En Hexeschpiggel

A Hexeschpiggel ("witches mirror") is a protective item that one may carry on oneself or keep static in the home. Any mirror will suffice. Some people also use ornamental glass balls for the same purpose in one's yard.

A Hexeschpiggel is fairly easy to make with simple intention to function as a static, sympathetic protection charm... You may use an actual mirror, a pendant of glass or some stones (quartzite works well). 

Typically one places the Hexeschpiggel flat on a table, and places ones own fluid (saliva is ample) in a triangle form, starting in a clockwise pattern staring at a point farthest from oneself (one's body should be on a side of the triangle, not at a point). Thus, one of the points would be on the opposite end your body. Draw the first line down on the mirror toward the right, then the second line will form the angle to your right and go off to the left. Then the third line will go from your left back to the originating point, which is the point that represents the casting back of any negative energy.

Below is one chant that has been passed to me by Hexerei practitioners. Typically the chant is said in groups of three, while continuing to draw the triangle. The items in brackets [ ] represent two slightly different versions of this same charm that were presented by the practitioners. 

Schpiggel, Schpiggel

mei Zauberei

Beschitz mir vun

beeser Hexerei

Schpiggel, Schpiggel

Sicher hald mich

Wann die mir kummt

Schick [die][graad] zerick

Zauber-Daag 

Zauber Nacht

Schpiggel, Schpiggel

mei Freindschaft

Beschitz mir vun

aller Feindschaft

Mirror, Mirror

My magic

Guard me from 

wicked Hexerei

Mirror, Mirror

Safe hold me

When she (referring to wicked Hexerei) to me comes

Send [her][straight] back

Spell-Day 

Spell-Night

Mirror, Mirror 

my Kin 

Guard me from 

every Foe.

Halliches Erntfescht

(or Erntdankfescht!)

The autumn equinox and surrounding days served as the time of the original Deitsch (and German, for that matter) Thanksgiving. We Urglaawer observe the equinox and celebrate the harvest as a community as close to the equinox as possible. The Schwenkfelders observe the thanksgiving on September 24, other localities hold it on different days, also often based on the equinox.

In Heathen times, communities pitched in to help to finish harvests, to trade different crops, and to tend to kin and neighbor so that everyone had a variety of foods to store for the winter. This is the root of the Harvest Home tradition, which continues in many churches today.

The establishment of a national Thanksgiving holiday was actually met with some resistance in Deitsch communities because we already had a thanksgiving observance that was placed at the time of the completion of the harvest. The end of November seemed to be an odd time to many people. The traditional harvests were well over by then, it was typically very cold, and, prior to the rise of modern transportation and grocery, people would be more likely conserving their food stores, outside of game, to ensure a supply to carry them through if Spring came late.

The Harvest Home church traditions nowadays take place all throughout September, but they are a legacy of the thanksgiving festival. Urglaawe groups hold thanksgiving festivals as close to the equinox as possible. All of these observances focus on spreading the wealth of the harvest around, most typically in the form of canned food donations to food shelters.

Over time, the national holiday in November has meshed well with traditional Pennsylvania Dutch foods and has become part of our lives. However, it is good to keep our cultural traditions alive, too.

Most of us who were born after World War II are so accustomed to supermarkets having everything we could want all throughout the year that it is difficult to fathom the reliance on root cellars, springhouses, and cooperative efforts among neighbors. Jump back a few generations, when most food was grown locally, and it becomes easier to see why there would be a formal expression of gratitude for a successful harvest. We can capture a bit of the experience of our forebears by appreciating events like the end of the harvest.

Besides, it never hurts to have another day where we are a little more deliberate in our gratitude for the food that nourishes us. So, sometime this week, you may want to incorporate an extra expression of gratitude in the religious or philosophical context that resonates with you to the plants and the animals that feed us, to the farmers who produce the food, and to the transportation and outlets that make it available to us.

Let's make Erntfescht/Erntdankfescht a thing again in our communities!

Hailstones, Haagel Rune

The first hailstorm of the year is first transformational and the protective and definitely associated with Holle. The hailstorm heralds impending changes or shifts (good, bad, even neutral), and the saved hailstones bring Holle's protection and banishment of harm through the changes and through the year. 

