Here follows Sara Bonadea George's interview with the witch Hella Nathorst-Böös about Haggbyrån .
Photo: Ewa Stackelberg
Surely one of your purposes is to enhance the value of the word "hagga"?
Would you like to tell us a little about it?
Yes, that's right!
The population group Women over 50 is only growing, as people's lifespan increases. At the same time, we have a hidden place in the corner of the pubic area. When we have passed the menopause and can no longer bear children, we are considered to have hardly any function anymore. The prevailing youth cult gives a horror of wrinkles, sagging skin and grey hair
hair, which the beauty industry makes huge money on. In the job market, people over 50 are often sorted out. We met acquaintances who were nervous about celebrating their 70th birthday.
At the same time, several public, influential older women said that they no longer want to appear on TV and in pictures because they are ashamed to show their wrinkles and sagging skin. Smart, super-competent women are choosing not to appear in the media and influence society there, because their appearance has aged.
This made us so depressed that we decided to form Haggbyrån to provide redress to elderly women. Growing old and being allowed to walk the earth for another time should feel like a proud privilege, not a shame.
We chose the word hagga because it is a strongly negative description of an older woman. A hagga is considered angry and ugly. We are taking back the word, just like gay guys have done with the word gög.
Photo: @jannicahoney @whentheblackbirdsings_
It also feels as if the term "hagga" has a slightly different sound than the English "crone", do you think that's true?
Hag and Crone mean roughly the same thing in English, but within Wicca Crone has been elevated to mean the third age in the three ages/forms of the goddess, i.e. the older woman. In the Swedish language we lack the Crone, so Haggan fits better here. In addition, the word hagga is believed to be related to the word häxa
(long and complicated etymology that I won't go into here).
What are Haggbyrån's tasks and who do you contact?
We celebrate and provide redress to women who have stopped bleeding/are no longer of childbearing age. Our mission is for more women to enter the older phase of life (a phase that for most is 3-4 decades long) with pride and joy. For this we have created an initiation ceremony. In the ceremony, participants first free themselves from
old trash and negative beliefs they don't want to take with them into the Hagga age. Then they are ready to manifest how they want to live the rest of their lives. The whole thing ends with a solemn coronation to Hagga.
Photo: @jannicahoney @whentheblackbirdsings_
What are the benefits of menopause?
No longer being attractive in the “meat market” can be a great liberation. We no longer have to please and can stop caring about what others think of us. This makes us better at setting boundaries and meeting our needs. This is one reason why women in and after menopause are sometimes called bitches: we are not
accessible and compliant in the same way that younger women more often are. Breaking that behavior means questioning the entire female role. And it is perhaps not so strange that haggas are mocked or hated for it, even if it is of course distorted. It is almost a change of identity, a shift of port, as many
times are supported by the body's hormonal changes.
Why should I long for menopause?
You will probably become better at setting boundaries and making sure to meet your own needs. Feel proud even if you are no longer a high performer. A little less energy and sometimes ailments mean that you have to slow down and take it easier. This is also a big taboo in our society. But we Haggos can see ourselves as role models there.
Demand to take naps, have a more relaxed work schedule, and not to overwork your body. You probably refuse to do unpaid housework for your partner anymore. Seek medical attention for illness - something that younger women often don't do because they are afraid of appearing weak and being rejected if they don't overachieve. That's one reason
to why so many people are experiencing symptoms of fatigue today.
What are your favorite herbs for menopause?
Hops for estrogen balance and sleep, valerian and passion flower for sleep and calm.
Photo: @jannicahoney @whentheblackbirdsings_
Can you tell us a little about those of you who run Haggbyrån?
My name is Hella Nathorst-Böös . I have been a witch since the age of 25 (soon to be 59) and have written the books Häxans Trädgård and others, about medicinal plants, their use and history. I also give lectures, workshops and city walks with the same theme.
This spring I am helping to create Malin Matsdotter's herb garden. It is a memorial to those who were executed in the Stockholm witch trials of 1676. Malin Matsdotter was a midwife and ran a public bathhouse and was therefore knowledgeable about herbs. That is why we think it is a good fit with an herb garden as a memorial site. Incidentally, Malin was also a hagga, over 60 years old when she was executed. The herb garden has been granted and is being paid for by the Södermalm district administration in Stockholm.
Ravens Margareta Nobell
Age: 64
Priestess of Avalon (trained at Glastonbury Goddess Temple), Urd's Nature Priestess, Soul Healer and songwriter. Lives on Gotland and in Stockholm.
Since 1996 I have worked within the shamanic realm in Sweden, and occasionally in England, with workshops, ceremonies and circles, mostly with and for women. My focus has always been to reawaken and reestablish our connection with nature and All Life. I have a BA in Social Anthropology with
religious history as an important sub-subject, as well as a psychology degree.
Special areas of interest:
Shamanism, witch trials and Norse myth and custom.
Since 2017, I have been running the priestess training Urds väg. There we follow the Avalon tradition's annual wheel with eight different seasons, and work with both Nordic and Celtic goddesses. I still work to inspire people to listen both outwardly and inwardly for the magic that is always available. With the help of the Goddess and some Spirits and Gods, we can all find both meaning in life and our own authentic power.
Therefore, I am happy to participate in Haggbyrån's important work and hope to inspire more women to embrace Nature, both around us and within us, so that we can affirm our bodies, age and life experiences in the natural cycles we go through. Life is magical! Part of my own communication
with Makterna is done through song. The songs come to me during communication and I have decided to take advantage of them. This has resulted in a variety of varied songs and chants, as well as two albums that
available on Spotify. On Gotland and in Stockholm I also offer Soul Healing, Forest Therapy and Shamanic Guidance.
You can find me at @korpmor and @urds_brunn, as well as at www.korpmor.se (my moderately updated website) www.facebook.com/Korpmor
Haggan Zindra Andersson , 66 years old
Full-time priestess. Course leader, soul healer. Lives in Stockholm
For five years I have been running the training The way of The Völva/ Viskvinnans vandring i Väven, both in Sweden and abroad. I am a Priestess of Avalon and have lived in Glastonbury in recent years and been part of the Glastonbury Goddess Temple. I have worked with shamanism for a long time and before that followed the esoteric teacher Ambres. It is a great privilege to convey the love of life, nature and all its beings as well as the constant presence of the Goddess. I am a former musical artist/opera singer and also receive
clients for Soul Healing, Womb and Past Life Healing.
https://www.facebook.com/Zindrastjarndis
Kristina Turner
Age: 57
Author and birth activist. Course leader and birth protector. Sacred birth guardian (trained at Glastonbury Goddess Temple). Lives in Stockholm.
A woman who emerges from childbirth strengthened gains access to a source of power that lasts a lifetime. The female body has been devalued as defective and unpredictable for thousands of years and now it is time to reclaim the power of our magical bodies! I have studied and practiced esotericism for almost thirty years. Since 2013 I lead
women's circles with a focus on the menstrual and lunar cycle. My book Natural Birth – A holistic guide to pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, which looks at birth from a spiritual perspective, was published in 2010, and I hold Sweden's first one-year training course for Sacred Birth Guardians. The entry into menstruation, childbirth and
Menopause is a rite of passage, and that is what I want to highlight in my work with Haggbyrån.
I hold maternity blessings and other ceremonies for women, and have developed a series of essential oil blends for that.
www.urbangoddess.se
www.ownyourbirth.se
www.braidoorganics.com
How can people get in touch with you at Haggbyrån ?
Email us at info@haggbyran.se
