That old black magic could hurt you

That old black magic could hurt you

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): Does it only happen in the movies, especially
local low-budget flicks dealing with the supernatural?

For instance, an egg flies through the air, entering a house
and exploding like a bomb, killing everybody around. Or a person
languishes on a bed, a bunch of needles or creepy-crawlies
bursting out from various orifices.

Yet many swear that black magic does exist and is a powerful
force to be reckoned with. People sometimes behave in hysterical,
irrational ways against alleged practitioners. Paranormals were
killed by mobs in Ciamis, West Java, in recent months for
allegedly practicing black magic.

One young man, "Kiki", told of the black magic experience of
his family. His father, a top executive at a state-owned company,
began to fall ill with mysterious ailments. Conventional and
traditional medicine were of no help, and eventually the family
sought help from a shaman.

"He told us a hex had been put on my father. He touched my
father's throat, and pulled out a sea urchin, then another. There
were steel nails, pieces of glass. I wouldn't have believed it if
I hadn't seen it for myself."

The shaman said the hex was put on the man by a colleague who
wanted his position. Kiki's father could not be helped and died a
few weeks later.

Psychic Ki Singalodra said black magic consisted of three
major applications -- pulung or jadi-jadian; teluh; and
kiriman.

People who practice pulung or jadi-jadian usually can change
their appearance into an animal, or have an animal pet with
supernatural powers which is visible only to them. Teluh is the
most common witchcraft which is used to hurt another. Kiriman
(which literally means "send" in Indonesian) is evil power
conveyed to hurt someone else.

When teluh or kiriman, known as voodoo in some other
countries, is used, the victim, like Kiki's father, will suffer a
terrible malady.

"There's no particular disease from the medical point of view,
but the sufferer feels so sick," Singalodra said.

A similar experience happened to "Rudy".

The 30-year old executive said that two months ago he suffered
fitful sleep during the night.

"I could only fall sleep at dawn. I also suffered from night
sweats. Sometimes I had nightmares and woke up, then I could not
sleep anymore."

A friend told him one day that he saw something strange in his
eyes and urged him to see a psychic. At first, he was reluctant,
but he later followed the advice and went to see a paranormal.

On the first visit, he gave Rudy a glass of water and asked
him to bathe with the water mixed with some spices. The
paranormal also gave him a kind of necklace to wear.

On the second visit, Rudy vomited dark blood. On the third and
final visit, the paranormal told him that somebody used black
magic to make him ill.

"It was a person whose love I rejected," Rudy said.

He said the paranormal asked if he wanted to "return" the
black magic to the sender, but Rudy said no.

Singalodra said people usually resort to black magic through
vengeance and a need for reprisal.

"In this world, so many people get hurt because of power, love
or others' careers or disappointments. It's about envy and
revenge."

Another paranormal, Syahbudin, said that when black magicians
cast flawed spells, medical examinations would detect something
wrong. For example, an X-ray could show a needle in the victim's
body.

He said some symptoms of hexes included prolonged insomnia,
frequent nightmares and suddenly waking up, anxiety, sweating
during the day and night, and frightening hallucinations.

Syahbudin said that he received an average of 10 patients
daily, mostly asks for spiritual consultation. So far, he has
dealt with only one patient who fell victim to black magic.

He said that people who practiced black magic used hypnotic,
telepathic and telekinetic powers to send frequencies and energy
to put someone in danger. In many cases, those people would be
stirred to do something dangerous.

"It is possible by sending energy and frequencies to make the
targeted people do something beyond their (usual) behavior," he
said.

"For instance, someone fond of drinking coffee will be made to
drink too much coffee, therefore he or she will get sick and die
because of the effects of taking too much coffee. Or, someone who
likes driving will be in an accident where they die."

Those who are very busy and emotionally stressed are easy
targets of black magic, he said.

Not everyone, however, can be attacked.

Since the ritual or scheme uses energy and frequencies, people
can also protect themselves from black magic, Syahbudin added.

Psychic Sukma Dipura agreed that there were those immune to
that old black magic.

"Everyone has an aura and energy. When the aura is good and
strong, it will be a kind of shield and any bad energy will
bounce off it."

He said that was why some people believed in the power of
precious stones and other objects.

"The materials are filled with energy to neutralize their
surroundings."