~ THE TURNING OF THE WHEEL ~
Imbolc/Charming of the Plow 2011
Once again we’re putting out the call for submissions: due date for the Autumn 2011 issue is Spring Equinox (late March). We want to hear from you. Share your story, your knowledge, your experience. Submission guidelines: http://hexmagazine.com/submit/guidelines/
And don’t forget: the much anticipated Hex Folk Market (www.hexfolkmarket.com) is here! Join our online market community in celebration of folk ways and sustainable living. Browse through our selection of international merchants or set up your own shop for free!
Support Hex! We are community-supported not-for-profit publication. You can
support us by heading to http://hexmagazine.com/subscribe/ and ordering magazines, CDs, and prints, and by spreading the word to all like-minded folk!
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Charming of the Plow
As Sunna begins to climb higher in the sky dome each day it’s time to think about Charming the Plow! This centuries old Heathen ritual can be as elaborate or simple as you wish it to be as long as you honor your plow, be that anything from a shovel to a tractor, and share a gift of bread with the first furrows you plow open.
This year we gave the roto-tiller a good cleaning then decorated it with greenery from many of the plants in the area. Next fresh homemade oat bread was placed into the first dark rich slashes of soil. Words of hope and thanks to the earth and ancestors were spoken and the planting season had officially begun!
Being responsible for creating some of the foods our home consumes brings us a special feeling of closeness to our farming ancestors. By doing so we also get to feel some small part of the pride they must have felt in their life sustaining work. This is a welcome feeling of inspiration after a long winter. Though our hardships can’t compare with those of people 1000 years ago, it has been a rough year for many people.
Already the lettuce and spinach we planted since our rite over a week ago are sprouting their first new leaves. While the onion sets and cabbage plants from the garden center we set out this weekend give the look of a real vegetable patch. Soon violas and spring bulbs will start blooming, asparagus tips should start pushing up through the dirt, and harvest will start all over again. Hail the Plow! Hail Sunna, and Hail the mighty fecund Earth!
For a great source of gardening information, including planting dates specific to certain plants and areas of the US, search your local county extension office web site for charts and other information including the best fruits for your particular region. Better yet visit the local office and get a soil sample analysis and check out their pamphlets and advice.
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/
Hail Day!
Teresa L. Hedgewife
Pinecone Hearth
February 2011
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•ANSUZ•
Old English Rune Poem
Os (Deity/Mouth) is the origin of every language,
Wisdom’s support and counsellor’s consolation
And to any warrior gladness and confidence.
Old Icelandic Rune Poem
Ass (God/Odhinn) is progenitor
And Asgardh’s chief
And Valhall’s leader.
Old Norse Rune Poem
Oss (Estuary) is the way for most on journeys;
And the scabbard is the sword’s.
~ Rune poem translations by Sweyn Plowright
http://www.mackaos.com.au/Rune-Net/Primer/
To sing is an exquisite joy. To open one’s throat, to expand one’s lungs, to feel one’s ribs in perfect synchrony with one’s tongue, mouth, diaphragm. To let the spirit within find itself in a shared expression, a communication that encompasses and transcends mere words. Singing is a profound blessing for all who share in its bounty, be they singer or listener or both.
In song we make a profound discovery: our bodies and our minds are the one thing. The song, such an expression of inner spirit and consciousness, such a potent tool for the sharing of thought and sentiment, is only possible through the body’s graceful co-ordination, the just-right proportion of lungs, throat, nervous system, breath, intent.
Written words delude us into thinking our bodies are detached from our spirits; spoken words can all too easy paper over the simple and profound joy of our constitution; but song reknits our natural vitality, and when it is expressed with honesty its power is immune to all counterfeits.
No more potent expression of celebration, or grief, or joy, or fury, or desire, or reverence, or contempt exists. No more raw, refined, honest, multi-facetted communication exists. No more compelling, fascinating, overwhelming, evocative means of transmission exists.
Song can encompass any language; or transcend them all. We can feel it in our guts; our hearts; our minds. It can carry us into memories that are not our own; it can draw us into the hidden unity and order of the world that sometimes, in precious moments, we find ourselves enmeshed within. It is a blessing that extends without limit.
The god Odin is described as a shape-changer, a trickster, the father of all, who’s wily and slippery nature can make itself at home in any moment and in any place. His nature finds its reflection in every facet of the human experience, in every existentially dilemma, in every moment of reflective reprieve. Who could be a better patron of song?
“To every warrior gladness and confidence:” who has not felt the inspired spirit of song transform them, body and soul?
“Wisdom’s support and counsellors consolation:” for where might more wisdom be found than in the perfect harmony of flesh and spirit that song summons?
