Talks & Workshops
I offer a range of talks and workshops, most of these take place in London at some of my favourite venues. Here's what's coming up in May & June 2025.
Thursday 8th May 2025 | 7pm - 9:30pm
Treadwell's, 33 Store St,
London, WC1E 7BS, UK
The images of the tarot have been inspiring and enlightening mystics, scholars, occultists and regular people for hundreds of years.
In this lively illustrated lecture, Melissa Mercury traces the history of the tarot cards from their beginnings in 15th-century Italy to the present. Guests learn about its origins as a card game similar to modern day bridge (tarocchi), its surge in popularity in 17th century Marseille, and how it began to be used as a tool for divination from the 18th century onwards. Everyone will also be introduced to a host of important figures in its development, from the obscure occultist "Eteilla" to the Edwardian illustrator Pamela Colman-Smith (who created the images on the famous Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
If you've always wanted to get to grips with the authentic history of tarot (rather than the mythical one), and wanted it to be fun, tonight is for you. Complimentary drinks and socialising follow.
Thursday 22nd May 2025 | 7pm - 9:30pm
Treadwell's, 33 Store St,
London, WC1E 7BS, UK
From the comic to the downright scary, tarot has made appearances in many movies and TV shows over the years. However, these depictions haven't always been particularly accurate...
In this lively illustrated lecture, Melissa Mercury investigates the tarot as it appears in film and television. Expect to explore examples from James Bond, The Simpsons, Practical Magic and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Along the way, Melissa delves into several on-screen 'tarot reader' characters and asks: which movies and shows portrayed them well, and which got them, frankly, horribly wrong? She also explores how tarot readers and tarot cards have generally been presented in the media – and how this has influenced the public's perception of them.
If you fancy a night of nostalgia, cultural reflection and tarot insights from the silver screen, this night is for you. Complimentary drinks and socialising follow.