An Encounter with a Skinwalker in the Heartland

Investigating paranormal phenomenon is something I have enjoyed doing ever since I was a kid. My friends and I were like kids in a candy store in New Orleans because there are a never-ending number of haunted places to explore. One of my favorite investigations we did this year was in the summer in Iowa City. I was contacted by a couple of people who indicated they were in dire need of a consultation. They were clearly freaked out so I set aside some time to meet with them in person. When we met, they proceeded to tell me that they had been confronted by a skinwalker. Knowing my heritage and background in Native American spiritual phenomenon, they felt I would be able to help them.

My first thought was...a skinwalker in Iowa? This is not the most common occurrence in the Midwest, that is for sure. It intrigued me. So I agreed to investigate further.

First, let me give you a little background in skinwalkers so you have an idea of what I am talking about. Speaking about skinwalkers is a sensitive subject and I don't do so lightly. It is not something that is typically discussed outside of native society, and I have attempted to approach the subject with the utmost respect.

A skinwalker, or yee naaldlooshii as they are called in Navajo (meaning "he goes on all fours" or something to that effect), is a person who has the ability to shapeshift into animal form. Specifically, the Navajo believe that a skinwalker is a type of witch who uses their supernatural power to transform into animals for the purpose of cursing someone else, for escaping from enemies, or for getting from one place to the other very quickly. Skinwalkers are feared in Navajo society and are sometimes blamed for any number of maladies and even the deaths of community members.

Although skinwalkers are most frequently seen as coyotes, wolves, owls, foxes, or crows, the yee naaldlooshii is said to have the power to assume the form of any animal they choose, depending on the specific ability needed.

It is worthwhile noting that witches and witchcraft are viewed differently in Navajo tradition than in the European tradition. Whereas witches in the European tradition are differentiated as practitioners of black, white, or grey magick, witches in Navajo society are frowned upon because they represent evil, pure and simple. As such, they are greatly feared. The most common type of Navajo witchcraft centers around the ritual called the Witchery Way or Corpse-poison Way. The Witchery Way is believed to have been invented by First Man and First Woman and is accounted for in the Navajo Creation Story.

Skinwalkers usually learn their art from a parent, grandparent, or spouse. Most of the time, they are men. Women are only believed to be witches if they are old and childless. The initiation into the Witchery Way involves murdering a close relative, such as a sibling, and engaging in other cultural taboos such necrophilia, grave-robbing, and incest.

The medicine of Witchery Way centers around powdered corpses, known as "corpse poison". The best sources for this bad medicine are the fingerprints and the skull bones from corpses of children, especially twins. This Corpse Poison is said to look like the corn pollen used in blessing ceremonies; however, it is used to curse and harm, as opposed to bless and sanctify.

The effect of the Witchery Way is illness caused by curse. A person who has ingested corpse poison will immediately display symptoms like fainting, swelling of the tongue, or lockjaw. Sometimes, the victims experience a slow and miserable wasting away from what seems to be a normal disease. When the disease does not respond to conventional medicine or traditional ceremonials, it is believed to have been caused by a witch.

Skinwalkers practice their own ceremonies, spells and rituals. They typically gather somewhere in a secluded spot and are hard to locate by conventional means. They operate in absolute secrecy. They travel to and from their meeting places in shapeshift form, and resume their human form when they return. In what is reminiscent of a Black Mass, the witches' ceremonies parody the good sing as they sit in a circle, naked except for masks, jewelry, and paint like that used in normal ceremonies, and surrounded by their supply of corpse-flesh and ash.

Sometimes skinwalkers are tracked and eliminated. A medicine man and good friend of mine taught me how to identify their footprints. One time, I found a set of footprints near our home on the reservation that seemed to resemble the prints of a witch in transition. There was the heel of a bare human foot and the toes of a large coyote. Sometimes their shadows can be seen wandering around the desert. Other times, they attend community functions in full human form, although it is apparent that they are more than merely human. Skinwalkers are a fascinating, albeit dangerous cultural phenomenon.

Interestingly, it is believed that geese are excellent guardians against skinwalkers.

Now, onto our investigation into an encounter with a skinwalker in the Heartland.

