a recording of this lecture will be available to ticket holders for two weeks after the event
Freemasonry is the most important Western tradition of a network of closed initiatory societies, with ceremonies, special signs or names and a secret membership. It is also the oldest. Many have noted that it has exerted a great influence on closed initiatory groups in general in the modern Western world, including those in the world of occultism, and of some of the most important branches of Paganism. This talk is intended to discuss the origins of Freemasonry, and the development of its ritual, and its relationship with the occult and with Paganism throughout its history.
Speaker: Professor Ronald Hutton is a Professor of History at the University of Bristol. He is a leading authority on history of the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, on ancient and medieval paganism and magic, and on the global context of witchcraft beliefs.
