The Powwow Guy

Here in Pennsylvania we have no shortage of stories of farmers and house maids having unfortunate run-ins with the local witch. Many of the stories begin innocently enough.... a farmer accepts a gift from a mysterious stranger... a new mother is visited by a vengeance seeker... a simple land dispute becomes a battle between good and evil...

Throughout our history, many instances of innocents becoming verhexed begin with the receiving of a gift. That gift might be something tangible, like a broom or a pitcher of milk. Or it might be something seemingly innocuous, like a kiss on the cheek or a whispered word...

There is a superstition in Pennsylvania German culture that to accept a gift unearned is to invite bad luck. And we never, ever pick up anything found on the street! To be offered a gift unwarranted is a good way to welcome witchcraft into your home. Even amongst powwowers, where there was a lot of rivalry, the giving of gifts was often a nefarious practice! The gift itself was basically the cover for a malevolent verhexing.

When a curse is removed and returned to the sending witch, a sure way to know you've targeted the right person is to wait for them to come to you with a request to borrow something. If that individual does show up at your door in need of something (no matter how trivial), we are smart enough to refuse them this request! What is really happening is the witch can feel her/his power over you diminishing and requires something that belongs to you in order to solidify their stranglehold over you. Without that object, they are powerless.

I've received a few "gifts" over the years, many of which are indeed sincere and I'm always appreciative. However, there are a few that I just knew weren't sincere. They are safely out of harm's way in the Susquehanna River, never to realize their evil potential.

If you do receive such a gift, be sure to dispose of it either by burying it six feet into the ground or weighing it down and dropping into the deepest part of a river or lake that you can find. And if a suspected witch comes to you in need of borrowing an object, politely say no and give her no further foothold in your life!