How to defend yourself from black magic

Bosnian stravarke (folk doctors) claim that there is no object or thing in this world that cannot be used for magic or spells. Not even the sacred books, religious paraphernalia or holy water are spared from that. Of course, despite this fact it is also necessary to note that only a small number of people are able to successfully perform magic and cast spells. Such persons, first of all, have to be mentally strong and able to maintain communication with the spirit world. Without these two conditions magic is not feasible.



Witch props are usually those items that are in daily use such as bread, water, coffee, sugar, scissors, needle, matches, thread, wool, etc. Often at first glance quite harmless little things outside the front door or below the threshold, pillows or toilet, that you would not even pay attention to, are actually charged magic props that emit negative energy.


Magic for home


Although I am not a supporter of the idea that the effect of magic is reflected in everything, nor that every even remotely suspicious object should be declared as an evil spell, it is my opinion that one should be careful about everything that is, especially in the morning, found at the entrance door or under the mat.

Since ancient times it is known that the entrance to the house is a particularly sensitive place for picking up any kind of magic, and therefore if you find the remains of the earth, blood, water, cat's or dog hairs, colored thread, etc., do not ignore them and consider them as a harmless coincidence or wind’s play.

It is very important to note that any such object found at the entrance door should not, under any circumstances, be brought into the house, nor touched with a hand. It is enough to sweep it with a broom on dustpan than throw it into dumpster. After that, the threshold and doorposts should be sprayed with wine vinegar, in order to fully neutralize any negative impact.

Magic charms are often brought into the house with the clear intention to attract evil spirits into that home and to fill it with negative energy. Continuous restlessness, sudden deterioration of household appliances, groundless arguments, frequent headaches or, most often, the feeling that you are everywhere more comfortable than at home, is a clear indication of the influence of supernatural forces. The best places to place magic spells are toilet or the bedroom where the victim of magic sleeps. Especially dangerous are those spells that are sewn into the pillow, as they directly affect the human psyche.

The best way to eliminate all of those spells that are found in the home, in the opinion of Bosnian stravarke, is this - all magic charms should be picked up and taken to a three-border point. That is the place where the three plots of land meet, and in its center one should dig a hole, put the magic charms in it and then cover them with soil.

According to stravarke, after that the person who made magic (witch) is completely blocked and can no longer do magic against you. Of course, after that it is very good to "clean" the house with exorcism water or by burning some proven incense, so that peace and prosperity can return to it.


The fire and water met


If you do not know where to turn for help, after you eliminated suspicious objects from the house, use this ritual. Go to a water spring and throw firstly three pieces of bread and a bit of salt in it, saying:

Holy water, great mother,
I present you with bread and salt
and you please give me what
I ask of you - home peace and prosperity!

 Then scoop some water and take it home. Throw nine live coals in it or burning matches and every time, while doing so, repeat:

The fire and water met
Enemy’s hands decayed!

This is, otherwise, a verse from a long exorcism spell pronounced by stravarke while forcing evil away, but it is enough for above described ritual. As soon as you remove the coals or matches from the water, use the water to spray the walls of the whole apartment or house.

Another useful advice on how to protect your home from magic and spirits, and somehow make it hard for their invasion, is not to allow the moonlight to "enter" into the house. In the nights of the full moon draw the opaque curtain over the window, drop the blinds or shutters. Moonlight is the strongest carrier of the magical forces and spirits use it many times to enter into the house and with them enters the magic. That is why it is typical for sensible persons to suffer from restlessness, insomnia or nightmares.



Demonic possession through dolls from grave


According to my opinion, but also by experience, the most serious forms of magic are those made with fresh soil from graves. In my research I found some interesting stories told by some stravarke, who revealed intriguing details about the rituals of black magic among the Bosnian people. Sihirbaza (witch) wanting to hurt her enemy is waiting for someone from neighborhood to die and on the same night, after the burial, goes to that grave completely naked and straddles it like a horse.

After some time that she spent muttering mysterious words, she stand up, grab the soil from the grave, as much as it is enough to make a miniature clay doll. In that soil she than put some characteristic sign of the person against whom she is preparing the spell, such as the footprint, the thread from clothes or something else. After that she is splashing the soil  with cow’s urine and blood of a black hen, and mixing it with the soil, spitting on it three times saying:

Such will you NN also vomit and urinate blood, every day until he die!

