Your Facebook bio says you attended the Institute of Metaphysics where you studied demonology, exorcisms and rituals. Do you care to shed some more light on the institute and your studies there?
These were online correspondence courses. They were educational as they showed the decline of the spiritual aspects of society and how the Scientific Revolution killed the belief in things outside their reasoning. I learned historically and physically how these entities are able to take control. The lack of knowledge about them has made it easier for infestation that can cause what seems to be mental and physical illness or eventual possession. I learned about how one of these beings can cause a family to have problems for generations. It went through different cases and signs and sensationalism from people that sought to use possession to be the center of attention. It touched on the facts of things left out the hidden books of the Bible, the information contained in these texts. The biggest part of a battle is to know your enemy and that which affects it. Like the herbs and resins that can be used in banishment and removal, and used in invocation and evocation. Also how to tell when a game is being played. Demonology is the study of these beings and what they are capable of. Also sigils and symbols to look for in a place that has been effected or used in a ritual what it was for and what might have been brought through. Exorcism being the removal of said spiritual essence or being, through incantation and prayers I was also taught the removal of hexes and curses. I was taught what kind of mental and emotional damage can be left by such invasions of one’s psyche and how to help them overcome this. I learned the many methods of this dying art such as how to draw a demon into a crystal the proper use of circles and sigils to protect against and bind. But it has been the practical use of my skills and tools I have learned that have been the biggest teacher. No case or situation is ever the same depending upon the person I am helping because there can be a combo of afflictions that have brought an infestation, crossing or hex.
What did you learn in those correspondence courses about the scientific revolution’s effect on spiritual understanding?
The Scientific Revolution led to societal norms that all things had to be seen, touched or smelled. Before the Scientific Revolution most people saw the world as a living entity that communicated to the observant mind. From those of ancient societies to some cultures of this day. The appearance of the monstrous (monstrous comes from the Latin word monstrum meaning ‘that which is shown forth or revealed’. Entities of folklore are part of this category as are demons, angels, undiscovered creatures etc. These things showed the reality of the impossible, that the world we think we live in and the world we inhabit are not the same world at all. Monkish Chronicles of medieval times used to report these occurrences just like the news now reports on such elusive concepts as the gross national product. The approach to spiritual understanding only faded out with the scientific revolution which began some three hundred and fifty years ago in Western Europe towards the end of the Renaissance and continued through the late 18th Century. The thinkers of the 18th century saw traditional folklore as one of the biggest roadblocks in their way of their dream of a wholly rationalistic approach to the world.
How many hidden books of the Bible did you educate yourself about? Why do you imagine those books were omitted?
I have been researching the Apocrypha and its books for years now. My main focus has been on the Books of Enoch and Jubilees of late, but I have read the Apocrypha in its entirety. These books contain a lot about the fall of demons and their judgement. In my opinion these were omitted due to their content, and the fact that the bible was given to the common people. King James was trying to show the love of God and not scare the uneducated, superstitious masses. The Apocrypha had a lot of antediluvian history that again was non rational and filled with a world that was not of the accepted thought processes of the time.
What specific books and passages from the Apocrypha, the books of Enoch and Jubilees supported your theories?
The Book of Enoch, written during the second century B.C.E., is one of the most important non-canonical apocryphal works, and probably had a huge influence on early Christian, particularly Gnostic, beliefs. Filled with hallucinatory visions of heaven and hell, angels and devils, Enoch introduced concepts such as fallen angels, the appearance of a Messiah, Resurrection, a Final Judgement, and a Heavenly Kingdom on Earth.
This book if it would have been included at the time could of and most likely would have caused upset considering the common superstitions and beliefs at the time. Causing the common people to question the fact of blind faith that was trying to be upheld at the time of King James as he was trying to provide the bible as a book to the masses of religious material to help stop the falling of the church. As people were questioning why it was only the church that had access to the scriptures, the Scientific Revolution had caused people to question faith and force the Bible as we know it into print.
The Book of Jubilees show if we are, as the Bible says, children of incest because Cain married his twin sister, by standards that could have made a really nasty impression upon the people these books could have impacted the faith of the people and were removed to protect the sanctity of the church. By doing this they kept the ignorant faithful to the church.
