Cat’s Rants: Confessions of an Occult Mastermind

Everything you ever wanted to know about Hoodoo, Rootwork, or the Occult! The internet’s longest running occult blog, established 2004

about

“I’m Cat, and for a long time, Cat’s Rants, the longest running occult based blog was over at TypePad – since 2004. Sadly, TypePad shuttered permanently as of September 30th 2025. Please be patient while I export 21 years of blog posts over to my new WordPress location. With a much easier url to remember and all your favorite posts all the way back to 04, Cat’s Rants should hopefully improve over its former location.” Cat has practiced and studied the occult, tarot, and spellcasting for over 35 years, and has shared her expert teachings on how to cast your own spells, including original spells and recipes on the Cat’s Rants blog since 2004. A professional tarot reader since the 1990s, she’s also an internationally-known psychic reader and tarot expert. As a published and respected occultist for over two decades, and an expert in the fields of rootwork, hoodoo, and Catholic folk magic, she continues to serve the public by teaching authentic spell casting and offering readings and services.

Why Reconciliation Spells “Don’t Last” (Hint, they do.)

June 15, 2021

Good Morning, Occultey Friends,

Today I'd like to discuss the idea that if you reconcile an ex using magic, that it's just never going to work out. To this I'd like to respond….

HORSESHIT. Double stinky extra wet floppy droppy horseshit.

HOWEVER (you knew that part was coming,) you might be confused because people often use this kind of magic on a situation which wasn't working out at all, and they were themselves getting ready to leave when their partner was like "Hey, I'm breaking up with you." A fair amount of the situations brought to me are brought to me because my client was not ready to break up, – not because it was a really good relationship. So, the client uses spellwork to reconcile the desired party, that person comes back, and suddenly a week or so into it, my client is like "Dude, this person is a total assclown. Why did I spend so many nights crying over this douche-canoe?" It doesn't matter that the reconciled party is amorous and loving and sweet and kind, – all of the sudden the client remembers what an insufferable jerk this person was before the break up, and realizes…they really just wanted closure. :P

This might not be your situation, and it isn't all reconciliation situations. I've rejoined a fair amount of couples who stayed together because the split wasn't what either wanted or needed. They were and are very compatible and very happy together – moreso than when apart.

That's something else people tend to forget when they say stupid things like "Once you cast any form of love spell, the magic kills real love" – did you ever read or hear that? It's stupid. Very stupid. If someone says something like that to you, remember that's a bit like them telling you that if you ever ate a slice of bread you are full of toxic metal because someone cut it with a knife. That's how stupid that is. However, most stupid ideas come from somewhere, and this one comes from the fact that basically all love ends in death or disaster, and even if you do your best, sometimes you just can't make a love affair work. That isn't magic's fault. In fact, subtract magic from the equation and look…that love affair still would not work out. In fact, it probably would have fallen apart even faster. You know, one of my greatest loves and I took a break of like 14 years, and while I will tell you I loved that man with my whole being both times we were together, unfortunately it fell apart both times. I still love that man, even though I'm not in love with him, and I honestly and completely want nothing for him but happiness. Because, kids, love is not enough to make things work, and that is why sometimes, even when we try to make a relationship work – using magical or mundane means to do so, – we find there is nothing that can ultimately make it work…and generally speaking, that's never because of a lack of love.

I see everyone looking a tad confused. Should I not be telling you how mystical forces shall rejoin you and your intended forever and ever and ever? How this will be even better than it was? OK, so you're going to want to visit the bullshit fairy for that. I'm the person who is far more likely to say something to the effect of "Well, look, you can have this person back in your life if you want, but you know tying a brick to each ankle and trying to swim 3 miles to shore is a more appealing situation than being paired with this asshole, so it's really up to you if that's what you want." And if that offends you, let me assure you of one thing myself and many many many other people have learned over the years, and that is that if everyone is telling you that your partner (or desired partner) is a jerk and you could do so much better, then they generally are and you usually could.

And the reality is not one bit of that is magic's fault.

