#desert witchery

[thehuntressdevote]

solar phases

Dawn/Birth: New beginnings, changes, health, renewal, and finding direction

Noon/Maturity: Health, physical energy, wisdom, and knowledge

Sunset/Old Age: Removing negativity, stress, letting go, releasing, and finding the truth

Midnight/Death: Psychic energy, banishing bad habits, and endings

[elminx]

also strongly considering making that with sour cherries instead of blueberries. Gluten free, of course, but its already a corn cake and its made in a skillet so it doesn't make that much difference.

Plus, I have a deep love affair with my many cast iron skillets so any excuse to use them.

Also, there are some sour cherries in my future! Either this weekend or early next week. Last time, my partner and I made jam so I sort of want to try something else. Wild cherry pie? I could try brandied cherries again; I didn’t like traditional ones because I really don’t like Maraschino (Luxardo).

So, if you’ve got a sour cherry recipe up your sleeve - I’d love to see it.

[lovelettermemes]

MOMENTS FROM THE GROUPCHAT.

💌 a sentence meme collection of comments made in the groupchat collected for roleplay purposes. adjust as necessary!

"how do i choose between horny and violence???"

"task manager please. but task manager is my fingers."

"I am anticipating the noodle."

"liquid alcoholic marzipan, what could go wrong?"

"y'know what? fuck it. quiche."

"if i dont piss on the moon, who will?"

"i thought me getting a sore throat was my voice finally changing but no-- it was man flu".

"i feel like i'm being waterboarded."

"everyday i am teased with a cheese wheel."

"don't autocorrect my oxford comma!"

"you nearly killed me, you have to face the consequences!!"

"little worm little worm. fluffy pink little worm. you can live in my head rent free."

"father, it has been a week since my last sporticus fancam."

"i want to choke you until you DIE. … in the cute way!"

"you said motivate you, not don't lie to you."

"you don't know the wrath you're invoking, i'm on hormone therapy!"

"full offense meant, you're full of shit."

"i make the milk, you drink the milk!"

"so i think i emasculated him. all in a days work!"

"i wouldn't just dab."

"you have teeth, dipshit, they came free with your fucking xbox!"

"leave my husband's wife alone!!!"

"alright. let's venture forth or whatever the fuck they say."

"i was actually thinking of bringing pocket sand from the desert-"

"i will not be bested by a piece of elasticated string!"

"i can't even kill a vibe!"

"can i give you more money so you love me?"

"i got too cocky with my fists."

"i do it all for the little dissociation laughs!"

"just brand me a slut so i can get on with dinner."

"once more, a white boy changes my vocabulary."

"am i in an enemies to lovers relationship with my cartilage?"

"so, not only was it a crime of passion, it was phallic!"

"abdication. or death. which is a form of abdication, i suppose."

"we got through an entire bag of dirt!"

"when i'm about to die, it will not be a crow that is the omen, but a seagull."

"i will take the wet blanket to mordor."

"please, my self worth is based on grades and academia, the assignment is all i know, all i have."

"wouldn't it be funny if i was an alien?"

"it could have done with another pair of hands, but its a one person job if i'm the only one doing it."

"don't cite the deep magic to me, i'm liam neeson."

"when you look at the big picture, and kitchen witchery, onions are a basic human right."

"no-one's allowed to go to the aquarium without me, i am the fish!"

"i think it should be illegal for your eyes to pulse!"

"i'll be sat, what am i gonna do, faint?"

"i'm the bullet bill now."

"i wanna be mischief, i wanna be a creature!!!"

"frankly if my participation trophy could always be a hot goth death omen i would never miss another sports day again."

"a thousand words being communicated through this stare…. none of them good."

"i can make him worse, and I will!"

"you know, that little bit of RSD that comes with murder?"

"i've done worse things in my metaphors than boil frogs!!"

"whenever someone walks over my grave I always assume it's jesus."

"i said i was a gold digger, i didn't say i was a good one!"

"before i say anything i need you guys to promise not to do this-"

"please don't kill me, im busy."