How much does the blind faith established in the time of King James resonate today?
When you ask a church leader about the supernatural they often tell you to have faith and let God have control, or told it’s the devil when you think differently from what they want. They expect you to take a clergy’s word as truth not to question "the will of God" or torment someone because it is God's will. There are those that truly try to live by what the Bible says and love all humanity, but more often than not you find blind faith being wielded as a weapon to rationalize radical behavior within the religious sector.
Are religious beliefs misused too often as a result? How can people disassociate themselves from corrupt religious figures?
As in any religious sector there are the hypocrites and zealots. It seems more than ever there are those that seek to control the masses with threats of going to hell because you don’t believe in their church or sect. I find this is most common in Idaho with the L.D.S community and the mainstream, but it also seems to bleed over into the thought process of even the pagan and alternative religion sector and they have become very cliquish. They seek to use people for their own agendas, spreading hate, discontent and cult like mentality. There are ways to disassociate from these people. You need to have knowledge of the community and those in it. Often you need to have the ability to ask questions they can’t answer and verify through research. Know who they are and what they are capable of. Often you have to point out folly with solid fact and information that has reliable sources. Know the background of the religion and how they are twisting it. Often they play on people in times of distress. Often you have to tell the truth of what is seen.
I met you through Goddess Rosemary of Temple Sahjaza. Are you or have you been involved in activities with them?
I was a part of the original coven called the Black Rose that had begun in Idaho with Goddess Rosemary and my mother, Lady Numain. I came to view Goddess Rosemary as my aunt and I learned the traditions and rituals before the House of Sahjaza was made. I was focused in Idaho and other matters when the House Sahjaza was founded but we kept the Black Rose alive here until 2012 when my mother passed from brain cancer and the coven faded out. I resurfaced in 2014 when I discovered His Royal Highness Maven Lore Scalzi. Little did I know that I was about to be brought back to my roots and be reunited with Goddess Rosemary the founder of the Black Rose. I have since been under her watch and the House Sahjaza's guidance opened The Kalderasha Court and Caravan here and started to rebuild the legacy my mother left behind. It now grows as a new group under The Goddess’ watch. There are plans in the works that directly involve my influence but I am not at liberty to say what they are at this phase.
Describe the activities the Black Rose organized prior to 2012. How much did you study their traditions and rituals?
They were focused on building a group that would cohesively work together, to help bring an accepted view of witchcraft and alternative belief systems into the mainstream. I mostly handled Idaho on a level as an ambassador and young adult leader helping others from 18 to 21 find acceptance and a place to learn from the elders. Lady Numain had a sanctuary where she helped teenagers who had been abused or cast out have a place where they could ask questions, meet others like themselves and be accepted for who they were. Before the loss of that sanctuary she had painted a basement entrance and the kids would sign a star or planet and it showed their time with us. No matter what, they had a place to belong to; they always had a home and family.
I was immersed from the age of ten. It was a normal thing in my life. I was raised around them with my Mother. She was a founder in the S.E. Idaho Black Rose and that is where my basic knowledge of the craft came from. I was running through the house as it was concepted and hashed out. Some rituals and rites I was not allowed in until I was older. But the basics were always there and I was taught many different things, such as energy work, candle magic, herb lore and geomancy. I became a jack of all trades in the magical knowledge. I chose to specialize in the Cunning arts, the practice of alchemy and research of demons, angels and Christian magic, research of the black arts and how to remove negative forces and break hexes, do uncrossings and resolution of other spiritual issues. Most of my life was dedicated to the service of the Black Rose. I had a place in the sanctuary and I was often sent to other sanctuaries in the area to help with issues and help start new chapters. When my Mother was diagnosed with cancer, this started to fade. Our money was funneled into other treatments and she never fully recovered. She had me leave as she did not want me to see her in her condition. I was crushed and lived on the streets, bouncing from place to place until 2003. When my mom called me home and told me to rebuild the coven, I did what I could but by this time the coven had taken some pretty heavy hits and had scattered because of infighting and other issues I was not able to salvage. In 2008 it was given to an outsider in the group who allowed it to die out completely. I tried to resurrect it a few times only to be met with massive opposition because of the influences that had been let in in my absence. Facing the lies and rumors the coven suffered I had become a scapegoat I had abandoned it, but in all honesty the person who it was given to had cast me out and did damage to my reputation so I silently went solitary.
