Welcome

Dr Anna Milon, former PhD student at the University of Exeter and now postdoctoral researcher at Nottingham Trent University, shares her research into Lincolnshire folklore and an infamous witchcraft case....

One of our Centre members, Dr Jennifer Farrell (Department of Archaeology and History), is delivering a series of talks around the UK and Ireland on The History of Witchcraft and Feminism....

The Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton https://www.thelmahulbert.com/?q=exhibitions/anne-jackson-witchcraft-series “The Witchcraft Series explores the history of witch trials and the power of ‘the witch’ in our culture, both as metaphor for our...

Asinine Symbology in Ancient and Medieval Magic Emily Selove https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009076234 The 13th-century Arabic grimoire, al-Sakkākī’s Kitāb al-Shāmil (Book of the Complete), provides numerous methods of contacting jinn. The first such...

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/courses/arabislamic/magic-occult-science/

https://cas-e.de/ See their lecture series here: https://cas-e.de/2023/09/04/lecture-series-winter-semester-2023-24/ Mission Statement “The Center for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences Alternative Rationalities and Esoteric Practices from a Global Perspective undertakes the investigation of...

This October FOUR OF SWORDS leads you back into the belly of the earth to witness a terrifying tale of fate versus free will. The legendary riddle-master Oedipus does battle...

Dreams and Visions in Islam 2024 Meeting of the European Network for the Study of Islam and Esotericism (ENSIE)2-3 July 2024University of Exeter, EnglandDeadline for submissions: February 15, 2024 http://ensie.site/conferences.html...

BRIAN RAPPERT Exeter Phoenix’s conjuror-in-residence, Professor Brian Rappert, is back for a new round of shows that use entertainment magic to ask questions about how we experience the world. Magic,...

Reposted from Earl Fontainelle’s notice here: https://ancientesotericism.com/2023/07/31/mageia-research-fellowships/ “Students of ancient esotericism with their ear to the ground will have heard about the new MagEIA project, which promises to be a doozy...

https://occultureconference.com/dr-emily-selove/ 19-22 OCTOBER – BERLIN A MASTERS DEGREE IN MAGIC: THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM The University of Exeter will launch a new Master’s Degree program on Magic...

deadline for the call for papers to Monday 31st July – please contact Iona (ir299@exeter.ac.uk) for more information 7-8th September 2023, University of Exeter and Online https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/criticalspirituality/ “In recent years,...

The Marvelous Book That Traveled the World and Mapped the Cosmos by Travis Zadeh https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674258457 Emily Selove’s informal review: This is a remarkable book, in that it is extremely academically...

We are delighted to announce a new MA in Magic and Occult Sciences launching in September, 2024.  This is a flexible degree, which provides you the freedom to design you...

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 09:30 – Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:30 BST Organised by Tabitha Stanmore and Debora Moretti Attendees are welcome to join in-person in York or online. (King’s...

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-european-witch-hunt-in-world-context-with-prof-ronald-hutton-tickets-433585795787 The European Witch Hunt in World Context: Some Further Thoughts Professor Ronald Hutton 3:30pm, Wednesday 1st March, Lecture Theatre D, Streatham Court (University of Exeter). Followed by a drinks...

11 February 2023 – 7 May 2023 Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter https://rammuseum.org.uk/whats-on/earth-spells-witches-of-the-anthropocene/ “Artists: Caroline Achaintre, Emma Hart, Kris Lemsalu, Mercedes Mühleisen, Grace Ndiritu, Florence Peake, Kiki Smith, and Lucy...

https://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/archives/esotericism-magical-tradition “This resource guide is based on a reading list for a seminar (ARAM251) created by Dr James Downs, and provides an overview of resources held by the University of...

November 28th 6-8 PM Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-sorcerers-handbook-dirt-from-the-crossroads-in-the-13th-century-tickets-462520740987 A sheep heart full of pins, a graveyard at midnight, a contract...

Being Human Café in Bristol to discuss the use of spiritual spaces – both natural and constructed – throughout history. Date and time Sat, 12 November 2022, 15:00 – 17:00 GMT...

https://britishartnetwork.org.uk/event/curating-magic-october-2022/ The organisers for this event are currently inviting calls for papers. Seminar exploring magic as content, theory and/or practice in exhibition making Saturday, 29th October 2022 | day-time BST...

MAGIC UN/DISCIPLINED International Conference, Societas Magica University of South Carolina, September 2-4, 2022 Hybrid format Showcasing recent cross-cultural and interdisciplinary advances in the history and anthropology of “magic,” this international conference...

 22nd June: Online The purpose of this online conference is to discuss and further explore the relationship between tangible and imaginative landscapes, co-organised by University of Exeter and Canterbury Christ...

British Museum Exhibition 19 May – 25 September 2022 https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/feminine-power-divine-demonic “The first exhibition of its kind, Feminine power takes a cross-cultural look at the profound influence of female spiritual beings...

