The simplest way, perhaps, of abducting another person’s soul is to go out, when
the sun clears (matahari mĕncharak, at sunrise?), or when the newly-risen moon
looks red, and standing with the big toe of the right foot resting on the big toe of
the left, to make a trumpet of your right hand and recite the appropriate charm
through this improvised speaking-trumpet thrice. At the end of each recital you
blow through the hollowed fist. The charm runs as follows:—
“‘OM.’ I loose my shaft, I loose it and the moon clouds over,
I loose it, and the sun is extinguished,
I loose it, and the stars burn dim.
But it is not the sun, moon, and stars that I shoot at,
It is the stalk of the heart of that child of the congregation, So-and-so.
Cluck! cluck! soul of So-and-so, come and walk with me,
Come and sit with me,
Come and sleep and share my pillow.
Cluck! cluck! soul,” etc.A second method is to beat your own shadow,^261 ceremonially; according to this
method you take a cane (of rattan or rotan sĕga), in length as long as your body,
fumigate it with incense and recite a charm over it seven times, striking your
own shadow with the cane once after each recital. Repeat this at sundown,
midnight, and early morning, and sleep under a coverlet made of five cubits of
white cloth, and the soul you wish for will assuredly come to you. The following
is the charm, a very curious one:—
“Ho! Irupi, Shadowy One,
Let the Queen come to me.
Do you, if Somebody is awake,
Stir her and shake her, and make her rise,
And take her breath and her soul and bring them here,
And deposit them in my left side.
But if she sleep,
Do you take hold of the great toe of her right foot
Until you can make her get up,
And use your utmost endeavours to bring them to me.
If you do not, you shall be a rebel to God,” etc.Another method of abducting another person’s soul is as follows:—