Coming soon 

Coming soon to Seaton, Devon

Something special is happening....

A Space for Gathering, Learning & Sharing

Ivy’s Study began with a fairly simple idea: what if we created a space where people could come together because they were curious?

A place to learn something they didn't know before. To hear someone speak passionately about a subject they have spent years exploring. To ask questions, exchange ideas, discover a new interest, meet people, create something, or simply give themselves the time and space to think.

Ivy’s Study is our attempt to create exactly that.

It isn't intended to be a traditional classroom, nor do we want it to become limited by one subject, belief or way of thinking. It is a space built around curiosity, conversation, community and lifelong learning.

From Everchange to Ivy’s Study

Ivy’s Study is the next chapter in a journey that began with Everchange Emporium, founded in Seaton in 2014.

Over the years, Everchange has become far more than a shop. It has grown into a community centred around witchcraft, paganism, spirituality, learning and exploration a place where conversations are often just as important as the things on the shelves. Teaching and community have naturally become an increasingly important part of that journey.

Through workshops, talks, online teaching and our wider community, we have seen how powerful it can be when people are given permission to ask questions, explore ideas and learn without feeling that they should already know the answers.

Eventually, we began to imagine what might happen if we created a physical space specifically for that.

And so, Ivy’s Study began.

Founded by       Kerri-Ann Betty, MA

Learning, questioning and exploring ideas have always been a significant part of who I am. My interests move between philosophy, witchcraft, paganism, spirituality, folklore, history and human experience, particularly the places where belief, lived experience and academic thought intersect.

I hold a Master’s degree in Philosophy and am currently in a preparatory year ahead of my planned PhD studies. My developing research interests explore contemporary witchcraft and magical practice through philosophical and phenomenological perspectives asking questions about how magic is experienced, understood and given meaning by the people who practise it. For me, though, education has never been solely about qualifications.

Teaching has consequently become one of the parts of my work that I value most. Through Everchange Emporium and the communities that have grown around it, I have had the opportunity to teach, facilitate discussions and explore ideas with people from many different backgrounds and levels of experience.

Ivy’s Study feels like a natural progression of that work.

But I don't want Ivy’s Study to become a place where I simply stand at the front of a room and teach what I know. I want to sit in the audience too. I want to create a place where expertise can be shared, curiosity is encouraged and none of us ever have to pretend that we've finished learning.

In many ways, I’ll be learning alongside everyone who walks through the door and that is exactly the kind of space I want Ivy’s Study to be.

Curiosity Doesn't Require Credentials

One of the ideas at the heart of Ivy’s Study is that learning shouldn't belong only to universities, schools or formal institutions. You don't need to be working towards a qualification to study something. You don't need to be an academic to ask difficult questions and you don't need to turn an interest into a career before you're allowed to take it seriously.

We believe there is value in learning simply because something fascinates you.

At the same time, we value expertise, careful research, experience and thoughtful discussion. We want to welcome academics, authors, researchers and established professionals alongside practitioners, makers, independent teachers and people whose knowledge has developed through years of lived experience. The aim isn't for everyone to think alike. It's to create somewhere we can listen, question, discuss and continue learning from one another.

More Than Witchcraft

Our roots within Everchange mean that witchcraft, paganism, spirituality, folklore and related subjects will naturally form an important part of Ivy’s Study but they won't define its limits.

We hope our programme will grow to include subjects ranging from philosophy, history and folklore to nature, psychology, creativity, literature, traditional skills, art, wellbeing and subjects we haven't even considered yet.

Some evenings might involve a visiting academic giving a talk. Another might be a practical workshop. There might be an author discussing their latest book, an artist demonstrating their craft, a local historian sharing research, or a room full of people discussing one enormous philosophical question.

That variety is intentional.

A Space That Will Keep Evolving

The name Ivy’s Study reflects something important about the project. Ivy grows. It adapts. It finds its way into new spaces. We want Ivy’s Study to do the same. The space we open with will not necessarily be the space it becomes.

As our programme develops, we hope to welcome more visiting hosts, develop relationships with speakers and organisations, expand the subjects we explore and continue investing in the facilities available to those using the space.

We hope to introduce professional presentation and recording equipment, allowing selected talks and sessions to reach people beyond those able to attend in person. There may be ideas that emerge from Ivy’s Study that we haven't imagined yet and that's rather the point.

We don't want to create something finished. We want to create something capable of growing.

Rooted in Seaton, Open to Ideas

While Ivy’s Study has grown from the community surrounding Everchange Emporium, we want it to develop an identity and community of its own.

A place where someone can walk through the door because they already know us and someone else can arrive having never visited Everchange at all. Both should feel equally welcome. Most importantly, we want Ivy’s Study to remain somewhere that values curiosity over certainty, conversation over assumption, and the willingness to keep learning over the need to already have all the answers.

Because sometimes the most interesting thing you can say is:

“I don't know. Let's find out.”

And perhaps that's where the best conversations begin.