Welcome to Hollesvolk

Hollesvolk began as a small study group and has gradually grown into a living apprenticeship in folk magick and the Old Ways.

The word "Hollesvolk" means the Folk of Holle — a reference to the ancient Germanic goddess Frau Holle, who is our spiritual patroness, guardian of magick, wisdom-keeper of the the land, and the beloved carer of the ancestors and the mysterious cycles of life and death.

Hollesvolk therefore asks an important question: What might a living folk-magick tradition look like here in South Africa? Our seasons turn differently. Our stars are different. Our plants, animals, weather patterns, stories and cultural landscape are different.

We are a practice that listens carefully to the land beneath our own feet and respectfully explores the extraordinary tapestry of folk wisdom that exists within our Rainbow Nation. We are a tradition still growing. We are the new generation of Old Wives, Cunning Men, Brauchers, and Wonderwerkers. Those who join out Guild become part of that journey.

What is HexCraft?

HexCraft — or Hekserei — is a nature-based, life-enhancing practice of folk magick rooted in the wisdom of the land, the household, the ancestors and the cycles of everyday life.

It is practical magick.

It is the magick of herbs growing beside the kitchen door; a prayer whispered over someone who is ill; observing the behaviour of birds before the weather changes; lighting a candle for protection; knowing when to plant and harvest; reading symbols in tea leaves; carrying a charm in your pocket; blessing the home; watching the Moon; learning the language of the seasons.

It is magick woven into ordinary life.

The HexCraft taught within Hollesvolk has been influenced by several streams of traditional and contemporary practice, including Wicca, Braucherei, Urglaawe, rune lore, Western folk magick, herbalism, South African folk traditions and healing practices, as well as my own earlier training and experience within Spiritism, Druidry and other magical traditions.

How the training works

Hollesvolk apprenticeship is designed to fit gently into ordinary life. Each month we explore one central theme.

At the beginning of the training period, apprentices receive a pre-recorded lecture introducing the month's teaching. Along with the lecture, students receive course notes, worksheets, suggested exercises and practical magical work to explore at home. You then have time to read, practise, experiment, observe and reflect.

Toward the end of the month, we gather online as a Guild to discuss the teaching together.

This gives apprentices an opportunity to ask questions, share discoveries, talk through difficulties and learn from the experiences of other members.

Where possible, members may also have opportunities to gather in person for seasonal celebrations, nature-based rituals and other community activities. The rhythm is intentionally gentle. Learn. Practise. Observe. Gather. Reflect. Then we begin again.

Build your own HexCraft practice

Hollesvolk is about practical magick. Knowing the folklore of an herb is wonderful - growing it is better. Knowing how people once blessed their homes is fascinating - blessing your own home makes the tradition live. Learning the meanings of the runes is useful - sitting quietly with them until their symbols begin speaking a language you recognise is something else entirely.

Throughout the apprenticeship, students are encouraged to gradually establish their own home-based HexCraft practice.

Month by month, you will collect prayers, charms, recipes, observations, rituals, correspondences, divination techniques and pieces of folk wisdom. Keep them. Write in the margins. Record what worked and what didn't. Add stories from your own family. Notice when the swallows return. Record the first winter rains. Learn which plants grow outside your own door.

Over time, your course notes can become something much more personal: your own HexCraft working book - A record not merely of what somebody taught you, but of the relationship you have developed with your own practice, home, ancestors and land.

Why is there no cost for this course?

There is no cost to train with the Hollesvolk HexCraft Guild.

There are no tuition fees. There are no monthly membership fees.

The core course material, lectures, notes, worksheets and practices are provided freely to apprentices.

From time to time I may recommend books that complement our studies. Students are welcome to purchase these if they wish, but additional books are not compulsory unless specifically stated otherwise.

I offer the apprenticeship freely because I believe there are some forms of knowledge that are best kept alive by passing them forward.

However, free does not mean casual. The only thing I ask you to bring is something far more valuable: your commitment to your studies.

What we do ask of our apprentices...

You do not need to know anything about witchcraft, folk magick, Heathenry, herbalism or divination before joining Hollesvolk. Beginners are welcome.

You don't need expensive tools, elaborate robes, a large collection of books or a perfectly organised spiritual practice.

But you do need to participate. Please consider joining the apprenticeship only if you genuinely have the time and energy to engage with the training. We ask apprentices, as far as life allows, to watch the monthly teachings, read their course material, attempt the practices and participate in our online gatherings.

We also ask that everyone approach the cultures, traditions and spiritual practices we encounter with respect, humility and curiosity.

You will never be expected to believe exactly what somebody else believes. You will be encouraged to think. To question. To research. To practise. To observe.

And eventually, to discover what HexCraft means to you.

About the Guild Keeper

My own spiritual journey has taken me through many different traditions of healing, spirituality and folk practice.

Over the years I have studied and practised within streams including Wicca, herbalism, rune lore, Braucherei, Urglaawe, traditional South African healing practices, divination and nature-based spirituality.

Rather than attempting to blend these traditions into one indistinguishable whole, Hollesvolk grew from a desire to understand the principles that so many folk traditions share:

Relationship with land... relationship with ancestors... healing... protection... seasonal awareness... symbol... story... prayer... community... and the quiet recognition that the sacred is not somewhere far away. It is woven through everyday life.

My role within Hollesvolk is therefore not simply that of a lecturer. I think of myself as the Guild Keeper — tending the hearth, preparing the lessons, safeguarding the integrity of our work, sharing what I have been taught, and creating a place where others can gather to learn.

Hopefully, what we tend together will eventually belong to generations beyond our own.

Next Level 1 training begins OCTOBER 2026 - Come, sit at the hearth...

Hollesvolk isn't intended to become a huge school.

It is a small Guild of people learning, practising, questioning, remembering and keeping old skills alive together.

If something on this page has stirred your curiosity, you are welcome to contact me directly. Tell me a little about yourself. Tell me what draws you toward folk magick and HexCraft. Tell me what you hope to learn.

And perhaps there will be a place waiting for you beside our hearth.

Rev. Ryan Edmonds
Guild Keeper — Hollesvolk HexCraft Guild

WhatsApp / Phone: 071 874 1890
Email: ryan@afrishanti.com

The old ways are not behind us.
They are beneath our feet.