Black magic -- real or fancied?

Black magic -- real or fancied?

By T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA (JP): Many people are familiar with the term witchcraft, even though not everybody believes it exists.

Well, you won't see an old woman flying with her magic broom as found in many children's story books. But, witchcraft or black magic, defined as the use of supernatural means for harmful purposes, is still practiced in different parts of the world, including Indonesia.

Believe it or not, but people from all walks of life, including small-scale traders and politicians, may practice witchcraft to hurt their rivals. Men and women might also use magic to charm the ones they want or to destroy those who reject their love. Black magic is practiced both in villages and in big cities.

"I was a victim of black magic. It happened to me twice," Listy, a marketing executive of a private company, told The Jakarta Post.

She had the first experience eight years ago after she refused the hand of a man who was crazy about her. She fell victim of black magic for the second time earlier this year when she involuntarily gave her jewelry and cash to a stranger.

Listy met the stranger in the lobby of Hotel Indonesia. He was a dark-skinned, English speaking foreigner who was dressed neatly in white. She had just made a call at a public phone in the lobby when the man showed her a Malaysian phone card and asked her if he could use it here. Then he told her he was a sailor, his name was Edward, and that he had lots of good branded items and was looking for a business partner.

Listy was not interested, but she gave away Rp 500,000 (US$216.73), a 25-gram gold bracelet and two diamond-studded rings to the man with deep, clear eyes, who promised her a Rolex she never received.

"Yes, I was hypnotized. I think what the man did to me could be categorized as black magic because he hypnotized me into doing those things," she said.

She might be wrong because, unlike black magic, hypnosis is a certain psychological state which does not involve supernatural power.

How about her other experience?

She related that late in 1980s, there was a man who liked her a lot. Rudy, her admirer, came to her boarding house frequently and he knew everyone there. He often treated them for dinner but he had eyes only for Listy. On the other hand, Listy did not have any special feelings for him.

One night he came to the boarding house and handed over a box of sandwiches for Listy, who did not want them.

"In the morning, one of my friends wanted to eat the food. Before she bit the sandwich, she opened it and screamed as she saw a piece of hair between the loaves," Listy said.

Rudy then started to terrorize Listy by phone. Later, he stopped calling her, but this was not the end of Listy's nightmare.

"I could not sleep well. Sometimes I screamed in my sleep. I also felt a continuous itching, but I did not know where to scratch," she said.

Listy went to see a dermatologist, but she did not feel better.

"Within two years, I lost 11 kilograms, from 50 kg to 39 kg. I was always restless and was afraid to face the future," she said.

Following her sister's suggestion, Listy went to see a psychic who lived in Paseban, Central Jakarta.

"The psychic told me somebody had made me like that. She took the first egg laid by ayam kampung (inbred chicken) and rolled it over my body. She asked me to imagine the person who might make me like that, and I had Rudy in my mind," she said.

"She later broke the egg and I saw ijuk (palm fiber) inside it," Listy said.

A week after the treatment, the itching stopped. She could sleep well, regained her confidence, and was ready to face the future.

Servas, a journalist, also had an experience of this kind. His was not as scary as Listy's, but no less strange.

"Several months ago, I felt a pain in my left leg. It was as if I was being electrocuted. I also had a terrible headache as if my head was about to explode," he said.

He went to see a doctor, but was told that everything was all right.

About two months later, he saw John, a psychic who runs a practice on Jl. Surabaya Timur, Central Jakarta. John is an graduate of the Bandung Institute of Technology who is now concentrating on the utilization of supernatural energy.

John said that somebody had put negative energy in the patient's body, according to Servas.

The psychic absorbed what he called the negative energy with his left hand and with his right hand, he moved it into a piece of tissue paper. He later burned it.

"The pain was gone and I felt good," Servas said.

But who had sent him the negative energy? The question has yet to be answered.