Tarosvan. The Cornwall Festival of Ghost Stories.

Lawrence and Emily's Socials and the Tarosvan Ghost Story Festival Information

Tarosvan-https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584255172642

Launceston Ghost Tours- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578230747478

Black Cat Books & Tarot Card Giveaway                https://www.blackcatbooksltd.co.uk/            https://www.instagram.com/p/DUs6yFtjKRv/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DUELJgqjBAa/

Local Covens/Sister Circles Ros an Bucca, Coven. Applicants are welcome to introduce themselves via email at: kordbucca@proton.me. Visit www.gemmagary.co.uk for more information. 

Coven of the Sacred Grove                       https://www.thecunninggrove.co.uk/contact-us https://www.instagram.com/p/DTpcfN9DRFv/

Serin Dipity Women's Circles Email serindipityhealing@outlook.com

Witchy Events  

The Cunning Grove, Plymouth.
Saturday mornings. Witch & brew.                                                                              Wednesday Witch & Sitch. Weekly Crochet, knitting and Witchcraft session https://www.instagram.com/thecunninggrove/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/THECUNNINGGROVE/ https://www.thecunninggrove.co.uk

Transcript

SPEAKER_11 0:40

Hello and welcome to the Cornish Witch podcast. I'm your host, Freya, a witch who lives in Cornwall but who isn't a born and bred Cornish maid. There is no specific guest for today's episode. Instead, it's a collection of recordings that I took over the weekend where Tarosvan was held. If you've been listening to my previous episodes, you might remember that I've been mentioning in the Witch Weekly events the festival of Tarosvan, which was held over the 27th and 29th of March. Tarosvan is the Cornish word for ghost or phantom, and the Tarosvan Festival, which was the first of its kind held in Launston, was a festival of ghost stories. It has been created and run by Emily, who runs Black Cat Books, and Lawrence, who runs the Ghost Tours in Launston. They also featured on my episode The Dark House, which was a Christmas special. If you remember my episode back in October last year called Witch Festival, this episode is going to be quite a similar structure to that one. But rather than me interviewing lots of different people for mini interviews, it's going to be more of you listening to what recordings I've captured from the events over the weekend. So a little bit like a documentary style episode. You will hear me narrate a couple of things now and then throughout the episode. And there will be a couple of short interviews asking people how they're finding the event, if they're enjoying it, that sort of thing. But yeah, this is something a little bit different compared to sort of my usual, the usual episodes that I have on here. Let me know what you think of it. If you like it and you'd like to see more episodes like this, and you'd like to see me cover more live events and festivals, then please leave a comment. And if you don't like it and you just want to say, Freya, stick with what you know. It's rubbish. I won't take offense. I won't waffle on any further. I shall let you get into the episode and you hope you enjoy Emily Lawrence. Welcome back to the Corderswitch podcast.

SPEAKER_12 2:59

Thank you so much for having us back.

SPEAKER_11 3:01

Great to be back again. Well, we're kicking things off this weekend with the first Taros Van festival, which is very exciting. So can we talk about it a little bit and explain to our listeners what it's all about and what they can expect if they come along, especially when it's on again in October?

SPEAKER_12 3:22

Yes, indeed, yeah. So um, this is the inaugural Taros Van. Um, I'll say a little bit about it and then Lawrence can say a little bit about it. So essentially, this was sort of Lawrence's brainchild, to be honest, um came along and said to me last autumn, do you know what would be a really good idea? Because Launchdon is the haunted capital of Cornwall. It would just be such a great idea to celebrate that and to share it and to get people to realise the heritage of what they have under their feet. Don't you think, Lawrence?

SPEAKER_07 3:52

Yeah, um, I am guilty of engaging in flights of fancy and suddenly getting ideas which always all of the ideas always seem brilliant to me. Of course, 85% of them are anything but brilliant. But this particular idea uh I found receptive ears when I um when I suggested it to Emily. Yeah, we kind of just picked it up and ran with it straight away. So, what is it that makes Lawnston the haunted capital of Cornwall? Partly because I created that slogan myself. Is the uh is the is the you know the true factual answer. But no, so uh Lawnston was the capital of Cornwall right through until the 19th century when it first uh it came first Bodman, then Trooro heading west. And I just like the idea, riffing on that, that it's the haunted capital of Cornwall, just purely because there's so many ghost stories here and so many haunted uh dwellings, so many haunted buildings.

SPEAKER_11 4:54

Yeah, I remember when we were doing our episode in The Dark House, which is the South Gate Arch, and we were talking about how haunted that place was and the experiences that we had recording there. So, what can what sort of events or how many events can we expect to happen over this weekend that people have got tickets to and what they're going to see and experience?

SPEAKER_12 5:17

So we're actually kicking off tonight. So today's Friday. The first event tonight is a special ghost walk because Lawrence is the ghost man. Um so special ghost walk around the town. It's actually looking like a lovely night, and that will finish up in the bell. And then tomorrow we have got paranormal author Martin J. Best. So we have an author event with him right here in the shop. Um and then in the evening we've got kind of our main event, which is a live ghost hunt in the White Heart Hotel, which I have heard has a lot of activity on a regular basis. Um, and that's um starting at 7:30, you get meal and everything, and we have professional paranormal investigators along as well. And that goes right through till 2 a.m. So, you know, that's gonna be absolutely fantastic. And then on the Sunday, we have we've got the kind of upstairs room in the bell, and um, we have got some talks there. So we've got the artist Ethan Pennell, who's gonna talk about um Ghosts on Darkmouth, Dartmoor, and we have Karine Bezant who heads up the paranormal investigation team for the Jamaica Inn. She's gonna do a talk about the Jamaica Inn. And we're finishing off on the Sunday evening with an evening of mediumship with um medium Claire Hinks. I'm really excited.

SPEAKER_11 6:28

Sounds absolutely incredible. We will get to the ghost hunt tomorrow in a second. Lawrence, what can people expect from your ghost tour around Lawnston?

SPEAKER_07 6:38

Disappointment. Stop it. Uh no, so we'll we we kick off at seven o'clock in the town square. We're gonna walk past amongst other places. Uh it's a sweet shop now, like in a couple of American candy store, but it was up until the end of the 19th century, the London Inn, this tiny alleyway uh closed to traffic during the day, was the original A30, and uh and the London Inn there was uh was a coaching inn for the London to Land's End route. And although it's uh yes, say it's a sweet shop now, it's very modern inside its decor and furnishings, the actual fabric of the building dates back hundreds and hundreds of years to the medieval period. And the lady who uh owns the place uh she sees and hears things all the time. So we're walking past there and showing people what they can uh what happens in there, uh, onto the churchyard of St. Mary Magdalene, and we're telling a few ghost stories, a few places where you know it's said to be haunted, things are said to occur, and one or two ghost stories that um are said to be true and which have a connection. Uh so for instance, the churchyard. There's a wonderful famous ghost story involving the old rector of the church in the 17th century, and we go to Castle Grounds, there's another story from the 18th century of a man who was hanged there for murder after his ghost allegedly came back and uh gave testimony against him. Very interesting. And where does the ghost tour finish? So we're gonna finish um this time at the Bell In, which is the oldest pub in Launston. And the back room, we're gonna be sat by the fire, and the back room itself is haunted, and so uh a perfect place to sit down, have a beer, a little relax, and hopefully hear uh some of the guests' own experiences.

