Working with Blackhawk

Justice often comes wrapped in a swift kick. I often win cases only to have a judge include a snide aside about my attitude toward the other side, or I might win and then have trouble collecting. This is not unusual given the illusion of impartiality that is necessary to uphold the legitimacy of the court system.

However, I recently had a run of luck where every case turned around on me. Even in a case where I represented fifty people across three or four different courts on a pro bono basis and won them a large settlement, the case went bad--the clients wrote the judge, the press, and my opponents degrading letters about me. My sins are grievous. For example, I once declined to attend a meeting the clients set unilaterally because the time was the evening of my wedding anniversary--yes, I was expected to drive the three to four hours to their location whenever they blanneyed about it, and no, I wasn't reimbursed for gas, tolls, parking, etc. (I made 30 or more such trips--all at my expense--over the four years of free representation, but what they remember is the ONE meeting I ever declined.) Further, they alleged I harmed them by working "pro bono," which they asserted (after the fact) meant I took 1/3 of their settlement (never mind that no one actually gave me any money, I never asked for any, and I never got any).

While in New Orleans, I discovered a lot of my problems stemmed from sending out spirits and not calling them back in. I blogged about that here. I had a cleansing, and almost all of the negative conditions began clearing. However, one last problem remained: a letter so salacious that it was sealed by the court remained dangling--it was received right after my cleansing. I saw this timing as the snake's body twitching after the head is cut off.

Preparing for the hearing on how "badly" I had treated my pro bono clients, I did all the things one should do. I arranged for court support from lots of activists who know my history and had even helped with the case (as with me, the help was at no charge). I hired a lawyer, and I prepared responses.

However, I also began work with Blackhawk. I visited some of his memorial sites. I read Mama Starr Casas' book on the subject, set up my altar, and ordered supplies.I will post a review of this excellent book later, but here is an excerpt.

Her most recent book is here:


The work I did was a bit more intense that the one set forth above--I used a work set forth in the book that is a bit more directed at people when you have lost all concern about their well-being. It is not a light work to do because of a social slight, and it is not easily reversed. I also made offerings to Blackhawk and to my own ancestors, made protection packets, and even placed a paper with the target's name in my shoe so I could tread on and control him with every step.

Court was a farce. The target was so hateful and untruthful in his statements that his behavior spoke for itself. I don't think I said five words. The judge admonished him she would hold him in contempt if he said my name again, to which he replied, "But [my name] . . .". There really are people that are just too dumb to live. I feel pretty confident this guy will drown in the rain for having his nose up too high without my help or even that of Blackhawk!

Everything worked in my favor, and I think this was the end of the chaos caused when I did not call spirits I sent back in. It is a lesson learned, but I am particularly grateful for the way the work could be used.

I arrived home to find a hatchet I ordered for Blackhawk's altar had arrived. It is blessed and in place with my sincere thanks!

Hexing Hitler or Tricking Trump?

Mannequin dressed in Hitler uniform at a Hexing Hitler party. (How cool does that sentence look in bright pink?!)

Now and again, there are reports of modern witches getting together to curse Donald Trump. Then, there is a lot of finger-pointing and Wiccan Rede stuff, which is all fine and good when you are conjuring a knitting circle. (No hate on the Wiccans--it is a wonderful path, and I certainly don't think "Voodoo unto other's before they Voodoo unto you" works as every witch's motto.) But the finger-pointing gets a little gaggy--you might as well just crawl up on your cross and join the dominant religion if you are going to be all judgy and a downer all the time.

While cursing Trump may seem a little redundant (another witch has already been there if you go by the skin and the hair), it is not new. During World War II, people had Hexing Hitler parties. One famous one was reported on by time, partly because of the belief the target had to know about the Voodoo for it to work. Time was a print magazine; today we could just Instagram it!

