I have preparied the Imbolc Report on what occured in North America on this day. I observed several divinations on this day both personal and general to what was happening in our world. I created a Brideog or Brighid Doll and gave a bed for Briganti to sleep in while I read her poetry all night. I lit seven candles and prepared one very special candle for her. A long candle stick, often referred to as a “legitimate candle of the dead” by old Santeros from Cuba.
Candle Sticks are apparently the preffered offering for the Dead besides food. I first visited the cemetery I go to and left Oya a nice food offering for her and for Obbá and Yeguá the two Orishas who live inside the cemetery. The reason for this is because one of her festive days is Candlemas. So I asked her to reap all nasty energies. But I also asked her to bless me at the Market place with prosperity and abundance.
This day is used to chase away the spirits of the dead and dark spirits of winter back to the Underworld. So I gave food at the Cemetery as an incentive for the departed and other more dark entities to leave willingly. I asked Oya to take on the task of chasing away the ones who wouldn’t leave of their own accord. I then made my way home. Once I lit every candle, I took a single large candle stick, placed it in a white basin with a little holy water (to snuff the candle out) and then I began taking shots with my phone.
I do this as a form of spirit photography and Sciomancy. Sciomancy is Divination by shadows. The blessed candle will reveal things in the dark through the shadows and tell me the answers to my questions. The pictures revealed dark energies and what I can only describe as Shadow beings exposed by the candle. This had never happened before and I have tried to debunk it a few times by replicating the pictures in the same area with the same type of candle.
The effect could not be replicated. Also, when the candle is snuffed out by the holy water, it’s always gentle. It never makes so much as a hissing noise. This time it made a large pop like a fire cracker. When I took our the left over candle wax to divine, it took on the form of a nasty creature. I didn’t bother to take a picture because it felt nasty.
I disposed of the wax and washed the basin out with more holy water. So far things were not looking good this year. Since then, more signs and omens started appearing even yesterday. That’s why it took me this long to post a blog on it. So let’s start with the Weather.
On the actual day of Imbolc Eve, it was very sunny and fair. Which of course is bad. Because that means winter will stay longer. I prayed and prayed for bad weather. The same day, the US was marshaling their forces all around Venezuela and I expected to hear of an invasion at any moment.
But at Sunset when it officially became Imbolc, I felt tiny drops of cold water as a small, temporary, storm was taking place. It barely lasted a minute or two. But I gave a huge sigh of relief. It was enough to give me hope that winter might leave early this year. Not just so that the violence could stop, but so that the Polar Vortex that is afflicting parts of the country would leave.
People have already frozen to death and these poor animals are being afflicted as well. I wondered if colder weather would happen on Imbolc day. But on the actual day when I brought the Brighid Doll to a sacred pond to complete the festival, it was mostly sunny again. With only a little bit more cold rain drops falling at almost full dark. So, what does this mean? The omens state that it is the matter is inconclusive.
I felt when doing these rituals that the forces of Spring and Winter are still at war with each other. And a clear winner has not been chosen. We know spring will eventually win. But that’s it. Spring might come early, or winter may stay longer.
Only time will tell. This is in line with what the Quimbanderos and Umbanderos have said in this year’s divination. They said that “Fire and Water, Neptune and Mars” would reign this year. A struggle between opposites. I felt that the storm wanted to manifest more.
But something was holding it back. The darker forces of the old year are still holding on. And fighting to remain here. That is why it is imperative that we all do whatever new year’s rituals and offerings there are to assure victory for the spring forces. Our collective prayers and offerings will decide whether the positive forces of change will win out or not.
We need to appeal to the Gods first and foremost and then ask them to empower the spirits of nature to give spring victory. When I mean spring and winter I am also speaking figuratively of Light and Dark, Good and Evil. We all need to get on board with helping the Light win this battle. Dark isn’t necessarily evil. But in this context, based on the divinations, malevolent forces seem to be using the dark of winter to achieve an objective.