SPEAKER_11 8:28

That sounds very exciting. So, what are your personal experiences um of ghosts within Lawnston Town? Do you have any personal ghost stories or any experiences that you know have made you made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck?

SPEAKER_07 8:47

Yeah, during the ghost uh walks, in fact. So we've been running the ghost walks since the summer, and um a really interesting day was the it was the last day of August, uh the last Thursday of August, and we went up into the dark house, into the South Gate Arch, and we got the dowsing Rodzam, and we made contact with a ghost of a pickpocket called Dick. Afterwards, one of the ladies on the tour told me that while I was stood with my back to the window, uh she saw the ghost, which we presume is Dick, a man in sort of um old dress, she thought perhaps Tudor dress, sat down on the window ledge, head in his hand, as if he was listening to uh the story and being interested himself. I then went into the White Heart Hotel, and a few things have happened there, but during Halloween, something really interesting happened, and it involved balloons. So I was sat there and I sit down and let people go and explore by themselves and see what they can see. And I was noticing there were balloons blown up in the ballroom, and just one was moving, and it started like it's like padding towards me, and uh it came up sort of on the end with um you know the bit where you you blow your air into and then not, it sat up on that, and I was watching and I was thinking that's interesting, and then it fell down, and then afterwards one of the guests came back and and she said to me, She said, Oh, you know, this was really interesting. I saw this, I heard this, and I said, Yes, and when you did, I saw this balloing in a really odd way. I said, and I would have said it was just the breeze, but for the fact that none of the other balloons did the same, and I pointed it out to her, and as we sat there looking, it's exactly the same thing. It sat up slowly on its end and then padded, I'd say three times towards us before giving up the ghost.

SPEAKER_11 10:38

Before giving up the ghost. Emily, what about you? Have you had any personal ghost experiences in Launston?

SPEAKER_12 10:46

Here in Launston, no, but I have had quite a few spooky experiences. They're quite long stories though, but I've spent a good part of my childhood in a haunted house um on the edge of Dartmoor. And um, I also had a really spooky experience in Bodman Jail, and I was doing a ghost hunt there. So, yes, I have had stuff happen. Nothing in Launston as yet, but the weekend is young.

SPEAKER_11 11:07

Yes, we've got time. There is time. So, what is um what is the thing that you are both, which event are you both most looking forward to or are you really excited about this weekend, Emily?

SPEAKER_12 11:19

I've do you know what? I'm looking forward to all of it, but I just think because of the nature of the event, I'm really looking forward to the live ghost hunt.

SPEAKER_11 11:27

I have, yeah, me too. Lawrence, what are you looking forward to the most this weekend?

SPEAKER_07 11:31

Likewise, the live ghost hunt stands up. Um, do you know it was funny because when we first talked about this, we wanted some sort of headline event. And but I was thinking something along the lines of maybe, you know, a theatrical show of some kind, you know, some sort of kind of event like this. And Emily said, wouldn't it be great if we did an overnight ghost hunt in one of the haunted hotels in town? And from the moment she said that, I was just one, and yeah, I can't wait for this to happen.

SPEAKER_11 12:00

And the White Heart has been very collaborative with both of you um in running this ghost hunt. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm gonna be around all weekend podcasting for you guys, picking up bits and pieces here and there. What would you recommend for people who are perhaps in Launchdon this weekend? Um, if there are any tickets left for things.

SPEAKER_12 12:21

We are we are all sold out for this weekend, which is really exciting. Sorry if you've missed out. I've literally just had a call from someone who wanted to book onto an event that sold out. But the good news is you don't have to wait long because we are planning the second tarot van for October for spooky season. So get in there quick because we will start dropping events as soon as we have them nailed down and booked, and we will be putting those on socials. My advice would be to book because you don't want to miss out again.

SPEAKER_10 12:51

Absolutely. Is there anything that you can share for October?

SPEAKER_11 12:56

Any little any little hints or anything that you're allowed to disclose, or is it all a little bit top secret undercover at the moment?

SPEAKER_07 13:04

There is something. There is something that I think we can share. The the greatest poet laureate the nation never had, Charles Causley, is from Lawnston. And uh and he lived here all his life, and his home, which is open to the public, is um is known to be haunted. In fact, Charles wrote about ghosts when he lived there, and so I know we'll be doing something with the Charles Causley Trust, uh, getting into a partnership with them, and we'll be doing something there. I don't know what yet, but I have a feeling it'll be a ghost hunt. And then there's one or two other things that we are gonna put on, and I know I know that we really, really, really want to put on a theatrical performance of an old gothic horror like Jacob and Hyde or Dracula, a bit of music, some sound effects. I know we've been looking into this and we're really keen on putting this on.

SPEAKER_11 13:58

That sounds excellent. And I've just had an idea in mind, depending on when you hold it during spooky season, to have a big party at the end. That would be a must ball. Yes, yes. Oh my god, yes! That would be wonderful. So I think people would be very interested in that. Yeah, and that tickets would definitely sell for that for a mast ball. Like a Halloween-themed mast ball.

SPEAKER_10 14:21

And it does have a ballroom. Haunted. And it's haunted. Lots of ghosts.

SPEAKER_12 14:26

Oh my gosh, yeah. Okay, so the message is if you missed out this time, you need to come to Tarrans Van in October because it's gonna be banging.

SPEAKER_11 14:34

Literally, they're gonna be banging on the walls. What would you so I'm gonna be, as I said, around trying to get as many little bits and pieces and interviews as I can this weekend. What would you recommend I should I should be running over to or running running across town to to try and grab a quick interview or a quick sound bite with somebody?

SPEAKER_07 14:53

Well, I know that Karine Bezant, who heads up the Jamaica in Paranormal Investigation team, is an absolutely wonderful recon tour. She has got thousands of stories stored in her head and she tells them well. So you definitely want to speak with her.

SPEAKER_12 15:08

Excellent. I think also could pop in the white heart because loads of the staff members have cool stories to tell. I mean, people love, as Lawrence will tell you, people love to share their ghost stories.

SPEAKER_11 15:20

Emily Lawrence, I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Congratulations. And yeah, um, break a leg for this weekend is gonna be a real success. It's it's a little bit chilly tonight, but do you think it's adding to the atmosphere here?

SPEAKER_12 15:38

Let's go with yes.

SPEAKER_11 15:44

Lawrence looks resplendent in all of this ghost tour finery, this top hat cane and coat.

SPEAKER_13 15:49

This is normal clothing. I don't know what you're on about. So where are we where are we heading to now?

SPEAKER_11 16:00

Where genuinely don't know. Oh, I think we're going to the churchyard. Yeah, we're on just on church street, and we're just stopping outside one of the old old shops in Church Street.

SPEAKER_12 16:12

Here about Fizzy Woo now, which I think Lawrence has mentioned before is super haunted. Used to be a pub.

SPEAKER_07 16:20

Ah, excellent. So Fizzy Wizzy Woo, I'm in candy store. But back in the day, the London Inn, believe it or not, this week you're standing home now was the original London to land or part of original London to land's end highway.

SPEAKER_13 16:42

This is the original at the time of eight marsh.

