Urglaawer face the same challenges as other Heathen groups when it comes to reconstructing the past. Fortunately, however, Braucherei and Hexerei are living traditions that have been passed down through the ages. Even with borrowings and influences from other religions and traditions, the Heathen roots show through in the form of the chants, superstitions, and symbols.
Braucherei was on the decline in recent decades with the advances of modern medicine. However, thanks to institutions such as the Three Sisters Center, a concerted effort is underway to educate interested people on the historical evolution of the tradition and to pass it on to future apprentices. Resources such as this are of incalculable value to Urglaawer as they give us the opportunity to connect with current practitioners and to access records of many who have passed on.
Hexerei, while generally practiced in small groups or individually, seems also to be experiencing resurgence in recent years. Although Wicca has influenced the development of Hexerei in some circumstances, many Urglaawer practitioners have been striving to research and restore, if possible, the spells and chants to a pre-Christian context. There is certainly some controversy regarding these efforts, as it is difficult to verify the results. However, there is value in their research, such as the sharing of old remedies and spells from older German texts.
While a great many Americans are familiar with hex signs, they may not recognize some of the ancient symbols (the Rain Hex sign features a swastika, for example) that give these symbols power. This is a very visible Heathen remnant that is widely spread within Pennsylvania German culture.
We are told, as the story often goes, that hex signs are chust for nice, yet, in my experience, even many Christians are choosy about which symbols they put on their barns or homes. Some Urglaawer are very actively engaged in studying symbols described in works by earlier Hexologists like Lee Gandee. Their dedication to expanding the awareness and use of symbols in daily and shamanic practices is generating a new respect for the old symbols in the practice of Urglaawe.
Urglaawer are also fortunate to have access to several herbal experts who either count themselves as Urglaawer or who are helping us to connect with Pennsylvania German plant lore. Indeed, herbs are already incorporated into Braucherei and Hexerei, and many families, including Christian Plain Folk (Amish, Mennonite, Brethren, etc.), regularly use natural remedies alongside of more modern cures. Herbal use is thus another living tradition, and it has incorporated information from other cultures, including Amerindian knowledge. This evolution is to be expected as we encounter new plant species from around the world.
These living traditions are relatively easy for Urglaawer to tap into. What is more difficult is locating older information and processing it properly. We are currently in the early stages of what we expect to be a very long process. We can learn from the same sources as our German Heathen cousins up until approximately 1683, when Pennsylvania German settlement began and our distinct tribal experiences commenced. Thus, we can learn much of our heritage from works like Grimms Teutonic Mythology. What happened after emigration from the German lands is a bit more difficult.
One challenge has been access to old lore outside of the usual Braucherei and Hexerei materials. Documents from the Colonial and Early Republic periods in Deitsch or in German are frequently hard to find or are in fragile condition. Also, since the bulk of the Pennsylvania Germans were of ardent Christian faith, references to Heathen activity often are scorned or denounced as Satanic, etc., so the Urglaawer still have much work ahead of us as we investigate our lore heritage.
A prime example of the importance of perspective in lore is Hexenkopf in Northampton County, PA. Much of the oral and written materials view this mountain pillar as being haunted or bewitched. Furthermore, the folklore from the region included references to activity being particularly strong on Walpurgisnacht (see Hexenkopf: History, Healing & Hexerei by Ned Heindel).
A group of Urglaawer got permission from the landowners to visit Hexenkopf during the winter, and the consensus among us was that it is a spiritual place sacred to Haerrin Freya und Haerrin Holle. Thus, a place that is associated with witchcraft in a negative connotation in Christianity becomes a splendid and positive location in which to honor our Gods and Goddesses. This sensation carried through to our Sege (blot) at the site to the two Goddesses on Walpurgisnacht.
Urglaawer have grown to hold Hexenkopf as sacred, and we will continue to hold ceremonies there and to seek curative water pools that are cited in the lore surrounding the mountain pillar.
Hexenkopf is but one example of several references in our lore that we need to research and explore. Hopefully we will find many more bits of information in other texts that will lead us down new paths. We have a huge task ahead of us and we are just at the beginning. We are very eager to learn more about our hidden heritage, and we welcome others who are interested us to join us in our pursuits!
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Originally Posted by Ulf
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