The Powwow Guy

Take a look along the road near your house, or maybe in your own weed-infested garden.. See some bright yellow flowers growing on a weedy stem? You might have mustard seed!

Mustard seed is used to make, you guessed it, Mustard. Typically, the seeds are soaked in water overnight, pulverized into a paste, then added to some powdered turmeric and white vinegar and you have America's second favorite condiment!

But mustard seed has some folklore and faith healing properties as well.

For example, in the 500's, mustard seed was believed to cure the bite and poison of a Scorpion! The seeds were also chewed on to releive toothaches. A plaster made of pulverized mustard seeds could aid with congestion by smearing on the bare chest. Even Saint Matthew knew the inherent powers of mustard seeds when he compared faith in Heaven to that of the mustard seed.

In Powwowing, a plaster of mustard seeds and horseradish is a VERY effective remedy to releive chest congestion and coughs. To make your own mustard, simply soak the seeds overnight, pulverize and blend with a dash of salt, a teaspoon of turmeric powder (for color) and white vinegar. Then strain it through a metal sieve and you have homemade mustard! It might be a little spicey the first few days, but eventually the vinegar takes the edge off the spice and it tastes like regular store-bought yellow mustard!

Water is so crucial to our health and well-being, and we don't seem to drink enough of it! Part of the reason might be that water is, well, boring. So I like to flavor it up while at the same time making it healthy and delicious.

For Citrus Water, all you need is a 2 Quart pitcher, 3 oranges, 2 lemons, 1 lime, and about a tablespoon of crushed spearmint.

Slice up your fruits into half slices. This gives them plenty of opportunity for the juice to really pour out all over the place.

Put your fruit into the pitcher and add your crushed spearmint in a disposable tea bag.

Then add ice and cold water, give it a few stirs, and you're ready to go!

For a different flavor, and a healthier experience, toss a few tea bags in the pitcher of Green Tea, Echinacea, and Elderberry! These extras are especially delicious when you use this as a cocktail mixer.

I like to add prayers for good health while I'm mixing this because I'm a Powwow and that's what we do... Also, this makes a fantastic mixer for plain vodka!

My son and I were feeling extra kitcheny today, so after I finished making jam, he made Elderberry syrup! My son is 10 years old and fancies himself something of a "Green Witch". It's fun watching him work on remedies. I oversee just to make sure he doesn't set the house on fire, but mostly he can do it all on his own.

You start by getting some dried elderberries, about two full cups. Add a few cloves, one or two cinnamon sticks, a few bits of fresh ginger, and two cups of water. 

After everything is boiling nicely, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for about 30 minutes. During this time, you'll need to remove about half of the liquid from the pot and discard it, unless you plan on making several bottles, then keep it all. But for a small syrup jar, you should discard about half the liquid.

When it's all ready to go, strain the mixture through a coffee filter (or cheesecloth if you have it) into a container. Then you will add one full cup of honey.

The honey and the elderberry liquid should be mixed well then left to set. Once it's all cooled down and set, you may have to play around with the consistency a bit to get it how you like it. For this particular batch, we ended up using the whole jar of honey, which is about two full cups. Then just put it in a sealable bottle or jar and put in the refrigerator! It will last a few months. Take a teaspoon everyday to help prevent flu viruses and allergies.

For an extra Easter treat this year, I decided to make jam. My son found this recipe on his favorite You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGreenWitch/about" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Green Witch! I couldn't settle on the type of berry I wanted to use so I decided to make a mixed berry jam using blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

It's a little early in the year so the berries aren't at their sweetest, but that's ok.

For this recipe, you'll need about 4 or 5 cups of your chosen berries, 1 lemon, and about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of sugar. You'll also need a nice pot to cook it all up in, a jar to store it in afterward, and a knife and cutting board to cut up the berries.

Start by roughly cutting up the berries. No need to get too detailed on this, just chop a little bit. It can be messy, but it's still satisfying!

Then put the berries in the pot with the sugar and the juice from your lemon. 

Because my berries were on the tart side, I added extra sugar. I might regret that, we'll see. But the recipe isn't carved in stone so feel free to add or subtract as you like.

Now cook the mixture on the stove on medium heat until it starts boiling, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about an hour, stirring often.

You'll have to watch your jam closely to see when it starts to get that jam consistency you are looking for. You can put a teaspoon on a plate and let cool then test it to see if it's the consistency you want. This is probably the trickiest part of the process, knowing when it's done. Just watch it carefully and you should be fine!

When it's all cooked, add it to your clean jar and let it set and cool.

This should stay good in the refrigerator for a few months. But hopefully you'll enjoy it so much you'll be making fresh every few weeks!  Enjoy!!!!!

