Sunday Scaries for November 2026
Introducing the Sunday Scaries that comes out once a month, on the first Sunday of every month.
Here at Scary Vibes, we are going to be giving a monthly community spotlight to those within the Scary Vibes community. This way readers like you can get to know everyone better. Also, this gives a chance for those who are a part of the community to know each other better too. Our first interview this month is someone with an indigenous connection to elders and spirit work.
Scary Vibes Community Interview
Can you introduce yourself to the readers?
Papo: "My name is Paul 'Papo' Mireles. I’m a Puerto Rican and Mexican community activist, organizer, scholar, spiritual leader, and Young Lord revolutionary from Chicago. I was born on the Northwest Side of Chicago, and a lot of my life has been shaped by the people and communities here.
My background is in psychology and critical ethnic studies, but much of my work happens outside a classroom, through community programs, political education, and working directly with people. Spiritually, I’m a Beike, a Taíno ceremonial leader, and a Tata in Palo Mayombe. I’m also a Santa Muerte devotee and continue learning within other traditions.
For the Scary Vibes community, I’m glad to share more about those parts of my life, how I came into these practices, and what they mean to me beyond what people might have heard about them."
What exactly do you do?
Papo: "I do community organizing and spiritual work. As an organizer, I’ve worked on food and resource distribution, youth programs, political education, and creating spaces where people can talk about what’s happening in their communities and do something about it together. Some of that work involves planning programs, and some of it is simply showing up consistently when people need support.
Spiritually, I serve as a Beike in the Taíno practice and as a Tata in Palo Mayombe. I lead ceremonies and work with people seeking spiritual guidance, protection, cleansing, and a connection with their ancestors.
Sometimes someone comes with a specific concern, and other times they know they’re going through something but don’t know where to begin. We start by talking and, when appropriate, consulting through a reading. What happens next depends on the person and the situation. A lot of this work involves listening before deciding what to do."
How did you first get into spiritual work?
Papo: "It started around 2015 through my artwork. I was researching Taíno, Mexica, and Toltec symbols because I wanted to understand what they meant before using them. That brought me into learning about ancestral languages, ceremonies, stories, and spirits. What began as research for art became a much more personal search into my ancestry.
As I continued, I realized I needed to learn from an elder. Reading gave me a starting point, but I wanted someone I could ask questions and learn from directly. That led me to the Caney Indigenous Spiritual Circle. I began learning more about my Taíno ancestors, and a few years later, I committed to training as a Beike. That included learning ceremonies, stories, cosmology, and how to lead and participate in our gatherings.
Around the same time, I was becoming more involved with the Young Lords Organization in Chicago. Through that work, I met the man who would eventually become my padrino, or spiritual godfather, in Ifá and Palo Mayombe. His family had been involved in Puerto Rican revolutionary politics and the Young Lords Party in New York, so that was how we first connected.
About a year after meeting him, I went through two car accidents close together, had a gun pulled on me, and received threats connected to my political work. Two close friends brought me to their ilé, or spiritual house, for a reading and protection work. One of the readings I received identified my guardian Orisha, a spiritual being within the Yoruba-derived tradition.
Afterward, I spoke with my padrino, and that began a journey that eventually took me to Cuba. There, I went through my rayamiento, an initiation in Palo Mayombe. I also received my Mano de Orunmila in Ifá, which included a reading offering guidance about my life, along with other ceremonies and my Guerreros, often called the Warriors.
These weren’t all traditions I originally planned to enter. Through my political and spiritual work, I also met my madrina, or spiritual godmother, who guides my learning in Vodou and 21 Divisions. Through readings, I was told that these relationships connected with my ancestral line and that initiation was part of the path being indicated for me.
I took that seriously, but it has been a process. I haven’t completed initiation in every tradition I’m learning about, and each step has involved questions, preparation, and conversations with my elders."
Do these practices help you connect with your ancestors?
