The reason that Allied forces had been unable to capture Saddam Hussein, despite earlier successes with the dictator's sons Uday and Qusay, resides in the fact that the deposed dictator usually kept with him two "magic-infused golden statues" and the fact that Hussein has daily conferences with the "king and queen of genies" The belief in genies, and the availability of spellbooks to bind them and gain service from them, is widespread throughout Iraq, where half of its twenty-four million citizens are believed to practice some sort of magic. One magician quoted in the Associated Press story noted that it was more convenient to obtain the services of angels, since genies "lie 75 per cent of the time".

Did such lying genies inform the dictator incorrectly about the outcome of the U.S.-led invasion and the end of his regime? No matter. Saddam has a powerful talisman implant under the skin of his right arm--described as either a potent stone or "the bone of a parrot" to protect him against bullets and inspire feelings of love in others.

Hussein appears not to have limited his interest in the occult to his sorcerous advisors: Baghdad University has a parapsychology department whose creation was ordered by the dictator himself "to help him wage psychological warfare during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and later to mind-read U.N. inspectors searching for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq.

Caribbean Magic and Mystery

Castro was consecrated at an early age to the African deity!

Fidel Castro's association with the supernatural has been mentioned in a number of works, both pro and con. An illuminating article entitled Power Games: Fidel Castro and Cuba's Secret Societies by Mexico's Dr. Rafael A. Lara states that Castro was consecrated at an early age to the African deity who saved him from certain death at the age of six. A servant in the Castro household told the ailing Fidel's mother that if she really wanted to save young her son's life, the boy had to be rayado en palo (consecrated to the Palo Mayombe cult). During the course of the child's initiation ceremony, the mother was told that lines on the boy's palm marked him with the destiny of a person who would change the world, and who would not die. Castro was consecrated to Ayaguna, one of the sixteen manifestations of the supreme god Obatalá.

During their stay in Sierra Maestra, Fidel and his brother Raúl were resguardados (magically protected) by means of talismans created out of local plants and products made by the native women known as "serranas." One condition imposed by this sorcerous protection was that after they had triumphed, the talismans had to be given back. Afro-Cuban cults have never been considered troublesome by the Cuban regime--what is more, the figure of Fidel and the Cuban Revolution relied from the start on the "blessing" of the Orishas. The Revolution's victory, on January 1st, 1959 coincided with San Manuel's Day, which is sacred to santeros.

The colors black and red, used by the Movimiento 26 de Julio, are the colors of Eleguá, the God of Destiny whom, according to Santería, opens and closes the gates of happiness and misfortune. When the Revolution triumphed, a white pigeon landed on Castro's shoulder as he was delivering a victory speech. Santeros considered this a clear sign from the gods: Fidel had been chosen to lead Cuba.

It is important to bear in mind that Castro visited Nigeria during the 1970s, where he was initiated by Nigerian leader Sekou Touré. Castro returned to Cuba with a number of prendas (objects of power) from Nigerian shamans. The sacrifice of animals sent from Africa by Sekou Touré for magical purposes was commonplace. When these were not available, Holstein bulls imported from Canada were used to "nourish" Castro's prendas in order to both preserve and augment their power. René Vallejo--Castro's physician and a dedicated spiritualist who became a santero before his death--was a predominant influence on Castro's life. This influence manifested itself in the tolerance of Afro-Cuban cults and protection given to both santeros and "paleros".

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