And this can have ramifications for us in the future. Better to do our best to prevent this now. Magic is only part of the solution though. We need to accompany faith with action. We need to make serious changes in our lives and do better.
We need to love and be open to getting involved in the world around us. No more hiding in our own little worlds. The good news is, at least those rain drops happened at all. I fully expected the winter to be the clear winner. So we just might kick it’s ass anyway.
We are now living in the Year of the Earth Boar in the Chinese Zodiac. A very good Blogger I follow here on WordPress wrote a great article on this :
He has some good news for this year which is very welcomed at this point. Also, Hobiyee Nisg̱a’a New Year started this month. This refers to a holiday where the Elders of this First Nation look to the skies and divine. They use the Moon to see if we will have a prosperous or poor year. Let’s hope for a prosperous year.
Scientists said that this would happen due to solar storms
I don’t know if this is good or bad. The Inuit in Alaska always claimed that the appearance of an Aurora Borealis, meant the ancestors and other spirits were in the skies. Opening doorways between our world and the spiritual world. The veil is very thin right now. Are the ancestors coming to bring us balance in a world that has lost its way? Who knows.
I choose to see this as a good sign. In Santeria and other traditions, we use liminal times of the night and day for magic. Certain special times like this is perfect for asking for wishes to be granted. Or doing other kinds of sorcery. But you need to be careful.
Women on their period for example, are believed to be more open to the spiritual world than men. Pregnant women as well. So they are more vulnerable to the spirits. But if not, go outside and see the skies. And ask for your desires to be done.
The irony is that I am a Christo Pagan, but reading this was awesome. And I loved reading “I don’t want fucking Jesus” 😂 No sugar coating in this one. So if you get offended easily, don’t read.
The next installment of my practical magic and worship series. For those who read my blog yesterday, you already saw this section. So you can ignore this. This is for those who want adapt their practices to modern life. I took this from my article the Fires of Beltane.
So my practice is a bit of a mix. A mix of reconstructionism. A mix of the eclecticism. And a mix of practical magic for modern times. So I do start off trying to recreate the rituals as best as possible.
I live around several bodies of water. So I do have holy places where I do magic by the water. I leave offerings there. I have a sacred tree I use as my May Pole or May Bush. And I left a clootie in the form of a red string tied to a branch.
But that being said, it’s not always feasible. I don’t cook caudles of egg and milk and all this other stuff. And I don’t sacrifice animals to Belenus or any other God. So I have to adapt my rituals to something that is possible. And that doesn’t violate my personal beliefs.
So for a few days, I collected the left overs of all my dinners.
I placed them all in the same sealed bag. And infused them with my prayers. Prayer is a form of energy after all. My spirits did the same. Filling them with our desires and wants.
Then today a half an hour before sunset, I set out to do all my offerings. Rather than a caudle of milk and eggs, I gave crema catalana. Americans normally call it Creme Brulee. But it’s got eggs and milk and is delicious. In this case I didn’t pour it as a libation.
It’s almost like a cake. So I have a cake offering. And I also put fresh fruit with the “cake”. For a libation, I gave milk, cream, and some alcohol. Then instead of the typical bonfires, I added a combination of Celtic and Native American influences. I believe we should all have loyalty to the Native Gods and spirits of this land.
And we should always leave a space for them in any of our rituals. I kept it simple. I burned Sage for the Great Spirit and all the spirits of the land. And used that as the first holy fire. I smudged the whole house myself and my family and pet.
Then I lit a holy candle to Belenus. And I sanctified the home. And I filled the void from the banishing with holy fire from Belenus. The candle acted as the second fire. And I blessed each member of the household.
There is an old blessing charm that used to be sung around Beltane. But the problem was more than the fact that I can’t speak Gaelic. It was also that the words of the charm didn’t 100% apply to me. People who parrot old spells and charms that don’t apply to them are looking for a world of hurt. A spell or blessing may have been good for a peasant farmer hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
But if you try to cast the same exact spell today, it could backfire. Because you are not a farmer or a peasant. So trying to cast the same spell now would be detrimental to you. Like a spell to protect your farm animals. That’s fine if you live on a farm.
