Questions You’ve Asked Me, October 2022 Edition

Hey Occulties,

It's that time on Cat's Rants where I answer questions you've asked me in the last few months. 🙂

Q: Can you explain the phrase "To know, to dare, to will and to keep silent"?

A: Surely. The phrase is basically instructive on how to successfully spellcast. First you have "To know," which you must learn magic in general, meaning either someone gives you a spell, or you know the properties of roots, and herbs, and dirts, etc, and how to put them together to create a spell and use it. To dare to me is out of order here, but in this context it means that you have the cajones to put this knowledge into practice, – that is, to cast the spell. To will is the focus, that is, to will what you want into existence by use of magic and your own internal strength of will, and/or using your will to command spirits to carry out your wishes. To keep silent is to say don't go blabbing to everyone what you've done, as they will take away from the strength of your spell, and back when this was originally written, maybe it would mean your life would be a lot safer since people didn't take too kindly to spellcastin' then. 

I think it should be to know, to will, to dare, and to keep silent, because I think "to dare" should apply to not give into panic or fear during the manifestation phase. I suppose it still could mean that, albeit I don't believe it was the intention of the original author. 

Q: You haven't replied to my chat/PM/text!?

A: Try email. I tend to drop threads otherwise. My friends and loved ones will all tell you that I'm absolutely atrocious to try and reach when it comes to texts or calls, and frankly, other than future Mr NinjaCat, I probably communicate with some of my clients more than I do with my family or closest friends. So, if email is the one sure fire way to get ahold of me, and people I love don't hear back from me when they text, the simple answer is try email.

I receive ZERO ALERTS for any chat service like whatsapp or FB or Reddit chats. 

For faster response, DO NOT get on my case over an email under five business days old. I don't respond well to ANYONE (friends, loved ones, businesses I use, or clients) hounding me. I've literally ended decades long friendships over someone stalking my phone.

I do want to get a reply to everyone, but the absolutely ridiculous behaviors I endure when it's taken all of 48 hours (and usually on my days off) having passed before I can reply get to me would be off putting to anyone, and plus, much to the annoyance of all, I'm wired to ignore you and avoid you if you won't stop crowding me and blowing up my phone, and I have to fight that urge on the daily just to deal with the more slightly needy people on my client list. ;) 

Furthermore, some of the requests I get are downright unintentionally rude and ignorant to expect of me. For example, some people expect me to write out the spells I'm using like I would here on my blog because they are "just curious," and to do this for free. I actually sell that service – I'll write out a customized spell for you if you would like to pay me to do so. It's apt to take me a few hours so I would expect my hourly pay. And keep in mind, any attempt to explain magic to someone who has basically zero understanding about spells is a bit like trying to explain a smart phone to a caveman, which means what I could explain to another spellcaster in 1 minute is THREE HOURS OF UNENDING DISCUSSION with a neophyte explaining topics so very elementary to most spellcasters that it's a bit like you have to explain just how that phone even illuminates to a caveperson, whilst also explaining electricity, and now how we get electricity. Imagine having to explain many modern items we use to someone who's just barely discovering the wheel. Now you know what it's like explaining the simplest concepts to someone who really knows nothing about magic, and if they do know stuff, it's often misinformation as well (because tiktok witches exist.) I know very little about brain surgery, but you can bet I'm not going to sit down with a very expensive brain surgeon and ask exactly how their scalpels and bone saws are made then ask why they prefer that brand and then pretend to know about the brain on their level only to then seem surprised when they tell me it's not actually made out of jello like someone on tiktok told me it was, but apparently several people on my client list would because comparatively this is what some of them do to me. It's not like I'm desiring to gatekeep….it's more that I have several other clients, and can't spend a few hours a day every day on just one or two people. My blog is great for educating you on simple concepts and spells you can use yourself. 

And keep in mind, I do have a life outside of work when I can find a few hours to enjoy a life outside of work. I take the weekends away from correspondence if at all possible. 

Sad that this is really not an on-topic question but despite having stated this frequently, I have to post it here.

Q: Why do you do control spells on Thursday? I read on (insert site or app name) that Tuesday and Saturday are for control. 

A: It depends on my reasoning for the controlling work, but I will honestly say that I do not often use Tuesday for controlling work. Keep in mind, Tuesday is ruled by Mars, so unless I am attacking someone, I find it makes the target too defensive when they respond to the work. They may do what you want, but will be all bitchy about it. I use Saturday for darker kinds of control (Saturn can be used to bind someone to do a thing,) or for when someone was already obligated or contracted to do a thing they are not doing, and Thursday is my most magnanimous day for control, so let's say if I wanted a boss to promote me, I find Thursday (ruled by Jupiter,) to have the best vibration when I don't want my control work to make the target feel too bossed. 

