The Art of the Goddess with the London Drawing Group. Venue: The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 11am. Tickets: £26.71. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sacred-feminine-the-art-of-the-goddess-tickets-41089354365?

Saturday 17 February; Witch Bottles for Practical Magic Afternoon Mini-workshop – Tanya Moulding Witch. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm start. Tickets £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: [email protected] http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday 17 February; Spirits and shamans in Native North American arts – gallery talk. Room 26., British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free, just turn up. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Saturday 17 February; Earthkin Gathering. Family-friendly pagan moot in a private home near Turnpike Lane, North London. Time: 2pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/578049512539478/

Sunday 18 February; Shamanic workshop. Venue: Woodford Church at 9 Grove Crescent, South Woodford, London E18 2JR. Time 11am-4pm. Cost: £10, bring your own lunch. http://woodfordchurch.com/

Sunday 18 February; London’s Chinese New Year Festival to celebrate the start of the Year of the Dog. The event starts at 10am with a Dragon and Lion Dance and parade in Charing Cross Road, followed by free performances in Trafalgar Square and China Town from noon. Free, public event. http://www.chinatownlondon.org/ or https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/4733685-chinese-new-year-in-london

Sunday 18 February; Dawn of the Oak. Pagan moot on the third Sunday of each month. Venue: The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon Road/Greville Street, London EC1M 3JF. Time: 3pm-6pm. https://www.meetup.com/The-Kith-of-The-Tree-and-The-Well/

Sunday 18 February; A Magical Cacao Celebration of Songs and Stories. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £20. www.aho.community

Note: I am not responsible for any of these events except my own talk on candle magic at the Enchanted Market. I try to make sure the details on my listings are accurate, but do not necessarily know about any late changes or ticket availability. Please contact the organisers before attending any event. If you spot something that needs correcting, please email me at [email protected]

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