Action packed weekend

It was certainly a hive of activity in the museum over the weekend with the lovely Simon Costin designing and putting together our new window display. Simon is an internationally renowned art director and we're so happy he was able to come down and spruce up our window. He made the fab crow by hand and we love the whole new look! I believe there may be a piece of chiffon in the mail as a finishing touch to the cauldron. It was also Simon's birthday so we hope he had a good time. Here is a pic of the crow in action and some before & after shots of the window in question. We also have the lovely Spencer & Craig & Roger in the museum wielding paintbrushes & drills as they helped with the finishing touches before the museum opens. Here are a few pics of them as well.

Thanks to Philippa & Angela

Graham has been kept on his toes over the last weekend as two volunteers came down to help with preparations for the museum's 2010 season. They worked really hard & made a big difference - painting, drilling, moving objects around, putting skirting boards up ............ the list goes on. Here is a pic of them moving the witch balls from the front window in readiness for Simon Costin coming down this weekend to do the new window display. Only 2 weeks to opening - we hope you lime the new displays & the new lighting.

Modern Witchraft

Had a lovely day yesterday rearranging some of the modern witchcraft display, mainly the Stewart Farrar & Brownie Pate section. It's such a privilege to handle the magical objects that once belonged to such interesting people ad know they are being cared for in a respectful environment. As you may know Graham has donated all the artifacts in the museum to the Trust for the Preservation of the Boscastle Museum of Witchcraft so the collection will always remain together. Here I am with Brownie's elf doll - one of my favourite artifacts.

Volunteers Respond

Our first volunteer turned up for duty today and was busy waxing & polishing some new cabinets for the 'Images' display as PF conference attendees came to visit. Though not officially open it is a tradition at allow PF visitors to have a look around the museum on the Sunday after the event....it's great to see the same friendly faces each year & indeed some new people as well. Quite a few have decided to join Friends of the Museum now that they see what a benefit it is to the museum.

More volunteers are due to come in next weekend which is greatly appreciated. Here are a couple of photos of Dee performing her magic on the new cabinets.

New Friends of the Museum Blog

Friends has a new website thanks to Gemma & Jane of Rockpool Arts. It's a much easier to access site & we hope will be more interactive than before. Check out the sire at www.friendsbmw.org.uk

We also have a blog on the site which keeps you up to date on latest Friends info. This can be accessed on:

http://friendsbmw.wordpress.com/

We hope you like it - let us know!

Work Begins on Christian Magic

As well as moving our fabulous hare around Graham has started work on the Christian Magic display. It will be located next to the Herbs & Healing section within the gothic arch & should be rather interesting!! Here's Graham showing off some of his handiwork.

Hare Today.............

Our lovely hare is moving to a new space in the museum............she will be sitting in the space vacated by the automaton by the stone circle. Graham has been doing a lot of work on the surrounds including moon lighting, mirrors, & plinth. She looks amazing & it's a logical place for a hare to be, by the circle in moonlight. Lovely!

Farewell Automaton

You may remember the lovely

automaton which sat in the area around the stone circle in the museum. Well last weekend we reluctantly returned it to the maker Alan Manktelow over in Eastbourne. As part of our annual revitalisation of the museum, we realised we needed more space in this area, so unfortunately it had to go back. It was refurbished by Alan after the flood as it had been flung around quite a bit & was under water for a time. Alan is looking for a new home for the automaton so if anyone has any ideas please contact the museum & we'll put Alan in touch with you. Fare thee well!

Too Much Wind

Just before the end of last year we had a rather full-on wind storm in Boscastle and our fabulous sign 'Selling The Wind' painted by the lovely Vivienne Shanley was blown down and damaged. Graham has had the painting repaired and it will be reframed by Andy of The Old Forge Gallery up the road. It should be reinstated to its usual place above the window of the museum before we reopen at Easter.

This image is available as a greeting card from the museum shop but we have now discontinued the other cards painted by Vivienne. They will be replaced by a new range of cards based on the Richel Eldermans collection, reproduction Good Luck cards and other images from the museum. We did have a small selection last year but should have a larger range for 2010.

Work Begins so Volunteers Prepare for Action

Lots happening at the museum at the moment in readiness for the 2010 season.Graham has started work on installing the new Phillips lighting system which was donated by Friends Thanks to Phillips for supplying a large number of sample bulbs when Graham was researching the project. They should save money in the long run, be more ecologically friendly, and give a better light to the objects. To those volunteers who registered an interest in helping with the installation project, could you please either phone or email Graham at the museum to organise a time to come in and help out - that would be much appreciated.

As well as the lighting there are many other areas where volunteers can help, from cleaning displays to touching up paintwork so please get in touch & we'll slot you in. We are very grateful to all those who help out each year.

Another project happening at the moment is the replacement of some of the glass panels in the front window with panel board so that we can affix browsers for the Richel Eldermans prints. The prints are selling really well online and with the launch of 'The Occult Reliquary' shortly we expect demand to rise. Retail space is limited in the entrance area so we're trying to be creative and utilise the available area to its full capacity. Here is Graham working on the window.

