Event Category: Lecture Series

Spirit of Creativity – Zara Waldeback – Zoom

5. Spirit of Creativity

The fifth instalment of Fey’s Shadow Salon is where we’re putting our knowledge of the Unseen to the test. Having traversed the Unconscious, studied the psi and the psychedelic, and analyzed the ancient oracle, we’ll see how we can practically and personally channel the Unseen via the creative process.

___________

Inspiration creates Life. In many languages, including English, the word “inspiration” relates to being breathed upon by the Spirits, a process that animates the moment. There are many ways to be inspired, and in this talk, you will experience ways to listen and relate to creativity beyond the human self.

To engage with creative processes – whether artistic, scientific or structural – is to engage with life. It can help us to remember that there is more to a project than our own minds see and what we think we know. Opening beyond our human self, our senses become alive and attuned and creativity becomes both a living process and a process aligned with life. We become willing and wise partners, knowing there is a bigger picture waiting to be revealed, as we learn to listen and open ourselves to genius (stemming from “Genie” or “Jinni”, a guardian deity or Spirit who guides and governs us through life).

When we connect with Spirits and invite them to be a conscious part of creation, a greater story comes to life. It becomes a vibrant process, starting with a question and a meeting, then weaving through the unchartered territories of imagination, that meeting place between human and unseen, where inspiration takes us beyond our own ideas.

In the animistic worldview, stories are alive and inspirited. They are containers of sacred wisdom and living meaning. Stories from Nature can allow us to listen to voices beyond the human and live in a way that respects all life. When we are willing to listen with connection rather than control, Stories help us to find our way.

This talk will be partly experiential and include writing and meditative exercises. Please bring pen and paper, a candle and matches.

Speaker Bio

Zara Waldeback began as a screenwriter, filmmaker and teacher, specialising in creativity. Born in Sweden, she lived for 30 years in the UK, working as Senior Lecturer at London College of Music and Media. She established an MA in Creative Screenwriting and researched music and sound as the unconscious of cinema. She has published two books about writing: Writing for the Screen and The Creative Screenwriter.

In 2006 she stepped consciously onto a spiritual path and has for over 20 years been actively exploring how creativity and Spirit can dance with each other. In 2022, she developed the Writing with Soul programme, to offer simple inspiring ways for people without a Spirit practice to learn to listen to hidden voices, inside and out. Over the years she has facilitated many events exploring the intersection between the unseen and human words, such as Stories of the Earth at Schumacher College, Spirit fairy tales at a shamanic conference in Dorset, animistic presentations for the Earth Rights international conference in Sweden, and ceremonies for Aurora Nature and Spirit conferences in Italy.

Together with her partner Jonathan Horwitz of Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies, she runs Åsbacka, a small retreat center in southern Sweden. Here they teach shamanism both in person and online. She is also engaged in the Rights of Nature movement, encouraging people to listen to the Living World. She offers her services as creative mentor for those who want to bring the Voices of more-than-human Nature to human ears, and help us remember that we are all in this together.

LINKS: https://www.shamanism.dk/about-zara  and  https://www.writingwithsoul.org/

Hosted and Curated by:

Fey, a mediator between the otherworldly and the mundane. Outside of the salon (Ada Kałużna), a researcher with interest in philosophy of mind, psychedelic experience and the extraordinary Past scientific officer at the Beckley Foundation. Community-builder and traveler.

LINK: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ada_Kaluzna2

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

 

Fey’s Shadow Salon – a lecture series where we explore the elusive, chart the intangible, and investigate the invisible. Come around as we initiate the first season of the Salon, the Study of the Unseen, on the eclipse of 3rd March and stay for the ride through labyrinths of the human psyche, from the seven circles of the Jungian unconscious, to the psychedelic fountains of creativity, to the tall peaks of imagination where the ancient Spirits dwell.

1. “Books of Visions”: Jung, Dante, and the Making of the Red Book – 3 Mar 2026

2. Psychedelics as Catalysts of Creativity – 30 April 2026

3. Dreams of Death: Navigating States of Dazzling Darkness – 14 May 2026

4. The I Ching Oracle – 28 May 2026

5. Spirit of Creativity – 28 July 2026

 

 

The I Ching Oracle – Professor John Lai – Zoom

4. The I Ching Oracle

You don’t need to be a medium to receive an otherworldly transmission. A handful of sticks or coins may be enough to receive life-changing guidance – that is, if you’re an adept of a certain ancient Chinese oracle. Join us for the fourth instalment of Fey’s Shadow Salon to learn from an I Ching expert on the intricacies of this divinatory art.