SPEAKER_07 16:51

And this was the one that did. In fact, it was funded in from the 17th century right through to the end of the 19th century. One thing that isn't anymore, it's a spiral staircase, and yet Kimbroke, the lady who owns the shop, here's the footsteps go up and down where the staircase disappears almost on a daily basis. All of the ladies of the night for in those days, and in often doubles as a bottle. She also seems an elder man with a beard smoking at a pipe, she smells at the back. Finally, she also hears coming from the back horses' rooms and mailing. Because of course, at the back is where the stable should break, where it's cultured in. In that building there, the buildings on either side are newer. Uh so originally it took off all through blocks. Its tower dates to the 14th century, which is when it was built by Edward the Black Prince. Yet the rest of the church is 200 years younger. The town of Lawston had to wait two more centuries before the job was actually completed. And when it was, it was the work of one Sir Henry Tricarel. Now, Sir Henry was building a mansion for his family about five miles from here. And if you look at the exterior of the church, these wonderfully carved granite blocks, it had actually been carved for that mansion. But then tragedy struck. Sir Henry's five-year-old son drowned in the bath. And he was so distraught that, well, he didn't give up on life, but he certainly gave up on his dreams of a fine family home. And donated all the stonework and all the carvings in the time to build the church. It's grade one listed. It's described by Pevsner as one of the finest churches in the whole of Britain. Those carvings should say, I mean, isn't another church in the whole of Britain? Carvings right there. Now there are a number of superstitions attached to this graveyard and the churchyard, I shouldn't say the most famous involves the statue that Mary Magdalene herself lying on the uh the back of the wall there. It said that if you stand here, cast the stone behind your back and if it lands on Mary's back, it'll get good look. Specifically, if you suit his clothes for men and if you're a student of school age, you'll get good look in your exams. So my beautiful assistant here has some stones in this course. Anyone who wants to take a look apart and have a go. Welcome to dinner, okay. I mean, I mean, and you'll notice that the windows are protected by grill.

SPEAKER_08 20:02

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_11 20:13

And the uh traditional superstition is that if you stand with your back to Mary Magdalene and you throw a stone over her shoulder, which is throw a stone over your shoulder, sorry, which many people are doing right now, uh, if it lands on her back, then you should be getting some good luck. And it is uh sh seems to be quite a little bit of fun. Uh I don't think I'm gonna try my luck, Emily. Thank you. Yeah, I'm not gonna try my luck this evening.

SPEAKER_13 20:44

I'm gonna have a trying. I think you should, yes.

SPEAKER_10 20:58

It's a good bit of entertainment though.

SPEAKER_13 21:10

Oh close.

SPEAKER_11 21:20

Do you have to be standing from a certain distance, or is it just you just try your light anywhere? Or is it try the light? Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_06 21:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 21:39

Yeah, well genuinely.

SPEAKER_04 21:45

Come on, you can do this.

SPEAKER_08 21:50

Just throw the whole thing, you'll get one. Yeah, I'll get back. I I'll okay.

SPEAKER_10 22:00

Right. No. Oh, the pressure. The pressure to get the stone.

SPEAKER_13 22:15

Oh, did it pull? Oh. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_07 22:27

I won't ask for any audience participation. But what I will ask if anyone suffers from a stiff neck? Well, if you come here on the morning of the first, second, or third of May, and you walk to the gravestone of the person of the opposite sex who is last buried here, run your finger across the Jew from the top of the grave to down to the bottom. Rub it on your the afflicted part of your neck, and that should make it better. In the meantime, pray next to it or otherwise to the top of the uh canopy of ew trees. It said that something lives there, something which is old, something which is dark, something which is and should never be.

SPEAKER_08 23:17

Andrew Andrew. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 23:20

Underneath the ewes are a number of broken gravestones. An old man called Kevin Wadland told me that on Midsummer's Eve they're seen to dance in a circle. The stones come to life and dance in a circle. And finally, the churchyard is home to something called Kergram. At this stage, I like to ask people who have any questions. What is the Kerr? It's a great question. A kirgram exists only in East Cornish folklore. It's not talked about anywhere else. And in fact, it's believed to be unique to this very churchyard. What it is, is a type of ghoul that preys on the flesh and bones of the living and the dead. So with that in mind, won't linger any longer.

SPEAKER_05 24:10

Follow me.

SPEAKER_07 24:12

What we will see there you go is some slippy, some slippy old stone stuff in my brain. Please just be careful as you weren't following me, okay?

SPEAKER_11 24:21

It's quite creepy walking through a canopy of yew trees in the dark with a load of headstones either side of me. What's your name? Robbie. Robbie, how are you finding the ghost tour this evening? I find it very interesting. And whereabout do you live in Cornwall?

SPEAKER_04 24:40

Cunnington.

SPEAKER_11 24:41

Oh, so you're not too far? No. What have you found um most interesting about the tour this evening?

SPEAKER_04 24:47

The way Daddy's portrayed himself.

SPEAKER_11 24:49

Yeah, Lawrence is very good.

SPEAKER_04 24:51

What's his name? Lawrence. Where I come from, let me call that Laddie. So his name's Laddie. Yeah. It's quite interesting.

SPEAKER_13 24:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:59

And tonight I have something else on. So I thought I I do like singing in a church. So I thought I'll give it a miss. So I've come here tonight. I've really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_11 25:08

Well, I'm really glad that you've enjoyed it. Thank you for watching. How have you been enjoying the ghost tour this evening so far?

SPEAKER_06 25:14

Yeah, it's been it's been interesting actually. I'm I'm glad it's dark now, though. I was a bit worried when it was daylight at at seven.

SPEAKER_11 25:21

Certainly adds a little bit more to the atmosphere. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 25:24

But the church's good and and and the church graveyard, that was interesting. That's the story's there.

SPEAKER_11 25:30

But did you uh did your stone land on the statue of Mary Magdalene?

SPEAKER_06 25:36

No. Neither did mine. No, I don't know how I don't think I got close at all actually, but I didn't mind. The closest I'll be to getting stone tonight, I think. Sorry, I'm not allowed to say that.

SPEAKER_13 25:51

It's okay, it's a safe space. What's your name? Julie. Julie.

SPEAKER_11 26:04

Or Raven. Julie. Ah, your wicked name is Raven, lovely. And how are you finding this evening's tour? I love it. I love anything like this. I love vigils, all of it. What has been your favourite uh spot on the tour so far? Here.

SPEAKER_08 26:17

Yeah, I love I love anything that's really, really old. Anything to do with witch trials, anything like that. I love it. Absolutely love it.

SPEAKER_11 26:26

And can you s have you been able to sense anything or have you felt some sort of energy well throughout the whole tour this evening?

SPEAKER_08 26:33

No, no. No, I haven't. I sort of usually have to be on my own somewhere and just sit and concentrate, meditate a bit. That's fair enough. Because sometimes we can all bring a lot of energy.

SPEAKER_13 26:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 26:43

And and the thing is it's all interfering. Uh now I went to Woodchester Mansion, that was a different thing. Um, something had me by the throat in there. So uh scary. I'm not a full media, I'm what you call a sensitive. Yeah. So I sense things and I things happen, I can't control it. I've done lots of training, but yeah, I seem to see things, smell things, don't usually hear things. Children, they like me, and animals like me, seem to like me. So yeah, I seem to have a lot of weird stuff like that. Well, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_11 27:20

So that was the clips from the ghost walk that Lawrence did in the evening. It was absolutely freezing, uh, as you could probably tell when you would hear me speak. But like I said, it just added to the whole spookiness of the evening as well. Lawrence will be doing more ghost tours uh throughout the summer in Launston. So if it's something that you would like to experience and you'd like to book on, I shall link his details uh in the show notes and you can just check for updates for when he is um going to start running those tours again in the summer months. And I would really recommend going on them because they are quite a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_12 28:06

Well, thank you everybody for coming along. So, this is our second event for the inaugural Tarasvan Festival of Ghost Stories. In case you don't know, Tarzan is Cornish for Phantom. So, Martin, on your website you are billed as a paranormal fantasy author, correct? Is that how you kind of sum yourself up?