And, exciting news, it looks like Simon Costin, internationally renowned designer and curator of the new Museum of British Folklore, has agreed to design our 2010 front window display. More on that later.

Work Begins Again

Hannah has done a great job holding the fort over the past couple of months but now it's back to work for Graham as he gets busy in the museum, readying it for opening at Easter. The biggest project is the new lighting which the Friends of the Museum have been so much a part of funding. Graham will shortly be calling on the volunteers who offered assistance at the Friends' December Get Together for practical help in the installation.

The Occult Art Company which sells museum items was extremely busy over xmas with a particular run on the new witch weather vanes, glass knitting needles and the Richel-Eldermans' prints. We are replenishing the prints as we speak so if you've been watching the website our stock levels should be back to normal by mid next week.

The book 'The Occult Reliquary' which relates to the Richel-Eldermans collection is due for publication end March/Early April and pre-orders are coming in quickly. If you would like information on the book or to reserve a copy please email Kerriann at kg@theoccultartcompany.co.uk . Three Hands Press are the publishers of three limited edition versions so we know the quality will be excellent and will become a real collectors' item in the future.

Our historian Joyce Froome's book 'Wicked Enchantments' is getting closer to publication as well. She has been doing talks around Cornwall and London based on the book and has an article in this month's Pagan Dawn. Speaking of Pagan Dawn there is a very good review of the museum's new Ouija Board in there. Graham designed the board based on the Richel - Eldermans images and it's been very popular so far.

That's all for now. More soon.

Hamish Miller

It was with great sadness that we learnt of the passing to spirit of Hamish Miller in January this year. Hamish has been a great friend to Graham & the museum over the years. He was well known through his books on sacred landscapes and dowsing and made the dowsing rods which we sell in the museum. He was also well known for being a thoroughly lovely chap. We send our sympathies Ba & his family & friends. Merry Meet & Merry Part & Merry Meet Again

Happy Yule

After a fabulous Friends' meeting the museum is now well & truly closed for the season. We will open again at Easter next year. Our membership has already outstripped last year's & Graham has already ordered the new lighting, the funds for which were handed over by Friends at the AGM.

Our membership dates have changed to coincide with the opening of the museum so new members will get a few extra months free as this year's lasts till April 2011. We have already reached half our target membership for the year so if you want to help spur it along by becoming a Friend or promoting it at your Moot please contact Deborah our membership secretary at friendsbmw@googlemail.com & she can help you with both joining & getting hold of application forms.

Hannah is ably holding the fort at both the museum & The Occult Art Company while we take a short break in Brittany. I'll aim to keep the blog up to date while away - WiFi permitting.

Happy Yule fest to you all.

Friends Meeting 2009

From the feedback we've had so far the Friends Get Together & AGM was one of our best yet! Over 60 people attended the event to see Simon Costin speak on the development of his project the Museum of British Folklore and Helen Cornish talk on Joan Wytte: The Fighting Fairy Woman of Bodmin. Unfortunately Geraldine Beskin was unable to attend so Levannah Morgan gallantly stepped in at very short notice and spoke on Spirit Contact the Cecil Williamson Way. Geraldine has kindly offered to speak next year. We all raised a glass to our Honorary President Adrian Bryn-Evans & his wife Anne who, unfortunately, were unable to join us.

The whole day had a distinct feeling of Folklore & traditions and the evening event was full of lively folk singing with the very first public appearance of Graham King & Kerriann Godwin singing The Chase Song from the museum's CD 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic'.

At the AGM we welcomed our new treasurer Martin Shepheard & it was a great pleasure to hand over a large cheque to Graham for a project he will be undertaking in February. All the lighting in the museum will be transferred over to lower voltage, more cost effective bulbs & tracking. This will ensure a long term saving on electricity bills for the museum and will be a much greener option than the current bulbs used. A softer illumination is given which is beneficial to the artifacts as well.

Membership has already overtaken last year's figures thanks to the hard work of membership secretary Deborah Westmancoat, and we're already putting together a programme for next year's meeting. I think it may have a more Ritual Magic feel but more of that later.

The following morning a few stalwarts made the annual pilgrimage to Joan's headstone up near Minster Church while others visited the museum. Thanks to The Wellington Hotel who hosted the event & being as helpful as ever. Hopefully we'll see more of you next year. I had to include this fabulous photo of Ray looking gorgeous & amusing.

Friends meeting Dec 5

The Friends of the Museum of Witchcraft meeting is on next weekend Dec 5 at The Wellington Hotel 1030 to 1700. speakers include Geraldine Beskin, Simon Costin & Helen Cornish. Free entrance to Friends or those wishing to join on the day. A walk to the Joan Wytte memorial stone on Sunday 6th. Hope to see you there.

'Harry' Takes a Break in Bournemouth

A visit to the museum this summer by Dr Martin Smith of Bournemouth University has started the ball rolling for a tantalising research project regarding our beloved tarred head known affectionately as 'Harry'. Martin is an osteoarchaeologist and was excited to come across 'Harry' in the cabinets as it turns out he/she could be one of only three such specimens known to exist in the UK.