Two women (we will call them Lilly and Mary) called after a close encounter with what they believed to be a skinwalker. They felt the entity had attached itself to them and needed my assistance.

One day they discussed going out at spirit hour as a bit of adventure. At the last minute, they decided to go for a walk on a path in Iowa City near a bean field, a walking path.

According to Lilly:

"So then we smudged at about 2:40 am and this time the smudging felt a little uneasy. My walk was hastened like I had a destination although there wasn’t really a destination it was just a journey. We walked a ways and Mary asked what am I in a hurry for and I said I had no idea. I was trying to consciously slow my pace but it took great effort to do so. We are walking down the path, the moon was very bright, trying to look around as I have never been on this path before. I looked around and saw some strange sculptures that looked like they were made of iron. As we walked down the path I could hear the flowing of the creek, and we walked to a crossroads where there was a bench so we sat down at the bench which is just after the crossroads just listening to the sounds and watching the little creatures, seeing the reflection of the moon in their eyes.

I looked over and saw a little animal about ten feet away, couldn’t tell what it was, couldn’t tell what it was because its movement wasn’t like a squirrel or rabbit and didn’t move like either which was rather odd. The other thing that was odd was that its eyes were black…no reflection like all the other animals. At that time the clouds began to cover the moon. Right before we saw the creature, Mary changed her stance from casual and comfortable to guarded and protective, and Mary turned towards me side ways sort of straddling the bench. I was sitting facing the path as she turned facing me.

So then we see this creature, and Mary said it was a spirit animal and began explaining to me about spirit animals. Not creatures we see every day. Mary saw somebody coming down the path and I looked; I see him way down the path and I turn back and I said that’s weird but then we said “yeah but we’re here” and then I turn to look again and he was about 20 feet away, dressed all in black. He had a black front brimmed hat, and was wearing big huge black or very dark brown sunglasses. His pants made a swishing sound, very baggy jogging pants, with a jacket just below the waist, baggy, zipped closed with a collar, no neck because of a collar, couldn’t see a face, saw skater style shoes like vans, like baggy clothes on a skeleton, flat soles on shoes. Hair coming out of the bottom of the hat curled out from under the hat all around from nape to sides. His hair looked greasy.

Then I watched him as he was pretty damn close and went from 30 feet to 10 feet in a in a split second. Got really terrified. I said “what is that?”  He had been walking in a straight line and once about 10 feet away he came directly towards us with his “non eyes” fixed on us. Changed direction without changing speed, stayed completely perpendicular to the ground while he changed course."

According to the women, Lilly dove into Mary with her head down. Mary was still looking and he came within 6 inches of them and they felt a very cold breeze. His footwork was not altered, actually the footwork was a shuffle. Then, he arcs right back out to the path and going parallel into a shuffle run, his feet were moving like an old man but his feet didn’t lift from the ground and he was moving in lightening speed. He came from the crossroads. He did his speed shuffle away, they watched him go and Mary couldn’t look back, as she was too frightened. Lilly looked back and saw him moving away going away from the crossroads. They got up and left walking back towards the crossroads in the direction of the car.

They kept walking back down the path chanting “Imagine yourself being surrounded by white light, we are being protected, we are surrounded by light.” Lilly is demanding to know what it was, Mary wouldn’t tell her, they stopped at a lilac bush and smelled them for comfort.

They got to the car and Lilly asked again what was that? Mary finally told her what she thought it was, that it was a skinwalker. What is a skinwalker?

They get back to Mary's, felt the need to smudge, still had goosebumps, and had the extreme urge to change clothes immediately because it felt like it was clinging onto everything. Smudging up into clothes and pants trying to warm up because they were freezing cold despite it being a mild spring evening. The entity attached itself to them and the following day is when I got the phone call for help. They wanted to know: How to get rid of this skinwalker?

I asked Mary and Lilly if they would take me to the place where this happened. They agreed but wanted to know what I was going to do to keep them safe.

We agreed to go to the same place at 3:00 in the morning. I told them I was going to petition Papa Legba who is the guardian of the crossroads and ask him for help. It was lightly raining the entire time we were there and the wind was blowing very hard, which made creating a veve out of cornmeal nearly impossible...