How did you come into contact with Maven Lore Scalzi, and how did this lead to your meeting Goddess Rosemary again?
I came into contact with His Highness Maven Lore about four years ago. When I was watching a show he was a part of on one of my friend’s pages. I messaged him and we began to talk. I wanted to bring him to entertain in Idaho I had a plan, it fell through and I lost contact with him for about five to six months before we reconnected. We spoke about creating a court in Idaho. I did not know who he was connected to until one day I was in a class for helping establish a court and I heard Goddess Rosemary’s voice. I spoke to her and realized who she was. From then on I was home. We speak on a consistent basis, I am able to share what went on in her absence and she is helping me refine what I know and make a new court from the ashes of the Black Rose. I was gone for eight years trying to flounder in a world I did not really comprehend. Now I am in a world I understand with a new goal and I am helping make the dream my mother had come to reality.
What steps have you taken to make your mother’s vision a reality with the Kalderasha Court and Caravan? In what ways do you consider Goddess Rosemary your aunt?
The steps I have taken have been simple I have reached out through in Pocatello with the help of Maven and others of the Blood Nations Unity Project. My mother’s dream was to make it so that those of alternative religion and lifestyle could have a place and group that worked together in one accord to make a place for us in the mainstream community, stand side by side and work towards greater understanding. I have done this with events and through Midnight Dreams where Craftsmen and women can sell their items to a greater community, in doing so allow them to meet people of our beliefs, see us as people like them and break down the stigma of society. We do charity donations and help those of the subculture know there are others like them and they are not alone.
I consider Goddess Rosemary my Aunt as if she was blood. I look at her as a person that provides knowledge and understanding she is my Goddess Mother. If anything had happened to my mother she would have been the guardian I would have went to. In my younger days I loved it when she would visit and talk to my mom. I confided in her until l we lost contact and she always told me I would move the world. She never looked down on me and would advise my mother on how to help me grow, and she helped me understand that my torment before my adoption were the fires that would help forge me into a great leader and man. She never judged me but would sometimes redirect me in a direction that would better help me understand my place in the magical world. She helped set me on the path that I follow to this day.
What is the Blood Nations Unity Project, and what is the extent of your involvement with them?
The Blood Nations Unity Project is dedicated to being a real life community that is nationwide and is dedicated to providing a hub for those of the subculture community to find others like them and provide a place to meet and see who may be in your area. It also points people to the leaders in that area that associate with the subculture. Giving them access to the others and services they provide to help bring each other together on a larger scale.
What sort of events have been hosted by Midnight Dreams such as the charity drives you mentioned?
Midnight Dreams has hosted the Monster Mash Charity Ball for Aid For Friends, a local Homeless shelter and Homeless outreach that helps the homeless return to work and will get them into an apartment or families that are soon to be displaced maintain housing. We are a new court and the shop was opened on Oct 6th so we have not done a whole lot as of yet but keep watching and you will see us do amazing things.
Describe the amount of understanding and knowledge Goddess Rosemary has helped you achieve since you met her.
There is truly no words that I can use to describe the level of understanding and knowledge she has helped me attain. She has helped me with control of my gifts a deeper understanding of how to deal and balance the mundane and the nightside aspects of myself she truly fits the charge of the Dark Goddess that I will include here.
She who is known to us as Kali, Hecate, Cerridwen, Lilith, Persephone, Fata, Morgana, Ereshkigal, Arianhrod, Durga, Inanna, Tiamat, and by a million, million other names:
Hear me child, and know Me for who I am. I have been with you since you were born, and I will stay with you until you return to me at the final dusk.
I am the passionate and seductive lover who inspires the poet to dream. I am the one who calls to you at the end of your journey. After the day is done, My children find their blessed rest in my embrace. Charge of the dark Goddess
I am the womb from which all things are born. I am the shadowy, still tomb; all things must come to me and bare their breasts to die and be reborn to the whole.
