Dr Anna Milon explores the antlered goddess through myth, memory and modern spiritual practice. Horned gods are familiar figures in myth and magic, but horned goddesses have also quietly captured the imaginations of scholars and mystics. In this talk, Dr Anna Milon traces the story of antlered female figures across time. Beginning with early 20th-century thinkers such as Sir Flinders Petrie, she moves to the visions of Caroline Wise and Chesca Potter in the 1980s, through which Elen of the Ways entered modern paganism. The talk explores how Elen came to be understood as a goddess of the British shamanic tradition, shaped by fragments of history and echoes of the subarctic peoples’ veneration of deer. She then reflects on why horned goddesses continue to resonate today. SPEAKER BIO Dr Anna Milon is an independent researcher of occult history. Her main interest lies in the Horned God and in the overlap between modern pagan practice, fantasy fiction and environmentalism. Original Event Date: 26 March 2026

Dr Amy Hale talks to Jacqui McIntosh and Kate Walters about alternative states and mediumship in contemporary art. EPISODE 10: ALTERNATIVE STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN CONTEMPORARY ART, WITH JACQUI MCINTOSH AND KATE WALTERS In the final episode of this series, Amy Hale is joined by shamanic artist Kate Walters and College of Psychic Studies curator-archivist Jacqui McIntosh to discuss the role of altered states and mediumship in contemporary artistic practice. The conversation also explores how the art world’s reception of mediumistic and alternative-consciousness work has shifted over time, and whether these changes have created a more open environment for making and interpreting such work. Episode 10 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Kate Walters, fine Art trained in London, Brighton and Falmouth, Kate Walters works from Trewarveneth Studios in Newlyn, Cornwall. Her works have been widely exhibited in various national juried shows including the Royal Academy, Jerwood/Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize (4 occasions), Discerning Eye; and she was longlisted for The John Moores Painting Prize in 2025. Kate has had solo shows at Newlyn Art Gallery in Cornwall and with Arusha gallery in London and Edinburgh. She's working on her third book of poems and drawing with Guillemot Press, and writing a chapter on Medusa for a forthcoming publication celebrating the writing of Helene Cixous. A new body of work to include paintings, drawings, artist books and writing is being prepared for exhibition in 2026 and 2027. Jacqui McIntosh is an independent researcher, writer and curator based in London. As Curator and Archivist at the College of Psychic Studies in London, she cares for and curates their extensive collection of spirit-inspired art, photography and artefacts from 1850 to today and is the curator of The Medium is the Message, a major exhibition that explores the rich and complex relationship between artistic practice and mediumship. Jacqui’s research focuses on feminist, mediumistic and esoteric histories, with a particular interest in artists whose spiritual development has evolved in tandem with their artistic output. Current research areas include the drawings and works on paper of British artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun. Jacqui’s writing has appeared in newspapers, art publications and catalogue essays for galleries and artists. In 2024 she edited the publication The Time of Our Lives: Drawing & Feminism. She is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA). Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the ground-breaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 18 January 2026

Gary Lachman reflects on rock, creativity and the occult imagination from the 1970s–1990s. In this audio recording of a conversation with Christina on the Treadwell's sofa, the writer and former Blondie musician reflects on the mystical threads running through his life and work. Drawing on the New York rock scene and decades of research into Western esotericism, he shares stories from the crossroads of music and magic. Expect tales of West Coast Thelema adventures, California Gurdjieff work and encounters with Russian ghost literature, alongside reflections on the inner life. The evening launched the publication of Lachman’s memoir 'Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult' (Inner Traditions, 2026), available at Treadwell's. SPEAKER BIO Gary Lachman is a London-based writer on Western esotericism, consciousness and the history of ideas. The author of more than twenty books, his works include Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World and Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality. Before turning to writing, he was a founding member of the band Blondie under the name Gary Valentine. Original Event Date: 28 May 2026

