Faith and Culture Groups

Pentagram Society

Pentagram is Leeds University's society for Paganism, magick and the occult, and is the longest running university Pagan society in the UK, founded in the 1960s.

What do we actually do? We run a Practical Magick Group in which you can learn new skills and working methods, or practice ones you already know.
The emphasis is on skill sharing - whilst one or two people may be leading the session, they do not know all the answers and can only speak from their own experience, which will no doubt be different to your own.
Every member is encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences, no matter how many or how few of those they may have. The group provides a starting point for you to learn things you may want to integrate into your own practice, in a friendly and safe space, and with the opportunity to have all your questions answered. The format for the sessions is not always the same: some weeks we perform magick, others may feature a talk or a workshop on a relevant topic.

As a group, we also perform a ritual to celebrate each Sabbat (a Pagan holiday). During the winter these are usually held inside but in the warmer months we have a ritual space in a local wooded area. All Pentagram workings and rituals are performed clothed.

In addition to these regular events, we occasionally go on trips. These can be local, such as a walk on Ilkley Moor, but we also try to visit Stonehenge once a year, when a journey can be arranged. Of course, no Pentagram session would be complete without finishing with a trip to the pub for some good old-fashioned gossiping and chatting until closing time.

We are a friendly and eclectic group, and always open to new members. Membership costs £4 for one year, and includes a copy of Beginner's Magick by John Tindsley, the book that many of our magick sessions are based on.
Everyone is welcome to join Pentagram, whether or not they are a Leeds University student or staff member, or not even a student at all. You also don't need to be a Pagan to join - over time the society has members who identify as witches, Ceremonial Magickians, Wiccans, Thelemites, Christian magicians, Pagans, Chaos Magickians, Heathens, Odinists, and many others who are just interested in the topics we represent. No matter how great or little your experience, we hope that Pentagram will be able to help you learn and develop personally.

If you would like to join you are welcome to just turn up to one of our weekly meetings. To find out when and where these happen (as they are liable to change), keep an eye on the Pentagram noticeboard, though as a rule we meet on Tuesday evenings in the ARC, upstairs in the Union building.

If you would like more information you can email us at luupentagram@yahoo.co.uk or ring Ellie on 0794 1817 227. We also have a mailing list where you can find out about events were are planning - details can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/luupentagram/