Sunny Landscapes, Dark Visions: Folk Horror and the Weird Imagination of E. F. Benson – Ruth Heholt

What is ‘Folk Horror’? Who bothered to define it and why and how useful is it to see it as a sub-genre?

Clowns through the Centuries – Lena Heide-Brennand

In this lecture we will travel back in time to the origin of the clown as an entertainment figure and as the icon of the travelling circuses.

Get Thee Behind Me, Satan – Carl Abrahamsson

Carl Abrahamsson ponders the occasional occurrence of Satan in various guises

The Devils of Loudun: A Case of Demonic Possession in 17th century France – Wayne Perkins

A rather more salacious re-telling was filmed by Ken Russell as ‘The Devils’ starring Oliver Reed in 1971

The Origins of the Vampire – Professor Ronald Hutton – Zoom Lecture

This talk is designed to show how it was created, and dispersed, and to reveal the rich literary tradition that it had inspired by the nineteenth century

Balkan Folklore and Gender – Margaret Hiebert Beissinger

This discussion examines how gender has informed traditional life and folklore in the Balkans for generations

The Meaning of Hair in the Ancient Mediterranean – Professor Marguerite Johnson

This talk discusses the various meanings of hair in both Greek and Roman warfare

Visual Aesthetics of Folk Horror – Tanya Krzywinska

I will focus therefore on Folk Horror’s concern with the otherness of the landscape, nature, failed/misguided agency, and rural culture

Satan’s Places: In search of Baphomet and the Black Mass – Andy Sharp

This richly illustrated talk traces an itinerary from the ruins of Mendes in Egypt via the tophets of Tunisia to the hills of Dublin

Mummified, Dried & Smoked Cats In the Archaeological Record – Wayne Perkins

In many 17th century houses, they may have been immured to act as guardians for the home but whose prey may have been ‘spiritual’ vermin.

Fate, Faith And Fortune – Fiona Eadie

Storyteller Fiona Eadie brings you wisdom and humour in a programme full of fools and sages

Unveiling The Digital Occult: Forty Super-Duper Ancient Years of Arcana – Heather Freeman

In this talk, artist, magician, technologist, and podcaster Heather D. Freeman will survey the history of magical experimentation with digital technologies.

Modern Vampires – Professor Ronald Hutton – Zoom Lecture

This talk is designed to show why this is, and what forms it takes. Three patterns are very clear.

Mermaids across the Millennia – a Zoom talk with Professor Sarah Peverley

This illustrated Zoom talk will explore one of the most popular and long-lived of all the mythical creatures that humans have invented.

Queer as Folklore – a Zoom talk with Sacha Coward

Sacha Coward takes us on an illustrated Zoom talk through the hidden queer history of myths and monsters.

Chilling ghost stories of the Scandinavian countries – Lena Heide-Brennand

Welcome to an evening where we get to know the different ghost stories from the countries in the north

Soul to Sole: Old Boots Concealed in Ancient Buildings – Wayne Perkins

The phenomenon of old, worn-out leather shoes having been deliberately concealed within ancient buildings is now an attested practice

Looking East: From Folk Horror to Horror of the Folk in Thai Cinema – Katarzyna Ancuta

This lecture aims to demonstrate how folk horror operates as a mode in Thai cinema with a view to finding alternative definitions.

Hunting the Unicorn: Dark fantasies from antiquity to the gothic – Dr Juliette Wood

Today the chief source of medieval alicorn, the narwhal, is an endangered species that engages our concern for the environment

Reverend Robert Kirk’s “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves and Fairies” – Domhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart

In his talk, Dr Stiùbhart will introduce us to Kirk’s life and works, comparing the beliefs presented in the ‘Secret Commonwealth’

Bodies Behaving Badly – From Vagina Dentata to Wandering Wombs – Prof. Marguerite Johnson – 6 part Lecture Series

In this special six-part series, Professor Marguerite Johnson takes us on an uncanny journey across time and space into the wilds of human imagination.

Vagina Dentata – Prof. Marguerite Johnson

In this illustrated talk, Professor Marguerite Johnson considers the mindboggling topic of vagina dentata (or toothed vagina).