[fernthewhimsical]

Baduhenna Deep Dive pt. 1

I have been called back to Baduhenna, and wanted to honour her by making a new, improved, longer informational piece about her. It is a beast, so it will be posted here in separate pieces. Let's begin

Epithets: (UPG)

Rootwoman

Goddess of the darkened woods

Lady of the marshland

Battle-crow

the Frisian Valkyrie

Wise Woman/White Woman (connection to Völvur and Witte Wieven)

Lady of Magic and Witchery

Faerie woman (again, connection to Witte Wieven and the Morrigan)

She of Roots and Ravens

Battle-Sister

Meaning name Baduhenna:

The first part of Baduhenna's name, Badu, probably comes from the Proto Germanic *badwa- which means "battle". Which might be connected to Badbh, one of the Morrígná, as well as Cathubodua, a Gallic Wargoddess. The second portion of the name -henna appears as-henae in the names of the matronae, Germanic Mothergoddesses often found in threes, which were widely revered in the Germanic area

Tacitus and the Annals

Tacitus is the only source we have on Baduhenna. In the Annals he describes a battle "in a wood called Baduhenna", where the Frisians fought their Roman oppressors and won. The area was being governed by Ollenius, a Roman who lived in Castellum Flavum. His predecessor had set a mild tax regime of ox-skins. However, Ollenius changed this regime so that the skins needed to be the size of an auroch, which the Frisians did not have.

Ollenius first had the cattle seized, then the farms, and eventually the daughters and wives of Frisian farmers were taken and sold into slavery.

In 28CE the Frisians had enough, and attacked Castellum Flavum. Ollenius called for aid from the fort of Noviomagus (now Nijmegen) to retaliate. The battle took place in what Tacitus calls "in a wood called Baduhenna", where the Frisians had the upper hand. They knew the area and fought with smaller weapons, earning them their victory. 900 Romans were killed in Baduhenna's Wood.

The deserters retreated to the home of one called Cruptorix, a former army man, where they turned on each other in paranoia and fear of betrayal. Perhaps because of a lot of the hirelings were Frisian who decided to seize their opportunity to overthrow their oppressors. Perhaps because of a battle-frenzy or -madness. But 400 more Romans perished. Ollenius was never heard from again, and the Frisians held their freedom from the Romans for almost 20 years.

Translation of Tacitus' Annals, from wikipedia:

Soon afterwards it was ascertained from deserters that nine hundred Romans had been cut to pieces in a wood called Baduhenna, after prolonging the fight to the next day, and that another body of four hundred, which had taken possession of the house of one Cruptorix, once a soldier in our pay, fearing betrayal, had perished by mutual slaughter.

74. The Frisian name thus became famous in Germany, and Tiberius kept our losses a secret, not wishing to entrust anyone with the war. [Deep Dive Masterpost]

[dumplingsspookysweeties]

Hidey ho! Sorry if I'm coming in at a bad time. I was just wondering if there were any bitties who likes witches, or in the vice versa, who don't? I've been looking to adopt and, frankly, my buddy Henry here has honestly started getting onto me for simply researching so long and still talking myself out of it. [She points to the grumpy looking frog on top her head, an odd species mix of a large whites tree frog and a desert rain frog.]

Oh my! What an adorable frog friend! Well, our bitties are all very open to magic of all kinds, and nobody here minds witchery. Though, if you want one who's most likely to help you out in that sort of endeavor, a fellswap (red) sans is probably your best bet. They're ambitious but practical, and will listen to instructions well. You'd have to find one who is fond of amphibians, but there should be a good few of those.

[therhythmafterthesummer]

The ask about Lix being the desert fairy gave me an idea. What if he partners up with a witch (maybe someone from Moss’ pack is a witch?) and they make enchanted food for people?

