Interview With The Witch

There is one thing that I love about the paranormal community, and that is the number of different views, beliefs, and practices we encounter. In February of this year, I attended a unique class with my Shadow Keepers partner, Steven. The class was titled Defense Against the Dark Arts which was offered through Vision Collective in Portland, Oregon. The focus of the class was to learn ways to protect yourself from being cursed.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts class was taught by a witch named J. Allen Cross, who coincidently, I had been following for a long time on Instagram. Cross is also a part-time paranormal investigator in a paranormal group located in the greater Portland area. I was pleased that he agreed to let me interview him for my article. 

I had always thought that males who practiced witchcraft were known as warlocks. I admit that I have rarely heard of a male referred to as a witch. However, I do remember the first time I read about a male witch, and that was Anne Rice’s character Julien Mayfair from her novel The Witching Hour. I grew up watching Uncle Arthur and Maurice from the TV show Bewitched, and since they were both known as warlocks, the thought of a man calling himself a witch never crossed my mind.

Although I could write an entire article on just the history of warlocks and witches, I will quickly mention that from my research, the term warlock had often been used hundreds of years ago as a derogatory term against males who practiced witchcraft.

The practice of witchcraft in J. Allen Cross’s mystic lineage can be traced back to both sides of his mother’s birth parents’ families, which he refers to as a “natural bloodline of witches.” The lineage includes Native American, Mexican American, and European ancestry.

At the age of seven, Cross began to have precognitive dreams. It was also around this age where he says he was able to influence the weather to produce rain. By the time the end of his 6^th grade school year arrived, he had realized he was no longer alone with his abilities. There were others like him, including many extended family members.

Cross then mentioned his cousins, whom he says, “do not practice a specific type of purposeful witchcraft.” Cross said his relatives’ abilities to influence their surroundings happen “quite a bit.” He gave me an example of how one of his cousins was able to direct so much anger towards a person that the person ended up in a car accident.

If I were to walk up to a stranger on the street and ask them to describe a witch, more than likely I would hear the typical Halloween-costume inspired description of a lady with a witch’s hat and a broom. Perhaps an ugly mole would be added to complete the image.

I asked Cross what Hollywood, major religions, and horror authors have done to enforce the views that witches are evil. He responded that there is a generational and cultural divide in the opinion of witches. I agreed with his assessment that religious interpretations and old Hollywood-style portrayals of witches have profoundly influenced the negative stigma surrounding witches. This stigma is notably stronger in older generations than it is for Generation X’ers and Millennials thanks in part to TV shows like Charmed and a more accepting view of personal preferences.

Surprisingly, stigma against male witches does exist in the witchcraft community itself. Since Cross is a male, I asked him if it was harder for him to be accepted as a witch by fellow female witches. He answered that it occasionally occurs, but that the stigma is lessening. The opposition he faces from some female witches is due to their beliefs that individual witches or witch covens are for females only.

Cursed

When it comes to spells, J. Allen Cross is well-versed on how to protect oneself from curses. During his February class, Cross had a segment about sure signs that are prevalent when a person is cursed.  Although Cross says cursing is rare, the signs do include abnormal lousy luck, the exile from relationships, and sudden and aggressive health problems. Also, there could be “tricks” found in rooms that you frequently visit. Tricks can include physical objects, oils, powders, and herbs. These are meant to ensure that the curse works.

When asked to clarify how I would know the difference between being down on my luck and having the flu, versus being cursed and having the same symptoms, Cross stated that there would be numerous bad things happening quickly in my life, gaining speed as my luck went downhill fast. Another sign would be houseplants suddenly dying. His suggestion at this point would be for me to get a reading. The reading would need to be from someone I trusted or a referral to a trusted person to determine who the transgressor is.

Methods of Deliverance

Nightmares are also another clue that someone has cursed you. He said that dreams give warnings of the presence of a curse, and most likely will include clues on who is the responsible party. There are several methods of deliverance that you can use to cleanse yourself of a curse. These include eggs which are swept over your body from head to toe in a pattern, then disposing of properly.

Cross is no stranger to the recipient of curses. Due to social media, he said he had become more of a target than in the past. Cross referred to a time he was cursed right before the 2018 Oregon Ghost Conference. In a dream, he saw the profile name of an Instagram user who turned out to be the very person who cursed him. In response, he used a reversal spell to send the curse right back to the person.

He now protects his “personal concerns,” which he refers to as “intimate objects associated with a person,” by adding spiritual cleansing ingredients to everyday products he uses.

Spells

When it comes to spells, J. Allen Cross always keeps a few stocked items. These include very coarse sea salts, candles, and holy water. The altar where he performs many his spells can consist of chicken feet, crystals, playing cards, religious items such as a cross or a statue, as well as candles whose colors can vary depending upon the situation.

Since people contact Cross to perform spells on their behalf, I was curious to know what was one of the most frequently requested spells that he receives. Without hesitation, he quickly responded with “break-up spells.” These requests come from females who target the new girlfriends of their ex-boyfriends or partners. This type of spell request is one that he frequently refuses to accommodate.

Another persistent spell request he receives is for a male to love a particular female against his own will. These spells typically come from the 13 to 24-year-old female age group.

Religion and Witchcraft

Cross points out that modern witchcraft does have roots in Judeo-Christian faiths. Today you may come across Christian witches who invoke angels and pray to Jesus, while at the same time staying true to the main concepts of witchcraft.

Witchcraft should not be confused with Wicca, which is also known as the Wiccan religion. According to Cross, witchcraft comes in all shapes and sizes. He refers to Wicca as a “very small slice of the witchcraft cake.” I completely agree with him on that point. Wicca did not come to fruition until the 1950s in England. References to witchcraft are found as far back to the days of the Bible as well as in Greek Mythology.

Steven from Shadow Keepers passed along a question for me to ask J. Allen Cross. Steven wanted to know Cross’s opinion on the difference between white and black magic. Cross said it is the intention. White magic is healing, protection, and love. Black magic is the opposite.

If would like to contact J. Allen Cross, he can be reached directly through his Instagram account at oregon_wood_witch.