4 Types of curses
In my opinion, spells and witchcraft
are two different types of
curses. (Fr. Amorth)
1. Black Magic –
Witchcraft – Satanic Rites that Culminate with Black
Masses
Curse against a specific person through magic formulas or rituals – at
times very complex – by invoking the demon, but
without the use of particular objects.”
2. Curses
Curses invoke
evil, and the origin of all evil is demonic. Curses that operate within these familial bonds or on a “special occasion,” e.g., birth,
a wedding, can have terrible consequences. A young man cursed by his own father
at birth, parents cursing their daughter-in-law at their wedding, and man whose
grandmother cursed a photograph of him,
resulting in ill legs and multiple surgeries.
3. The Evil Eye
This consists in a spell cast by looking at
someone. It does not come about, as
many think, by believing that some individual cause bad luck by just looking
at you; this is nonsense. The evil eye is a true spell; in other words, it presupposes the will to harm a
predetermined person with the intervention
of demons. What is important is
that the victim should not suspect everyone he meets, but forgive
wholeheartedly whoever caused him evil, no matter who.
4. The Spell
(aka Malefice[1]
or Hex)
A “spell” is the “most commonly used means to achieve evil.” In Latin, it
is the male factus –
meaning “Evil work.” It is generally accomplished by making
some type of “evil” artifact.
The object has an
almost symbolic value: it is a tangible sign of the will to harm, and it is
offered to Satan to be imprinted with his evil powers. It is often said that
Satan apes God; in this case we can use the sacraments as an analogy. The
sacraments use tangible matter (for instance the water of baptism) as an
instrument of grace. In the malefice matter is used as an instrument of harm.
Application of the Malefice:
Direct Way: “Consists of mixing the object that is used for the spell into the victims’s
food or drink. As already mentioned, this is manufactured with the most diverse
materials; it can be menstrual blood; bones of dead people; various burned
powders, mostly black; animal parts – the heart seems to be the favorite;
peculiar herbs, and so on.”
Indirect Way: “This consists in hexing objects that belong to the target (photographs,
clothes, or other belongings) or figures that represent the accuresed: dolls,
puppets, animals, even real people of the same age and sex. This is called
“transfer” material, and it is struck with the same ills that are intended for
the victim.”
Other Attributes:
Binding Malefice: The transfer object is bound with various ribbons or animal hairs to
produce a “binding” effect. Fr. Amorth recounts an event where a doll was bound
to an umbilical cord with horse hair in an attempt to strike a pregnant woman’s
child.
Hex Objects: Often times transfer objects for a hex appear inside pillows or mattresses.
I have found just about
everything, from colored and tied ribbons to chunks of hair tightly knotted…
animals – especially mice – or geometric shapes; and blood clots. I have seen
chunks of wood or iron, twisted wire, and dolls full of piercing and marks and
have witnessed the sudden appearance of very thick braids of children or
women’s hair. (Sometimes these things are not even visible until
holy water is sprinkled on them.)