After she formed a human figure from the soil she takes it and buries it under a dry stump or under an old tree that slowly dries. According to the testimony of stravarka, the person who is a target of such a magic spell gets ill in a very short period and dies unless he gets help.

Studying described ritual I found out that it is based on the obsessions, i.e. that sihirbaza tries to connect the spirit of a deceased person with the victim of magic by the soil as medium, so that the spirit would possess the victim and cause the illness, madness or even death. Of course, goes without saying that these and similar rituals are extremely dangerous because they are based on control of the spirit of the dead person.

Also, sitting or lying on the grave is characteristic ritual gesture of Arabic magic. Namely, the witches are most inclined to visit the graves of people who, during their lifetime, held a prominent position or post, such as a judge, because of the belief that extremely strong jinn like to visit such graves. Sitting naked on the grave the witch allows the demons of the grave to possess her, and in return some of her wishes shall be fulfilled, especially these related to black magic.

Coffee beverage of destiny

Divination from a coffee cup is probably the best known mantic skill in the world. Even though ways of preparing coffee, worlds most favourite refreshing beverage, changed over centuries, residue is also less and less seen in our cups, human desire for decoding signs of destiny, especially divination with coffee, stayed unchanged since the Persian times, where this type of divination originated.
 

Since the time of the discovery of quahve (literal translation of this word is “refreshing”) bush in Yemen and Ethiopia many centuries ago, coffee became a pleasure for all layers of society. Because of its taste it inspired numerous devoted minds and a brilliant statement by Talleyrand, Napoleon’s minister, which read “coffee black as the devil, hot as hell, clear as an angel and sweet as love!”
 

Whether we call it kahva, kafa, coffee, kafe it is always a call for socialisation and discussion, and sometimes even a flirt. That’s why it’s positive social effect is undeniable. Similarly, without a warm cup of morning coffee many of us couldn’t literally open their eyes and start their day and as such it represents a beverage for awakening consciousness, cognition and strength to keep moving. With coffee many think of things that they need to do that day since it awakens concentration and gives strength to muscles.
 

Coffee is without a doubt a magical beverage and we shouldn’t be surprised that on the territory of today’s Iran decided to divine from the residue of coffee, especially since coffee had numerous effects on people. It is quite evident that this unknown diviner didn’t even suspect that with his imaginative inspiration he accidentally opened up a road to world fame to one of the most prominent divination methods.
 

With the advent of the Ottomans to the Balkans, drinking coffee became widespread and then a sudden interest for this divination method increased. Because of its availability divination with coffee became entertainment of idle women and girls who desired to reveal their luck in love.
 

Since the old days such diviners were called among the folk gledalice or faletarke. That divination with coffee residue is given full attention and effort is best proven by the ceremonial performance of coffee preparation, even before the main divination which occurs once the finished cup is turned upside down, the diviner would interpret the appearance of the foam, whether the coffee got spilt, etc. But, after drinking an unsweetened cup of coffee the atmosphere would become tense and people would wait anxiously for the diviner to take the cup in her hand and begin her presentation.

Sugar cube for better interpretation

Ritual of designating a coffee cup in Bosnia works as follows; let’s say that the client’s name is Melina. After drinking coffee, the diviner takes the coffee cup and asks the client what specifically she would like to know. Usually people would say what their burning issue is such as love issues, work, home or marital relationships, exams, trips, and the like. If we’re talking about love then the name of the loved person must be used. We’ll take for example that the man which interests Melina is called Edvin. Since she gathered the necessary info the diviner offers the cup to the client, so that the client can blow in it, then she turns the cup clockwise and says quietly;

Melina drinks this coffee and dedicates 
in the name of Hazrat Fatima and Hazrat Alija,

their din and iman,

god’s knowledge, and this cup,

to her destiny with Edvin.

If there is any it should be shown,

and if there is none let it be known!

