This image is for illustrative purposes only and does not depict the real Baba Vanga.
“Never envy another until you have seen their end.”
God and extraterrestrial life — according to Vanga, both exist. She spoke with the dead, heard voices, and often fell into trances during which her facial expression and even her voice would change. She said that she not only heard but also saw those she was in contact with.
Everyone who sought her help had to bring a sugar cube (sometimes candy, honey, or sugar), but first, they were required to sleep with the cube under their pillow. And why sugar? Because that’s what she had been told. Since she could not read omens in a candle’s flame — as she was blind — she used something sweet instead, and sugar, she claimed, revealed evil.
Each visitor would sit down across from her, whether in her home in Petrich or in Rupite, and place the sugar cube on the table. She would hold it in her hands, turning it over, while recounting the visitor’s past, present, and future. With every single person, she knew why they had come. And if the visitor’s attention was misdirected, she would gently guide it toward what was most important at that moment.
Many curious people wanted to know whether she told visitors about their death, if it awaited them. In the beginning, she admitted, she did — and she later considered it a grave mistake. Afterwards, she stopped and hinted at it in other ways. For instance, if she told someone that they must return to her by a certain time, no matter what, it signified their end.
She also voiced several prophecies that were not specific, but with a bit of imagination can be linked to past or present events. For example, in 1981 she predicted that many unknown illnesses would appear, causing people to collapse in the streets without showing visible symptoms. In the 1990s, one such then-unknown illness was AIDS. And today? Obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol? These are common conditions, but of global proportions. Or perhaps she foresaw bird flu, or swine flu? Such diseases are plentiful today; one only has to choose which seems the most frightening.
One prophecy from 1988 struck me in particular: she said that two great world leaders would shake hands and sign a step toward global peace, but that much time would pass before the “Eighth” would come and sign the final peace for the whole world. Who is the Eighth? Will we live to see it? At least there is hope that one day, peace may come.
Not only ordinary people sought her guidance, but also figures from political and cultural life. One of the first notable personalities who reportedly visited her was Tsar Boris III (1918–1943). She warned him that even though the state was growing, he should be prepared for the opposite — and told him to remember the date August 28. On that very day, the Tsar’s life ended.
Paradoxically, during the socialist regime Vanga was the official state clairvoyant, even though her abilities were often publicly dismissed. She received a state salary of 200 leva. In addition, visitors had to pay the local council 10 leva to see her — though she never asked people for anything herself and usually received only small gifts. The collected money went into the state treasury, though no one knows what it was used for.
The party officials also made use of her abilities. They did not visit her personally, but sent drivers to take her to undisclosed locations. Vanga could not refuse. Their wives, however, often came to see her — among them Ludmila, the daughter of Todor Zhivkov. In later years, even figures like Petar Stoyanov (President of Bulgaria from 1997 to 2002) are said to have consulted her, along with other prominent people from different spheres of public life. To what extent this is true is uncertain. But then again, why would such people put faith in “charlatanry”? After all, we are all human, and in times of desperation or curiosity about the future, we cling to any possibility.
Vanga’s great dream was to build the church of St. Petka, whom she revered as the patron and protector of families. Construction began with her own savings, though it was clear the money would not be enough. A fund was opened in her name, allowing her followers to contribute. The church became a source of disputes: it was not built on the site Vanga had chosen, and she was distressed that the future Orthodox temple resembled a Jewish one in design. These disagreements weighed heavily on her health.
Despite all obstacles, the church was completed. In my view, it is remarkable mainly for its simplicity: white on the outside, with a bright interior illuminated by sunlight and a modern iconostasis.
Vanga’s health deteriorated severely. She had been living with breast cancer for several years. Doctors could have helped her, but as often happens, the disease was detected too late. They could only prolong her life, but she refused, as she had already foreseen her end. Vanga passed away in August 1996 and was buried next to the church of St. Petka. The church became the symbolic full stop at the end of her life.
Whether these are just beautiful tales, coincidences, or the truth itself is for us to decide. But why couldn’t there still be prophets in modern history? Does life exist between heaven and earth?
Reference: Prorokyňa Vanga a mystické miesto Rupite (digilib.phil.muni.cz) – Zacharová, Marta