First and foremost, the “Gypsy Curse,” as it is commonly referred to, should not be confused with the typical religious hex, especially in reference to Judeo-Christianity, Islam, Freemasonry, Wicca, and Voodoo. A religious hexing, often called a ‘curse’ or ‘hex’, involves the binding of a damned spirit given free reign over one specific sphere of influence on a living host.

A Gypsy Curse differs significantly in that it does not involve spiritual encumbrance on the recipient. Rather, a gypsy curse (which, it is worth noting, is not limited only to “gypsies”) is a transference of negative psychokinetic energy from the caster. It is a common skill associated with anyone possessing paranormal psychic abilities, including telekinesis, psychometry, or telepathy.

Psychokinetic Transference is a method by which the psychically endowed can focus a pattern negative energy from their mind to that of a recipient. In many cases, it realigns the recipient’s thought and perception to filter any thoughts that contradict the transmitted pattern. A key example is the recorded 1823 curse of one Cpl. Owen P. Samuels, wherein he refused to give water to a thirsting Romani. He was then ‘cursed’ to remain in thirst forever. Samuels eventually died of dehydration. Interviews with his peers indicated that, in his final weeks, Samuels would refuse any drink with meals, and would become agitated if served any sort of beverage. The gypsy curse forced him to reject a basic biological need for water, resulting in death.

Relation to Gypsies

Because these abilities are bound to specific genetic markers, they may follow a certain lineage. Because the early Romani tribes were frequently isolated from other ethnic groups, a certain amount of inbreeding served to amplify and replicate their psychic genetics, and the skill of psychokinetic transference was passed from generation to generation. While they possess other abilities, the sad reality is that most Romani gypsies have not learned to harness any of them due to a lack of awareness. The use of a gypsy curse to ‘reverse’ a person’s fortune is an entirely cultural construct, as psychokinetic transferences can realign a recipient to any sort of suggestion.

Spiritual Effects

The gypsy curse is, in and of itself, not responsible for any direct contact with the spirit world. However, because it requires a significant amount of paranormal psychokinetic energy to cast, it will attract the attention of any spirits with an affiliation with the recipient. This may manifest as something as benign as ‘dreams’ from past loved ones, or may invite the attentions of malicious poltergeists who merely happened to be in the vicinity. As a result, many gypsy curses will appear to be accompanied by paranormal phenomenon. It is important to note this this is incidental and not a direct symptom of psychokinetic transference.

Reversal

Psychokinetic realignments are challenging to reverse. They can not be reversed by the recipient, as their own mind will prevent them from thinking or behaving in any way that counteracts the “curse.” The easiest way to reverse the effects is to reconcile with the person responsible for casting it, though this is extremely rare. The Romani culture does not pass instruction on removing a curse, so it is unlikely the transmitting party will even know that the curse can be reversed, let alone how to go about it. Many psychics will be able to remove the curse, provided they know the specific pattern that was imprinted in the recipient’s mind. As a result, only parts of a curse can be reversed while some portions will linger indefinitely. In some cases, a trained psychic has been able to create a pattern that can either circumvent or contradict a ‘curse’ well enough to make the victim either comfortable with their situation, or simply unaware of it. However, many who have been treated in this manner have eventually succumbed to madness, likely induced from involuntary cognitive dissonance regarding basic biological functions. In some rare cases, victims who have suffered from severe head trauma, stroke, and aneurysm have exhibited reduced or altogether elimination of the effects of their “curse.” However, these incidents may themselves be the end result of said curse – unfortunately the subjects had no recollection of what their curse was.