Papo: "Yes, very much. My ancestors are part of my everyday spiritual life. I have a place where I can sit with them, speak to them, remember them, and ask for guidance. Sometimes I’m dealing with something difficult, and sometimes I’m just talking about my day or remembering someone I miss.
One of those spaces is a bóveda, an altar used for ancestor and spirit work. It can include photographs, glasses of water, white candles, a white cloth, and other spiritual items. Within my practice, it’s a place to honor and communicate with ancestors and pray for their peace and spiritual elevation. It stays up throughout the year because that relationship is ongoing.
In the Taíno practice I was taught, we also create memory tablets. These are wooden memorials with a photograph and a small shelf where offerings can be placed. We can also include a larger tablet representing ancestors whose names or faces we don’t know.
That part is especially meaningful to me. Many of us only know our family history back a few generations, and there can be a lot of missing information. Having a place for those ancestors allows me to acknowledge them without needing to know every detail of their lives."
Tell us more about your elders.
Papo: "My first elder in the Taíno practice was Guatu Iri. Later, I continued and completed my training with Sobaoko Koromo. Through the Caney, I’ve also had opportunities to learn from other elders, hear their experiences, and ask questions as my own understanding has grown.
My padrino, Mission, guides me in Ifá and Palo Mayombe. My madrina mambo Jae guides my learning in Vodou and 21 Divisions.
These are people I can turn to when I’m unsure about something or when I have an experience I need help understanding. Sometimes something happens during a ceremony, and you need time afterward to talk it through. Other times, a teaching makes more sense years later because you’ve finally had an experience that helps you understand it.
I still need my elders. Having a title doesn’t mean I suddenly know everything, and I’m comfortable saying when I need advice or don’t have an answer."
What would you like readers to know about Palo Mayombe?
Papo: "Palo Mayombe is a spiritual tradition I’m initiated into that involves working with the dead and spiritual forces within nature. My relationship with it began through my padrino and became much deeper through my rayamiento.
People often encounter Palo through sensational stories, so they may come into the conversation with fear or assumptions. My experience includes protection, cleansing, guidance, and helping people through difficult situations. It also involves an ongoing relationship with the spirits and with my religious house.
There are parts I can discuss publicly and parts that are private. When I don’t explain something, it’s because there are boundaries around what I’ve been taught to share. I can still talk honestly about what the practice means to me without describing every ceremony."
What would you like readers to know about Taíno spiritual practices?
Papo: "My Taíno practice connects me with my ancestors through ceremony, stories, prayer, and relationships with the natural world. We honor the cemí, the spiritual beings and presences within the teachings I received.
It’s part of my everyday life, through prayer, honoring my ancestors, spending time with nature, and gathering with others. Becoming a Beike allowed me to take a more active role in leading ceremonies and helping people learn about the practice.
For me, this began with wanting to understand my ancestry, but it became something I could experience and participate in with other people. I speak from what I’ve learned through the Caney and my elders, while recognizing that other Taíno people may have different teachings and experiences. I’m hoping to continue my growth in this practice to become a Boitiu (shaman) in the Taino practice as well as receive my Taino name."
How did you become a Santa Muerte devotee?
Papo: "Through studying Mexica and Toltec teachings, I became drawn to Mictēcacihuātl and her connection with death and Mictlān, the underworld. I felt a connection between her imagery and Santa Muerte, and that led me to learn more about La Flaca.
That was my personal introduction. I don’t mean that everyone understands that connection the same way or considers them the same being.
Over time, I began developing my own relationship with Santa Muerte and learning from elders and other devotees. Today, she’s a big part of my personal spiritual life and much of the individual work I do.
I turn to her for protection, guidance, and comfort, but I also spend time with her when I’m not asking for anything. Sometimes that means prayer, and sometimes it means sitting at her altar and talking. There’s a loving relationship there that has developed over time."
Which traditions are you still learning about?
Papo: "I’ve received ceremonies in Ifá, including my Icofa or Mano de Orunmila and my Guerreros or warriors, but there are other initiations I haven’t gone through. Receiving those ceremonies doesn’t mean I hold every title or can perform everything within the religion.