What happens if you don’t?
So it’s necessary to take the old spells and adapt them to your modern and personal life. Personalize them as much as possible to what really works for you. The original spell was this.
” Beannaich, a Thrianailt fhioir nach gann, (Bless, O Threefold true and bountiful,) Mi fein, mo cheile agus mo chlann, (Myself, my spouse and my children,) Mo chlann mhaoth’s am mathair chaomh ‘n an ceann,(My tender children and their beloved mother at their head,) Air chlar chubhr nan raon, air airidh chaon nam beann, (On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling,) Air chlar chubhr nan raon, air airidh chaon nam beann. (On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling.)
Gach ni na m’ fhardaich, no ta ‘na m’ shealbh, (Everything within my dwelling or in my possession,) Gach buar is barr, gach tan is tealbh, (All kine and crops, all flocks and corn,) Bho Oidhche Shamhna chon Oidhche Bheallt, (From Samhain Eve to Beltane Eve,) Piseach maith, agus beannachd mallt, (With goodly progress and gentle blessing,) Bho mhuir, gu muir, agus bun gach allt, (From sea to sea, and every river mouth,) Bho thonn gu tonn, agus bonn gach steallt. (From wave to wave, and base of waterfall.)”
As most of you can see, there’s a lot there that doesn’t resonate with everyone. Not everyone is married or has children. Or even has a wife. A lot of people are LGBTQ. And they may or may not have female partners.
They might not have partners period. And like I said before, not everyone has “crops”. Most people in the world live in cities. So I adapted mine specifically for myself. It goes something like this.
” Bless, O Threefold true and bountiful, Myself, my family, including my animals and spirits, My tender animals and trees and stones,and my beloved mother at our head,On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling,On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling.
Everything within my dwelling or in my possession,all the larders of our food, all our finances, From Samhain Eve to Beltane Eve, With goodly progress and gentle blessing,From sea to sea, and every river mouth,From wave to wave, and base of waterfall, “
My personal adaptation of the Beltane blessing charm
And thus we were all blessed. If I really wanted to get technical about this, I could have taken out the parts about mountains and plains. But then that would have defeated the purpose. Imagine removing parts or Greek prayers that mentioned Mount Olympus. Or taking out prayers that mentioned sacred trees in Yoruba religion.
Its important to not sterilize your prayers. The culture and the land sites and other places are important. You should not remove those parts of the prayer. So ask yourself if what you are taking out, would destroy the cultural identity of the prayer. If the answer is yes then you know you need to leave it the hell alone.
If it needs to be adapted to you, that’s okay. Just make sure you keep the cultural influence alive. I also anointed my animals with lustral water. To keep them safe from malefic influences. The house was blessed.
And from there I did a divination for the Aos Si to speak to me. To grant me any knowledge I needed. And I got answers to some hard questions I hadn’t even thought to ask of yet. And that’s it everyone. That’s how I personally celebrate it.
For many Celtic peoples, this was said to be the beginning of Summer. Personally, Summer for me is Lughnasadh. Not Beltane. But that’s a matter of where you live. Technically, it’s “summer” all year long in Dumbfuckistan, I mean Florida.
This is the place where Satan sunbathes.
I do not celebrate it on May First. I hate the fixed dates. I try to celebrate them either by astrology or other things. For instance, many Celtic Recinstructionists won’t celebrate it until the Hawthorne blooms.
It’s one of the four fire festivals. I celebrate it every year on May 4th (sunset) the day before May 5th as the Astrological Beltane. But technically I celebrate the festivals as weeks. So Beltane Week for me starts April 30th on May Eve. And continues until today.
Well worship
A holy well
During the day, the Ancients visited Holy Wells.
