Category: Episode

Episode 79 – Pow-wow with Rob Phoenix

Summary:

This episode focuses on the Pennsylvania Dutch system of folk healing and magic known as Pow-wow (among many other names). We look at the cultural history, the religious contexts, and the actual practice of the system itself. Author and Pow-wow practitioner Rob Phoenix brings his extensive knowledge to the table to give us a well-rounded portrait of this culturally rich and still living tradition.

 

Play:

Download: Episode 79 – Pow-wow with Robert Phoenix

 

-Sources-

You should most certainly check out our guest, Rob Phoenix, and his website.

There are many phenomenal resources on this subject.  Here are some of the books I like:

• The Red Church, by Chris Bilardi
• Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch, by David W. Kreibel
• The Pow-wow Grimoire, by Robert Phoenix
• American Shamans, by Jack Montgomery
• Signs, Cures, & Witchery, by Gerald C. Milne
• Buying the Wind, by Richard M. Dorson (chapter on “Pennsylvania Dutchmen”)

And, of course, Pow-wows; or The Long Lost Friend, by John George Hohman (modern translation by Daniel Harms) (an older version is also available free at sacred-texts.com).

To find out more on the culture surrounding pow-wowing, you should seek out:

• The Pennsylvania German Broadside, by Don Yoder
• The Pennsylvania German Society & The Kutztown Historical Society
• Witches of Pennsylvania, by Thomas White

Additionally, I’d recommend these takes for modern revivalist approaches to the practice within a Teutonic context:

• Three Sisters Center for the Healing Arts
• The Urglaawe Faith/Distelfink Sippschaft (you can also check out our previous Pow-wow episode with Rob Schreiwer for more information, too).

Some books which are interesting and informative, but which need augmentation through additional sources, include:

• Strange Experience: The Autobiography of a Hexenmeister, by Lee R. Gandee
• Hex and Spellwork, by Karl Herr

Be sure to check out the upcoming film, “Hex Hollow,” which will feature several of our previous guests and favorite authors, including Rob, Chris Bilardi, and Thomas White.

Upcoming Appearances

Cory will be at two upcoming events, and will likely be holding talks/discussions at both of them, which you might find interesting:

• Philadelphia Pagan Pride Day (Saturday, September 5^th, 2015) [TENTATIVE]
• Greater New Orleans Pagan Pride Day (Saturday, October 10^th, 2015) – Featuring the luminous S.J. Tucker (and lil ole me)!

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Don’t forget to follow us at Twitter! And check out our Facebook page! For those who are interested, we also now have a page on Pinterest you might like, called “The Olde Broom.”

 

Promos & Music

Title music:  “Homebound,” by Jag, from Cypress Grove Blues.  From Magnatune.

Incidental music by So I’m an Islander (“Quiet Storm Surge”), Elias Liljestrom (“Bach’s ‘Jesus Bleibet Meine Freunde”), Trinity Choir (“Bach Rehearsal”), and Vantala (“Unser Vater”), used through Creative Commons license on SoundCloud.

My podcast recommendation for this episode is the Lore Podcast, which features spooky folktales presented with historical and literary interpretations (which I found through Betwixt & Between).