The Tarot in Art and Fashion – Hazel Florez

This illustrated zoom talk will cover a brief survey of the history of the tarot and its influence in art and fashion.

Alchemy in Art and Culture -12 Part Lecture Series – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

Perhaps the oldest and most enduring of all myths is the Nekyia: the descent to and return from the underworld.

Alchemy in Antiquity: The Codex Marcianus and The Visions of Zosimos – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

This first session introduces the alchemical nekyia—a narrative journey evoking the archetypal iconography of underworld

The most terrifying creatures of Slavic Mythology- part 1 of 3 – Lena Heide-Brennand

Tonight we will open up that portal to a creepy and chilling world filled with demon-like characters and ghosts and spirits

The Cosmology of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona – Wes Bernardini

In this talk, I clarify some misconceptions about Hopi cosmology and explain how collaborative research

Wandering Wombs – Prof. Marguerite Johnson

Believe it or not, some people – including doctors and scientists – believed that a womb possessed a mind of its own

Kryptadia Stories – Part one – Lena Heide-Brennand

In this lecture series Lena will tell the once so controversial stories from the secret journal known as “Kryptadia” published and distributed in Europe in the 1800’s.

Early Arabic Alchemy: Ibn Umail to The Aurora Consurgens – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

The presentation focuses on the vision of Ibn Umail, illustrated by the spectacular text

Marvelous Births in Old Norse Myth and Saga – Bernt Ø. Thorvaldsen

In Old Norse culture, there is a number of stories about peculiar conceptions and births

Stolen Penises – Prof. Marguerite Johnson

Imagine losing your penis. Imagine someone – a woman, naturally – stealing your penis.

Two Renaissance Alchemical Manuscripts: The Rosarium Philosophorum and the Ripley Scrolls – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

We move to the 16th century Hermetic Renaissance exemplified by the Rosarium philosophorum

Witch Marks – Prof. Marguerite Johnson

Detecting the so-called ‘witch’s mark’ or ‘devil’s mark’ was a means of proving someone was a witch.

Alchemical Illuminations: The Splendor Solis and Nicholas Flamel – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

The presentation continues with a focus on one of the most famous and splendidly illuminated texts of the Hermetic Renaissance

Birthing Bunnies (and other such things) – Prof. Marguerite Johnson

This lecture unpacks stories around women giving birth to animals, from rabbits to pigs.

17th Century Alchemy and the Rosicrucian Manifestos: Atalanta Fugiens and the Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

This session delves into the mysteries of perhaps the most extraordinary of all alchemical texts, the Atalanta Fugiens of Michael Maier.

Hirsute Women – Prof. Marguerite Johnson

This lecture considers hair as a marker of monstrosity, beginning with ancient accounts of the hirsute women

Alchemy and Hermeticism in Elizabethan Poetry: Marlowe, Spenser, Shakespeare, Donne, and Milton – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

This session focuses on alchemical and hermetic themes in brief selections from poetry of the Elizabethan era and early decades

Alchemy shifting into the Enlightenment: Alexander Pope to Goethe – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

The cultural transformations of the Enlightenment, or Early-Modern Era, involved the psychologicizing of alchemical mythologies

19th Century Alchemy in Literature: Nathaniel Hawthorne to W.B. Yeats – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

One of the secret undercurrents of the literature of the American Renaissance in the mid 19th century

Alchemy in the works of Thomas Mann and James Joyce – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

At the same time that renewed interest in alchemy and hermeticism was being explored in both Freudian and Jungian circles

Alchemy and Hermeticism in the works of Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, and Hilma af Klint – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

The reduction to the fundamental elements of aesthetic composition—geometrical figures like the rectangle, square, circle

Alchemy in the works of C.G. Jung and Hilda Doolittle (H.D.) – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

Jung’s engagement with alchemy began in the late 1920s and dominated his late work

Alchemy and Hermeticism in the work of Leonora Carrington – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

Leonora Carrington’s traumatic breakdown and incarceration in the Spanish asylum at Santander,

Ethnography - Past Digital Events

Anthropology and Cryptozoology – Timothy Grieve-Carlson

Many contemporary anthropologists look to the cryptozoological record as a record of traditional ecological knowledge.