SPEAKER_00 28:27

Yes, it's fairly difficult to pin the books down to a specific genre. I would call them supernatural thrillers with a dark fantasy element.

SPEAKER_12 28:38

Although other people call them hard fantasy and urban fantasy, even psychic thrillers, but yeah, they're yeah, there's paranormal fantasy kind of people tend to immediately go for Dennis Wheatley and that kind of thing, but you're a little bit different from that, I think, looking at your work.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Yeah, they're they're very much uh a grounded paranormal story. They're I like them to be uh believable, let's put it that way.

SPEAKER_12 29:05

I think I said to you when you first got here, um, because I've read some bits of as many of your books as I could, and I've read around your books as well and read about you quite a lot. And it's it does feel almost like I'm reading a Danny Robbins podcast, sort of the uncanny. They very much come across as very real. I'm looking at Freya because Freya is a big fan of Danny Robbins. And um, yeah, I think they very much come across as something to do with that. Just for people who do not know, you are the author of the Ghost Hunter series, aren't you? Can you give us a little bit of an outline of those of the series? And then I know you've got another series that you're on as well, haven't you?

SPEAKER_00 29:43

Yep. Uh there's the complete uh series which are now called the Malachi Hunter stories. They were originally called the Ghost Hunter series.

SPEAKER_12 29:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

But so they've last year I I republished them as the Malachi Hunter stories and revamped them quite dramatically.

SPEAKER_13 30:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:02

Um, they follow the main character, Malachi Hunter, who starts as a solo paranormal investigator, and throughout the course of the series, he builds a paranormal investigating team and investigates the various hauntings. The fantasy element is provided mostly through Celtic mythology and folkloric influences without giving too much of the plots away. Yeah, so it's it's a very grounded series. Uh it's been described as a a slice of life sort of series. There's uh real-world issues which impinge on the supernatural elements as well.

SPEAKER_12 30:47

You're doing very well at not giving the game up.

SPEAKER_00 30:49

Yeah, it's it's difficult not to say too much because obviously I want you to read them.

SPEAKER_12 30:54

So um I'm gonna actually ask you to tell us some of your because I know that some of your personal ghost stories do appear in here in various guises. But uh before I ask you to spin us some yarns, there is a lot of Celtic mythology and folklore actually woven through your books. Have you always had a love of that kind of thing?

SPEAKER_00 31:15

Yes, yeah, very much so.

SPEAKER_12 31:18

Raised with folkloric traditions.

SPEAKER_00 31:20

I suppose my interest in it probably started quite a young age reading Alan Garner's books, The With Connor Brasingerman and uh the Moon of Gomrath. Alan Garner set both of those stories in his local area, and he drew on a lot of Celtic folklore and he used uh quite a bit of Irish folklore and and used it to his own advantage in the stories and mixed it up quite a lot as well. And I I've sort of followed in that tradition, but using mostly Celtic folklore.

SPEAKER_12 31:56

Is it too much of a spoiler to ask you some of the folklore that you've used?

SPEAKER_00 32:00

I'd use mostly the uh the more well-known Celtic gods, um um elements such as the Summerlands, the uh kind of the Celtic heaven, if you like. And in the book that I'm currently writing, the third Carolyn Hunter story, I'm also using Dubnos, which is the Celtic underworld, that comes into it as well. Yeah, I'm quite quite involved with the the Celtic sort of mystical side, if you like.

SPEAKER_12 32:32

Bacial books in South Devon.

SPEAKER_00 32:34

I do, yes.

SPEAKER_12 32:35

Yeah, so that's where you're from, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 32:37

Yeah, the bulk of the the stories are in and around Torquay, which is my hometown.

SPEAKER_12 32:41

Yeah, but think you might move beyond.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Well, some of the the story does go beyond. There's some of it set in Kent. One of the books pariahs, a lot of the actions in Pluckley, which is uh most haunted village in in England. So, yes, there there are different locations.

SPEAKER_12 33:00

Well, this being a festival of ghost stories, tell us some of your ghost stories because I know you've had some ghostly experiences.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

Uh well, the the house I grew up in was haunted, which it was quite a strange old place. My parents bought it from a a very elderly lady in the early 1960s, and she was a practicing spiritualist. She held seances in the house on her own. Oh lady. She was quite eccentric to say the least. I mean, I did I never met her, but my parents had told me about her. She kept small dogs of some breed, I don't know specifically what, as pets. And as they had passed away, so she had them stuffed and mounted and kept them in a glass cabinet in the front room. Which perhaps sets the scene.

SPEAKER_10 34:02

Did you see any of these?

SPEAKER_00 34:03

I didn't, but my my parents and my sister did.

SPEAKER_12 34:06

So what happened to them after she died?

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Well, she would have taken them with her because she she didn't pass away until after she she'd left the house. She would have taken all this with her, yeah. At least two or three, yeah. Yeah, but I think that perhaps gives you a picture of what what she was like.

SPEAKER_12 34:29

Right, so go on then. Do tell.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

But she she passed away um two or three years after my parents bought the house, which would have, as I say, in the early 60s. I was born 1965. My earliest memories of the house was it never quite felt empty. There was always a feeling of being watched, which if you want the technical term is scopesthesia, things would move, things wouldn't be where you left them. I can clearly remember, excuse me, I've got a bit of a frog. Yeah, I'm in a moment. I can clearly remember many occasions coming back after a family housing, my mother being convinced that someone had been in the house while we'd been out, because things wouldn't be as she had left them.

SPEAKER_10 35:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

Excuse me. As Lawrence has heard before, there were two memorable occasions for me as a child, and I would have been around 10 or 11 years old. One of which was cycling in the drive of the house, which went up the side of the house and past my bedroom window, and riding my bike up and down the drive. And as I passed my bedroom window, I could see a figure standing at the window watching me going past. And I thought this was a bit odd, and the only person in the house was my mother. And I thought, well, why would she be watching me? So in the end, I gave in to curiosity and went into the house to find her in the kitchen and asked her why she'd be in my bedroom and she hadn't.

SPEAKER_11 36:17

The next section that you're about to hear was from the main event of the festival, which was the ghost hunt that was held in the Whiteheart Hotel. Uh, the White Heart Hotel is famously haunted in Lawnston, and the ghost hunt was held overnight. So we were there from seven until about two o'clock in the morning uh in the ballroom. It was facilitated by Corinne and uh Lisa, who run the Jamaica in Paranormal team. So they brought their wealth of experience with them in how to communicate with the spirits, but also they brought a lot of uh gadgets and gizmos to help spirits connect with you know communicate with us to see temperature changes and temperature fluctuations. They bought lots of different um communication tools, um, including a Ouija board, and uh there was also a planchette um which had a pen in it, so you'd just the pet you'd put your hands on the planchette and then it would um move and the pen would write something on the paper that was underneath. What I will say about these clips is for some reason, and I don't know why, um they have not come out great. In fact, there's a lot of interference on these audio clips. Uh it's really strange. I was using the exact same recording equipment as I used with Lawrence on the Ghost Tour, um, the exact same recording equipment that I had used when Emily was interviewing Martin Best and the exact same equipment um for when I interviewed Emily and Lawrence. I'm sure there is a rational or logical explanation. Um, maybe it was all of the electrical equipment that was already in the room. I like to think it was ghosts, but yeah, there is a lot of interference and um distortion on the voices. So I don't have as many clips as I would like because it was just really, really difficult to salvage the recordings. Um, but I will play you what I was able to sort of save from it, and you will hear the interference in there as well. Um, but yeah, unfortunately, the ghosts just didn't want me recording that night. So they kind of sabotaged me. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. That's what I believe anyway. Um, so sorry for the quality. We can blame the spirits.

