About me
Originally from South Carolina, Jack was born into a Protestant Christian family that practiced elements of folk religion, which he later learned stemmed from his maternal great-grandfather, a Powwow Doctor who specialized in healing animals. Jack was raised not to fear, but to accept the presence of spirits, interpret dreams, and experience spiritual visions. As an adult, Jack became a university professor and librarian. He retired in 2021 when he and his wife, Lesley, moved to New Orleans in 2023.As a spiritual person, Jack has been involved with traditional American folk magic since 1974 as a folklorist and practitioner of the Powwow and Hoodoo shamanic traditions. He received training in Hoodoo from James E. McTeer, 1903-1979, and learned Powwow/Braucherei from Hexenmeister, Lee Raus Gandee, 1917-1998, who authored “Strange Experience: The Secrets of a Hexenmeister.” Jack has authored numerous articles for academic and spiritual magazines, and his book, “American Shamans: Journeys with Traditional Healers,” was published in 2008 by BUSCA Press. The book is still selling well in the U.S., U.K., and Europe, and as far away as Japan and South Africa.