Magic in Greek and Roman Literature – Prof Marguerite Johnson

In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome

Celtic Myths – The Spanking Goddess and Other Discarded Tales – Clare Murphy

Stellar storyteller Clare Murphy exhumes the Celtic canon to bring the wild women who never made the cut, back into the light.

UFO Religions and Spirituality – Benjamin E. Zeller

In this talk, Ben Zeller discusses the history and context of UFO religions and UFO spirituality, from their origins

Freud and the Occult by Dr. Vanessa Sinclair  

This talk will delve into the occult aspects of Freud’s work.  

The Tools of the Ancient Magical Practitioner – Prof Marguerite Johnson

In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome

Ritual Protection Marks & Apotropaic Graffiti in the London Churches – Wayne Perkins

This illustrated talk will act as both an introduction to the current understanding of their use

Tamra Lucid and Amy Hale In Conversation

We will talk about Tamra’s journeys through the esoteric community of Los Angeles, and her intimate and delightful book Making the Ordinary Extraordinary

The History Of The Vibrator – From Medical Device To Taboo Sex Toy – Lena Heide-Brennand

Welcome to an evening where we present the interesting history of the vibrator.

Potions (pharmakeia) of the Ancient World – Prof Marguerite Johnson

In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome

Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft (Part 2) – Zoom lecture by Anna Björg Þórarinsdóttir

The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft is located in the Westfjords of Iceland, in a small town called Holmavik. This lecture by the director of the museum

The Women of James Bond: Femmes Fatale, Toads, and Birds with Wings Down by Deborah Lipp

How were women portrayed in the Ian Fleming novels, and how did that change in the films?

LSD and Conspiracy Theories: A Secret History – Alan Piper

This lecture will explore the interesting history of theories and conspiracies surrounding the origins of LSD and early stories

Love & Fornication in Norwegian Folk Magic – Erik Storesund

Learn about the techniques that young women employed to divine the identity of their future spouses, and the various ingredients, rites and dirty tricks

Amulets in the Ancient World: – Prof Marguerite Johnson

In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome

Cunning Nigromancy: Goetia & ‘Unclean’ Spiritwork in English Folk Magic

Finally, we will go over some fundamental advice for making wise decisions in proceeding with such dark crafts in one’s own sorcerous work.

Forgotten Alchemists, Ritual Magicians, and Balloonists of London: Introducing Margaret and George Graham – Dan Harms

The husband and wife duo of Margaret and George Graham were two of London's most famous balloonists.

An Introduction to Witch Bottles: Decoys, Spirit Traps or Counter – Witchcraft Measure? by Wayne Perkins

This illustrated talk will act as both an introduction to the current understanding of their use

Dead Letters: Writers and Suicide by Gary Lachman

My talk, based on my book Dead Letters: The Dedalus Book of Literary Suicides

Spell Books in the Ancient World – Prof Marguerite Johnson

In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome

By Stone and By Call: Scrying in English Magic – Al Cummins

Join us as we explore not only the history and theory but also the practices of early modern scrying.

Shamanism and the Wisdom of Mental Illness – Jez Hughes

This talk is an in-depth exploration of the links between shamanism and mental illness.

Ancient Pagan Werewolf Cults and Their influence on the ‘witch cults’ of Medieval Europe – Denny Sargent

This presentation begins with documented prehistoric werewolf cults and Pagan werewolf shape shifting practices

Supernatural Tales from Scotland – Allison Galbraith

Allison shares stories from the River Clyde. Known as Clutha, an ancient Pagan goddess worshipped for her cleansing powers by the Celtic

Return of Holy Russia by Gary Lachman

my talk will look at the roots of Putin’s attempt to solve a post-Soviet Russia’s identity crisis

Sekhmet: The Revival of an Ancient Egyptian Goddess – Ronnie Pontiac

We'll ponder the nuances of deities, metaphors, egregores, and archetypes, and how they relate to what Robert Anton Wilson called reality tunnels.

