Rituals, the djinn and the wildly un-egg-spected paths to healing

When life feels overwhelming, rituals – whether inherited or improvised - can offer comfort. This story follows an unusual quest to banish a supernatural being with the help of friends and a carton of eggs.

- By Joy Watson

We bury things to release them. We write names on paper and burn them. We walk into oceans at dawn, light candles or shave our heads when grief becomes too heavy for words.

But rituals are slippery things. Some are handed down through generations with holy reverence. Others are invented on the spot, usually when we're struck by a burst of emotion, creativity or artistic flair.

Which brings me to a day in January 2020. My life at the time was, let's put it this way, a disaster. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong.

In times like this, I resort to calling my sister, Mary, who is the Knower of All Things. If Mary weren't a successful writer, and if she had a little more ... patience, she could easily be crowned Supreme Psycho-Social Support Person of the World.

Alternative advice

If you booked a session with Mary, you'd need to be prepared for two things: the truth, delivered as only she can deliver it, and some, let's call it, alternative advice.

So off I went, listing my woes. Mary listened attentively, validated the chaos and said, very gently: “This is a lot. Are you sure there isn’t an evil spirit following you? Specifically, might there be a djinni?”

Some context might be helpful here. Mary had been deep in research for her novel Blood to Poison, which meant she was living in a world of magic, myth and mysticism. Djinn were her bread and butter. For the uninitiated, allow me to explain.

Djinn are supernatural beings, distinct from both angels and humans, created by smokeless fire. They inhabit a parallel realm to ours, invisible to humans unless they decide to show themselves. Think of them as the 13th fairy who wasn't invited to Sleeping Beauty's christening.

Now, I feel it's only fair to share something about myself here, just to help you understand what happened next. How to put this? I might be a tad on the gullible side.