Text from Gavin Fox's The Accelerated Necromancer. Black font on white background. It reads, in part (due to restrictions on post length): "Walpurgisnacht. A worthy counterpoint to Samhain on the necromancer’s broken wheel of the year, the usually fiery Beltane energy is instead inverted and replaced with stridently feminine lunar essence as Persephone and Demeter hold court upon the very tip of the Brocken. Surrounded by all the witches who journey to be with them they dance around the need fires on the mountain top, nature and death currents both swirling in their wake. Tales of such Walpurgisnacht sabbaths have long troubled the minds of the uninitiated in Europe, while the Bavarian Hexennacht is celebrated with costumes and revelry in a similar vein to Halloween. Just a local observance, of course, but one that carries a far greater weight for the adept who is willing to rehabilitate the very same folklore which once consigned heretics to the pyre. Longer spring evenings begin to inject memories of summers past into the orange tinged dusk. Foxes yip in the night, their eyes balls of burning Beltane fire as they slink between the bins and alleyways that criss-cross the urban sprawl. Owls hoot overhead as they hunt for prey. Crows and rooks scavenge in gardens. Insects land on damp grass as it sways long and green against the first rays of dawn. The adept would do well to respect these energies of abundance. Remember, even in her wounded state Gaia remains far more powerful than the most belligerent priest or priestess of the Veil will ever be. And due to accelerated necromancy being a celebration of life force in all its forms as opposed to just decay alone, there is no reason why those warmer nights cannot be enjoyed anyway. Balance is key, after all."

Very warm out there. Perfect weather to stand atop a mountain and dance until the morning, not that I can. So here is the #Waplurgis entry from my recent book, #WitchSky. As the text of The Accelerated Necromancer proves, I definitely see #TheWheelOfTheYear and #Beltane in a different way to most.