Venerated as the “foremost among the classics” of ancient China, the I Ching (Yijing; Book of Changes) has reached out to other regions of Asia and beyond over the centuries. Thanks to the influential English translation I Ching (1950) by Richard Wilhelm and Cary Baynes, the Chinese classic has transcended cultural borders, and transformed as a “world classic”, having made a lasting impact on Western society. The I Ching has been widely used as a book of oracle or divinatory manual. In this talk, Professor John Lai will illustrate the underlying principle and centuries-old practice of I Ching oracle in the face of our uncertain life and fast-changing world.

Bio

Professor John Lai received his DPhil. (Oriental Studies) from Oxford (2005), and is currently Professor in the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests focus on Chinese religion and literature, and Global Yijing (Book of Changes) studies. He has published more than ten books, including Literary Representations of Christianity in Late Qing and Republican China (2019); An Annotated Anthology of the Yijing Commentaries by the Early Qing Jesuit Joachim Bouvet (2020); Global Yijing: Intercultural Encounters with World Religions and Thoughts (2025).

Website: http://www2.crs.cuhk.edu.hk/faculty-staff/teaching-faculty/lai-tsz-pang-john

Hosted and Curated by:

Fey, a mediator between the otherworldly and the mundane. Outside of the salon (Ada Kałużna), a researcher with interest in philosophy of mind, psychedelic experience and the extraordinary Past scientific officer at the Beckley Foundation. Community-builder and traveler.

LINK: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ada_Kaluzna2

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

Fey’s Shadow Salon – a lecture series where we explore the elusive, chart the intangible, and investigate the invisible. Come around as we initiate the first season of the Salon, the Study of the Unseen, on the eclipse of 3rd March and stay for the ride through labyrinths of the human psyche, from the seven circles of the Jungian unconscious, to the psychedelic fountains of creativity, to the tall peaks of imagination where the ancient Spirits dwell.

1. “Books of Visions”: Jung, Dante, and the Making of the Red Book – 3 Mar 2026

2. Psychedelics as Catalysts of Creativity – 30 April 2026

3. Dreams of Death: Navigating States of Dazzling Darkness – 14 May 2026

4. The I Ching Oracle – 28 May 2026

5. Spirit of Creativity – 28 July 2026

Psychedelics as Catalysts of Creativity – Dr Sam Gandy – Zoom

2. Psychedelics as Catalysts of Creativity

The infernal subconscious, the fantastic telepathy, and now: the psychedelic muse. In this second instalment of Fey’s Shadow Salon, our Study of the Unseen moves onto the topic of creativity and how it may be sparked by an altered state of consciousness.

Psychedelics have been shown to successfully lead to shifts in modes of thinking and to evoke a range of effects with important implications for creativity. Substances like psilocybin or LSD have played a powerful role in fuelling creativity within the sciences, sparking both inspiration and insight in a range of domains. As it may well be expected that our capacity for innovation and problem-solving will be crucial in the coming, challenge-ridden decades, the question arises: could psychedelics play a helpful role in this undertaking?

In this discussion, we will look at notable examples of psychedelic-induced scientific breakthroughs, how this boost in creativity and problem-solving comes about, why this phenomenon could be significant to the future of humanity, and – finally – how might psychedelics be best utilized if seeking to use them as tools for innovation.

Speaker Bio:

Sam is a PhD ecologist, independent researcher and science communicator. He has a lifelong love of nature, and his work has spanned the ecological and the psychedelic fields. His work as an independent researcher has involved collaborations with a range of academics and institutes including collaborators from the University of Zurich, University of Virginia, University of Greenwich, the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, Onaya Science, Beckley Psytech and the Institute of Noetic Sciences. He has broad research interests, but primary among them is the capacity of psychedelics to influence the human relationship with nature.

Hosted and Curated by:

Fey, a mediator between the otherworldly and the mundane. Outside of the salon (Ada Kałużna), a researcher with interest in philosophy of mind, psychedelic experience and the extraordinary Past scientific officer at the Beckley Foundation. Community-builder and traveler.

