Powwow

I have always been interested in Powwow. My ancestry is about half PA German, and it has been a topic of discussion in my family as far back as I can remember. My great-aunt had the cure for warts, another had the cure for sprains. I remember watching my great-aunt try the wart charm for my sister. I strained to hear what she was saying but she whispered the words, and I didn’t catch them. There were rumors in the family of healers we descended from, and one not so nice witch that we were related to, but I found the proof to be lacking and the stories faded as my grandparent’s generation passed away. Sadly, the only one in the family that was interested in keeping them was me!

 

This fascination led me to buy and read a copy of The Long- Lost Friend, but I had always been told the tradition was to be handed down from a person and not learned from a book. Without that interpersonal connection with what I was reading in the few books I found, I felt my education on the topic was lacking.

 

You may be wondering at this point what Powwow is. You can guess form what I have written so far that it has something to do with healing. It is a practice of healing humans and animals of physical ailments, but there are also methods for protecting from physical or spiritual harm. The practice is a fully Christian practice and invokes the power of the blessed Trinity to heal and protect. Powwow is work done in the name of God. It is ultimately up to God whether the healing will take place.

 

Powwow is a practice that is PA German and Christian. You cannot separate Christianity from Powwow, although some have tried. In order to be a Powwow and try for a healing, one must believe wholly in the power of the Trinity to affect that healing. I feel that perhaps some confusion lies in the fact that it is called Powwow, which is a Native American word. It is not known how it came to be called Powwow, but the practice itself predates that name. In PA German it is called Brauche and was brought with German settlers to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. As such, it is an important part of the PA German culture and should be preserved in its proper form as was intended. As I mentioned, some have tried to claim that Powwow is a system and can be practiced by and adapted to other belief systems. This is simply not true. The basis for the practice is Christian and calls upon the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I know that this may be off putting to people who are not Christian, but that is what Powwow is. It is not meant to be adapted to fit any other tradition. If are not a Christian, then perhaps Powwow is not for you.

 

 

I was raised in a Christian home. My studies have included other traditions, such as Wicca, Celtic, and Asatru. In none of these traditions did I feel the connection to God as I felt in Christianity, so my path always led me back to my roots. I was fortunate enough to find a powwow course taught by Robert Phoenix so that I could have practical instruction on how to be a Powwow and am proud to carry on the tradition of the Phoenix line. When the student is ready, the teacher appears! I believe firmly that my prayers were answered when I found this course.

 

If you desire to learn more about Powwow, I highly recommend Robert Phoenix’ site, The Powwow Guy, at https://www.pagermanpowwow.com/. The site is very comprehensive and he is committed, as I am, to spread the truth about Powwow.

 

Did I ever get the wart cure from my great-aunt? Sadly, she never taught it to me. However, through my excellent teachers I have learned other methods for healing and protection so that I can try cures for myself, my family, and my clients.