Discover Top Posts Tagged with #londonwitch

Just your average witch using Venus on a Friday night for her love spell 💗💑💗💏💗👫💗

Still can feel it vibrating through my whole body.

My work altar is on the tiles bit infront of my Mantel and I can sit down on my meditation pillow. I love this set up to do my spells. And the tiles makes it fire proof 🔥🙃

#magick #candle spell #candlemagick #witchblr #witchythings #witch altar #lovespells #lovemagick #eclectic wicca #eclecticwitch #urbanwitch #londonwitch #venusfriday #venusmagic #love #couple #breakup #getyourexback

A Night in the Crypt

While there is little time left for the preparations for my return to Portugal to finish my residency, I have found myself going out into the London night more often these past few weeks than in the previous year or more.

After my recent adventures in academic literary conferences I found myself in a more comfortable setting, that of an 19th century crypt in central London that was hosting an exceptional art exhibition and book launch for the Hell Fire Club Books.

The one night popup exhibition "Art in the Crypt" included an amazing collection of work by a well rounded lineup of visual artists. Sean Woodward, Sasha Chaitow, Jason Atomic, Savage Pencil (Edwin Pouncey) , Zoetica Ebb, Alberto Bona, Amodali Zain, Madeleine LeDespencer, and Misha Newitt.

From sacred icons to irreverent illustration the work was a perfect fit for the dusty tomb that is the Crypt Gallery beneath St Pancras Parish Church. Built in 1822 the interior is straight gothic horror film, and the lighting and atmosphere created a perfect setting to the evening.

The attendees were a who's who of London occult nightlife, hanging about the narrow passages like a scene out of the Hunger. I ran into a few old friends but was only able to pop in briefly as I had a previous engagement late that evening and slipped in and out before I was able to say hello to those I know.

The evening was also the launch of a new HFCB title ‘Keys to the Hoodoo Kingdom’ by Sean Woodward. Looks to be another stunning publication by HFCB.

Thanks to Eamonn who has increasingly become the host of the preeminent gatherings of the London occult world. He certainly knows how to throw a party. All the witches and wizards come out for his bibliographic endeavours.

For more information about the event and the artists involved please look here.

The Devil and the Folkwitch

While there is much afoot on the translation front with our upcoming Alkahest Press release, to be announced later this week, a tantalizing masterpiece of Luciferian literature that may be the first document of self professed Satanism in history, I have been considering other projects more personal.

It has been on my mind that among the rants and reviews there is enough material spread out over the years of the Skeptical Occultist that there may be some interest in a volume of the essays dedicated solely to the practice and philosophy of the folkwitch.

The folkwitch has been an elusive theme, germinating from my own personal magical practice, scattered over the years of the Skeptical Occultist. That whispered knowledge-based hedgewitchery of folklore and country tale. Those who are comfortable among the roots and fungi of the forest floor, able to harvest even the most poisonous of hex herbs with care, whose path is the landscape that surrounds them.

To give some shape to the shadow of the folkwitch I am considering a collection of thoughts, practices and instructions, essays mostly previously published in these pages. A peek at the personal 'wyrd' of my own inner magical forest, a 'wyrd wood' so to speak.

Perhaps something over the summertime out on Alkahest Press? In the meantime there will be an official announcement of the next publication of Alkahest Press on the Ides of March, this Thursday the 15th. It will be a momentous occasion in the work of Left Hand Path magic, for those that call the shadows home and the darkness pleasure. A celebration of blasphemy and abandon for the first time in a critical English translation. Keep your eyes peeled as this one is going to go fast!

In the meantime the third issue of the Skeptical Occultist Journal is at the printers and we have sold half of the print run already! Thanks to everyone who has gotten theirs.

Of Toads & Winter Plagues

Nothing like a winter cold to put a stop to basically everything you do but cough and sneeze. Yet in the gloom of this winter haze there is news, that we have gone to print with Ernst Hentges' "Die Kröte" and the very first edition released by Alkahest Press is now at the printer!

It wasn't easy finding just the right paper stock for the covers, but eventually we found the one we wanted. A soft green with a linen texture that is very nice to the touch. Something along the lines of the periodicals published by the British Museum in the early 20th century.

Plans for our next release on Alkahest Press are already in motion. If things go to plan we may in fact have several releases as we lead into the summer. The enthusiasm for this first edition has been fantastic, and I am humbled by the responses I have received. Thank you to everyone who has preordered so far.

One thing we have decided is that with Alkahest Press we do not intend to sell via Amazon or similar platforms, thus we will not be using barcodes or isbn numbers with our releases. Not only does a barcode mar the design, the entire premise of tracking book sales for some corporation is distasteful. What we publish and who buys it is nobody's business but our own.