April Fool's Day is a day of trickery, traditionally devoted to "trickster spirits" like Loki in Scandinavian folklore, for example. An entire day filled with tricks and pranks to satisfy the child within us all but to also appease the trickster spirit that lurks behind the doors, ready to trip us up at first chance!

In Pennsylvania Dutch folklore, we have a trickster character that goes by the name of Eileschpiggel. Eileschpiggel is often seen as either a young man or a spry older Pennsylvania "Dutchy" man who delights in tricking that one character we'd all love to steer clear of.... the Devil himself..

Eileschpiggel is a brave soul, and not afraid to take chances. He loves nothing more than to make a fool of the 'ole Devil and show him up every chance he gets.

The following is an excerpt from Folk Religion of the Pennsylvania Dutch by Richard Orth:

One day Eileschpiggel and the Devil were talking, and the Devil baosted of how hot it was in Hell. Eileschpiggel retorted to the Devil that the hotter it was, the better he liked it. The Devil then made a challenge with Eileschpiggel to see which one of them could stand heat the best. The challenge was accepted, adn the two of them went off to a nearby bakeoven. They fired the bakeoven, and then both of them crawled inside. After a very short while, Eileschpiggel feared that he would soon burn up, and he started to crawl out the door. The Devil yelled at him, "Where are you going?" Eileschpiggel replied, "It's too cold in here, I am going to put more wood on the fire!" At that instant, the Devil quickly followed him out and said, "You win, you can stand the heat better than I can."

In another wager, the Devil challenged Eileschpiggel to a swimming match to see who could swim the farthest. They decided to meet at the Schuylkill River; the Devil showed up on time, but youn Eileschpiggel was late. When the Devil was just about to go look for him, he saw Eileschpiggel coming down the dirt road dragging a calf. As he got closer he said to the Devil, "Go get some wood for a fire." The Devil, Puzzled, asked "Why?" Smart Eileschpiggel then replied, "You don't expect me to swim for forty days and nights without first having a good meal!" With that reply, the Devil considered Eileschpiggel the better swimmer without even getting in the water.

This April Fool's Day, raise a glass to the cleverness of our own Pennsylvania Dutch trickster, Eileschpiggel!

When one thinks of working charms at a crossroads, one likely thinks of hoodoo or other "conjure" traditions of the southern United States. And this would be correct. Powwow also utilizes a crossroads in our work. 

"I met Jesus at the crossroads,

Where the two ways meet;

Satan too was standing there,

And he said, "Come this way,

Lots and lots of pleasures

I can give to you today!"

But I said, "No,

There's Jesus here,

Just see what he offers me:

Down here my sins forgiven,

Up there a home in heaven,

Praise God that's the way for me!"

-Ron Graham

In Christian folk magic, the Crossroads is the place where Jesus and the Devil await. We only need to decide which way we will go. Will we take the left step toward the Devil and ask for his blessing on our work, or will we turn right and embrace Christ? There is no right or wrong answer here, there is only your personal powwow ethics.

The creation of an Erdspiegel (a magic mirror) for revealing the identity of a witch, utilizes a crossroads. To bring a blessing into someone's life, bury the petition in the name of Jesus along the right path of the crossroads. To eliminate a rival or verhex an enemy, scatter the ashes of your petition on the left path of the crossroads in the name of the Devil.

Charming at the crossroads is, in my personal experience, a last resort; whether for good or ill. In most cases, the work you do for a client will not need to come to you seeking out a crossroads. But if you have tried everything and still not get the result you need, then seek out a 4 way crossroads and either bury your petition (for good) or scatter the ashes (for ill). 

"Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, wherein is the good way, and walk therein" (Jeremiah 6:16).

Last year I had COVID and it led to numerous bouts of pneumonia, which also led to some permanent lung issues. So now I have asthma and a rescue inhaler. One way I've been keeping myself healthy, in addition to a better diet and more exercise, is with Elderberry gummies every day. They have been amazing for my health! I highly recommend this affordable and tasty daily supplement.

In addition to the Elderberry remedy, I also recommend your own daily anti-asthma syrup. One tablespoon of this daily is a great way to reduce your asthma symptoms and help prevent any sudden attacks.

For this remedy, all you need are a few eggshells and some molasses. About 1 cup of molasses and 4 eggshells should do it.

Roast the eggshells in your oven until they are lightly browned. Then crush them up into a very fine powder. It might take you a few tries to get just the right roasting time, eggshells can sometimes be a little tricky to get used to.

When the shells are powdered, mix them well into the cup of molasses. Then store this in the fridge and take a tablespoon every day!

Molasses is extremely nutrient rich. Eggshells are 100% calcium. The combination of the calcium and magnesium (plus the other minerals in molasses) is like a super dose of minerals and nutrients every single day.

