The Black Magic in everyday life

 

 

 

You always thought that Black Magic existed only in Horror movies, novels and was the past time of psychos; right? Prepared to be surprised then; for magic – be it black or white is very much the part of our every day existence and it is sheer ignorance on our part not to recognize such occult phenomena. Or perhaps a part of us is fearful and mindful of the lesson we have been taught since childhood to steer clear of magic, occult and tantric.

 

If we talk of India, then the thugee was quite prevalent during the British Era and the thugs were not only known to kill their victims after fooling them but also engaged in a variety of black magic rituals. They were worshipers of Goddess Kali and are also said to have made human sacrifices to the Goddess. (link) To be sure Human sacrifice – hideous as it may sound – is not something restricted to India, take for example Incas of South America, who indulged in such practice in the 13^th century.

 

A good example of the Black Magic in everyday life can be found in any town or city in India during the festivals of Holi and Diwali. When you find the intersections of four road dumped with of talisman, earthen pots, red clothes, vermilion, lentils and lemons and brooms. The rationale is simple, to gift away your ills, diseases and misfortune afflicting you or your household to some poor soul who is foolish or brash enough to step on these black magic objects or pass it over in his car and crush it under its tires.

 

You must have also seen men dressed in green, who carry a green chador or single bed sheet of linen with coins and currency notes thrown liberally. They usually carry a broom of peacock feathers with which they brush your hair and shoulders and seeks alms.  One of them converted a 10 Rupee currency note into a small egg shaped stone in front of my own eyes; which I politely declined to accept.

 

One the other hand we have several instances of white magic; like the sadhus or holy men who bless their disciples with holy water and holy ash or murmuring few magical words with the tip of their thumb on the believer’s glabella or the spot between two eyebrows. The online and offline explosion of magic talisman like those that ward off evil eye and bring luck or your lover is too known to merit a description.

 

Another example of black magic in everyday life can be seen in the cremation grounds of Hindus, where the elder son performs Kapal Kriya, which is basically using a bamboo stick to crush the skull of the dead man on the funeral pyre so that his skull cannot be used for black magic by a Kapalik or practitioner of darker side of magic.

 

Are people just ignorant or fearful about Black magic in everyday life and whether or not it really exists is matter of another debate. What can be said without argument is that there are forces and powers beyond our understanding that awe us and demand fearful respect. You can call them energy fields or demons or fairies or djinns whatever you wish; but until science and knowledge unravel all the mysteries of the universe people will continue to believe and fear the unknown and darker side of things and existence.

 

Image credits: Photographer; Agustí Ortoneda. Model; Draïgona Vampire.