WALPURGISNACHT: EMBRACING THE SHADOWS
A Journey into Magical Practices and Dark Archetypes
Walpurgisnacht is a unique and captivating observance that takes place on the eve of May Day (April 30) across many parts of Europe. Its origins are deeply rooted in ancient traditions and folklore, where the boundaries between the earthly and supernatural realms are believed to be thin.
Over time, it has evolved to encompass a broader range of cultural legends and practices, adding to its mystique and enchantment.
Historical Context
With its intricate ties to the pagan celebration of spring and fertility, today’s celebration is a fascinating journey into the past. Much like Beltane, it symbolises the end of winter and the onset of spring, a time when the earth renews itself, and life begins anew. The night, believed to be when witches and spirits were most active, was a time of mythological gatherings on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains of Germany. These gatherings, known as Hexennacht (Witches’ Night), were filled with revelries, dancing, and bonfires meant to ward off evil spirits and foster fertility for the coming year. This rich history inspires a sense of renewal and new beginnings, inviting you to delve deeper into its mysteries.
Eventually, it became known to the broader public as Walpugisnacht /Walpurgis Night after Saint Walpurga, an English Christian missionary born in 710 in Devon, England. Coming from a notable Anglo-Saxon family, she grew up studying medicine and spreading Christianity in Germany, where she founded a double monastery that became a famous cultural centre. Saint Walpurga, often shown in Christian art holding bandages, was known for her ability to ward off witchcraft, and her efforts helped convert many Germans from their old pagan beliefs. She passed away on February 25, 777, and her tomb still produces holy oil that is said to cure illnesses, which Benedictine nuns give to pilgrims.
Her canonisation happened on May 1, 870, so Walpurgis Night is celebrated on the eve of this date. Saint Walpurga quickly became popular in England, Germany, and France. When her relics were moved to Eichstätt, miraculous healings were reported along the route, and later, people who used the oil, known as Walpurga’s oil, from her shrine also reported miracle cures.
Cultural Significance
In literature and popular culture, Walpurgisnacht has left an indelible mark. It is often depicted as a night of supernatural and chaotic wildness. Goethe’s portrayal in Faust is particularly notable when he vividly describes a massive, surreal witches’ sabbath on Walpurgisnacht. This depiction has deeply embedded the event in the modern imagination as a night teeming with magic and pagan rituals, starkly contrasting the Christian associations of Saint Walpurga herself. This cultural significance ensures that Walpurgisnacht remains a symbol of mystical potential and spiritual peril, intriguing and unsettling to the imagination.
Another significant literary reference to Walpurgisnacht is in Bram Stoker’s short story, Dracula’s Guest, initially planned as an introductory chapter to his most famous novel. In the story, an unnamed Englishman is visiting Munich before he departs for Transylvania. Despite being cautioned by the innkeeper to return early, the young man eventually exits his carriage and heads towards a deserted village deemed “unholy.” As he does so, the carriage, driven by a superstitious and terrified coachman, hastily leaves. At the top of a hill, a tall, slender stranger startles the horses.
This event is no mere coincidence; it underscores the night’s reputation as one of supernatural power and ominous portents, enhancing the novel’s Gothic atmosphere. Stoker’s choice of Walpurgisnacht intensifies the themes of invasion and the unsettling encroachment of the supernatural into the modern world. Just as in Faust, where the natural laws seem suspended, in Dracula, Walpurgisnacht provides a fitting backdrop for the emergence of a creature who embodies the violation of natural laws — living beyond death and manipulating time and space.
Walpurgisnacht’s cultural perception is shaped significantly by its literary uses. It is often depicted as a time when the veil between worlds is thin and malleable, a night that invites the mysterious and the occult, blending ancient pagan practices with the narrative needs of Gothic and Romantic literature. This portrayal ensures that Walpurgisnacht remains a symbol of mystical potential and spiritual peril, intriguing and unsettling to the imagination.
Modern Celebrations & Historical Synchronicities
Today, the spirit of Walpurgisnacht lives on in various forms across countries like Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia. The typical festivities include bonfires, dancing, singing traditional songs, and wearing costumes — all activities that harken back to the event’s roots in pagan traditions. In some cultures, it’s still considered a night when the veil between the living and the dead is fragile, making it an ideal time to contact the supernatural. These modern celebrations and magical practices keep the tradition alive and offer a sense of connection to our ancestors and the mystical world they believed in.