Today he came to pick up 'Harry' and transport him/her to Bournemouth for some tests which we hope will give us a lot more information than we currently have. From Cecil Williamson's notes it appears 'Harry' was found in a box (which we still have) in a bombed out church in London during WWII. Martin and his colleagues will be performing a CT Scan and various other tests to try to narrow down when he/she was alive, where he/she came from and other information as yet unknown to us. We've always presumed he was a man but there is evidence already to show she may be a woman.

'Harry' is one of our favourite exhibits and we always say hello and have a chat when we do the morning cleaning every day. It will be great to have more information on him/her. We'll keep you updated via the Friends newsletter and future posts. I've attached a photo of Martin delicately placing 'Harry' into the transport box.

Luckily Sarah Ransome from the BBC was here doing an interview with Graham for Radio 4 about businesses recovering after disasters and she managed to do a piece with Martin which we think will be on Radio Cornwall shortly. If we hear anything about when this will be on on mention it on the Twitter site. Here is a picture of Graham being interviewed by Sarah with Martin in the background.

Grey Chapel Gallery

We had a lovely time up in Glastonbury a couple of weeks ago and while we were there we popped in to see Sylvia Wolfe in her recently opened business 'The Grey Chapel Gallery'. It's sort of across the road from the entrance to The Chalice Well so easy enough to find & Sylvia mainly sells artworks with an esoteric theme & some really unique pieces ranging from handmade staffs to snakeskin walking sticks, tribal masks and bronze phalluses. If you're after something different this could be the place for you. I think its been running for about 3 months so is still quite new. Sylvia is German originally and is passionate about her business as well as being one of the friendliest people we've met. There is an exhibition of Ann Sudworth paintings on at the moment. For details have a look at the website www.greychapel.com . Here is a photo of Graham, Sylvia & her partner Peter.

Cleaning Frenzy

Had a bit of a whizz around the museum last Thursday cleaning for the end of the season....so much dust accumulates so quickly, especially in the library. Having the new roof put on earlier in the season meant that dust got to places we didn't know were places!!! All beautiful now though....we'll be working on a couple of new exhibits while the museum is closed over winter so there'll be something fresh for all our repeat visitors to see when they come back next year. We try to change or update things every year to keep it exciting for everyone. A new window display is being worked on as well.

By the way, there's an interesting art exhibit at Tate St ives called 'The Dark Monarch - Magic & Modernity in British Art'. Worth a look if you're in the area, some Ithell Colquhoun, Osman Spare, Henry Moore et al. There's a rather nice unicorn from Damien Hirst to greet you as you walk in.

V & A Talk a Success

A fab night was had by all at the V & A Halloween Late Night last Friday night. Simon Costin performed his Dine with Death painted head to toe in red surrounded by others in High Victorian garb. He arrived in a rather fabulous hearse. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it in person as Joyce & I were doing a talk in the Arts Library. Joyce is writing a new book on magic in the Middle Ages called 'Wicked Enchantments' and she was asked to speak on this subject at this event. I read out the spells in my best Medieval Australian accent. Apparently the talk was 'sold out' within 5 mins of the tickets being released. Joyce did a great job & the reaction from the audience was very popular. Interestingly one of the questions was 'where is the Museum of Witchcraft?' Clearly we neeed to do some more promotion as there are still people out there who don't know we exist.

Notification of Painting For Sale

We don't normally mention these types of things on the blog but we've been informed of an oil painting for sale in the USA featuring a witch on a bat & thought we'd let people know in case anyone was interested. Please note the museum is not selling the painting & we are not taking any agent's fees for putting this notice on the blog. Following is an excerpt from the email regarding the painting and some photos. If you would like to be put in touch with the seller please email the museum on museumwitchcraft@aol.com.

These subjects in art are extremely rare to come by. My client is asking $5,000 US, and I think this is an excellent opportunity and investment. It has a few old repairs, but in good condition for age and rarity. I can find no other paintings from this time period and subject matter anywhere. Please let me know if you have a buyer for this excellent piece. It measures 34 x 62 inches, and has its original period frame from 1899. Shipping would be absorbed by potential buyer. Thank you, Michael K.

The Occult Reliquary Notice of Publication

March 2010 will see the publication of The Occult Reliquary by a very high quality US publisher Three Hands Press which is run by Daniel Schulke. Many of you will be aware of Daniel through his other publishing house Xoanon which is responsible for the Chumbley works Azoetia and Qutub among others, as well as his own Ars Philtron.

The Occult Reliquary showcases the Richel-Eldermans Collection which is an occult archive of over 2000 images and artifacts housed in the Museum of Witchcraft. 'Situated at the crossroads of erotic magic, ceremonial angelic conjuration, and witchcraft, the images comprise, in part, a veiled pictorial cipher of the practices of several European Occult Orders operating in the Netherlands in the early 20th Century. Among these are Ars Amatoria, a magical order using sex magic and the lesser known M.M ...............