Feeling down on yourself? Here’s some brownies with a self-love magic baked in

Big work event coming up? Here’s some cookies with a confidence spell

Want to see how a new hair color would look before committing fully? Here’s some banana bread with a glamor spell to see how the color would look

Ahhhhh I just see Lix using kitchen witchery to help his pack mates (with consent of course. Very important part of magic. I say this as someone who practices witchcraft)

-🐺

little spoiler, but there might be a witch coming to wereroomies 👀

baking itself is already kind of a magic on its own, i feel like. you put so much love and intention into it there's no way some of that energy doesn't transfer to what you're making (think of how everything seems to go wrong or taste bad when you're doing it while pissed off lol), so this makes so much sense to me.

i feel like it would work not in an artificial emotion kinda way (think love potion... ew), but more like enhancing what you already have inside, you know?????

idk, i love this concept, wolfie 🥺🥺🥺

[honoringthor]

Sweet basil

🌿 Ocimum basilicum

🌿 Great basil, Genovese basil, l'herbe royale, little-love, kiss-me-Nicholas, albahaca, St Joseph's wort, witches herb, njilika, balanoi, feslien, arjaka, American dittany, holy basil, the devil's plant, Tulsi, our herb, luole, garden basil, herb of kings, busuioc, feslien

🌿 General info. In the mint family, basil is native to tropical regions from central Africa to SE Asia. Most basil are cultivars of sweet basil, some of which are purple. 💜. Basil is sensitive to cold and enjoys full sun☀️ and well drained soil. Pinch off flowers so the stem doesn't get woody and it keeps growing leaves.

Basil leaves and flowers are used in food like pesto. Seeds of some varieties get gelatinous and are used in drinks and deserts in parts of Asia. It's used as folk medicine in the Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. Basil can also be an insect repellent and insecticide.

Ancient Egyptians and Greeks believed basil would open the gates to the underworld for a person passing on. Jewish lore suggests it helps with fasting. In Portugal dwarf bush basil is given in a pot with a poem and paper carnation to a sweetheart 💋 on religious holidays of John the Baptist, and St Anthony of Padua. The Greek Orthodox Church uses it to sprinkle holy water.

Basil is associated with basilisks and 🦂 scorpions. Basil was seen as an antidote to basilisk venom. In Crete putting basil on someone's window sill curses them. In Italy unmarried women would wear basil in their girdle married women wear it on their head. A man would leave a sprig of basil on the window sill of he loves because giving it directly to her would be disrespectful. Italians may give a pot of basil to a loved one. In Romania and Moldavia if a man accepts a sprig of basil from a woman he'll fall in love. ♥️

🌿 symbolism. Love💕, friendship, masculine, Mars/Jupiter fire, exorcism, wealth 🤑, flying, protection, self-love, abundance, best wishes, hatred, romance, sacred, accidents, aggression, anger, carnal desires,

🌿 Deities. Aphrodite, Venus, Ishtar, Astarte, Set, Freyja, . Do you associate basil with anyone?

🌿 How do you work with basil?

🌿💋💚

Sources.

Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

Dietz, S. Theresa, the Complete Language of Flowers

Diaz, Juliet. Plant Witchery

Harrington, Christina Oakley. The Treadwell's Book of Plant Magic

Wikipedia Basil

[voxxyboxxy]

Beginners in Need | Types of Witchcraft

This won’t be a complete list of different types of witchcraft. I see a lot of questions regarding what type of witch someone is, what they should label their practice, how to label their practice, etc. While I personally believe you don’t have to label your practice, I understand that this can be important to others. So I wanted to expand on some key things so you all have that stepping stone to move forward! There’s also different types of paganism, such as Hellenic, Norse, or Celtic! But this post won’t be talking about that side of things and focus on the Witchcraft Labels as I’ve noticed there’s much more confusion on that end.

Table of Contents

I.Introduction

II.Examples of Types of Witchcraft

III.Why Some People Use Titles and Others Do Not

Introduction

Hello! You’ve probably seen people label their witchcraft in different ways! You may even start to wonder… what type of witch are you then? First things first-you don’t have to have a label, unless you actually want it. Always remember that! Now, if you do what to label your witchcraft… how do you do so?

Theres some main branches that label broad concepts, then you can always get a little more in depth but there’s no inherent need to go to far into it unless you want to.

Examples of Types of Witchcraft

These are going to sound very broad, and very basic. But they are only meant to serve as examples and not a teaching point of what they are in full, nor a full list of the different types you may see.

Secular-Secular witches don’t use religion in their workings. They may have a religion, but it is separate from their workings.

Solitary-Solitary is just that! Someone who prefers to stay to themselves and not participate in anything like covens or group rituals/spells.