University of Exeter’s Professor Rob Gleaves in a presentation to the Department of Classics & Religion UCalgary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilyAlJjGDDA&t=2s “Magic (and occult practice more widely) has held a debated position in...

LIVE online | 5 -20 March 2022 https://creationtheatre.co.uk/the-witch-of-edmonton/#1634803979184-feeffcd6-1027 “If every poor old Woman be trod on thus, reviled, kicked, beaten, as I am daily, she to be revenged had need...

Monday, November 29 Hotel Du Vin Exeter 1:30–3 p.m.  Panel 1: Emily Selove, “Sleep in the Shāmil of Sirāj al-Dīn al-Sakkākī (d. 1229)” Bink Hallum, “From Invincibility to Immunity: The...

Molly Batchelor, University of Exeter MA student in Medieval Studies, conducted a thought-provoking interview with practicing astrologer Rebecca Law, reflecting on the differences between ancient, medieval, and modern astrology, and on...

https://www.wegottickets.com/event/516190/?mc_cid=d7ee6fec89&mc_eid=d862eafb3c# Exeter Cygnet Theatre October 9, 7:30 pm Artemis Storytelling presents Jo Blake and Dr Martin Shaw. Unearth the unwritten Blodeuwedd, the Frankenstein of flowers. Captured in the pages of a...

Fringe Expertise? Cross-Cultural Readings of Occult Practices in Premodern Eurasia International Medieval Congress, Leeds, 4-7 July 2022 Sponsored by The Sorcerer’s Handbook: Medieval Arabic Magic in Context Project Organisers: Dr Sarah...

A free digital conference with presentations by Magic and Esotericism research group members Sarah Scaife and Dorka Tamas: In Panel 2: Fantasy & Imagination, introduced here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocPEhK-pKx0 Dorka Támas – Supernatural Vision...

A new publication by Magic and Esotericism Research Group member Dorka Tamás https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24692921.2021.1947081 This article discusses Sylvia Plath’s overlooked juvenilia poems and contextualizes them in postwar American culture. The fairy...

July 13th-17th About this event As long as there have been people on this land there has been song, and as long as we dwell upon this land a timeless,...

Co-edited by Soma Chaudhuri and Jane Ward Deadline to submit a 500 to 750-word abstract: August 1st, 2021 https://www.janewardphd.com/the-witch-studies-reader.html “…we are calling for chapter proposals that illuminate how feminists can make sense...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_UYo1bOFLQ This is a love talisman from a book of lunar mansions, widely circulated in the medieval world. It is meant to be carved out of ebony, which is way...

Sakkaki’s Magic Book of Everything (April 30th 2021) Dr. Emily Selove, Senior Lecturer of Medieval Arabic Language and Literature, at the University of Exeter, discusses her Leverhulme-funded research project, “A...

McMaster University (Online) May 26th https://religiousstudies.mcmaster.ca/news/magicworkshop/?fbclid=IwAR1yDwFnCmyBfZOlZ0JjFURAlkx6bO4nAmpBwTnHD6Z-KKdj_tGX3udZX2k This workshop proposes an interdisciplinary and inter-religious approach to healing in religious traditions. Religious healing can be syncretic between traditions, relegated to the margins...

By Sarah Scaife http://www.sarahscaife.co.uk/ Uncertainty can be an unsettling aspect of ill health. Come on a gentle journey into more hopeful ways of being with not knowing. Can uncertainty become a...

Ex Historia- Humanities Forum Roundtable Discussion- Beliefs, Ritual, and Popular Myths Date/Time: Feb. 18th from 5:30-6:30pm Event Link: https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/j/97721900257?pwd=TEYycFpJRVJuWXBQcTV6c0NpcHVTZz09 Panelists’ Bios   Ryan Denson- Classics, and Ancient History  Ryan’s research centers...

An article by Nicholas Banner in the Classical Receptions Journal “This article examines the tropological use of the Latin language to evoke the diabolical in supernatural horror cinema. When Latin is...

Date/Time Thursday 7 January  and Sunday 17 January 2021, 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Book Now: £10 or £8 or £5 – email boxoffice@ashburtonarts.org.uk http://ashburtonarts.org.uk/whats-on/ Join our conjuror-in-residence,for a highly interactive,...

ONLINE VIA ZOOM, 27 FEBRUARY 2021. The Magickal Women Partnership proudly presents the Magical Fiction Forum: Fairy tales, fantasy, magical realism, surreal fiction: this forum aims to bring together leading...

Missed the Popular Magic Cafe? Never worry, you can watch the discussion on YouTube, HERE There were so many fascinating questions, that Crystal and I decided to compile a reading...

Date And Time Tue, 17 November 2020 18:00 – 19:30 GMT https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/popular-magic-then-and-now-tickets-122826516417 This conversation about popular magic and folk customs is open to everyone and forms part of the Being...

A Leverhulme-funded research project, University of Exeter, 2019-2022. This project focuses on a collection of magical texts attributed to an influential medieval scholar of the Arabic language, Sirāj al-Dīn al-Sakkākī...

