Occult London (Pocket Essentials (Paperback))

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While Coverley clearly is a believer in the metaphysical, he presents his work as a well-cited history which he leaves to the reader's own interpretation. The legend of the Highgate vampire has its roots in tales of creatures that roamed the north London district of Dracula author, Bram Stoker. Her zeal and passion shine through and made the tour a truly enjoyable and unforgettable experience. As one of London’s oldest botanic gardens and a herbal witches’ paradise, it contains a unique living collection of around 5,000 different edible, unusual and medicinal plants that have changed the world.

To my shame I know relatively little about London's occult history, even considering that half my family are from there and I was born there. This is interesting, for both regions have a rich tradition of bull veneration and each was contemporary with Dynastic Egypt, where I believe the tradition of Mithraism originated.

In the Aladdin’s Cave of wonders you will find wind chimes, pendulums and other esoteric decorations for your home. The Trojan leader, Brutus, established a city here in 1100 BCE and named it Troia Nova, or Trinovantum. This one is for the budding baby witches looking to build up their collection of mystic accessories and tools, and get fully equipped for entering the world of witchcraft. Take, for example, the peculiar tale of King Charles II (1630 – 1685), who presented his mistress, a resident of West London, with a griffin. In the case of George III, he projected his own meridian straight down the serpentine Thames, a stunning riverside landscape, rich in history and renowned for its visionary inhabitants, innovators such as J M W Turner, Alexander Pope, James Thompson, Horace Walpole, David Garrick and William Hogarth, to name a few.

In fact, Primrose Hill would become a haunt of occultists William Blake and Dion Fortune, amongst others, and plans, albeit later aborted, would be made to construct a colossal pyramid burial complex on top of the hill, complete with over five million honeycomb-shaped tombs. The Clink Prison Museum takes visitors back to a grisly past that we all love hearing about, while rejoicing that we weren’t alive back then.

The strange carvings and eerie atmosphere make it well worth the trip to this southeast London suburb. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions.

Today a dragon guards the entrance to Temple Bar and reminds one of the esoteric traditions once practiced there. Another London occultist, William Blake, wrote of the London Stone in his poem, Jerusalem (1820): “ At length he sat on London Stone and heard Jerusalem’s voice”. Charing Cross Road, meanwhile, was home to Gerald Gardner, who played his part in the war effort by staging a 'magical assault on the mind of Adolf Hitler' in 1940. No, a cubit is a measurement derived from the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger or several palm widths in other ancient cultures, or approximately 3500 feet = 2000 cubits. Today we are experiencing a renewal of interest in the occult tradition, and Merlin Coverley examines the roots of this revival, exploring the rise of New Age philosophies and the emergence of psychogeography in shaping a new vision of the city.

The map deals mostly with 20th century history, but is brought bang up to date by the inclusion of such gems as the Wellcome Collection and the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities. From an occult perspective there was a less tangible, but no less fundamental, change in consciousness starting to take place: the introduction of Mithraism, and the theology of ‘as above, so below’. In fact, sphinxes adorn the whole of London’s Embankment, including armrests on the benches along the Thames. This is not a reference to the ninth-best song ever written by John Squire, but rather the catchphrase of Aleister Crowley. Read more about the condition New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages.

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of Talismans and Amulets, exploring their purpose and the magical mechanisms that make them work, while also delving into the theories that empower these objects. Elsewhere we meet figures such as Spring-Heeled Jack and the Highgate Vampyre, and occult organizations from the Invisible College to the Golden Dawn.To the East is the alleged burial spot of John Dee – mathematician, alchemist, astrologer and an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I – as well as a cocktail bar where you can find shrunken heads and the squat where Throbbing Gristle’s offshoot Pyschick TV had their headquarters.