Be it a parrot of the Calcutta -in the flushing meadows 'Maidan' or be it the tech-savvy cyber space, predictions have stayed with the oriental society from time immemorial. We, sometime or the other have tried our luck with astrology - aiming at a sneak preview into our future. Often predictions come true; by fluke or otherwise. But astrologers believe that their endeavors are not only an art but also a science. Some even go to the extent of saying that they are the oldest breed of scientists living on mother earth!!
In every mythology that you might happen to chance upon; you would find a sprinkle of astrology and black magic here and there. The ancient arts of black magic or witchcraft have molded lives of so many mythological tales of yester-years. Strange were their ways, and some of them have still no scientific explanations.
Witchcraft can be defined as the performance of magic forbidden by God or by society at large. The word witchcraft is related to the old English word Wiccian, "practice of magical arts". Witches were supposed to have had a variety of different powers, which kept the people in fear of them. Witchcraft practitioners place spells by some spoken word(s) or form of words believed to have magic power, binding by spell or charm. Some black magicians poke pins into voodoo dolls to inflict pain or misfortune upon those who have angered them. Still others cast black magic curses on career opponents to frighten or intimidate them into resigning their positions. Black magicians inflict disease, physical danger, and unfortunate circumstances on victims.
Many people are tempted to use black magic to get even with enemies or get ahead in life. Charms and spells can eliminate an enemy or protect against someone else's black magic. Fetishes supposedly make one person love another or cause him to follow someone else's wishes. They can also be used to persuade someone toward benevolence or to change a bad fate into a good destiny. With the help of hexes, black magicians hope to advance in the world of professional rivalry. Looking for a short cut to your promotion?
The only form of magic that I happened to lay my hands on are tarot cards. I happened to find a tarot card pack in one of the Barnes & Nobles shop in Boston. The attractive pack with a great book drew me towards buying it. Results were interesting!! The guidebook told me to keep the cards under my pillow or in my bedroom for a month for it to start functioning. After a month I started to read ahead. I made certain past readings; and I was surprised at the results. The readings made sense and then I was gradually lured to reading the future. That was the first sign of addiction. I started to think that these colorful hard boards were God, it had control on what I might do in the future.
That is BAD. Once you take the fun out of prediction and start to think of it seriously; then you start to the big leap. The leap towards dependence. I strongly believe astrology exists and that it is not a hoax. But then I too believe that too much indulgence in such predictions or Tantras reduce self-confidence and our ability to handle crisis. And with the era of short cuts coming to every home, astrology and black magic have become a viable alternative towards settling scores. The evils of such practices emanate from the fact that they are not visible to the eyes of the law and so many evils go away unnoticed. Victory may be short lived and what happens is the main victim of such practice is the person who is indulging in it.
So if we are confident of our abilities, if we believe that we can make a mark for ourselves then we could embrace success ourselves. Why would we need the crutches of prediction or crystal gazing for us to succeed? Get rid of this addiction and make this world a cleaner place where your own ability would show its mark rather than some black shadow lurking behind your bedroom.