LINK: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ada_Kaluzna2

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

Fey’s Shadow Salon – a lecture series where we explore the elusive, chart the intangible, and investigate the invisible. Come around as we initiate the first season of the Salon, the Study of the Unseen, on the eclipse of 3rd March and stay for the ride through labyrinths of the human psyche, from the seven circles of the Jungian unconscious, to the psychedelic fountains of creativity, to the tall peaks of imagination where the ancient Spirits dwell.

1. “Books of Visions”: Jung, Dante, and the Making of the Red Book – 3 Mar 2026

2. Psychedelics as Catalysts of Creativity – 30 April 2026

3. Dreams of Death: Navigating States of Dazzling Darkness – 14 May 2026

4. The I Ching Oracle – 28 May 2026

5. Spirit of Creativity – 28 July 2026

“Books of Visions”: Jung, Dante, and the Making of the Red Book – Dr Tommaso Priviero – Zoom

1. “Books of Visions”: Jung, Dante, and the Making of the Red Book

What astonishing dimensions may lie, yet unseen, within your mind? What labyrinths of woe and wonder await your discovery?

The inaugural talk of Fey’s Shadow Salon investigates this question by comparing two texts, as monumental as mystifying: the Divine Comedy and the Red Book. Pack your bags and buckle up – we’re going to hell!

Dante’s Commedia, one of the defining works of European literature, recounts the protagonist’s visionary journey into hell and back in order to meet again his beloved Beatrice. Seven centuries later, the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology C.G. Jung underwent his own “season in hell”, a period of wide inner explorations which he later referred to as the years of his “confrontation with the unconscious”. Jung took record of these experiences in a series of personal notebooks that formed the Red Book, which he regarded as the most difficult and important experiment of his life. During this period, Dante’s poem served as a source of guidance and inspiration. For Jung, the Commedia was less a literary masterpiece than a first-hand account of a profound existential transformation: a “meditation book” enriched with archetypal symbolism. As Jung’s inner journey unfolded, the story of the Commedia began to intersect with his own explorations, at historical, psychological, and symbolical levels. This talk traces this encounter and suggests a new way to explore the relations between depth psychology and what Jung termed “visionary works”, i.e., artistic or literary creations based on life-transforming experiences of extraordinary states of consciousness.

Bio:

Dr Tommaso Priviero is an academic and analytical psychologist based in London. He received his PhD from University College London (UCL) and currently holds a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). His work focuses on the history of psychology and psychoanalysis, featuring in journals such as The International Journal of Jungian Studies, The European Yearbook of the History of Psychology, The International Journal of Psychoanalysis and Education, The Journal for the History of the Behavioural Sciences, among others. His most recent monograph, Of Fire and Form: Jung, Dante, and the Making of the Red Book (Routledge, 2023; with a preface by Sonu Shamdasani) is the recipient of the prestigious 2025 “Eugenio Montale Fuori di Casa” award. He is a registered member of the Society of Analytical Psychology (SAP), the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) and the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP).

Hosted and Curated by:

Fey, a mediator between the otherworldly and the mundane. Outside of the salon (Ada Kałużna), a researcher with interest in philosophy of mind, psychedelic experience and the extraordinary Past scientific officer at the Beckley Foundation. Community-builder and traveler.

LINK: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ada_Kaluzna2

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

Fey’s Shadow Salon – a lecture series where we explore the elusive, chart the intangible, and investigate the invisible. Come around as we initiate the first season of the Salon, the Study of the Unseen, on the eclipse of 3rd March and stay for the ride through labyrinths of the human psyche, from the seven circles of the Jungian unconscious, to the psychedelic fountains of creativity, to the tall peaks of imagination where the ancient Spirits dwell.

1. “Books of Visions”: Jung, Dante, and the Making of the Red Book – 3 Mar 2026

2. The Reality of the Invisible – 2 April 2026

3. Psychedelics as Catalysts of Creativity – 30 April 2026

4. The I Ching Oracle – 28 May 2026

5. Spirit of Creativity – 28 July 2026

Unexplained Company: “Deliver us from Evil?!” An Examination of Demonic Possession with Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe – Zoom

4. Unexplained Company: “Deliver us from Evil?!” An Examination of Demonic Possession

Step inside a rare meeting point between science and the supernatural with Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe, the leading investigator of paranormal experiences.