Dr Amy Hale explores the fusion of science and technology in magical art, with Joey Holder and Dr WhiteFeather Hunter. EPISODE 9: THE INTERSECTIONS OF SCIENCE WITH MAGICAL ART In this episode, Amy Lab chats with artists Joey Holder and Dr WhiteFeather Hunter, whose work blends science, technology and magic. They explore how scientific imagery can expand ideas of magical art beyond traditional occult symbols, touching on themes of the posthuman, transhuman and the 'scientific fantastic'. Expect to learn about lab-grown clitorises, tentacled post-human sea creatures and other strange wonders at the border of art and science. Episode 9 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Dr. WhiteFeather Hunter is a Canadian artist-researcher working at the intersections of feminist technoscience, bioart, performance and craft. She is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts & Technology, where she develops feminist DIY biofabrication methods and speculative worldbuilding projects. Her internationally exhibited work merges tissue engineering, textiles, and ritual to reimagine bodies, technologies and futures, and her academic publications are found in peer-reviewed journals worldwide. Joey Holder is an artist and researcher whose work raises philosophical questions of our universe and things yet unknown across science, technology and human-machine-animal interactions. She creates immersive, multimedia 'worlds' by conversing with experts across fields including marine biology, genetic research and behavioural psychology, exploring themes ranging from deep-sea lifeforms, speculative evolution, magic, non-human time and aliens. Holder has exhibited widely internationally, including the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Design Museum London, the Sydney, Athens, Ljubljana, Wuhan and Moscow Biennales, and Transmediale in Berlin. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the ground-breaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 14 December 2025

Stuart Lee and Rebecca Neale introduce Jung’s visionary masterpiece of symbols, dreams and inner transformation. Hidden from public view until 2009, Carl Jung’s 'Red Book' is a sprawling personal journal of visions, symbols and private initiation – the most occult of his texts in every sense. In this class, Stuart Lee and Rebecca Neale introduce the structure, themes and imagery of this remarkable work. Through selected readings and examples from its richly detailed artwork, participants are guided through Jung’s symbolic world and his encounters with dream figures, archetypes and the depths of the unconscious. SPEAKER BIOS Stuart Lee is a professionally qualified psychotherapist with a long interest in the Jungian tradition, esoteric practices of initiation and the Western Mystery Tradition. He has been involved in reading groups of The Red Book for several years, and brings a deep appreciation and knowledge of the work. Rebecca Neale is a registered psychotherapist, teacher and group facilitator and co-leads a regular reading group with Stuart. Her academic background in English and Philosophy informs her interest in existentialism, mythology and the power of language. Original Event Date: 19 March 2026

Dr Amy Hale talks to two very different magical artists about the the use of inspirited objects in their work. EPISODE 8: INSPIRITED OBJECTS, WITH CHARLOTTE RODGERS & EMILY HUNT In this episode, Amy chats with two very different artists who centre the notion of spirit and life force in their creative practice. Somerset-based Charlotte Rodgers creates haunting, totemistic sculptural pieces incorporating animal remains. Multimedia artist Emily Hunt creates bold, colourful ceramics imbued with forces and personalities, frequently honouring historical female occultists. Both artists discuss the vital energies of objects, and what it means to feel or even direct an object's presence. Episode 8 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Charlotte Rodgers is an animist, author and self-taught artist, living in Somerset, England, who believes that everything contains both lifeforce and memory. She has a long-standing fascination with finding the inherent voices that lie in remnants of the dead, the discarded and the forgotten, and exploring means to articulate and express them. Her artwork has been exhibited globally, with pieces on permanent display in The Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art in Jagodina, Serbia. Publications include P is for Prostitution: A Modern Primer, The Sky is a Gateway, Not a Ceiling, and The Bloody Sacrifice. She has lectured at The Schloss Pienzenau and Brunnenburg in Merano, Italy, Edinburgh and York University, The Museum of Magic and Witchcraft in Cornwall, and the Museum of Morbid Anatomy in New York. Emily Hunt’s artistic practice critically engages with the historical and cultural significance of ornament and grotesque imagery as vehicles for subversion and transgression. Her ongoing research focuses on Renaissance print media, particularly the occult philosophy of this period and its relationship to grotesque ornament and Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of the carnivalesque. Through drawing, painting, etching, and ceramics, Hunt investigates the visual technology of magic in its symbolic form and how it shares a lineage with ornamental forms. She examines how these visual languages—such as the carnivalesque, ornament, and magical practice—reflect societal attitudes, transgressive behaviours, and esoteric traditions. She is interested in how these three positions overlap and allow for a rapture or ecstatic moment. Her research is concerned with the influence of magical and occult philosophy on visual culture. She creates tools such as rings and marionettes to open up spaces where art and magic can enter into conversation. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the ground-breaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 16 November 2025