Rituals were performed at the site of the holy wells. this has been called “Well worship”. The worship of a God or the veneration of a saint or some other spirit at the place. They exist all over the country. It’s said the holy wells had the purest and most powerful holy waters.
Waters used not only to cure and heal. But to banish evil spirits also. To break curses. Or even to cast spells. They left offerings called Clooties at these places too.
Traditional clooties left at a well
These were necklaces, coins, torn cloth or string. Or even just regular pebbles or nice looking rocks. Even crystals are sometimes left at these places. As well as semi precious stones. Though traditionally, it can be anything.
These are personal tokens. Gifts to the local spirits. And to the Gods. Interestingly enough, in modern times we have cases of both Pagan and Christian clooties being offered. It makes sense since many practice a sort of dual faith.
Christian on one side, and indigenous Celtic religion on the other.
Those who go to these wells or holy water sources, will walk round them nine or three times. Well not walk, you’re supposed to creep on your hands and knees. And they will do it from East to West. Mimicking the journey of the sun each day. Traditionally they would recite prayers to the Gods.
Especially to those Gods and spirits who live at the holy sites. Under Christian domination, that changed. The occupiers forced the indigenous peoples to worship their God. So many of the ancient Polytheists secretly hid their worship under the guise of Christianity. Of course at least some were like me.
People who believe in everything. Who see the divine in everything. Even if it’s the religion of a couple of bloodthirsty murderers. Who use violence to enforce the tenants of their faith. And fear to force their faith upon the conquered.
But I digress. When it was a Christianized ritual, they were saying the Our Fathers and the Hail Marys. In both versions, the celebrants would build small shrines made of the rocks there. One group for their Gods and spirits. The other for their saints and one God.
“At the close of each round they build up a small pile of stones; for at the last day the angels will reckon these stones, and he who has said the most prayers will have the highest place in heaven, each saint keeping count for his own votaries,”
From the article, The Holy Wells of Ireland, by Kyle Hunt (2018)
So this is a magical practice done by the Christians. The more votive offerings given, the more blessings by the Saint. It’s possible that the same was done in the Celtic era. And the more rock shrines one gives to their Gods or the Fae, the more favor they gain. Probably the same for the clooties.
The ancients built small temples around these Holy Wells. Usually with steps descending to the well or body of water. And once the celebrant goes down the steps, they go on their hands and knees. Then they would wash their faces and foreheads. Or whatever part of the body was diseased.
The disease would slowly and gradually diminish. And the person would be healed. It’s even claimed they were permanently healed. Cured. The illness would be banished forever.
Central to the worship at the Wells were the rude stone monuments. These are central to the temples at these wells. Clooties are often left there. They’re charged with magical and spiritual energy. The stone is a massive talisman.
When you pray, you have to focus on the stone. You drink the water to be healed. Then leave offerings of different sorts. Offerings that can never be removed.
“Whenever a white-thorn or an ash-tree shadows the place, the well is held to be peculiarly sacred; and on leaving, having first drunk of the water, the patient ties a votive offering to the branches–generally a coloured handkerchief or a bright red strip cut from a garment;
And these offerings are never removed. They remain for years fluttering in the wind and the rain, just as travellers have described the votive offerings on the sacred trees that shadow the holy wells of Persia. They are signs and tokens of gratitude to the patron saint, and are meant to show the devil that he has no longer power to harm the praying pilgrim, or torment him with pains and aches as heretofore,”
Depiction of a rude stone monument
– Article, The Holy Wells of Ireland
by Kyle Hunt
Holy Fires
During this time, cattle and people went between two bonfires. The reason for this was to be protected from the influence of evil spirits. Or even of the Fae. So that the Fae would leave the blessed people and animals alone. A testament to the holiness of fire.
But you have to say magical incantations while passing through the fires. Otherwise, they’re just regular fires. Traditionally the fires were need fires or friction fires. Basically, a wooden drill operated by nine naked married men would be used to drill into a standing log. And the friction would cause the log to burn.