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

If you’ve ever wondered where scepticism ends and the unexplained begins, this is just what you’ve been waiting for. Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe has investigated the paranormal for over 35 years: in the lab and in the field. He takes a scientific, sceptical, perspective on such phenomena but has worked extensively in examining natural explanations for supernatural experiences. Within a haunting domain, he divides such explanations into the “role of the mind” and the “role of the environment” and the, sometimes, complex interplay between the two roles. His series of talks will take you on a scientific journey of discovery through various aspects of Parapsychology, Psychology and Investigative Psychology. Despite all the sceptical scientific research, Ciarán is a “ghostbuster” at heart and whilst his talks will take you on a scientific expedition about why people have haunting, and supernatural, experiences, he will also regale you with wonderful ghostly accounts from his own investigations, with fantastical case studies, and entertain with his own accounts of investigations into some of history’s most fascinating cases and his long nights in some of the world’s spookiest locations.

Speaker Bio

Associate Professor, Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Dean of Education for the College of Health & Society at Buckinghamshire New University (see https://cutt.ly/nmzl3Yi for his Uni bio).

He is an applied psychologist with expertise in Parapsychology and Investigative Psychology (a sub-discipline of Forensic Psychology). His paranormal research has focussed on fieldwork examining haunting experiences. Additional research has included psychic criminology, mediumship and ‘Religious’ parapsychology (i.e. exorcism, possession, miracles & stigmata). His research has been reported widely in the media and he has regularly published his research in scientific journals and popular magazines.

Curated & Hosted by

Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience, Lena’s New Book – Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore is now available on Amazon

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

  1. Unexplained Company: Researching the Weird & Wonderful! – 16 April 2026
  2. The Science of Haunting Experiences – 19 May 2026
  3. “I see what the Killer sees…”: Investigating Psychic Criminology – 30 Jun 2026
  4. “Deliver us from Evil?!” An Examination of Demonic Possession – 1 Sep 2026
  5. Applying Investigative Psychology – 20 Oct 2026

Unexplained Company: Applying Investigative Psychology with Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe – Zoom

5. Unexplained Company: Applying Investigative Psychology

Step inside a rare meeting point between science and the supernatural with Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe, the leading investigator of paranormal experiences.

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

If you’ve ever wondered where scepticism ends and the unexplained begins, this is just what you’ve been waiting for. Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe has investigated the paranormal for over 35 years: in the lab and in the field. He takes a scientific, sceptical, perspective on such phenomena but has worked extensively in examining natural explanations for supernatural experiences. Within a haunting domain, he divides such explanations into the “role of the mind” and the “role of the environment” and the, sometimes, complex interplay between the two roles. His series of talks will take you on a scientific journey of discovery through various aspects of Parapsychology, Psychology and Investigative Psychology. Despite all the sceptical scientific research, Ciarán is a “ghostbuster” at heart and whilst his talks will take you on a scientific expedition about why people have haunting, and supernatural, experiences, he will also regale you with wonderful ghostly accounts from his own investigations, with fantastical case studies, and entertain with his own accounts of investigations into some of history’s most fascinating cases and his long nights in some of the world’s spookiest locations.

Speaker Bio

Associate Professor, Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Dean of Education for the College of Health & Society at Buckinghamshire New University (see https://cutt.ly/nmzl3Yi for his Uni bio).

He is an applied psychologist with expertise in Parapsychology and Investigative Psychology (a sub-discipline of Forensic Psychology). His paranormal research has focussed on fieldwork examining haunting experiences. Additional research has included psychic criminology, mediumship and ‘Religious’ parapsychology (i.e. exorcism, possession, miracles & stigmata). His research has been reported widely in the media and he has regularly published his research in scientific journals and popular magazines.

Curated & Hosted by

Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience, Lena’s New Book – Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore is now available on Amazon

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

  1. Unexplained Company: Researching the Weird & Wonderful! – 16 April 2026
  2. The Science of Haunting Experiences – 19 May 2026
  3. “I see what the Killer sees…”: Investigating Psychic Criminology – 30 Jun 2026
  4. “Deliver us from Evil?!” An Examination of Demonic Possession – 1 Sep 2026
  5. Applying Investigative Psychology – 20 Oct 2026

Unexplained Company: “I see what the Killer sees”: Investigating Psychic Criminology with Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe – Zoom

3. “I see what the Killer sees”: Investigating Psychic Criminology

Step inside a rare meeting point between science and the supernatural with Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe, the leading investigator of paranormal experiences.

