The Powwow Guy

I am fortunate enough to have a library in my home. It's not a large room, maybe 13 x 15 feet, but it houses almost 3000 books on shelves, an old physician's desk where I sit and do most of my writing, and all of my personal magical and powwow bits and baubles. When I'm working on this website, I'm in this library. When I'm powwowing for clients, I'm in this library. I've cast ceremonial circles in here. I've worked with archangels. I've summoned and conjured things in the room that I would not feel safe doing so anywhere else. I've created talismans, herbal concoctions, and himmelsbriefs in this room. I've done powerful anti-hex work in this room. I've pushed my personal magical skills far beyond my powwowing techniques in this room. 

Having a sacred place, a room sanctified for your sacred work, a sanctum sanctorum, is amazing. It is my retreat when I need to focus on something important and don't want to be disturbed. I have the room heavily warded in magical seals, which are far beyond the scope of my powwowing practice. This room is "by invitation only" and even my husband and son respect this. 

Visitors to our home who happen to wander in here always comment on how "cool" my library is. There are astrological charts, palmistry charts, angel statues, candles, books on magic, even a solomonic circle carpet on the floor. It is an amazing room filled with magic and mystery and I have had my most profound spiritual and magical moments in this room.

Should you be fortunate enough to have a spare room, I cannot recommend enough how thrilling it is to have your own sanctum sanctorum. Certainly, for the practice of powwow, it is NOT NEEDED. However, I have pushed myself beyond powwowing and the sanctity of a private chamber is practically a necessity.

Remember to add as many protective wards to your chamber as you can. Keep it safe, keep it sacred, do not profane it in any way as it can serve as your home temple, your room where you work with God and other spiritual beings. Keep your secrets and your power safe.

May God bless you always.

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A large part of a powwow's work is combating harmful magic, also known as witchcraft. This type of magic is designed to disrupt, harm, or otherwise cause chaos in the victim's life. It seems an odd thing to talk about witchcraft in the year 2018, yet it is a very real thing. For the most part, modern practitioners of Witchcraft (often in the form of Wicca, but just as often not) are harmless and believe in balance and the inherent power of nature and other such things. Their work is vary much like a powwow's; to bring healing and protection to those in need. 

However, there will always be people in this world that like to use their knowledge for darker purposes, even within the powwow tradition.

People who come to me believing they are the victims of negative magic often do not know who has targeted them, or even why, but they still feel they've been "cursed" in some way. I believe this is largely a psychological condition, but no less real to the person experiencing it. However, I also know that there are literally countless individuals who self=identify as witches and are perfectly capable of sending forth a hex when they wish to do so. In these instances, I still do the work that is needed. It's important to believe the person who feels slighted because to them it is very real, and it may very well be real, and we must seek to help whenever and however we can.

There are always factors to consider in these instances. For example, maybe the person who came to you has truly been verhexed by someone, but they deserved it. That sounds harsh, but bear with me a bit. Supposing your victim went looking for trouble. Maybe they had a falling out with a practitoner of magic. Maybe they wronged that individual in some way. Now they are suffering for it. 

Or another scenario is that they are not verhexed at all, but believe they are because they can't imagine that they themselves might be the cause of their own misfortunes (it happens more than you think).

Or, of course, a person may truly be an innocent victim of a magical person who wishes them harm. It really does happen.

No matter what you may believe, it is better to do the work required to help them with the disclaimer that it is ultimately up to God to effect the changes. Set your personal beliefs aside, assume the person is telling the truth, and go forward from there. 

Recently I've been trying to educate myself on the hoodoo tradition to see how it differs from powwow, especially when it comes to hex removal. The differences are way too numerous to list, but the general idea behind it is pretty much the same; meaning both traditions understand malevolent witchery and both are committed to removing it. The one main difference I see between hoodoo and powwow (and I admit that I may be very wrong here) seems to be the hoodoo pracitioner puts faith in things such as herbs and other such items, whereas the powwow puts the faith in God.

Protecting from witchery is important for a sound mind and healthy life. It does us no good to go through our day fearful of magical attack by witches. That's ridiculous. However, because the threat of hexerei really does exist, there are a few things you can do to add an element of protection without weighing yourself down with pouches and herbs and crystals and whatever else.