Green-Exactly as it sounds, Green Witches have a focus on using natural items in their craft. A few related practices may be things like herbs, and natural medicines.

Kitchen-The use of food and flavor in their workings! Kitchen Witchery is focused on what goes down with the pots, pans, and mixing bowls!

Death-You’ll see terms like Death Doula, or Psychopomp here, as well as general necromancy and the like. (No-not that kind of necromancy.)

Chaos-We all know that Chaos is… well chaotic! Imagine a little bit of everything and nothing at the same time. There’s no real rule set, but also so many things! All of the things!

Traditional/Folk-Traditional and Folk practices heavily depend on location! Think of an old woman in the woods of Appalachia, Vs a weathered man in the deserts of North America. They will have very different folk or traditional practices as it’s based of folk tales, wives tales, and tradition of the area. My grandmother liked to refer to herself as a “backwoods witch” when really, she was just an Appalachian Folk practitioner.

Why Some People Use Titles and Others Do Not

You’ll see a lot of discourse on if you need a title or not. Often times when someone asks where they’d fall in different subcategories, there’s at least one person to tell them that it does not matter. While to some it does not, I usually urge people not to tell others that something that may matter a lot to them does not matter.

I don’t have a good title for my path. It’s an amalgamation, and I always refer to it as such. Titles do not matter to me in this sense… but to someone else, especially someone finding their footing, it could mean the world to have an idea of where they can look for more information from people like themselves.

For someone like me, titles just don’t work. I don’t stick to one type of thing to only read one type of thing. But someone who is specifically in the Green Witch category may use that heavily, to find books that are made for them and their path or others like them! If you wanted to find more information on Death Doulas, that’s exactly what you’d look into, the SEO you’d use to find the information. And if you wanted to find books on Demonolatry, you’d look up Demonolatry. So imagine how being able to find people who do the same thing you do to give this information can be a godsend-especially for people who don’t have ready access.

I live in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is so known for Witchcraft and the like that one of our state officials is open about their spirituality and they still have their office. I don’t struggle to find resources, and face much less backlash for being open that others. Most people will see my Lilith necklace and Rune tattoos and it’s a knowing smile before it’s questions on if I worship the Devil and sacrifice small animals for fun. Not everyone has that! Even in the same state, more rural areas may face much different circumstances to myself, because I live next to one of our major cities.

When you live in an area that’s much less accepting, being able to use these titles can help a lot to find resources, because they may not have anything else. In an hours drive I have 6 metaphysical shops. Someone else may need to go out of state for their closest one.

For me, a title does not help me, nor does it even describe me. For someone else, a title may be the world in finding resources, and a way for them to find likeminded people. So, while some like me do not use titles as it can almost hinder us-to some it boosts them in a way we could not imagine.

[arbol-ceiba]

walking on deserted places

On its walls painted signs of things you identify with

A feeling of familiarity

how you find what lives in your mind

In the real world is insane to me

Witchery

Or prophecy

[boxofteethrpg-blog]

The Crown of Corroded Thorns

Rustin’ barbs n’ dry-rotted wood,

Don’t hold nothin’ but dead dreams.

Fields don't stay fallow like they should,

Givin' crops o’ bones n' screams.

Coyote here, jack rabbit there.

his ma, she's sewn everywhere.

Grew too close to the neighbors' heir,

Rat poison solved that affair.

The little boy makes chicken claws dance,

Murmurs dead words while severed limbs prance.

A collapsed barn houses spiders.

Soured hearts house shared misery.

Wary o’ kindly outsiders,

Naive o’ the witchery.

Evil as stubborn as salt grass.

Old as the first farmer's mark.

Booze, grease, n’ tears streak ranch house glass,

Hounds dead, but you hear ‘em bark.

The young man makes young ladies' heads turn,

Demons ride their bodies, their souls burn.

God forgot to finish this land,

That's what the song they sing say.

Ol’ Scratch though, he offers his hand,

He teaches folks how to prey.

The Good Book gone ‘n been replaced,

By one o’ dust, blood, ‘n pride.

But hell, this land can’t be debased,

Deep in sin, we do abide.

The grown man takes a fair wife, ain’t his,

Teaches sinful ways by catechize.