See magic does it's job. So if you task magic with returning your ex, that doesn't make your ex not a piece of shit. It returns the piece of shit you asked for. It's like I always say, just because you cast a love spell on a jerk, it doesn't make that person not a jerk, but it does mean now you have a jerk in love with you.

~Cat
Bad Groups to Avoid: Dark Magick for Beginners on Facebook

June 14, 2021

Hey Occulties,

You know, rarely do I choose to call people out because I think most places with occult and spellcasting info have some intrinsic value somehow. Unfortunately for people who don't know magic (and um, the group here is definitely not using magic with a k because that actually would be more Solomonic in nature, which you'd think they'd know if they were teaching beginners,) inviting me into your group means I might clear the air if I see your members stumbling.

Enter "Dark Magick for Beginners," on Facebook – a group clearly dedicated to sour jars and misinformation.

That's right, this is not for beginners, because it's full of really bad teachings, including the fact that several people don't know how to properly DO a jar spell who also promote FALSE IDEAS.

So, when you do a candle spell, you do not look for an image in the wax. In thirty years of spellcasting and almost 20 working for the public, I've burned thousands if not tens of thousands of spell candles, and I would say I might have ten instances of wax sign (image in the wax) in that entire time…possibly 20, but if I'm being fair, it's always impressive enough to be memorable when it happens with a free standing candle, so I can't say I remember close to 20. We aren't talking about the chimney on a vigil light, but regular old melted wax that "makes a picture" when the candle has burned out. It is nothing you would need to ask someone else if they could suss out an image. It's not a Rorschach inkblot test – it will be highly obvious and visible. For example, I once did a healing on a young woman suffering from anorexia nervosa, and the candle holder, when it finished was in the "belly" of a clear gingerbread man shape. That was definitely a sign. You having a bunch of melted wax does not mean a sign is present, and if you do not immediately see an image when you look, there is likely no wax sign, as it is a rare thing. While I've frequently said this in the group when someone has the VERY BAD IDEA of asking WHAT IMAGE DO YOU SEE HERE for every spell candle they burn, and said that anyone who promotes the idea that there is always a present image in wax is either trying to sell you something or doesn't know magic, and that you are merely asking others to engage in LUST FOR RESULTS which will harm your spell energy and it's manifestation to present this to a large, anonymous facebook group, some assclown admin always deletes that. Always.

Why? Probably because they 1.) Don't know magic, or 2.) are trying to sell something. Now if it's answer one, then why delete my advice when I say I've worked for the public for 20 years, and have been an occultist for 30? There is no reason. In fact, if they were trying to teach beginners, they would actually say the same thing. If however, they can sucker newbies into buying something by fake looking for "signs," or selling more spell candles, then of course, you'd want to remove my answer. :P

The next is sour jars… I don't hate sour jars. They are a form of curse, yes. Of course, to properly work a sour jar, you need to keep working it. People in this group work this once. People also follow things like if you chew a habenero and spit it in your target's direction they will burn up. No, they won't, but your mouth sure will be burning, lol. Look, most if not all "Dark magic" I've seen in there is definitely aimed towards beginners, but a fair amount of it is wrong, and to the point that it would just be hugely ineffective. When I've tried to help, I'm generally deleted. Goodness forbid I try to ASSIST PEOPLE FOR FREE like I've been doing here on this blog FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS at this writing.

So, if you're looking for spellwork that won't work, for others to think your work to death, or you just know magic and want to be impressed by how some people really don't and shouldn't be teaching others, this is the group for you.

THAT SAID, I actually will not call out most groups. If you would like me to be a part of your group, and you would like me to occasionally speak about your posts, – whether to compliment, make suggestions, curb unhelpful teachings (like always projecting signs where they don't exist,) or even just to lurk, please know, I will gladly join. By all means, send me an invite. 🙂 If you call me in and then delete anything I might post all of the time, you might expect something like this to happen. I've been a member of several groups for years upon years, and this is so stand out with it's misinformation and muting me, I figured it was time to say something, as I've only been a member for a few months. In my many other groups, I so rarely speak up that when I do, most people appreciate my input.

