Walpurgis Magic: Witch Spells and Wild Hunt Work

BY NICOLE LAU

The magic of Walpurgis Night is wild, potent, and transgressive. This is the night when witches claim their full power, when the veil between worlds is thin, and when spells cast have amplified force. From protection magic to love spells, from working with the Wild Hunt to flying between worlds, Walpurgis magic teaches us that true witchcraft is not tame or safe—it's fierce, ecstatic, and transformative. This is the night to step into your witch power and work magic that changes everything.

The Magical Principles of Walpurgis Night

Walpurgis magic operates on these core principles:

• Threshold power: The liminal space between dark and light amplifies all magic.
• Wild energy: This is not controlled, structured magic—it's raw, primal, and ecstatic.
• Fire as catalyst: Bonfire magic transforms and purifies.
• Earth grounding: Taurus energy ensures spells manifest in the physical world.
• Collective power: Magic worked with others (or with spirits) is exponentially stronger.

Walpurgis Witch Spells

1. The Bonfire Protection Spell: Warding Your Space

Purpose: To create a protective barrier around your home, property, or self.

You'll need:

• A bonfire (or cauldron fire, or red candle)
• Protective herbs: rowan, vervain, mugwort, rosemary
• Salt
• A piece of paper and pen

The spell:

1. Light your fire and say: "Fire of Walpurgis, burn bright and strong. Protect me from all harm and wrong."
2. Write down what you're protecting against (e.g., "negative energy," "ill will," "psychic attack").
3. Throw the herbs into the fire one by one, naming their protective qualities.
4. Burn the paper in the fire.
5. Take the ashes (when cool) and mix with salt.
6. Sprinkle the ash-salt mixture around the perimeter of your property or in a circle around your home.
7. Declare: "By fire and earth, by salt and ash, I am protected. No harm shall pass."

2. The Flying Ointment Spell: Astral Travel and Hedge Riding

Purpose: To facilitate astral projection, lucid dreaming, or "flying" between worlds.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: Historical flying ointments contained toxic plants (belladonna, henbane, mandrake). DO NOT use these. This is a safe, symbolic version.

You'll need:

• Base oil (olive, coconut, or jojoba)
• Mugwort (dried)
• Lavender (for safe travel)
• A small jar

The spell:

1. On Walpurgis Night, infuse the oil with mugwort and lavender under the moonlight.
2. Say: "Herbs of flight, herbs of sight, carry me through the Walpurgis Night. Between the worlds I safely fly, returning home before the sky grows light."
3. Strain and bottle the oil.
4. Before bed, anoint your third eye, wrists, and feet with the oil.
5. Lie down and visualize yourself rising from your body, flying over the landscape, visiting the Brocken or other sacred sites.
6. Set an intention to return safely before dawn.

3. The Threshold Crossing Spell: Transformation and New Beginnings

Purpose: To mark a major life transition and step into a new phase of being.

You'll need:

• A doorway or threshold
• Two candles (one black, one white)
• Paper and pen

The spell:

1. Place the black candle on one side of the threshold (representing what you're leaving behind).
2. Place the white candle on the other side (representing what you're stepping into).
3. Light both candles.
4. Write on one piece of paper what you're releasing. On another, write what you're claiming.
5. Stand at the threshold and read both papers aloud.
6. Burn the "releasing" paper in the black candle flame.
7. Step through the threshold and say: "I cross from dark to light, from old to new, from death to life. I am transformed."
8. Light the "claiming" paper from the white candle and let it burn safely.
9. Keep the white candle burning through the night.

4. The Wild Hunt Banishing Spell: Sending Away Unwanted Energies

Purpose: To call on the Wild Hunt to carry away what you no longer need.

You'll need:

• A piece of paper and pen
• A black candle
• Mugwort or wormwood

The spell:

1. Write down what you want banished (toxic relationships, bad habits, fears, etc.).
2. Light the black candle and burn mugwort as incense.
3. Call the Wild Hunt: "Riders of the night, hunters of the sky, I call upon the Wild Hunt to carry away what I release. Take [name what you're banishing] and ride it far from me. Let it never return."
4. Burn the paper in the candle flame.
5. Visualize the Wild Hunt sweeping through, gathering up what you've released, and riding away into the distance.
6. Say: "It is done. It is gone. I am free."