Hoof marks scorched in unhallowed sand,

Stricken trees loom over scrub.

All the flies are his to command,

The blessing of Beelzebub.

In the high desert, best forgot,

Squats a little slice of hell

Trespass if you want - don't get caught,

Your blood will feed its dry well

The old man puts children in the ground,

With a wicked harvest, he be crowned.

With the barbed wire 'round his head,

You best bet, he’ll never be dead.

[cutest-coffee-bean]

F A C T S I save all my sauce jars when I make pasta for dinner♡

Images from google

[thehuntressdevote]

moon phases

Full Moon

Abundance, accomplishment, action & activate/awaken || Beauty & business || Creativity || Divination || Emotions, empowerment & energy || Fertility || Goals & growth || Healing || Illumination & inspiration || Light & love || Magick, manifestation & money || Needs & nurture || Power, pregnancy/childbirth, problems, protection & psychic abilities || Relationships & romance || Sex/Sexuality & strength || Transformation || Wisdom

Waning Moon

|| Banish & bind || Creativity || Darkness, death & divination || Endings || Intuition || Loss || Magick || Obstacles & the Otherworld/Underworld || Problems, prophecy, protection & purification || Rebirth/Renewal, release & reversal || Secrets, self-works, spirits & spirituality || Transformation || Wisdom

Waxing Moon

Abundance & attraction || Beginnings & business || Courage & creativity || Divination || Empathy || Friendship || Growth || Increase & inspiration || Knowledge || Love & luck || Money & motivation || Passion, power, protection & psychic abilities || Sensuality & strength || Wisdom 

New Moon

|| Beauty & beginnings || Darkness, destruction & divination || Illumination & improvement || Loneliness || Magick || Optimism || Psychic abilities || Rebirth/Renewal & relationships || Self-work & stability || Well-being & wisdom

[sandcraft]

Attention Desert Witches!

I want to follow more of you! I feel like there are so few of us, but I would love to connect with other desert witches. 

Please reblog this if you’re a desert witch so I can check out your blog!

[askmalal]

“You are no hero. You are not a knight of old: there is no chivalry in the kind of war that we must fight. You are not a saint, you are not a hero of old reborn. You are most certainly no angel. That is not our way. We are death: we make the galaxy a desert, and call it peace.”

- to Lion’El Jonson

“Do not allow appearances to be your only measure of the deadly serious task we undertake on behalf of the human race. My cadaverous appearance is a result of the environmental effects of my youth; I am but one of twenty Reapers.”

- to an Iterator (unnamed)

“Our Sister is right, you know. You have all the personality of a Mongolian death worm in hibernation.”

- to Ferrus Manus

“I underestimated the Aeldari once. I assumed that our descriptions of a dying race implied weakness and an inability to do much more than put together some sort of showy, demonstrably heroic but ultimately suicidal last stand. I was wrong. As I say, I underestimated them, once. Witchery and fanaticism can only be purged with a hotter sort of fire….”

- Address to Legio XIV prior to a campaign against the Aeldari, date uncertain

Mortarion, “On the Primarchs,” Volume XIV

[missouri-witchcraft]

Hello, Jasper!

I've been contemplating the difficulties of compiling local resources in my usual methods, and I was reminded of this project of yours! If I can't find a sufficient resource for all this stuff, I'll make my own as well.

I can easily find resources on flora and fauna in the scientific sense, and while I am lucky for that and use it much in my personal magic, it's harder finding magical resources that don't solely talk about sage (as it grows lots here in the southern cali desert).

Do you have advice for researching local folklore and magic, or for finding resources? I'm not sure if it's an easy question to answer, as our local communities and environments are very different in many ways, but I'm sure anything you have to share is helpful!

~ Lysanthiir (not really)

Hello, Lysanthiir!

When it comes to researching the magical properties of flora, fauna, crystals, and anything else, I have to draw a lot on the UPG of myself and others. I have *possibly thousands* of posts of correspondences saved on my computer, which is then compiled alongside stuff from books and folklore I can find on places like Wikipedia or Academia.edu.

A lot of local folk magic is passed down from person to person. There are a lot of strange rules regarding this passing of information, but some people follow the rules more loosely than others - especially because the rules vary based on place. I recommend just talking to people around you and asking about superstitions, local healers, and stuff like that. People get jumpy when you call it magic or witchcraft.