I've always had a love of crows. Growing up in the coal region of Pennsylvania, crows were the most common bird. Now that I live in South Central Pennsylvania, crows are just one of the bird types that live in my neighborhood, but they are definitely the most active and the noisiest!

My home is in a valley, of sorts, surrounded by steep hills and a lot of trees and nature. Some of the trees on the hills tower well above my house. And in the tops of those trees are the sentinel crows, the lucky few who guard the territory and warn the other crows when someone or something enters the area that doesn't belong here.

Because the sentinel crows basically surround my property, I feel like I have an extra ring of protection.

Today I was sitting out on the back steps, enjoying the Spring weather, when I noticed a large hawk fly into our area. I knew this would be trouble for the hawk and, within seconds, I was right. The two sentinel crows came swooping in to harrass the hawk and chase him out of the area! But, being stubborn, the hawk came back and landed in another tall tree behind my garage. Bad idea, Mr. Hawk... bad. idea.

The sentinel crows returned, this time with a few friends, and the taunting began. They all landed in the tree and cawed at the hawk, hopping from branch to branch until they were all in a tight circle around him. Then the hawk took off and the crows chased! They nipped at him as he tried to fly away. They bullied and cawed and chased him until they were all out of sight. In about five minutes, all the crows came back and resumed their positions in the trees. The hawk was gone.

The protective nature of crows may seem bully-ish at first, but it's a really good system they have. The sentinels warn of intruders and the rest of the murder swoops in to attack. 

As a folk magician, I see the inherent value in having a murder of crows protecting my property. It is believed in folklore that some witches can use animals, such as birds, as their familiars. If you have a murder of crows on your side, then that's one less thing to worry about!!!

For some reason, the older I get, the happier I feel when Spring arrives. It might be in part due to the pain I feel in my spine and my knees during the cold weather.... but there's just something so energizing and exciting when you see the green returning to the earth and see the flowers and trees come alive again! I love when the ponds on our property thaw out and the fish start moving again... I love when we move the patio furniture out from the garage and get it set up on the flagstones... I love firing up the grill for the first time, even if it is still a little chilly outside..

There really is nothing like Spring.

Today I dug my scooter out of the garage, cleaned it up, and tried to take it for a little spin. Unfortunately the battery is dead, so that's something I'll have to take care of soon. Last year I barely drove the scooter because I was sick from COVID for several months. But this year will be different.

I've also recently joined a paranormal investigation group called Spirit Searchers Paranormal Investigations! This coming Wednesday will be our first investigation of a haunted art gallery in Cumberland County. I've been gathering equipment to help with the hunt and I'm really excited to get started! It's a great team of individuals and I can't wait to see how we all work together. I think I'll rename my car The Mystery Machine and see how that goes.....

The buds are getting ready to open up on our Magnolia tree, which is really beautiful, but the mess the flower petals make in the yard is enough to make me want to cut the tree down! I feel bad saying that, but I also don't like cleaning up the mess.

In other news today, I've been spending as much time as possible outdoors. I'm currently enjoying an afternoon cocktail on the patio while I finish this blog. It's been an amazing first day of Spring!

Lots of love to you all!

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood.2 A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. Revelation 8:10-11

The Bible mentions wormwood nine times in total (8 in the OT, 1 in the NT). In all uses of the word, it is meant to be symbolic of poison and bitterness, especially in terms of water.

Historically, wormwood has been used to make a strong alcoholic brew called absinthe, which basically translates as "undrinkable" due to its horribly strong flavor and alcoholic content.

Wormwood can be taken internally in small doses for digestive issues. It has been experimented with for other medical reasons, such as liver disease, with varying results. It is also thought to induce sweating, which would seem to lend itself well to ridding the body of poison or toxins.

In Powwow, wormwood is often used to poison the magic of other magical practitioners, such as witches. This is most often done by "contaminating" an area with wormwood obscurely so that the offending witch will step over or through the area, thus rendering her magic useless while in the vicinity. To plant wormwood around your property is to also poison the magic that is sent your way. In essence, it protects you from the magic of others. 

One use of wormwood within the Powwow tradition is to fill a jar with dried wormwood then bury a piece of chalk in the herbs and seal the jar up. When you need magical protection, simply retrieve the chalk and draw your sigils or circle the put the chalk back into the jar for the next time you need it. Chalk absorbs the properties of the wormwood over time, making your chalk drawings as effective as using the herb itself.

Wormwood can be highly dangerous if you take too much of it internally, so I would definitely recommend limiting your usage to magical practice.

To carry a bit of wormwood with you is to negate any magic that is cast at you.