Baba Vanga: Beloved Mystic and Clairvoyant, Part 1 of 2

Baba Vanga was a 20th-century mystic, clairvoyant, healer, and spiritual Guru, whose reputation for making predictions had earned her the moniker “Nostradamus of the Balkans.”

Baba Vanga’s clairvoyant reputation attracted the interest of many high officials, including the Bulgarian royal family, all of whom she advised. Amongst the numerous prophecies that Baba Vanga made were the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986, the death of Princess Diana in 1997, the Kursk Russian submarine accident that happened in 2000, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 6.9 million people as of October 2023. Since 1989, Baba Vanga’s prophecies began to focus on the United States, making many startling predictions that included the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, commonly referred to as 9/11.

Baba Vanga was born on October 3, 1911, in Strumica in the Salonica vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, now part of Macedonia. Born prematurely, she was not expected to live. According to local tradition, her name wasn’t given until it was determined that she would certainly survive. Her midwife then stepped onto the street, as was the custom, and asked a passerby for a name, eventually returning with Vangeliya, which means “bearer of good news.” Her full name became Vangeliya Pandeva Surcheva.

One day, at the age of 12, while she was playing in a field with other children, the sky grew dark, and a freak storm arose, shattering trees and even yanking out the smallest ones by their roots. A swirling column formed from dusty branches, leaves, and debris, creating a tremendous twister that picked up Vangeliya before dumping her in a grain field two kilometers away. She was found after a long search, alive and with no bones broken. But it was impossible for her to open her eyes without experiencing excruciating pain. Partial surgery was unable to save her sight, and Vangeliya eventually went completely blind. It was during this time that Baba Vanga states she first discovered her clairvoyance, the ability to heal, and predict future events.