London Fortean Society

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Into the Uncanny: Danny Robins, Chris French & Deborah Hyde

‘The ghosts of today don’t live in castles or stately homes, they’re in normal houses and workplaces, witnessed by people just like you and me. But are they the dead returning from the “undiscovered country” of death, or the product of that equally mysterious location, the human mind?’ Friday 4 October 2024 6.30 pm doors. 7 pm start. £16 / £11 Concessions Advance Booking Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL Tube: Holborn London Fortean Email List Danny Robins is on a mission to solve the greatest mysteries – do ghosts exist? His thrilling new book tells the stories of ordinary people who have experienced extraordinary things and want to understand them. It is also a journey of self-discovery, as Danny explores what the paranormal means to us, and considers the exciting yet terrifying prospect that we are not alone. Are you Team Believer or Team Sceptic – and do you dare to find out? Helping you decide are Uncanny crew members Chris French and Deborah Hyde. Danny Robins i

From Satanic Panic to Pizzagate and QAnon

Tuesday 29 October 2024 From Satanic Panic to Pizzagate and QAnon Investigative journalist Dr Rosie Waterhouse has been researching and writing about what has become known as the Satanic Panic for 34 years. Tonight she explains how believers in Satanic Ritual Abuse claim that depraved Satanist paedophiles breed, rape and sacrifice babies and children, and drink their blood for Adrenochrome, a mythical elixir of life. She describes the origins and spread of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s from Canada and the USA to the UK and beyond. She explains how since 2016 it has morphed into Pizzagate and then QAnon, as a global conspiracy theory, amplified by social media, that the world is run by an international network of paedophile Satanists, and that Donald Trump is the saviour. Will this bizarre conspiracy theory have any influence in the US presidential election just a week after this talk? Date: Tuesday 29 October 2024 Time: 8pm (Doors 7.30) Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex

London Fortean Society: Divination Day: Astrology, Tarot, Tomorrow and Us

When the future is uncertain, people often turn to occult and cosmic guidance through methods such as astrology, Tarot cards and other forms of truth-seeking. Join us for an in-depth exploration of predicting the future through magic and not-quite-science. Saturday 16 November 2024 10.30 am doors. 11 am - 5 pm £18 / £13 Concessions Advance Booking Conway Hall , 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL Tube: Holborn London Fortean Email List Confirmed talks. More to follow. Kelly-Ann Maddox – Using The Tarot Kelly-Ann Maddox is an award-winning professional Tarot reader, witchcraft mentor, and author. Her approach to the Tarot focuses on enhancing mental well-being, encouraging spiritual evolution, and addressing real-world challenges. In her talk, she will explore the value of Tarot as a tool for navigating life’s obstacles and as a powerful magical instrument. Prepare to be inspired and motivated, with new ideas on how to use your Tarot deck to achieve personal growth. Jen Cownie – Wild

Cancelled: The Shakespeare Furore

CANCELLED Unfortunately our speaker for The Shakespeare Furore has had to pull out at the last moment. It's too late to organise a replacement, so I'm afraid we'll have to cancel the meeting altogether. Ticket holders will be refunded. We hope to be able to rebook her next year. Tuesday 24th September 2024 The Shakespeare Furore The Shakespeare authorship question first burst into public consciousness 170 years ago. Early questioners included many prominent figures of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the last two decades, while those defending the orthodox narrative have increasingly characterised the authorship question as a conspiracy theory, over 50 peer-reviewed articles challenging the traditional narrative have been published in academic journals. Meanwhile, the orthodox position has begun to shift towards the ‘many hands’ idea, with the New Oxford Shakespeare now claiming that a third of the Shakespeare canon is co-authored. Now award-winning journalist Elizabe

Shapeshifters: A History

This event is cancelled. John is not coming to the UK at this time. We wish him all the best. Here is a recording of a similar talk John did for us online in the very early days of the first Covid lockdown. Real or imaginary, shapeshifters lurk deep in our psyches and remain formidable cultural icons. The myths and magic surrounding shapeshifters are brought vividly to life in John B. Kachuba’s compelling and original cultural history. Tuesday 10 September 2024 7 pm doors. 7.30 pm start. £5 / £3 Concessions Advance Booking The Miller , 96 Snowsfields, London Bridge, London SE1 3SS Tube and Rail: London Bridge Facebook Page London Fortean Email List There is something about a shapeshifter – a person who can transform into an animal – that captures our imagination; and causes us to want to howl at the moon or flit through the night like a bat. Werewolves, vampires, demons, and other weird creatures appeal to our animal nature, our dark side, and our desire to break free of the bonds o

Dr Eric Dingwall: ‘Most extraordinary!’ – psychic investigator, intelligence agent & sexologist

WARNING: Talk contains adult images Tuesday 27 August 2024 8pm (Doors 7.30) £5 / £3 concessions ( Advance tickets ) The Bell , 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East) London Fortean Email List Dr Eric Dingwall was a friend, associate, rival, and occasional enemy of the more publicity-hungry Harry Price. Appointed Research Officer for the Society for Psychical Research, Dingwall's specialism was physical mediumship, a mainstay of numerous mediums' performances before, between, during and after the two World Wars. In public, Dingwall could be frustratingly sceptical (much to the chagrin of his SPR colleagues), but private communications tell a different story. Certain mediums had impressed him with their displays of apparently fraud-proof and inexplicable phenomena. At the end of the War he was appointed Honorary Assistant Curator of the British Musuem's Private Case, a secret collection of erotic, pornographic, libellous and blasphemou