Featured Zoom Lectures

The Occultural Art and Music of David Bowie – Anthony Ryan

This talk will explore the impact of the Occult on David Bowie's art, moving between conjecture and overt displays of his interest

Romance of the Grail: Joseph Campbell and the Arthurian Romances – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

This presentation explores that shift through imagery and storytelling.

Winter Tales of Ice & Fire – Hannah Brailsford

Hannah will tell a collection of European tales to both chill and warm the heart for a Winter’s night.

Closer to the wisdom – Mark Bedford

Tales that explore the theme of ageing from various traditions.

The Embers of 50 Years: The Iconic Legacy of The Wicker Man – Peg Aloi

This talk will explore the film's ongoing influence and legacy.

Sigurd and Fafnir – Katy Cawkwell

Katy will be telling the tale of Sigurd and Fafnir, a bloodthirsty, gripping legend and the original story of the Ring

Upcoming Zoom Lectures

Borneo Fairy Tales by Viktor Wynd on Zoom

This evening Mr. Wynd will tells some his favourite tales he first heard in Borneo some years ago, disgusting, macabre and delightful tales

Nina Hamnett: Life or Art? The Challenge of Writing about Women Artists by Alicia Foster

Nina Hamnett (1890–1956) was an artist, illustrator and writer who was associated with the bohemian and avant-garde circles of the London

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

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.

Winnie The Pooh – Professor Ronald Hutton – Zoom Lecture

This talk is designed to introduce readers to his often rather dark story, and complex character

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.

Vital Objects: The Art and Meaning of Vernacular Altars – Kay Turner

She invites the audience to learn more about this important, long-lasting tradition. Please bring a "vital object" of your choosing

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

Folktales of Fools & Wisemen – Michael O’Connor

In this talk he invites us to relax and enjoy a selection of such tales from the British Isles

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

Sámi Gods and Mythical Creatures – Lena Heide-Brennand

This lecture will be your portal into the distant past, the arctic world of mysteries and beings as dreamlike as the nature in which they were created. Bures boahtima to all.

Keening or Ritual Lament in the Scottish Highlands – Domhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart

Domhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart will discuss the evidence for keening in Scottish Highlands

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

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?

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

Inventing the Green Man – a Zoom talk with Dr Alex Woodcock

In this illustrated Zoom talk Dr Alex Woodcock will explore one of the most familiar images from medieval art.

The Templars and the Crusades – Professor Helen Nicholson

This talk will focus on the Templars: their beginnings, their role in the crusades and the crusader states, and their final heroic defence

Welsh Fairy Tales from The Mabinogi by Viktor Wynd on Zoom

This evening Mr. Wynd will tell some of his favourite Welsh tales, the ancient tales from The Mabinogion featuring a maiden made of flowers, a horse that can not be caught

“Man, woman or vegetable growth?” Lucy Howarth on Rediscovering Marlow Moss

Marlow Moss (1889–1958) was a British Constructivist artist and a central figure in the development of European non-figurative art.

Geomitica – the Mythology of Shape – Adrian Fisher

It creatively combines surface shapes with artistic and allegorical narrative. Parables and symbolism abound.

Lifting the fig leaf: Reproductive Organs – Cat Irving

Our genitals are usually hidden away, and words describing them are often considered the most offensive in our culture.

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

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.

The Green Children of Woolpit: fairies or lost children? – Zoom talk with John Clark

This Zoom lecture investigates the story of the two ‘Green Children’ who appeared ‘as if out of the ground’ in a C12th Suffolk village.

The Secret World of Wasps – Prof Seirian Sumner

There may be no insect with a worse reputation than the wasp, and none guarding so many undiscovered wonders.

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

Anthropology and Cryptozoology – Timothy Grieve-Carlson

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

The Buried ‘Menageries’ of Ancient Egypt – Paul Whelan

This lecture will offer an overview of this ancient Egyptian practice and the significant roles their ‘menagerie’ of animals

Merchants, Pirates and Crusaders in the Medieval Mediterranean – Dr Mike Carr

The Mediterranean in the Middle Ages was a melting pot of different cultures and religions who fought against one another

Welsh Fairy Tales from The Mabinogi by Viktor Wynd on Zoom

This evening Mr. Wynd will tell some of his favourite Welsh tales, the ancient tales from The Mabinogion featuring a maiden made of flowers, a horse that can not be caught

The Egyptian God Setekh – Robin Herne

This talk explores the nature and role of the deity known variously as Set, Seth, Setekh and other variants.

Circus Troupes and Parachutes: The Many Lives of Laura Knight with Alice Strickland

Laura Knight (1877–1970) was an English Realist painter who documented life and culture in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century.

