Customer Reviews

Hex and Spellwork: The Magical Practices of the Pennsylvania Dutch

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The first reviewer of this book states that the work is too short and glosses over many things. This is true. It is also true that I, too, agree that the author's attempt to conceal his identity is "annoying". There is also a section towards the middle of the book, which goes into a lengthy description of the history and development of alphabets and writing. It comes off more like filler than necessary material. And, lastly Herr has a potentially debatable section on the magical use of barn (i.e., "hex") signs. There has been little scholarly agreement on just *what* these signs are for. Some Dutchmen have said that they are "just for nice" (decoration).

However, with these objections aside, one cannot go wrong with this book. It is a valuable alternative and remedy to works such as "Silver Ravenwolf's" (i.e., Jenine Trayer's) work "American Folk Magic", which is a re-release of her previous book "Hexcraft".

Herr's book is as close to the straight stuff as one will come without learning from a real powwow or hexenmeister. Herr does the subject justice by keeping the practice firmly within its cultural and spiritual roots. Yes, this is magic(not "magick"). But, this is also *Christian* work: because Jesus Christ is, indeed, the true foundation of all "hex" work for the real powwow practitioner.

This book is a good starting place for one who has no idea what real hex work is like, but would like to find out. It gives a very good starting place, and provides an adequate bibliography for those who wish to dig into the subject further.

I highly recommend that those interested in powwow purchase this work in addition to Lee R. Gandee's "Strange Experience". Also, add to the collection: Hohman's "Long Lost Friend", Albertus Magnus' "Egyptian Secrets", and "The Sixth & Seventh Books of Moses".

This was an interesting book and well-written though not with the depth I would have liked. It also states in the beginning that 'Karl Herr' is a pen named for "a well-known writer on the subjects of magic and spells". Jolly. So what is his better-known name so we may judge this book in context, and how much of the claim to be a third generation hexmeister is true and how much is piffle??? I found this coyness annoying. Who are you Mister Herr?? What other books have you written, under what name? How can we buy them if we do not know your other name/s?My other quibble is he does not explain precisely how books like Pow-Wow or the 6th and 7th Books of Moses are used in hexwork. He also glosses over a number of customs I would like to learn more about. If one is going to write on a subject one can at least be thorough. This is not a long book. There was plenty of room, surely, for more depth and range, presuming the author actually does have the expertise he claims.Those caveats aside, this is an interesting, informative and well-written book on a subject on which very few books are available and I would recommend it to anyone with nn interest in the subject.

This is probably the only modern book written on the subject that has merrit. I read through this book twice, once each time before heading to Pennsylvania, and I really have to say I admire the straight foward approach the author uses. Mr. Herr presents a history of hexology, the meanings of hexisgns, and methods of preparing your own that leave the reader with a basic understanding of this art. The author makes no attempts to hide the fact that hexwork is rooted in the Christian tradition, as do other "new age" authors. Mr. Herr also presents the reader with a great chapter on the Himmelbrief, the written prayer, and how it is applied in hexwork. I highly reccomend this book along with the classic LONG LOST FRIEND to anyone interested in the subject.

The book gives some interesting insight to the old Pennsylvania Dutch traditions of healing and Pow-wowing. The author disclaims any connections with Wiccan or witch craft practice and includes a Christian perspective without being critical of other beliefs. If you are of a Pa. Dutch background, reading the book will help you feel closer to your culture and history. Many of the authors claims rang true to me as someone who grew up in that culture and had ancestors that practiced pow-wowing.

This literally is the best book on PowWow that I have read to date. This book is very informative with true stories from the author's own experiences, oral traditions and life experiences.

This book has a great selection of spells for a budding hexenmeister to try. So get on tryin' the way the Hexenmeisters do. Being from South-Central Pennsylvania myself, it is a great book to read since it really is about a magical tradition that started right here in the area.

Much Love & Many Blessings,
Thorn Nightwind

I am not sure that Herr would understand my joy. I have been a practicng Christian Wicce for some time. I am not a Sophia Christian or a Goddess Christian or even properly a Wiccan, I am a witch who practices craft through the Christian faith. While so called Pagan and WIccan groups preach inclusiveness and recognition, they shun witches like me who have practiced various forms of Appalachian folk magic, Irish Wittan and Pow Wow and hoodoo for generations. This book explains how it all works and how it all comes together.

This is one of the very few books available on Pow Wow work that also covers Hex Signs (the two are not exclusively related) that is actually worth the paper it is printed on. Karl Herr takes the reader beyond the "new age" attempts of other authors (I'm sure you know who they are) and presents the reader with a straightforward and honest look at his own practices.

This book along with Strange Experience, The Autobiography of a Hexenmeister by Lee R. Gandee and of course Long Lost Friend by Hohman would be a great addition to your library.

To judge by both content and style, "Karl Herr" is not Silver Ravenwolf, but another author who has published several books on magic with Weiser, and more recently with lulu and xlibris. I think very highly of that author's other books, and this one, too, repays study. If I give it less than five stars, it is only because his account of Pennsylvania Dutch magic suffers from a few historical lapses, and also seems to me to lie somewhat outside of mainstream Pennsylvania Dutch practice. If "Karl Herr" is who I think he is, then he not of Pennsylvania Dutch extraction himself.

This book is fiction. The author, whose real name we aren't told, created a "persona" and described what he thought might be the role of a hexenmeister. It's sad that he wasn't able to take the information he gathered and write about it objectively. Instead, he got into creative fiction (and poorly- written fiction, at that). Don't waste your time on this book.

I read the book cover to cover and came away wondering if "Karl Herr" was really Silver Ravenwolf. What do you think?