Three Talks on Witchcraft

This mini-summit is a focused morning of deep-dive talks and group Q&A, designed to explore ideas in greater depth.

Have you ever wondered how witchcraft has been understood across history? How spiritualism blurred the line between magic and religion? Or how modern witches are finding community and identity in the digital age?

We’ll explore these ideas through three talks:

Spiritualism and Witchcraft

Trace the long relationship between witchcraft and spiritualism, from the biblical Witch of Endor to the rise of Victorian Spiritualism. Discover how séances, mediums and ghostly encounters blurred the line between religion and magic – and how these traditions continue to shape modern witchcraft and spiritual practice today.

Generation Magic: The Quest for Community and Identity in the Digital Age

Explore the return of folklore, witchcraft, and romantic myth in contemporary culture, from manifestation and tarot to the cottagecore aesthetic. Discover how a new generation is turning to magic not as escapism, but as a way to reclaim identity, resist disenchantment, and build community in an uncertain digital age.

The final talk topic will be announced soon.

What to Expect:

🧠 Three 45-minute talks that go in-depth on their niches

🗣️ An interactive Q&A with all speakers

🎨 A focused morning of insight and practical takeaways for creative and curious minds

👭 Connect and learn with likeminded individuals

Doors open at 9:30am, talk starts at 10:00am - come down early to grab a good seat!

Follow us on IG @seedtalks

Speaker Bios:

Dr Julia Phillips is an Honorary Senior Research Associate and lecturer at the University of Bristol. She received her PhD for her research examining how witches and witchcraft were featured in newspapers in Victorian Britain. Her work has been published in books, academic journals and popular magazines, and she is a regular presenter at conferences and events. Her primary research interests are the study of witchcraft in the 19th century and the development of modern Pagan Witchcraft in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Dr Jessica Lloyd May is a historian and folklorist, who specialises in contemporary and historical expressions of community, identity, and ritual. Her work explores the ways traditions, from folklore customs to witchcraft and romantic myth, intersect with contemporary culture. She holds a PhD in history from the University of Nottingham and has been published in Český Lid Journal, The Conversation, and The Feminine Macabre, and presented her research internationally. She is also the director of a tabletop gaming company, Spectre Miniatures, which has led her contributing to a recent AHRC IAA project looking at the gamification of archive materials as learning aids.

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