1. Prayer. Seems simple enough, yet not enough people truly understand the power of it. Keeping an open line of communication between you and God is essential to protecting yourself from negative magic. 

2. Red string. Red is the color of sanctuary. It is the representation of the blood of Christ. A red string around the wrist protects your place in the family (remember Genesis 38?), a red cord strung in the window will keep away evil while welcoming beneficial spirits (Joshua), and a red cord burned with cedar and hyssop will cleanse the home of negativity (Leviticus, believe it or not).

3. A circle of protection. "Adonai, Elohim, the Lord my God" repeated 77 times over a container of water, then the water is poured on the ground around your home.

4. Salt. Salt is a preservative. It will preserve the positive and block the rot of negativity and hexerei. A circle of salt around your home will protect from both witchery and witches.

This is enough to get you started. As a powwow you will uncover more ideas and protective charms. The ultimate goal is to not allow the negative to effect you while building up your connection with God. Should you find yourself truly in need of curse removal, contact me and we can work through it.

May God bless you in all that you do.

+ + +

Being a hex doctor, a powwow, means you take on the awesome responsibility of healing in the name of Christ. It also means you make yourself a beacon for all things supernatural; both good and bad. 

Years ago, my grandmother said to me "Weird things happen to weird people". I know now that this was just a snarky way of saying "like attracts like".

When I first began practice as a powwow, I was woefully inexperienced and limited to the few charms taught to me by my first teacher, which were primarily healing charms for headaches, warts, and nervous conditions. I had mixed succes with those. But it was during those first years that I started experiencing feelings and energies from a "darker" aspect to the universe. I had made a few "non-friends" (cough cough enemies) during those years, and more than a few of them were happy to verhex me. Being the nice innocent guy I was at the time, the way I experienced those verhexings was completely foreign to me.... visions of dark figures, the sense of a presence of "evil", to put it mildly... crows filling my yard (which was bizarre and creepy) and illness and fevers like I never experienced before in my life. When I presented these things to those more experienced than me, they decided to give me instruction on how to understand such things and, most importantly, combat them.

A Hex Doctor doesn't just cure your warts or remove crib sickness. A Hex Doctor fights those unseen battles that take place on the periferee of our vision; those devils and ghosts and wights that we only sort of believe in but never really give thought to. A Hex Doc is trained to see the signs of devilry and witchcraft and combat those when necessary. I wasn't as well trained in the beginning. But I am now.

I have spoken to practitoners from many traditions who have relayed similar experiences to me. It seems that once you open yourself up to the Light, the Dark works extra hard to get your attention and/or harm you. It's a battle that is not visible when you meet us, but we fight it nonetheless, unseen from regular folks.

There are stories, rare but still existing, of powwows of old battling the devil. There are stories of witches and ghosts and demons and all sorts of supernatural characters attempting to cause havok in the world, with the powwow as the last line of defense. I can't say for sure if we are always victorious, but we always try.

If you'd like to learn more, you can browse the site for more information or contact me, if you'd like. 

May God bless you in all that you do!

Last Saturday night I fell into my neighbor's fire pit. It was a great metal cauldron with a huge fire inside. I stood up from my chair and literally fell right into it. I instinctively put my hands out and as I fell I grabbed onto the sides of the fire pit as I fell to my knees. The burn was so powerful I fell back, and my left leg straightened out and rested right against the flaming cauldron.

At the hospital, I was diagnosed with second degree burns on my lieft leg and the palms of both hands. The pain was incredible. I was given a shot of the hospital's most powerful morphine, something called dilaudin (I think). The pain went away for about six seconds, then it was back.

I kept my spirits up because there was nothing I could do about it. I also powwowed for myself.

Now it's four days later. The burns on my hand are nothing more than bubbled up blisters that I barely feel. I'm able to work just fine. My hands are wrapped up like a mummy's but I can still type and write and do other things that an Accountant might do. My left leg is a little more painful. The bandages keep slipping and I have to keep rewrapping it, but otherwise I have to concede that I am very lucky to not have anything worse.