It was said, that these flames, smoke, and even the ashes left behind all had protective powers. Or could be used in some sort of magic. The morning dew on the day of Beltane would also be collected. And placed in a jar which was filtered by being placed in the sun.
Also, you take your animals to fairy forts. And you bleed some of their blood there. So that the Fae will grant them protection from the rest of the year until Samhain. People would also make libations of caudles of milk and egg, as well as oatmeal, and butter was cooked. And poured on the ground for them.
Sacrifices were made to Belenus. But what that sacrifice was I have not been able to find. Whether it was an animal sacrifice or a sacrifice of an offering of bread or food. Thus far I have been unable to find out. Though I am certain it may have been an animal.
How I celebrate
The Aos Si
So my practice is a bit of a mix. A mix of reconstructionism. A mix of the eclecticism. And a mix of practical magic for modern times. So I do start off trying to recreate the rituals as best as possible.
I live around several bodies of water. So I do have holy places where I do magic by the water. I leave offerings there. I have a sacred tree I use as my May Pole or May Bush. And I left a clootie in the form of a red string tied to a branch.
But that being said, it’s not always feasible. I don’t cook caudles of egg and milk and all this other stuff. And I don’t sacrifice animals to Belenus or any other God. So I have to adapt my rituals to something that is possible. And that doesn’t violate my personal beliefs.
So for a few days, I collected the left overs of all my dinners.
I placed them all in the same sealed bag. And infused them with my prayers. Prayer is a form of energy after all. My spirits did the same. Filling them with our desires and wants.
Then today a half an hour before sunset, I set out to do all my offerings. Rather than a caudle of milk and eggs, I gave crema catalana. Americans normally call it Creme Brulee. But it’s got eggs and milk and is delicious. In this case I didn’t pour it as a libation.
It’s almost like a cake. So I have a cake offering. And I also put fresh fruit with the “cake”. For a libation, I gave milk, cream, and some alcohol. Then instead of the typical bonfires, I added a combination of Celtic and Native American influences. I believe we should all have loyalty to the Native Gods and spirits of this land.
And we should always leave a space for them in any of our rituals. I kept it simple. I burned Sage for the Great Spirit and all the spirits of the land. And used that as the first holy fire. I smudged the whole house myself and my family and pet.
Then I lit a holy candle to Belenus. And I sanctified the home. And I filled the void from the banishing with holy fire from Belenus. The candle acted as the second fire. And I blessed each member of the household.
There is an old blessing charm that used to be sung around Beltane. But the problem was more than the fact that I can’t speak Gaelic. It was also that the words of the charm didn’t 100% apply to me. People who parrot old spells and charms that don’t apply to them are looking for a world of hurt. A spell or blessing may have been good for a peasant farmer hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
But if you try to cast the same exact spell today, it could backfire. Because you are not a farmer or a peasant. So trying to cast the same spell now would be detrimental to you. Like a spell to protect your farm animals. That’s fine if you live on a farm.
What happens if you don’t?
So it’s necessary to take the old spells and adapt them to your modern and personal life. Personalize them as much as possible to what really works for you. The original spell was this.
” Beannaich, a Thrianailt fhioir nach gann, (Bless, O Threefold true and bountiful,) Mi fein, mo cheile agus mo chlann, (Myself, my spouse and my children,) Mo chlann mhaoth’s am mathair chaomh ‘n an ceann,(My tender children and their beloved mother at their head,) Air chlar chubhr nan raon, air airidh chaon nam beann, (On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling,) Air chlar chubhr nan raon, air airidh chaon nam beann. (On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling.)
