Part 1
What is it about hearing the howl of a wolf or leaves and twigs cracking under the weight of some unknown creature, that makes the hair on the back of our neck stand up? Is it really the blackness of the night and all that resides in it, that assaults our senses or can it be knowing the cover of night offers nightmarish possibilities that we dread? Most people can see interminable childhood monsters within their irrational fears within a blink of an eye, because human beings can manifest their fears into any type of hallucination, believing that what they think they see is real … or is it?
Then … there is the tangible and bona fide footsteps that come out of nowhere, the growl that seems different, more aggressive and treacherous. Losing our self control, we inhale, gasping for air, hoping what we are seeing, is all just a dream. In moments like this, dreams can seem like reality and reality can seem like a dream. This uncertainty is where dark witches shapeshifters and skinwalkers seem to lurk, sometimes stepping back and forth from one reality to the next. Such beings survive, because most people prefer to ignore their very existence, yet within this beleaguered ignorance, these dark creatures very existence permeates the air, filling the room with dread. This is part of the dark agenda, that proliferates itself by fear and trepiditious half truths. So, what is the difference between these three adversaries and why do they generate so much fear in our subconscious?
Many moons ago, I was studying to become a medicine woman and I felt that my calling was one of a communicator and intermediary between this world and the ethereal realm. Interestingly enough, the problems I encountered in my training weren’t from ghosts, dark spirits or dimensional spirits; they were earth-based, hidden from the unsuspecting populace. This small faction made up what I call the, egomaniac shadows, because they seemed to make their presence known in the most unconventional of ways. Curses, bad luck, strange encounters with people or animals seemed to become apart of my every day existence, yet I trekked on with my studies, never knowing what was coming my way.
I lived in an 18 foot Sioux teepee in the summer months in Taos. I loved living in a circular home and I understand now, why it’s the best way to connect with Mother Nature, animals and the elements. It’s the eternal circle of life, the womb of femininity, baring witness to the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Within my teachings, it was understood where the line was drawn between the dark and light worlds. I had to understand how the dark world functioned and who subsisted in its shadows and hid in its obscurity. This, as I was to find out, was very important to my well being and also for those around me. Once anything from the dark realms senses who you are or what you are trying to become, it pursues your inner knowing, the knowledge gained within which then becomes “your” medicine. The darkness becomes envious of this knowledge, that which it does not possess, so it tries to steal or coax individual’s to give their medicine away, simultaneously possessing their soul. There is a secret that human beings have forgotten; nothing can be possessed which has not been earned by the individual and their will. The trickster’s job, is to get the practicing shaman to willfully give away their knowledge and medicine which isn’t easy. The lay person on the street is easier to trick, because they can’t see the illusion of false promises, dangling before them. I call this deception, the Dark Interstice.
Years ago, I was told my Grandmother (my mother’s mom) was a Curandera which in English means healer. She could take a strand of hair and from observing it’s condition, tell what a person was deficient in. She would advise different herbs for people and show them how to make tinctures for various problems. She had an apple orchard in northern New Mexico and was a major supplier in her area. Her ancestry roots are from Spain, so I can only assume she had gypsy blood in her. I wanted to follow in her footsteps but some really unusual circumstances eventually lead me in another direction.
What’s in a word … the variety of alternative names for Medicine men and women is interesting; Shaman, faith healer, sorcerer, witch doctor, Indian doctor, isangoma, and mundunugu. With each word used through out history, various societies have created fictitious folk tales regarding rumored banter and half truths that have nothing to do with reality of Shamans. But, on the other hand, when this word is talked about with negative connotations and hushed tones, this in itself reveals a different quandary for families dealing with superstition and malevolent spells. Surprisingly enough, it was because of a dark witch who crossed my path years ago, that I decided to rethink my medicine path.
I don’t remember her name, which is just as well because I wouldn’t write it down, anyways. The circumstances surrounding the chance encounter with her strange and exorcisty demeanor, is a bit vague now. I think she was new in town and had only been in Taos for a few days. I believe I was introduced to her by a friend and from the moment we shook hands, I knew there was going to be trouble in the mud puddle. She gave me a strange look that was menacing but I went ahead and smiled back at her, making nervous small talk. Days after our introduction, I would see her walking in the middle of town and she would literally stop in her tracks, staring at me as I drove by her. The creepiest experience I had with her, was on a day when I was outside, standing by the light in the middle of town. She stared at me in a sinister way and never missing a beat, kept on walking with her head literally turning around behind her like from the movie, The Exorcist. She turned away from me and crossed the road just as a car came zooming by. She laughed and continued on her way as I froze on the spot, freaking out.