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

If you’ve ever wondered where scepticism ends and the unexplained begins, this is just what you’ve been waiting for. Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe has investigated the paranormal for over 35 years: in the lab and in the field. He takes a scientific, sceptical, perspective on such phenomena but has worked extensively in examining natural explanations for supernatural experiences. Within a haunting domain, he divides such explanations into the “role of the mind” and the “role of the environment” and the, sometimes, complex interplay between the two roles. His series of talks will take you on a scientific journey of discovery through various aspects of Parapsychology, Psychology and Investigative Psychology. Despite all the sceptical scientific research, Ciarán is a “ghostbuster” at heart and whilst his talks will take you on a scientific expedition about why people have haunting, and supernatural, experiences, he will also regale you with wonderful ghostly accounts from his own investigations, with fantastical case studies, and entertain with his own accounts of investigations into some of history’s most fascinating cases and his long nights in some of the world’s spookiest locations.

Speaker Bio

Associate Professor, Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Dean of Education for the College of Health & Society at Buckinghamshire New University (see https://cutt.ly/nmzl3Yi for his Uni bio).

He is an applied psychologist with expertise in Parapsychology and Investigative Psychology (a sub-discipline of Forensic Psychology). His paranormal research has focussed on fieldwork examining haunting experiences. Additional research has included psychic criminology, mediumship and ‘Religious’ parapsychology (i.e. exorcism, possession, miracles & stigmata). His research has been reported widely in the media and he has regularly published his research in scientific journals and popular magazines.

Curated & Hosted by

Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience, Lena’s New Book – Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore is now available on Amazon

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

  1. Unexplained Company: Researching the Weird & Wonderful! – 16 April 2026
  2. The Science of Haunting Experiences – 19 May 2026
  3. “I see what the Killer sees…”: Investigating Psychic Criminology – 30 Jun 2026
  4. “Deliver us from Evil?!” An Examination of Demonic Possession – 1 Sep 2026
  5. Applying Investigative Psychology – 20 Oct 2026

Unexplained Company: The Science of Haunting Experiences with Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe – Zoom

2. Unexplained Company: The Science of Haunting Experiences

Step inside a rare meeting point between science and the supernatural with Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe, the leading investigator of paranormal experiences.

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

If you’ve ever wondered where scepticism ends and the unexplained begins, this is just what you’ve been waiting for. Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe has investigated the paranormal for over 35 years: in the lab and in the field. He takes a scientific, sceptical, perspective on such phenomena but has worked extensively in examining natural explanations for supernatural experiences. Within a haunting domain, he divides such explanations into the “role of the mind” and the “role of the environment” and the, sometimes, complex interplay between the two roles. His series of talks will take you on a scientific journey of discovery through various aspects of Parapsychology, Psychology and Investigative Psychology. Despite all the sceptical scientific research, Ciarán is a “ghostbuster” at heart and whilst his talks will take you on a scientific expedition about why people have haunting, and supernatural, experiences, he will also regale you with wonderful ghostly accounts from his own investigations, with fantastical case studies, and entertain with his own accounts of investigations into some of history’s most fascinating cases and his long nights in some of the world’s spookiest locations.

Speaker Bio

Associate Professor, Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Dean of Education for the College of Health & Society at Buckinghamshire New University (see https://cutt.ly/nmzl3Yi for his Uni bio).

He is an applied psychologist with expertise in Parapsychology and Investigative Psychology (a sub-discipline of Forensic Psychology). His paranormal research has focussed on fieldwork examining haunting experiences. Additional research has included psychic criminology, mediumship and ‘Religious’ parapsychology (i.e. exorcism, possession, miracles & stigmata). His research has been reported widely in the media and he has regularly published his research in scientific journals and popular magazines.

Curated & Hosted by

Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience, Lena’s New Book – Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore is now available on Amazon

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

  1. Unexplained Company: Researching the Weird & Wonderful! – 16 April 2026
  2. The Science of Haunting Experiences – 19 May 2026
  3. “I see what the Killer sees…”: Investigating Psychic Criminology – 30 Jun 2026
  4. “Deliver us from Evil?!” An Examination of Demonic Possession – 1 Sep 2026
  5. Applying Investigative Psychology – 20 Oct 2026

Unexplained Company: Researching the Weird & Wonderful! with Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe – Zoom

1. Unexplained Company: Researching the Weird & Wonderful! 

Step inside a rare meeting point between science and the supernatural with Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe, the leading investigator of paranormal experiences.