The Reliquary presents for the first time a selection of these magical images reproduced at full scale, & bound with the highest quality materials. The book is 216 pages, with over 200 illustrations, 80 of which are in full colour, & includes an introduction by curator Graham King.'

The book is available in three editions as follows with UK prices:

Special Edition - gilt stamped full leather with felt lined slipcase, limited to 100 copies - £200.00

Delux Edition - gilt stamped & quarter-bonded in leather, limited to 250 copies - £130.00

Standard Edition - casebound in cloth with gilt stamping, limited to 700 copies - £65.00

For information on Pre-ordering contact the museum's official retail outlet The Occult Art Company on kg@theoccultartcompany.co.uk

666 on Facebook

Very excited to note that the membership for the Museum of Witchcraft Fans Facebook site has reached 666 members!! How devilish!!

If you haven't checked it out yet follow the link http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=4238981379&ref=ts and join up. There are some really interesting videos on there which have been posted by members. Please feel free to add interesting content yourselves. Our next target is 1000 members!!

Friends of the Museum of Witchcraft membership is also doing really well. We have surpassed last year's numbers year to date. We have purchased books for the library and are hoping to make a major contribution toward the lighting within the museum - more cost effective, low heat output which is better for the artifacts, and of course more environmentally friendly. If you want to join go to http://www.friendsbmw.org.uk/ and join online or pick up an application form from the museum itself.

Joyce Froome at V & A Oct 30

The V & A is having an 'In The Dead of Night' themed Late Night event on Oct 30 & our very own Joyce Froome will be speaking on the Witch Hunts (which is based on her upcoming book)assisted in a minor role by my good self. Simon Costin is also on the bill performing his 'Dine with Death' promenade performance, along with Karen Rubens who is creating Japanese lanterns. It kicks off at 1830hrs and finishes at 2200hrs. Admission is free so come along and enjoy some rather different entertainment and say hi to us museum dudes.

Simon Costin Write Up in Telegraph

You may know something of Simon Costin & his Museum of British Folklore from his touring caravan & other mentions on this blog. He's been featured in the Telegraph (follow the link below) and mentions a couple of the items loaned to him by the Museum of Witchcraft. Nice to get a plug in the Telegraph now and then. It all seems to be going ewll for his project at the moment and we wish him well in his venture.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/6365018/The-caravan-of-folklore.html?state=target#postacomment&postingId=6385367

Dragons Visit the Museum

It was so cool to have a visit from some dragons earlier in the week - Friendly ones of course!! The dudes from Friendly Dragon up in Halifax popped in to check out the museum & pick up some stock to sell in their store. They picked up some besoms, our recycled glass chalices and some of Graham's personally designed ouija boards. They were also kind enough to give a donation to the museum while they were here. If you're in the Halifax area please pop in and say hi. Dickie is in the background.

Richel Collection Prints

I have had quite a few queries lately about reintroducing the prints from the Richel Collection. If you have looked on the museum's official retail website www.theoccultartcompany.co.uk you will have noticed we are out of stock of many of the prints. This is due to my local printer moving away and I am in the process of finding a new person who can do prints of equal quality. We like to use local businesses where possible. I am having talks with someone this week who may be able to help so watch this space. I will be introducing some new prints as well as keeping our most popular ones, in particular, the Richel Witch, the Serpent and the mandrakes. Hopefully if we can overcome space limitations you will be able to buy them in the museum shop itself next year.

I have introduced a new line of Greetings Cards featuring some of the Richel images as well as others which are doing really well so I hope to get most of these onto the website in the next few weeks.

Friends AGM programme Set

It's looking like another fab Friends of the Museum Annual General Meeting and Get Together has been organised for the Weekend of December 5th this year. Speakers are : Simon Costin - he Museum of British Folklore; Geraldine Beskin from Atlantis Bookstore on 'Women of the Golden Dawn'; Helen Cornish on Joan Wytte; and Julian Vayne on his stint as Baphomet on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.

The Wellington Hotel has a special deals of £25.00 per person per night and Pencarmol and other B & Bs in Boscastle have very good rates at this time of year. All Friends are welcome as are non Friends who are keen to join on the day.

This year's Friends subscription will run until April 2010 as we are changing the dates of membership. More news regarding this at the AGM.

Thanks to donors

Just wanted to say a big thank you to supporters of the museum who have donated online - there were £95.00 in donations via the paypal link on the website during August.

Baphomet Atop the Plinth

Had a great time in London on the weekend culminating in the appearance of Julian Vayne (one of our Friends' trustees) appearing on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. He is one of the more interesting performers who have performed on the plinth and was resplendent in full Baphomet costume (well not quite full - the 'cod piece' was deemed a tad too risque) with an amazing leather mask made by a very talented chap called Peter who was in the immediate audience. Julian used the experience to promote the museum and banners were placed on the plinth. He also performed a ritual, had a bubble machine & a punching bag-esque Axis Mundi (seen left in red) which the crew asked to keep. I have a couple of pics but Simon Costin took some excellent ones so when I get a copy of these I'll put them up. Thanks Julian for doing a fab job on the day - not something the tourists were expecting methinks!!

