Zheni Kostadinova – Baba Vanga is an Indisputable Phenomenon
Interview taken by Krasina Krasteva at Trud
– Years ago Baba Vanga called PhD. Bozhidar Dimitrov and told him: “You will restore three churches. In one of them, there is a sacred well. If water gushes out of the well, Bulgaria will start to get better.” Dimitrov told this story when indeed water had gushed out of the well, that was located in the Great Basilica in Pliska. Mrs. Kostadinova, why do we continue to refer to Baba Vanga, when we want to pay attention to something?
– Because her phenomenon is indisputable. Most of the predictions that she made, are happening at one point in time. She was trying to reach PhD. Dimitrov, but he is a man of science and he does not believe her. In the spring, me and Bozhidar were participating in a TV show, and he told his story about his meeting with Baba Vanga. She called him a couple of times, but he couldn’t find time to go and visit her. After some time, Bozhidar had to visit Strumitza (Macedonia), and he was travelling together with a man that was close to Baba Vanga. The prophetess told him: “Tell Bozhidar to come and see me, I have something important to tell him.” Bozhidar finally decides to visit Baba Vanga, and directly from Strumitza (30 km from Petrich) he goes to Petrich. At first he can’t find Baba Vanga at her house in Petrich, so he heads out to Rupite, where he finds her. Baba Vanga invites him, despite the fact that she already went to bed, and told him: “You are chosen to restore three churches in Bulgaria. The first one is St. 40 Martyrs in Veliko Tarnovo, St. Sofia in Sofia, and the Great Basilica in Pliska. When the three of them are restored, Bulgaria will take off this heavy cross off her shoulders, and a new path will be opened for our country.” This story happens in the 80-ties. Baba Vanga had said many times before, that the Bulgarian nation suffers because we are infidels and we killed the Bogomils. Maybe that is why these three churches are so important as being spiritual centres for our country. She used to say that Bulgaria suffers from the lack of good leaders, because for a couple of times in the past, we have been killing some of our most intelligent people.
– How did you decide to dedicate so much time on documenting the life of Baba Vanga? You have three books that were published by Trud – The Secret of Baba Vanga, Baba Vanga Predictions, Baba Vanga Predictions for Human’s Destinies, and another one called Baba Vanga The Prophetess.
Baba Vanga Predictions – Luxurious Edition (In Bulgarian) by Zheni Kostadinova
– I also have one book translated in Russian called Baba Vanga and Russia, and one called Baba Vanga and the Temple, translated in English. I have a Philosophy Degree and my specific interest in Baba Vanga comes from the fact that I was always interested in the things from the hidden world, the mysteries, the unexplained. Baba Vanga was the most well-known Bulgarian prophetess, and the world of a prophet cannot be ignored by a person like me that is excited to learn more about the invisible world.
– When did you start to write about Baba Vanga?
I started when Baba Vanga passed away in 1996. Nikola Kitzevski – the director of Trud Publishing House offered me the opportunity to write a book about Baba Vanga, knowing my affinity in the Esoterics. Being young and ambitious at the time, I agreed. We gathered a team and went to Rupite for two weeks. I am very happy that we managed to collect a lot of materials about Baba Vanga from her friends. We made pictures, and recorded the fresh memories of many people about our great prophetess. My first book – Baba Vanga Predictions came out in 1997. Then in 1999 I published my second book – Baba Vanga Predictions for Human’s Destinies, and in 2006 an additional edition of Baba Vanga Predictions came out. In the last edition I have published stories shared by people from the hometown of Baba Vanga – Strumitza. I was the first journalist that found the place where Baba Vanga lost her sight. This is the so called Anska Fountain, near the village of Novo Selo. When I was there I did light up a candle. Baba Vanga was saying: “When you visit the Anska Fontain, be careful not to step on my eyes. This is where I lost my eyes.” Just like any person, Baba Vanga suffered a lot, when she became blind. She was only 13 years old. Then another cruel story happens. When her father takes her to Beograd to see a doctor, he asked for a lot of money for the surgery to be done. The father manages to some money, and the surgery is completed. Unfortunately Baba Vanga still cannot see – just some blurry silhouettes when she looks down. Then the doctor cynically says: “For a poor girl like you – that’s the best you can get.”
