Windigo,
the Potawami Nations call him.
Malignant,
this spirit thrives
in the Northern Woods,
within the human soul.
Hatred for self or other
hidden
under Lies.
Windigo, the
Potawami Nations call him
He thrives
on greed.
Empty
He can never
Be filled.
Twisted,
on the outside
S/He grows crooked
on the inside
courting betrayal,
choosing to divide –
taking pleasure
from harming
those who are kind.
Windigo, the
Potawami Nations call him
He thrives
on greed.
Empty
He can never
Be filled.
He uses ‘words
as currency’ –
a poet who deceives –
illusion and delusion
are his bedmates.
He strikes in the dark –
A diamond backed rattlesnake
wearing a woman’s face.
Windigo, the
Potawami Nations call him
He thrives
on greed.
Empty
He can never
Be filled.
Innocence,
generosity of spirit
are cracks…
open doors
through which
he gains entrance
to consume
a human soul.
Windigo, the
Potawami Nations call him
He thrives
on greed.
Empty
He can never
Be filled.
‘Wind’igo,
an ill west wind –
even his name
tells the tale.
Deaf to Earth’s keening
Duststorms rage.
Windigo, the
Potawami Nations call him
He thrives
on greed.
Empty
He can never
Be filled.
To deal
with such a force
Windigo must be confronted,
held accountable
and the Medicine
to break the spell
is two fold –
Exposure and
Indifference.
Working notes:
For some Northern Indigenous peoples the Windigo is an evil spirit that poisons human hearts and steals their souls.
In the past two days three people have been betrayed by a woman who embodies this destructive spirit. The details aren’t important but the message of how to heal oneself from this form of human evil is:
When we are confronted with unholy darkness we first take appropriate measures to protect ourselves. Next we confront the Windigo in whatever way is meaningful. Finally we expose his/her/ rotten flesh to the heat of a rising sun and walk away…
Sara is a naturalist, ethologist ( a person who studies animals in their natural habitats) (former) Jungian Pattern Analyst, and a writer. She publishes her work regularly in a number of different venues and is presently living in Northern New Mexico.
feminismandreligion.com 
Thank you for this reflection on the Windigo. I was struck by the different faces this spirit can wear. How challenging and humbling to consider that each of us might also harbor and need to confront our own Windigo.
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It is sad but true that we do need to understand that this darkness also resides within…as well as without. Addressing this reality allow us to stop projecting “evil” onto others. However, his is a “both and” reality because in this case the woman who betrayed us was acting out of this dark spirit.
What’s most important is recognizing and exorcising this energy effectively.
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