Thanks Exmoor Pagan Camp

Friends has received a lovely donation of £65.60p from the raffle at the Exmoor Harvest Pagan Camp. This is fab considering there were only around 50 attendees. Thanks to Yarrow for organising the camp. We are also able to claim Gift Aid on the donation which add to the total.

Joyce Froome's V & A Appearance

Keep an ear out for more news on Joyce's upcoming talk at the V & A Museum on the evening of October 30th. She will be giving two talks based on her new book ' Wicked Enchantments' which deals with medieval & early modern magic. It coincides with Simon Costin's tableau vivant 'Dining With Death' which is on at the V & A on the same evening. More news on this closer to the time.

Message from Graham re use of Museum name

Our name (The Museum of Witchcraft) has been quoted in a lot of correspondence regarding the Buzzard Fayre.
I would like everyone involved to know that we have not entered into any debate on this subject and will not do so other than to offer historical advice.
We have not offered any opinions on the debate.
As a matter of policy we do not enter into any political or religious discussions - this is not the role of a museum.
We will be delighted however to offer the use of our library and research facilities to anyone who wants to study the subject.

Hexenmuseum in Switzerland Under Attack

We have become good friends with a woman called Wicca who has started the Hexenmuseum in Switzerland recently and were shocked to hear that her museum has been suffering abuse on a political scale & has started a national debate. She has sent us a report on the situation so I will just add it here so you can read what is happening in her own words. Thanks for sending this through Wicca & we wish you good fortune in the future & hope the government continues its support.

Report:
You can not imagine what battle we fight, since April, since the opening of the "Hexenmuseum Schweiz" the Museum of Witchcraft Switzerland.
We started very well and then out of nothing started a political discussion in the whole country of Switzerland. I can say, we made the Wicca Tradition very famous in one week. So everybody is more or less informed, that there is a Museum of Witchcraft Switzerland and why.

A politician of a fundamental evangelical party in the Swiss Government, he is also a free church
Pastor (evangelical and new testament advocate) started that campain against us and the Hexenmuseum Schweiz, first of May. (he never visited before the campain)
He said, that it is not a Museum, but a hidden organisation to attract people and turn them into witches.
Especially young girls from 12- 16 years, men and boys are not so stubid to be attracted (nice).

He said that it must be forbidden to all school kids to visit and that he ask the government to speak law that all people must be 18 of age to visit that "esoteric" place, where a "Known" Swisswitch and Wicca priestess is the head of Museum (me!) He also impeached, that only a person who is a doctor or has some title is able to open and run a Museum. And that I and my husband do not have any title.
That a priest or pastor should guide and lead such a Museum and not a WITCH, for heaven's sake.

He also impreached that we are not allowed to call us "Museum" (because of the hidden organisation- in his mind) and the name Switzerland. Because the word Switzerland in connection with "HEXE" is a pollution forthe country.

You may say, what a stupid man. Believe me, I thought the same, but in his role of politician he has ways that a private person does not have.
We were run down by press, media and all kind of reactions. Radio and TV. But we kept nice and quiet. I thought that I will not give oil in the fire. I gave some short and emotionless interviews about the fact and always said, that we are looking for the answer of the government.

The answer came! In July now. (They visited us in advance, they asked us a million questions, they sent experts and so in advance!)
The government of Switzerland says that: The small Privatmuseum detail is richly furnished and provides a clear and carefully presented brief overview of folk beliefs, superstitions, mythology, rituals and magical herbs, supplemented by biographical information and time tables. The contents of the museum follows a subjective selection criteria, but can in no way be offensive to minors or designated.

That they think that is important for schools to visit especially in Ethnic, religions, history studies.
That Wicca is a way of life and a natural way of religion and that is free to anybody to choose.
As we are a Privatmuseum and paid it all out of our pocket, we are free of requirements and rules. We made all needed licences in advance and we got them all. We can call us how ever we like, as there is a free name choosing for companies.

You can imagine that the guy is not happy with that descision and barked in the press that the government is naive and that he will not give in and accept that. He has proves from abroad that Wicca is occult way of a cult, and that he will show now in August before the Government Meeting and change their minds.

We hope not! Bless us and send us protecting energy! thanks so much!!!


Website: www.hexenmuseum.ch


Blessings to all
Wicca

New Banners

Just wanted to say thanks to the Friends of the Museum who have purchased new banners which will be used at upcoming meetings, shows and, dare I say, Trafalgar Square plinths. Here is Hannah so beautifully modelling with one of the banners in the museum library along with some of our 5,000 books.

Friends Newsletters

All Friends newsletters have been posted 1st Class today so should arrive with you Monday or Tuesday next week. The exception being international ones which may take a bit longer. If you are a member of Friends & haven't received your newsletter by the end of the week please email me on witchnews@gmail.com and I will send you a PDF copy or a regular mailed version if you prefer. The First class stamps and envelopes were kindly donated by an anonymous donor.