After the ritual, my son saw a black figure cross the path. He said he felt uneasy…not scared, just extra aware of a presence. My assistant Barbara also felt a strong presence of Legba in particular.

After the ritual,  we walked back down the path towards the car. I noticed a black figure in the field that looked like maybe a medium sized animal that was watching us as it seemed to be moving. My assistant also saw the figure and I tried to photograph the figure but nothing showed up. We couldn’t see its eyes. When I tried to photograph the figure all I got was this:

I couldn’t capture the black figure, but then this appeared:

My assistant asked Ogun who is her guardian loa (spirit) if we could go closer and see it. I have to admit I wanted to try to get a closer shot, but then my camera died. So we got our answer. Damn…then we left.

This is the basic story which does not really capture the intensity of the emotions and experiences of the people involved.

There is a lot to be said about skinwalkers. I was not convinced that it was a skinwalker because the people involved were not Navajo, although Mary was adopted and taught the way of the sacred pipe which is one of the sacred rites of the Lakota, and Lilly is of Cherokee ancestry. My son is half Navajo, I am Creole (Spanish, French and Indian) and was married to a full blooded Navajo, lived and worked in Gallup New Mexico and learned a lot about their religion and spirituality. That is why I wanted to see if I could draw the spirit back out and see for myself. The last spirit I could capture on film that evening was an orb (no, it is not the moon):

While in New Mexico, I learned a lot about skinwalkers from several medicine people. They usually wear animal skins and can morph into the skin of the animal it is wearing, often they are just shadows. Only once did I ever see a skinwalker as a man dressed in black similar to what Mary and Lilly described. It is extremely rare to see which is one reason why this case is so intriguing. Skinwalkers are not born skinwalkers. They are considered pratictitioners of witchcraft and taught the skill of skinwalking.

So, no skinwalkers that night which didn't really surprise me. But there was plenty of other cool spiritual phenomenon going on and the experience was well worth the while. I prescribed some spiritual baths for the two women and prayed prayers of protection over them. I am happy to report that they immediately felt released from the negative energy that had attached itself to them once these rituals were performed.

Image credits

Beast of Gévaudan,, 1764 18th-Century depiction of an inordinately woolly-fleeced Beast - a veritable wolf in sheep's clothing! (public domain)

All other photos copyright Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide.

A Message from 13 Indigenous Grandmothers

For the Next 7 Generations documents the momentous journey of thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers as they travel around the globe to promote world peace and share their indigenous ways of healing. Originating from all four corners, these wise elders, shamans and medicine women first came together in 2004 at an historic gathering in upstate New York. Moved by their concern for our planet, they decided to form an alliance: The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. Facing a world
in crisis, they share with us their visions of healing and a call for change now before it’s too late. Through their teachings, they are lighting a way to a peaceful, sustainable planet.

For The Next 7 Generations Trailer from Laughing Willow on Vimeo.

HOW THE COUNCIL CAME TO BE :

The story of how the 13 Grandmothers first came together can be traced back to one Grandmother and spiritual teacher named Jyoti. For many years, Jyoti had been making relations with indigenous peoples. She found herself holding a vision of a circle of elder women. Carrying this vision, she traveled to Africa to meet an African shaman and medicine women named Bernadette Rebienot. While there, Jyoti mentioned her vision to Bernadette and was surprised to hear that Bernadette was having the same vision. Bernadette told her that they needed to make this a reality. After returning to her home in California, Jyoti and her associate Ann Rosencranz sent out invitations to 16 Indigenous women from all around the world to join them in a Gathering. The 13 Grandmothers who responded had all received visions or heard in ancestral prophecies that they would be called together at a critical time in history when their ancient knowledge was needed for the survival of the next generations.

Grandmother Bernadette's Story from Laughing Willow on Vimeo.

According to the director, Carol Hart:

"In 1994, I was diagnosed with lung cancer that had metastasized to my brain. There were multiple lesions in my brain. They were not operable. Many of the 13 oncologists we consulted gave me 3 to 4 months to live and only one recommended treatment which might prolong my life but wouldn’t save me.