Rebecca Beattie and Shreya Ila Anasuya compare Western and Eastern approaches to planetary powers and the zodiac. Astrology is shaped as much by culture as by the stars themselves. In this rich conversation, Rebecca Beattie and Shreya Ila Anasuya explore how planetary powers and the zodiac are understood in Western and South Asian traditions. Drawing on myth, symbolism and lived practice, they compare how planets are personified, gendered and worked with across cultures. The discussion also considers the spiritual and social histories that shape these systems – including the role of religion, caste and hierarchy in South Asian astrology, and how contemporary Western practitioners engage with planetary forces today. An accessible and thoughtful evening for anyone interested in astrology, myth and magical tradition. SPEAKER BIOS Shreya Ila Anasuya is a writer and researcher from India with interests in cultural history, mythology and folklore, magic and speculative storytelling. She also studies poetry, music and South Asian mysticism, particularly Shakta Tantra, and the Sufi, Bhakti, and Baul-Fakir traditions. She was an in-house Tarot reader at Treadwell’s for three years and continues to use the Tarot as a tool for creative writing. She is currently completing a PhD at King’s College London. Her first novel, The Poison Palace, is due out in early 2027. Rebecca Beattie grew up on Dartmoor, giving her an early love of nature and passion for storytelling. A Wiccan priestess since 2006, she has spent over 25 years practising witchcraft and has a rich understanding of the history and traditions underpinning pagan practice. She also has a doctorate in Creative Writing and is a published author. Her books include Planetary Magic, Wheel of the Year and The Way Through the Woods. Original Event Date: 21 January 2026

Dr. Amy Hale chats with Edgar Fabián Frías, Elijah Burgher and Hilma’s Ghost about queer magical art practices. EPISODE 6: QUEER MAGICAL ART PRACTICES In this episode, Amy Hale chats with Edgar Fabián Frías, Elijah Burgher and Hilma’s Ghost about the ways in which queer magical art practices and worldviews have the potential to inspire different ways of seeing and knowing. They discuss the role of queer magical ancestors, forgotten histories, queer utopias, and how magical art and resistance can inspire healing and action, discussing their art along the way. Episode 6 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Edgar Fabián Frías is a multidisciplinary artist, psychotherapist, educator, curator, and brujx based in Los Angeles. Their oeuvre encompasses installation, photography, video art, sound, sculpture, printed textiles, GIFs, ritual, performance, social practice, and community organizing, reflecting their commitment to experimentation and innovation. Frías' work explores themes of resistance, resiliency, and radical imagination in the face of colonization, environmental racism, and other contemporary issues. As a nonbinary, Wixárika, and Latinx artist whose family hails from Mexico, Frías brings a rich and diverse background to their practices. They hold dual BA degrees in Psychology and Studio Art from UC, Riverside, and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a focus on Interpersonal Neurobiology and Somatic Psychotherapy from Portland State University. In 2022, they completed an MFA in Art Practice at UC Berkeley. Elijah Burgher is an artist and occasional writer currently based in Berlin, whose work focuses on mythology, sexuality and subculture. He was featured in Block Party at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania (2023), Scrivere Desegnando at the Centre d'Art Contemporain Geneva (2020), Queer Abstraction at the Des Moines Art Center (2019), For Opacity at the Drawing Center in New York City (2018), and the 2014 Whitney Biennial, among others. He is the co-author of Sperm Cult with Richard Hawkins, published by Bad Dimension Press in 2017. Burgher received a MFA from the School of the Art Institute, Chicago and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. He is represented by PPOW in New York, Western Exhibitions in Chicago and Ivan Gallery in Bucharest. Hilma’s Ghost is a feminist artist collective co-founded by Brooklyn-based artists Sharmistha Ray (they/them) and Dannielle Tegeder (she/her). The collective acts as a restorative project that uplifts the voices of women, trans, and nonbinary artists using abstraction and mysticism in their work and makes them visible. The collective makes art collaboratively using divinatory methods, runs programs and workshops with spiritualists for the community, and conducts research on women artists and spiritualist practices that they use in their projects and workshops. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the ground-breaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 3 August 2025

