Occult London (Pocket Essentials (Paperback))

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In this episode, we embark on a journey through the mystical and esoteric significances embedded in the Christmas and Yule celebrations. London has been inhabited for thousands of years and the diversity of its settlements has resulted in a rich, if not peculiar, collection of occult traditions. In a documentary on King Arthur that I presented for the National Geographic Channel, I expressed my belief, much to the producer’s chagrin, that the ambiguity around Arthur’s origins is due to the fact that he never existed. Watkins Books is situated on Covent Garden’s Cecil Court, a mecca of rare books and fine art prints.

Miraculously, the stunning edifice survived the bombings of a world war, and it is no wonder that Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed his staff each morning with the pensive question; “Is Saint Paul’s still standing? Brân’s head was buried beneath the spot where the Tower now stands, facing France as a talisman against further foreign invaders. The night sky also includes an outline of a man with a wounded thigh, which sounds very much like the Fisher King. There's enough social history to ground the work, and an interesting appendix detailing notable areas, such as Barnes Common (setting for the first sighting of Spring-Heeled Jack) or Highgate Cemetery (home to the Highgate Vampire in the 1970s). This volume reveals its hidden history, from the Elizabethan necromancer John Dee to Madame Blavatsky, from the occult designs of Wren and Hawksmoor to the notorious Aleister Crowley.

You get to see parts of London that most other tours never mention or explore which is exactly what I was looking for after paying for boring, stale, and cookie cutter tours far too many times. London’s cemeteries are home to ghosts and spirits, along with imposing monuments, tombs and the invading wildlife and plants. This was a wonderful tour that I would highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Jack the Ripper. Read more about the condition New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. Elsewhere we meet figures such as Spring-Heeled Jack and the Highgate Vampyre, and occult organizations from the Invisible College to the Golden Dawn.

The Romans were especially threatened by the Druids, who, according to Caesar, were involved in divine worship and human sacrifice, including the burning of prisoners, or even innocents, in ‘wicker men’. In 1917, during World War I, a bomb from a German air raid landed near the obelisk, but, inexplicably, produced no real damage. Valerie was very nice, helpful, on time and had a ton of knowledge on the Beatles and the sites we visited. The architects of the Restoration, including Wren and in particular Nicholas Hawksmoor, have been studied for the underlying principles in their designs which are believed to derive from the Cabbala and the "sacred measurements" of the biblical Temple, with Wren's pupil Hawksmoor suspected of incorporating a mesh of occult symbolism into his churches.She found us in a crowd of people and took us to a number of places, some of which we thought might be closed due to a bank holiday (but that she knew were actually open). Valery is an expert London tour guide, actor, and creative prankster that assisted (very astutely I should add) in the planning and execution of my wife’s 50th birthday in London.