As soon as I can shake off this winter plague I have a round of book reviews and some thoughts on various subjects to post. If you haven't ordered a copy of "Die Kröte, or The Toad" I would do so as they are going fast, and like the issues of the Skeptical Occultist Journal it appears they may sell out in preorders.

~Eldred

The Bookshop as a Meeting Place

Treadwell's Books has been a part of London occult life for more than a decade. A center for London's disparate and motley occultists, witches, and magicians of every ilk and path to celebrate and meet.

Between weekly events, book launches and tarot readings Treadwell's is a home away from home for occultists the world over. From regular lectures and presentations by Phil Hine, Michael Staley, Hannah Sanders, Chris Josiffe, Robert Wallis, Owen Davies and dozens more to walking tours of the British Museum and Bloomsbury's occult history it's a place to linger, searching for that rare bit of booklore, meeting others on their own path. Some incredible people have found their way through Treadwell's door, a couple of friend's even found each other and eventually married because of Treadwell's. Its a magical place in many ways.

Having moved seven years ago from its first location in Covent Garden it is now tucked away down Store Street in Bloomsbury. A bigger space upstairs and downstairs lends itself to more events, with a comfortable downstairs that is even available for lettings for various group functions, public and private.

Behind Treadwell's is proprietor and "presiding spirit" Christina Oakley Harrington. In between her sold out Magical Bloomsbury Walking Tour and otherwise busy schedule I managed to chat with her about London occulture, her passion for books and running a bookshop in 21st century London.

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Christina Oakley Harrington of Treadwell's

While Treadwell's has only been in London since 2003 it seems to be a fixture that is much more firmly rooted in the occulture of London than its teenaged years belie. How have you come to be so central to the occult community of London?

Gosh, are we really? I have to give the credit to the wonderful people who've come through the doors of Treadwells for that. I've been hugely inspired by London's history of occult communities and in particular, the exciting occult renaissance of the 1880s and 1890s, when the Order of the Golden Dawn and the Theosophical Society had hundreds of members and there were gatherings, rituals and conversations happening every night of the week. I saw that such a renaissance might be possible in our own day if there was a bookshop which was actually a meeting place -- and I saw from history that such a place needed to offer a combination of hospitality, friendship-building and events space.

We hosted our first event within a few months of opening our doors. Since then, it's never been fewer than three nights a week that we're here. That's why we can't open any earlier than 11 am during the week and at weekends we certainly couldn't start any earlier than noon. All our late nights here!

What misbegotten adventure led you to opening an occult bookshop?

I got involved in paganism and the esoteric community in 1987 in the US, where I lived for eleven years. In 1989 I moved to London. It was the Atlantis Bookshop under the ownership of Caroline Wise which was the hub of activity and occult community creativity -- she was a force of nature, hosting conferences, promoting groups, advertising pub moots, and generally making me (and other young people) welcome and feel so inspired. Through her we got to meet magical orders, attend rituals, learn about magic from practitioners. She kept the channels flowing. If you went into her shop, she'd bombard you with recommendations, hand-made fliers, posters and postcards. So I opened Treadwells just as she was retiring from owning Atlantis, and felt that in that regard, she passed on the baton to us. Caroline's been a huge supporter of Treadwells and she's my personal inspiration of what an occult bookshop owner should be.

Do you collect books yourself?

I do! My collection is pretty eclectic. I don't have the completist gene, so I don't need to own full sets of things, mercifully. Then I get bored. I collected all of Dion Fortune's first editions, then once I had the full set, I didn't care anymore, so I sold them. I now have her work in paperback, which I've marked up with my marginal notes and personal opinions in the front and rear covers. So I work most of my books pretty hard. It's from my days as an historian, that I have opinions on what I'm reading and want to debate with the authors, or agree with them. So the margins of my books show that.

In the corner of my study is a shelf of books mentioning Treadwells, signed by their authors. Authors sometimes mention the shop in their novels, or in their guidebooks. Occasionally students and scholars mention Treadwells in the acknowledgments if we've helped them with their research - and that's so lovely. We have a commitment to assisting scholarly research where we can.

My collection is a working library of books containing ideas I love, historical research that inspires me, and lots of poetry -- which I use in contemplative reading and adopt into rituals I write. Big subjects I read are witchcraft, sapphic writers from Sappho through the 1920s, Renaissance planetary magic, and biographies of magicians of previous centuries. I've got an entire room for my books at home, and most often there are lots of them piled up on the desk with bookmarks stuck in, and intermingled are my various notebooks with quotes scrawled from the books I'm reading.