A new podcast by Magic and Esotericism Group member Samuel P. Gillis Hogan. Check out the introductory episode here!: https://arcanehistory.podbean.com/e/episode-0-welcometo-arcane/?fbclid=IwAR08BaJA0CPCaTr521K2HEeq3Y66ioK2h74v4BIP7lk_LoYkMmA0mpxDFd4 “Magic has been practiced throughout our history, yet many people...

‘Ill met by moonlight’: Gothic encounters with enchantment and the Faerie realm in literature and culture University of Hertfordshire, 8‒10 April 2021 http://www.opengravesopenminds.com/ill-met-by-moonlight-2021/

Magic: Who Cares? Truth and Deception                              Belief and Incredulity Secrecy and Revelation                         Regard and Distraction Cooperation and Conflict                        Hope and Gloom Join Prof Brian Rappert in this highly interactive,...

Magic and Esotericism research group member Dorka Tamas discusses the work of Sylvia Plath, focusing on witchcraft, witch imagery, and different cultural and literary influences in Plath’s poetry. Listen here...

University College London Summer School in Ancient Philosophy Monday 13 July to Friday 17 July 2020 The UCL Ancient Philosophy Summer School is offering exceptional one-week intensive courses this summer...

A presentation by Sarah Scaife given to the Exeter University Magic & Esotericism Research Group on 27 May 2020. This work was catalysed by Dr Emily Selove’s presentation, Dangerous Books,...

Truths and lies Concealment and revelation Chaos and oder Why not? These are challenging times. How we communicate, how we look at one another, and how we perceive our everyday...

Watch the full interview conducted by Professor Sajjad Rizvi here:

A Youtube video about some of the issues explored by Emily Selove’s Leverhulme-funded Sorcerer’s Handbook research project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZbP4By6jI4 And an interview on the Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast on...

Venice, Italy ” A truly unique film festival overtly dedicated to the domain of Hermetica: The Unorthodoxy underlying the mainstream intellectual history, the neglected Heterodoxy rooted in our cultural legacy, the eternal...

 Saturday 20 June, Exeter Phoenix (Studio 74) 10.00 am – late. Talks and workshops from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, followed by a live performance of Circle of Spears production...

An event by Magic and Esotericism research group member Professor Brian Rappert: https://brianrappert.net/magic/public-shows/magical-deceptions Dates: 2 & 9 February 2020 Time: 18:30-20:30 Location: Ashburton Arts Centre 15 West Street TQ13 7DT...

Signs of Life in Occupied Kairouan: Protective Art Painted by Women An “Insta essay” by Professor William Gallois which tells the untold story of protective paintings made by women artists in...

A list of conferences and talks that may be of interest. Feel free to email the magic@exeter.ac.uk list if you have an event that is not on the list. December...

Sun 10 Nov 2019 | 12pm | £7* (£6*) Tracey Norman (researcher, author and performer in her play The Witch) is giving a talk on witchcraft, with particular focus on its...

Dates: 23rd October – 2nd November 2019  Times: 6:30pm & 8:30pm  Price: £17.50 Location: Knightshayes, Tiverton, Devon EX16 7RG http://four-of-swords.com/ “FOUR OF SWORDS, in collaboration with THE WELLCOME TRUST, EXETER...

Open University, Milton Keynes (UK) Friday 27th March 2020 The four centuries of the Roman imperial period saw massive shifts in all aspects of life for people across the Mediterranean...

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Needed to Participate in “Sorcerer’s Handbook” Project https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BUH360/postdoctoral-research-fellow The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to participate...

June 26, 2019 by UCL Institute of Advanced Studies The recently published Routledge History of Medieval Magic (January 2019) brought together the work of scholars from across Europe and North...

The Painters of the City: North Africa 1880-1920 An exhibition by Professor William Gallois https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/events/details/index.php?event=9327 An Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies exhibition Date 9 May – 2 August 2019...

ON MONDAY, 29 APRIL 2019 AT 7 P.M. COVENTRY CATHEDRAL, CHAPEL OF CHRIST THE SERVANT On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the twin city relationship between Coventry and...

Please join us for a workshop on Magic and the Occult in Islam hosted by the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies’ Centre for the Study of Islam. In honour...

Check out Catherine Rider’s new blog post about editing the Routledge History of Medieval Magic! http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/medievalstudies/

A day of artistic and academic discussion – Wed 24 Apr 2019 -Wed 24 Apr 2019 10am – 4.45pm, Reed Hall, University of Exeter, EX4 4QR. £30/35 This event is...

Trickery, Poetry, Intoxication: The Magic of Medieval Arabic Literature Emily Selove (IAIS, Exeter) A Centre for Medieval Studies seminar Date 30 January 2019 Time 16:00 to 18:00 Place Digital Humanities...

Literature as Magic, Magic as Literature: Sirāj al-Dīn al-Sakkākī’s Complete Book and a Fragment of Spells Venue: Rooms 8 & 9, Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Event date:...