Historically, refrigeration would have been problematic, so the stones would melt (also symbolic of the spring thaw in most cases, unless there was no hail until late int he year), and people would either drink the water from the fallen stones or they would save the water to pour to the growing garden or field plants when spring had set in. When refrigeration became more available, people began to save the stone throughout the year. There is no set removal time for saved stones, but I've never kept them past the Yuletide of the same year in which they were taken, and I generally put them out in the spring in the garden.

Aspects of this tradition appear to be echoes of the Haagel rune, which in Deitsch use has meanings akin to Hagalaz and Anglo-Saxan Hagal. The structure of the Deitsch rune looks more like that of the Younger Futhark than of the Elder Futhark; however, it is just as frequently depicted standing on two of its legs as it is on one. 

Haagel on its end

The same circumstance applies to the common six-point rosette symbols on hex signs, and many people believe that the rune and the rosette are related. Indeed, the meaning of the rosette in hex signs is similar to that of the Haagel rune: banishment and protection. 

Haagel as rosette on two legs

Haagel is a rune of proactive elemental Spirit, which places it useful in dealing with issues associated with reactive Spirit (depression, grief, death) and with elemental Earth issues (often digestive disorders), particularly of the reactive type (diarrhea, food poisoning, parasitic infections, etc., but, of course, always see a doctor, too!).

The rune may also be used in the general application of protection and also for transformation of the mind, of understanding, and in interpersonal relationships. It may applied for good or for ill, for terminations to allow new beginnings, for bringing about or confronting radical change, for inciting change in the self or others, for the expulsion unwanted baggage on the mind and the soul, and for dealing with the shadow of the self and the shadow sides of others. There is no rune in Deitsch practice more associated with both the application and the blocking or deflection of hexes, and indeed, skilled practitioners can use Haagel to transform hexes into blessings that draw energy from the sender. It is also the most commonly used rune in Urglaawe house blessings.

Along with Loch (Laguz), Haagel is a rune of mirrors, which brings in aspects associated with Berchta as well. While Loch is the reactive side of the mirror (that which looks back at the view), proactive Haagel is the eye seeking answers in the mirror. It is the seeker of wisdom, insight, and truth, and it is that which causes the active deflection of harm. 

Haagel, in both physical and runic form, has longstanding traditions within the Deitsch culture, and its lore and applications will continue to grow as Urglaawe evolves.

A Wurthexe Charm

Here is one of the charms involving the Three Sisters, who appear to be Wurthexe (Norns)... No particularly meter to this one. Of unknown age. The first line is interesting because it is essentially without discernible time while the other lines are clearly past, present, future. 

It is important to note that Deitsch seldom uses the simple past and most verbs do not even have a form for it. Instead, the present perfect, past perfect, and past progressive (which does not exist in standard Hochdeutsch) tenses are the more common. This utilizes the present perfect, most like for synergy among the lines. In normal speech, the past perfect would more likely be used.

Dreie Schweschdere am Laafe

Erschdi hot vun der Vergangeheit die Weh gschtole

Zweddi iss vun der Gegewart die Weh am Weckschtosse

Driddi watt vun der Noochkunft die Weh verschtecke

Die Zeit wie en Raawer

Die Zeit wie en Verweser

Die Zeit wie en Verdecker

Mach’s so!

The Three Sisters walking

The first has stolen the woe from the Past 

The second is pushing the woe from the Present

The third will hide the woe from the Future

Time as a robber

Time as a guardian

Time as a concealer

Make it so!

Requirements for Butzemann Construction

From the Urglaawe Customs Guild. Note that there will be a follow-up post in the next few days with some advisories on plants (do not put Elder in a Butzemann).

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Folks who are planning to build a Butzemann may want to start the planning and preparation now.

It occurred to me that I probably never described the typical requirements of the physical Butzemann, so I am going to do this now.

Since he is a scarecrow until his spiritual activation in the Kannsege (Ceremony of the Corn), you can use any scarecrow pattern, size, etc. in the construction. Because I am artistically-challenged, I usually get hold of a muslin doll shell (AC Moore and Michael's have them). This year, though, I am again going to aspire to a larger Butzemann.

