held every year since 1968, the Quest Conference is an annual gathering of

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

practitioners, authors and interested newcomers in the

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

area of the UK. It is organised by

Marian Green Marian Green (born 1944) is a British author who has published about magic, witchcraft and the "Western Mysteries" since the early 1960s. She founded and continues to organise the Quest Conference held every year in the UK; repr. London: Picador, ...

, editor of ''

Quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ever ...

'' and the author of over twenty books on

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

, magic and the Western Mysteries. The meetings were initially held in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and in 1983 attracted about 100 people to a venue in Russell Square. The 2012 meeting was held at the Southville Centre in Bristol, and included talks by

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

historian Karen Ralls on Roslyn Chapel, and

herbalist Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

Val Thomas on creating a magical garden.Quest 169 (March 2012) p.13 The 2013 meeting was also held at the Southville Centre and included talks by Rae Beth on witchcraft and the

otherworld The concept of an otherworld in historical Indo-European religion is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of ''orbis alius'' (Latin for "other Earth/world"), a term used by Lucan in his description of the Celtic Otherworld ...

and Philip West on the pagan roots of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

. Updated as required

References

External links

{{official website, http://www.magicalquest.co.uk/conference.html Modern paganism in the United Kingdom Annual events in the United Kingdom Conferences in the United Kingdom 1968 establishments in the United Kingdom Recurring events established in 1968 1960s in modern paganism