For the readers which do not understand the meaning of the word din and iman the shortest explanation is the words faith and belief. This so called fal-basma (divination formula) is interesting because the words Hazrat Fatima and her husband Ali, daughter and son in law of prophet Muhammad are mentioned, in folk belief of Iran and Turkey to the two of them people ascribe divination capabilities with the help of beans and coffee.
 

The cup is then turned upside down on the small saucer and a sugar cube is placed on top of it. In the past there was a custom that the client before the divination process places a bank note underneath the saucer whit which he intends to pay the divination, to which it was usually said “to luck” i.e. for the cup to “open up” better. The money would be taken by the diviner before the process of divination started. After five minutes, which is quite enough for the spilled figures in the residue to take form and dry, the diviner turns the cup and places the sugar cube in her mouth or slowly breaks it and during the divination process places pieces of it on her tongue. It is not an accidental gesture, instead it has its logical and motivational sense. Namely, as sugar is usually a candy and favourably effects mood of people, it is evident that the diviner , with such an incentive be in a much better mood for divination.
 

Before the interpretation places which have special characteristics are clearly defined, this especially relates to the bottom of the cup which is called the “house” but also “heart”. Everything above the bottom, which is located on the walls of the cup, is characterised as “circle of destiny”, it begins from the handle and goes in circle, clockwise, ending at the starting point. Figures on the edge of the cup or close to it represent the present and those in the middle or at the bottom of the cup symbolises the future. The side which the client used to drink the coffee symbolises the sex, in this case female, and the one opposite male sex.

 

Traces of negative energy
 

Show of love, mutual feelings, engagement, marriage are those, they could be called as such, classic one such as heart, ring, sun, rose and the like. Besides, to all those which are interested in this divination skill, more or less are familiar with most of the symbols therefore I will use this opportunity and transfer some extraordinary interpretations of the cup according to some Bosnian coffee diviners. They’re extremely valuable, since they’re a result of empirical knowledge, and can help in detecting individual hidden motives and their consequences. Namely, it is known that with each mantic skill one can find out what is eventually behind an issue which is troubling a person. Their radius is pretty extensive; from the accidental contact with negative energy, where we can mention spellbound eyes, targeted evil (magic, chronic envy, curses) or even destructive influence of one’s own thoughts )mental blockade, fear, shock). All the mentioned forms influence a person in a different way, his physical and mental state, and with that his own destiny.
 

As a person which has been practicing esotery I’m inclined to warn you that towards the issue of possible negative influences you should approach carefully and before you conclude anything eliminate all possible causes. Or simply said, don’t judge hastily if in one divination (cup) you see some of the below mentioned symbols.

Repeat divination after three or more days and if you see an identical sign then you have little room to doubt.

 

Signs of negative influence

 

Collection of little dots on a plate can implicate that someone has placed dirt from a grave on your threshold.

Black cat implies presence of black magic. When that symbol is seen in a cup one should consider in detail what is located around it, in order to discover from whom or from which direction it is coming.

A figure of a bat reveals that you are a victim of love magic, you must inquire to whom do you feel attracted lately or towards whom you have undefined feelings.

Eye is a sign of a curse. Someone has placed a curse on you and you probably have symptoms: frequent yawning, you have headaches, you have sudden shivers or temperature fluctuations and the like. You should immediately talk to a person with blue eyes which eliminates evil so that such a person can remove the curse.

Knife is a warning sign and it is advising you to offer sacrificial animal (kurban) or give alms. This will help you to remove current or to protect yourself from recent adversity.

Rabbit is a symbol which points that you urgently need to saliti strahu (melting lead) and the best indicator is desperation and abrupt dreams – poor quality of sleep, insomnia.

The key is the sign of being blocked. When that sign is pronounced (large) in the cup then it reveals that everything you start will go with difficulties or you will find constant hurdles.

Spiders web reveals mental issues of a person or that she is currently located in a crisis of some sort.

Rock is a warning that a person (client) is suffering from depression, and even thought of suicide.

Arabic letter – when in the residue one spots one of the signs which unusually resemble an Arabic letter it is a sure sign that the client is under protection from a higher power, he is protected by angels or God himself.