He can be as simple or as ornate as you wish him to be. The minimal requirements are the following:

• He must be given clothes, and they are to belong to him and must be burned along with him later in the year. At a minimum, he should have a shirt, pants, and something to cover his head (typically a straw hat or similar).


• He should have some sort of representation of eyes, ears, nose and mouth. The features can be drawn on or fashioned into the structure (holes, embedded items, etc.).


• He must be given a heart (this always makes me think of a character mis-assignment from the Wizard of Oz). The heart may be a paper cut-out. Some folks use an acorn or other seeds or nuts to represent the heart. Most folks I know also put in Zauberzettel (charm tickets) that are blessings written on paper and built into him. They can be one word (the intention is imbued into the paper when you are writing the word or words) or a small prayer. Common themes are love, security, bounty, gratitude, etc.


• He must have some representation of the plant life on the turf that he will be responsible for. While most of us try to construct him completely from remnants of the last growing season, even a simple blade of grass will meet the requirement. If you don't have a garden or a lawn, get an indoor plant and put a leaf or two into him while you construct him. The leaf of a nearby tree will suffice; just be sure to remember to include that tree when walking the perimeter with the Butzemann after he is activated. The rest of the body may then be filled with materials procured elsewhere (just be sure it will be safe to burn).


• He must be given a name. Some of us have names in mind during creation; others wait to see what comes up during the Kannsege. One or two of us had a name in mind but had to change it at the Kannsege.


• He must have a designated spot where he will be posted. It can be a perch, a chair, or, if you are going to have an indoor Butzemann, even a spot on a shelf (think "Elf on a Shelf" with shamanic tendencies. :)


• This is not required, but I usually draw runes on his hands and his feet and insert them on charm tickets. Typical runes are Jera, Ingwaz, Othala, Ansuz, Berkano, and Laguz. After some consideration, I am also going to include Mannaz. While it is a rune that reflects humanity, human awareness, and human evolution, plants and animals are also on their own evolutionary courses, and our successes are all tied one to another.


• There is no set requirement for the date of construction or for the Kannsege to take place. Most folks aim to do it at Groundhog Day (anytime during Entschtanning (sundown Feb 1 through sundown Feb 12) is fine. Even later if need be. I personally would usually advise that the Braucherei guild that retained the most detail (Palmerton-Harrity in Carbon County, PA), and their tradition holds that it would be best if the Butzemann were activated prior to sundown on May 12 so that the Butzemann can witness Dunner battling the giant Dreizehdax. This way, they say, the Butzemann will be able to train to fight threats spiritually and to join the Butzemann army of plant spirits (these stories and the insights about plant spirits can get pretty mind-blowing).


• Once the shell is constructed, he is just a scarecrow (Lumbemann). The Kannsege is the last step to awaken the plant spirits within the shell, and he then becomes a Butzemann.


• The rest of the process is described in a file called "Kannsege adapted 1.01.pdf" in the Files section of the Urglaawe Customs Guild group. We'll be looking at that file to make any updates.

This whole process is very much about connection and interdependence among plants, humans, and animals. It is also about the connection to the land wights (Landwichde) and the synergy that arises from understanding ourselves as belonging to physical and spiritual existence rather than trying to set ourselves above the world around us.

Harvest Season and Erntfescht

As this is an important observance coming up, this post is shared from www.blanzeheilkunscht.com.

It has been a busy summer, which, of course, makes it a little less difficult to make regular posts to this site!

Many of us are currently in the midst of the harvest. After a slow start, things like the passionflower are growing like crazy and are beginning to produce fruit. 

There are many other herbs that are ready for a first, second, or even third harvest. This coming weekend, Urglaawer and many practitioners of Braucherei and Hexerei will observe the Erntfescht or Erntdankfescht, which is the original Deitsch day of thanksgiving for the bounty of the harvest. This observance was so deeply engrained in the Deitsch culture that many people resented the creation of the national Thankgiving holiday.

The national holiday is in danger of being eclipsed by the consumer frenzy of Black Friday, so perhaps we can take advantage of the historical roots of Erntfescht. Regardless of one's religious identity, ethnicity, or climate, we can all tap into the spirit of gratefulness for --- or at least appreciation of --- the bounty we have in our lives.