5. The Fertility and Abundance Spell: Taurus Manifestation

Purpose: To manifest abundance, fertility (literal or creative), and prosperity.

You'll need:

• A green candle (for Venus/Taurus energy)
• Coins, seeds, or symbols of what you want to manifest
• Honey
• A small dish

The spell:

1. Light the green candle and say: "Venus, goddess of abundance, Taurus, sign of fertility, I call upon your power this Walpurgis Night."
2. Place your symbols in the dish and drizzle honey over them, saying: "As honey is sweet, so shall my life be filled with abundance. As the earth is fertile, so shall my endeavors bear fruit."
3. Hold your hands over the dish and visualize golden light pouring into it.
4. Let the candle burn down.
5. Bury the contents of the dish in the earth (or in a plant pot) to "plant" your abundance.

Working with the Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is a powerful but dangerous force. Here's how to work with it safely:

Calling the Wild Hunt (Advanced Practice)

When to call: Only when you need something powerfully banished or when you're seeking deep transformation.

How to call:

1. Go outside on Walpurgis Night (or work at a window facing the night sky).
2. Light a black candle and burn mugwort.
3. Call out: "Riders of the Wild Hunt, I call to you this Walpurgis Night. Odin, Frau Holle, spirits of the storm, I seek your power. Hear my call!"
4. State your request clearly and specifically.
5. Offer something in return (wine poured on the earth, bread left outside, a promise of service).
6. Listen. You may hear wind, feel a presence, or receive intuitive guidance.
7. Thank them and dismiss them: "Wild Hunt, I thank you. Ride on. Hail and farewell."

Protecting Yourself from the Wild Hunt

If you sense the Wild Hunt but don't want to engage:

• Lie flat on the ground and don't look up.
• Carry rowan wood or iron.
• Say: "I honor you, Wild Hunt, but I am not yours. Pass me by."

Broomstick Magic: Riding Between Worlds

The broomstick is a tool for crossing thresholds and traveling between worlds.

Charging Your Broomstick

1. On Walpurgis Night, take your broomstick outside under the moon.
2. Pass it through bonfire smoke (or incense).
3. Say: "Broom of the witch, tool of my craft, carry me between the worlds, protect my path, sweep away all harm. You are charged with power this Walpurgis Night."
4. Use it to sweep your ritual space, your home, or to symbolically "ride" in meditation.

Shadow Work Magic

Walpurgis Night is ideal for shadow work—confronting what's been hidden in the dark half of the year.

Shadow Integration Spell

1. Light a black candle and sit in front of a mirror.
2. Ask: "What shadow aspect of myself needs to be seen and integrated?"
3. Gaze into the mirror and let images, feelings, or insights arise.
4. Write down what you discover.
5. Say: "I see you. I acknowledge you. I integrate you. You are part of me, and I am whole."
6. Burn the paper as an offering to your shadow self.

The Ethics of Walpurgis Magic

Walpurgis Night magic is powerful and should be approached with respect:

• Know your intention: Be clear about what you're calling in or banishing.
• Respect the spirits: The Wild Hunt, the Horned God, and other forces are not to be commanded lightly.
• Ground afterward: Wild magic can leave you ungrounded. Eat, drink, touch the earth.
• Protect yourself: Cast circles, use protective herbs, and know your limits.

Next in the series: Walpurgis Divination: Witch Oracle and Sabbat Tarot Spreads.

As the veil thins on Walpurgis Night, let the wild energy of the hunt guide your intentions, and consider grounding your magical work with the 40 manifestation rituals intention to reality to channel that fiery momentum into focused creation. For those drawn to the darker, introspective currents of this sabbat, the shadow work tarot internal locus practice guide offers a potent tool for uncovering the truths that emerge under the moon’s watchful eye. And to seal your circle and honor the ancient spirits of the Wild Hunt, a sacred cleansing with the sacred space cleanse printable energy clearing ritual kit will help you close the portal with grace, carrying the night’s magic safely into your waking world.