“The origin of every language:” in song we find the primordial root of all speech, the deep and fundamental urge each of us has to express what lies within so that we may become more whole, so that we may bring the lush riches of our hearts into worldly presence.
To draw this rune is to be reminded of the exuberant view, even in dark times. To draw this rune is to be reminded of our capacity to transform every wound, every misery, into a new beginning – a new river-journey, our fates touched by sovereign grace.
Song lends strength to tired limbs and flagging spirits: Ansuz invites us with endless generosity to drink from its torrent of life, to reconnect with our inalienable right to feel the spontaneous joy of being alive.
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Shamanic Journeys, Shamanic Stories
“This is a truly amazing piece of work – beautifully written, a joy to read and if he’s offering to write more for us, bite his hand off!”
– David Van Doorn
A shamanic journey is one that generally takes place in a trance state to the sound of a drumbeat, through dancing, or by ingesting psychoactive drugs, in which aid is sought from beings in other realities, generally for healing purposes or for divination. A shamanic story has either been based on or inspired by a shamanic journey, or one that contains a number of the elements typical of such a journey. In this collection of fascinating journeys and stories, Michael Berman reveals the healing nature of shamanic practice.
More information: www.obooks.com
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Lasher Keen: Possessed by the Forest Queen 10″ LP
From the deep earthen caverns we hail the daughters of darkness & light, The Elements gathered within a circle round & commanded by The Lady of Earth. These songs were written & gathered to pay homage to she who devours the boiling sun & kisses the yellow flames with lips of Fire. It has been a year since the last endeavor Wither was released into the spheres of sound. Possessed by the Forest Queen shows Lasher Keen exploring more medieval textures, ever striving for the forgotten chords to reawaken the sleeping spirits.
Possessed was recorded 8 track analog at home in the Bat Cave Studios. Guest appearances include Waldteufel’s [and Hex’s!] Markus Wolff, who in addition to adding his resonate baritone vocals, also contributed to the the artwork. Also appearing again is long time collaborator Robert Schultz, who provides us with the unique sound of the Jaw Harp. Released by Peasanta UR-Folk Records on vinyl as a limited edition 10” of 323 copies.
Chosen as record of the week by Pirates Press!
More information: www.lasherkeen.net
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The Troth Almanac Project: Call For Submissions
The Troth has, in years past, produced an annual almanac including calendar, Heathen holy days and seasonal articles, crafts, recipies, and useful information. After a few years on hiatus the project is being revived and we are looking for contributions. We are especially interested in anything associated with the seasons in your locale and ways you might have adapted your practice to fit with the environment where you live, including different climate zones, countries, and hemispheres!
Submission Requirements
a. Please use a simple word document or rtf; we will format from there.
b. Definitely include your name on your submissions! Credit goes where it’s due, always! Make sure we have the name you want us to use (if different from your actual name), and spell names the way you want them to appear in print.
c. Submissions should be relatively short – approximately ½ to 1 page, total.
d. We accept fact-based ‘essays,’ recipes, poems, games, star charts, local observance descriptions, holidays, and essays based on the months of the year. We also accept photographs and original visual arts. Think of your average Farmer’s Almanac and what’s in it – that’s the rough guide for what we’re looking for.
Please be aware that any contributions will be expected to align with The Troth’s mission and position statements (which can be found on the website http://thetroth.org/ ). Submissions may be sent to Patty Lafayllve walkyrja@comcast.net.
Deadline for submissions for the 2012 Almanac is 31 July 2011 – anything received after that time will be rolled forward for 2013.
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By the Hum of Ullr’s Bow: Winter Songs Compilation CD
is still available!
Bands on the compilation CD include:
• A Minority of One • Allerseelen • Andrew King • At the Head of the Woods
• Beastianity • Hamramr • Irij • Ironwood • Ruhr Hunter
• Sangre Cavallum • Sieben • Steve von Till
• Svarrogh • Waldteufel • Wardruna
(You can read more about the artists here:
http://hexmagazine.com/harvest/winter-songs-cd/).
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: Issue Three Almost Gone! :
Issues One, Two, Four, & Five are sold out!
Limited numbers of Hex Issue Three (and also issues Six and Seven of course) remain…
Order at:
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Until Ostara, may you and your
household be blessed and kept. Hail!
~ HEX Magazine
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We are currently looking for:
• submissions
• funding
If you are interested in applying or have any suggestions,
contact: info@hexmagazine.com
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Duedate for Autumn 2011 submissions
is Spring Equinox 2011
Support your community while exposing like-minded
folk to your goods and services…
Advertisements must be relevant to HEX readers, and inclined toward a Heathen aesthetic. Prices listedare for completed AD files. If you need additional graphic design, we can help. Just contact us about our design fee.
AD space is now available in the newsletter for $10 a run.
Contact info@hexmagazine.com if you are interested.
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