SPEAKER_13 38:50

It's yes and no answers, very easy.

SPEAKER_09 38:52

It's true for a person. Straight line for yes, straight line for yes, sorry. But it takes infusy ass over to get it going. Okay, it's a it's a thing of calling out fusing atoms, so calling through and spirits. Sometimes you get loved ones come through. But if you do say that it came to you not to talk to you, you take your finger off so you're not influencing the answers. Because subconsciously we do have a shit saying as a weaker. So what I normally say when spirits here go forward straight line, yes, so it comes through now, and you have to keep repeating that bit because obviously spirits were no, but you have to keep saying it. So calling out the spirits of uh the white heart, we ask you to draw core around this table.

SPEAKER_13 39:46

We have a wooden box here or wooden piece of wood.

SPEAKER_09 39:52

A wooden piece of wood that can move in a straight line or a circle for yes and no answers. So we ask that you use the energy of those around this table and push the blonde chair in a straight line to yes and circle. No. If there's someone around this table, you have a message for like them to talk.

SPEAKER_13 40:16

Push the blonde chair to the person that you want to converse with.

SPEAKER_09 40:22

So that's how you do it, but you have to talk again and again. You know it's enthusiasm, but also it's enthusiasm subconsciously that everyone has paid.

SPEAKER_02 40:34

So you sit there. You can have energy. So hundreds of hundreds of times.

SPEAKER_13 40:43

But it was enthusiastic.

SPEAKER_02 40:45

And that's that's the secret of it.

SPEAKER_13 40:47

Because you never know what I'm gonna leave you in.

SPEAKER_09 40:50

I'll come back in a second to see how you get to know. Okay. If someone wants to start or take in two, just remember don't have long pauses.

SPEAKER_11 40:58

If there are any spirit here from the White Heart Hotel, um, please could you meet the parchette in a circle? If you're here but you're not from the White Heart Hotel, then please meet you a straight line.

SPEAKER_02 41:12

We are really eager to speak to you tonight. So anyone that wishes to speak to us, please say yes, which is in a circle motion, and we'd love to hear from you.

SPEAKER_13 41:29

Is there anybody there that would speak to us tonight? Elaine Leck Press. I think I saw earlier. Yeah, would you like to come and talk to us? We were very curious. We would love it if you would be able to put your energy in it and just move it. Just move the wood like you can do it. We don't need any harm. No. We are very grateful that you came and that you saw me. We are very grateful for your presence. We are very honored for you to show to us.

SPEAKER_02 42:28

So we just want if you would like to have a little conversation with you or maybe if you would like to tell us something.

SPEAKER_13 42:38

Anything is possible.

SPEAKER_02 42:45

And the lady in the black dress, were you the lady that was walking up and down? If you were, can you push this in a circular immersion? Yes. And if you weren't, can you go horizontal in a line or no?

SPEAKER_13 43:13

Yeah. If someone else is here with us, can you bring this horizontal to let us know that you are here? Thank you. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 43:31

Hello.

SPEAKER_13 43:32

Hello.

SPEAKER_02 43:33

It's lovely to talk to you tonight.

SPEAKER_13 43:39

Are you male? Thank you. Matt, you asked two questions straight away. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_10 43:51

So you you that she's actually yes, but you don't know if it's male or female male. Oh, okay. So you get so excited. Okay. Something comes through, you want to get on sorry. She started when she said on the floor. Yeah, she wears her outfit.

SPEAKER_13 44:15

Thanks so much. Bangless. Just bangless, thank you. Are you a mass woman? Would you come in with coming? Probably my deck. I guess. Can you just stop so we can ask another question? Thank you. Thank you. Are you from the eighteen hundreds? Are you from the sixteen hundreds? Did they have pentagram at that time? Were you persecuted for being a cunning woman? Our language is different. Yeah. Were you accused of witchcraft? That's it. Oh I am so sorry. The most annoying thing is they were false allegations because they wanted to land or they wanted to get back on someone, they thought planted them. Were you hung in Launchden? What was Launchdon have been called?

SPEAKER_09 46:04

So just remember to ask the spirit back do you know how personal that is? So we have to tiptoe and just say, Okay, did the authorities, did the the judge did you have a trial? So if you're trying to do words, okay, because over the years of doing this, people say, When did you die? I look back and say, Craig, that's a horrible question to ask someone.

SPEAKER_13 46:34

So we have to rethink how we speak, and that's really hard to do. So she was accused of witchcraft, got that. Were were was she brought in front of a judge? Can I ask? And I'm sorry if I offended you, can I ask? Were you Were you brought in front of a judge? Brought in front of a judge. Were you punished? Because someone would accuse and then they'd have to go to the authoritarian. Let me ask it this way. Were there consequences for you when you were accused of witchcraft? Yes, there were consequences. Thank you so much for answering.

SPEAKER_09 47:38

So if she was a local from here, we gotta think of the right words if you just um now asked because our language is too much now. Longstand these days had a lot of witchcraft going on, a lot of our witches, our witches coming out.

SPEAKER_13 47:57

Are you pleased with that? Do you think that we witches should stay in hiding a bit longer? So we have to thank James turning it into the answer.

SPEAKER_09 48:20

She's still got their belief which we're trying to general as well.

SPEAKER_10 48:25

We are we are safe now. It's safe for us to come out and practice our magic in the open.

SPEAKER_13 48:34

I'm so sorry that you went through a horrible time and you're still innocent.

SPEAKER_03 48:40

You can ask her that after she was accused Was she allowed to go back home?

SPEAKER_13 48:49

If it's no, then either she was jailed, locked, or could you please stand still for a second?

SPEAKER_02 48:59

Because we would like to have the Planchet being still and then ask a question.

SPEAKER_09 49:05

Thank you so much for making it still uh stop the movement.

SPEAKER_13 49:10

Um were you allowed to go back home after you were accused of witchcraft? Were you allowed to go back home?

SPEAKER_03 49:25

Remember, it's a straight line for no.

SPEAKER_09 49:28

Just a straight line for no.

SPEAKER_03 49:30

And a circle for yes.

SPEAKER_11 49:37

And that was the best clip that I could salvage and save from all of the clips that I had taken at the White Heart ghost hunt. The rest of the clips just sounded terrible. You can hear some of the interference and the voice distortion in that clip, but the rest of my clips were just unbearable to listen to, unfortunately. If there are any paranormal experts or paranormal teams out there that would like to listen to all of the clips that I got with all of that interference and distortion just to see if you can find anything in there or hear anything that I can't, then feel free to contact me and I will happily send them to you. Um, okay, so the last few clips you will hear of the festival will be the presentation or talk that was given by Corrine and Lisa the next day to about the paranormal team at the Jamaica Inn and the work that they do there. You will also hear a talk from Ethan Pennell, who was an artist and he created the Dartmoor folklore map, talking a little bit about the folklore of Dartmoor. And then we finally wrap things up at the end of the festival with a few clips from the medium Claire Hanks.