I want to encourage everyone to take part in this very important observance.

If you have folks nearby with whom to celebrate, then come together at or around the autumn equinox and have a feast. Give offerings of the land to the deity of deities of your choice, share and swap harvested food (store purchases are fine) or seeds, and take up a food drive, no matter how large or small.

If observing alone, a donation of any sort to a food pantry or an animal shelter would be appropriate.

All of us should recount the blessings we have in our lives and to share in those blessings with others.

Hail to the Harvest!

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Parsons, William T. Pennsylvania Germans – A Persistent Minority. Collegeville, PA: Keschte Bicher, 1976. 

Yoder, Don. "Harvest Home." Pennsylvania Folklife v. 9 no. 4, pp. 2- 11. Lancaster, PA:The Pennsylvania Folklife Society, Fall 1958. 

Passing the Power!

It is with great pleasure that the Guild of Urglaawe Practitioners of Braucherei and Hexerei announces that Sarah Lyter, Jenny Grimm, and Michelle Jones have acceded from their apprenticeships to the level of Braucherin. They now join both the Guild and the Oley Freindschaft as part of the lineage.

Hail to the Healers!

Guild Growth

It is with pride and pleasure that the Guild of Urglaawe Practitioners of Braucherei and Hexerei announces that Sarah Lyter and Jenny Grimm are each recognized by the guild and the community as a Braucherin. Hail!

Der Schlangkeenich - The Snake King

Features:

The general word for "snake" in Deitsch is "die Schlang," thus, a snake is grammatically feminine.

One reference to the "Schlangekeenich" is translated as "snake queen" rather than "snake king," perhaps due to the use of the term "Keenich" rather than "Keenichen" (or "Keenichin") for "queen bee" in most variants of Deitsch. This reference appears in Richard Wentz's "Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Spirituality" (p. 199). Despite the gender difference between Wentz's reference and the clear reference to a King in this version, other features are identical. For example, the "snake queen's" whistle will rally all snakes "to waylay and fight the wayfarer." This whistle is reflected in the folk tale.

Additionally, there is also a tale called "The Snake King" in the diaspora in Ontario in W. J. Wintemberg's "German Folk Tales Collected in Canada" (Journal of American Folk-Lore, p. 243, 1906).

Phares Hertzog has a article titled "Snakelore in Pennsylvania German Folk Medicine" in "Pennsylvania Folklife" vol. 17 no. 2 (Winter 1967) pp. 24-26. I have this issue and will dig it out. I do not remember his viewpoints on it.

In addition to dragon-types of creatures like the Snallygaster, here are two cryptozoological snakes in oral lore (Wentz refers to them on p. 199): the Reefschlang (Hoop Snake) and the Hannschlang (Horn Snake). The hoop snake appears in wider American lore.

As is the case with much of the rest of "Teutondom," dragons and serpents guard treasure (see also Henry S. Gehman's "Ghost Stories and Old Superstitions of Lancaster County" in "Pennsylvania Folklife," vol. 19, no. 4 (Summer 1970), pp. 48-53). In the case of the Schlangkeenich, the variants seem to reflect local lore regarding real or legendary resources. Gold appears in one variant. Silver, diamonds, and gems (particularly garnet) appear more frequently.

Braucherei is almost schizophrenic when it comes to snakes. Despite many references to "thou, snake, alone are cursed," there are many incantations that call to snake spirits for the removal of poisons, charming, even fertility. As reflected in the story, snakes are simultaneously independent yet fiercely loyal to their King and their den. Another common perspective is that a snake is a snake: not inherently evil or cursed, but it must eat and defend itself as a snake must.

There are several additional folk tales that relate to snakes guarding treasure, though these do not refer to Snake King. They carry some similar themes, though.

DER SCHLANGKEENICH

(Variant B Harmonized - all nine informants from the area of Palm and Zieglerville, PA - seven of the nine were of Schwenkfelder descent).

