I have been staring at my screen for a while now, I feel a bit uninspired and deflated, far from fertile (as in creative) which is we celebrate on May Day. This is a time of passion and sensuality, but I feel far removed from these sensations. Here I am, alone, glued to my computer in my comfy (and very unsexy) home wear, craving to be touched. My skin is famished and writing about Walpurgisnacht and Beltane just feels so out of place.
Skin Hunger
In Dutch we say “Huidhonger” which means skin hunger which is about lust, connection and sensuality. Touch is so important for our health and immunity. The sense of touch is unique, for example, is that your skin communicates in two directions: through your skin information comes in about the world outside (whether it is hot or cold, how things feel), but your skin also expresses what is happening within you, think goosebumps when you are moved, blushing when you are ashamed, chills from a scary story. Your skin is always switched on and can’t be muted by wearing a blindfold or earplugs. Touching is a necessity of life. Babies born prematurely are placed on bare skin for a reason. Loving touches are healing. And that applies not only to therapeutic massages, but also to everyday touches. And these are not present at the moment. Now being single I don’t get touched a whole lot in ‘normal’ times, but there is contact at times. All contact I make now is through masked faces of fear, plastic shields, policing people telling me to back off and computerscreens staring back at me. Of course there are ways to work with my own skin such as massage, walking barefoot outside, but it is not the same as being touched.
Celebration
But I will be celebrating Walpurgisnacht and Beltane and I will celebrate alone. Even though I can’t make a fire, another ritual will do. That is what we do, we adapt to what is possible. Tomorrow I will share my solitary Beltane ritual, but tonight it is Walpurgisnacht!
Walpurgisnacht
Walpurgis Night is the night connecting the 30th of April to the 1st of May. This traditional feast mingles Saint Walpurgis with the arrival of Spring and what was supposed the most important witches sabbat of the year and in modern Wicca tradition it also conjoins with the revival of Beltane. Walpurgisnacht is mainly a tradition of the northern European continent, especially Germany.
Saint Walpurgis Night from the German Sankt Walpurgisnacht, also known as Saint Walpurga’s Eve, is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Francia, and is celebrated on the night of 30 April and the day of 1 May. This feast commemorates the canonization of Saint Walpurga (or Walburga) and the movement of her relics to Eichstätt, both of which occurred on 1 May 870.
Saint Walpurga was hailed by the Christians of Germany for battling “pest, rabies and whooping cough, as well as against witchcraft.” Christians prayed to God through the intercession of Saint Walpurga in order to protect themselves from witchcraft. In Germanic folklore, Hexennacht, literally “Witches’ Night”, was believed to be the night of a witches’ meeting on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains in central Germany. A place where my parents would take my brother and I on holiday. How I loved it there in those deep dark woods (we also visited the Black Forest often, another place I feel connected to). In parts of Christendom, people continue to light bonfires on Saint Walpurga’s Eve in order to ward off evil spirits and witches.
Local variants of Walpurgis Night are seen throughout Europe in the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, and Estonia. In Denmark, the tradition with bonfires to ward off the witches is observed as Saint John’s Eve.
As in all Germanic countries, Walpurgisnacht was celebrated in areas of what is now The Netherlands (where I was born and still live). It has not been celebrated recently due to the national Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day) falling on the same date, though the new koningsdag (King’s Day) is on 27 April. The island of Texel celebrates a festival known as the ‘Meierblis’ (roughly translated as ‘May-Blaze’), where bonfires are lit near nightfall, just as on Walpurgis, but with the meaning to drive away the remaining cold of winter and welcome Spring. Occasional mentions to the ritual occur, and at least once a feminist called group co-opted the name to call for attention to the position of women (following the example of German women’s organizations), a variety of the Take Back the Night phenomenon.
Still, in recent years a renewed interest in pre-Christian religion and culture has led to renewed interest in Heksennacht (Witch’s Night) as well. In 1999, suspicions were raised among local Reformed party members in Putten, Gelderland of a Heksennacht festival celebrated by Satanists. The party called for a ban. That such a festival even existed, however, and that it was ‘Satanic’ was rejected by most others. The local Church in Dokkum, Friesland organized a Service in 2003 to pray for the Holy Spirit to, according to the church, counter the Satanic action.
Cause for celebration?
Now as a witch it may be strange to celebrate Walpurgisnight as it is a festival of warding of witches. Now as a 21st century magickal practitioner and witch I celebrate who and what I am and I am grateful for being able to do so, out in the open, well not this year, because of C-19, but open enough here on the interwebs. Perhaps it is more and honoring and commemoration, instead of a feast. Tomorrow Beltane is the the Sabbat!
I have just (this morning, such a ‘coincidence’) finished reading the book “The Mercies” and it is about witch trials in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village. It is inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm. The story made me feel so sad, angry and frustrated, but above all grateful to be alive today and not back in those days where being yourself and expressing your feelings could cost you your life. It helps put my situation at this time in great perspective and I am feeling a lot less lonely thinking about these women as in these times we are never really alone. I found this online; https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/literary/the-mercies-true-story-kiran-millwood-hargrave
So what to do in solitary celebration tonight? Now I don’t have a back yard so I can’t make a bonfire, but I will do a fire spell with a candle and make offerings and tomorrow I will be celebrating with May Wine and cake, have a local pilgrimage, pick flowers for my altar and I have a hand-fasting ritual for one planned. More about that tomorrow. And some other juicy fun, I will keep to myself. I have a day off and will do my best to make my creative juices flow again, get in touch with myself again, literally and figuratively speaking.
There is a lot about Walpurgisnacht to share but this is meant to spark interest and again I invite you to look for information yourself, there is so much inspiration to find online and in books. Personally I don’t share (or very little) about the ritual practice and spells I do, I feel this depletes the power as the energy needs to be released after the ritual is done. Personally I feel taking pictures or writing about it online confines the energy to do what it needs to do. And occult is occult (meaning hidden) for a reason. However every now and then I share the more “easy” and/or “light” rituals and spells everyone can partake in. Fun rituals that don’t need a lot of preparation or knowledge and are mostly harmless, but I do feel all magick comes at a price. Please don’t underestimate as these lighthearted rituals can make a big impact. It is all intention and focus. Seek what resonates with you and if you are interest, study and start practicing.
“See” you tomorrow on Beltane. Happy Heksennacht!
Source: vamzzz.com
