Snap Judgment: "Hexxed" (October 23, 2025)

Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

“Hexxed” is a spellbinding episode of Snap Judgment that explores the ancient, uncanny power of words—particularly curses—and their resonance in the lives of real people. The episode features two main stories: a harrowing account from Dan Sassoway Jones about a supernatural affliction in Blackfeet country, and an emotional narrative by Rashi about mysterious family blessings and her mother’s presence after death in Mumbai. Both narratives are woven together with Snap’s signature beats and a focus on the mysterious crossroad where the supernatural and everyday life intersect.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Power of Words & Curses

• The show opens with the timeless notion that words not only build but can also destroy.
• “A person calls upon the most ancient of powers. And the more purpose we give our words, the more likely the universe will bend around them.” (Host/Narrator, 01:10)

2. Blackfeet Medicine: Dan Sassoway Jones' Story (03:23–24:55)

Meeting the Blackfeet Healers

• Dan moves near Heart Butte, Montana, living in a teepee, and is introduced to Tinyman Heavy Runner, apprentice to his grandfather, a revered Blackfeet medicine man.
• The Heavy Runner family is described as "an intricate part of the Blackfeet Medicine Society," holding deep healing and spiritual knowledge. (Dan Sassoway Jones, 04:33)

Ritual Life at the Compound

• The compound is spartan: no running water, communal effort, and a constant stream of people seeking healing or guidance from the old man and Agnes.

A Crisis Arrives

• A family arrives in desperation, bearing excessive gifts—a hint at the seriousness of their trouble.
• Their young brother (17) has been “cursed” after running off with a medicine man’s daughter.
• The curse: Each night, he transforms, "billows like an animal," thrashes, and nearly injures himself, as if possessed by a bull. (12:19)

“They said his face would contort and eyes totally bloodshot. This boy would basically turn into a bull… They’d have to tie him up with sheets.”
— Dan Sassoway Jones (12:19)

• Dan is warned to stay clear of the house: “Just don’t go around the house, don’t circle the house. You got something that strong… you don’t want to put your energy around it.” (14:54)

The Ritual & The Storm

• As the healing begins, the environment erupts—winds batter the teepee, drumming and prayer songs fill the night, and terrifying animal noises echo out.
• “The wind, it seemed like it was coming from every direction … We started hearing from the house moaning like an animal, like a call of a bull. This loud rumble.” (Dan Sassoway Jones, 17:48; Dan’s Girlfriend, 18:25)

Resolution & Aftermath

• By dawn, the tumult dies down; Tinyman emerges “completely beat up,” but victorious: “It’s done. It’s gone. This thing has left the boy. He won’t be bothered with it again.” (21:22)
• The boy appears transformed—peaceful and alive again. The family rejoices with the healers.

“All else I can tell you, was the evil medicine man’s medicine represented hate and fear. Old man’s medicine is good. … In the end, love is stronger than hate.”
— Dan Sassoway Jones (23:47)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Tension, fear, and trust in traditional healing echo throughout:
  • “Surely there’s enough men there… but what if there isn’t?” (Dan, 19:00)
  • “Love is stronger than hate.” (Dan, 23:47)

3. Mumbai Mystery: Rashi’s Story (26:49–48:48)

Setting the Scene

• Rashi, eldest child in a lively Mumbai family, finds money tucked away in cereal boxes—an early clue to her mother's careful, secretive nature.

A Mother's Illness

• Rashi’s mother is diagnosed with cancer. The family faces financial and emotional hardship.
• Mother instructs Rashi on house routines and hidden stashes—preparing her kids for an uncertain future.

Loss and Aftermath

• After her mother’s passing, the family struggles. Practical and emotional chaos ensues, and beloved houseplants begin to die, symbolizing grief.

The Unexplained Returns

• Rashi starts waking at 3am, often found by relatives sitting up and staring at the dead money plant—until, mysteriously, the plant revives, sprouting new growth over 20 days.

“It had small leaves… It was almost as if it was a fresh new plant. I was just plain confused because the same plant had been dead for almost an year. It was impossible to revive.”
— Rashi (36:59)

The Mother’s Visitation

• One night, Rashi feels a familiar touch and sees her mother’s spirit, who communicates through gestures, leading Rashi to her father’s room.
• That night, Rashi (while sleepwalking or possessed) uncovers a secret cache of cash and jewelry under the mattress—assets her mother had hidden, now critically needed for her grandmother’s surgery and the family's expenses.

Resolution and Letting Go

• The recovered wealth rescues the family. Rashi, now ready to move forward, lets go of the protective metal bangle her grandmother gave her, symbolically releasing her mother’s spirit.

“Maybe it was my mother coming to see us for one last time and ensuring our well-being.”
— Rashi (46:48)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• The raw emotion of the supernatural encounter and the family's restoration is palpable:
  • “If it was you who had come back, I hope I’ve done whatever it is you wanted me to do. I fulfilled your last wish and I love you more than anything else in this world.” (Rashi, 48:30)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “A person calls upon the most ancient of powers. And the more purpose we give our words, the more likely the universe will bend around them.”
  — Host/Narrator (01:10)

• “They said his face would contort and eyes totally bloodshot. This boy would basically turn into a bull… They’d have to tie him up with sheets.”
  — Dan Sassoway Jones (12:19)

• “Love is stronger than hate.”
  — Dan Sassoway Jones (23:47)

• “It had small leaves… It was almost as if it was a fresh new plant. I was just plain confused because the same plant had been dead for almost a year.”
  — Rashi (36:59)

• “Maybe it was my mother coming to see us for one last time and ensuring our well-being.”
  — Rashi (46:48)

• “If it was you who had come back, I hope I’ve done whatever it is you wanted me to do. I fulfilled your last wish and I love you more than anything else in this world.”
  — Rashi (48:30)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Story | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–03:23 | Introduction & meditation on the power of words | | 03:23–24:55 | Blackfeet Medicine & the “Bull Curse” | | 26:49–48:48 | Rashi’s Mumbai story: loss, haunting, and hope |

Episode Tone & Storytelling Style

• The episode is cinematic, atmospheric, and rooted in personal, lived experience.
• Tension, awe, and deep love run through the narratives.
• The hosts and subjects speak with reverence for both the dark and light sides of supernatural experience, maintaining a sense of wonder, respect, and occasional fear.

Conclusion

“Hexxed” masterfully blends real human stories with supernatural mystery, meditating on the enduring power of words, ritual, and love across cultures. Whether confronting the terror of an ancient curse or the echoes of a lost mother’s care, both narratives find their deepest power in community, tradition, and acts of love—that, ultimately, are stronger than hate, loss, or fear.