Robert Phoenix

Guder Daag! Wie bisch?

My name is Robert Matthew Phoenix (formerly Rob Chapman) and I am the creator of this site. I do all of this research myself because I truly love the culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch and the tradition of Powwow. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania and currently live in South-Central Pennsylvania and work for the state of PA. I’ve always been interested in folk magic and have studied many different systems over the years. I was raised Catholic, as this was the religion of my mother’s side of the family, and as an adult I have embraced the religion of my father’s side of the family, the Reformed church; known nowadays as the United Church of Christ. My personal beliefs are a blend of both traditions. I love Powwowing because it’s a Christian-based system that really does work and it connects me to the traditions, beliefs, religion, and folklore of my ancestors.

I first began learning about Powwow in the 1990’s. It took me a while, but I eventually realized that THIS was the tradition for me. I threw myself into the study of the tradition, reached out to anyone and everyone that would help me to learn, and ultimately got to where I am today.

I am 50 years old, I’m married, we have a son, we run a dog rescue, I’m an Accountant, and that’s me in a nutshell!

Powwow is my lifestyle, and every day I learn something new to help me live my life more true to what I want to be. It is my goal to learn the proper information about our tradition, share it with the world, and live it to my very best.

While I belong to the modern-day German Reformed Church (United Church of Christ), I honestly feel that I would be better classified as a Pietist, as I believe that there is a mystical bond between man and God, and that through this mystical bond we are able to bring the powers of God into the world.

To this end, I do my best to adhere to the historical, cultural, and religious truths of Powwowing. I don’t care much for modern interpretations that attempt to rewrite history, while basically cosplaying as Plain Folk. I think that does a disservice to our culture and our tradition. I believe the culture is best preserved by remaining true to our history.

There IS Braucherei in my family history, although it’s quite far removed. My grandfather’s Aunt and her daughter (his cousin) were Brauchers in the Lancaster area. These would be my third and fourth cousins, or Great Aunt (?). However, I cannot claim any connection to them other than blood because they were black-balled from the family for their marriage into a Catholic family (times were crazy back then!)…

I’ve written a LOT about Powwow over the past twenty years. I’ve self-published, I’ve been published through The History Press, Red Wheel/Weiser, and Llewellyn Worldwide. My work is everywhere, and I’m proud of the fact that my information about the tradition of Powwow has been praised by Patrick Donmoyer as “the truth about the Powwow tradition”.

This website has been my public voice since 2008. I put my heart and soul into this work and I hope you find this website to be both educational and interesting. I think Powwow is an extremely interesting tradition and I think the Pennsylvania Dutch culture is one of the most interesting cultures in our country!

Thank you for finding your way to this website!

May God bless you in all that you do!

+ + +

Robert Matthew Phoenix

To reach Robert, visit the Contact page.

Publications

Charms and Cures in the Tradition of Pennsylvania Dutch Powwow — 2010

The Powwow Grimoire — 2014

The Powwow Book of Divination — 2020

The Powwow Guy — 2021

Supernatural Lore of Pennsylvania by Thomas White (as Robert Chapman) — the Powwow Chapter, 2012

The Witch of the Monongohela by Thomas White (photographs only) — 2017

The Remembering Tree by HR Mason (Foreword and consultation)

Earth below, Heaven Above, God Everywhere by Gretchen Swank (Foreword and consultation)

Llewellyn’s Book of North American Folk Magic — 2023

Robert has also been interviewed on countless podcasts as well as the documentary Hex Hollow: Witchcraft and Murder in Pennsylvania (2015), and has given classes and lectures at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Baltimore College, and Swarthmore College.

Sample Charms

An all-purpose healing charm

Heile, heile, Segen. Drei Tage Regen. Drei Tage Dreck. Und jetzt ist alles weg

+ + +

Translation:

Holy, holy blessing Three days of rain Three days of muck And all is gone.

+ + +

To insure safety from an angry dog

Dog, hold thy nose to the ground; God has made me and thee, hound.

To cure a person of worms

You are a little worm, not entirely grown. You plague me in marrow and bone. You may be white, black, or red, In a quarter of an hour you will be dead.

A Charm for Personal Safety

Cross of Christ and Crown of Christ and Jesus Christ; red blood, be to me at all times and all hours good. God the Father is before me. God the Son is at my side. God the Holy Ghost is behind me. Who now is stronger than these three persons may come to seize me.

+ + then follow up with three Paternosters.

To Compel a dog, horse, or other animal to follow you

Casper guide thee, Balthasar bind thee, Melchior keep thee

Three times, utter these words into the animal’s right ear.

For Wounds and Stopping of Blood

Blessed is the day on which Jesus Christ was born; blessed is the day on which Jesus Christ died; blessed is the day on which Jesus Christ arose from the dead. These are the three holy hours; by these N.N., I stop thy blood. Thy sores shall neither swell nor fester; no more shall that happen, than that the Virgin Mary will bear another son.

+ + +

Protection from Sorcery

Take elm wood on Good Friday, cut the same while calling the holiest names. Cut chips of this wood from one to two inches in length. Carve on them, in the three holiest names, three crosses. Wherever such a slip is placed, all sorcery will be banished.

To Stop Blood

There stood three roses upon our Saviour’s grave. The first is mild, the other is good, the third shall stop the blood.

+ + +

A charm to make a thief return stolen goods

Write upon two pieces of paper the following words, and attach one to the top of the door, and the other under the threshold, and the thief will return on the third day and bring back the stolen articles:

Abraham bound it † Isaac redeemed and found it † Jacob carried it home † it is bound as tightly as steel and iron, chains and fetters. † † †

To Remove Skin Infections

Many of the old charms refer to a skin infection known as “wildfire”. This referred to a very specific skin condition called erysipelas. I use the term to refer to any skin condition. Feel free to change it to something else that might work better for you if you choose not to use the term “wildfire”.