Service magic in the age of the witch hunts – Dr Tabitha Stanmore

This talk will take us through the murky world of service magic – practical magic performed for a client in return for a fee

The History of the Cornish Language: From the Romans to the death of Dolly Pentreath in 1777 – Kensa Broadhurst

This talk examines the political, social, and economic reasons why the Cornish language retreated; how events in wider Europe affected life

Bare flesh: the Skin – Cat Irving

Learn more about anthropodermic bibliopegy, how we make permanent marks on our skin

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

Mythical Monsters of Greenland: The creepy and colourful creatures of the fjords – Maria Kreutzmann

Maria will start with a short history of Greenland, and then talk about her own background and where the interest in monsters began

In Search of the Unknown: The Cryptozoological Fiction of Robert W. Chambers – Justin Mullis

This presentation will examine a key early work of cryptozoological fiction in the form of the novel In Search of the Unknown

Wild Welsh Tales – Kestrel Morton

An evening of wild Welsh tales from the wide waters of our longest river.

Freud and the Occult by Dr. Vanessa Sinclair  

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

Reynard the Fox – Trickster Fairy Tales by Viktor Wynd on Zoom

This evening Mr. Wynd will tell some takes of the Medieval trickster Reynard the Fox and how he does horrible things to his supposed friends

The Wind in the Willows – Professor Ronald Hutton – Zoom Lecture

This talk looks at how and why it came to be written, and at the story of Grahame himself, the outwardly boring and conventional bank clerk who created it

Across Thirteen Rivers and Seven Oceans – Kerima Mohideen

Created and performed by Kerima Mohideen these stories address issues of global heating, climate justice, land rights, gender and inequality

A Hat for Eating Bouillabaisse: The Surreal world of Eileen Agar by Laura Smith

Eileen Agar was an artist who explored painting, photography, collage and sculpture. Her independent and inventive experiments

The Norse Myths that Shape The Way We Think – Professor Carolyne Larrington

Carolyne will talk about her new book - a fresh look at the stories at the heart of Norse mythology, exploring their cultural impact right up to the present day

Tales from the back of the Apothecary’s Cabinet – Amanda Edmiston

Join herbal storyteller Amanda Edmiston (Botanica fabula) as we travel back in time and dust off the dark green bottles in this piece

Autumn Magic at the Equinox – Lucya Starza

Lucya will talk about customs and rituals for the equinox as well as folklore and the natural world as the seasons turn

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

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

Vision Thing: the Eyes – Cat Irving

The eye is considered the window into the soul, and vision has often been considered a primary sense.

Let’s Go For A Walk – Pete Castle

In this programme Pete will tell a selection of stories in which walking is the key to everything else which happens.

Romance of the Grail: Joseph Campbell and the Arthurian Romances – Prof Evans Lansing Smith

This presentation explores that shift through imagery and storytelling.

Mutter Museum- America’s Finest Museum of Medical History – Dr. Robert Hicks

The museum ethos today espouses the medical humanities, recognizing the importance of understanding human health in all its manifestations.

Serpent Stories told by David Heathfield

David Heathfield tells The Serpent Wife, an old Ukrainian wisdom tale, and other strange Serpent Stories from around the globe.

Blodeuedd’s Tale – Steph Bradley

Tells the tale of the fourth branch of the Mabinogion from the perspective of the Flower Queen who became the Owl.

Pin buttons and Protests: Katy Norris on the Art of Sylvia Pankhurst

Sylvia Pankhurst was raised in a socialist household and sought to lead a creative life.

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

Skeletons in the Closet: Bones – Cat Irving

Bones are the framework of the body, the thing that keeps us upright.

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

Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell: Faerie and the Fate of England by Dr Mark Williams

This talk aims to examine the themes and structure of the novel, leading to a deeper understanding of Clarke’s enthralling alternative past

Women, Witches and the Wild Hunt – Sarah Lloyd Winder

These are stories of beauty, horror, comedy, and the way people act.

Witches in The Ancient World – Professor Diane Purkiss

I will be looking at love magic in particular, even though very little of it measures up to modern standards of what love means

Kitchen Kundalini – Xanthe Gresham

Plant lore and mythology have a tale for every malaise – including menopause and midlife crisis.

Model turned artist: Sara Cooper on Eileen Mayo

Eileen Mayo (1906–94) was a dedicated and multi-talented artist – at once a painter, print-maker, tapestry designer, engraver and illustrator

The Starry Skies – Sarah Rundle

Sarah Rundle will unfold these stories for us, and teach us how to find our way home.

Labour of Love: the Heart – Cat Irving

Our heart occupies a central role in the way we think about feelings and emotions.

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.

