Magic spells and charms among the Turks

Superstition and magical thinking run high among the Turks, despite their modern appearance and culture. This article looks at the origins of some of those beliefs:

"Shamanism was the prevalent religion among the Turkish tribes in Central Asia. A shaman, the word comes from the Tungus language in the Siberian area, was inspired and spoke God's words to man as a medium. The shaman was the mouthpiece of spirit beings and might actually have been the most unstable person in his community. They offered the healing of the spirits and most likely were such a strong influence on their people that they could actually govern their activities and mores. The Turks were for the most part shamanists until conversion to Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism -- quite late in the time scale of things."

"Turks don't read tea leaves to foretell the future the way it's done in other countries. Most likely they don't because they strain the tea leaves through a sieve so there's none left in the traditional teacup. Instead they prefer to use the thick grounds left in the bottom of their coffee cups. Finish the liquid, swirl it around a couple of times, put the saucer on top, hold on tight and turn it over in the direction of your heart. Then put it down to cool. An amazing number of people will reject the notion that you can see your future that way but still they'll listen attentively if anyone around does appear to be authoritative."

"Charms and the making of charms continue as well. It could be something written on a small piece of paper that a sick person dissolves in water and drinks down. They were reportedly quite efficacious for healing and most likely they often worked because everybody believed they would. Or the person got better in spite of all efforts."

"Then there's the evil eye bead to ward off evil. Starting with that small gift for a newly born baby and going on to that required evil eye bead that has to be hung up when you move to a new home, it's easy to see that this custom lingers on even though we're in the 21st century now.

Spells were also popular and not just for attracting a man. They were also used to get rid of people, or bring people who were far away back, to shut someone up or to be saved from a spell that someone else had woven against you."
Turkish Daily News - Magic spells and charms among the Turks