Stone Club: Rediscovering Ancient Sites – Lally MacBeth and Matthew Shaw

In this talk Lally & Matthew will take you on a journey through the history of Stone Club exploring along the way the resurgence of interest

Tales of Hidden Bulgaria, by a Spell In Time

Unique British-Bulgarian storytelling company, A Spell In Time, tells extraordinary tales from the hidden magical world of Bulgarian myth

Ghosts in Antiquity and in Magic – Prof Marguerite Johnson

In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome

Rosaleen Norton: Pan’s Daughter: Presentation by Julia Phillips

In this presentation, illustrated with her artwork, photos, video, and newspaper clippings, Julia Phillips explores Norton’s early life

Cunning Is As Cunning Knows: Folk Divinations of the British Isles – Al Cummins

In this class, contemporary cunning man, diviner, and historian Dr Alexander Cummins will present not only the history and theory of such practices

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Adventure of the Cottingley Fairies – Merrick Burrow

In this talk Dr Merrick Burrow, Head of English and History at the University of Huddersfield and an expert on Conan Doyle

Cuts and Controversy in Pre-Code Hollywood Horror: The Case of James Whale’s Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein – Fran Pheasant-Kelly

This talk addresses the cuts and controversy associated with James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Incendiary Behaviour: Ritual Building Protection Through Pyro-Technology by Wayne Perkins

For the last 25 years archaeologists have been recording taper burn marks on Medieval and historic building timbers.

Curse Tablets, Binding Spells & Poppets – Prof Marguerite Johnson

In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome

Magic & Witchcraft in Ancient Greece & Rome – Prof. Marguerite Johnson – 7 Lecture Series

In this special seven-part series, Marguerite Johnson takes us on a magical mystery tour of magic and witchcraft in ancient Greece and Rome

Give Us This Day Our Daily Dread: A Tour of Life Events via Horror Fiction – Rebecca Gibson

This talk will explore that horrific banality, the dreary darkness, the terrifying mundanity of everyday life through examining four pieces

Cornish legends and healthcare – Charlotte MacKenzie – Zoom Lecture

This talk describes interconnections between some of these legends, historical individuals, and healthcare in Georgian Cornwall.

Cunning Conjurations: Spirit Calling in English Folk Magic – Al Cummins

In this class, contemporary cunning man and historian Dr Alexander Cummins will present not only the history and theory of such practices

Leonora Carrington in Spain by Carlos Martin

Curator Carlos Martin will discuss Leonora Carrington's retrospective in Madrid.

Scottish fire festivals – Dr Tom McKean

This talk looks at contemporary fire festivals in Scotland and beyond offering compelling imagery and an exploration of their history

Óðinn (Odin): The All-father of a Nordic Pantheon of Gods: Fact or Fake News? by Terry Gunnell

The lecture will argue that the evidence points to most people having worshipped a single all-purpose, all-class god

The Mother and the Monster: How Faked Images of Deformed Skeletons Turned Corseted Women into Criminals – Rebecca Gibson

This talk will explore what O'Followell faked, and how the manufactured debate around the safety of corsets predicted the modern abortion debate.

Spiritual Middens: Decoys, Spirit Traps or Counter Witchcraft Measures by Wayne Perkins

What do spiritual middens constitute? Foundation deposits? Sympathetic Magic? Apotropaic evil-averting agents?

Greek & Roman Sex – Professor Marguerite Johnson

This talk provides readers with detailed information, notes, and original translated passages on the fascinating and multi-faceted theme of ancient sexuality.

Towards a Philosophy of Magic by J.F. Martel

J.F. Martel proposes another way of looking at reality, one rooted in strange insights that lie just beneath the surface of the modern world

Personal Myths: the Weird World of Fake Native Americans – a Zoom talk by Paul Willetts

Paul Willetts shares the almost-unbelievable stories of various 20th-century imposters who took on Native American identities.

Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft – Zoom lecture by Anna Björg Þórarinsdóttir

The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft is located in the Westfjords of Iceland, in a small town called Holmavik. This lecture by the director of the museum

The Truth about Drugs – David Badcock

Drug Science CEO David Badcock will explain the reasons such failure was predictable and illustrate how decriminalisation policies

The Last Wild Men of Borneo by Carl Hoffman – Zoom Lecture

Hoffman reveals both the grandeur and the precarious fate of the one of our last wild places

Vodou and Art : Between the altar and the market by Leah Gordon on zoom

Leah Gordon will discuss the possibilities and problematics of exhibiting Haitian art from her experience of co-curating PÒTOPRENS

Baba Yaga in Russian Folktales – Prof Sibelan Forrester

The traditional Russian folk character Baba Yaga is an ambiguous and fascinating figure.

“The Devil’s Gateway” – Daughters of Eve in the Middle Ages – Professor Elizabeth Archibald

This Zoom lecture by Professor Elizabeth Archibald will explore the complex medieval attitudes with which women were regarded.

Dark Mother of Mexico: An Introduction to La Santa Muerte – Tomás Prower

A guided exploration and explanation into Mexico's growing devotion to La Santa Muerte

Witch-bottles from the 17th–20th Century – a Zoom talk with Brian Hoggard

An illustrated Zoom talk on this particular form of magical house protection, with Brian Hoggard.

Magical protection marks in medieval and later buildings – a Zoom talk with Brian Hoggard

This presentation will explain the differences between the broad categories of esoteric marks found in old buildings

Dark Folklore – an illustrated Zoom talk by Mark Norman

In this illustrated Zoom talk, Mark will discuss some of the themes which he explores in his most-recent book, 'Dark Folklore'.

Death of the Gods? From Paganism to Christianity in the Roman Empire – with David Walsh

Dr David Walsh gives us an illustrated Zoom talk on fourth-century Rome and its complex transformation from paganism to Christianity.

New Orleans Voodoo, A fully illustrated lecture by Dr Louise Fenton

In this lecture Dr Louise Fenton will take you on a journey through the history of Voodoo

Beau Dick and the Ceremonial Art of Potlatch with John Cussans

Join artist and educator John Cussans to learn about Beau Dick, the influential Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation Artist and Activist

Vodún Secrecy and the Search for Divine Power – Timothy R. Landry by Zoom

Timothy R. Landry examines the connections between local Vodún priests and spiritual seekers who travel to Bénin

Carl Hoffman on the Death of Michael Rockefeller – Zoom Lecture

Carl Hoffman will talk about his book – Savage Harvest

Mexican Masks & Rituals – Phyllis Galembo – Zoom Lecture

This illustrated Lecture will look closely at the extraordinary range of Masks and traditions current in contemporary Mexico

The History and Mystery of Haitian Vodou, Zoom Lecture by Dr Louise Fenton

Often misrepresented, stereotyped and misunderstood, this talk will discuss the history of Haitian Vodou.

Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experiences – Dr. David Luke

This zoom talk is a psychonautic scientific trip to the weirdest outposts of the psychedelic terrain

Fairy Tales from Papua New Guinea – Zoom Bedtime Stories from Viktor Wynd

This evening Mr.Wynd will choose some of his favourite tales picked up on his travels across Papua New Guinea. Strange, Wondrous Tales.

Mike Jay on Mescaline & Art – Zoom Lecture

Mike Jay on Mescaline & Art - Zoom Lecture in Collaboration with New York's Morbid Anatomy

The Discovery of The Modern Goddess with Professor Ronald Hutton

Prof.Hutton on how and when the modern Western world came to have its most common image of what a goddess should be

Licentious Worlds – Sexual Culture In Global Empires – Julie Peakman

Zoom Lecture - Licentious Worlds is a history of sexual attitudes and behaviour through five hundred years of empire-building around the world.

In The Realm Of The Dark Rabbit: A Comic Lecture By David Bramwell

Join Dr David Bramwell on Zoom to uncover what drives some to con, deceive and pull pranks and explore the changing role of the trickster over time