As we are focusing on keeping costs to a minimum so Friends can donate as much as possible to the museum, we are asking Friends to sign up for the Newsletter to be sent as a PDF to their email addresses in future. Of course the regular version will still be available for those who prefer that format.

Coastguard Shouts Aplenty

Well two anyway - - - moments after returning from a Coastguard Shout in Tintagel where someone had broken both legs & had to be airlifted out of Merlin's Cave, the Boscastle Coastguards were called to another rescue in Boscastle Harbour. Another broken leg it seems as someone had slipped on the sewage pipe & was unable to be stretchered out. The Naval helicopter had to be called in for another airlift - Graham & the other Coastguards co-ordinated land based actions from the ground & kept crowds well clear. It was unable to land due to its size so the rescue worker was winched down & pulled the casualty up. Hopefully the injured person will make a full recovery. I managed to get a few pics. We're always grateful to the helicopter crews who do such an amazing job - as well as our lovely Coastguards.

Graham writes about the new tarot display

I have today finished the new Tarot display. You will recall that the previous display was destroyed by the flood five years ago.

Creating displays from scratch is not as easy as you might expect, especially when you have no budget, but lack of funds can drive one to find more unusual solutions.

The first task was to find an empty space – this is getting more and more difficult but we soon decided that the gap under the scrying mirror cabinet would be ideal. Our new Tarot display would be in the ‘divination’ area – very appropriate. After measuring up the long narrow space Kerriann and I wandered into the workshop looking for inspiration which soon came in the form of a lovely old mahogany and glass frame that once sat on top of a mineral display in The Natural History Museum. This was the last of the display cases that were donated after the flood. After removing the old glass the frame was cut to size, re glued and new safety glass ordered. Kerriann picked up an MDF panel which we covered with black Velcro sheeting and a new ‘made to measure’ display case was born.

A duplicate Rider Waite was found in the archive and whilst I spent a couple of days laying the cards out Kerriann wrote the accompanying texts. We jiggled cards and text around until they fitted and in the end looked very impressive.

However, in line with modern trends, we wanted to make the display more interactive so we racked our brains for a method whereby visitors could select a tarot card and get an interpretation. The easiest way would be to provide a pack of cards but I am sure that cards would ‘disappear’ within days so a more secure method had to be devised. We looked at rotary card filing systems, at various methods of laminating and chaining cards and other methods involving brass eyelets and key rings but none were going to be easy.

Inspiration came again in the workshop!

Before the flood we had purchased an old coin operated fortune telling machine. One popped an old penny into the top and the weight of the coin dropping turned a mechanism that span a pointer over a dial from which your fortune would be read.

This machine had been badly damaged in the flood and was sitting in a corner of the workshop looking unloved – it was about to get a new lease of life. The water-damaged dial was removed and replaced with images of cards from the major arcana and the mechanism modified to accept modern coinage. A lick of paint, some wood polish and a drop of oil and she worked like new! Drop a 2p in the top, the pointer spins and eventually stops – Hey Presto! you have selected a tarot card. Purl Wise has provided interpretations for a panel adjacent to the new display which may even raise us some extra pennies (or 2ps)

Still to add is a laminated copy of 'The Fool's Journey' by Roger Pratt , our expert tarot reading friend in New York (always like to enhance our trans Atlantic relations).

Lets hope our visitors appreciate all the work that goes into our wonderful museum!

Get Well Soon Adrian

We'd like to send a get well soon message to The Friends of the Museum's Honorary President Adrian Bryn-Evans who recently broke his collar bone. Adrian does a huge amount of work for the museum but he'll be taking it a bit easier at the moment while he recuperates. I'm sure he'd appreciate any healing thoughts you could send across the ether to help him recover.

Tarot Display

We've been making good progress with the tarot display. Graham has made the display box & placed the cards in a colourful manner. The text is next on the agenda. Here is a piccy of the work so far.

Some Gorge Reviews

Graham has found a website where people review places they've visited - it's called QYPE & I'd never heard of it before (am I the last person on earth who's unfamiliar with this site???) Anyway there were some gorge reviews about the museum so I thought I'd pop the link in so you could have a look. It's http://www.qype.co.uk/place/197733-The-Museum-Of-Witchcraft-Boscastle . Thanks to the contributors for the positive comments.

Latest News

Quite a few things to mention at the moment:

Firstly the museum is featuring in the latest Lammas issue of Pagan Dawn so grab a copy to read the interview with Graham about the history of & future plans for the museum.

Meredith & Mandrake the swallows have built a new nest & are presumably going to have a few new chicks in the next couple of weeks - Graham has the camera trained on their nest so we can watch their progress from the front desk.

We've introduced some lovely new soaps handmade for us by Namaste Therapy - one features a witch & the other a pentacle. I'll try to get some pics on & put them on http://www.theoccultartcompany.co.uk/ website on the weekend so you can purchase them online.

One of our favorite authors Owen Davies has a new book out 'Grimoires - The History of The Magical Book' and his previous one 'A People Bewitched' is back in stock. 'Grimoires' is a very attractive hardback with a fetching cover - it only arrived today so we have not read it yet but going by his previous works it will be well researched & highly informative.

