Tickets have now gone on sale for the 2nd Annual Magickal Women Conference, to be held in South Kensington Saturday June , 2020. The event’s homepage explains:
“In 2020 we are offering a two-day event, and on Sunday the 7th of June, the Conference will continue with a Magic, Myth & Storytelling Session at Ye Old Cock Tavern on Fleet Street. Please see our Location page for the full addresses, maps, and transport information.
“Tickets are available for each day individually, or you can purchase a combo-ticket at a reduced price if you’d like to join us on both the Saturday and Sunday. Please note that ticket sales for Saturday are limited to 225, and on Sunday (and the Sat-Sun combo) are limited to 80. Vendor stalls are available for Saturday only. If you are interested in vending, please click here. More details about attendee ticketing can be found on our ticketing platform, Tito.
“The Saturday event will run much the same as it did in 2019, but in 2020 we’ll have twenty speakers over longer sessions. Doors open at 9:00 and the main Conference will end at 17:00, after which we invite all attendees to join us on the rooftop terrace (weather permitting) for our evening social with a pay bar from 17:00 to 20:30 in the evening. A catered lunch with coffee and tea breaks throughout the day are included in the ticket price.
“We have an exciting programme of speakers on Saturday — some new faces and some returning by public demand, but all will be providing excellent talks, seminars and workshops that you won’t want to miss! As an introduction to our programme, here’s some information on a selection of the participatory sessions on the day.
“We are absolutely delighted that DOLORES ASHCROFT-NOWICKI is joining us again in 2020. After making such a hit with our audience as our headline speaker in 2019, Dolores will be leading a session on ‘The Four Faces of Eve’; this will be a rare opportunity to join one of her teaching workshops in which she shares her knowledge and experience of a lifetime in occultism and magic. Dolores celebrated her 90th birthday at 2019’s Conference, so she has a lot to teach in her warm, friendly style and plenty of good humour!
“Several speakers will be looking at aspects of ritual and practice, which will provide rich information for personal practice or for deepening understanding. Sian Sibley will be leading a participatory workshop ‘The Headless Ritual, A Change In Perspective’, giving a female perspective to one of the central rituals of the Western Mystery tradition. Sian’s innovative development of the rite places Hekate at the centre of the ritual; all participants will join Sian in a performance. Emma Kathryn will be introducing the Obeah tradition, with its origins in the Caribbean, in her workshop ‘Obeah and the Ancestors’, which will include making ancestor spirit jars and learning the appropriate consecrations. Carrie Kirkpatrick’s workshop ‘Connecting to the Goddess Through Ceremony’ provides an introduction to Goddess work, along with Caroline Wise’s practical session ‘The Hearths of the Goddess’ in which she will be teaching us how to construct and use a household Goddess shrine. Geraldine Hudson introduces the sigil tradition in her workshop Manifesto and Sigil Writing Workshop – The Word Made Flesh, followed by groupwork to create a sigil infused with intent for the divine feminine, which is then enlivened through active group visualisation. Christine Massey is leading a workshop on Working With Pomba Gira, Queen Of The Seven Crossroads As A Solo Practitioner, a legion of powerful spirits known collectively as Pomba Gira Rainha de Las Sete Encruzilhadas (The Queen of Seven Crossroads). This multifaceted workshop will include discussion, interactive demonstration and dramatized performance; there will be a lot to take away, including how to make, consecrate and charge an image of The Queen using a Hoodoo Spirit Doll.
“This is only a small taste of our Saturday line-up. We’ll be sharing more information on our Speakers in our next blog!
“On Sunday the 7th of June we meet at Ye Old Cock (we’re laughing too!) at 11:45 as the bells of St Dunstan’s In the West Church are rung by Gog and Magog, mythical presiding spirits of the City.
“All Sunday ticket-holders will have the opportunity to join Caroline Wise on her Mythic London walk, which follows the old processional way along Fleet Street, up Ludgate Hill to St Paul’s Cathedral, the site of the ancient Temple of Diana. Stops along the route include St Bride’s Church Fleet Street and St Bride’s Well, one of the ancient holy wells of London. Caroline has been leading inspirational walks around Mythic and Magical London for many years and displays a real depth of knowledge and insight that she shares freely with participants; in 2019 she led ‘Magical Goddesses of the British Museum’ for the Conference, which received wonderful positive feedback. The walk will proceed whatever the weather: wear comfortable shoes, bring your magical imagination and prepare to enter the mythical landscape of the City! Caroline will set off with the first of two groups at 11:45; the doors of the tavern open to the rest of us at 12:00.
“Sunday is our Magic, Myth and Story day, a relaxed event that rolls through the afternoon into early evening, full of magical talks and stories. Confirmed speakers include a welcome return for Baya The Storyteller, who will be bringing us tales of London magic and mystery: her story session was a great favourite with the audience in 2019 and this promises to be just as wonderful! Conjuring Reality: When Fiction Becomes Prophecy is an exploration of the historically female art of storytelling and its relation to magic, by Becca De la Rosa and Mabel Martin: they will be talking about the power of fiction in creating our own reality and its cultural expressions in folklore, seership and manifestation magic. Lyn Thurman will be taking us into the world of Russian magic and folklore with her talk on Baba Yaga and the Hags: Wild Witch Guardians of the Old Ways, while Elise Oursa introduces us to a British country cunning woman of the early twentieth century, Ellen Hayward, ‘Old Ellen’ of Gloucestershire, wise woman of the forest, in The Body Speaks her Name, a true story of folk magic, crime and punishment, with deep resonances for today. There are further details on Sunday’s programme to follow soon.
“Our speakers will be in the tavern’s conference room with seating for 60, while all attendees will have exclusive use of the gin bar with its comfortable plush seating and video link to the conference room, and of course the main bar is at our disposal, too. The Sunday event will not be catered, but food and drink will be available through a special menu for the Conference at the main bar. What we will offer is a specially formulated Magickal Cocktail (a non-alcoholic version will be available, too) for all attendees — one per person. We can’t wait to see what the staff create for us! We have use of the tavern until 6:00 at which point the Magickal Women weekend will come to a close.
“Stay tuned for more updates as more speakers confirm, and don’t forget that on Saturday our headline speaker is none other than legendary RACHEL POLLACK. It is going to be a most magical weekend!”