– Where Baba Vanga receives this divine enlightenment from?
She personally says that her gift was given to her by God, and he took her physical sight, so he give her divine eyes. Do you know what I was thinking about lately, when I was looking at the sculptural portraits of the great Greek philosophers Plato, Aristotle, Socrates. They are depicted as blind. Why they don’t have eyes? Because they were also prophets. Their eyes were taken away so they don’t distract their focus with the vanity in this world, and to be able to see deeper and further. Baba Vanga had highlighted many times, that if someone claims that he had seen God, we shouldn’t believe him because nobody can’t see God. He is a large fireball in which you can’t see anything. She is giving us the hint that God is energy. Nevertheless, even in those years of widespread atheism, there were quite a few people that asked Baba Vanga whether she had seen God.
– Baba Vanga refuses to make predictions about politics, but politicians are constantly drawing her into their world.
The Secret of Baba Vanga (In Bulgarian) by Zheni Kostadinova
Yes, that is true. A typical example would be the elections in 1994. The newspaper “Democracy” published an article, where an anonymous friend of Baba Vanga retold her words: “Bulgaria will start to improve, but it won’t be with the red ballot.” Few days after the elections were over, the newspaper “Duma” published another populist article: “Baba Vanga: The Bulgarian affairs are now in order” Then Baba Vanga herself wanted to refute those publications. Through the sport’s journalist – Vera Marinova, Baba Vanga said: “My ballot is the one of God. There is one God, and this is who I respect.”
She suffered tremendously, as many people tried to attribute words that she never said. For Baba Vanga, politics was a dirty game, and that is why she was advising women not to be part of it. Nevertheless Baba Vanga was visited by many high-ranked politicians and business leaders, before and after the communistic regime in Bulgaria.
– It is well-known that Baba Vanga was close to Luydmila Zhivkova.
Yes, they were very close. I personally think that Baba Vanga knew about Lyudmila’s tragic destiny, but she didn’t reveal it. Usually she avoided to tell the very bad news to her visitors. In some cases she would get very nervous and even rude to people for who she knew something bad is about to happen. Some people have even complained by saying: “Baba Vanga just chased me away, and didn’t tell me anything.” Here, Baba Vanga barely managed to restrain “the voice” from telling the truth about a person’s future.
Baba Vanga was trying to stay away from the politicians, because first of all they won’t relay her words accurately, and secondly because what she usually had to tell them, wasn’t in their best interest. The prophetess often had generalized: “When all of you get together – blue, red, green, this is when Bulgaria will start to flourish. Also you have to elect one honest and intelligent leader!”
– She advises women to stay away from politics, but she had said that a blond woman will become a successful leader of Bulgaria one day.
Yes this has been attributed to Baba Vanga, but I don’t have any confirmation for these words.
– There are some political predictions of Baba Vanga that came true such as the peaceful break-up of Chezhoslovakia, and the bloody break-up of Yugoslavia.
Yes, she said that “Yugoslavia will become in pieces, as Serbians are swearing at God.” She said that Bulgarians, Serbians, and Macedonians are infidels, and our belief in God is not deep. Baba Vanga had mentioned that it will get very dangerous for Bulgaria, when the subject about Great Albania is opened.
-This subject has already been opened.
The very bad news was always concealed in Baba Vanga’s predictions. She sees that they will happen, but she doesn’t want to scare us. In my third book – the Secret of Baba Vanga, the physician Jordan Georgiev explains that future is something that happens in parallel, and we arrive in it. An analogy would be that future is like a train that does not stay at one station.
– Baba Vanga thought that Bulgaria and Macedonia are one country, and maybe she meant Macedonia when referring to Great Albania?
I can’t tell for certain. Baba Vanga was saying that there will be a military conflict that will arise as a result of religion. She never mentioned a third world war.
– Did she ever mention about the conflicts in Ukraine?
No, as far as I know. I haven’t read or heard anything said about Ukraine. She had sensed that politically Bulgaria will draw back from Russia, and she always had said that we have to have close economic and political connections with Russia. This was said infront of many people including Ventzislav Medarski, and PhD. Dimitar Philipov. In the beginning of the 90-ties Baba Vanga was visited by Marianna Konova – a business lady who was baptized by her. The prophetess had told her: “You are asking me when Bulgaria will flourish – the pipe has to go through Bulgaria. Gas has to flow through.” I have had an interview with Mrs. Konova, and I have also seen another interview with her where she had mentioned the same story. At the time Konova had the intention to start a business with gas stations, and that is why she went to visit Baba Vanga for advice. Baba Vanga was very careful when selecting the people to whom she says something important.