In more recent times, the Church of Satan was established on Walpurgisnacht in 1966. Anton Szandor LaVey, the founder, mentions in The Satanic Bible that Walpurgis Night is a significant Satanic holiday, second only to one’s own birthday (of course!). He notes that the Eve of May has long been recognised as a symbol of the completion of the Spring Equinox. LaVey intentionally selected this date, fully aware of its historical connections to witchcraft.
Furthermore, The Satanic Temple observes Hexennacht as a solemn holiday dedicated to honouring those who suffered due to superstitions.
In his book The Lovecraft Code, the author Peter Levenda highlights a number of interesting historical events all happening on Walpurgisnacht:
- SN 1006, the largest supernova in human history, exploded on April 30, 1006 CE, in the constellation of Therion. Mount Merapi on the island of Java exploded on the same day, burying Borobudur beneath volcanic ash.
- April 30, 1492: the day Christopher Columbus received his commission to set sail for the Indies.
- April 30, 1776: the eve of the day the Illuminaten Orden was founded
- April 30, 1789: the day George Washington took the Oath of Office as first President of the United States. The Washington Monument is exactly 555 feet high; the number of the word Necronomicon in Greek numerology.
- April 30, 1919: the day seven Thulists-members of the Thul Gesellschaft, the secret society that practiced occult rituals in the Four Seasons Hotel in Munich, alongside the nascent German Workers Party-were murdered by Communists. It was the instigation for the Freikorps Revolt against the Communists that introduced Adolf Hitler to the Thule Society and the German Workers Party, which became the Nazi Party.
- April 30, 1945: the day Adolf Hitler is said to have committed suicide in the Berlin bunker.
- April 30, 1975: the day Saigon fell.
- April 30, 1978: the day the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was proclaimed, with disastrous consequences.
Magical Practice for Walpurgisnacht
There is no doubt that Walpugisnacht can be a potent night for magical workings, particularly those focusing on personal transformation and new beginnings. However, while it is significant in European folklore traditions, it is not explicitly mentioned in Thelemic liturgy.
Liber AL vel Legis does not reference this event directly, but it does reference “the Rituals of the Elements and the Feasts of the Times”, which point towards a broader observance of natural cycles.
Thelema emphasises the solar maxima, the solstices and equinoxes as symbolic moments of change and renewal. The observance of these times can be expanded by including the midpoints between these dates, aligning with the second decan of each of the fixed signs of the Zodiac. These midpoints correspond to older pagan traditions, which are recognised as Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain. To integrate and adapt these ancient seasonal celebrations, Christianity recognised them as Candlemas, Roodmas, Lammas, and Hallowmas, respectively. This adaptation was part of a broader strategy to absorb and preempt the celebration of these dates by pagans, giving these moments new Christian significance while maintaining their connection to natural cycles.
While Walpurgisnacht itself isn’t explicitly celebrated for Thelema, the broader concept of marking significant times and transitions through ritual reflects a similar respect for the power and symbolism of natural and cosmic rhythms. This connection underlines the universal themes of death, rebirth, and transformation, which are central to many spiritual and esoteric traditions. In our journey to Heliopolis as Thelemites, we observe them while identifying with the solar and divine consciousness that the Holy Guardian Angel stands for.
For those looking to engage in a magical practice on Walpurgisnacht, incorporating flames or even a bonfire can be a powerful way to connect with the evening’s traditional celebratory elements and its deeper esoteric significance.
As this night marks a potent time for delving into nature’s darker, transformative aspects, invoking the Dark Man of the Sabbat, a figure often featured in Traditional and Luciferian witchcraft, could enhance your ritual. This enigmatic figure symbolises the hidden or shadowy forces of nature and rebirth, and is akin to the Dark Lord mentioned in Kenneth Grant’s Typhonian Trilogies — and I definitely suggest you read Peter Levenda’s book if you want a more in-depth exploration of this enigmatic figure.
In a Thelemic context, this archetype could be related to the egregores of Set, Hadit, and Hoor-Paar-Kraat — each embodying aspects of the hidden and the transcendent. During your bonfire ritual, focus on these deities or their qualities, using the transformative power of fire to symbolise the burning away of the old and the illumination of the hidden truths of your deeper self. This practice can be a profound way to honour the dual nature of destruction and creation that this night so vividly represents.
A few years ago, I recorded a guided pathworking for those who can’t fully engage with Hexennacht’s energies. It’s available on the Magick Without Tears website in the Pronaos space, which you can access either by purchasing my book or with a monthly subscription.
And so… see you on Brocken Mountain!
