AN OFW named Francis, who has been to different countries in the Middle East and Africa for the past eight years, sent me an e-mail about strange experiences that have been bothering him, and for which he seeks some explanations. His questions are not easy to answer—they are both deep and thought-provoking.

“My most unforgettable experience was in Yemen, where I worked as a quality control piping inspector for a Korean Company. There were 30 workers of different nationalities who were doing overtime, building two big cylindrical tanks.

“One evening, a Korean supervisor fell and hit the concrete base foundation of the tower crane near tank 1, killing him instantly. He had forgotten to hook up his safety harness.

“Work was ordered suspended for a week, after which the remains of the Korean were sent back home. After another week, the Koreans performed a ritual where 10 goats were killed and their blood poured on the ground not only in tank 1 where the accident happened but also in tank 2.

“After a month, a group of Thailand welders were resting on a deck near tank 2 when a steel platform fell sideways, hitting four of them. Two were slightly injured, while the other two died instantly. Local Yemen people told us later that the place where the two tanks had been erected was once a graveyard.”

Francis’ questions are: 1.) “Does it mean the place where the tanks were built is cursed or something? 2.) Do you believe in rituals? 3.) How come the second tragic incident still happened despite the rituals performed there? 4.) Are such incidents predestined so that nothing could be done about them? 5.) How can we prepare for our destiny when we don’t know what’s going to happen to us? 6.) Is there any recorded account of a psychic who was able to tell what would happen to him?”

“Here’s another thing: Before the accident happened to the Korean supervisor, he told his subordinates he wanted to file a vacation leave, but his supervisor refused to let him go. Do you think if he had been allowed to go on vacation, he would not have died?”

Negative vibes

Let me try to answer Francis’ thought-provoking questions as best as I can.

1.) Graveyards, cemeteries or any spot where many people died have always been regarded as having negative vibes. Feng Shui experts say it is not good to build houses on former cemeteries, hospitals or funeral parlors. This is because the spirits of the dead may still be hovering in the area. It does not necessarily mean it is cursed.

2.) Do I believe in rituals? In general, I do not go for rituals, especially those that involve animal sacrifice or bloodletting. But some simple and sincere rituals can work wonders under certain circumstances.

3.) How come the second incident still happened? Performing a ritual cannot guarantee that a bad incident will not happen. Maybe karma is involved here. In other words, it was meant to happen to those people. It’s really hard to tell. We can only speculate. As they say, “God acts in mysterious ways.”

4.) Are such incidents predestined? I believe there is no such thing as predestination except what we ourselves have chosen it to be. This is because man’s will is absolutely free. Even God cannot prevent man from making a choice, because He has given him free will. For God to prevent its exercise would be to contradict Himself, isn’t it?

5.) We can prepare ourselves by always acting as if it were our last day. As the Bible itself said, no one knows the exact time of our death except God.

6.) Is there any psychic who was able to predict what would happen to him? Oh yes, plenty. But the most famous, perhaps, was Nostradamus. He was able to see exactly what would happen to him years ahead and even what would happen after his death. These have all been recorded and documented. And they all came to be.

Getting rid of spirits

Francis also asked how to get rid of spirits because of what he had experienced in his newly built house in Pampanga. His eight-year-old niece distinctly saw a girl dressed in white staring at her on the stairs. He asked if blessings by a priest are effective.

To be honest, such blessings do not always work, specially against highly negative and violent spirits. But if the priest is trained to exorcise evil spirits, then the process can be effective. Not all Catholic priests, however, are exorcists. Sometimes, blessings made by them invite more spirits to come. So it depends.

The next Inner Mind Development seminar, which teaches, among other things, how to solve problems and make decisions using one’s whole brain, and heal yourself through visualization, will be held on May 21 and 22 in Makati. For details, please call tel. nos. 810-7245 or 0920-981-8962 e-mail [email protected] Visit our website www.jimmylicauco.com.