The truth is, we were having a neighborhood party. I was drinking vodka. LOTS of vodka. The fall wouldn't have happened if I had been sober. My bad. I own it.

Powwow is amazing. It works. And sometimes I feel the presence of God in what I do.

As I powwowed for myself late Saturday night (technically early Sunday morning), I could feel the light of the divine on me. I could feel that the powwow was going to work and that I would be alright.

Three angels came from the east, bringing frost and fire.

In frost, out fire.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The burn charm is amazing because it has never failed me. Burns can be quite serious and certainly I would never suggest powwow alone is enough to handle them. In my case, I was instantly shoved into a car and taken to the local emergency department. In an odd twist of fate, I was the only patient there at 11pm at night. The doctor and nurses were lovely and attentive and I joked with them while my hands and leg smoldered. And because I had some vodka in my blood, I didn't bother being secret about my powwowing myself in front of them. "Every little bit helps" is what my doctor said, even though he looked at me sideways. No doubt they had a laugh afterwards, but I don't mind.

Powwowing in an emergency situation is supplemental to actual physical medical attention. Don't be afraid to do what you do when you need to do it. If someone thinks you are crazy, so be it. But you'll be glad when the burns are gone within days and you are back to work without missing a beat.

Yes, I was intoxicated while I powwoed for myself; two things that might be taboo to some. But it worked. And I don't apologize for it.

The lessons here were plenty. But in the context of powwow, it proved to me that you can powwow for yourself and be succesful. God was with me, and He didn't let me down.

+ + +

Back in the day, life was a little different than it is now. Farmers and other rural folks could shoot a rabbit or a pheasant or whatever that happened to be on their property or in the nearby woods, and that might end up as dinner. Because of the commonality of shotguns, it's no suprise that guns would have folk magic purposes.

In powwow, a gun can be used as a method of ending witchcraft. The witches name is written on paper, attached to a tree, then shot at. This repels the curse and sends it right back to the offending witch.

A paper can be written up for protection and placed inside a spent shot gun shell then hidden inside the rafters of your home for protection.

Letters of protection can be placed in the handle of the gun to protect while hunting and guarantee a kill shot.

Here are some of my favorites from Long Lost Friend.

 

A CHARM AGAINST FIRE-ARMS.

Jesus passed over the Red Sea, and looked upon the land; and thus must break all ropes and bands, and thus must break all manner of fire-arms, rifles, guns, or pistols, and all false tongues be silenced. May the benediction of God on creating the first man always be upon me; the benediction spoken by God, when he ordered in a dream that Joseph and Mary together with Jesus should flee into Egypt, be upon me always, and may the holy + be ever lovely and beloved in my right hand. I journey through the country at large where no one is robbed, killed or murdered — where no one can do me any injury, and where not even a dog could bite me, or any other animal tear me to pieces. In all things let me be protected, as also my flesh and blood, against sins and false tongues which reach from the earth up to heaven, by the power of the four Evangelists, in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Amen.

 

ANOTHER FOR THE SAME.

I (name) conjure ye guns, swords and knives, as well as all other kinds of arms, by the spear that pierced the side of God, and opened it so that blood and water could flow out, that ye do not injure me, a servant of God, in the + + +. I conjure ye, by Saint Stephen, who was stoned by the Virgin, that ye cannot injure me who am a servant of God, in the name of + + +. Amen.

 

PROTECTION AGAINST ALL KINDS OF WEAPONS.

Jesus, God and man, do thou protect me against all manner of guns, fire-arms, long or short, of any kind of metal. Keep thou thy fire, like the Virgin Mary, who kept her fire both before and after her birth. May Christ bind up all fire-arms after the manner of his having bound up himself in humility while in the flesh. Jesus, do thou render harmless all arms and weapons, like unto the husband of Mary the mother of God, he having been harmless likewise. Furthermore, do thou guard the three holy drops of blood which Christ sweated on the Mount of Olives. Jesus Christ! do thou protect me against being killed and against burning fires. Jesus, do thou not suffer me to be killed, much less to be damned, without having received the Lord’s Supper.May God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, assist me in this. Amen.

