A word about
the title. Brujería a la Mexicana
translates as Witchcraft the Mexican Way. In the USA, Brujeria may have become
a branch of its own, different from Witchcraft, but here in Mexico the word
applies both to Latin American-rooted practices and to European forms,
including even Wicca. That being the case, this book intends to collect a
series of examples of spells, hexes and conjurings from Mexican folklore. The
book begins with the reproduction of a letter from Lic. Eddie Bonilla Knocker,
from the Mexican Academy of Traditional Medicine, commending Dr. Escobedo’s
manuscript as “filling a great academic void” and its subject matter “being
placed with the utmost seriousness, since it is a great contribution which
complements traditional therapeutic methods that have always been valid among
our people and all through the world”, and inviting him to bring the book to
the then-upcoming International Congress of Traditional Medicine and Folklore
(which took place in December, 1993). The author explains his intention to make
this book available as a “hands-on
source” for all those willing to better their lives through faith healing and
witchcraft.
Still, I was quite amazed to find within its pages an
entity who does not belong to Mexican
or even Latin American folklore, which is the reason I’m writing this.
On the other hand, a certain Mr. Wilson has written
that said entity “predates all religions”, as is the case, if we are to believe
Lovecraft, with all entities from the Cthulhu Mythos, to which this obscure
being is somehow related. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
During World War Two, a certain Keep was occupied by SS Sturmbannfuhrer Eric Kaempffer’s regiment, and a learned Jewish professor was held prisoner there for some
obscure research. It is said that, within the walls of the Keep, several
forbidden books were found, including no less than the Kitab Al-Azif! The story –which ended with much death and
bloodshed- was faithfully chronicled by F. Paul Wilson in his novel (one of my favorites) The Keep.
In it (SPOILERS AHEAD, FAIR
WARNING), he reveals that the Nazi occupiers accidentally released a dormant
vampire, whose true identity was that of a far worse entity than a mere vampire, an ancient sorcerer from the First Age, an inhuman, emissary of
evil named Rasalom, who is prophesied to eventually bring about a reign of darkness
upon the world. F. Paul Wilson has gone on to write about Rasalom’s further
manifestations in pursuit of his wicked purposes; I confess I have yet to read
several of these later books, but I’ll get to them.
Well, it turns out that Rasalom is no less than one of
the evil entities invoked in the curses collected by Dr. Escobedo from Mexican
witches! I can’t help remembering how, back when I first read The Keep, my not-so-good English (I was
14) misinterpreted the quote about Rasalom predating all religions not as being
older, but in the sense of a predator!
Besides a large number of talismans and healing
formulae, Dr. Escobedo also reproduces an enexpected number of horrible curses
and hexes. About them, he warns the reader against trying them out because –he
boldly states in capital letters- “the revelation of malevolent secrets
invalidates their efficacy and that of positive secrets augments their power”,
because of which all these curses have been rendered powerless.
I’ll now make a pause for all you LHP practitioners,
Traditional Witches, Satanists, Chaotes, and assorted BALGs to finish scoffing,
laffing, clean up your teary eyes and recover your breath. Will five minutes be
enough?
Are we all back now? Fine. Then, here I present to you
the (powerless- now don’t start again) forbidden formulae no doubt taught by
Rasalom to early sorcerers.
(Note 1: The “entities” mentioned as placing the
curses are elsewhere described as disincarnated entities. Not sure why they
would bother using physical implements instead of vampirizing their victims
themselves?)
FDA TO INFEST ANY PLACE WITH ASTRAL VAMPIRES:
(Note 2: I have no idea what FDA stands for)
With such an end, the entities of evil spread, on the
place they desire to infest, powdered guano extracted from a cave of bats
during the daytime and on the night, is inscribed a semblance of a vampire, in
a direction reversed from the place to be harmed, inscribing in the semblance
the words, “FOR YOU RASALOM,” with which in the place subject to harm,
disharmony and darkness will always prevail and everything sacred and
concerning to God will be rebuked, and it will be infested with
mosquitoes.
FDA OF DEATH FOR PAYMENT OF FEELINGS:
To such effect, the entities of evil employ a cloth
poppet, with a resemblance according to the victim’s gender, which they baptize
diabolically and consecrate it likewise unto Rasalom, after which they fill the
semblance’s head with pink and red ribbons, and at the height of its chest,
they place a photo of their X (X stands for the victim’s name all through the
book), they place upon it a pink rose, soaked with semen or menstrual blood
according to the entity’s gender, pinning it to the semblance with a pin dipped
in snake poison and tarantula poison, all of which id enveloped in a red cloth
soaked with graveyard water and they throw it at midnight into a cave of bats,
with which their victim or victims will die from a great feeling and suffering
a deadly pain in the chest.
Another entity I notice in this book, going by the name given to her exclusively in Mexico, is a certain Gatubel. Gods help us.
Here is a clip of a woman possessed by Gatubela. True story.
So there it is. Now, on an unrelated note, if anybody
residing in New York could put me in touch with a Mr. Repairman Jack, I would
greatly appreciate it, especially if a friend of his called Glenn is around.
