A word from our editor, Julie Hand

Hello and welcome to the first edition of our online magazine, Hermit’s Bazaar.

I have heard it said that a spinning top, when rotating in perfect balance, looks as if it’s standing still, when in fact it’s rotating very fast.  This is the very essence of stillness and balance and, for me, is an apt analogy for what we are hoping to achieve in bringing both ancient and modern spiritual traditions into the limelight, offering you a variety of ways to find harmony, stillness and balance in the midst of our modern, frenetic world.

We hope to feed your body, mind and soul, helping you to see and connect with the sacred in all things ~ big and small.  And we will do this through contributions from local teachers and therapists; comprehensive listings of what’s on in the Wessex area; directing you to a wide range of therapists and readers local to you; and providing a Bazaar where you will be able to trade your mind body spirit focussed wares ~  both new and/or re-cycled.

We are so grateful to our contributors in this first issue who have helped us to get our vision off the ground, and from here we hope to grow in a variety of directions.  We see this as your magazine, and we aim to build an online community where you can share and exchange views and topics.  So if you have something to share – a story, an article, or a poem; if you have an event, class or course to publicise; or if you have a business you wish to advertise on this site, then please, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   Let’s create this community together.

Hermit’s Bazaar will rotate according to the Wheel of the Year and the core theme this month is Yule and celebrating the winter solstice on December 21st.  To go back to the analogy of the spinning top, Yule, also, is a time of stillness and peace. It is the pause in the year, the out-breath.  But although all seems still, the seeds of the year ahead are already in place, lying dormant and not quite yet stirring with growth.  And we would do well to follow suit ~ using this time of natural hibernation to withdraw a little from the chaos ~ to re-centre, connect with nature, and find our balance so that we too can spin in perfect harmony.  Our next issue will appear at the end of January, with Imbolc as its focus. 

Many, many thanks once again to our contributors in this issue who have taken a step outside themselves by bravely joining us in this as yet untested venture, and helping us to bring this first issue to you.

And we couldn’t have reached this place at all without the huge support and efforts of Greg and Pauline Austwick of Mystech Graphical and Multimedia Solutions.

Wishing you a very Happy Yuletide and a New Year blessed with peace and happiness.

Thank you and enjoy xx