By popular request, Graham has put together a 'Wise Woman's Spells & Charms' CD which retails at £ 4 . This is the sound track from the museum's wise woman's cottage featuring spoken spells and charms with the crackling of the fire in the background. Cassandra Latham reads the spells collected mainly by Levannah Morgan.

We now have witch key rings back in stock. They are not easy to come by for some reason.

That's all for now but watch this space for news on ........
MOW spirit boards & Joyce Froome's book

Pagan Dawn Lammas Issue

There's a fab article in the Lammas issue of Pagan Dawn. As it is the 13 year anniversary of Graham taking over the museum at Samhain & the 5 year anniversary of the flood on August 16 Pagan Dawn has published an interview with Graham outlining a bit of the history of him taking over & what's planned for the future. He makes mention of the fact that the collection has been donated to The Trust for the Preservation of the Museum of Witchcraft so that it will remain accessible to the public & cannot be broken up as unfortunately has happened to so many other collections.
Not everyone realises that the museum receives no government grants whatsoever & is funded solely by visitors & a small amount of retail sales, that's why it's so important that you all come along to support us when you can. We love to see you and get your comments. I've started putting a comment of the day on the twitter site (witchmuseum is the tweet) so you can see what people are saying about us. I'm also mentioning new retail products that we get in to sell in the shop.

Eastbourne Lammas Festival Notice

Our friends over at Eastbourne are organising this year's Lammas Festival as we speak. Here is some information for those who are keen to go along:

Eastbourne Lammas Festival 1st and 2nd August – Western Lawns, Eastbourne Seafront from 11amThe Eastbourne Lammas Festival is a pageant of morris dancing, carnival giants and live music from traditional and folk-rock to modern jazz. Now in its 9th year, Eastbourne Lammas Festival just gets bigger and better. Each day starts with Morris dancing in differing styles, with hosts Hunters Moon Morris and guests along with with drumming from the Pentacle Drummers. As always Saturday’s Carnival parade at 12.30 promises to be spectacular. The Eastbourne Giants Herne and Andred will once again lead dancers, drummers and festival-goers along the prom from the pier to the Western Lawns. Anyone, of any age is invited to join the parade if they come along to the Pier entrance at around noon, though children must be accompanied by an adult. Feel free to dress up! Raid your dressing-up boxes, strap on a pair of fairy wings or garland your hair with flowers and join in. The more the merrier!The afternoon features live bands and performers including Touchstone, Magic Folk, Black Strap Molasses and the Blue Shift Jazz Band. Lie back and laze in the sun by the sea as you listen to the music. Bring a picnic or chose from the variety of food and drinks that are on offer over the weekend. The Beer Tent is run by The 1648 Brewery who brew their excellent Lammas Ale for the event.With clothing, book, jewellery and craft stalls and demonstrations, plus children’s entertainment from face-painting and story-telling to Mouse Town, Punch and Judy and bouncy castle, there is something for everyone.
Saturday ends with the ritual “slaying” of John Barleycorn, the Festival’s traditional rite, at about 5.30pm. Sunday ends with a Scratch Ceilidh which is a chance to kick your shoes off, grab a likely partner and dance on the grass!The festival annually raises money for the RNLI. Please give generously throughout the weekend.

For more information and up to date details of bands, see website www.lammasfest.org

New Additions

Here are two of our recent donations. The colourful Golden Dawn Tools were used by a Canadian magician and are now on display upstairs as part of our Ritual Magic section. I must say I think they are truly fabulous but I've always been keen on a splash of colour. On a less colourful yet equally interesting note are the two concealed cats which were found in a house in Bristol during refurbishment work. The house was built in the late 1800s which makes this a fairly late example of cats concealed in walls. It is thought they were used as charms to protect houses from mice & rats. We are coming along with the Tarot display. We (& by we I mean Graham) are constructing the case from mahogony doors & toughened glass. We've also had some offers of images & text from some fabulous people. More on that later.

Thanks Exmoor Pagan Camp

A Big thanks go to Yarrow & all who attended the Exmoor Pagan Camp & took part in the raffle. £50 was raised for Friends of the Museum. Much appreciated.

Swallows a Big Hit

The live stream of the swallows' nest footage has proved a big hit with visitors to the museum!! The staff have even got a sweep stake on when they think the chicks will fledge. Derek, the largest of the chicks, appears ready to take off at any minute. Meredith & Merlin are great parents & all four of the little chaps are still doing well. Check out the latest video.

In the meantime Graham has been working on some new exclusive products for retail & I've introduced some new cards based around the Richel collection. They are doing very well & I'll be putting some on The Occult Art Company website shortly. As soon as Graham's new products are ready I'll put some info on this blog.

Mandrake it is

We're delighted to announce that the name of the male swallow is Mandrake (as suggested by Lesley). 'Meredith & Mandrake' has a nice ring to it. Their chicks are now popping their heads above the nest so we'll try to get a snippet of them having their lunch. Joyce is beside herself with excitement in the booth & is being easily distracted from her research. She's getting closer to finishing her book now so she needs to keep her eye on the ball - not the birds!! Chortle. I do amuse myself at times.

