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The Grand Illusion: Fighting the Nazis with the Occult

'...eclectic recruitment to the war effort, strange goings-on in Surrey and a ritual that allegedly took place in the New Forest in 1940 to repel Operation Sealion, Hitler’s plan to invade the British Isles.' Monday 15 April 2024 Doors 6.15 pm Talk & Q&A 6.30 pm - 8 pm £9 / £6 cons / £6 online Advance tickets Conway Hall , 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL Tube: Holborn Directions London Fortean's Mailing List Facebook event page pentagram on a tree. St Bride's Ring Dun, Near Kingennie by stuart anthony on flickr Many of us are aware of the Nazi’s obsession with the occult (look no further than Indiana Jones, ‘Call of Duty Black Ops’, Hellboy etc). Less is known, however, about what the Brits did to exploit what they saw as a weakness in the German chain of command. In ‘The Grand Illusion’ Syd Moore turns her eye on this rather bizarre chapter of history. Her talk for the London Fortean Society will cover the research she undertook to write the novel, includin
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Hidden Messages (that aren't really there)

  Tuesday 26 March 2024 Hidden Messages (that aren't really there)   One of the reasons we are successful as a species is our ability to recognise meaningful patterns in our surroundings, because of the way our cognitive systems work, particularly the interaction between bottom-up and top-down processing. But sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we have perceived a meaningful message when, in fact, there is no such message there. Prof Chris French ’s light-hearted, interactive presentation illustrates the power of top-down processing in several contexts including electronic voice phenomena (EVP), reverse speech theory – and Satanic messages in rock music! Chris’s brand-new book The Science of Weird Shit , based on his years running the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths College, will be available.   Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX Door: 7.30 Start: 8pm Tickets (£5/£3) https://www.wegottickets.com/event/612491/

Haunted London: Ghosts of The British Museum and Bloomsbury

 London is an old and haunted City; join us for ghost stories of central London. Noah Angell on ghostly sightings at the British Museum, Roger Luckhurst discusses a cursed object in the Egyptian rooms of the British Museum and Sarah Sparkes presents the hauntings and other unexplained happenings of Senate House. Wednesday 10 April 2024 Doors, books stall, and drinks from 6.15 pm Talks 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm £15 / £12 Advance tickets Conway Hall , 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL Tube: Holborn Directions London Fortean's Mailing List Facebook event page Noah Angell – Ghosts of the British Museum: A True Story of Colonial Loot and Restless Objects When artist and writer Noah Angell first heard murmurs of ghostly sightings at the British Museum he had to find out more. What started as a trickle soon became a landslide as staff old and new, from guards of formidable build to respected curators, brought forth testimonies of their inexplicable supernatural encounters. It became clear tha

Sleepers Awake!

Tuesday 27th February Sleepers Awake!   In this illustrated talk Prof Roger Luckhurst of Birkbeck, University of London, explores the puzzling history of states of unnatural sleep, anomalous conditions that have shadowed the rise of modern medicine since the late 18th century. Franz Mesmer’s claims to put patients into a state of suspended animation to treat their illnesses with “animal magnetism” caused a scandal in Paris in the 1780s, even before his student the Marquis de Puységur began to suggest that the artificial sleep of the trance state was associated with supernatural powers – mind-reading and clairvoyance. Such claims delayed the acceptance of what became known as hypnotism until the 1890s, but even then the early pioneers of medical hypnotism were associated with the Society for Psychical Research. More conventional medicine has tried to explore so-called “catatonic states”, yet the uncanny nature of artificial sleep has continued to puzzle doctors, right up to the curr
      Apologies to everyone who wasn't able to buy tickets for our January meeting, Aleister Crowley: The Spy Who Loved the Occult . We sold out very early on. We had a full house, and everyone there enjoyed Richard C McNeff's talk. We're hoping to put a version of this talk on again in a few months' time, so that all those who missed it the first time get a chance to hear it. Watch this space, and our Facebook page, for details.  

Aleister Crowley: The Spy Who Loved the Occult

  Tuesday 30th January 2024 SOLD OUT -- SOLD OUT -- SOLD OUT Aleister Crowley The Spy Who Loved the Occult   SOLD OUT -- SOLD OUT -- SOLD OUT   SOLD OUT -- SOLD OUT -- SOLD OUT   Mountaineer, artist, magician, was Aleister Crowley also a secret agent who worked for different branches of British Intelligence at various stages of his life? Did this culminate in his interrogation of Nazi warlord and occultist Rudolf Hess in 1941? Richard C McNeff deciphers Crowley’s espionage career as well as taking a wider look at his role as an influencer, with some very surprising followers. The author of two novels prominently featuring Crowley, Richard will separate fact from fiction in his portrayals of the Beast. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX Date:   Tuesday 30th January 2024 Doors: 7.30pm Start: 8pm Tickets: £5/£3 https://www.wegottickets.com/event/604335/  THIS TALK IS COMPLETELY SOLD OUT WE HOPE TO RUN IT AGAIN LATER IN THE YEAR

'twixt Xmas & NY

  'twixt Xmas & NY Thursday 28th December     We don't have a London Fortean Society meeting in December -- but a few of us get together for a drink in that fairly odd time 'twixt Xmas & NY. No speaker, no programme, just a few pints and chat. Regulars and irregulars equally welcome. We'll be in the front room at the Cittie of Yorke pub between Chancery Lane and Holborn, from around 7.30 on Thursday 28th December . They do standard pub food. See you there!