 

You must turn the cup upside down because of curses
 

b In the end, Bosnian diviners recommend to turn the cup upside down as soon as the divination process is done since, allegedly, “it is not good” for someone to look at it from the side. – Someone can curse your cup and nothing will come to be, one of them reveals, Nisveta Č. from Velika Kladuša.

Curing and living with the energy that surrounds us

From its inception until today, man is advancing in all fields and that advancement is in full swing. An exception is made on the plane of the paranormal, i.e. beyond sensory perception, in which man is constantly regressing. Today this ability is possessed only by rare individuals, which can receive some information which didn’t come through one of their five senses. Gradually man lost touch with nature, almost by the same tempo by which he obtained new abilities and skills. Each step in advancement meant giving up one part of the connection with nature and its gradual quenching.

While man was in contact with nature, his soul and consciousness were open towards spiritual energies. During the period when naked and barefoot he wandered nature in search of food, information from higher dimensions were food was located were valuable to him, as well as information about shelter or danger. With the advancement of civilization, he neglected more and more the directions for a harmonized life which came to him from higher dimensions. In such a manner, man became insensitive to very subtle information, which she still receives through his aura, but which he no longer registers, with the exception of rare individuals.

Long time ago in prehistory humans possessed an ability of healing with their hands i.e. fingers and palms. They would hold their hand on the aching spot with the desire to help themselves and so they eased the pain, healed wounds and diseased. We need to emphasise, diseases in prehistoric men were rare. They were usually virus and bacterial infections or bodily injuries, as today in animals. Women gave birth easily, and when someone would get sick, he knew the cause of his disease. Since, man at the time, just like animals lived in harmony with nature. Though with the slow advent of medicine the ancient wisdom of healing was suppressed, it never completely disappeared and people never stopped practicing it. A good part of that knowledge is described by Hindu teaching about Mudra (mudra – in Sanskrit it literally translates as gift of happiness), but similar methods can be found in Buddhism and countries with a rich cultural tradition such as Japan, China, Tibet, Malaysia and Indonesia, in Egyptian culture but also in Bosnia.

Namely in Bosnian occult tradition it is claimed that there are two cardinal spots on every human being which represent a kind of portals through which energy flows and through which every human is connected to the spiritual world. We’re talking about the forehead, actually the middle of the forehead, and the belly button. Ever since our Illyrian forefathers there is a belief that every man in the depths of space possesses his own star i.e. habitat of the soul, to which he is connected through his forehead. While the forehead is connected to the spiritual world, the belly button connects us to the material world, since our inception in the mother’s womb, and has therefore an exceptional influence on our destiny. But, similarly as man is receiving and sending energy from himself, in whose transmission the hands have the largest role to play.

Power of a human hand

As already written, our hands, tips of fingers and our palms, have an outstanding ability to receive and send energy. That’s why we shouldn’t be amazed that we have lines on our palms and that our fingers are adorned by a unique imprint which confirms the primordial thesis that we all are unique beings, whose body is nothing else but a condensed energy, the same energy we call life.

Knowledge about the manipulation with that energy was never completely lost, it is present in numerous segments but people today have difficulty in recognising it and even greater difficulty in understanding it. Ritual movement of hands and feet are an ancient practice in Bosnian occult tradition. The following examples from practice show how knowledgeable were stravarke in the basis of energy’s magic.

Namely, as a stravarke Ajša B. told me once while she is uttering exorcist formulas it will not have a healing effect if the person which is being healed has his legs or arms crossed. Allegedly, the person is blocking itself and prevents the transfer of energy.


It is interesting to mention that people still today, especially older women, are afraid of those guests who enter the house holding their arms crossed behind their back and once they enter the home they cross their hands on their chest. With this, according to experienced stravarke they’re practicing black magic and invoking evil and bad luck to that family. That’s why the housewife should repeat this short formula which will prevent them in their intent and better yet reverse the evil:

What you are thinking and doing,
you shall see it on your body,
if god wills, veledalin amin!

Refusing or stopping the transfer of negative energy in Bosnia was well known in the middle ages, probably in the ancient age, and the proof that our forefathers the Bogomil were acquainted with the rules of energy magic is best presented on the reliefs of individual tombstones – raised right hand, palm facing the observe, while the left hand is behind the back.