 

A CHARM AGAINST SHOOTING, CUTTING OR THRUSTING.

In the name of J. J. J. Amen. I (name); Jesus Christ is the true salvation; Jesus Christ governs. reigns, defeats and conquers every enemy, visible or invisible; Jesus, be thou with me at all times, forever and ever, upon all roads and ways, upon the water and the land, on the mountain and in the valley, in the house and in the yard, in the whole world wherever I am, stand, run, ride or drive; whether I sleep or wake, eat or drink, there be thou also, Lord Jesus Christ, at all times, late and early, every hour, every moment; and in all my goings in or goings out. Those five holy red wounds, oh, Lord Jesus Christ, may they guard me against all fire-arms, be they secret or public, that they cannot injure me or do me any harm whatever, in the name of + + +. May Jesus Christ, with his guardianship and protection, shield me (name) always from daily commission of sins, worldly injuries and injustice, from contempt, from pestilence and other diseases, from fear, torture, and great suffer- ing, from all evil intentions, from false tongues and old clatter-brains; and that no kind of fire-arms can inflict any injury to my body, do thou take care of me. + + +. And that no band of thieves nor Gypsies, highway robbers, incendiaries, witches and other evil spirits may secretly enter my house or premises, nor break in; may the dear Virgin Mary, and all children who are in heaven with God, in eternal joys, protect and guard me against them; and the glory of God the Father shall strengthen me, the wisdom of God the Son shall enlighten me, and the grace of God the Holy Ghost shall empower me from this hour unto all eternity. Amen.

 

TO CHARM GUNS AND OTHER ARMS.

The blessing which came from heaven at the birth of Christ be with me (name). The blessing of God at the creation of the first man be with me; the blessing of Christ on being imprisoned, bound, lashed, crowned so dreadfully, and beaten, and dying on the cross, be with me; the blessing which the Priest spoke over the tender, joyful corpse of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with me; the constancy of the Holy Mary and all the saints of God, of the three holy kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, be with me; the holy four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, be with me; the Archangels St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and St. Uriel, be with me; the twelve holy messengers of the Patriarchs and all the Hosts of Heaven, be with me; and the inexpressible number of all the Saints be with me. Amen.

Papa, R. tarn, Tetregammate Angen. Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judeorum.

 

A VERY SAFE AND RELIABLE CHARM.

The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with me [name]. Oh shot, stand still! in the name of the mighty prophets Agtion and Elias, and do not kill me! oh shot, stop short. I conjure you by heaven and earth, and by the last judgment, that you do no harm unto me, a child of God. + + +

 

A WELL-TRIED CHARM.

Three holy drops of blood have passed down the holy cheeks of the Lord God, and these three holy drops of blood are placed before the touchhole. As surely as our dear lady was pure from all men, as surely shall no fire or smoke pass out of this barrel. Barrel, do thou give neither fire, nor flame, nor heat. Now I will walk out, because the Lord God goeth before me; God the Son is with me, and God the Holy Ghost is about me forever.

 

ANOTHER WELL-TRIED CHARM AGAINST FIRE-ARMS.

Blessed is the hour in which Jesus Christ was born; blessed is the hour in which Jesus Christ was born; blessed is the hour in which Jesus Christ was born; blessed is the hour in which Jesus Christ has arisen from the dead; blessed are these three hours over thy gun, that no shot or ball shall fly toward me, and neither my skin, nor my hair, nor my blood, nor my flesh be injured by them, and that no kind of weapon or metal shall do me any harm, so surely as the Mother of God shall not bring forth another son. + + +. Amen.

 

THE TALISMAN.

It is said that anyone going out hunting and carrying it in his game-bag, cannot but shoot something worth while and bring it home.

