Hex and Spellwork: The Magical Practices of the Pennsylvania Dutch

by Karl Herr

In Pennsylvania Dutch country, among the Old Order Amish and the strict Mennonite congregations who live their lives parallel to modern society, there remains the remnants of one of the oldest European magical practices found in Hex, or Hex und Speilwerk, or Pow Wow. In Hex and Spellwork , thirdgeneration Hexenmeister Karl Herr teaches the actual practices and examines the history of the SwissGerman traditions from which Hex and Pow Wow are derived. Hex work echoes the magical arts that reach back to the earliest beginnings of human civilization. Evoked to assist people in health and earthly prosperity and to achieve what they legitimately desire in life, or to counteract the negative spell of a witch, hex is positive magic, never used for evil. Hex work is firmly founded in the Christian religion, with a liberal dose of SwissGerman folk superstition. The Bible is a great influence on all Hex work, which originates in the Gospel of Matthew, where Christ insists that all people of good heart and a pure soul could perform miracles. Karl Herr is bound and determined not to let the oral tradition of hex vanish from the face of the earth. Among the many practices he's written down in this book verbal charms for healing, considered by many to be folk prayers/ the magic of stones and other natural objects/ folk remedies, such as using dried chickweed to stave off colds. Discover himmelbriefs, "heavenly letters" written either to God, or to gain the assistance of someone who is in heaven. Plus instructions for creating hex signs that can be used to reduce anxiety and control spiritual forces. Contains illustrations of traditional hexes, plus diagrams illustrating how to draw one's own.

Genres: Magic, Witchcraft, Occult, Nonfiction, Wicca, Spirituality, Metaphysics

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jönathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an introductory level guide to Pennsylvania Dutch folk magic, which I recommended to anyone who is interested in folk magical practices within a Christian tradition. "Karl Herr" is a pseudonym and the book and persona of Karl are based on the author's experience of several "hexenmeisters". Nevertheless, he addresses the reader in a comfortable tone and this book is a much more relaxing read than many of the more academic works on the subject.

[Alysia Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the book to better understand the meanings behind the colors, patterns, and symbols in the hex signs that I grew up seeing on barns; always loved the folk art.

I had no idea about the hexology behind the signs before I read the book and it was an interesting read.

I don’t believe in any of the mystical pieces but found it intriguing and it was interesting that the last few sentences of the book asked for religious tolerance.

The author doesn’t cite his historical references so marking it a 3 as I don’t think that all of the information is accurate but he serves his points which are not based in science anyhow nor is that claimed so the book has its place.

[Kathryn Pritchett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Picked it up as part of my research on 19th century folk medicine. Interesting tidbits on practices of the Swiss-German origin Pennsylvania Dutch.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Karl’s writing about his history and his experience as a Hexenmiester. I have Pennsylvania Dutch roots and I wanted to learn more about the traditional folk magic and traditions of the side of my heritage, and this book was a great into into it! I didn’t realize how deeply rooted in Christian magic the Pennsylvania Dutch are, it was so wonderful to learn. Definitely some things I’m going to integrate into my practice. Some things seemed a bit silly, but I loved learning about it.

[Dominique Lamssies · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book not knowing anything about Hex magic and I came away from this book... not really knowing anything about Hex magic. Honestly, this reads more like a long wikipedia post that has a few details and a lot of passive aggressive comments about people who live in cities and how much they suffer and don't realize it because they don't live in the country and don't appreciate "plain people." It's weirdly backhanded about being open minded.

There's a hefty "further reading" section at the back that you're probably better off just going with rather than buying this one.

[Diana Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Karl Herr, the author of this book, is *not* actually a hexenmeister!

I was very disappointed to read in this book that the author is not actually a hexenmeister. Karl Herr is a pen name of author familiar with magical practices. The author writes within the book that the content are *not* "journalistically or scientifically true." I thought this book was going to be a first-person account of these practices. It is not. Returned.

[Scott Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book

This book reads like a conversation by the fire with a faithful, unassuming practitioner of folk magic. A delight to read, even it is does border on the precious from time to time, and plenty of specific information about various hexenmeister practices.

[JH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Christian, which was offputting to me. But redeemed itself with talking about German hex signs that you could put in your home, stick magic, and some household remedies for illness. Kind of cool to read, given my German heritage.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little book examining the folklore and duties of a Pennsylvania 'hexenmeister'.

[Paula Grimm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting little book. It would be worth having in your library if you're into charm-making, spellwork, etc.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because I like hex designs, but now I know that that is just one part of a larger body of practice. The particular practices were interesting, but what really caught my attention was the prayerful attitude in which all practices are carried out and the relative freedom that hexenmeisters have to develop their own methods.