Harr and Fraa Keller (name randomly chosen) owned a farm in Franconia (PA). Unfortunately, having been caught placing damaged apples at the bottom of market baskets while placing shiny ones on the top, they had developed a reputation for being untrustworthy and greedy.

One day, Fraa Keller was collecting apples in her field when she spied a small horn-tailed snake (Hannschlang) slithering alongside a rock. Fraa Keller saw what she thought was a mouse in the snake's mouth, so she drew closer to get a better look. As she approached the snake, she could see it was not a mouse but a large garnet crystal in the snake's mouth.

Fraa Keller asked the snake where the garnet came from, and the snake replied that she had been given the garnet as a reward for good service to the Snake King. Fraa Keller grew excited by the idea that the Snake King might have more gems, so she asked where she might seek an audience with the Snake King. The snake responded that she was not permitted to share the location of the den.

Fraa Keller replied that she understood, but she was not about to give up the quest. She asked whether the snake would be willing to trade the garnet for something else. The snake replied that she was thirsty and would welcome a drink, and the hospitality would be rewarded with the garnet.

Fraa Keller ran into her kitchen where she concocted a drink to charm the snake into telling the truth, placing it into a bowl for the snake to drink.¹ She then returned to the thirsty snake. The snake dropped the garnet and heartily drank the concoction.

Shortly after finishing, the snake began to feel dizzy, and her vision became blurry. She began to slither back toward the rock, but Fraa Keller stood before her and uttered an incantation.² The snake panicked but felt a loss of control.

Fraa Keller, having charmed the snake, again asked her where the Snake King could be found. Against her own will, the snake replied with the location. She also added a warning, "Anyone who enters the den and tries to harm the King or to steal his hoard will be buried alive."³

Satisfied with the answer, Fraa Keller released the charm, but the potion had poisoned the snake, and she died.

Fraa Keller took the garnet and ran to her husband. She informed him of the Snake King's hoard, which excited the greed within him, too. Fraa Keller urged Harr Keller to go after the hoard, but, remembering the snake's warning, she advised him to take along a large bag, a beam of wood and a shovel. "After all," thought she, "we would not want the treasure to get buried without tools to release it."

The Kellers went to the location and found a hole wide enough to step into. Fraa Keller did not give it a moment of thought to wonder why the hole was so large when the snake she killed was so tiny. As Harr Keller stepped into the hole, Fraa Keller said, "I will wait for you here to help you out."

Harr Keller stepped into the entrance of the hole. He took one more step and fell into a large pit that was lit only from the sunlight coming in from the hole. However, the sunlight was reflected by garnet crystals that adorned the walls and covered the floor in piles.

Harr Keller began to shovel the garnet from the piles into the bag, but then he heard a loud hiss. A large horn-tailed snake seemed to appear from the wall. Upon his head he wore a gold crown adorned in large, polished garnets.

"You must be the Snake King," Harr Keller said.

The Snake King looked fixedly at Harr Keller and replied, "Yes, and who are you who is stealing my treasure?"

Harr Keller replied with a lie, "Does a snake need treasure? One of your own traded this treasure to my wife for a drink. She has part of the payment in her possession."

The Snake King, being much shrewder than Harr Keller had expected, responded, "Whether a snake needs treasure or not, it is not yours to take, and your claim is a lie."

Harr Keller, recognizing that he was in trouble, took the shovel and attempted to strike the Snake King on the head. However, he hit only the crown, and the garnet deflected the strike. Harr Keller dropped the shovel, and the Snake King stepped upon it.

The Snake King let out a powerful hiss that turned into a whistling sound, and all the snakes in his realm heard his call and headed toward the hole. Fraa Keller, hearing the rustling in the grass, sensed danger. She clutched her garnet and abandoned her post, returning to her kitchen.

Meanwhile, Harr Keller, tried to hide from the Snake King among the garnet piles. Using his mighty horned tail, the Snake King smashed the piles, causing the crystals to fly through the air, pelting Harr Keller in the face.

The commotion caused the roof of the pit to weaken, and dirt began to fall upon Harr Keller's head. Hiding behind a pile of treasure, he reached for the beam of wood, hoping that it would brace the ceiling.

The Snake King approached the beam, and Harr Keller called out, "If the pit caves in, you will be buried, too."