Miraculously a woman, named Jyoti came into my life. She was looking for a filmmaker (which I am) to tell a film story about children and their dreams. It turned out that she was a spiritual teacher who had many relations with indigenous people. I met up with her in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. It was obvious that I was a cancer patient. Among other things, I was bald. She asked if she could sponsor a Native American church meeting for me, a healing ceremony in a teepee that lasts for 13 hours. I agreed immediately. I didn’t have many other options.

The ceremony was extremely powerful. When I emerged from it, I felt like every cell in my body had shifted. The roadman, who runs the ceremony, told me that I was healed but it would take a while for my body to catch up with the healing. Over five years, through many cat scans, I watched the cancer go away, and finally I was certified to be cancer-free."

I can personally attest to the power of the Native American Church. I have seen a woman with uterine cancer healed as a result of the healing medicine. Here is Carol's story.

Carole Hart Healing Story from Laughing Willow on Vimeo.

Arkansas Woman Killed During Voodoo Cleansing

I am frankly appalled at the apparent increase in fatal flaws of the world's supposed spiritual leaders. Recently, there was James Ray's disaster of a Native American sweat lodge ceremony, the "inipi", where 3 people died. A sweat lodge ceremony is a purification ceremony, a healing ceremony. For those of you who don't know, James Ray is one of the law of attraction gurus who appeared in the movie The Secret and who has made more than a mint authoring numerous books on the subject. I am personally sanctioned to conduct such ceremonies, and I can tell you that I have never heard of anyone ever dying as a result of participating in one. In fact, nothing bad is ever supposed to happen in a sweat lodge. Indeed, if there ever was a safe place on this earth, it would be in the sweat lodge. So what went wrong?

I don't know. Maybe it was the fact that there was a ridiculous number of people crammed into one lodge...69 to be exact. My lodge holds 8. The largest I have ever participated in was conducted by a Lakota elder and there were 20 women in there. No one died. Grandma knew what she was doing because there are centuries of tradition and protocol to follow and you can best believe that she followed them. Or maybe it was the fact that he charged nine thousand six hundred plus dollars for the retreat. Most Native American holy people are lucky to walk away with enough gas money to get them back home. Maybe they only receive an offering of tobacco, or a bag of oranges. Nine thousand dollars...are you kidding me?

Maybe it was the fact that whoever was running the lodge, simply didn't know what they were doing. Five gallons of water (only a bucket is needed) was poured over the rocks and the ceremony lasted for 8 rounds (there are only 4 rounds). Which brings me to my next question: Who was running the lodge? All indicators point to Ray himself. I wonder how many Sundances and hunblechas he participated in to earn him that privilege.

In the world of Spirit, there are consequences for every behavior, every decision, every conjure, and every intention. The Law of Attraction (LOA) is alive and well in magick and ritual. It causes one to wonder what  decisions and intentions were driving this event that would draw death and tragedy to something so sacred? Maybe the fact that Ray played "God" in a game during the retreat speaks to his state of mind and perhaps the lack of consideration for the well-being of others. It appears that Ray attracted some pretty nasty energy with him as he crawled into the lodge that day, and he neglected to effectively bless the lodge to keep the nasties out.

And earlier this summer, there was the Hougan Hector tragedy. As you see in the video above, a lave tet was apparently performed for a woman and she ended up dying. A lave tet is a Voodoo ritual that is a cleansing, similar in concept to a sweat lodge only it involves washing the head. According to Hougan Hector himself:

"The Lave Tet is the cleansing, fortifying and finally baptism of one's head. The head being the "seat of the soul" for an individual, which serves as a vessel for the all important Met Tet and the other spirits that walk with an individual. In some non-asson houses the Lave Tet is the initiation into the house and commits the person to that house." (http://www.ezilikonnen.com/services/lave-tet.html)

The lave tet is supposed to improve the life of the individual in all areas, not kill them! So what went wrong here?

I don't know the details. According to one source, it is believed that Hougan Hector may have forgotten to serve his main loa Ogun. In Santeria and in Vodou, Ogun is known to be an extremely dangerous Spirit who has the power to kill and destroy as he sees fit. It is not uncommon for battles of all sorts to ensue when his children do not serve him correctly. Ogun is the God of War, among other very useful things.

