Beneath the bright
colours and pop soundtrack of Swinging London lurked a darker
counterculture. As the 1960s embraced psychedelic experimentation
and rejected old certainties, a new fascination with the occult,
ritual magic and Satanism took hold. From Anton LaVey’s Church of
Satan in America to London’s own Process Church of the Final
Judgement, the Devil became an unlikely icon of rebellion,
attracting artists, musicians, celebrities and spiritual seekers
drawn to the promise of forbidden knowledge and life beyond
convention.
In this talk, Gary Lachman explores the rise of Satanism in the
1960s and the extraordinary story of the Process Church, founded by
two former Scientologists who established their headquarters in
Mayfair before building one of the era’s most infamous and
enigmatic movements. Discover how apocalyptic beliefs,
countercultural idealism and the occult converged on the streets of
London, creating one of the strangest chapters in the city’s modern
history.
Tickets £12.50 including a 20% donation to Brompton Cemetery.
Gary Lachman
Gary Lachman is the author of Turn Off Your Mind: The Dedalus Book of the 1960s and numerous books exploring the history of consciousness, the occult and the Western esoteric tradition. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a founding member of the pioneering new wave band Blondie, with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
| Ticket | Event time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
The Mindbender of Mayfair
Satanic Swinging London |
19:00 - 20:35 | £13.75 |
Address
The Mayfair Library, 25 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 2PB
Nearest Station
Bond Street (Tube)
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