The Snake King responded, "Does a snake need a pit? My kin and I can dig our own way underground." He then used his tail to smash the beam. The ceiling caved in, burying Harr Keller.

The Snake King dug his way to the surface, where his army of loyal kin awaited him. He told them of Fraa Keller's treachery. He ordered them to seek out the woman with garnet. His army made its way toward the Keller's house, passing in horror the body of their deceased sister.

The Snake King slammed through the kitchen door with his horned tail, which allowed his army to enter. Fraa Keller attempted to utter the incantations against the Snake King, but, before the words could leave her lips, the army set upon her, biting, stinging, and twisting around her.

The Snake King found the traded garnet and, taking it in his mouth, returned to the spot where the first snake had been poisoned. He used the garnet to scratch into the soil, beginning a new den where he and his kin could live in peace.

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¹ There are a few of these hypnotic "truth serum" types of concoctions reported, and they would fall under Verbot because of the removal of another's free will normally violates many tenets of Braucherei. I can say a few of the known ingredients often include hemp dogbane, violets and passionflower, but some of the other reported ingredients are potentially toxic to humans.

² There are quite a few charms for snakes. An example:

Schlangel, Schlangel

Beiss mich net

Hald dei Saft

Bischt du yetz

Unn'r meinre Graft

Schlangel, Schlangel

Saag die Waahret

Zu meinre Frooget

Little Snake, Little Snake

Bite me not

Hold thy juice (venom)

Thou art now

Under my power

Little Snake, Little Snake

Say the truth

to my question

³ Caving in of ceilings, walls, or vaults is not an uncommon theme in Deitsch folk tales that relate to theft.

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Informants (year 2010):

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 Schwenkfelders requesting no identity
4. K. Freed, Montgomery County
8. E. Renninger, Montgomery County

Hollerbeer Haven 25

The Winter 2015 issue of Hollerbeer Haven is now available in .PDF format.

Wordlists

In addition to the Urglaawe-specific words presented in A Dictionary of Urglaawe Terminology, there are, unfortunately, many words that we use in Deitsch that do not appear in the most accessible dictionaries.

The Deitscherei blog now has lists of words that I have noticed over the years are missing from the dictionaries. The word lists are still not comprehensive, but they do present omitted, yet current, words relating to technology, herbalism, religion, social issues, and more.

Words Missing from the Dictionaries: English to Deitsch

Verseimunge vun de Waddebicher: Deitsch zu English

There are also lists of the Deitsch names of towns (needs to be updated) and states and countries.

This is going to be a long-term, ongoing effort.

Brauch Remedy for Brand (Burns)

This relates to virtually any type of burn, including scalds, sunburn, from fire, etc. 

This little incantation can be uttered alone, or it can be combined with herbs, particularly a poultice or salve of Stinging Nettle (Deitsch: der Brennessel; Tax: Urtica doica).

Wenn sich ee iss brennt, saag:

Hitzbrandgschwulscht, nimm ab

as wie der Dood im Graab
X X X (Roon Gebo (adder Not*) dreimol)

When one burns himself, say
Heat-burn swelling, decrease
Like the Dead in the grave
X X X (Gebo or Naudhiz* rune three times)

A variant form of this, exactly as written below, also appears in Brendle and Unger (153):

Wenn sich eies brennt,

Hitz brand geschwulst nimm ab

als wie der Tod ihm grab X X X

* The X symbol that is often transmitted is also sometimes actually serving the function of a seal of "Not/Need" rather than "Gewwe/Give." In the Urglaawe context, therefore, we are led in this case not to Gebo but to Naudhiz. The two runes do look similar when being drawn over an injury site with the finger, but X was the way it was transmitted to me. Naudhiz makes sense also as the rune of reactive Ice against the burn's proactive Fire. Thus, I personally would use Naudhiz, but the choice is up to the practitioner.

There are other herbal remedies to aid with burns, and those will be described over time on the Blanzeheilkunscht site.

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Brendle, Thomas R. and Claude W. Unger. Folk Medicine of the Pennsylvania Germans: The Non-Occult Cures. Norristown, PA: Pennsylvania German Society, 1935.