Now, I serve Ogun. He has been very helpful to me and my family and my friends. But you can best believe that I do not forget him. In fact, in my recent move, the first altar I set up (after Legba's of course) was Ogun's. He has his iron pot and tools and other favorite things right out my back door in the garden. And, he has a special spot on my cast iron wood stove.

Another theory is greed. There are reports of Hougan Hector's fees increasing with each phone call. I don't know...I have never sought services from him, nor do I keep tabs on his fees. I have, however, turned to his site for information about Haitian Vodou at times. I have always found his site to be very helpful.

I am certainly not one to judge others. I only have my opinions, which are based on scanty information at best. James Ray and Hougan Hector have their own karma to deal with, but I dare say I am confident and relieved I do not share it.

Here is a video with James Ray talking about "Energy flows where attention goes"...


To read more about these incidents see:

AP Newsbreak: 1st sweat lodge survivor speaks out

Survivor of Ariz. sweat lodge ceremony speaks out

Voodoo became a fatal obsession: ON A SEARCH FOR SPIRITUAL CLEANSING, SHE DIED IN A SOUTH JERSEY TOWNHOUSE

Much unanswered in death at ritual in N.J.; Ark. friends want accountability

The Story of Oshun and Ogun

I was searching around the internet today for something and got sidetracked and stumbled upon this site about a new animated series called the Power Force 5. It seems they have a story the little different than what I have been taught; however, the concept is an interesting way to introduce the orishas to young folks. This is what was on the site:

WHO ARE THE POWER FORCE 5?

POWER FORCE 5: THE STORY OF OSHUN & OGUN

"The Story of Oshun & Ogun" is a 3 minute animation pilot telling the West African Yoruba based fable of how little Oshun, who represents love, seduction and sweetness, brought the powerful Ogun, entity of iron, machines & technology, out of hiding to restore order to the world..

This is the pilot for an animated series, "Power Force 5" which updates African folklore in a contemporary way. Our five teenage heroes: Oshun, Ogun, Chango, Oya, and Eshu are powerful forces of nature. They use their superpowers to help mankind but since they are still teens, their own personal dramas can sometimes get in the way.

"Power Force 5" uses urban settings, hip hop/ reggaeton music, narration and dialogue to tell each story. Each episode will be primarily self-contained but with a "cliffhanger" ending to compel the audience to watch the next episode. Written for a teen to young adult audience, "Power Force 5" the series, is designed for wireless device download and webcast, but can also be broadcast as interstitial episodes, airing between regular television programming.

Characters from Yoruba folklore are widely known throughout Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean as well as in Africa, as part of the culture and folklore of the African Diaspora. "Power Force 5" would present this culture to those who are familiar and to those who aren’t, in an entertaining way. The worldwide popularity of these characters, as well as the hip/hop setting for the stories, encourages international appeal and can be translated into several languages including French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Do you think Oshun and Oya and Ogun and Chango appreciate sharing the spotlight in this manner? Just wondering what other people think...

The Ten Most Common Reasons Love Spells Don’t Work

Aside from requests for wealth, prosperity, and debt relief, the most common spells people request are love spells. Every day I received questions from clients and potential customers about how to win back a lover, how to keep a partner faithful, and how to put the passion back into a relationship.

As human beings, it is normal to want to be loved. In fact, next to food and shelter, the need for love and companionship is essential for healthy human psychological and emotional development. It is not surprising that people are willing to do anything and pay anything to gain the love of someone special.

But do love spells work? Well, yes and no. It depends on a number of factors. A reputable spellcaster should explain to you how their particular magick system works and give you instructions for what you should and shouldn’t do in order to manipulate energy in your favor. However, if you ask someone to cast a love spell for you and they guarantee it will work, run the other way. There is no such thing as 100% effective magick, and I am about to tell you why.

Many people do not understand that magick is a cocreative process which necessitates that you work in partnership with the Universe in order to ensure success. This is why I never guarantee any Voodoo love spells I perform. I cannot control what you do or don’t do. The only control I have is over me and the authentic ritual I perform. How you think, feel, believe, and behave is up to you; yet, these dynamics have everything to do with the success or failure of any Voodoo love spell.

To help you understand why love spells and Voodoo love spells frequently fail, I have come up with a list of the top ten reasons love spells don't work. These reasons apply whether you cast the spell yourself or someone else does the work for you.