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

If you’ve ever wondered where scepticism ends and the unexplained begins, this is just what you’ve been waiting for. Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe has investigated the paranormal for over 35 years: in the lab and in the field. He takes a scientific, sceptical, perspective on such phenomena but has worked extensively in examining natural explanations for supernatural experiences. Within a haunting domain, he divides such explanations into the “role of the mind” and the “role of the environment” and the, sometimes, complex interplay between the two roles. His series of talks will take you on a scientific journey of discovery through various aspects of Parapsychology, Psychology and Investigative Psychology. Despite all the sceptical scientific research, Ciarán is a “ghostbuster” at heart and whilst his talks will take you on a scientific expedition about why people have haunting, and supernatural, experiences, he will also regale you with wonderful ghostly accounts from his own investigations, with fantastical case studies, and entertain with his own accounts of investigations into some of history’s most fascinating cases and his long nights in some of the world’s spookiest locations.

Speaker Bio

Associate Professor, Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Dean of Education for the College of Health & Society at Buckinghamshire New University (see https://cutt.ly/nmzl3Yi for his Uni bio).

He is an applied psychologist with expertise in Parapsychology and Investigative Psychology (a sub-discipline of Forensic Psychology). His paranormal research has focussed on fieldwork examining haunting experiences. Additional research has included psychic criminology, mediumship and ‘Religious’ parapsychology (i.e. exorcism, possession, miracles & stigmata). His research has been reported widely in the media and he has regularly published his research in scientific journals and popular magazines.

Curated & Hosted by

Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience, Lena’s New Book – Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore is now available on Amazon

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

In this exclusive Last Tuesday Zoom series, Ciarán opens the door to the methods, mysteries, and controversies of parapsychology as only a true expert (and sceptical ghostbuster at heart) can.

  1. Unexplained Company: Researching the Weird & Wonderful! – 16 April 2026
  2. The Science of Haunting Experiences – 19 May 2026
  3. “I see what the Killer sees…”: Investigating Psychic Criminology – 30 Jun 2026
  4. “Deliver us from Evil?!” An Examination of Demonic Possession – 1 Sep 2026
  5. Applying Investigative Psychology – 20 Oct 2026

Medieval Necromancy and the Cursed Imagination – Sophie Page – Zoom

Medieval Necromancy and the Cursed Imagination

Necromancers – medieval Christian demon conjurors – thought they could compel demons to reveal the truth about anything they asked, including all the secrets of the past, present, and future. Demons had access to extraordinary knowledge because of their immortality and superior rationality. It was not that they were omniscient: rather that they had lived for a very long time, had seen it all before, and were superlative predicters. Some medieval thinkers thought of demons as the first natural scientists, permitted by God to pass the eons observing and interpreting humans to puzzle out each sin an individual was likely to succumb to. As the demons wandered eternally in the sublunar realm, they noticed things of great interest to the necromancer: where treasure was buried, who stole objects of value, unfaithful lovers, wrongful imprisonment, and princes’ guilty secrets. In this talk I will discuss how necromancers hoped to succeed in their rituals despite the intense malice and cunning of demons. We will also investigate the mystery and ambiguity of the spirit realm and the charge laid at necromancers that they had a ‘cursed imagination.’

Bio:

Sophie Page is Professor of Medieval History at University College London. She has published on monks and magic, cosmology, diagrams, animals and rituals and was joint editor of the Routledge History of Medieval Magic (2019). In 2018 she co-created the exhibition, Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Image: The Pilgrim meeting the messenger of Necromancy, from ‘The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man’ by John Lydgate. Cotton Tiberius A VII/1, f. 42.r

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Divining the Past, Present, and Future: Oracles, Series 1 – Four Lectures

Join us for Series 1 as we journey into the histories and mysteries of divination. Delivered by leading scholars in the field, ‘Divining the Past, Present, and Future’ includes talks on specific types of divination, from Mambila spider divination to Medieval necromancy.

Curated & Hosted by

Marguerite Johnson is a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, specialising in sexuality and gender, particularly in the poetry of Sappho, Catullus, and Ovid, as well as magical traditions in Greece, Rome, and the Near East. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, with a regular focus on Australia. In addition to ancient world studies, Marguerite is interested in sexual histories in modernity as well as magic in the west more broadly, especially the practices and art of Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton. She is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. She lives in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesvos.

Image: John Collier, ‘Priestess of Delphi’ (1891), Art Gallery of South Australia