With a red string, pull it tight between your two hands. First touch the top of the individual’s head then sweep the string down the front of the body and away from the person three times while you repeat the following three times:

Wildfire fly, fly, fly The red string chase you away, away, away

Then speak the baptismal name of the individual then seal with the words:

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Charm to cure burns

For mild burns on the skin (don’t try to treat serious burns, get medical attention immediately):

At the end of each spoken line, gently blow on the burned area (GENTLY!!!):

Fire of God (gentle breath) Lose thy heat (gentle breath) As Judas lost his color (gentle breath) When he betrayed our Lord (gentle breath) In the garden of olives (gentle breath) Amen, Amen, Amen (gentle breath)

Repeat for a total of three times, seal the working.

To Guard your home against thieves and witches

Take a glass of water and repeat over it 77 times:

Adonai, Elohim, the LORD my God

Pour the water around the perimeter of your home. This is believed to prevent witches and thieves from infiltrating your property. Made more powerful if done on a Holy Day or after taking sacrament at church.

Interesting charm and its language variations

This was shared by a member of my church as she learned it as a child growing up in PA Dutch country:

“Heile, heile, Hinkeldreck! Marifree ischt olles weg.”

or, another variation,

“Heile, heile, Hinkeldreck! Marifree ischt olles recht.”

in German,

“Heiliger, heiliger, Huhnerdreck! Morgen fruh ist alles weg (recht).”

and, in English,

“Holy, holy chicken dirt. Early morning it is gone/away/right.”

and, made to rhyme, we get the familiar charm as demonstrated below,

“Holy, holy chicken dirt. Tomorrow morning it won’t hurt!”

It is said that to spit on the area of pain helps seal the magic.

Sealing a Powwow working

When a charm calls for sealing the working with the sign of the cross, this is done with the right hand, made into a fist, and the thumb straight out (like a ’thumbs up’ position). The cross is ‘drawn’ over the affected area with the ball of the hand just below the thumb; typically three times; spoken in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

For Easing Pains

Hold hand over painful area and recite three times:

Holy, Holy chicken dirt Tomorrow morning, it won’t hurt

Blow on area three times, then seal with the sign of the cross.

To Banish Fevers

Suspend, upon a Friday, a letter containing the names set forth below, between the hours of eight and nine, upon the patient’s neck, in the following manner:

Fold together, and tie it in grayish red cloth, which must be unbleached, and pierce through the cloth and the letter, three holes. Draw red thread through them, while calling the three holiest names. Suspend the same around the neck of the patient, and let it remain eleven days. After taking it off, burn it before the lapse of one hour:

H B R H C H T H B R H H B R H C H T H B R H B R H C H T H B H B R H C H T H H B R H C H T H B R H C H H B R H C H B R H H B R H B H

Against Evil Spirits and all manner of Witchcraft

I. N. I. R. I. Sanctus. Spiritus. I. N. I. R. I.

All this be guarded, here in time, and there in eternity. Amen.

You must write all the above on a piece of white paper, and carry it about you. The characters or letters above, signify: “God bless me here in time, and there eternally.”

To Protect your home from all manner of evils

In chalk or white stone, just outside your doorstep, mark on the ground three crosses spaced equal distance apart while saying:

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David as he said through his holy prophets long ago, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

To Soothe Aches and Pains

Place hands gently on the afflicted area. Repeat the following for a total of three times:

I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit.

(Excerpt from Psalm 30, spoken with devotion.)

To Stop a Wound from Bleeding

Say three times over the wound:

Mary goes throughout the land She has two pitchers in her hand; In one is blood, in one is water; Blood stay; water go.

Make three signs of the cross over the wound.

To Determine if you have been Bewitched

Rub a raw egg from the top of your head down the length of your body to your feet three times. Break the egg into a dish or fireplace. If there is blood in the egg, it is a sign that negative witchery has been cast on you.

To Remove Negative Witchery and Return it to the Witch

Boil a piece of beef and while it is cooking, keep sticking it with a needle. The one who bewitched you will have the same pains and the spell upon you will be broken.

To Prevent Weak or Malicious Persons from doing you an injury

On a piece of paper write the following:

Dullix, ix, ux. Yea, you can’t come over Pontio; Pontio is above Pilato. + + +

Hang this above the main entrance to your house and it will certainly protect you from malicious persons!

To Protect The Home

Go to each window and door individually. In the air make the sign of the cross or protective star while saying:

Three angels with three swords stand before the house of God. The first is courage, the second is strength, the third strikes down all enemies. In the name of the Holy Trinity!

Weather Charm

Hold a red knife in the air, blade facing oncoming storm, and say three times:

“Three angels ride the winds to lands both far and near Go west, go east, go south, go north but do not linger here!”

Stick the knife into the ground.

To Stop Blood

Place a red knife gently over the affected area.

Three ladies came from Jordan’s land Each with a bloody knife in her hand Stand blood, stand, in the name of God stand Bloody wound, in God’s name mend!

+ + +

For Justice in Court

Carry a bit of Pot Marigold (Calendula) on the day of your court appearance and, prior to leaving your home, recite Psalm 20 three times.

To Keep Witches Away from your Property

In the Amish community, there is an old belief that if a bundle of St. John’s Wort was hung over the door of the house or barn, no witch could enter and no witchcraft could effect the people or animals within. In these days of the prevalence of hexerei, why take chances?

To Stop Blood

On a slip of white paper, write the following:

+++Pishon+++Gihon+++Tigres+++Euphrates+++

Place this paper over the wound to stop the blood.