WELSHPOOL, Wales – The Welsh Occult Conference has become a fixture on the British occult calendar: an annual event that many see as a jewel in the esoteric conference crown.
Held in the border town of Welshpool at the Town Hall, the 2022 conference on May 14 bounced back from last year’s covid cancellation to full strength. This was a one-day event with a wide array of talks, along with stalls. Its stated aim is to promote the study and practice of the occult in Wales.
Welshpool Town Hall – Image credit: Trevor Rickard, CC BY-SA 2.0
The schedule this year began with conference organiser Sian Sibley’s lecture on “Survival Witchcraft – Prevent, Protect and Power.” It was followed by a lively talk by Alyster Austin, aka The Kite, on “The Role of Chaos Magick in the Western Magical Tradition,” which touched on the history of Chaos Magick in the U.K. and beyond.
The third talk featured Cristina Pandolfo, who was also running a stall at the event selling her herbal preparations, on “Traditional Plants in Italian Witchcraft.” This was a fascinating look at both psychotropics and medicinal preparations, and after learning about these, there was the opportunity to go and buy rue, sage, verbena, and other featured herbs at the plant stall.
Next up was Robert Anderson Plimer on the “Ophidian Current.” Plimer’s talks are always illuminating and popular, and this was no exception.
Welshpool has a number of cafes and pubs, and we chose the Royal Oak for lunch, an old coaching inn now converted to a hotel: we spoke to a guest who was attending the conference and she highly recommended this establishment as a place to stay.
Royal Oak Hotel, Eatery & Coffee House – Image credit: John Firth, CC BY-SA 2.0
After lunch, Druid Kris Hughes gave an amusing and informative lecture on two stalwarts of the early esoteric scene in Wales, Iolo Morgannwg and William Price.
Iolo Morgannwg is being revisited by scholars and his somewhat shady reputation as a forger is being revisited in the light of his exceptional creativity. Dr. Price, Chartist, feminist, philanthropist, and Neo-Druid, started a working men’s scheme where patients would give him a ha’penny and he would treat them for free. He was also notorious for conducting the first historically recorded cremation, of his infant son. Price may have inspired a young man named Aneurin Bevan to create a more widespread healthcare scheme and thus we might have Dr. Price to thank not only for the widespread practice of cremation but for the NHS.
David Rankine then spoke on the magical origins of the grimoires, looking at the Graeco-Roman, Egyptian, Arabic, and Jewish roots of some of the magical practices and entities found within grimoire magic. He commented on Spanish influences, noting that Spain has not received enough credit for its part in the history of the grimoire tradition.
At the end of the afternoon, Jake Stratton-Kent delivered a lecture on “Magic in the 21st Century,” considering some cutting edge practices, and the conference closed with a talk by Cath Thompson on “Stellar Initiation: the astrological relationship between Venus and the Sun.”
Thanks were given to Cat Salter, Nerodia Jones, Cera George, and Lucy Greenwood, who assisted Sian in setting up this event. Comments on social media included “loved every minute,” “fabulous day,” and a “lovely atmosphere.”
A view of Welshpool from the graveyard of Christ Church graveyard – Image credit: Penny Mayes, CC BY-SA 2.0
Details will be posted in due course for the WOC 2023, but if you are in the U.K. and want in addition to make the most of the beautiful Welsh Borders, a place that also has a long history of legend, myth, and magical practice, you might consider booking for this event next year.
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