Weather Protection Charm

There are many weather protection charms in Braucherei and Hexerei. Given the major snowstorm that is about to hit the eastern United States, it seems like an appropriate time to share one of them here. It can be combined with offerings such as mead, apple cider, or anything that has some significance to you personally. The offerings can be placed outdoors. If you have a fire burning, spit into it at the end of the chant. That act symbolizes the forging of your words.

Wedderwut

Wedderwut, Wedderwut
Musscht deelmol sei
Dunnersmut, Dunnersmut
Ich bleib gedrei

Der Dunner uns b'schtizt
Darrich Schtaerm un Wind
Darrich Eis un Blitz
Abgesichert mir sinn

Wedderwut, Wedderwut
Ich hab keh Bang vor dir

Wedderwut, Wedderwut
Ich hab keh Bang vor dir

Wedderwut, Wedderwut
Ich hab keh Bang vor dir

[Schpuck ins Feier]

Weather Fury

Weather fury, Weather fury
You must sometimes be
Thor's courage, Thor's courage
I remain good-hearted

Thor will protect us
Through storm and wind
Through ice and lightning
We are protected

Weather fury, Weather fury
I have no fear of you

Weather fury, Weather fury
I have no fear of you

Weather fury, Weather fury
I have no fear of you

[Spit into fire]

Happy Walpurgisnacht!

For more information on this holiday via the Urglaawe perspective, please see the post on Urglaawe.net titled Hallichi Walpurgisnacht... adder Hallichi Wonnenacht!

Hollerbeer Haven Issues

The Summer and Fall 2013 issues of Hollerbeer Haven are now available in the Files section. We're currently working on the Winter 2014 issue.

Press Release: Philadelphia Pagan Pride Day

Philadelphia Pagan Pride Day will include a workshop on "Braucherei in the Urglaawe Context." The time of the workshop has not yet been determined, but we will post it when the schedule is confirmed.

This should be a great event, so folks may want to plan a day in Clark Park on August 31!

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FOR RELEASE August 11, 2013 

Media Contact: Robert L. Schreiwer, 
philadelphiapaganpride@gmail.com 

Philadelphia Pagan Pride, Inc., is pleased to announce the return of Philadelphia Pagan Pride Day on Saturday, August 31, 2013, at Clark Park (4301 Chester Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143). The event runs from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, rain or shine. 

Philadelphia Pagan Pride Day is a family-friendly celebration of the harvest and reflects a variety of Pagan, Heathen, Wiccan, and other religious beliefs and practices. The day's events will feature a variety of workshops and discussions on religious and cultural aspects from the various traditions.

We have an exciting array of vendors and performers who will exhibit their wares and their talents. We are accepting additional vendors, workshop leaders, performers, and children's activity ideas up until August 15, 2013. Please visit www.philadelphiapaganpride.org to participate! 

Entry to the event is free, but we do request the donation of a canned food item or other provisions for our beneficiaries. This year, our beneficiaries are the food bank at the Mazzoni Center, Forgotten Cats, and In-Reach Heathen Prison Services. 

In 2012, Mazzoni Center's food bank Mazzoni Center's Food Bank provided more than 11,000 bags of groceries for over 1,200 individuals and families. For more information on Mazzoni Center services, please see mazzonicenter.org/content/food-bank.

Forgotten Cats is a humane trap, neuter, and release organization. the organization also provides adoption services. For more information on Forgotten Cats, please see www.forgottencats.org. 

In-Reach Heathen Prison Services is a joint effort of The Troth and Distelfink Sippschaft to bring positive materials and messages to incarcerated Heathens. In-Reach also accepts donations of other Pagan materials and distributes them through alliances and partnerships with other Pagan organizations. For more information on In-Reach, please see thetroth.blogspot.com/p/in-reach-program.html.

A detailed list of needed donation items may be found at:

www.philadelphiapaganpride.org/2013/08/donations-info-for-pppd.html. 

Anyone interested in getting involved as a volunteer should contact us by e-mail at:

philadelphiapaganpride@gmail.com. 

For more information, please visit www.philadelphiapaganpride.org.

