Things we write into existence
Hey Peach,
How are things? I've got something a little bit different for you this month; it's part cautionary tale and part 'true' horror. And you'll soon realise why I've put the word 'true' in quotation marks.
Today, I want to talk about the story behind the infamous Dybbuk Box and the power marketing narratives can have.
How one man's marketing copy created a monster
In 2003, an antique dealer named Kevin Mannis listed a small wooden wine cabinet for sale on eBay. The cabinet, which he called a 'Dibbuk Box', was listed alongside its original contents — two pennies, two locks of hair, a small granite statue, a dried rosebud, a wine cup, and an iron candlestick holder.
His listing (which you can read in full here) opens with the following paragraph:
"All of the events that I am about to set forth in this listing are accurate and may be verified by the winning bidder with the copies of hospital records and sworn affidavits that I am including as part of the sale of the cabinet."
I know, right?!
Mannis says he bought the box in 2001 at an estate sale held by the granddaughter of a recently deceased Holocaust survivor. After the sale, Mannis was approached by the granddaughter, who told him that her grandmother always kept the box shut and out of reach because it contained a dybbuk (a malevolent, restless spirit from Jewish folklore).
Mannis brought the box home, intending to clean it up as a birthday gift for his mother. He experienced several weird and unfortunate incidents in the few days he had it, but that was nothing compared to what happened to his mother. Upon opening it for the first time, the poor woman suffered a stroke that she firmly believed was caused by an evil force.
Mannis detailed this (and WAY more) in his sensational listing, which went viral and sparked a bidding war. Once the box was shipped to its winning bidder, the horror began anew.
The curse spreads...
The box was passed around and resold in the following years, each owner experiencing nightmares, paranormal activity, and misfortune. Each public sale or retelling added to the box's lore and infamy.
In 2012, Lionsgate released a film about the box and director Ole Bornedal admitted "some really weird things happened" on set. Five days after filming wrapped, all their props burned in a mysterious fire. Tea on top of tea — Sam Raimi produced the film but refused to helm it, saying he was too scared.
In 2016, famous ghost hunter Zak Bagans purchased the box for his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas, where it can be viewed today. Fun fact: Post Malone is thought to have been badly cursed by the box after touching it during a trip to Bagans's museum.
The tea finally spills
In 2015, a Facebook post was unearthed in which Mannis allegedly admitted to faking the whole story to ignite a bidding war (he has a background in advertising, writing, and entertainment FYI).
Needless to say, Bagans and the box's most recent owner, Jason Haxton, are adamant it's 100% evil. Mannis has gone on the record about the hoax accusations but has somehow muddied the waters further by attempting to claim 1) he invented the idea of a 'Dybbuk Box', 2) that Dybbuks don't live in boxes, 3) the story is real. Yeah, your guess is as good as mine.
In my humble opinion, Mannis probably did make up the story to sell the box. But, in creating that narrative and putting it out into the world, he inadvertently made what we magickal practitioners call an 'egregore' — an independent thought form that lives and thrives within the public consciousness. Kinda like Father Christmas or the Easter Bunny.
People feed the narrative, and thought becomes a reality. In this case, the Dybbuk hurt people because they genuinely believed it could.
The cautionary tale (finally)
Mannis may have invented the story as a marketing ploy, but his creation took on a life of its own in public consciousness. People took the story and ran with it, adding their own experiences, narratives, beliefs, and suspicions to the mix. Even this newsletter is adding to the power of Mannis's egregore.
It’s an extreme example of what can happen when you don’t wield the power of stories with caution. Because, make no mistake, they are powerful. They can feed belief, create reality, cause harm. And as writers, we can sometimes take that power for granted.
Just something to think about, eh?
If you're hungry for more egregore-esque marketing narratives, I recommend the haunted doll side of Etsy. It's entertainment for days, mate. You can also get the full tea on the Dybbuk Box here.
🌝 Strawberry moon – 11th June
Balance · Solar energy · Desire
🌞 Litha – 20th June
Longest day · Greeting the sunrise · The fae
🔮 Freelance focus: competition with the Five of Wands
This card comes with good news and bad news. The bad news is that there could be conflict on the cards for June. The good news is you're more than capable of handling yourself.
Whether you find yourself in the running for a high-competition role/project, your money situation is tense, or you're clashing with someone in your team — victory can be claimed if you fight, fight, fight!
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