Namely, as Bosnian stravarke claim if we turn the palm of the right hand towards a negative person, to observe them through spread fingers of the hand, that person then won’t be able to hurt us with an evil gaze or thoughts. Actually, we are disabling the transfer of negative energy i.e. magical attack.




However, the palm also has incredible healing properties. From experience it is familiar that every man, as soon as he feels pain places his palm immediately on the painful place with the desire to ease the pain. This reaction is instinctive. If a man feels back pain, he won’t think about placing his hand on his back, the hand will go by itself without him thinking about it. That is a reflex similar to the one which makes our eyes blink when something flies towards our face. All people hold their hand on a painful spot, even both hands if the pain is stronger. If the pain is unbearable, people press that place. Often times we can see a diseased unconsciously massaging the painful place on a leg or some other part of the body wanting to use ritual movement to “break” the pain with a massage and energy of the palm.

No one is asking themselves why is this so and if there is some purpose behind this, however I believe that most people would say that they feel better while holding their hand on the painful spot. That’s because people have the ability to heal with the help of lifeenergy, which comes from space, since prehistory, but only rare individuals can use it consciously. We need to mention an important thing which is – every man can cure with his palms, no matter the age, from a small child to an old man. Education level is unimportant, intelligence, social status, neither race, nationality nor religion.

Fingers – energetic tentacles

Since our birth, and probably before that, we use our hands and fingers in order to coordinate them with our brain, which receives our messages through nerve endings on our fingers which we send and in such a manner it harmonizes with energy. In such a way the body is communicating with the mind with the goal of establishing a natural balance. A child in its earliest phase of life experiences first senses and cognition through its fingers which is an inborn human technique of learning. Fingers of a small child are often spread since in such a manner it receives the necessary energy from the world which surrounds it, and while it is sleeping it often sucks on its thumb.

A new-born baby hold their thumb in their mouths while sleeping in order to substitute the energy of the belly button through which they were connected with their mother. Thumb is therefore a symbol of a mother (female – life energy), while the other four fingers, somewhat divided from the thumb, symbolise male energy. In Islamic tradition they are represented through prophet Muhammad, son in law Alija and his sons Hussein and Hassan. Together the five of them represent a holy family presented through a well-known amulet “hand of Hazrat Fatima” or shortened “Fatima’s hand”, for which it was believed that it is universal since it protects from evil and also draws good fortune, business opportunities and helps in love. Besides, the middle finger of the hand signifies our consciousness, index finger our identity and beliefs, ring finger emotions and pinkie subconscious mind.

Finger and magic

Thumb of the right hand in Bosnian magic is called the strongest finger and that’s why it is used in numerous exorcist rituals, for example, when a mother wants to remove the effect of spellbound eyes, she would wet her right thumb with the saliva from her mouth and she would then stroke the child’s forehead uttering this basma: 


Cast a spell, got him hooked, 
with my formula it recedes, 
if god wills, veledalin amin!


At the end of the ritual she touches the heel on her right foot three times with the thumb, with this she is signalling, ritually, the departure of evil.     

Similarly, in love magic a woman which wants to tie her man down with passion and lust will take a sugar cube and a new sowing needle. First she stabs her right thumb with the needle and places a drop of blood on the sugar cube. She then stabs the thumb of her left leg, then the thumb of her left hand and in the end the thumb of her right leg. Each time she places a drop of blood on the sugar cube, the sugar cube will be placed into the husband’s coffee for him to drink. Ritually the process of intersection is actually an allusion to overlapping or crossing of two bodies, two hearts and two souls. The spell is based on the belief in the great love power from the blood of female fingers (thumbs), which can stimulate passion and intimate closeness of partners.

Magical influence of other fingers is not negligible, for example, the pinkie on the right hand is especially lucky when it comes to commerce. According to one famous craftsman from Sarajevo, Ćamil K. it is known that there are customers versed in the secrets of magic and they’re using certain ritual actions in order to lower prices of items. They touch the desired item three times, in secret, with the pinkie of their right hand. If we wet the tip of our middle finger with saliva and with it we stroke our partners lips we will stimulate desire and passion, etc.