Around 1975 Baba Vanga had also said: “One day the oldest teaching will appear again. It will start from Russia, and soon it will be recognized all over the world, even in America”. “You are asking me will this happen soon? No, it won’t be soon, Syria is still not fallen”, says Baba Vanga.
– However the oldest teaching is the Vedic doctrine. They come from India, not from Russia.
Baba Vanga didn’t specify which exactly is the oldest teaching. The famous American prophet – Edgar Cayce who was at the same level as Baba Vanga, had said that China will become the cradle of Christianity.
– Did Baba Vanga ever say anything about the European Union and the Bulgarian membership in it?
She was saying that there will be a Balkan federation, and some of the Balkan nations will unite. She was seeing Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria together.
– What are you doing at the moment?
At the moment I am occupied with my “House of the Dolls” which I founded three years ago. For a 4th consecutive year we are conducting the international children’s festival called “The Magic of the Dolls”. It was officially opened on August 7th, by Margarita Popova who is the vice president. We had 240 kids from 6 countries, and they all made amazingly beautiful dolls!
Zheni Kostadinova graduated Philosophy at the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She has worked as an editor at the student TV show “Ku-Ku”, and as a reporter at the National Radio “Horizon”. For over 15 years she is a columnist at “Weekly Trud” newspaper writing about esoteric and psychology. In the same newspaper she is maintaining a page on literature. Zheni Kostadinova is the author of some of the most popular books written on Baba Vanga including “Baba Vanga The Prophetess”, “Baba Vanga Predictions”, “The Secret of Baba Vanga”. Her first book was translated into Russian, Polish, Latvian, Serbian, and Albanian. Zheni is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Writers. She had published three books of poetry: “Fire Sticks (2002), “17 love colors” (2007), and “Fig Jam” (2008). In 2012 Zheni has founded the art-house “Kuklite”. It is a doll gallery and a mini-museum located in downtown Sofia. The gallery exhibits different dolls placed in specific categories. Besides the exhibitions, the art-house “Kuklite” also have the priority to work with children from the local schools, so they learn more about the traditions and customs of the different nations. The main idea is to transform the art-house “Kuklite” into a centre for cultural exchange, creative collaboration between representatives of different fields of art, science and philosophy. The art-house will hold meetings with interesting personalities, and will be a place of exhibitions, seminars, workshops, premieres of books and documentary movies, puppetry, and many other great events. The art-house “Kuklite” will also be a place where collectors can display their favourite artefacts and can share the history associated with them.
– Because her phenomenon is indisputable. Most of the predictions that she made, are happening at one point in time. She was trying to reach PhD. Dimitrov, but he is a man of science and he does not believe her. In the spring, me and Bozhidar were participating in a TV show, and he told his story about his meeting with Baba Vanga. She called him a couple of times, but he couldn’t find time to go and visit her. After some time, Bozhidar had to visit Strumitza (Macedonia), and he was travelling together with a man that was close to Baba Vanga. The prophetess told him: “Tell Bozhidar to come and see me, I have something important to tell him.” Bozhidar finally decides to visit Baba Vanga, and directly from Strumitza (30 km from Petrich) he goes to Petrich. At first he can’t find Baba Vanga at her house in Petrich, so he heads out to Rupite, where he finds her. Baba Vanga invites him, despite the fact that she already went to bed, and told him: “You are chosen to restore three churches in Bulgaria. The first one is St. 40 Martyrs in Veliko Tarnovo, St. Sofia in Sofia, and the Great Basilica in Pliska. When the three of them are restored, Bulgaria will take off this heavy cross off her shoulders, and a new path will be opened for our country.” This story happens in the 80-ties. Baba Vanga had said many times before, that the Bulgarian nation suffers because we are infidels and we killed the Bogomils. Maybe that is why these three churches are so important as being spiritual centres for our country. She used to say that Bulgaria suffers from the lack of good leaders, because for a couple of times in the past, we have been killing some of our most intelligent people.