Owen Davies and Ceri Houlbrook unpack the alluring world of folklore studies, exploring ley lines, ghosts, holy wells and more. Why is folklore capturing so much attention today? Even the most remote stone circles draw pilgrims, while holy wells across Britain are still dressed with offerings and petitions. In this audio recording of a live launch event at Treadwell's, Professor Owen Davies and Dr Ceri Houlbrook explore the winding history of British folklore. They trace how folklorists have studied and written about these traditions, revealing how practices adapt and survive to meet the needs of modern, diverse communities. Expect illuminating discussion, touching on ancient and new traditions, ranging from witchcraft and cryptids to fairies, Krampus and the invention of 'fakelore'. This talk launched their groundbreaking book, 'Folklore: A Journey Through the Past and Present' (available at Treadwell's). SPEAKER BIOS Owen Davies is a Professor of History at the University of Hertfordshire, specialising in the history of magic, ghosts, witchcraft and popular medicine. He has been described as Britain's 'foremost academic expert on the history of magic'. His many books include Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells (2023), Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History (2003) and The Haunted: A Social History of Ghosts (2007). He was president of The Folklore Society from 2020-3. Ceri Houlbrook is a Lecturer in History and Folklore at the University of Hertfordshire. Her research focuses on the material culture of ritual and folklore in Britain, from 1700 to the present. She completed her PhD at the University of Manchester in 2014, exploring the archaeology and heritage of the British coin-tree. In 2021, she published a monograph on the contemporary ritual practice of love-locks with the independent scholary publisher, Berghahn: Unlocking the Love-Lock: The history and heritage of a contemporary custom. She is editor of FLS News, the newsletter of the Folklore Society. Original Event Date: 27 November 2025

Dr. Amy Hale chats with artists Chantal Powell and Mary MacGregor Reid about their spiritual and artistic practices and their uses of alchemical imagery. EPISODE 5: NEW CONTEXTS FOR ALCHEMICAL ART For modern esoteric artists, alchemical imagery can be an extremely potent focal point for their work. In this episode, Amy Hale chats with artists Chantal Powell and Mary MacGregor Reid about their spiritual and artistic practice and the very different ways in which both artists use alchemical imagery. They will discuss what draws them creatively to these themes and their reflections on why spiritual alchemy is relevant to our lives and journeys today. Episode 5 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Chantal Powell is a British artist and educator whose practice is deeply informed by Jungian psychology, alchemical symbolism, and her personal exploration of the unconscious. With a PhD in psychology, she follows a Jungian art-based research approach, using artistic process to engage with archetypal material and the psyche. She works across various mediums, including ceramics, glass, textiles, metal and painting. She engages with the embodied and vegetal aspects of alchemy, rejecting mind-body dualisms and promoting a regenerative model rooted in nature and transformation. Chantal has exhibited at galleries and institutions across the UK and internationally and has her first solo institutional exhibition next year at the Levinsky Gallery, Plymouth. She is the founder of Hogchester Arts residency program, host of The Red Book Club, and a faculty lecturer at JungAcademy. She offers talks on archetypal symbolism and psychological alchemy, and has co-curated exhibitions focusing on archetypally symbolic art. Mary MacGregor Reid is a multidisciplinary artist living in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Her interest in Western Esotericism and human experience of the otherworldly is expressed through moving image, photography and sculpture. Within ceremonial ritual the assumption of archetypal characters merges with movement, gesture, and language, forming a symbolic lexicon for the esoteric practitioner. Mary reimagines this visual language - in particular the occulted symbology of alchemy - within her work and is deeply engaged in the tactile creation of both costumes and objects as an intrinsic part of the process. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the ground-breaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 20 July 2025

