This year's edition contains an article about the late Margot Adler who died on July 28, 2014. (And lest you think that the folks at the Witches' Almanac were just jumping on the bandwagon, the Almanac was already at the printer when Adler passed.)
I have three articles in this edition:
- “Picking Things Up” — Do you pick up a penny when you see it on the ground? This article reveals the origin of and some variations on this tradition.
- “Walpurgisnacht” — This article describes the German legend surrounding The Brocken and a recent visit there. According to the legend, on Walpurgisnacht (May Eve), witches gathered from the four corners of the world to attend the Witches’ Sabbat. Riding brooms and goats, they flew to a mist-shrouded mountain peak called the Brocken, or Blocksberg.
- “Fireflies” — On a hot summer night, just as dusk descends, at the edge of a wood or marsh, something magickal happens. As the sunlight fades, small twinkles of light, faint at first, pulse in the growing shadows. As night overtakes the twilight, more flashes appear, glowing brighter against the contrast of the deepening dark. This article recounts some of the legends associated with these bioluminescent cuties.