I heard through the grapevine, weeks later that she wanted to put a curse on me, for what purpose, I had no idea. As I was trying to figure out why she wanted to harm me, I also took what was conveyed to me very seriously. After mulling my predicament around in my head for a few days, I decided to ask her to meet me, so we could talk things out. (To be honest, I hadn’t talked to her since the first day I met her.) We met a few days later, at a gift shop where she worked and I must admit that I was nervous as hell the entire morning before our meeting. To make a long story short, she had assumed for some strange reason that I didn’t like her and that I was very jealous of her just from our first encounter. I knew she was playing a passive-aggressive game with me but I played along to keep the peace. I explained to her, that I didn’t know her well enough to dislike her or to be jealous. I said I had many beautiful friends, both men and women because I liked to surround myself with beautiful people.
We thankfully, came to an understanding that very day and eventually through time became casual friends from talking and seeing each other or hanging out at restaurants. One day she came over to the gallery I worked at and from the moment she walked through the door, I could tell something was wrong with her. She said, she had gotten into a huge disagreement with some of the women at the Pueblo and that they were putting curses on her. She said she woke up a few days before with blisters all over her legs so she decided to move to Santa Fe right away, in order to get away from them. I saw a few of the blisters and right then and there, realized that this could be a reality I might have to face down the line if some dark witch became upset with me. She left a few days later and I have to say, I was really relieved.
She had a few distinct characteristics that I think are signature traits of a dark side possession. One characteristic that was uncanny beyond belief was the fact that she could distort her body in ways that seemed inhuman. Sometimes, her eyes took on a wild animal stare that looked at me with distrust and contempt. Her pupils would dilate, becoming large, especially if she was extremely agitated. They would literally take over most of the eye, with very little white showing. She had a possessed look to her that was unnerving and scary to say the least. Her frequency, vibrated at an odd oscillation, making her seem scattered, distorted and deranged, which at times made her very uncomfortable to be around. My observations of her first hand, helped me see how a person who is possessed, thinks and acts. One thing I will always remember about her, is that she seemed to flourish, living in a dysfunctional chaotic lifestyle, exasperated by her own negativity that was directed towards other people. She was the closest to the presence evil that I have ever gotten and I have to say, it was the most disturbing experience of my life.
Sci-Fi movies tend to typecast these kinds of individuals as invincible and unbeatable foes. It’s easy to notice with most of the movies out today that have anything to do with possession or the dark arts that they carry a message. This message is subliminal in implication, saying, “We are here to stay.” People who carry this message throughout their lives, unknowingly on a subconscious level, help nurture the root origin, allowing it to manifest and grow in their fears. This in itself cultivates the evil agenda into our reality, making it seem solid. The fact is, it is an illusion that plays itself over and over again in the minds of society like a broken record. Remembering the light within and allowing it to fill you up, is the best way to see past this illusion. Imagine the rays of the sun bursting through your mind, dissolving any remnants of doubt.
Many people don’t realize that there is definitely an Achilles heel even for the individuals, partaking in the dark agenda and dark arts. They can implode within their own debauchery because of the very fact that evil begets evil. It’s only a matter of time before it swallows itself whole, creating a blackhole that consumes itself into oblivion. This type of self destruction happens because within all living things there is the spark of light, the illumination of the divine creator’s breath. This illuminated celestial presence is in everything, even that which chooses to deny it’s very existence. To put it simply, to deny the light within, is to deny the soul it’s origin. When the soul doesn’t know where it comes from, it becomes weak, eventually wasting away from lack of sustenance from it’s original source.
Yet I must say, darkness is the choice for dark witches, which is why those traveling by light, must take a care of this fact and be vigilant on their path. The shadows sometimes tell stories, in the whispering of the trees and the voices in the distance, silhouetted by darkness. Only when the owl screeches, do we know we are truly not alone.
Let me be clear, sometimes there is more to the definitive dark witch then meets the eye, because they also have other capabilities. Shapeshifting is one of them.