SPEAKER_09 50:45

So let's go on to ghost stories, because I could talk for ages. This is an old photo, probably 1930s, because the Jamaican had a lot of changes over the years. We were lucky enough to um see some plans, and it was fascinating how many more rooms there were than what you see now. So the man on the wall. This is a well-documented sighting, and like a lot of people in 1911, it's something people didn't really talk about with ghosts. And for locals that lived there, I think around that time there's probably about between 150 to 200 people in the hamlet, and you know the hamlet's called Borventer, but it was originally called Burrow Adventure, and that's what Captain World called it. So locals were going by their business, and they saw a man dressed in little fashion clothing on the wall. People went up to talk to him, he ignored them, and after quite a while, he just simply vanished. And that is our first paranormal sighting. Then, with our research, we've gone to the 1920s to 1949, nothing. Now I'm going to interview the great nephew of Bert Horrell, who was there in the 1930s, so maybe he might have some stories, who knows. But the next era that we start getting Paramount Reports is the 1950s when it was owned by Stanley Thomas. Now, it's the first time I've shown this picture publicly. It's the manager, Mr. Gross, and his second wife. I interviewed their daughter that was born there. Now, Mr. Gross was a prisoner of war. He was in the Grenadier Guards. His first wife dropped dead with a brain aneurysm, unfortunately. And like a lot of things in the 1950s, and today he got her pregnant, so he had to marry her. But it wasn't a happy marriage because he liked his drink. Now the lady's mother was the most fascinating one. She spoke that during the day the Jamaica Inn was this lovely, friendly, welcoming inn, but soon as night fell, she hated it. She said she felt as if everything was watching her. And it was the time of the first now paranormal port. So you know the snow when you come down, you've got the bar, you've got Mary's bar, and then you've got the little snug that go out to reception. Anyone in there? It's a tiny little part of the end of the fireplace. They were shut on an afternoon. Staff were working, and a man in a tricorn hat and a long green coat just walked through, walked out and out the door, and the staff were just like, Hey? Who's that? The other paranormal report, which seems to have gone now, and I wanted to kidnap her and take her home, was of a housekeeper or a maid. When people stayed there, they would wake up in the morning and their clothing would be neatly folded and left on the end of the bed. Now their daughter, her bedroom was the famous room five. And she said when she was about two or three, she didn't sleep very well in there. So they would put the family Alsatian into the room and she would sleep. Last couple of years, a lady woke up and she thought there, because she's got dogs, she thought there was a dog led across her at the bottom of the bed.

SPEAKER_13 54:48

I wonder if it's the Osatia. So one funny story from that time.

SPEAKER_09 55:00

Well, I love this. The daughter was about three, and in the 1950s, Daphne de Morrier was so famous, film stars, dinodors, um, and royalty would come to the Jamaica Inn. And one day, the Danish royal family turned up. So Mr. Bros was, you know, being very, very accommodating, and the two little princesses were there, very prim and proper. And the landlord's daughter had a dolly, and one of the princesses grabbed the donny off her. And I said, Well, what did you do? She said, I shoved her on her ass. She said, My father was mortified, but the parents laughed out loud. That reminded me back put my phone on point nade. I did apologize. The worst one for it, aren't I? But also there was a pet pig that used to whoop around the bar. And that is important of burnal history, is keeping those reports alive. So, next one, my darling. Now, this is it they called it the lounge, now it's the main bar. And I just love how it used to look. I mean, obviously, it's still old, but you imagine in those times, maybe you went there years ago. Yes.

SPEAKER_10 56:30

Yeah, maybe.

SPEAKER_09 56:32

And um it was absolutely wonderful.

SPEAKER_13 56:37

So, next one. Huh, nineteen seventies. I thought I was out sync then.

SPEAKER_09 56:50

So then the sixties I interviewed a lady that worked there in 1959 to 1969, not much was said. Again, people didn't really talk about ghosts as they do now. So, room six. When there was a lady I interviewed, it was her, she'd been married probably about a couple of months, and they didn't know anything about the Jamaican and decided to stay. And room six then had the old-fashioned latch that you opened and a Yale key. And you have to go down one step to get into it. And she said, I was fast asleep. I woke up, she said, early hours, she said, I don't know if it was one, two in the morning, she said, and I was freezing. My husband was asleep to the right of me. And she said, I could hear someone with playing on the couch trying to get in. And she said, Oh, I thought, oh, I don't know this. So she tried to wake her husband, typical husband, fast asleep, can have a bomb go off, they don't make. And she said, then she saw this black mist come from under the door and come up the bottom of the bed about that high. And I said, What was it like? She said, Do you remember Star Trek when they used to bing them up? She said, Was those lights? It was like that. And she's there trying to slap her husband to wake herself up. And she said, I'm in the bed and it's starting to float towards me. She said, and I'm petrified. She said that it stopped, went back, went back under the door. And she said, I love this place. I come down, but I don't stay in that room. I stay in the new block. And I didn't have the heart to tell her that three of the rooms in the new block are haunted as well. So one of the other stories from that 1970s was uh a lovely girl. She was about seven, she was in the back of her parents' car on the old A30 outside the front of Jamaica Inn. And children are so innocent, they see things that we don't as adults. And she said, Ma, that man sat on that wall. Why is everyone ignoring him? He's dressed weird. I'm doing her accent, because her accent was worse than mine. And uh her parents looked and they went, What ma? And that's the closest I can get 1970s to another sighted of the man on the wall. There may be more, but unless people tell us we don't know.

SPEAKER_12 59:38

I'd like to introduce you to Ethan Panell, the artist, writer, folklorist, who is here today as this older ego Crow Man Crow. Ethan, you're gonna talk to us about Ghostly Dartmouth, right? I'm gonna give you the floor, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 59:54

Yeah, hello everyone. Um I won't stay like this for long because it's actually incredibly impractical. But it's really good at the start of a talk because it helps me sort of go into this other space. Uh hide behind the mask, as they say. So um, as you can see, this is all about ghostly Dartmoor. So, not Cornish ghost stories, but many of you know Dartmoor well. Yeah. And you probably know quite a lot of the stories, I guess. Yeah. Okay. So I'm just gonna go through some of them. Um, I don't know if anyone knows about my Dartmoor folklore map. Does anyone okay? So that's that's kind of behind it. This is a very tattered poppy, which I'm happy to pass around if you haven't seen it. Uh so this map was a real labour of love. It took me seven years to create. And I finally finished it about three years ago, actually now. And it's been uh actually very surprised, it's actually selling very well. Uh, it's in a number of bookshops. The only place in Cornwall I sell it is Black Cat Books. So crossed over the border.