As for these people, look…you didn't teach anyone to work a sour jar right. Most of your "dark magic" isn't actually a proper curse, and the rest which includes other spells is…partial in many cases, and not being instructive. You can always improve, but to improve you need to accept some criticism. It's unpleasant but it helps you grow. Telling people to have others think their work to death is very bad. How can you claim to be instructing others, when you're helping them make their work fail?

I'm sure there will be butthurt and backlash, but I just can't stand miseducating others intentionally like this. So many people come to me having to unlearn bad habits, and these are my READERS. I am not making money whatsoever from these people. I am trying to help them to learn magic to help themselves, which is why I started this blog. It is my mission in life to help people properly cast their own spells.

Best wishes,

~Cat

PS- I'm sure I've finally created a new group for people who hate me by posting this. Just so you know, I have about 7 of my readers in there at this writing, so nothing you say will be secret to me. As always, I'm a woman who loves her minions. 🙂 So, for those of you who are looking for a place to talk smack about me with no repercussions, this might not be the right place. It will get back to me, and as usual, I will confront those speaking personally should the need arise. You should have learned by now that very few things go unnoticed by me, and that definitely is in part because I have a very dedicated group of people looking out for me.

PPS- Is this your group and you want the post removed? Then why are you promoting a really bad teaching like seeking signs where they don't exist and suggesting that people have the group think their work to death? Why are you not educating people properly on how to cast "dark" spells? If you stop doing that NOW (like start by posting that a sign in candle wax is actually relatively rare, as anyone who has burned several spell candles will discover), and I'll gladly remove my post. 🙂
Uncrossing Stuffs

June 14, 2021

Good Morning, Occulties,

Still, at this writing, offering the free reading when you buy a seven day spellcasting. This is also available for "pre-buy" spellwork (meaning, if you want the reading, but are sure you want me to cast a spell later, you may purchase it now, and get the reading free now,) so please hurry on over. The offer is good as long as supplies last. :)

So, what might be interesting to some of you is that during the pandemic, I had a huge spike in cases of people needing uncrossing. It would seem the pandemic brought out the worst in many of us, and now many of my clients and readers have found that an enemy did come after them using spellwork, which is generally quite rare! So…let's start with the good news….

The good news is that most people aren't all that great with cursing, and whatever happened is probably the bulk of what will happen. While that might seem like cold comfort now, the reality is that if someone cursed you last year, the curse has probably run out of steam and is not still a problem. You may be still dealing with the AFTERAFFECTS (remember, unlike the story of Cinderella, the coach doesn't return to a pumpkin after midnight, and the effects of a spell that has run it's course generally remain,) of what the spell caused, BUT you are not likely actively cursed.

Now for the bad news…despite the fact most people are not particularly great with cursing, more than a few got stupid bored during the pandemic, and in that time some of them may have repetitively cursed you, so you might be…well, dealing with some active cursing energies.

In the interest of cleansing away, removing, and protecting from many attacks, let's get into how to start fixing up the damage that being crossed may be causing, regardless of your current cursed/not cursed status. Even if you were not literally cursed, as in someone did a nasty spell on you, you might benefit from some of these steps.

First, look around your home, workplace, and vehicle. Look for any strange paper packets, or anything weird. If you find something (these can look like wrapped packets, folded slips of paper, stitched up bags, small jars with strange items inside, little dollies of wax or clay or even fabric,) do not use your bare hands to pick this up. Put on disposable gloves or use a paper towel to collect the item. There are a myriad forms of these and just as many ways to destroy them. Generally speaking, the first thing I do is I remove the item off of my property. With a jar, I break it, spill the contents, and if I see a specific item belonging to myself and/or my loved one, I grab this, again always wearing gloves. Make note of any names (if visible) on any name papers. With a packet of paper, I will shake it to remove any contents pertaining to me or the other target, pluck out any images, that are being used as a witness sample, examine the name paper, and I will burn this (again off my property,) making sure to not inhale vapors. Whatever you find, you are free to contact me, and we will discuss disposal. HOWEVER, more often than not, there is no item discovered. People prefer remote work these days, and who can blame them, now that we have CCTV, and other security measures. So, while this step may seem circumstantial to many of you, basically, cleaning up your area and looking for anything suspicious is always a bit of good advice.