Manawydan and the Enchantment on the Land of Dyfed – Guto Dafis

Guto Dafis delivers this ancient Welsh tale of enchantment with a sense of immediacy and awareness of the relevance of its themes for today

The History of Magic: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present – Professor Chris Gosden

Professor Gosden will discuss his book 'A History of Magic ' (Viking 2020)

‘Fiona Macleod’ (William Sharp) (1855-1905) and the Celtic Revival in Scotland by Dr Mark Williams

This talk weighs up Sharp’s deeply peculiar cultural achievement, probing the role that ‘Fiona’ played in his complex life.

Sigurd and Fafnir – Katy Cawkwell

Katy will be telling the tale of Sigurd and Fafnir, a bloodthirsty, gripping legend and the original story of the Ring

Tales from The Frozen North – Jonathan Lambert

Traditional tales gathered in Greenland, on Baffin Island and in Labrador by Danish explorers Knud Rasmussen and Peter Freuchen

The Embers of 50 Years: The Iconic Legacy of The Wicker Man – Peg Aloi

This talk will explore the film's ongoing influence and legacy.

Closer to the wisdom – Mark Bedford

Tales that explore the theme of ageing from various traditions.

Tudor Folk Tales – Dave Tong

In Tudor times the ‘common sort’ were no different from us, laughing together, mocking each other and sharing bawdy tales in tavern yards

Magic for Yuletide and New Year’s Eve Divination – Lucya Starza

Join witch Lucya Starza for this talk about the customs, tales and rituals for the Winter Solstice and Christmas

Winter Tales of Ice & Fire – Hannah Brailsford

Hannah will tell a collection of European tales to both chill and warm the heart for a Winter’s night.

Druids in medieval Irish sources by Dr Mark Williams

This talk sets out those sources, explaining why they are just as problematic—if not more so—than the classical accounts.

The Occultural Art and Music of David Bowie – Anthony Ryan

This talk will explore the impact of the Occult on David Bowie's art, moving between conjecture and overt displays of his interest

Brigit: Ireland’s goddess-saint by Dr Mark Williams

This lecture introduces the original sources describing this beloved divinity, and explores how the image of her in contemporary culture

Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed by Dr Mark Williams

This talk introduces and contextualises the Four Branches of the Mabinogi as a whole, explaining how they are a rich blend of native lore

The Four Branches of the Mabinogi: Lecture Series by Dr Mark Williams

The Four Branches of The Mabinogi a branch-by-branch (i.e. tale by tale) introduction to the quartet of stories that form the luminous highpoint of medieval Welsh storytelling

Branwen, Daughter of Llyr by Dr Mark Williams

This lecture traverses the same territory in a different way, focusing on the themes of concealment, national identity, and violence.

Manawydan, son of Llyr by Dr Mark Williams

The third branch is the most folktale-like of the the four, taking as its subject the travails of the shrewd nobleman Manawydan

Math, son of Mathonwy by Dr Mark Williams

The final branch of the four is the most bewilderingly magical of all, featuring incest, punitive shapechanging

The Bacchae, by Euripides by Dr Mark Williams

This talk looks at one of the most frightening and unsettling tragedies to survive from classical Athens.

The Aeneid, by Virgil by Dr Mark Williams

This lecture serves to introduce this gorgeous, complex poem and to demonstrate its relevance to us today.

Past Lectures

Summoning the Spirits – Online Seance with Medium Patti Negri

Join psychic medium Patti Negri for an intimate online seance where each participant will have the chance to summon a specific spirit

Summoning the Spirits – Online Seance with Medium Patti Negri

Join psychic medium Patti Negri for an intimate online seance where each participant will have the chance to summon a specific spirit

Summoning the Spirits – Online Seance with Medium Patti Negri

Join psychic medium Patti Negri for an intimate online seance where each participant will have the chance to summon a specific spirit

The Spiritualism Symposium: The Moment of Revelation – Joscelyn Godwin, Ph.D

The Spiritualism Symposium by Shannon Taggart : The Moment of Revelation: Cases from New York's ‘Burned-Over District’ - Joscelyn Godwin

Summoning the Spirits – Online Seance with Medium Patti Negri

Join psychic medium Patti Negri for an intimate online seance where each participant will have the chance to summon a specific spirit

Summoning the Spirits – Online Seance with Medium Patti Negri

Join psychic medium Patti Negri for an intimate online seance where each participant will have the chance to summon a specific spirit

Summoning the Spirits – Online Seance with Medium Patti Negri

Join psychic medium Patti Negri for an intimate online seance where each participant will have the chance to summon a specific spirit

Summoning the Spirits – Online Seance with Medium Patti Negri

Join psychic medium Patti Negri for an intimate online seance where each participant will have the chance to summon a specific spirit

Summoning the Spirits – Online Seance with Medium Patti Negri

Join psychic medium Patti Negri for an intimate online seance where each participant will have the chance to summon a specific spirit