An old hermit once found an old, lame huntsman in a forest, lying beside the road and weeping. The hermit asked him the cause of his dejection. “Ah me, thou man of God, I am a poor, unfortunate being; I must annually furnish my lord with as many deer, and hares, and partridges, as a young and healthy huntsman could hunt up, or else I will be discharged from my office; now I am old and lame; besides game is getting scarce, and I cannot follow it up as I ought to; and I know not what will become of me.” Here the old man’s feelings overcame him, and he could not utter another word. The hermit, upon this, took out a small piece of paper, upon which he wrote some words with a pen- cil, and handing it to the huntsman, he said: “there, old friend, put this in your game-bag whenever you go out hunting, and you shall certainly shoot something worth while, and bring it home, too; yet be careful to shoot no more than you necessarily need, nor to communicate it to anyone that might misuse it, on account of the high meaning contained in these words.” The hermit then went on his journey, and after a little the huntsman also arose, and without thinking of anything in particular he went into the woods, and had scarcely advanced a hundred yards when he shot as fine a roebuck as he ever saw in his life.

This huntsman was afterward and during his whole lifetime lucky in his hunting, so much so that he was considered one of the best hunters in that whole country. The following is what the hermit wrote on the paper:

Ut nemo in sense tentat, descendre nemo. At precedenti spectatur mantica tergo.

The best argument is to try it.

 

TO PREVENT ANYONE FROM KILLING GAME.

Pronounce the name, as for instance, Jacob Wohlgemuth, shoot whatever you please; shoot but hair and feathers with and what you give to poor people. + + + Amen.

 

A CHARM AGAINST POWDER AND BALL.

The heavenly and holy trumpet blow every ball and misfortune away from me. I seek refuge beneath the tree of life which bears twelvefold fruits. I stand behind the holy altar of the Christian Church. I commend myself to the Holy Trinity. I [name] hide myself beneath the holy corpse of Jesus Christ. I commend myself unto the wounds of Jesus Christ, that the hand of no man might be able to seize me, or to bind me, or to cut me, or to throw me, or to beat me, or to overcome me in any way what- ever, so help me. [N.]

Next to my bible, my pocket knife is my favorite tool for powwowing. I use it in healing charms, anti-hex work, weather work, and all manner of other types of powwowing. My pocket knife is like an old friend, always on hand when I need it and the work I do with it never fails.

In the early days, I used a large red-handled kitchen knife. This worked fine for the time but it was large and tricky to carry around, which meant I was always cutting myself! After a while I grew so annoyed with it that I tossed it in the trash! When I opted for a pocket knife, it felt absolutely correct to me and I've never gone back to a different type of knife.

You can use a knife to verhex an enemy, but I'm not going to tell you how!

Knives can be used to make protective symbols on your home. 

When you are visiting a place where you feel unsafe, you can thrust your knife into the ground in front of the entrance so that you will be protected while inside. Remember to grab your knife when you leave!

A few examples of powwow knives exist and generally have three or nine crosses engraved on them. They are used for protection and healing work. Some are passed down through family lines. Mine originated with me and will be passed on to my son when he's old enough.

There are some interesting superstitions about knives that were published by Lansky (a knife sharpening company).

-Never give a knife as a house-warming present; your new neighbor will become an enemy.

-A knife given as a gift from a lover means the love will end soon

-Place a knife under the bed during childbirth to ease the pain of labor.

-If a friend gives you a knife, give him a penny. This turns the gift into a purchase and will prevent your friendshiop from soon being broken.

-Don't let knives cross at the table, it will start a fight.

-It's bad luck to close a pocket knife unless you were the one who opened it.

-You should always cut bread with a knife rather than breaking it with your hands. It's said that your life will be broken otherwise.

-Never hand a knife directly to another person. It's said this will cause the two of you to get into a fight.

-Thrusting a knife into the door of a house is believed to provide protection.

-If you play with a knife, the angels will run away from you.

-A dropped knife means a man will visit.

-A dropped knife that sticks into the ground is a good sign. Good luck will come from the direction in which the knife is leaning.

-Do not leave crossed knives on the counter top or there will be an argument.

-Knife sets shouldn't be given as wedding gifts because they can cause chaos in a marriage.

-Putting a knife with a black handle under your pillow is believed to keep away nightmares.

-Never stir anything with your knife. "Stir with a knife and stir up strife"

-A knife made of steel is said to protect you against curses and fairies.

-Some people believe that sharpening any blade after the sun goes down is bad luck.