Gach ni na m’ fhardaich, no ta ‘na m’ shealbh, (Everything within my dwelling or in my possession,) Gach buar is barr, gach tan is tealbh, (All kine and crops, all flocks and corn,) Bho Oidhche Shamhna chon Oidhche Bheallt, (From Samhain Eve to Beltane Eve,) Piseach maith, agus beannachd mallt, (With goodly progress and gentle blessing,) Bho mhuir, gu muir, agus bun gach allt, (From sea to sea, and every river mouth,) Bho thonn gu tonn, agus bonn gach steallt. (From wave to wave, and base of waterfall.) “
As most of you can see, there’s a lot there that doesn’t resonate with everyone. Not everyone is married or has children. Or even has a wife. A lot of people are LGBTQ. And they may or may not have female partners.
You might not have partners at all. And like I said before, not everyone has “crops”. Most people in the world live in cities. So I adapted mine specifically for myself. It goes something like this.
” Bless, O Threefold true and bountiful, Myself, my family, including my animals and spirits, My tender animals and trees and stones,and my beloved mother at our head,On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling,On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling.Everything within my dwelling or in my possession,all the larders of our food, all our finances, From Samhain Eve to Beltane Eve, With goodly progress and gentle blessing,From sea to sea, and every river mouth,From wave to wave, and base of waterfall, “
My personal adaptation of the Beltane blessing charm
And thus we were all blessed. If I really wanted to get technical about this, I could have taken out the parts about mountains and plains. But then that would have defeated the purpose. Imagine removing parts or Greek prayers that mentioned Mount Olympus. Or taking out prayers that mentioned sacred trees in Yoruba religion.
Its important to not sterilize your prayers. The culture and the land sites and other places are important. You should not remove those parts of the prayer. So ask yourself if what you are taking out, would destroy the cultural identity of the prayer. If the answer is yes then you know you need to leave it the hell alone.
If it needs to be adapted to you, that’s okay. Just make sure you keep the cultural influence alive. I also anointed my animals with lustral water. To keep them safe from malefic influences. The house was blessed.
And from there I did a divination for the Aos Si to speak to me. To grant me any knowledge I needed. And I got answers to some hard questions I hadn’t even thought to ask of yet. And that’s it everyone. That’s how I personally celebrate it.
It’s been a while since I did a good old fashioned Random Links of the day. So here we are. The spring edition. Including monsters, Dracula, Pagan Gods and Goddesses. As well as an obscure Christian Saint and a giant snow man from Wisconsin. Sounds like the set up to a joke right? But it’s true.
All of these things have been associated with this time. So without further adieu here we go.
(Every year on May 1st the small town of Cocullo in central Italy celebrates its patron saint San Domenico Abate. The celebration resembles many other Catholic festivities, but during this religious procession the saint’s statue is fully covered with living snakes)
A dreadful, one-eyed creature with a sawlike backbone, the Miniwashitu is a hardworking monster that, for the Madan people, is all that stands between salvation and destruction.
Dracula’s Guest by Bram Stoker (Happy Beltane Halloween!)this one is a special post for me because it’s sort of a Dracula Prequel. When Johnathan Harker stupidly ventures into a curses town on Walpurgisnacht of all nights. It’s a fascinating read and there are YouTube audio books there too.
A party the Devil took Faust to in the story. It was supposedly Walpurgisnacht The God of Fire and Light Belenus, who is worshiped on BeltaneSt. Walpurga, the Saint who is associated with the Pagan Grain Goddess and Beltane
For many Celtic Pagans, tonight is Beltane. Actually a lot of different Pagan groups have similar holidays. Celebrated in different cultures under different names. Even the Germans celebrated this holiday. Of course there is a link between Celtic and Germanic culture. But that’s a discussion for a whole other days. But I was once told by a Wiccan herbalist :
“Norse and Celts, we were kin once. And a lot of practices were shared between us, “
For me it’s even more nuanced. I celebrate a Beltane week. That is a mix of many of these influences. And it ends on the Astrological Beltane. Which is on May 5th or Cinco de Mayo in Mexico.