As for written works, try focusing on historical stuff for your most local area. For me, the best I usually get is the Ozarks, which I'm technically in but barely so.

@serpentandthreads has a Discord server for folk magic practices, so people in there may be able to help and guide you to other sources!

As for the non-local books I use, here's a list. I use these books for correspondences, so be aware that not all are up to par. I'll put an asterisk by the ones I really recommend for information beyond the correspondences.

Elements of Witchcraft series. Various authors. 2020-2021.

Grovedaughter Witchery*. Bree NicGarran. 2016.

Kitchen Table Magic*. Melissa Cynova. 2017.

Potions, Elixirs & Brews*. Anais Alexandre. 2020.

The Ancient Magick of Trees. Gregory Michael Brewer. 2019. (Helps with tree identification and focuses on American and British trees.)

The Crystal Zodiac. Judy Hall. 2004.

The Encyclopedia of Crystals. Judy Hall. 2006.

The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients. Lexa Rosean. 2005.

Tree Magic. Sandra Kynes. 2021.

If you're interested in a look at Appalacian-based folk magic, I recommend Roots Branches & Spirits (H. Byron Ballard, 2021). If you're interested in city-based magic, I recommend City Witchery (Lisa Marie Basile, 2021). These two books can help you get a look at how things adapt and change in different places.

I hope this helps you, Lysanthiir!

~Jasper

[leakyrocktarot]

What are epidermis pedestrians? First time I'm coming across that word... And your blog so I'm kinda trying to navigate here

An epidermis pedestrian is a "Ski*n W*lker" We don't say the name because it can bring them to you. In the spirit world names are super important and when an entity has your name it can have power over you, and vice versa. Epidermis walkers are beings that can slip into the skin of literally anything to stalk and hunt its prey. An epidermis walker can even take the form of a "Not Deer" Though they are two different things, they can be of the same entity. They originate from Navajo culture, and are called The Yee Naldlooshii and are often times mistaken for wendigos. In Navajo culture, epidermis walkers are derived from ’ánt’įįhnii, which in our terms would be a witch. It is said that after initiation an ’ánt’įįhnii has the ability to become a Yee Naldlooshii. Not all witches are epidermis pedestrians, but all epidermis pedestrians are witches. It is important to note that not all witches are evil, not all of them practice baneful magic, they are a part of two different worlds. "In some stories, people who have attained the highest rank are called clizyati, which means pure evil. This can be achieved by killing a close blood relative, incest, necr0phili4, or other culturally taboo and evil acts. Upon completing one or more of these acts is said to destroy their humanity and allow them to become fully initiated in the way of witchery."

An epidermis pedestrian can take the form of a coyote, wolf, fox, eagle, owl, or crow, but they have the ability to change into whatever animal they need for whatever purpose they need it for. Again I will say Do Not Say The Name Out Loud, Ever. It calls them to you as if you have a target on your back, like being marked by a hunter. I made the mistake of doing it, and there was this bird that followed me for days and it was unlike any other bird. I shit you not, it flew in circles, upside down, and even backwards. I swear to you sometimes it looked like it was hovering in one place. Take note of how animals walk and act around you. If it is a predatory animal and it clearly doesn't think of you as prey, it is most likely a epidermis pedestrian. They often take the high ground, so if you see an animal following you especially from a high place, it most likely will be an epidermis walker. Pay attention to how the body moves, unless they are at the highest level it will always reveal itself by being clumsy. The most obvious example is the countless stories about the deer who turned around, but their legs stayed behind. Sometimes it may walk in a shamble, or jutt around, or even have distorted and crooked limbs. If you see one and you look it in the eye, their eyes will glow yellow whether it is day or night. They can only be found in the desert as that is the only place where they can strive. In the rare case of names, epidermis walkers are the only being that will fear your name. If you call out your given name, it will have to wait until the resonance dissipates. They don't have names, they all consider themselves to be a part of the "Shift".

Below the cut is a clip of a person talking about the things their grandfather has told them about epidermis walkers, how to spot them, and more about them.

