Thank you the fifty odd incarnate spirits who co-created magic at the Crossbones Vigil. The Goose reminded us that the garden and the shrine are the physical manifestations of the deeper work of transformation that happens when we get out of the way and let her do her dance.
As ever, we were held by the ritual forms – lighting the open pathways, tying the ribbons to ‘Here lay your hearts…’ (only tonight Crow forgot to bring the ribbons! – but as ever at Crossbones, happy accident – so we all envisioned ourselves as ribbons on the gate gently fluttering in the balmy breeze – ah! – before tying our psychic ribbons)
words by John Constable from ‘The Southwark Mysteries’
For the offerings, Dave 500 spoke movingly of what Crossbones means to him, especially after he lost his son Jason aka Angryness Brimstone… Hannah spoke of the wonder of being a Crossbones warden and read a visionary poem by Octavio Paz… John Crow performed John Crow Trickster (“May the Spirit be with Crow and all them who walk beside him / when he walk about The Liberty with but his Goose to guide him.”)… Rainbow Lizzie reiterated that we’re not fighting any and all development – just soul-less development… Then Jules spoke of February, and Haywards the Ironmongers who used to be at Number 23 (of course!) Union Street, and a poem by Hildegard of Bingen. And then ‘as if by magic’, a living Hildegard stepped forth to sing a song by Hildegard of Bingen – in Latin! And Heathen Geoff shared the poem he’d written for Crossbones.
Thanks also to those who didn’t speak but were strongly present in silent concentration, Seani and Grace, Nev, Ross, Pete and Irene , Arthur and Joel, Ruth and Ruby, Mervyn – with Katy Kaos holding it together behind the scenes (and doing the gin in Jennifer’s absence. Special honour to all who did their stint as Goose Samurai closing the road to keep us all safe.
At the end we all said “Here where the bones be crossed…” before sharing in the unconditional blessings of “Open Pathways” and “Goose may your Spirit fly free…”
And so She does!
We each bring our own piece of the puzzle, and together we perform acts of remembrance and imagination, secular Human Rites, open to ‘all faiths and none’. Specific vigils are aligned with seasonal festivals – e.g. January 23rd is Imbolc, April 23rd is St George, June 23rd is St John’s Eve / midsummer, October 23rd is Halloween Portal, November 23rd is ‘Goose Night’.
It was also the 174th Vigil for the Outcast – so, once again, I came to remember, to renew and to offer my gratitude for these works that changed my life, as I enter the 23rd year of service to The Goose and The Crow. Conducting the Vigil, I was a bit scatty, drifting off a couple of times – and Priestess Jacqui had to step in at the end to remind me to complete the ‘Goose may your Spirit fly free!’ blessing amid much hilarity!
This intensive, day-long workshop provides a working introduction to magic, mediumship and urban shamanism, and practical information for anyone interested in conducting a contemporary ritual. We focus on the Crossbones Vigil as a model ceremony, exploring its ritual forms and how to balance these fixed points with a freedom that allows the unexpected to happen. The day includes: preparation (practical and magical); creating an altar and devising ceremonial forms; presentation and performance of rituals; connecting with the ‘spirit of place’ and holding the space. 
An initiation into a contemporary magical praxis dedicated to the outcast dead of Crossbones Graveyard. The talk takes in mediumship, trance and incorporation, street magic, synchronicity, and how spiritual works can manifest in the physical world. We focus on the Crossbones Vigil as a model ceremony, exploring its ritual forms and how to balance these fixed points with a freedom that allows the unexpected to happen. The day includes: preparation (practical and magical); creating an altar and devising ceremonial forms; presentation and performance of rituals; connecting with the ‘spirit of place’ and holding the space. 
This month’s Vigil marks the 22nd anniversary of ‘Goose Night’ (23rd November 1996) when The Goose spirit revealed the secret history of Crossbones to John Crow, inspiring The Southwark Mysteries and the works at Crossbones Graveyard.