You mentioned a background as a historian, were you an academic before becoming a bookseller?

I was! I was a medieval historian. I taught for eleven years at a college of the University of Surrey. My PhD was at University College London with supplementary study at Jesus College, Oxford. The links between the world of scholarship and magical practice have grown wonderfully over the past fifteen years, so I relish reading the recent academic articles and studies of medieval magical texts and practice.

Do you recall the first book of, or on, magic you remember owning? Not a library book, but something that was your own?

I am sure I had children's books with witches as a very young child, as I was crazy about witches, and always wanted to try to do spells, and I even pretended to be able to fly (I had a children's storybook called No Flying in the House). However, I was very taken with a book whose name I can't recall, which I took from my parents' bookshelves, on superstitions and charms. I would copy the best charms -- in my opinion -- into a notebook, which I called my spellbook. I must have been about six, seven years old....

What rare items have come through Treadwells shelves over the years?

I'm so fortunate to see treasures coming through here. We have had a good smattering of Aleister Crowley first editions, Gerald Gardner first editions and books signed by Kenneth Grant. These are the staples of occult rare bookselling. But I love the offbeat stuff - we've got awesome zines. Zines are overlooked but are truly collectible as they're snapshots of the occult community at a particular moment, at the working coal-face, as it were. A faintingly exciting moment was when we got a very early Rider-Waite tarot deck, from a lady who had it in her attic, and had inherited it from her grandmother. We had people coming in just to look at it before we sold it to its current owner - during those two weeks we were honoured to be able to let tarot-lovers view it and appreciate it.

Some rare items are new - we've launched very limited edition items here -- nocturnal parties for books which are individually consecrated and inscribed and of which only one or two hundred copies are made. Those events are very magical, as it's just a small group of guests, lots of incense billowing, and good red wine flowing.

How has occult bookselling and publishing changed from your perspective over the last 14 years?

Bookselling now is a harder living than even twenty years ago, with London rents being high and with people having the option of purchasing on Amazon. But it's still vibrant, and getting even moreso. Reading occult literature inspires people to want to practice and meet others -- that's where the bookshop is crucial, and always will be. A bookseller is a curator, an advisor, and a bit of a therapist even, at times. I love that it's a continuity, a continuity of over 200 years.

Has the environment changed since the store moved to its current location several years back? Do you feel the community has grown?

We've been here at Store Street for seven years, having moved here after seven years in Covent Garden. I find it hard to believe we've been in Store Street just as long as we were in the old address. So uncanny! The community is different here than there -- and well, times change. In 2003 there was a tight connected community of people, and newcomers entered that network of people, socially. Now, it's much more open, less a community than a wider base of many many individuals who have overlapping interests. They will meet likeminded people at more niche events. I think it's because the era of subcultures is largely over, or so it seems to me. But Treadwells itself is a kind of community of regulars -- we get to know people whose vibe is in tune with ours and they keep coming back so next thing you know, we know all their kids' names and are invited to their art openings. But we are keen not to behave like a clique. So many occult-oriented people were outsiders at school that honestly, we don't need to replicate that in adulthood. A friendly gesture and a welcoming hello for our customers and new acquaintances: that's essential.

So many occultists I know scattered around the world have stories to tell about Treadwell's, visits on trips, meeting future spouses there, finding some bit of rarity they had long sought. Any insights into the future of occult bookselling in London and in general? Where does the plot take us from here?

I'm very excited about a new bookshop/occult event space in Seattle, Mortlake & Co, run by a wonderful chap named William Kiesel (of Ouroboros Press fame). It's got not only a range of rare books, but it also hosts intimate, intellectually-engaged soirees. I think occult bookselling is at its most exciting when it overlaps, not with the New Age, but with history and anthropology. By which I mean to say, when we widen our interest from the practice itself to include the people and the cultures that produced it. As an example, if you you love Enochian magic, check out Elizabethan court life. If you are drawn to hoodoo, learn about how African Americans lived in the era of slavery. If you practice traditional witchcraft, read a book on old cunningmen.

Any upcoming events or releases you would like to mention?

I'm particularly proud of our commitment to traditional, classic tarot reading. The art of reading the cards takes over a decade to master, but one can learn enough to have a meaningful experience in a single day. We offer one-day workshops, eight-week courses and even intermediate brush-up days. Tarot cards came out of the Italian Renaissance, so the symbolism is rich and deep, and it's the same symbol code you find embedded in Renaissance art. If you study the tarot cards, your trips to art museums suddenly become much more exciting.

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Discover Treadwell's Bookshop for yourself:

Treadwell's Books 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London www.treadwells-london.com/