Dr. Amy Hale explores the impact of 1980s ecofeminist and goddess-inspired art, with artists Judith Noble and Christine Binney. EPISODE 3: MAGICAL ECOFEMINIST ART OF THE 1980s Modern magical art owes much to the feminist and ecofeminist artists of the 1980s, who drew inspiration from Goddess imagery and addressed themes of environmental destruction, war, nuclear proliferation and social justice. In this episode, Amy speaks with artist and art historian Judith Noble and Neo Naturists co-founder Christine Binney to explore the impact of 1980s feminist art and its legacy for magical art today. Episode 4 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Judith Noble is Professor of Film and the Occult at Arts University Plymouth (UK), and an artist whose work is deeply rooted in the practice of magic. She began her career as an artist filmmaker, exhibiting work internationally and working for over twenty years in the film industry, before returning to academic research and art practice. Her current research centres on artists’ moving image, surrealism, the occult, and work by women artists. She has published on filmmakers including Maya Deren, Derek Jarman and Kenneth Anger. Her continuing practice as an artist includes text+image, artist’s books and mixed media/ textile pieces created through trance work, spirit possession and interaction with the more than human. Christine Binnie studied pottery at Eastbourne Art College in the 1970s. In the early 80s, she founded the Neo Naturists performance art group with Jennifer Binnie and Wilma Johnson. They painted bodies to create performances, challenging narratives of the time. Since 2005, she has been decorating bodies of pots and humans, documenting her performances, life, wonderings and wanderings, connecting pots and people, and exploring the magic within the mundane. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the groundbreaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 6 July 2025

Dr. Amy Hale speaks with artists Jesse Bransford and Barry William Hale about the influence of Hermetic magic on their work. EPISODE 3: REFRAMING CONTEMPORARY HERMETIC ART Some of the most striking esoteric modern artists – such as Hilma af Klint, Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn, Austin Osman Spare and Ithell Colquhoun – were deeply influenced by Hermetic philosophies and symbols. They engaged with magical systems like Kabbalah, alchemy and Rosicrucianism, drawing inspiration from the principle 'As Above, So Below'. Contemporary artists Barry William Hale and Jesse Bransford also incorporate these systems and principles in their work, though with distinct styles and approaches. In this episode, Amy speaks with Barry and Jesse about the role of Hermetic traditions and magical practice in their art. Episode 3 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Jesse Bransford is a New York-based artist whose work has been exhibited internationally at institutions such as the Carnegie Museum of Art, UCLA Hammer Museum, PS1 Contemporary Art Center, and CCA Wattis Museum. He holds degrees from the New School for Social Research (BA), Parsons School of Design (BFA), and Columbia University (MFA). A professor of art at NYU, Bransford has explored belief and its visual systems since the 1990s. His work has been featured in publications by Fulgur Press, including A Book of Staves (Galdrastafabók) and The Fourth and Fifth Pyramids. He lectures widely on these themes and co-organises the biennial Occult Humanities Conference. Barry William Hale is an artist whose work is deeply rooted in esoteric and occult practice and research. He uses a variety of media including performance, video, sound, VR, painting and paper, depending on the demands of the work. A graduate of SCA and the Sydney punk squatter scene, Hale is recognised as a leading occult artist of his generation. His work has been exhibited globally, including at Equinox Festival London (2009), Adelaide Fringe Festival (2011), the 17th Australian Art Biennale Sydney (2010), Dark MOFO (2018), Raymond Buckland’s Museum of Witchcraft and Magic Cleveland (2019–2020), and multiple exhibitions with Stephen Romano in New York (2015–present). He was also featured in NYU’s Language of the Birds (2016) and Windows to the Sacred (2013) in Australia. His publications include the monograph Codex 231 (2014) and Legion 49 (2009), a deconstructivist take on the medieval grimoire. Hale lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the groundbreaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 15 June 2025

