Shifting of illnesses and misfortunes.

   The shifting of an illness or misfortune is made in several cases. It is not advisable for an ordinary person to practice it himself. At first you shall study the issue from the ground up, but it is better to consult a man of ability. The thing is that rites of shifting affect a person’s life gravely and require putting best foot forward to ensure profound preparation. No one would perform this rather complicated rite off hand and just for fun.

   In case a person has performed or performs systematically rites falling into the category of so called Black magic, he will inevitably face a «kick-back» phenomenon. Any enchantment against another person will revert (increased manifolds) to a magician or his client. In case it is done with evil intent, it is evil that one will get back. Therefore, experienced magicians shield themselves by shifting misfortunes onto other objects such as enemies or sometimes just castaways and the scum of society as well as animals at times.

   If a person is seriously ill, the illness shifting may be of help. There are lots of variants of the shifting rite and all of them are familiar to black magicians. White ones practice other methods. But keep in mind that you shall ask a magician for the shifting rite only in case it is really vital. Besides, this is not to say that seeing the doctor is done away with since doctors treat a physical body, while magic has an effect on human energy spheres.   

   Sometimes, it is possible to resort to self-help. Here is an example of the rite of the illness shifting onto the departed.  It is performed if a person is gravely ill or his disease is beyond cure or at advanced stage. It is difficult for sick people to perform the whole rite themselves; therefore it is better to ask for help of a person the sick can trust.

   The procedure of «Shifting onto the deceased» rite is given below:

   You shall go to the cemetery and find three graves inscribed with the same name as a sick person’s one. Light one medium-sized and three big candles at the first grave. Then read aloud forty psalms and the incantation, which is to be recited hinder foremost. And only after that you may touch the ground at the place where the deceased’s feet are located. Take a handful of soil and sack it into a plastic bag. Make sure that flowers, slippers or a wreath are left on that grave. You shall leave one of these gifts by all means since nothing must be taken from the grave (except candies and other commemoration food). Then do the same thing at two more graves. Having collected the soil from three graves, go to the cemetery’s corps gate. All the procedure shall be done in the morning. The first departed is normally buried at about ten-to-eleven o’clock in the morning. So you shall wait for this moment at the cemetery gate, then put down the soil from the bag after the funeral procession and say twelve names of spirits. Strew the remaining soil over a sparkling-new item, shake it well upwind voicing names of the year’s months in the reverse sequence from December to January. The next step is a trip to any village. You shall find a homestead where the cattle stock is kept. Then leave your new item there. This rite is meant to shift an illness onto the cattle through the soil and departed. That animal is going to die without fail. The sick person shall refund the cost of the dead cattle to its owners so that they would not shed tears over that animal. Also, it is essential to acquire new icons for the sick on the day you carry out the rite in whole, otherwise the illness will return in seven years.
     Such a rite falls into the category of Voodoo magic hence it is efficient in every single case. And the shifting of an illness onto a doll works without fail also. The doll is made of materials at hand by the client. Fabric, foam plastic and old items may be used for such a purpose. Ideally, these items shall be the sick person’s belongings. The rest actions are normally performed by an experienced magician. The sick’s name is inscribed on the doll back to front («Nadia» – «Aidan», «Slava» - «Avals»). After that candles shall be lit and the doll funeral rite is started. It is possible to place the doll into a makeshift coffin made of cardboard or tailor a box, say a shoe box (besides, shoes shall also belong to the sick) to this purpose. Another option is to shroud the doll in white fabric (the fabric may be bound with threads as well). Thereby, the illness gets shifted from the person onto the doll i.e. that is not the person but his «inverted» double who «dies». As the funeral rite is performed, it is required to say aloud the following words: «Iam, Iakh, (an inverted name of the sick, which was inscribed on the doll earlier), Sii asmagai. Abrakalam.». After that the coffin shall be carried to the deserted barren land and buried.

   In case a person is always down on his luck disastrously, it is possible to shift misfortunes. Here is one of such rites. When the Moon is in decrement (be sure to check the same against the lunar calendar), on Tuesday a doll shall be made of straw and dry grass gathered at a grave of the departed, whose name is the same as the client’s one. The doll has to be bound with black ribbons. Shreds of the client’s clothes are to be weaved into straw and grass. Besides, the client’s personal participation is essential for this purpose. He shall hold the doll by his heart, decline his head and recite the following words thirteen times:

«In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Hereby, I take misfortunes off the servant of God (name),
And put them on the straw soul.
I put them on, dress the straw soul out and keep saying.
You take misfortunes upon yourself, the straw idol.
And take them off the servant of God (name).
My world is steadfast, tenacious and catching to the idol.
The key, the lock and the tongue.
Amen. Amen. Amen. »

     After that the doll shall be put down on the ground. It is better to perform the rite at the deserted barren land. A circle shall be drawn clockwise round the doll with an aspen stake. Then the doll is to be wetted with petrol and set afire (your best bet is to throw a match at the doll). See to it that the circle line shall not be crossed while doing the described. After that a person shall imagine that this fire is his protection from all misfortunes in life and envisage that good luck is regained by him once and for all.

    Never perform such rites on days of great church festivals and on Sundays.