The strange history and homelife of renaissance magicians with Rachel Morris
Join author Rachel Morris for a highly atmospheric exploration of the charismatic magicians of the Tudor and Renaissance courts and the wives and families who kept the whole magical show on the road.
All things were believable back then – wizards, alchemy, fairies, angels. This is the story of those magical times.
This event will offer a luminous deep dive into the lives of men from Dee to Kepler to Bruno, who were also scientists, astrologers, mathematicians and alchemists.
The remarkable ideas of these magical men still permeate modern culture, from Philip Pullman to C S Lewis. But what do we know of the rest of their households – the lovers, wives, mothers and daughters?
In The Years of the Wizard Rachel Morris also vividly reimagines the less documented lives of the magicians’ families and lovers whose stories have too often been overshadowed by those of the powerful men in their company.
Women supported the travelling households by packing up the libraries, feeding the assistants, entertaining the patrons and educating the children as well as archiving, documenting and collaborating on magical work. Without them, this astonishing era of discovery would have ground to an emphatic halt.
Speaker Bio
Former director of the museum-making company Metaphor, Rachel Morris has been part of the creation, design and delivery of some of the most exciting displays, renovations and museums of the last few decades, from the new Cast Courts at the V&A and the Ashmolean, Oxford to the Terracotta Warriors at the British Museum and Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Rachel is also the author of The Museum Makers and two novels.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
The Great Mandrake Robbery
Step right up for a wildly entertaining herbal caper! Join the Seed Sistas, Fi and Kaz, herbalists, witches, and botanical mischief-makers, as they uncover The Great Mandrake Robbery. Once revered as a sacred, screaming root of magic and medicine, Mandrake has been snatched from the people’s hands and locked away by modern legislation.
Through theatrixs, myth-busting, and a healthy dose of sass, the Seed Sistas tell the tale of Mandragora, from ancient tombs and Shakespearean drama to JK Rowling’s unfortunate cartoon baby. Discover how this infamous root once symbolized fertility, love, death, and transformation… and how it’s been silenced by the very systems meant to “protect” us.
Expect laughter, lore, and a dash of rebellion as the Seed SistAs revive Mandrake’s story, exposing the myths, celebrating the magic, and reclaiming the power of the plants.
Medicine. Magic. Mischief.
Speaker Bio
Mandrake is ready to rise again. Are you? Fiona Heckels and Kaz Goodweather, the Seed Sistas, are clinical herbalists, authors, and co-founders of Sensory Solutions Herbal Evolution CIC. With over 20 years’ experience, they blend herbal medicine, science, and a sprinkle of magic to reconnect people with plants. Authors of The Sensory Herbal Handbook, Poison Prescriptions , and The Sensory Herbal Oracle, their work features on BBC Sounds’ Witch and Ritually podcasts. Through their social enterprise, they offer accessible herbal education, community projects, and immersive online learning.Discover more at seedsistas.co.uk
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.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
Works from The Witchcraft Series: history, development, and thinking behind the works
In 1682, three women of Bideford, Devon were hanged for witchcraft in Exeter, England. Temperance Lloyd, Susannah Edwards and Mary Trembles are the last people known to have been executed for witchcraft in England.
Textile artist Anne Jackson, inspired by a monument to the dead women, is engaged in an art project of research & commemoration, also exploring the metaphors surrounding witchcraft, in history and contemporary culture.
She researches individual witch trials, and European witch-trial history. Her method of working is a hybrid technique of Gobelins tapestry and knotting. She aims to create works which are visually rich, with undercurrents of thought-provoking darkness.
Her talk will be about “The Witchcraft Series”, its history and development, and the thinking behind the works.www.annejackson.co.uk
Image:Anne Jackson, UK: ‘Saducismus Triumphatus: Mr. Glanvil’s Cabinet of Curiosities” (Elizabeth Stykes, Bayford, 1664),’ 2021, 167 x 144 cm from the Witchcraft Series; cotton, linen, synthetic yarns, artist’s own technique, knotted tapestry.
Bio
Anne Jackson was born in New York City, and raised in the US, before moving to Scotland where she completed a degree in Mediaeval History at St. Andrews University. During her studies she discovered a passion for textiles as an art form. She attained a Postgraduate Certificate in Constructed Textiles from Middlesex Polytechnic (University), before moving to the rural West Country of England, where she established her studio and still lives & works. She has exhibited widely across Europe, as well as in the UK, USA and Australia. Her work is held in a number of public & private collections in Europe, the USA and the UK.
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.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