Dr. Amy Hale and Susan Aberth discuss the magical work of Leonora Carrington and its influence on modern art history. EPISODE 2: THE REDISCOVERY OF MAGIC IN MODERN ART In this episode, Amy’s guest is pioneering art historian Susan Aberth, whose groundbreaking study of surrealist Leonora Carrington helped shaped the way magic, witchcraft and the occult are framed in the study of modern art. Amy and Susan discuss how art history has responded to a deeper understanding of the influence of occultism, spiritualism and magic on artistic practices, and how the narrative of modern art is changing. Episode 1 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Susan L. Aberth is the Edith C. Blum Professor of the Art History and Visual Culture Program at Bard College, and a world-renowned expert on occult art and surrealism. Her 2004 book, Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy and Art (Lund Humphries) helped introduce Carrington’s magical work to the masses. She also recently co-authored The Tarot of Leonora Carrington (Fulgur Press, 2020) with Mexican curator Tere Arcq, which is an analysis of Carrington’s tarot paintings and original major arcana deck. Susan has contributed to the following exhibitions and publications: Surrealism and Magic, Guggenheim Venice (2021), Not Without My Ghosts (2020, Traveling exhibition in England), Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist (Phoenix Art Museum, 2019), Juanita Guccione: Otherwhere (Napa Valley Museum, 2019), Surrealism, Occultism and Politics: In Search of the Marvelous (Routledge Press, 2018), Leonora Carrington: Cuentos Magicos (Museo de Arte Moderno & INBA, Mexico City, 2018), Unpacking: The Marciano Collection (Delmonico Books, Prestel, 2017), and Leonora Carrington and the International Avant-Garde (Manchester University Press, 2017). Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the groundbreaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 13 April 2025

Dr. Amy Hale and curator Jamie Sutcliffe explore the recent surge of interest in magical and esoteric art. EPISODE 1: SHAPING THE CONTEXT FOR MAGIC IN ART TODAY Over the past 15 years, there has been an explosion of interest in magical, occult and esoteric art. What’s driving this shift, and why has it gained such popularity? In this lecture and discussion, Amy speaks with curator, writer and editor Jamie Sutcliffe to explore the intersecting conversations about magic and art that are shaping this compelling zeitgeist. Episode 1 of a 10-part series about magic and contemporary art. SPEAKER BIOS Jamie Sutcliffe is a writer, curator and co-director of Strange Attractor Press. His work explores artistic encounters with science fictive fabulation, the politics of video games, animation and its entanglements with developments in the life sciences, and the persistence of myth in digital contexts. He is the editor of the books Documents of Contemporary Art: Magic, published by The Whitechapel Gallery and The MIT Press (2021), and Weeb Theory, published by Banner Repeater (2023). His essays, reviews and interviews have been published internationally by Art Monthly, Art Review, e-flux Criticism, Frieze, The White Review, Rhizome, The Quietus, and Bricks From The Kiln, amongst others. Amy Hale is an Atlanta-based writer and critic with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. Her research interests include contemporary magical practice and history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She has written widely on artist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun, and been an academic advisor to the 2025 Colquhoun retrospective at Tate St. Ives and Tate Britain. She wrote the first scholarly biography of Colquhoun, Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor, 2020), followed by the collection Sex Magic: Diagrams of Love, (Tate Publishing, 2024). She is also the editor of the groundbreaking collection Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has written extensively on magic and contemporary art, and has written for Tate, Burlington Contemporary, Art UK, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Correspondences Journal and other institutions. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with Falmouth University in Cornwall, a trustee of the UK Charity Rediscovering Art by Women (RAW) and a member of the British Art Network. Beyond the Supernatural: Magic in Contemporary Art is due to be published with Tate Publishing in 2026. Original Event Date: 30 March 2025

