LONDON
Atlantis is an occult bookstore in Bloomsbury near the British Museum. It has been here for more than 60 years. My father came here during his summer holidays from college. On the ocean liner from Philadelphia to London he’d met an alluring woman. He was majoring in Chemistry and considering medical school; she was an experienced palm reader. Intrigued, he sought out the Atlantis shop as his window into the mysteries of spirits and fortune telling.
There are three people in the show when we walk in. The owner is the daughter of the best friend of the founder of the store, whose bust and portrait hang on the back wall. Sitting next to her is a man with a bushy white goatee, a tweed driving cap and thick, black rimmed glasses. He is bundled in his winter coat. A regular customer is chatting with them. She is a petite middle aged woman wrapped in a shawl wearing and wearing a black, fur-lined winter hat.
Atlantis is an occult bookstore in Bloomsbury near the British Museum. It has been here for more than 60 years. My father came here during his summer holidays from college. On the ocean liner from Philadelphia to London he’d met an alluring woman. He was majoring in Chemistry and considering medical school; she was an experienced palm reader. Intrigued, he sought out the Atlantis shop as his window into the mysteries of spirits and fortune telling.
There are three people in the show when we walk in. The owner is the daughter of the best friend of the founder of the store, whose bust and portrait hang on the back wall. Sitting next to her is a man with a bushy white goatee, a tweed driving cap and thick, black rimmed glasses. He is bundled in his winter coat. A regular customer is chatting with them. She is a petite middle aged woman wrapped in a shawl wearing and wearing a black, fur-lined winter hat.
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| Atlantis Occult Book Store - Bloomsbury, London |
We ask the proprietor to orient us, and she explains how the books are organized. Starting on the right are hundreds of works on witches, witchcraft and potions. I see titles: Magic without Mirrors and The Search for the Soul. On the back wall are dreams, such as Where Nothing Sleeps. Elves and goblins are stacked at the front under the display windows. On the left are the books on Celts and earth-based religions. On top of her disorderly desk lies a magazine: "Electronic Projects from the Next Dimension."
I comment that we are Unitarians. Her eyes light up. “My brother was a Unitarian. I was impressed that they were people who DID things in the community.” The customer near us chimes in, “But we could never understand the chalice.” “You mean that we have a lit chalice during our services?” I ask. “Yes," she chuckles. We, of course separate the water or wine, fire and earth. So using a wine chalice for fire is very strange.” I nod in agreement. I realize I had never considered why Unitarians chose to call their light a chalice.
“How have JK Rowling and Harry Potter affected your sales?” I ask. “Not much” the owner responds. “Do you think JK Rowling read a lot of these works before writing her books? Are her descriptions of magic accurate?” “She is very sensitive to our craft. I think she has a very clear connection.”
Against the potions wall leans a broom with twig bristles and a gnarled stick for a handle. I tease, “I see you don’t have the Nimbus 2000 in stock.” She rejoins defensively, “That broom comes from Oxfordshire. I was made and given to me by a fourth generation witch!” I admire its heft and beautiful handle. She softens, “I wish I could play Quidditch.”The three of them happily oblige when I ask to take their picture.
Peter
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