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Step 1
Choose a form for your pooka. Harvey, Elwood P. Dowd's pooka, was a giant rabbit. The horse cults of Ireland and Wales had pookas that were dark horses with bright yellow eyes. Early pookas among people who kept sheep were giant balls of wool that whizzed about doing mischief. All of these pookas reflected the mythology of their creators and were larger than life. Early pookas were shape-shifters, able to change for as circumstances required.
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Step 2
Determine the personality of your pooka. Originally, pookas were ill-willed creatures that knocked down fences and ruined crops left in the field too long. The horse pookas swooped under unsuspecting travelers and carried them for a distance before dumping them in muddy ponds. As time wore on, pookas took on less malevolent forms and actually began advising humans about how to use nature wisely. Harvey is the friendly pooka, slightly disdainful of his human’s foolishness but committed to guiding him to wisdom. Pookas tend to complement the personalities of their owners; introverts have extrovert pookas and vice versa.
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Step 3
Decide on a function for your pooka. Throughout history, pookas have served as an excuse for things that have no explanation. In short, pookas happen. Much of whether your pooka is a trusted advisor or a mischievous sprite will depend on the pooka’s personality—and yours. Harvey was a raucous, mischievous pooka who always had shy, cautious Elwood’s back, but that interpretation is not accepted by the other characters in the play, most of who think that Harvey is simply an excuse for Elwood’s eccentric behavior and some who think Elwood is mentally ill. The pookas of past history provided insight and understanding for their humans but they often wrapped their gifts in nasty tricks and unfortunate events.
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Step 4
Create a world for your pooka. It will have friends and associates, just like you do but it will attempt to hide them from you. Pookas are there to act out the same conflicts that you have in larger-than-life ways. They make wild suggestions to help you develop perspective and discover truth, valuable skills in today’s world. To accomplish this, they need context—a world of their own—into which they can retreat from time to time when they get too fed up with your foolishness. Pookas are ancient creatures from the universe of fairies and sprites. Learn about their world before welcoming them into yours.
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Step 5
Don't assume your pooka’s loyalty. Pookas are mythical creatures, not friends. They are most certainly not relatives nor do they wish for you to depend upon them. Just as you begin to treat them as companions and assume that they will be there to guide you, they’ll disappear and find another human to bedevil.
