November 25, 2025 - In the Pennsylvania Dutch language, these practices are known as Brauche or Braucherei and in the folk tradition they are contrasted with Hexerei ('black magic') performed by Hexer ('witches' or 'sorcerers'). For example, the braucher is typically called upon to remove a hex placed by a Hexer ...

In Pennsylvania Dutch magick, there are basically three types of magick practitioners: Powwowers (white magick generally for healing and hex breaking), Hexerei (black magick generally for hex casting), and Hex Doctors (sort of a grey area of ...

August 22, 2021 - From the earliest years of the 18th Century to the present day, Hexerei has remained an underground belief and practice, and only in the last 40 years has enough evidence been collected to present detailed study. Pennsylvania Dutch witchcraft has been traced to Europe, and is typical to that which was popular in medieval times, but its persistence among the “Dutch” in America is due in part to the publishing of various occult books and the efforts of several people to make a living from believers in it.

January 6, 2023 - Any maliciously-intended ritual activity that is used to harm an individual or livestock is called Hexerei (literally, malicious witchcraft).15 Like the word hex-doctor, use of the term Hexerei can also be ambiguous, and in some areas of North ...

As the old saying goes, “it takes all kinds!” Let me begin by saying that I feel fairly certain hex signs on barns were mainly a decorative form of folk art. The tourist industry popularized the connection with “hex” or “hexerei.” The Amish tended to avoid such decorations which ...

In the past two or three hundred ... West Virginia, as well as other states. But nothing compares to the 'real' PA Dutch, the communities that are still very much alive in Pennsylvania. Hexerei, the dark side of folk magic......

July 16, 2019 - Many would paint this symbol on the outside of their home as a form of protection to those who dwell inside. The Hexerei is bright geometric patterns that usually form some type of a star and can be found in all shapes and sizes.

The three circles, which often have other cabalistic signs inside them, are a form of Pennsylvania Dutch insurance to ward off the evil eye from the cattle within. Like other farming communities, this rich and peaceful land has its dark traditions, its hexerei (witchcraft).

August 22, 2021 - Powers used to heal in the art of Braucherei are derived from God (the Holy Trinity), but the powers employed in Hexerei are derived from the Devil, in the simplest of explanation. Therefore, one who engages in this sort of magic has bartered or “sold his soul to the Devil,” and destined for Hell, so practitioners beware! For nearly three centuries, the Pennsylvania Dutch have not hesitated to use Braucherei in the healing of their sick and afflicted, and regionally, our culture has canonized early 19th Century faith healer, Mountain Mary (of the Oley Hills), as a Saint for her powers of healing.

Digitized material related to the history of Franklin and Marshall College encompasses items from the College archives as well as a collection of published books about the College. Collections include College publications, such as the student newspaper, as well as photographs and archival documents

Inclusive and open to anyone regardless of background, this book explores Germanic Heathenry seen through the lens of Pennsylvania Dutch culture. Three expert authors, including the founder of Urglaawe, combine their knowledge of old magic traditions into a comprehensive guide to establishing your personal, modern practice. You'll also learn how to find or form a community for shared practice. Explore the history and distinctions between Pennsylvania Powwow, Hexerei, and Braucherei.

die Hexerei ˘ ˘ ˉˊ noun, pl. Hexereie · magic · witchcraft ·

Hexerei : a practice of witchcraft among the Pennsylvania Dutch | WorldCat.org

September 18, 2025 - The hex signs painted on barns are thought to protect, not harm, and feature designs like birds, hearts, and tulips. But not every hex is so warm and fuzzy. Hexerei (which literally means witchcraft) includes darker practices too.

June 12, 2021 - The practice came over with immigrants from Germany’s southwestern Rhineland beginning in the late 1700s and established itself among the Pennsylvania “Dutch” (a misunderstanding of “Deutsch”) in the state’s southern “Dutch Country” region, eventually moving westward through Appalachia and all the way to Indiana and south into the Ozarks.

December 20, 2007 - The Pennsylvania Dutch term for witchcraft. It is said that the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses are the source of many formulas for witchcraft. The effects of hexerei may be good or bad, depending on the circumstances and whether the hex is placed or removed.