On the characteristic of modern magical practices: An observer’s experience

The article is a record of a story of a visit to a witch-doctor in Modern Russia. The séance included the invocation of spirits of dead and alive persons, and also of Jesus Christ. Hypnosis and medium were used. Both witch-doctor and its client belong in this case to rather prosperous and educated Moscow dwellers. Some parallels from East-Slavic manuscript and folklore traditions and also from Russian classical literature are discussed.