-Sleeping on a bed with knives under it will scare away evil spirits.

-Knives were included in some Anglo-Saxon burial rites, so that the dead would not go into the next world defenseless.

-Never cross your knife and fork on your plate at the table. It's considered an insult to the symbol of the cross.

-In some cultures it's believed that sticking a knife in a pregnant woman's mattress guarantees she'll have a boy.

-Never lick food off a knife. Doing so will make you a cruel person.

-Eating from a knife will make you "angry like a dog".

Read the original articles here

https://lansky.com/index.php/blog/knife-superstitions-folklore/#.W2bxPy2ZPq0

Ask any of the old timers who the first powwow doc was and they will undoubtedly tell you it was Jesus himself, "the Good Lord". He went around, preaching the Word, healing those who needed it. Then he passed it on to his disciples, as we read in Mark 14...

 

14Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

 

15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

For some comparison, in the Hoodoo tradition, it is generally believed that the Old Testament Moses was the first Hoodoo practitioner. In Powwow, it is Christ. Or, as some others see it, Christ's direct followers who were charged with the Great Commission as written in Mark. 

Jesus certainly fits the description of a hex doctor. He heals, he rebukes when necessary, he casts out demons, he even destroys if his anger is great enough (remember the fig tree in Mark 12?) 

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

A powwow in this day and age carries on the Great Commission is his own way. We come from a long long line of healers and folk magicians, all taking their inspiration from the words and deeds of Christ. It is a tradition that spans over 2 millenia, and it's still going strong today. There aren't as many of us, certainly. And we face an uphill battle against the secularization of society (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does make us less popular...). However, the world will always be in need of healing, the oppressed will always be in need of a champion, and the Great Commission was meant to be eternal.

+ + + 

I believe in the devil. I don't say that lightly. There was a time when I thought it was nonsense... Propaganda created to instill fear and obedience in the hearts and minds of the early Christians. But I've seen the devil. I've experienced him. If there is good in the Universe, it stands to reason that there must be bad. If there is light, there must be dark. If there is day, there must be night. If there is holy, there must be unholy. This is balance. The devil is God's great adversary. Some say he was made by God to fill that role. I don't know. If you read the Book of Job, you see that the devil and God aren't so unfriendly toward one another as we might think. God is pretty badass all on his own, he doesn't really need the devil. Yet there he is. 

The devil is sly and tricky. Where God will outright punish us because he's like that, the devil will tempt us... whisper things to us... make promises and insinuations... He's a clever guy. And we fall for his tricks all the time.

I've seen people who have the devil in them and don't realize it. Or they realize it but don't want him in there. I've also known some people who embrace the devil, and want him to influence their lives. I don't understand it, but there you go..

The devil is the force that brings chaos and destruction into our lives. He tempts us into giving in to our darkest desires. He can infest us with illness, addiction, temptation, and even great power that will corrupt us. His ultimate goal is to prove to God that he can turn us from Him. And he does succeed. 

To combat the workings of the devil is the job of the powwow. We fight him and resist him and work against him. We won't always win, but we will always try. There are afflictions that might be beyond our skill. There are others that we can take care of easily. A powwow can only try with the tools he has on hand. 

As I get older, I feel like the devil is something or someone to be respected. Not honored, like God, but respected as the counterpart to God. The necessary darkness to God's light. The devil is a part of us that we work hard to deny, but it's always there. He revels in our struggles to hold him back. His minions are the forces we fight against when we call upon the Creator to help us combat an illness or a bewitchment.

I have learned that the best way to understand the devil is to first know that he is real. He is the adversary to God. He is the ultimate mischief maker because he lacks the one power that God has... creation. The devil cannot create life so he therefore seeks to twist it and pervert it and prove to God that he can because we are flawed beings. It's an insane and meddlesome struggle, but there you go.

Humor me while I share a story with you...

The devil came to me one night while I was going through a severe bout of depression. He came to me in my dreams and tried to get me to come through a door. He enticed me and gestured for me to pass through the door. But I didn't do it. I think I started to but I woke up, my crucifix necklace tight around my neck causing me to feel as if I was being choked.

