Running Schedule*
*Please note that speakers and topics can be subject to change.
9.30am - Doors open.
9:45 - Opening Address.
"Practical workshops - Soxhlet Extraction of Herbs and a Fast Spagyric"
Throughout the day will be two practical demonstrations of alchemy processes. Sian Sibley will be demonstrating the use of a soxhlet extractor, which is a very easy piece of lab equipment to use in order to create your own herbal tincture. Benjamin Turale will be demonstrating the volatisation of Sal Ammoniac, a mineral salt special to alchemy, in the eventual creation later in the day of a unique 17th century spagyric formula.
10am - 10:50 Sorita D'Este:
"At the Crossroads: Hermes and Hekate"
From antiquity to the modern day, the mischievous trickster God Hermes can always be found somewhere near the centre of the Mysteries and Magic. The multi-faced and multi-formed Goddess Hekate, whose cult has had an incredible resurgence in the 21st century is likewise found, albeit sometimes slightly hidden in the same traditions. Both Hermes and Hekate were worshipped at crossroads, they both held essential roles in the mystery cult of Demeter at Eleusis (and elsewhere), they share the ability to traverse the different realms – between heaven and earth, between the living and the dead. This presentation will explore the symbols, magic and connection between these two deities, and consider what we can learn from that for our magic today
11am-11:50 - Dr. Robert Anderson Plimer:
"On Engaging Thoth and Sheshat."
Using a selection of hieroglyphic evidence, Bob will discuss how student practitioners who were initiated in the Egyptian ‘house of life’ (per-ankh) were then trained in both the theoretical and practical art of magick. The function and the methods employed were themselves closely related to the invocation of the gods Thoth and Seshat. Bob will also be speaking more broadly on ancient Egyptian alchemy and the alchemist Zosimos.
12 - 1pm - 1 hr lunch
1pm-1:50 - Dr. Mervat Abdel Nasser:
"New Hermopolis: A Social Alchemy Project"
New Hermopolis is an individual social enterprise that aims to bring ancient hermetic philosophy of alchemy into practice to foster personal and social transformation. It is an integrated model of development combining green farming, eco-tourism, and education in arts, culture, and heritage. It is situated within walking distance from its ancient counterpart in the governorate of Minia - middle Egypt, 320 KM from the city of Cairo.
2pm - 2:50 - Sian Sibley:
"Of Animism and Alchemy: Plants as Deity."
Why does alchemy appear monotheistic when the majority of its developmental and magical work is based on the purification of plants and using that essence to purify the soul of the human? What is the human soul and where does the anthropocentric idea, that the human soul is higher than the plant, come from? Why do we believe that? And why is it important that alchemists and magical workers from all aspects now come together as an ecological force and change the way that we think of ourselves in relation to the “other” humans on the planet.
2:50 - 3:10 - Break
3:10pm - 4:00 - Benjamin Turale:
"Why Antimony? An Exploration of the Black Dragon."
This talk is an attempt to address a question many have who are not familiar with mineral alchemy - what is so great about antimony and why do alchemists always talk about it? In this lecture, Benjamin will be giving an overview of some of the uses of antimony in alchemy since ancient Egypt. The talk will feature images taken from the presenter's own work in the lab and the athanor, as well as some discussion of modern approaches to the use of antimony in the Philosopher's Stone.
4pm - 5pm Speaker panel and door prizes.
All speakers will take the stage to field questions from the audience. This is a chance for conference attendees to ask the presenters any questions - although strictly no questions about immortality, as requests for elixirs of life are often refused!
Jokes aside, this is also where some very lovely door prizes will be given out to attendees that have been kindly donated by the speakers, including but not limited to books, elixirs and other occult objects of art.
5pm - 6pm Free Entry for the General Public to Vendors and networking.
At this stage the conference is open to the general public free of charge to browse our many wonderful stalls. This year we will have stalls from:
- Black Lodge Publishing, publishers of many fine Hermetic books.
- Avalonia Books, Glastonbury based publisher of a wide range of occult books.
- The Temple of Mercury, confector of alchemical products including Oil of Gold.
- Dr. Mervat Nassar, Founder and author of The Path to the New Hermopolis. Egyptian Blue Lotus oil will be on sale.
6pm - Close.