SPEAKER_08 1:01:09

Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:10

Um I've also been working on a book to accompany you, and that's taken me ten years so far. I've pretty much finished the draft coffee. So this is this could be seen as an excuse. There's a lot of research. I can't remember all of it off the top of my head. Uh so I will be reading excerpts from the book, but hopefully, as as we go on, you know, I'll try and entertain you at the same time. If you want to know why I'm the Crowman, uh it all started off initially. I thought I would do some storytelling. I don't see myself as a as a as a as a normal storyteller, as a moderate writer and an artist, but at one point I did do a storytelling workshop and I thought it would be quite a nice guise, but uh it was scaring too many kids. So I sort of put that on hold for a while, and then when I started the mat, I just thought, yeah. Well, when I started giving the talks, it was a nice way. When I first started, I'm always a little bit nervous when I when I start a talk, but this was this was a great disguise as well. Um, although I can't really see much. So the Chrome Dam is my artist's alter ego, and um in a way it represents parts of myself, those parts of myself that couldn't really like to step into when I'm in a creative space. So the sort of wilder, freer spirit, for example, connecting to the non-humans, the uh limital place, walking between worlds. So uh that's the crow man. Um but there is an interesting story. I was um I was having some uh shamanic healing work you do, and the person you don't, but the person I was overseeing, she's very psychic, and she'd often tell me that she would see an ancestral spirit with me. That was you know interesting stuff. But then one day she said, There's someone else in the room or something in the room with you, but uh it's not it's not a it's not a go a spirit as such, it's actually a part of yourself. And she's calling himself the Crow Man, and she described him. And at this point, nobody had ever seen my outfit. This was before I'd I'd I'd taken it out and showed you know dressed up in public. Uh so a shiver went down my spine. But the lovely bit she's yeah, she said, if you if you work with the crow man, if you if ever you're stuck, ask yourself what would the crow man do? So I've been attempting to do that ever since. Now I'm gonna spill it all by taking it off. So I'd be part Crow man, part Ethan. Um I suppose I should take this up as well because it could I don't know. It's a bit sort of dodgy, isn't it, with the Bella Carva. The only thing is it messes up my hair, so I do have a nice cap to wear, but whatever. Um okay, um actually the first story isn't isn't so much as such a ghost story. Uh but I wanted to show off my 1970s doll's house, which I think is rather wonderful, don't you? Um if anyone remembers the 70s with the gas cable. So it's original wallpaper, ghastly wall, paper, and carpet. Uh but it's it's to showcase this chap who is Parson Harris. Anyone know about Parson Harris? A rule life person? So he was an 18th century conjuring Parson and wizard. So from Henock. Uh now, does anyone know anything of conjurers?

SPEAKER_12 1:04:50

They conjure things.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:53

This is when I might need my notes to remember. Okay, conjurers used magic spells to invoke and control spirits. And in the s from the 1600s onwards, they were much in demand for finding lost property, healing specific diseases, uh laying ghosts, and um what else did they do? Oh, they'd help you find I mentioned lost property. No, I didn't. I said finding specific things. Um but they could even predict the future through astrology. So in this scene, the past and has gone one better, and time travelled, as I said, to the 1970s, where he confronts jupidly lively ghosts haunting a semi-detached property in the suburbs of Plymouth, which is where I live. Uh so he's equipped with his trusty copy of uh Agripta's fourth book of occult philosophy, the Robert Turner edition, for those interested. A popular grimoire amongst the 18th and 19th century English claim folk. Next slide, please. So still using the Dolls House. We have some phantom monks. So there are lots of phantom monks on Dharma. The spider's just there for effect. So this is a true story. I haven't found the actual uh newspaper reports or the TV uh footage. I'd love to. But um basically a house in Bobby Tracy, not sure where was being haunted by these monks and they were going up and down the stairs at the same time every night. Um so anyway, the uh the vicar was called in and they exercised the place, and that was that. But what's interesting is uh when they were investigating, they found that uh uh at the back of the staircase, so on the treads, there were the initials and names of various monks from Bathast Abbey. So the staircase had actually come from Bathast Abbey. So someone earlier on, someone mentioned um objects, you know, do they bring things in? So I guess this is a good example of that. I'm imagining if the staircase wasn't the idea, you wouldn't see the monks. Right. Next one, please. So more monks. Does anyone know the Lichway on Dalmor?

SPEAKER_13 1:07:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:20

Yeah. Has anyone walked it? Has anyone seen anything? Okay, this is a really interesting one because there have been stories for quite a while now about phantom monks being seen on it. It's an uncoffin path. So up until 1260, if you uh lived on Dartmoor and you died on Dartmoor, the only place you could be buried was Lidford. So you can imagine if, say you were living in Hexworthy. Do you know do you know Dartmoor or do I?

SPEAKER_05 1:07:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:49

Yeah, yeah. So it's uh it's probably 12 miles or so, isn't it? And it's it's very, you know, difficult terrain. Imagine in bad weather. Um so people got fed up and they petitioned, and eventually the law was changed, and and then since then you could be buried in other places such as Whiticum. But over the years people saw phantom monks or um funeral processions along the Lichway. And um what's interesting, this is a painting, it's on an old uh uh cloth map of Dartmoor, and I was exhibiting it at an exhibition, and this woman came up to me and she said she didn't know the story, but she'd been on the Lichway and she'd seen the monks exactly as I uh uh depicted them, coming out of the mist. So that was great, that's that's one person that can verify it. Then I met someone else who who she just said she said she was always, you know, a psych she's always been psychic. When she was about 19, she was um hanging out on the edge of Whistman's wood, she looked up and she saw the bumps along the litchway. Uh so there you go. Must be true.

SPEAKER_09 1:09:01

Spirit line us to laugh. I actually really love this room because it's not too big, and I feel like that you might feel functional, but it's a bit just fair because it's a bit small in here, but actually it's really lovely because it keeps all your energy in this lovely bubble. And I feel like it's lovely energy in here tonight. Smile and be happy or here, it's very exciting. Put a Tower's Power Festival. Woo! Yeah, um, so I will do my best for you. Sometimes you are you are the person that needs to pass on a message. So I might come to you and give you a message, but it might actually not be for you, it might be for somebody close to you. Um keep an open mind if you haven't done this before, because I've recently done a reading for somebody, and I um it's not always easy. People, it was an online, it was an online reading, and it became clear, clear very quickly that the lady wasn't getting what she was expecting. So, in other words, I think she thought I was going to say it in black and white, right? This is Uncle John, and he said, you know, you need to clean the bathroom, or you know, she's next door. You know, it was it it doesn't work like that, it's not an exact science, and I'll do my best to deliver it the best way I can for you. Um, but yeah, so it just keep an open mic. I want to kick off. Hang on. This is my gin. I'll be drinking a lot of this.

SPEAKER_13 1:10:32

Hi. The energy hands are already there. It's really weird. It's really good. It's very heavy. It's very heavy. Not for me. I feel like I'm flying around over it. Do you feel it heavy? Okay. Do you have a granddad in spirit? And do you remember him? My grandparents. You're what? Oh my granddad. Okay.

SPEAKER_09 1:11:00

It's like great grandparents. Okay. But um, he's saying this man has come in himself. Did he have a beard or uh something on his face? Like I'll try and have a mustache.

unknown 1:11:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_09 1:11:13

So he because he's going, Lester the old. Less to see old. And he's kind of got I feel like he's leaning on something. Do you have a walking stick? Or do you I don't I don't feel like he needs it, but it's like I want to lean on something. He's very, very like what's the word for? Um can't think of the word. But he's just is very in the room. Uh well, I knew he had it then. He's a bit squire-like, you know? Do you know what I mean? You're nodding. Do you know some you know this man today? So has this been your granddad? No. So this is their granddad's grand's dad. Sorry, and they all called them old, that's what the family called. I do.

SPEAKER_13 1:11:56

I used to think it was very rude, but I don't feel like is there a Jack John George? Jack John George.