Rebecca Beattie and Mhara Starling discuss their personal experiences with fairies, witchcraft and wild places. Most people think of tiny, kindly, winged creatures when they think of fairies. In contrast, traditional folktales often depict them as full-sized, menacing and formidably powerful. In this online event, Treadwell's tutor Rebecca Beattie joins Welsh witch Mhara Starling for a conversation about fairies, nature and magic. They consider the long history of the Fae through British folklore, their famous myths and stories, and how the image of the fairy became significantly more friendly during the Victorian period. They also explore the Fae's deep roots in the land and their links to witchcraft, before discussing their personal relations with these native spirits. Expect a rich conversation between two witches of the wild places as they examine the mystery and mythos of these enchanting and often dangerous beings. SPEAKER BIOS Mhara Starling was born in North Wales, and raised on the Isle of Anglesey, an island deeply immersed in a sense of magic and mythology. She is a native Welsh speaker, and a Swynwraig, a modern day Welsh Witch. She writes and teaches on the subjects of Welsh mythology, magic, folklore and witchcraft. Her most recent book, Welsh Fairies, focuses on fairy belief and its connection to magical practice within both a historical and modern context. Rebecca Beattie grew up on Dartmoor, giving her an early love of nature and passion for storytelling. A Wiccan priestess since 2006, she has spent over 25 years practising witchcraft and has a rich understanding of the history and traditions underpinning pagan practice. She also has a doctorate in Creative Writing and is a published author. Her books include 'Planetary Magic', 'Wheel of the Year' and 'The Way Through the Woods'. Original Event Date: 11 March 2025

Rebecca Beattie introduces the great astral power of discipline, endings and creative brilliance. Throughout history, practitioners of magic have looked to the pre-modern occult planets for inspiration and aid. In this talk, Rebecca Beattie introduces the seventh (and most misunderstood) ancient astral body: Saturn. Traditionally associated with time, melancholy and mortality, it's also very closely linked to artistic expressiveness, discipline and necessary endings. Rebecca teaches the group about its subtle nature, and how to identify its plants, herbs, and other correspondences. She also outlines ways to craft effective Saturnine magic. By the end of the talk, participants will know how to work with this dark but grounding planet to create change in their own life. SPEAKER BIO Rebecca Beattie has spent over two decades studying and practising witchcraft. A Wiccan priestess of 20 years, she has a rich understanding of the history and traditions underpinning pagan practice. She also has a doctorate in Creative Writing and is a published author. Her books include 'Planetary Magic: a friendly introduction to creating modern magic with the seven energies' and the new pagan toolkit for navigating major life changes, 'The Way Through the Woods'. Original Event Date: 2 September 2024

In this quick 20-minute video, Rebecca Beattie shares some magical ideas and ritual practices around midwinter. Recorded especially for our members.

Rebecca Beattie shares a brief history of magic, some key ideas about what it is, and how to practise it. Scholars, practitioners and ordinary people have been debating about what magic is and how it works for millennia. In this talk, Rebecca Beattie explores key ideas about what magic is and how it works. She gives a short history of its practice, explores the differences between ceremonial magic and folk magic, and unpacks how its definitions have changed throughout the centuries. This includes a brief examination of '21st-century magic', and how the field of psychology and concepts such as the unconscious mind have influenced modern perceptions of magic. Finally, she talks about how to do magic effectively and ethically, sharing ideas on techniques and specific traditions. SPEAKER BIO Rebecca Beattie has spent over two decades studying and practising witchcraft. A Wiccan priestess of 20 years, she has a rich understanding of the history and traditions underpinning pagan practice. She also has a doctorate in Creative Writing and is a published author. Her books include 'Planetary Magic: a friendly introduction to creating modern magic with the seven energies' and the new pagan toolkit for navigating major life changes, 'The Way Through the Woods'.