Taking into consideration the influence of each planet day and planet hour is very helpful when working your spells, so as you advance, you will become more and more familiar with the vibration of each day. I find some people prefer certain days to do certain workings which I do not always share the same preference, and yet we are both successful. As long as it falls under the sphere of the planet's influence, it should be workable. So, if you prefer using Tuesday or Saturday to initiate controlling spells, more power to you. 

Q: Why do you believe I want a love-drawing spell more than an obsession spell, when I want my love-target to be all gushy and obsessive about me?

A: Because that isn't an obsession spell unless you're planning to not acknowledge the target's desires towards you. Obsession works in a particular manner, whereas acting over-the-top in love and being weird and jealous because the infatuation feels overwhelming is love-drawing. If you've ever gotten just over the top crazy in love with your partner, does it feel the same as the longing and obsessing about you desire to just be near your ex does? Most of us would say it does not feel the same at all, really, though we might say they seem related. Well, obsession work creates the latter sense in your target, not the sense of infatuation. 

What's interesting to many people is that obsession is a difficult type of magic to work and many people – even practiced workers, – do it incorrectly. See, obsession needs a point at which the obsession is released, so let's say I want my ex to come back, and so I make him obsess about how losing me is losing his best chance at being happy, so once I forgive him and take him back, the spellwork abruptly ends. It has fulfilled it's purpose. Or let's say a friend owes me money, – I make them obsess about how important it is to pay me back or they may lose our friendship forever. Once the friend pays me back, the spell ends and they don't dwell on the situation anymore. This is why I tell people in a love situation, you will want to do supportive love work, or else the moment you forgive your ex and take them back, the obsession spellwork stops working, and you can find yourself in a delicate situation where the relationship isn't strong enough to stand on it's own and may just fall apart again. 

Remember, relationships are living things. If you keep giving them horrible injuries that almost kill them, each time you heal them, they do not come back together as perfect, and eventually, you won't be able to fix the relationship at all, so it's best to avoid emotionally damaging situations as much as possible, as the more damage you put on that relationship, the harder it is for that relationship to function well, spells or no spells. 

Q: Some time ago, you said you can tell who is more likely to have success in their spellwork and who is more like to fail. Can you explain that more at length?

A: I can try. I mean there are a few red flags.

People who need me to explain exactly what I believe will happen or what their target feels are often going to have slower manifestations and/or lack results. They should be interested in the outcome, not how it happens, because the outcome is what we are shooting for, and not the how and why it comes to be. The needing to figure out how it could happen is actually a lust for results behavior. No matter how often I discourage this type of thinking, they still often engage in it.

People who ask for a time frame – which, please understand, I do not view as an unfair question, – almost always have slower manifestations. The proper answer to this question is truly "It will take as long as the magic needs to work," but then even if you try to give a ballpark estimate, add at least two weeks if asked this question or if the person seems impatient with any part of the consultation.

Similarly, people who need to know if something is completed and hound me for this information (and please bear in mind, they often contact me virtually at the exact second the amount of time would have passed for the work to be done demanding to know how it went, – and that is no exaggeration) tend to have control issues, social media stalk, and think their work down to nothing. They tend to have less powerful manifestations. This is almost an exaggerated behavior, so I know several people will assume I mean them, and you may have acted out something similar but in a more tame fashion, which is like a cousin to this behavior, and much much much less harmful. 

Depressed and morose people – and I mean nearly inconsolable, – have already decided something will not happen, and actually prevent manifestation with their overwhelming negativity at times. 

Overplanners also tend to have a hard time getting to manifestation. If they need to plot out everything, they are thinking the work to death. 

So, this is why I say to you, just think of spellwork a bit like something you ordered in the mail. You know when it's coming but I guess there is no tracking on this package, so you just have to wait a few weeks and it will be with you – you wouldn't normally dwell on a thing like that, but it might be in the back of your mind. You are not normally trying to figure out what the UPS man ate for breakfast that day or how the traffic is in a city far away where the package may have stopped at on it's transit to you, right? And if you would, you might be in trouble…it's really put the order in and don't over think and it will to you shortly. 

Q: Can I use regular candles in place of figural candles as long as they are the proper color?

A: Yes, though you will still want to name and bless each candle so that they are representative of the target. When we burn figural candles we are using that image as an icon for the target, you see, so we bless and dress it in a specific manner to that target. If you work a votive shaped candle as if it were like a human figural and set it as you would a figural, it will work the same. Think of it a bit like a social media account. If I don't have an image that shows me or a cartoon version of me or etc, that does not mean I am not the owner of the account. If you knew me you'd probably know I was running that account, regardless of the profile pic. The figural candle is more like having a profile picture rather than having none….which hopefully makes sense. 

Alright, that's it for now. Hope that was informative! :) 

~Cat

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