But a friend of mine had no idea what it was. And I wrote out this long ass explanation to him. So I figured it was more than enough to make a blog post. And my original Beltane post is too long to post yet. It isn’t finished.
So this will be my post for Beltane.
Beltane
The God Belenus
Beltane is a Celtic festival that is dedicated to Belenus. The Celtic God of healing, light, and fire. He was also in charges of shepards and pastors. Fire is associated with holy magic and healing. But Europeans in different places had dedicated it and named it differently.
Like all Celtic fire festivals, the bonfires were meant to protect people. From the malevolent influences of Faeries. And other spirits who could harm humans. Including ghosts, and in some cases even devils. The idea was to create two bonfires.
And animals and people would be passed through the bonfires. The fire would remove any negative energy from their souls and bodies. And also bless the person. And would warm them of all evil influences. This night, like the other fire festivals of the Celts is liminal.
It is a time when the barrier between the worlds is thin. That’s why the bonfires were necessary. It’s not just something cool to do for the neighbors to see.
Others make this a Hexennacht (Witch’s Night). And focus specifically on magic. Not just worship of the Gods. They take advantage of the fact that the world is in a liminal state to do spells. Or conjure forth spirits.
And some like me do both.
Sankt Walpurgisnacht
(St. Walpurga’s Night)
The Catholic Church tried to convert the German Pagans. So they renamed the fire festival after a Saint named Walpurga. Who in life was a Nun from the church. She was canonized on May the first, 870 AD by Pope Adrian II. She was an Anglo-Saxon Missionary to the Frankish Empire.
She was the daughter of an under king, and came from a family of Saints. She was raised in England in Devonshire. She was one of the first people to write about Palestine. Specifically her brother’s travels there. She was his autobiographer.
She’s considered the first female author of both England and Germany. Which I disagree with. Pagans had their own writings. And their own authors. No one single person from any one country can be named the first female author.
But to get to the point, she was a remarkably accomplished woman in her time. Likely because of her Royal lineage. And the benefits of an up to date education. But when she died, is when her legend truly began. Her bones were in a rocky shrine.
And strangely began to exude an oil capable of healing people. There were also Pagan associations with St. Walpurga. She would be seen frequently with grain imagery in her icons. Holding up stalks of grain. Linking her to the Grain Mother.
Her relics would be moved around this time. Which became a sort of mystical ritual in its own right. Which was also another reason for the Walpurgisnacht feast. They even copied the Pagan corn doll idols for the Grain Mother. Using them instead for St. Walpurga.
There was also a miracle she performed once. These sailors were caught in a storm at sea. They prayed to her and survived. Before her intercession, they believed they certainly were going to die. But she was more than a miracle worker.
As noted before she was called upon to bring in the grain and agriculture of the Earth. But she was also called upon for warding off,
• Pests
• Rabbies
• Witchcraft
• Whooping Cough
The witchcraft I can understand. If her festival of the moving of her relics was used by the church to replace Beltane, it only makes sense that they used her against magic. Even though Paganism is a religious ideology. Not a magical system. But to them Pagan was synonymous with witch.
But her associations mainly seem to be about infusing the Earth with life. And warding off those things that threaten life. Not just disease and creatures that bare them. But warding off death itself. A Saint associated with pure life.
Besides bonfires, people would also go to her tomb in the town of Eichstätt. Located in Bavaria, Germany, the faithful would go in hopes of obtaining some Walpurga’s oil. And use it to cure all matter of ills.
The Witches of Satan, dancing and flying around Mount Brocken to feast with the Devil
Later, the holiday was taken by black magicians, specifically Satanists, to worship the Devil. It was said that on May 1st, the Devil and the forces of evil had full, unchecked sway upon the world. Evil spirits and those witches who pacted with them, would choose holy days.
To mock holy Gods. This isn’t limited to just Christianity. In the old days, Satanists of the old order celebrated their black rites on these days. But not to worship our Gods. But to mock the Gods of our ancestors.