Skinwalkers typically live in caves where man cannot reach, or on the tops of mesas. Skinwalkers, while being able to shift, must assume their human form during rest. They are still vulnerable to human patterns of existence. So they seek out places of rest that are seemingly unattainable to humans. The Utes would use this to their advantage, and climb nearby cliffs to catch or kill skin walkers when they least expected it. NOTE: Skinwalkers when sleeping are at their MOST powerful. In the state of rest, the strength to shift circulates through their body over and over again. If they are disturbed during rest, they are at their strongest and can kill at an instant. My grandfather told a story of a particularly Nasty group of two skin walkers who killed several children in a Ute village. A group of brave warriors tracked them to a set of cliffs, where there was a giant half dome cave about 200 feet up. The bravest warriors of the Ute tribe in the region snuck up the cliff, and when they reached the half dome cave, they opened fire on the two skin walkers. The skin walkers were not to be deterred, and instantly killed 3 warriors with their bare hands. The remaining Ute warriors kept firing, and finally the skin walkers lunged toward the edge of the cliff, telling the warriors that they would come back for them another day. The skin walkers ran to the end of the cliff and jumped...but The Utes were already two steps ahead. For weeks they had been bringing in dry brush to the valley below the cave, and by the time the skinwalkers jumped, nearly 3 acres of deadfall was piled strategically throughout the valley trees to look natural. The minute the skin walkers left the cliff, the Utes below lit the pitch-covered dead fall, and when the skin walkers landed, they were quickly trapped in a giant raging bonfire. The skin walkers howled so loudly, that it was said the wind whistled like wolves in that valley for another 50 years.

Skinwalkers sloppily shed fur and you can use it to summon them. When skin walkers turn back, it's just as ugly as when they turn. Instead of cleanly shifting back into human form, skin walkers often leave behind chunks of fur, sometimes up to 6 inches long and 2 inches wide, called "bent skin". If you find "bent skin", you can lure a skinwalker by blowing on the chunk of fur into a fire. The skinwalker will instantly follow the scent to your fire, without question, instinctively. The Ute's would use this method whenever they could, but it was very rare to find "bent skin" without actively knowing the footsteps of a skinwalker.

"The White Wind". That is the expression the Utes used to describe the effects of speaking into quartz rocks to a skinwalker. Skinwalkers are greatly weakened by the voice vibrations of a quartz rock. Medicine Men would carry with them giant quartz rocks, and set them upon a cliff to send out warnings to all nearby skin walkers never to come near their camp. This could only be done when the evidence of skin walkers in the immediate area of the camp could be found. It could not be used as a blanket method to ward off would be attacker skin walkers. The Utes thought that quartz resonated with souls, and that if spoken to with the proper countenance from a Medicine Man or Warrior, that the quartz rock could speak directly to the soul of a person or animal. There was one story about a particularly aggressive skinwalker who chose to stand outside the camp in Elk Form to intimidate the tribe. An elder Medicine Man walked to a nearby rock face, put a giant quartz stone on top, and sang the name of the most recent victims to skin walkers over and over again. Within a matter of hours, the elk began violently kicking, turning from human, to elk, and back again, until it finally started taking the shape of the victims who it killed. The Medicine Man then commanded the skinwalker to turn back to its evil elk form, and jump off a cliff to its final death. The next morning the tribe woke up and found the skinwalker in human form split in half over a pointed stump.

If you can find a skinwalker trail, usually characterized by animal footprints with unusual spacings and variations (example: Deer hoof prints that all of a sudden emerge into 10 feet gaps), you can weaken a skinwalker greatly by putting fish remains in its prints. Animals from the water are highly poisonous to skin walkers in the spiritual sense because they represent water, the killer of the desert. The scent of the fish or other water animal will approach the heel of the skinwalker, and cause him to weaken the more he walks. Warriors who found skin walker trails would alert the tribe, and they would spend days fishing our a local river and then preparing the remains to be used against the skin walkers. The Utes would then follow the footprints for miles, leaving fish rot in each skinwalker indentation, and pouring a mixture of water and fish oil near any pissing sites. Sometimes if they followed the skinwalker closely enough, they would find it wandering half dead in the desert and then kill it or capture it. It is important to note that the use of fish in weakening a skinwalker can ONLY be used when following it. It has to do with the skin walkers sense of smell. They smell for miles both forward and backward, and the fish stench, in order to exact harm, must come subtly from behind, otherwise it will be detected and avoided ASAP. So in summary, one cannot catch a fish, post it at their campsite, and expect to ward off a skinwalker for good. One has to use the fish scent carefully to eventually send the skinwalker into ruin.