1. You have unrealistic expectations. If you live in Picayune, Mississippi and you are casting a spell to make Criss Angel love you, well, your chances of success are pretty slim…especially if you have never even met the guy! There needs to be a strong connection to the person to begin with, and a basis from which love can be nurtured and sparked. Furthermore, love spells do not work overnight. Magick is often a process that involves removing obstacles and clearing unwanted influences, and realigning and maneuvering energies to affect change for the best possible result.

2. Magick is not guaranteed. Just as prayers to the creator may go seemingly unanswered, there may be a reason that a spell does not work. It may be that the Universe has different plans for you. This reason is very hard for some people to accept.

3. You are taking shortcuts. To be a powerful and effective conjurer, you must have the right tools, focus, and mindset. Power results from the use of traditional ingredients such as roots, oils, and powders, from the use of traditional tools such candles and a knife, from performing powerful ritual techniques such as those passed down in the Voodoo tradition for thousands of years, and from having a traditional altar or work space.

4. You doubt the power of magick and you do not “believe” in your own personal power. Magick systems are based on faith. If you do not believe in the possibility of shifting energy and in your ability to attract certain energy your way, and if you do not believe in the power of the Spirits that you may be asking for a favor, you are wasting your time and money.

5. You are stalking and/or harassing your desired mate. Do not threaten or terrorize, attempt to coerce or intimidate, or start calling or emailing your desired lover. To do so will reverse any spell performed on your behalf. You need to create and allow space for the correct energies to align and work in your favor.

6. You are being scammed. Bar none, this is the most common reason love spells do not work. You have paid someone to perform a spell and they never do what they were paid to do, nor did they ever intend to do what they were paid to do. Unfortunately, there are many people out there who are just waiting to prey on your emotional grief and desperation. An authentic practitioner will have a conversation with you about your situation and assess your expectations and the likelihood of success. They will give you an honest appraisal of your request and will not take your money if there is little chance of the spell working.

7. You do not provide complete and accurate information to the spellcaster. An authentic practitioner will petition your requests in a formal ritual on your behalf based upon the information you provide. If you do not provide the correct information, or if you lie about the situation and expect the practitioner to “magically” make your ex fall back in love with you (even though you were abusive, for example), the spell will not work and may in fact, backfire. The Spirits are not stupid and do not take kindly to attempts to fraud or manipulate them. Voodoo Spirits are exceptionally powerful and keen to such shenanigans, and you will have no one to blame except yourself if you end up with the exact opposite of what you wanted.

8. You are obsessing over your love spell or Voodoo love spell. Obsession is fueled by desperation. These feelings attract negativity and will weaken any spell being performed.

9. You fail to address any underlying obstacles or issues. Many times there are unwanted influences creating an obstacle to the union or reunion of two people. These obstacles can be external, such as other people, or internal, such as a lack of confidence or self-worth. A cleansing of some sort should always be performed to clear the path for the Divine energies to do their work.

10. You talk about the spellwork to others. Under no circumstance should you discuss your spellwork with anyone under any conditions. To do so will weaken the power of the spell and will in essence, create an obstacle that wasn’t there to begin with.

Remember that Voodooists, rootworkers, and spellcasters of all kinds are not miracle workers – they are not deities. Practitioners vary in skill and expertise and even the most skilled and experienced spellcasters will not have a 100% success rate. Jimmy Page is considered to be one of the best guitar players to have ever lived; yet, even he hits wrong notes sometimes. In fact, he hits wrong notes a lot of the time. But that doesn’t make him any less skilled of a guitar player and song writer, nor has that been an obstacle to his extreme and legendary success.

So if you want your love spell to be successful, make sure you address the top ten reasons that they commonly fail and behave and believe accordingly. Have respect for the Spirits that are willing and able to help, and be patient and accept the space between you and your desired lover for now in order to ensure the best possible outcome.

The photo is an image of Mater Dolorosa (Our Lady of Sorrows) who is likened to Erzulie Freda in the Voodoo tradition. Get Our Lady of Sorrows as an altar poster from the Voodoo Butik.

Our Lady of Sorrows

For custom spellcasting, metaphysical consultation, and tarot readings, please visit Planet Voodoo.