If you've identified nothing, or if you did and disposed of it, the next step is a super simple one… A salt bath. People say "Cat, how is it that a freaking lame ass salt bath will do anything? That's not really mystical!" Well, no, but it's a good litmus test for anything bigger and badder that needs removal, and if you're just dealing with residual curse energies, it's going to clean a lot of that off. So, just draw a bath (or use a large tub you can stand in,) pour in some salt (even that can of Morton salt will suffice, – just some good ol' Sodium Chloride, aka salt, is all you need,) and either submerge yourself and then stand up (full tub) or stand in the large container with a cup and pour this salt water over you three times. Now wash DOWN (head to feet). I usually say Psalm 23, but I am Catholic so you can just say "cleanse me, make me free of stain," and that can work too. I want you to pay attention to how you feel during and after. Are you feeling a lot lighter…. the best way I can describe this is that you literally feel lighter, or as if someone has lifted a heavy load off of you. Negative energy often collects around the shoulders, the back of the neck, and the back of the head. So, if you notice a "lightness" in this area, you may way to repeat the salt bath using something a bit stronger, – perhaps Karma Zain's Jinx Killer bath salt (find this at https://seraphinstation.com) or Dara's Spiritual Cleansing bath salts (find this at http://hoodooroots.com) to fully cleanse off all those spiritual nasties. This is actually something that if you do it regularly, it is very helpful, regardless of if you're being actively targeted with curses.

Now, I'm just going to assume something, and perhaps I'm being presumptive here, but I'm assuming most of you are not actively protecting yourself against being cursed or against attack. One of the most effective ways to protect yourself is also quite easy. You know those relatively cheap big bags of tea lights? Like this (not my picture):

Get a bag of tealights and burn one of these to your guardian spirit once a week. This is going to help protect you. So all you need to do is place one of these on your altar, and as you light it say, "Neverborn guardian, friend and protector, I offer you this gift in appreciation and love for all you do for me. Please accept this humble offering and my acknowledgement of you and my gratitude that you guard over me all the days of my life." Let the candle burn out. That's it. Just do that once a week.

Maybe you're saying "Cat, I don't believe in that shit, so I won't do it." And that's fair, you need not believe in things I believe in, but I would guess you might still want to do something to protect yourself. This is something I use when someone is ACTIVELY working on me. Now, remember, if the curse was cast last year, and they've done nothing further, this won't do much. However, if someone is actively working on you, this is going to help…and the side benefit is, if you're not sure who's working on you, it's going to out the person who is working on you. So first you need to buy a double mirrored compact WITHOUT LOOKING INTO THE MIRROR EVER. These are easily available at most places that sell cosmetics, so here in the states, a place like a Rite Aid, CVS, or Target would have this item. Now using the CLOSED compact as a guide, trace out a piece of paper that will fit into the compact. I usually put the pen around the item, then trim about a quarter inch (so maybe around a centimeter for those of you who are not into Imperial Measurement,) off of that. If you have identified your target, get a witness sample (image, hair, fingernail clipping, etc.) to place inside the compact as well. REMEMBER, this is going to be a risk if this person KNOWS MAGIC WELL. If someone identifies you doing this to them, they will take it as a death threat if they know their stuff, and so I strongly caution you to be careful using this if you know your target is very capable in the magical arts. OK, now that I've warned you, no one can come crying to me if they don't heed the warning, haha. So, on this slip of paper write out the following for a NON-SPECIFIC target: "All those who would come against me with their work, I now reflect your dark works back upon you, that any move you make to strike at me merely bounce off me uselessly and hit you, as is my will so be it!" Inscribe the following for a SPECIFIC target" "(Full name of target,) you who would try to harm me by your dark work, your spells against me are useless against me and reflect back onto you, as is my will so be it!" All you need to do is to place this inscribed paper inside with your witness item (if applicable,) then wrap this compact in electrical tape while saying what you had inscribed a total of nine times, and place this item in a window. That's it.