I am the Sorceress that will not be ruled, the Weaver of Time, the Teacher of Mysteries. I snip the threads that bring my children home to me. I slit the throats of the cruel and drink the blood of the heartless.
Swallow your fear and come to me, and you will discover true beauty, strength, and courage. I am the fury which rips the flesh from injustice. I am the glowing forge that transforms your inner demons into tools of power.
Open yourself to my embrace and overcome.
I am the glinting sword that protects you from harm. I am the crucible in which all the aspects of yourself merge together in a rainbow of union. I am the velvet depths of the night sky, the swirling mists of midnight, shrouded in mystery. I am the chrysalis in which you will face that which terrifies you and from which you will blossom forth, vibrant and renewed.
Seek me at the crossroads, and you shall be transformed, for once you look upon my face, there is no return. I am the fire that kisses the shackles away. I am the cauldron in which all opposites grow to know each other in Truth. I am the web which connects all things. I am the Healer of all wounds, the Warrior who rights all wrongs in their Time.
I make the weak strong. I make the arrogant humble. I raise up the oppressed and empower the disenfranchised. I am Justice tempered with Mercy. Most importantly, child, I am you. I am part of you, and I am within you.
Seek Me within and without, and you will be strong. Know me.
Venture into the dark so that you may awaken to balance, illumination, and wholeness. Take my Love with you everywhere and find the Power within to be who you wish.
Goddess Rosemary has taught me many valuable lessons and help to bring a new level of understanding in my life as not only a teacher and also my aunt. How to balance my dayside to my nightside. Divination and other parts of the craft how to lead and what it means to be a good leader.
Where does the Charge of the Dark Goddess come from, and what do those verses mean to you personally?
The Charge of the Dark Goddess is a compilation of the common traits found in the Dark Goddesses. To me it holds the description of who the dark goddess is and what she expects from you: that you will face the darkest parts of yourself and that be stronger for it. The Charge of the Dark Goddess can be deciphered two ways. One that is just as it reads as a description and the other is she describes what she is and then what we promise to her for the lessons we receive.
What are your thoughts on the current state of your local goth/vampire scene? Is it still exclusive to the underground these days or has it received more mainstream attention?
The Gothic Scene here in Pocatello and Idaho is scarce due to the heavy L.D.S influence has all but killed it off but I and the Kalderasha are seeking to revive, pull it back out of the shadows and bring the beauty and diversity of our Sub-culture and Micro-cultures into the open once again. There are a few that are still dedicated and show themselves. It is pretty much still an underground thing but with time we will help it become more mainstream in this area.
Are there activities the Kalderasha Court are currently involved in, or planning for the near future?
The Kalderasha is involved with our store called Midnight Dreams a hand crafted Pagan and Gothic consignment store that is also open to take in C.D.'s and merch from goth and metal bands to sell at a percentage, along with hand made goods such as clothing, leather, jewelry, candles and other cool things. We are in the process of rebuilding and creating the 1920's style sideshow with freaks and performers, and building the Romany Vardos so we can travel and set up performances and be vendors at events. With the ability to be self-contained with our own infrastructure. We are doing a Caravan Cabaret in January and will soon be building a temple of the Great Mother in or around Inkom or Lava. That will provide a Pagan nonprofit organization along with our for-profit adventures. We are building a homeless shelter here in Pocatello called Big Mommas House. We are starting a chapter of the Kalderasha in Idaho Falls ID. We are planning an unveiling of the Caravan in May 4, 5 and 6 with the Kalderasha in Liger and check out the natural hot springs here in Lava. It is going to be a grand show of sideshow performing arts; we are currently looking for performers to join our troop. Along with Cabaret and burlesque performers so we can do some amazing and wondrous things.
Where on the internet can people read about Midnight Dreams? How can people who want to be involved contribute to the store?
How well do you expect the Caravan Cabaret will be received when it is unveiled next May? Are advertisements for the show already circulating on social media?
The Caravan Cabaret will actually be in February and we think it will have a pretty good outcome and not yet we are working on getting the advertisement and marketing put together at this time. Now the Caravan Carnival will be an amazing show in May the 4th 5th and 6th. It will be reminiscent of the 1920's sideshow and freak show. There will be more to come on this at a later time.
-Dave Wolff
