Hex Magazine » Harvest

Living the Dream ~ Editorial

Harvest — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:11:30 +0000

Dreams, visions, and portents have been guiding us through untold millennia. The nature and source of these forms of communication is enigmatic – indeed, it allows our conscious linear thoughts to tap into the vast mysteries of our world. Whether you feel that dreams or visions come from other-worldly or divine origins, or merely our own stew of unconscious thoughts, it is undeniable that many of our greatest achievements as well as small personal breakthroughs have been sparked by these strange ...

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Saplings in time: A Heathen Tale

Harvest — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 06:37:58 +0000

More than any others in my piece these lines unify and express the theme of genius loci – spirit of place – and they do so, significantly, both in terms of the central Victorian landscape and my Northern European spiritual heritage. For if Germanic Heathenism, the religion of the god Woden, originated in one land, Northern Europe, then naturally it will be a religion replete with Northern European associations. Indeed, natural and desirable spiritual evolution notwithstanding, the entire form and content of the religion are ideally derived from this source. How far can we, or should we, nativise our religion in Australia? There is something complex, problematic, and interesting when North meets South. What happens when opposites meet? When fire and ice clash and intermingle is there creation or destruction, or both? Is there a possibility of a marriage ...

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Finnish Sauna

Harvest — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 05:35:52 +0000

The sauna was not only central to rites of passage, it was itself a passageway. Many Finns were (and still are) born in sauna and brought there to die. As a temple it was a place to worship and honor the dead. We see in Kalevala how Marjatta, who is with child, cast out by her father, must find a sauna in which to give birth. She finds one on a clearing with a stable in the pinewood. In this primitive sauna she gives birth to the new king of Finland, helped by horses that create the steam by breathing vapor on the hot ...

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Flower Power!

Harvest — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 05:19:06 +0000

We grow an organic vegetable garden which means that we rely heavily on companion planting. Companion planting brings balance to the garden, as plants help each other to repel bugs, encourage high yields, and attract garden allies. Edible flowers are indispensable companion plants. They serve their ecological purpose, while at the same time, they are beautiful to gaze upon and good to ...

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An Easy Elixir: Dairy Kefir

Harvest — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:27:22 +0000

We are 100% addicted to kefir in this household. If we miss drinking it for some reason, the whole rest of the day feels “off.” Dairy or milk kefir is a delicious probiotic, a cultured milk drink that has over 2,000 years of history. The story of Kefir takes us back to the Caucasus Mountains, located between Europe and Asia. Shepherds there noticed that milk carried for long periods of time in leather pouches or animal hides would sometimes ferment to create an effervescent ...

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My Own Private Ecological Disaster ~ Editorial

Harvest — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 07:59:28 +0000

The prescient H.G. Wells once wrote that human history might soon become a “race between education and catastrophe.” I would add that this race started a long time ago, for criticism of the Industrial Revolution has accompanied its viral growth since its inception. And now, in 2010, amid a (supposedly) flourishing “Green” movement and increased awareness about the environment, we face one of the largest environmental disasters in human history. ...

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Norwegian Yule Dinner

Harvest — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:53:41 +0000

I get very inspired to cook Norwegian foods at this time of year. When I lived in Norway I really enjoyed all the special foods that were served and enjoyed during the Yuletide season. So when I came back to the US, I decided that I would celebrate the Winter Solstice by feasting on Nordic cuisine. ...

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Squash Soup

Harvest — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:26:39 +0000

Just last week I accidentally bought an unusually large squash, weighing close to 2 kg (4 lbs. 6 ½ ounces). It was a butternut, obviously coming from a healthy vine, with beautiful colour and shape and just perfectly ripened. What to do with it? A giant pumpkin soup was the obvious ...

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Bisp ~ Mulled Wine

Harvest — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:20:01 +0000

In Scandinavia, drinking spiced wine during the holiday season is a celebrated event. Norwegians have special holiday parties dedicated to drinking spiced wine during the winter holidays. The most common wine is called Gløgg. Here is a different version called ...

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Heiti of the Gods

Harvest — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:00:24 +0000

[This article by Siegfried Goodfellow is a companion to or amplification of "Forming a Mythic Response to the Deepwater Catastrophe," an article by Siegfried featured in Issue 7, Winter 2010, of Hex Magazine – Ed.] Heiti of the Gods: Fridlef as Njord, Amundus as Volund, Bjorn as Hodur, and Helgi as Halfdan An explanation by Siegfried Goodfellow, with special research help from Carla O'Harris. There are many in modern times who may not be familiar with these identifications known in ancient days, and candor requires bringing people to the sources from which they are derived so each may make up their own mind as to their solidity and validity. The explanations here may seem Byzantine, but such is the fate of tracing polynyms amongst the skalds, who loved labyrinthine foldings, and once you grasp the gestalt underlying these different variations, the logic becomes crystal ...

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