By Lucya Starza Here’s a photo of me signing copies of my latest book Pagan Portals – Poppets and Magical Dolls at a launch event at Treadwell’s last Saturday. The book isn’t officially published until August, but Moon Books arranged for some early copies to go on sale at the central London bookshop in time
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Treadwell’s Bookshop in Bloomsbury, London, is offering a double dose of poppet magic on Saturday 14 July. First I’m teaching a mini-workshop called Poppets in Practical Magic. After that I’ll be signing copies of Pagan Portals – Poppets and Magical Dolls at the very first launch event for my new book. The book signing is completely
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Traditional English folklore says that if you watch the ferns on Midsummer Eve and collect the seeds that fall at exactly midnight, you can use them to render yourself invisible. Actually, ferns don’t produce seeds – they have spores – but maybe spores have the same effect. Mind you, if you want to try it
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June 13 is the birthday of Gerald Brosseau Gardner (1884–1964), the founder of modern Wicca. I also take this day as a reminder that you are never too old to take up a new challenge, because Gerald Gardner did not become a famous and influential pagan figure until after his retirement. In the Moon Books community
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On Solstice Eve I’m running a practical workshop on candle magic at Treadwell’s Bookshop. This is a wonderful time to charge and enchant our own magical flames on the night before the longest day of the year. As well as teaching how to do candle spells, I’ll be talking about ways to honour the season
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As an author, it is a rather wonderful feeling when you realise that you have enough books published to have a stall at a conference all to yourself. OK, it was a tiny stall, but nevertheless it was just for my books. The stall was at the annual conference of the Museum of Witchcraft and
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Today is Star Wars Day – named for the pun on the words for the date May the Fourth sounding a bit like the phrase “May the Force be with you”. It is primarily a day for fans of the media franchise to celebrate their love of the movies with Star Wars-themed events and activities
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To celebrate Walpurgis Night – or Witches’ Night as some like to call it – Antique Beat and A Curious Invitation are hosting London Esoteric. This two-day festival of events focusing on the weird and wonderful includes talks, workshops and concerts in the restored chapel at London’s Brompton Cemetery. Telepathy, secret societies, LSD, theremins and a
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I have to admit, my garden is a bit of a mess at the moment. The early spring weather has been so grim I haven’t felt like leaving the house to tidy it up. What’s more April is renowned for being a month of rain. But, when the sun does shine, it is good to
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Birch sap, sometimes called birch water, can be tapped directly from birch trees at this time of year. It is a clear, slightly sweet liquid that can be drunk fresh or fermented. It has to be tapped at the end of winter and the start of spring, before the new green leaves bud. Make a
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