I also continue learning about Mexica and Toltec practices. In Vodou and 21 Divisions, I learn with a mambo here in Chicago, but I haven’t completed initiation. Time and resources have been part of that, along with the preparation involved.
I’m open about where I stand because I don’t want to give the impression that I’m initiated into everything I study or have a relationship with. I can have a meaningful connection with a tradition and still have a great deal to learn."
When did this become something deeply real for you?
Papo: "The readings were part of it. Things would come up that connected with what I was experiencing, and sometimes something would happen days or weeks later that brought me back to what I’d been told. Those experiences made me pay closer attention and ask more questions.
But the ceremonies affected me the most, especially my rayamiento in Palo Mayombe. I understood that ceremony as a pact with the dead, and what I experienced was unlike anything I’d experienced before.
Some parts of that ceremony are private, and other parts are difficult to put into words. I can describe how deeply it affected me, but I can’t always give someone an explanation that fully communicates what it felt like to be there.
Since then, I’ve had experiences that I understand through my relationship with the dead. I know someone hearing about them may interpret them differently. I can speak honestly about my own experience without expecting everyone to have the same understanding."
You’re involved in several traditions. How do they connect, and do they ever clash?
Papo: "In most of my practices, there’s a connection with ancestors and the dead, although that isn’t the whole focus of every tradition. In my Taíno and Mexica/Toltec practices, I also work with the moon, the sun, and other elements. So there are different ways these practices connect with my life, and I haven’t experienced them as constantly clashing with one another.
There are also places where traditions have influenced each other. One example is the Indigenous connections within 21 Divisions, including relationships with Taíno spirits. I find those connections interesting because they bring together different parts of the Caribbean’s spiritual history.
At the same time, what someone can participate in can depend on the guidance they receive. There are people in Ifá who are told through readings that they shouldn’t become involved in Palo or certain other practices. So my experience won’t necessarily be the same as someone else’s. When questions come up, I talk with my elders and work through them that way."
What’s the difference between working with spirits and working against them?
Papo: "Spirits is a loose term because we could be talking about ancestors, deities, other people who have passed, or other spiritual beings. In most of my practices, we honor our ancestors and the spiritual beings we work with, so a lot of what I do is about developing those relationships.
I’d compare part of it to any relationship. If you only show up when you want something, make promises you don’t keep, or ignore someone until you need them again, that affects the relationship. Within my practices, neglecting your spirits or continually ignoring the guidance you’ve asked for can be understood in a similar way.
That’s different from the idea that every spirit is waiting to hurt you. We may understand some difficult experiences as involving spiritual work directed by another person, or ancestors who need healing, prayer, and elevation. But I wouldn’t assume that’s what’s happening without first talking with the person and consulting. Sometimes there’s a spiritual concern, and sometimes there are things going on in everyday life that need attention."
What does Santa Muerte mean to you, and why do people turn to her when they’re scared?
Papo: "For me, La Flaca is someone I turn to for protection, guidance, and comfort. I talk to her, pray, and spend time at her altar. I have a loving relationship with her, and that’s an important part of what I want people to understand.
She’s often spoken about through stories involving crime, which leaves out the experiences of so many other devotees. Someone hearing only those stories might never imagine the comfort people find in praying to her.
A person might first approach her because they’re afraid, grieving, or feeling like they have nowhere else to go. Over time, that can become a much deeper devotion.
We’re all going to meet death. My relationship with her gives me a way to sit with that reality, remember the people I’ve lost, and think about how I’m living. Her altar is also a place I go to express gratitude or spend time in prayer when things are going well."
Have you ever been asked by a client to do something you turned down?
Papo: "Yes. One kind of work I turn down is love work meant to take away someone’s consent or force them into a relationship. I understand wanting someone back or wishing they felt the same way, but that person still gets to make their own decision.
I don’t need to help somebody create a Nikki situation like in the movie Obsession. That kind of fixation can become unhealthy, and I’m not interested in helping someone gain more control over another person.