The Time article is here: http://time.com/3879261/putting-a-hex-on-hitler-black-magic-party-1941/

The leader of the hexing party covered by Time was a man name Seabrook, who became famous for eating human flesh. (Humanely-harvested, naturally-dead, hospital variety.) The incident took place long before Bob's Burgers was a thing, but I'm sure it caused IRL (not just animated) outrage.

Enraged Wonder Wharf citizens storm Bob's Burgers after the burgers are found to possibly contain human flesh.

But, ultimately, the question of putting a trick on Trump gets to why this blog is here: there are some varieties of evil that do not yield to good intentions, live-and-let-live ethics, and the occasional sprinkling of protective salt. For many, that kind of evil is embodied in Trump, bringing witchcraft into play.

Observing the legal system, I see this kind of evil every day. For many reasons, we have a system that does not yield to justice. People are locked out by the high cost of hiring lawyers or even filing pleadings. Everyday wrongs often do not meet the requirements for various torts, and there is, as of this writing, no tort of general piss-offery. Judges routinely scorn damages claimed by wrongly evicted people, unwilling to allow any damages for the loss of appliances (which may have been used or alley finds) without a receipt (which landlords routinely take in the course of throwing out all of someone's stuff). Lawyers can work to actively obstruct justice, leaving litigants with almost no recourse when straightforward cases are subject to lengthy, and expensive, discovery and motion practice.

For those times, magik is an appealing alternative. It is time-tested, designed to bring about change, and is accessible to even the very poor. One need not even have a home to send some directed intentions. And, Hitler did come to a notoriously bad end.

Whether one chooses to hex Hitler or trick Trump, magik remains democratic--accessible to all.

If the Creek Don't Rise (Book Review)

CONTAINS SPOILERS

If the Creek Don't Rise isn't a "witchy" book, unless you consider the high level of faith it takes to keep going with absolutely nothing. The title sentiment was also expressed by my Grandma as, "If I live . . . ". (Perhaps hearing, "If I live, we'll . . . " as the condition under which we would do things as mundane as making cornmeal mush made me prone to reach for a protection amulet and some lavender salt!)

However, magik is more expressly present in the book in the voice of Birdie Rocas, the neighbor (and protector) of the protagonist, Sadie Blue. Sadie Blue is in an abusive marriage, and, as such, needs a bit of help with details like delivering the baby her husband killed in utero or whipping up some hemlock root poison for . . . those who need it. Birdie Rocas tells us that her last name means crow, and that some folks call her a witch--a good thing for hunting ginseng (apparently because her appearance scares those who would steal her valuable harvest). When Birdie scrys for a dead body and the killer turns up dead himself, one begins to suspect she uses her magik for more than hunting ginseng.

Magik is sprinkled throughout the book as charms, amulets, potions, and folk wisdom. However, Birdie does share her scrying method:

--Fetch shallow bowl the color of blood

--Put on tree stump

--Pour spring water one finger width deep

--Kiss and put on personal amulet (Birdie's is a horn-shaped amulet)

--Make repeated "X" with thumb on forehead until coated with oil from skin

--Rub oil on item belonging to person you seek (handy to have crows to retrieve these for you!)

--Drop item into water

--Watch for answer to form

Although Birdie seems to get her answers, she leaves us with some lingering questions and an observation:

"Why are young girls dumb and men surprised?

"What does evil look like to crows from up in the sky?

"They're brave to play hide-and-seek with the dead."

While by no means a craft "how-to" book, this novel includes a few pages worthy of any book of shadows. It is a respectful window into the misunderstood and sometimes-popular world of granny magik or hoodoo, and deserves to be read.

The dialect in the book is southern Appalachian. It will sound "off" to readers from Kentucky or West Virginia. It does not seem to be intended disrespectfully.

Those of us not apt to find a hag stone shaped like a horn might appreciate a commercially-produced amulet like Birdie's:




(Note: links are designed to make me richer than a moonshiner with a revenuer cousin!)