What did the dream mean? What did the old devil want with me? Was he trying to pull my spirit to hell? I don't know. But I do know that the experience was real enough for me to take him more seriously and respect him as not only THE adversary, but MY adversary. I've been working against him all these years and now he's shown himself to me. 

I will work against the devil until the day I die. When he gains power, we suffer. We cannot and should not allow that to happen. The best way to defeat the devil is to understand him, respect him, and let him know you are going to fight him every step of the way.

I received an email late last night to inform me that one of my powwow teachers had passed away. I didn't read the email until this afternoon and I have some surprising feelings about it. 

My teacher was an interesting woman. Because I promised her that I would not share her name with the public, I will only share with you my feelings about her.

She was abrupt to the point of seeming rude. She was unconcerned with anyone's (including mine) impression about her because she just didn't care. She kept a messy home and made no apologies for it. When I first met her, she made me wait on her front porch almost a half an hour before she let me in, and she never once explained herself. She was a believer in Christ, but the type that chain smoked and drank beer, and that was ok. She was irritated with me when I told her I was researching Powwow to share information with the public. She had a very low opinion of the idea of writing about Powwow. 

But she taught me two charms. She recited a charm to me and said "there you go" and that was it. I committed it to memory and wrote it down only later when I got back into my car. The second charm was a slip of paper she handed to me with the words and instructions scribbled on it, barely legible. I looked at her as if ready to ask what it meant and her look told me that she wanted no further discussion about it. She said "keep it to yourself and don't share it with anyone". 

And that was that. That was literally my entire relationship with her. I never spoke to her again. She didn't reach out to me. I left her alone. That was about 8 years ago...

So when I read that she had passed away, I immediately wondered if she had shared her knowledge with anyone else, and how could I find out? My only connection to her was someone who had emailed me years ago that said "I should introduce you to the lady down the street...." and that's how it happened. I am grateful to her for the introduction, and grateful to her for letting me know she passed.

Tonight I will say a prayer for her and maybe she will hear me. Maybe now she will be able to watch over me. Maybe she will be a stern spirit, lurking around making sure I keep my promise. Who knows? I can't imagine what sort of afterlife she will have because she shared nothing about herself with me. But what I gained from her in our brief meeting is immeasurable. I learned one charm that I use often and another that I hope I never have to use. She didn't teach me how to Powwow, she just taught me how she does it. But I'll always remember her. 

In honor of her, I will raise my glass tonight and thank her for allowing me to cross paths with her. It was a brief but life-changing experience for me. I imagine when I left her home she may have spared a moment to watch me walk to my car, probably shaking her head at my foolishness, then going about her day; never giving me a second thought. But that's ok.

Thank you teacher. I will be forever grateful. Enjoy eternity in Paradise and don't annoy the angels too much.

+ + +

Believe it or not, I've received some nasty emails over the past three years claiming that I'm not a "real" powwow because I don't endorse Candidate A or Candidate B. Politics has unfortunately infiltrated the folk magic community and I'm not at all surprised by this. Our country is currently going through a very dark time. Our current administration in Washington has brought out the worst in our society. Racism and bigotry run unchecked these days and the white house revels in fanning the flames of dissent. Between 'fake news' and the daily lies from our Nation's highest office, it's no wonder that we feel a sense of negativity and stress all the time. Just a few short years ago our country seemed to be a haven of progress and progressive values. Now we are thrown back into pre-Civil Rights days of blacks and gays and hispanics not being welcomed in public spaces. It's horrible.

As a powwow...a HEALER...it is our God-given duty to help others in need, no matter their situation. And we do so freely. That means WITHOUT JUDGMENT. When someone comes to me, I do what they need me to do, whether I believe they need it or not. That's not my call. My duty is to do the work that God has given me to do, regardless of their first language or national origin or sexual preference or skin color. It's insulting to me that there are some people who believe I'm wrong in doing this.

A powwow is a Christian. A Christian is a follower of Christ. Christ spoke about loving thy neighbor as one loves thyself. We need no further instruction than this.

I am always reminded of "The Great Commission"

 

The Great Commission

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to vhe whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.