If you want to work on your confidence, your own attraction, self-love, or moving forward after a breakup, we can have that conversation. There’s a lot we can work on without trying to override somebody else’s feelings.
There are also times when my spirits don’t seem to connect with a person or the work they’re requesting. That may come through consultation, and when it does, I listen. I’m not going to force a working just because someone wants me to do it."
Is there a line you won’t cross, no matter who’s paying or how desperate they are?
Papo: "Yes. More money doesn’t change my boundaries. If I’m uncomfortable with something because it involves taking away another person’s choice, offering me more isn’t going to change that.
I also won’t pretend to have training I don’t have. Being involved in several traditions doesn’t mean I know every ceremony or can handle every situation. Sometimes I need to consult an elder, and sometimes I need to tell someone that what they’re asking is outside what I do.
I’m careful about promises, too. People may come to me when they’re frightened, grieving, or desperate for something to change. I don’t want to use that moment to pressure them into paying for work or promise an outcome just because it’s what they want to hear.
They should be able to ask questions, understand what I’m offering, and decide whether they’re comfortable moving forward."
What’s the most unsettling thing you’ve personally witnessed during a working?
Papo: "The first time I witnessed someone being mounted by a spirit really stayed with me. That’s the language we use within the practice for what was happening.
I watched the person’s facial expression, voice, and mannerisms change, and later watched them return to how they usually were. Hearing about it beforehand hadn’t prepared me for what it would feel like to witness it.
My first reaction was fear. Even though I wasn’t approaching the ceremony through mainstream religious beliefs, I still had images from possession movies in my head. Those things leave an impression, and my body reacted before I had time to think through what I was seeing.
I felt overwhelmed physically, including changes in my breathing and nausea. Having experienced people there helped because I could ask questions and talk about it afterward.
Over time, I became more comfortable and developed a better understanding of what was happening within that setting. But I still remember how surprised I was by my own reaction that first time."
People assume “dark magic” is about power or revenge. What do you think it’s actually about?
Papo: "I’d first ask what they mean by “dark magic,” because people use that phrase for very different things. Some mean work intended to harm someone. Others use it for almost anything involving the dead or a tradition they’re unfamiliar with.
Any spiritual work can be approached with power, revenge, protection, or control in mind. The intention of the person asking matters, and so does the judgment of the practitioner.
I want to know what the actual situation is. Is someone asking for protection? Are they trying to control an ex? Are they angry and looking for someone to act on that anger? What could happen to the people involved?
Someone calling their request “justice” doesn’t answer all those questions. I still need to understand what they’re asking me to do and decide whether I’m willing to be part of it. The label alone doesn’t tell me enough."
If someone came to you tonight terrified that something was attached to them, what would you do first?
Papo: "The first thing I’d do is talk with them and consult the spirits. That could involve a reading along with a conversation about what they’ve been experiencing, when it started, and what’s been happening in their life. I want to understand the situation before deciding what kind of work, if any, is needed. Someone being afraid doesn’t automatically tell me what’s causing that fear.
From there, we also have to talk about what the person is willing to do. Sometimes someone receives guidance but only follows part of it, decides to do something different, or gets the answer and does nothing with it. Then they come back saying the work didn’t help.
The way I explain it is, if the guidance is to go left and you decide to go right, we have to talk about that before saying the guidance failed. I can do spiritual work with you, but your choices and participation are part of the process too.
I also want to know why someone hasn’t followed through. Maybe they didn’t understand, felt uncomfortable, or weren’t ready. We can talk about that openly rather than pretending everything was done.
And if something points toward a health concern, lack of sleep, stress, or a safety issue, I take that seriously too. My goal is to help the person, and that can include encouraging other kinds of support alongside spiritual work."
Thank you so much, Papo for taking your time to interview with us today. Also, thank you for being part of our Scary Vibes Community. Papo is also a part of our paranormal investigation team that lives stream on TikTok. Those videos are also edited and posted on YouTube and other Scary Vibes Socials. So, make sure you follow all the socials down below to keep up.
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