Black magic -- real or fancied?<\/p>\n
By T. Sima Gunawan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Many people are familiar with the term
\nwitchcraft, even though not everybody believes it exists.<\/p>\n
Well, you won't see an old woman flying with her magic broom
\nas found in many children's story books. But, witchcraft or black
\nmagic, defined as the use of supernatural means for harmful
\npurposes, is still practiced in different parts of the world,
\nincluding Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Believe it or not, but people from all walks of life,
\nincluding small-scale traders and politicians, may practice
\nwitchcraft to hurt their rivals. Men and women might also use
\nmagic to charm the ones they want or to destroy those who reject
\ntheir love. Black magic is practiced both in villages and in big
\ncities.<\/p>\n
\"I was a victim of black magic. It happened to me twice,\"
\nListy, a marketing executive of a private company, told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
She had the first experience eight years ago after she refused
\nthe hand of a man who was crazy about her. She fell victim of
\nblack magic for the second time earlier this year when she
\ninvoluntarily gave her jewelry and cash to a stranger.<\/p>\n
Listy met the stranger in the lobby of Hotel Indonesia. He was
\na dark-skinned, English speaking foreigner who was dressed neatly
\nin white. She had just made a call at a public phone in the lobby
\nwhen the man showed her a Malaysian phone card and asked her if
\nhe could use it here. Then he told her he was a sailor, his name
\nwas Edward, and that he had lots of good branded items and was
\nlooking for a business partner.<\/p>\n
Listy was not interested, but she gave away Rp 500,000
\n(US$216.73), a 25-gram gold bracelet and two diamond-studded
\nrings to the man with deep, clear eyes, who promised her a Rolex
\nshe never received.<\/p>\n
\"Yes, I was hypnotized. I think what the man did to me could
\nbe categorized as black magic because he hypnotized me into doing
\nthose things,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She might be wrong because, unlike black magic, hypnosis is a
\ncertain psychological state which does not involve supernatural
\npower.<\/p>\n
How about her other experience?<\/p>\n
She related that late in 1980s, there was a man who liked her
\na lot. Rudy, her admirer, came to her boarding house frequently
\nand he knew everyone there. He often treated them for dinner but
\nhe had eyes only for Listy. On the other hand, Listy did not have
\nany special feelings for him.<\/p>\n
One night he came to the boarding house and handed over a box
\nof sandwiches for Listy, who did not want them.<\/p>\n
\"In the morning, one of my friends wanted to eat the food.
\nBefore she bit the sandwich, she opened it and screamed as she
\nsaw a piece of hair between the loaves,\" Listy said.<\/p>\n
Rudy then started to terrorize Listy by phone. Later, he
\nstopped calling her, but this was not the end of Listy's
\nnightmare.<\/p>\n
\"I could not sleep well. Sometimes I screamed in my sleep. I
\nalso felt a continuous itching, but I did not know where to
\nscratch,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Listy went to see a dermatologist, but she did not feel
\nbetter.<\/p>\n
\"Within two years, I lost 11 kilograms, from 50 kg to 39 kg. I
\nwas always restless and was afraid to face the future,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Following her sister's suggestion, Listy went to see a psychic
\nwho lived in Paseban, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The psychic told me somebody had made me like that. She took
\nthe first egg laid by ayam kampung (inbred chicken) and rolled it
\nover my body. She asked me to imagine the person who might make
\nme like that, and I had Rudy in my mind,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"She later broke the egg and I saw ijuk (palm fiber) inside
\nit,\" Listy said.<\/p>\n
A week after the treatment, the itching stopped. She could
\nsleep well, regained her confidence, and was ready to face the
\nfuture.<\/p>\n
Servas, a journalist, also had an experience of this kind. His
\nwas not as scary as Listy's, but no less strange.<\/p>\n
\"Several months ago, I felt a pain in my left leg. It was as
\nif I was being electrocuted. I also had a terrible headache as if
\nmy head was about to explode,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He went to see a doctor, but was told that everything was all
\nright.<\/p>\n
About two months later, he saw John, a psychic who runs a
\npractice on Jl. Surabaya Timur, Central Jakarta. John is an
\ngraduate of the Bandung Institute of Technology who is now
\nconcentrating on the utilization of supernatural energy.<\/p>\n
John said that somebody had put negative energy in the
\npatient's body, according to Servas.<\/p>\n
The psychic absorbed what he called the negative energy with
\nhis left hand and with his right hand, he moved it into a piece
\nof tissue paper. He later burned it.<\/p>\n
\"The pain was gone and I felt good,\" Servas said.<\/p>\n
But who had sent him the negative energy? The question has yet
\nto be answered.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/black-magic-real-or-fancied-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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