Cool Blog

I thought I'd draw your attention to a cool blog that has some info on the museum. You can find it by clicking this link http://www.squidoo.com/museum-of-witchcraft .

Meredith

If you're coming to visit make sure you check out the screen in the booth showing Meredith the swallow & her new chicks. We're doing our own version of Springwatch with a camera set up discreetly near Meredith's nest to watch her antics. The nest is in under the roof between the museum & the National Trust cafe next door. Have grabbed a video from Graham for you to have a look at. It was filmed earlier today & we can't see any small beaks yet. It seems to start with Meredith's chap then she comes into the picture towards the end. Does anyone have a suggestion for his name?

Wackiest Museums

We've just been alerted to a blog of the World's 10 Wackiest Museums - follow the link to see what else is on there. Museum of Witchcraft number 7

Recent Donations

Just thought I'd mention a few of the recent donations we've had.

A bangle from Robert Eagle in the USA is useful for us to demonstrate that Gardnerian wicca spread to the US. It is museum object number 2031.

An intriguing one is the Victorian face screen (museum object number 2032)
It is an"unusual petitpoint sheild shape face screen with devil design worked by hand in silk & wool. It would originally have been attached to a brass rod or stand to protect ladies from the glow of the fire."

We think this might be European - can anybody confirm this?

Anonymous Donation

We would like to pass on A Big Thank You to the person who anonymously left an envelope containing a large donation over the bank holiday. This will go towards our roof fund.

Please let us know who you are so we can thank you properly.

Easter pics

I've finally located a few of the photos taken over Easter - they seemed to have disappeared into my computer's ether. Hunters Moon Morris had a fab time dancing outside the museum & singing in The Wellington, Jerry Bird had a book signing for his new book 'Landscape of Memory' & Freya the dog generally had a lovely time being petted by all & sundry. I am hoping to find the pics I took of Jerry & James Findlay playing in The Welly for you - they too seem to have disappeared.

PF Wessex

Adrian Bryn-Evans has recently us a cheque for £17.80 which was money raised from the PF Wessex conference on April 18th. Thank you so much for your ongoing fundraising efforts.

Anonymous Donation

On Sunday 12 April a man left an envelope in the museum marked 'Donation to Museum'. He was thanked and he went on his way.
When the envelope was later opened by Graham he was shocked to find that it contained £3000 in twenty pound notes!
Whilst we know that we did recognise the donor as a regular visitor it was a busy day and we can't remember his name. If you are that man please contact us so that we can thank you properly. Likewise if you know who made this amazingly generous donation please pass on his details to us.
The money will go towards paying for the new roof which has just cost us £ 60,000!

Thank you very much, kind, anonymous, man!

Donation to Museum from Tim Cutler

Thanks to Tim Cutler who donated his wife Jade's beautiful stang to us recently as a memorial to her sudden passing to spirit earlier this year. The stang is made from twisted wood, is 'shod' with a metal cap at the base & metal horns at the top with a jade coloured crystal between. The horns are fixed with leather and brass pins. A wooden plaque inscribed 'For Jade, 1972-2009. Beloved wife and best friend' accompanies the stang. It will be displayed in our Memorial area near the shrine.

Kat Adams Donation

We were very grateful to receive the book collection of the late Kat Adams this week. These books will be catalogued and added to the ever growing library. Any duplicates will be sold to raise funds to purchase more books and library equipment. The books will be stamped 'in memory of Kat Adams'. Thank you Kat - merry met & merry part & merry meet again.

Builder's Last Day

We'd just like to say thanks to Chris & Marcus who have led the way on the building project at the museum. It's their last day today & we've really been impressed with their professionalism & the speed at which they've worked to get the job finished within schedule. All the guys who've been in to work with them have been great so thanks to them too. Here is a picture of the two lads looking vibrant & attractive as they complete their activities.

Museum Open

Hoorah! The museum is now open for business for 2009. The new roof is on and the museum is spick and span inside. The builders, particularly Chris & Marcus, have done a great job getting everything finished & ready for the deadline. The decorator Sid spent his last day before retirement painting the flat upstairs. We all wish him a fabulous retirement! There are a couple of finishing touches to be made inside, e.g. the dried cats need a nice display area, but all in all it's going really well. We just need lots of visitors now so hope to see you throughout the year.

Thanks to Volunteers & a Picture of Graham's Foot

Well, the museum opens for 2009 today and there's been a lot of hard work going on to get the doors open, particularly with the scaffolding only coming down on Monday. The next stage will be to paint the frontage as it now looks rather tatty from months of roof works. We'd like to especially thank volunteers Claire Meehan and Jane Chatterton who both came in to help with the daunting task of cleaning the museum in readiness for the opening. Much appreciated!

Graham is now exhausted as he sprained his foot last week (falling over some dust sheets) but has been rushing around to get some new displays in place. Here is a photo of his foot for all those sprained foot fetishists out there.