If you're still experiencing symptoms even after doing some of these easy workings, feel free to contact me!

~Cat
Unlikely Love Rekindled….

June 12, 2021

Hey Occulties,

So, another client has a story to share with all of us, and this one needs some background. Of course, all names are changed. I liked this one as it really shows how subtle spells can be, where it's all "too convenient" at times. Normally I share the really wild manifestations but this one here is perfect – and I'm so happy with the outcome!

So, my client was engaged to a woman I will call Eva (not her real name) about 20 years ago. As they were relatively young and pretty fresh out of college at the time, while planning their wedding, Eva's career started taking off. She asked Jack (my client under an equally fictitious name,) if he was OK with them postponing the wedding for a year. While he agreed (they had really just started planning so it wasn't a huge financial problem,) the relationship soon soured as Eva pulled away more and more, with the end coming with her deciding to move somewhat far away for a new job and to just have a new start…. They did not stay in touch as the break up was somewhat bitter.

Jack did what a lot of us would do…he just went and partied like it was the end of the world, and within a few months, he found himself unexpectedly expecting to become a father. He married the woman who was about to be the mother of his children, and for about 15 years, they were very happy, and had 2 other kids. Unfortunately, his wife became ill and died at a rather young age, leaving Jack a widower with 2 sons and a daughter to raise on his own. At first, he didn't want to think about dating, but while grieving, he kept wondering what would have happened if he had married Eva instead of Sarah (also not her name.) Then as time went on, he began to wonder if Eva would even have wanted to have children, seeing as she was so centered on her career back when things fell apart. Just a bit under a year after Sarah passed away, Jack decided he would go "Social Media Stalking" to find out what happened to his old flame, as he just couldn't help but wonder what her life had been.

He found her quite easily. But because life is like that sometimes, her social media accounts were not so easy to see. He could see a picture of her but not really see much of anything else. So he asked a few mutual friends, but found that no one seemed to know anything. Finally the sister of one of his friends told him that Eva had married briefly, and had a ten year old daughter, but she hadn't spoken to her very much (they were just Facebook friends,) and that Eva didn't post very often, so she didn't know much else.

He tried to stop thinking about her…and it surprised him as for many years, he'd really not thought about her at all. She came up in conversation here or there, but so rarely that it surprised him how hard it was to get her out of his mind now. When the pandemic hit, it became a complete obsession. He didn't want to say anything to friends and family, feeling they would think he was crazy. It was around this time that he contacted me.

At first I was kind of concerned as from what Jack told me, he'd not even tried contacting Eva personally. Because I'm me, and of course I would say such a thing, I told him he should probably save himself some money, and just reach out to her. What can I say? I'm more practical than some people might realize. 😉 However, he was adamant that he didn't feel right doing so, at least not without first looking into what was going on with a reading. Since he was sure it was the right thing, I agreed. Instantly the six of cups keeps showing up, – always in one of the outcome positions, and in all three of the spreads I did during our half hour. To those of you not in the know, the six of cups generally means "love from the past returning into your life," and if you're asking about an ex you miss, it's one hell of a great card to get.

So, I tell Jack again – reach out to her! Even the cards say it's good!

But he balked at this. So I'm like "Look, it's been a long time, – no matter what you did, it can't be that bad. I'm sure she's forgiven you for saying something mean.' So he told me he had gone well and high above and beyond mean and cruel and awful. Again, as I've heard pretty much everything in my almost 2 decades at this job, I was like "Yeah, okay, see you think it's bad, but how bad can it be? Just tell me, because I can assure you I've heard much worse." So he told me.