Connecting fingers into a circle

Fingers are used individually or all together, as in examples of love magic where one wants to create feelings of closeness and desire for intimacy by looking at the desired person through spread apart fingers. The most important characteristic of fingers are the tips which transfer energy, which can be demonstrated by citing an example from spiritual medicine. Imam or a spiritual healer which wants to transfer beneficial power of the prayer onto water, would submerge the fingers of his right hand into the water and he would then pray. Such water, charged with positive energy is later consumed by the diseased in order to cleanse his body from negative energy.
 

What is especially important to note is that it is necessary to be acquainted with a very simple ritual which can be performed by connecting the tip of one finger with the other. Of course, you should know that in every exercise the fingers are always connected i.e. they touch the tips in order to form a shape of a circle – symbol of life energy, one which is constantly renewing itself.
 

For starters I’ll mention a couple of exercises which you can practice in order to convince yourself that you can help yourself.  For example, when we connect the fingertips of one hand with the other we harmonise energy in ourselves. In such a way we easily achieve calmness of our mind, we strengthen concentration and attention is focused on our heart and breathing. With these simple movements we slowly get the ability to see issues in a new light and find a solution for it. If we connect fingertips of one hand in one cup, and we do the same with the other hand, then we’re consciously creating a blockade which prevents the influence of someone else’s energy towards us.   

Middle finger signifies the head and consciousness. Connecting fingertips of the thumb and index finger we influence our consciousness, we “feed” it with energy and regenerate it. It is an extremely important exercise for students or people exposed to great stress.
 

Pinkie is connected to our subconscious mind but also the afterlife, which is shown by practice of breaking a boys pinkie who died uncircumcised. When we’re emotionally unstable, unlucky, depressed then it is desirable to connect the thumb with the pinkie, especially right thumb with the left pinkie, so that the tips of fingers are touching.
 

Between the thumb and index finger the zone of the stomach is located. Touching that part of the body, folk healers are checking whether people have stomach issues. Old Bosnian women had a custom of pulling one finger at a time while repeating prayer Fatiha, a few times in a row, each finger individually “dragging” it forward. When they finish these movements with both hands, they shake their fingers. With this simple process, which could be called a massage, they favourably influence circulation and metabolism.  

Folk medicine – curing faery disease

According to old Bosnian belief, faeries when angry and vengeful, if someone hurts them on purpose or accidentally, can hit people with their arrows; so called “heavenly arrows”, which cause people to be sick.



When someone has a sudden headache, pain in the leg, arm sleeps poorly and has puncturing pain in the body, it is believed that he has been pierced by faeries. Help is sought from stravarka, which melts lead for the person and utters with a low voice:

Nine faeries flew,
from nine clouds,
from nine mountains,
from nine forests,
from nine seas,
from nine meadows,
from nine crossroads,
from nine streams,
from nine rocks,
from nine rue plants,
they sang along the way,
danced in circles,
their path crossed by Ahmed*,
he angered the faeries.
They hit him with their arrows in the head,
in the heart, in the legs,
they floored him completely,
Ahmed got sick.
Ahmed yelled: “Help me Mujo, help me Halil,
I’m shot by faeries!”
When the faeries heard this,
each of them took out their arrow out of fear,
Ahmed was cured.
Out of nine faeries and arrows,
with my formula and god’s will,
only eight remained on Ahmed,
out of eight only seven remained,
out of seven only six remained,
out of six only five remained,
out of five only four remained,
out of four only three remained,
out of three only two remained,
out of two only one remained,
out of one none remained.
By my hand, formula and lead – good deed,
and from god salvation, peace and cure, amen!

*or however the diseased is called.


Lead is being poured three times: above the head, chest and legs. It is poured until in the molten lead, at the bottom of the vessel with water, one finds nine needles (thorn). In the first pouring above the head one can find one or two needles, then one observes how many will there be above the chest and legs. If there are a total of nine in the end or more the healing is finished. If they’re not located, then the procedure is repeated in three days. After nine or more needles, the diseased is cured. Those needles are thrown down the water or one by one is placed in nine holes in the ground. The diseased washes his face with the water, his arms and legs and drinks some water, the rest is poured on a nacre bush.