Froschmuun

Tonight's new moon starts the Froschmuun (Frog Moon) on the Deitsch lunar zodiac... By Urglaawe reckoning, this is the fifth new moon after the Spring Equinox. For those near lakes and ponds, the frog's voice is heard clearly on the sultry evenings of this time of year. Those born under the frog sign reflect their representative animal, starting out in one, small, quiet form and transforming as an adult into a prominent (if not occasionally overwhelming) voice. 

There are several adaptable signs on the lunar wheel, and the Frosch is among them. While a frog can live on land, though, it does depend highly on water for survival and reproduction. Thus, the recognition of humanity's use and conservation of water resources is a key folk-consciousness attribute of this time of year.

Better late than never....

The Spring 2013 issue of Hollerbeer Haven is now available in .PDF format. It is a large document, so please be patient during the download.

Holle's Mill

This post is spurred on by an article in Denali Institute of Northern Traditions' May 2013 issue of True North. The article, The Magical Mill, referred to the presence and role of mills in various European mythologies, including Norse and Finnish.

As is the case with so many European folk religions and traditions, Urglaawe retains lore and knowledge of a major mill from Braucherei oral tradition. “Die Miehl” is by the hall of Holle, and it is in this mill that Holle takes the souls of the departed for processing between lives. 

The mill is said to separate the different pieces of the soul in order to release the returning components. In Urglaawe understanding, the portions of the soul that are released are the Urleeg (Ørlög) and the eternal Hoch (Higher Self; the divine spark). The Glick (Luck/Hamingja) is sometimes also passed from construct to construct. Additionally, the Folyer (Fetch/Fylgia), which, in Urglaawe, is seen as an independent entity that attaches itself to a new soul constructs, is freed to find another symbiotic host. The Urleeg, Glick, and Hoch may remain together or be separated into new soul constructs.  

The purpose for the milling is, in Urglaawe belief, to prepare the Hoch quickly for a continuing upward spiral of advancing consciousness. In the deities’ effort to thwart the forces of chaos (which in Urglaawe feature ignorance, apathy, rootlessness, and unenlightened self-interest along with the physical threats described in the story of Ragnarök), the advancement of human consciousness is one of their biggest investments. 

With each lifetime and variation in the interaction of the soul components, the Hoch is to increase its ability to understand existence and to assert its will into improving the existence. In short, the deities want us to be, at the end of this cosmic cycle, where they were at the beginning of it. It is, therefore, in the deities’ interests to keep the Lewesraad (the cycle of life, death, decay, and rebirth) moving along expeditiously.  

In fact, the Urglaawe view of the Wild Hunt pertains directly to this battle with chaos. In our oral lore, it is Holle who leads the Wild Hunt (though Wudan and She are often together, too). Her purpose is to find any souls that have fallen out of the Lewesraad cycle and to bring them back into it. She is followed through the skies by the souls that She has found or that have sought Her out. It is for this reason that the Deitsch culture associates Allelieweziel (Halloween) with the departure of Holle from this plane.  

In Braucherei, there are intervals in the spiritual year that the veil between the physical and spiritual planes (or among the worlds of the multiverse). Allelieweziel and Grundsaudaag (Groundhog Day), in particular, are times at which many Braucherei practitioners engage in soul work to direct lost or distressed souls towards the Miehl. It is also noteworthy that the same processes and cycles pertain to animal and plant spirit constructs, though they differ from those of humans.  

Holle’s Miehl plays a central, critical role in the purpose of human existence, purpose, and advancement. Many of us believe humanity is currently backsliding due to the dereliction of responsibility for one’s own advancement (another article unto itself), and it up to us to aid our deities’ efforts by striving to live our lives more deliberately, being conscious of the impact of our thoughts, words, and actions.

Braucherei in the Urglaawe Context

This will be a discussion and workshop on "Braucherei in the Urglaawe Context" at Trothmoot, which is being held this year in California at Tehachapi State Park.

Registration at Trothmoot would be necessary. Online registration for Trothmoot is now closed, it is possible to register and to sign all necessary forms and to pay on site.

Friday, May  31, 2013, 1:30 PM PDT

http://www.thetroth.org

http://www.co.kern.ca.us/parks/tehachapi.asp