I have promised to keep the incident a secret but let's just say it was very very mean. It wasn't like a marathon of dick behavior level of bad, but it was pretty low. I had heard a few similar things in my day, though so I wasn't exactly bowled over. So I said "Look, I can see why you might not want to reach out, but she probably has gotten over it. I can understand if she didn't want to date you again after that, but it's not the worst thing I've ever heard or even seen 2 people get past. We can do some work on it to help her get over it, but I still think you should just reach out." Jack decided to consider it and about a week or two later he reached out to me again, and told me that he'd sent her a message on social media, and she left him on read….that had been a few days ago, and nothing.

So, I asked if he wanted me to do work, and he said, yes, he thought that would be good. We thought out a plan which included not just reconciliation but also communication, love drawing work, and at Jack's insistence, obsession work as well.

About three weeks pass, and I get an email from Jack saying nothing has happened and he's decided nothing will, but he thanks me for my time and etc. I assure him that something could very well still happen, but that it's always healthier to start moving on because, as I tell all of you all of the time, fixating on something can slow manifestation. About two weeks later, I get an email from Jack with the title "HOLY SHIT!"

Now, just so as you all know, that can be good or that can be bad. I actually looked at that title and was like "I'm having a pretty busy day today, and if that's bad, it's going to stress me out." However, I'd never known Jack to be rude, and I was awfully curious, so my caution lasted about 3 minutes. ;)

It was, in fact, very good news. Out of the blue, Eva reached out – after all these long weeks of leaving Jack on read. She replied with an epic novel that I shall summarize to you here… Basically she said that she wasn't sure if she wanted to say anything as for a long time she had been very angry with Jack…for having children with- and marrying Sarah. She in fact never brought up the "incident" that Jack had been kicking himself over for so long except to mildly touch upon it by saying "A pretty nasty break up," and had instead let him know that when she had moved for her job, she thought about him constantly, and could not stop thinking about how she had thrown her great love away. She had thought to reach out to him when a mutual friend told her that Jack had "gotten a girl knocked up" and that they were getting married. Eva was devastated, and when she heard Jack and Sarah were expecting a second child, she up and married the first person she could…while still in love with Jack. Well the marriage soon soured as Eva named her child "Jacquelyn" (Not the child's real name, but it was the female form of Jack's real name,) and her now former husband had about enough of feeling second to Jack. He asked for a divorce. She spiraled into depression, ended up seeing a therapist and finally "getting over' Jack. When she had seen Jack's message, she wasn't sure if she should say anything at all, as she did not want to go back to feeling hurt and abandoned and second best. HOWEVER, she had talked to a mutual friend who told her that Jack had been widowed, and after a week or two she just felt terrible and selfish to not say anything when he had merely reached out in a friendly manner, and not been crass or rude or flirty…. She just worried because she knew deep down some part of her heart belonged to him still and it hurt so much to lose him before. She admitted that a week or two after getting his message she just couldn't stop thinking about him.

Jack was floored that she'd loved him for so long, because in his memory it was her who had rejected him. They spoke at length and after several conversations, decided to meet…which, logistically speaking, was kind of a shit show. 😉 Both were afraid that after so many years the other party wouldn't be attracted but both felt very attracted. She started looking for a job near to where he was, saying that it's what she wanted all these years ago, – to just be with him, – and that it was "like a dream coming true" to be back together with him again.

So, almost 20 years apart, and now together. Congratulations "Jack" and "Eva" – you two crazy kids deserved a second shot at love. 🙂

~Cat
Just clearing this up – temporary post

June 12, 2021

Since I was asked, basically to get the free reading with seven day spell package, you need to do the following: 1. Schedule a reading and pay for it, and should you decide on getting spellwork, I will deduct the cost of the reading from the spell price, OR 2. Purchase a spell and get the reading at your convenience, free. It's a limited time thing, so please inquire NOW as once I've reduced my stock, I'll remove the sale

I accept PayPal, Venmo, CashApp and credit card. You can contact me through my website at https://originalninjacat.com or by the email you always contact me through. As I am not apt to be checking any outside messenging services (Facebook, whatsapp, etc,) please use EMAIL to contact me or use my website.

Thank you!