SPEAKER_09 1:12:10

Um, I feel like that you're really like, do you see things? Because there's lots of lights twinkling around you, and I feel a bit fearful. Does it scare you? My mind is younger, but not so much now. Because I don't feel like don't be scared, because he says don't tell him not to be scared. Don't be scared. Um, it's it's you're in control, so you can say, Shh, leave me alone. The thing about spirit is that we think when we're seeing them, when they're walking in our bedroom and we can't sleep at night, we're all going, Oh my god, spoken this is your spirit. But they we forget that we can actually say, get lost, I'm going to sleep. We're we're the ones in control because we're actually trying to, you know, survive, okay? Live the life, get the sleep, get the rest, get the food. So you uh you just have to put boundaries in cleanse. Your grandad's telling you that, right? I do feel like I feel like there's a George or a John or something. Either knife.

SPEAKER_13 1:13:08

Uh male or female. It's a j. Is it juice is why?

SPEAKER_09 1:13:14

Yeah. Oh, so my old grandma's called Grant. Oh, okay. It's quite a storm G.

SPEAKER_13 1:13:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 1:13:21

Is she still alive?

SPEAKER_13 1:13:23

Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_09 1:13:26

Do you understand being surrounded by hills? Do they do they do they live in the colour tree or something? No, that's what you said when we moved to Lawston. Well, you're like granny went, oh, they've moved to Lawston. That's all now. Yeah, and he went, everything's killing. Well, that's true. We find it hills again. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_13 1:13:47

Being surrounded by hills. Be who you are. He's very, he's very um proud of his family.

SPEAKER_09 1:13:59

He's very proud of his family. And he reminds you to be uniquely you, authentically you. That means doing what fills your cup, what makes you happy, trusting your instinct, doing the things. I feel like that you've got really good support. Really good support here. And and that's amazing, because not everyone does. But I feel like he says, you know what, that your life is full of live your best life. Live your best life. I feel like you're a vet. Do you like adventures? Like I feel like an adventure. He's like, come and have an adventure. Go to the seaside, go on the plane, you know, go go for a picnic, go and do things. He said, Don't uh don't hold yourself back, because there's an amazing world out there.

SPEAKER_13 1:14:45

Alright? You agree. I agree. Yeah, life's life's too short, so make sure you live it, alright?

SPEAKER_09 1:14:58

Don't be fearful of the things that you see because spirit aren't there to scare you, they're there to help you. You just need to learn, you just need to learn it.

SPEAKER_13 1:15:10

Okay, we can't chat anyway. He's a nice man. Hey Jays, is that it then? Is that it then? I don't know, is it? Is that it then?

SPEAKER_09 1:15:28

There's a lot of love, too. There's a lot of love here. A lot of love in your family unit. And I feel like I walk through the walls and they go, and they hold me. Like I feel really comfortable in your family space. Does that do you understand that? Well, that's it. I'm mum, so I'm biased. No, that's like you're nodding away there. Yeah, but I feel I feel like that that's really important though, because your family unit is really important and it's really strong. You've good family, you've got a good circle around you. He's acknowledging that. Okay, and it's not just you, it go it goes out like this. He's taking a bit of credit because he's felt like, well, you know, we're this side of the family then. This side, well, we were good like that. Did it is there a Scotland um link? Oh my dad's dad was Scottish. Oh, I know he wasn't.

SPEAKER_13 1:16:20

We've got a Scottish sign then. Yeah. Oh, okay. Okay. I think he prefers Scotland to here.

SPEAKER_09 1:16:30

That's that's where I kind of feel like I wanted to put you just now.

SPEAKER_13 1:16:33

Scotland.

SPEAKER_09 1:16:37

Have his love. Right. Just just know that you're right where you need to be.

SPEAKER_13 1:16:43

Right? You've calmed down now. The energy's changed, hasn't it?

SPEAKER_09 1:16:49

Yes. The energy's changed. Have his love. Pass it on if you can as well, because I feel like that there's people around you that might need to know be popped in. Is that can you do that? Yeah. Yeah?

SPEAKER_11 1:17:10

I hope you all enjoyed listening to this episode of Taros Fan. I just want to say a massive congratulations to Emily and Lawrence. The festival was such such a success. All of the tickets were sold out, and people really enjoyed themselves, and I had so much fun podcasting that weekend. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it. Um in fact, all three of us were, but it was definitely worth it. Like I said at the start, another Taros van will be put on again in October of this year. So if you missed out this time, keep an eye on the socials. I'll link them in the show notes and you can be updated for when tickets go on sale for the autumn one. Okay, so let's move on to our witch weekly events. Starting with local covens that are seeking new members, so if you're a solitary witch looking to join a coven, this might be for you. Roz and Booker, one of Cornwall's longest established covens, hold meetings in North Cornwall and the Devon-Cornwall border. Applicants are welcome to introduce themselves via email and come visit their website for more information. The Cunning Grove is a witch and a cult shop based in Plymouth. They currently hold the Coven of the Sacred Grove. They are a diverse group of witches from different paths that come together to learn and support each other. Within their coven, they break the year down into four seasons. The physical coven meets on a Tuesday and Thursday nights fortnightly. They also have an online coven with spaces available. Everyone is in a group together, and each week they drop different techniques and teachings from PDFs, slides and videos. Joining the covens comes with a range of benefits. You can get money off the shop and services, and you can also make use of the Coven Library, which is for local members only. To join the physical coven, it's£30 per person, and if you want to join the online coven, that's£15. If you would like to get in touch, you can message them through their Instagram page or Facebook page, and I've also added their email address in the show notes. Saren from Serendipity Healing holds three women's circles. These are Tuesday in Abbot Scurswell, Wednesday in Torquay, and Thursday in Totnes, and they are all from 7pm until 9 pm. Participants can choose the date and venue that suits them, and she covers the same information in each one. They happen every three weeks so you can celebrate the Sabbath and connect to nature's cycles. And then you will have a session between each Sabbath to look inward. She teaches a variety of modalities. These include somatic movement, guided meditations, tarot and oracle cards, witch runes, exploring crystals, herbs, journaling, creative expression through arts and crafts, Reiki, Sekhem energy, drumming and sound, goddess work with the archetypes, meaningful ritual and ceremonies, and lots more. Local witchy and spiritual events. Continuing with the Cunning Grove, on Wednesdays they hold a witch and stitch, which is a free weekly crochet, knitting and witchcraft session. And on Saturday mornings, they hold a free witch and brew session, which is a social with tea, talk, and it has a teaching focus. And you can find out more information via their website, which is linked in the show notes. If you have an upcoming witchy or spiritual event and you would like me to do a shout out for your event on the show, then please contact me. My details are in the show notes, and you can find me at the Cornish Witch Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. That is everything I have for you for this episode. Thank you so much for listening to the Cornish Witch Podcast. This podcast is an independent personal project created outside of my professional life. It exists as a space for conversation with witches, spiritual practitioners, and those walking their own paths, sharing lived practice, ritual, experience, and folklore often rooted here in Cornwall and the land itself. If you value these conversations and would like to support the continuation of the podcast, there is a voluntary link in the show notes. Listening will always remain free and there is no expectation to contribute. Whether you support here, listen quietly, or carry these stories onward by sharing them with others, thank you. Your presence honours the craft and keeps these tellings alive. May these stories find you when they are meant to. And until next time, may the path rise to meet you.