High John & Phra Ngang Compared
There are many similarities between High John and Phra Ngang, the magical “Dirty Buddha” of the Thai black arts:
| High John The Conqueror | Phra Ngang | |
| Multiple strands of Origin | “John the Conqueror, the indwelling spirit of a magical root, would appear to be a melange of African deities, possibly combined with one or more powerful conjurers, a saint who is honored as a lwa, and a legendary slave trickster.”1Long, Carolyn Morrow. Spiritual merchants: religion, magic, and commerce. University of Tennessee Press, 2001. | “If you want PN to be simply a spell, it is a spell and bunch of energy from a spell. If you want PN to be an entity, it is an entity.”2“[Occult Barangs] – What is Phra Ngan.” Thai Amulets & Buddhism Forum, amuletforums.com/threads/what-is-phra-ngan.179095/. |
| Description | “…strong, dark, virile, masculine”3Prahlad, Anand. African American folklore: an encyclopedia for students. Greenwood, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2016. | A “black shadow,”4“[Occult Barangs] – phra ngan power.” Thai Amulets & Buddhism Forum, amuletforums.com/threads/phra-ngan-power.67763/. “weird/ridiculous but very powerful” 5kakashi84. “Official Thai occult/Barang discussion thread.” Wwwhardwarezonecomsg RSS, forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/official-thai-occult-barang-discussion-thread-4458588-11.html |
| Versions | HJTC mojo bags are typically non-necromantic, but graveyard dirt, human finger bones or coffin nails may also be added for extra strength | Pure deva Phra Ngangs are made from bronze and earth; “prai” amulets also contain graveyard dirt, human bone, coffin nails, etc. |
| Activation | Psalms, name paper & breath | Katas, sacred diagrams & breath |
| Prayers | Biblical psalms | Buddhist katas (mantras) |
| Benefits | “Protection from enemies Conquering obstacles and achieving goals Attracting women Gambling luck”6Products, Dr. E. “High John The Conqueror Root, Large.” Large High John the Conqueror Root Hoodoo Curio – Dr. E. Products, conjuredoctor.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=217. | “sexual attraction increase charisma protection from black magic protection from danger”7Barami barang, www.baramibarang.com/product-page/phra-ngan-white. |
| Setting Lights | One yellow candle, one purple candle8Yronwode, kat, instructions for High John the conqueror mojo bag consecration | Two red candles9陈老爷 . “Buddhism Is Peace.” LEARN THE POWER OF PHRA NGAN, 1 Jan. 1970, buddhismandthaiamulet.blogspot.com/2015/05/learn-power-of-phra-ngan.html. (some say white or yellow)10Praying Guide, prayingguide.blogspot.com/2015/10/this-blog-is-created-for-sake-of.html. |
| Uses | “carried in the pocket and rubbed when needed; kept in the house as an amulet; “fed” or “dressed” with various substances…or incorporated into mojo bags and lucky hands.”11Long, Carolyn Morrow. Spiritual merchants: religion, magic, and commerce. University of Tennessee Press, 2001. | “Phra ngans can be worn on the neck or be put in the pocket or around the waist. For attraction or increase of charisma, place it in your left pocket. For anything else, it would be in your right pocket.”12“What is Phra Ngan?” Our Magical Realm, 28 Sept. 2016, ourmagicalrealm.wordpress.com/what-is-phra-ngan/. |
Posted in High John the Conqueror
