Contrary to the... «Witchcraft and Welfare»
HighlandMary18 марта 2022Contrary to the naturalist-environmentalist image constructed by Hajosy Benedetti, I noticed another side of Bolina’s practices. For instance, in one of our encounters Bolina proudly showed me a special gift she had received froma foreign journalist and which she incorporated in her divining process. It was a battery-operated Disney-type ‘‘wizard’’ that barked random omens in English. Apparently Hajosy Benedetti excluded this wizard from her book because it was not natural. However, it had a very personal significance for Bolina.When I asked her why she used the mechanical wizard in the divination process, she explained that she saw it as a message: ‘‘No existe la casualidad, existe sólo la causalidad’’ (There is no coincidence, there is only causality). Indeed, the incorporation of new, often foreign elements in the practices of Puerto Rican brujos is an essential part of their enterprise, provided it has a spiritual rationale.
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