Skinwalker Ritual Sites. Skinwalkers have religious sites all across the southwestern desert where they congregate from time to time, (no one knows how often), but they know it happens. These religious gatherings usually take place on the tops of mesas or in secret caves only accessible by skin walkers. At these gatherings the most diabolical happenings occur, innocent captives are eaten alive for sport, children are sacrificed, humans are forced to fight to the death, and abducted women are forced to bear every depraved sex act ever conceived - all for the skinwalkers' entertainment. The Utes told a story of the operator of a Spanish Mine who stumbled upon a viewing of such a ritual. The Spaniard had come to them to trade for supplies and had told them he knew of a skinwalker religious festival coming up that he wanted to sneak in to view it from afar. The Utes pleaded with him not to go, and to head back to his homeland for his own safety and the safety of his men. The Spaniard was far too stubborn to listen to a mere "Native" and snuck into a viewing of the ritual. Weeks later, they ran into the same Spaniard. He had aged at least 30 years. His hair was lightning white, and his skin had been charred by fire. The Utes gave him some water. He tried to speak, but each time he did his whole body trembled. Upon trying to speak for a third time, sweat poured out all over his body. But it was not the kind of sweat that would soak on a warrior's back after battle. It was blood coming out of his pores, because sweat had given up. The Spaniard died seconds later, unable to communicate what ungodly things he had seen at the skinwalker ritual. He didn't have to communicate -- the Utes knew.

Skinwalker Ritual Sites - The Ute Response. 3 Generations before the Spaniard died from sheer panic and fear over the Skinwalker ritual, the Utes had their own tragic experience with it. Four women, including two of the wives of the chief had disappeared within a month. Through dreams the two wives of the chief had reached out to the medicine man to let them know that they were being held captive in a giant room underneath a mesa. The Medicine man and the chief assembled all the warriors in the tribe approached the mesa, which was over 100 miles away. When they approached the mesa they saw a sea of bones, which became more pronounced with each step. What used to be dried and withered animal ribs soon became human hips, skulls, and spines. The plants were dead for nearly half a mile in every direction. The Medicine man and the warriors came up with a plan. The warriors would distract the skin walkers, while the medicine man and his team would build a giant lightning rod on top of the mesa. The warriors and the medicine men went their separate ways and carried out the plan. When the warriors found the cave beneath the Mesa, they formed a perimeter around it and waited in the bushes until its rightful king returned. When the skin walkers came out of the brush and into the cave, they opened fire, from all sides, everywhere, nearly painting the mesa with arrows. Before their arrow fire could finish, the Medicine man at the top of the mesa, grabbed a quartz stone and directed lightning to hit his 4 story tall quartz tower. The lightning hit the tower with such a force that the Mesa cracked in half, and covered half of the tribe in rubble. It is said that the skinwalkers came out roasting alive, with smoke pouring out of their eyes, ears and mouth, covered in charred black skin. The captured native women came out soon after, unscathed, with only a few cuts and bruises on them. The warriors yelled for the Medicine man to come down, that they had been victorious. The Medicine Man then yelled back: "No victory until dust...." The Medicine man proceeded to conduct 50 more strikes of lightning on the Mesa. With each strike it crumbled, until finally it was reduced to a small sand hill. The medicine man was barely able to walk, so succumbed with forcing the lightning strikes when a warrior approached him and said "Look." The Medicine Man looked and saw a beautiful white bird landing on the small sand hill that used to be the Mesa. The Medicine Man, then grabbed the bird and snapped its neck. The bird turned into a muscular human. The Medicine man said: "Let's find his sand hill." This medicine man who was named Fist of Lightning and Death, went on to destroy 4 mesas, and 3 giant caves, but in his words only "chased the wind" of the skin walkers.