For the demons despise all holy Gods. And all holy things.
A stereotypical depiction of the Devil with a Ram head, leading the Walpurgisnacht festivities
Modern satanists deny that as a false accusation. And claim commiseration with us Pagans. Saying that we have more in common than we don’t. I have met some Satanists. Some are good people.
Others not so much. I suppose it could be argued that they are Polytheist. If they worship more than one Demon as their God or Goddess. And some of the Demons they worship are ancient Gods who are evil. And came from our pantheons.
So I suppose it depends on your point of view. So on this night, there are Old Gods and their Fairies. And their worshippers dancing by the fires. And performing secret and sacred rituals.
But we also have Satan and his demons. And of course his witches. And on this night they roam around their neighborhoods and towns. And do smaller versions of the mythical Black Sabbath at Mount Brocken. A mountain in Germany reputed to be where they held it.
I believe Mount Brocken has Pagan associations. But I wouldn’t be surprised if old Lucifer showed up there to have a party. Doing their own black rites. And dancing and having sex. At least in the Christian folklore.
Ironically or not so ironically, the Christians also used bonfires. For the purposes of warding off evil spirits during this night. Each bonfire was lit with the intention that St. Walpurga bless them all. And protect them and their communities from the forces of evil. For they knew Walpurga shared this night with the Adversary.
In fact, St. Walpurga was invoked against magic. So she became a powerful Apotropaic Saint. It makes sense. After all, she was a Benedictine Nun. And St. Benedict was known to be a mystic.
Who had holy knowledge to ward off evil. She also died in 777 AD. I mean what holier number is there than that? This woman was a hell of a special person. If you’ll pardon the joke. Walpurga was canonized both on May 1st and her relics were moved at that time to Eichstätt by the local bishop each year.
All sorts of miracles were reported during the journey. People that were sick, were cured. Even without being touched by the oil. It seems just being in proximity of her body was enough to heal a person. Even by accident.
A poster for one of the old Faust movies, with Faust and the Devil partying at Mount Brocken
So modern Satanists celebrate this as their highest holy night. Catholic Christians do their own Masses for Saint Walpurga. But the Old Christians, those who know the old ways, they stay inside at night. To avoid being caught outside with the Devil and his minions.
So basically you have a bunch of ancient nature spirits and Gods, the Devil, and the Christian God, and the Demons and Angels. And they’re ALL roaming around everywhere. Man that sounds like the set up to a joke. But for all intents and purposes these spirits and Gods keep to themselves. Well depending on your point of view anyway.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the Angels and Demons decided to dance with the nature spirits and faeries. And arm wrestle each other to prove who has the biggest cock. And before you say that’s blasphemy, let me remind you that in ancient times both Angels and Devils had genitalia. The idea of them being “de-sexed” in a a modern one. Even in Genesis chapter 6, another war in Heaven started because a group of Angels came down to earth to have sex with women.
And yes they got pregnant. Go research if you think it’s Bullshit. That’s the reason Adonai flooded the Earth. But anyways, all this sex aside..my rituals are mixed. They come from various cultures.
So for example, I gave an offering to Lord Belenus and the Tuatha Dé Danann. Then after I was done praying to all of them. I gave offerings for light, healing, and protection.
And I immediately went to my Christian altar. And I prayed to St. Walpurga as well as Mary Undoer of Knots. This week is for that aspect of Mary after all. And finally, I did an offering to the Dark Gods. And asked them to pacify the Fallen One on behalf of everyone in the neighborhood. Even someone walking around at night.
Including the animals. We’re also nearing the New Moon. And yesterday was Hekate’s Deipnon. The Feast of Hekate already passed. But it happened close enough to give the darker half of this Walpurgisnacht some extra strength.
So celebrate and worship our Gods. Or your Saint. But also remember to do so with caution. Too many cooks are in the kitchen. And they all want their perspective flavors and seasonings out there for all of us.
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 