~Cat
The Whole Bedbug, Cat v Landlord Story, and what it means to you

June 11, 2021

Hey everyone,

So for starters, I have 3 bottles of bedbug inflammatory confusion and no addresses to send them to. If you ordered one of these, please let me know ASAP. I will be giving a partial refund for the inconvenience of the wait (basically you get refunded minus the small shipping fee of $4 or $5,) and then I will stop feeling awful because your addresses got away from me when I cleaned up. 😛

Next, let's talk about my horrid last year and a half or more. As I've told many of you before, the now ex Mr NinjaCat had and has severe mental illness problems. This was for a long time actually not a huge problem. About once a year, he would decide everything was "poison," and this would go on for 1-3 weeks, was relatively predictable and more annoying than anything else. Like I'd buy milk and about 2 hours later he'd tell me the milk tasted funny. I'd taste it and it was fine. He would insist it had been poisoned. So I'd buy a new jug of milk, and this would repeat itself. What was happening was that Ex-Mr NC has Bipolar Disorder, and he was experiencing a mania. While some people get an epic high fun mania, his are not. They are full of delusions and suspicions. However, if he was just going to decide milk and stuff was poison, and for a brief time once a year, he was so fun and loveable the rest of the time that I really couldn't pass up being with him, and hell, as I said…it was annoying and weird but predictable and brief.

The other issue my ex had was borderline personality disorder. This was also mostly annoying. When it reared it's ugly little head, I'd remind myself that (ex) Mr NinjaCat had a pretty bullshit childhood, and it was to be expected that he'd not come out of it unscathed. Since this is sadly a relatively common issue, I had some experience dealing with people who suffer from this disorder, and it wasn't a deal killer… My ex is incredibly handsome and charming, and that took the edge off.

In the fall of 2019, I began to notice a troubling change in my ex. He was short-tempered, unaffectionate, rude, and hanging out with people I would not suggest anyone hang out with. He also began to dislike foods that he had previously always wanted. At first, I just assumed he was maybe having a touch of mental health issues, because…he has mental health issues, as I said, and that the cycle of them was changed. As his behavior worsened, I was to discover he was no longer on his medication for his issues, and he admitted that part of the lapse was that his doctor was no longer seeing him as she had moved. So we tried to set up appointments for him around my birthday which is around Thanksgiving, and they offered to see him in TWO MONTHS.

Now, you would think if someone with bipolar disorder says "I need my medication and I'm having a very hard time of things," that they are going to do something quickly, right? Nope, no meds, and an appointment in TWO MONTHS.

And things got much, much, much worse. He began to take my money (outright stealing it in some cases,) to fund himself, while telling everyone, including his own family that it was his. He didn't have a job and had not had one in well over a year, so this was pretty bold of him, but his own family did not believe him, because…well, I told them, he's increasingly acting scary. When returning home from my parent's house on Christmas, he freaked out, pulled over sharply to the side of the highway, almost killing us, and demanded I get out of the car. When I went to do so, he barely decided to drive us back to Portland…and he did stuff like that over and over and over. He was always angry, and it was increasingly focused on me. He is a very big, very strong man, and he decided I was the author of all of his issues. This was particularly troubling for everyone, because I did EVERYTHING for my ex. I took care of him, and spoiled him. Now he was doing things like staying up for three days and waking me up every 20 minutes to tell me something was poison. He would refuse to let me leave the bedroom and would threaten me if I tried to. This got increasingly scary until one morning I was sleeping and I woke up to him grabbing me by the back of the head and shoving cake in my face, screaming "Feed that to your god, bitch!" I immediately called a psych hold. The police took him away, and returned him in the evening. This was especially embarrassing as it happened midday. Can you imagine everyone watching your husband be taken away while you have cake in your hair? Yeah, I got to experience that.

Now you would think that a normal mental health professional would have held Ex-Mr Ninjacat for 48-72 hours to assess his mental health, but not the idiots here. They sent him home, and boy was he pissed. And I got ro experience this frequently as it worsened over and over and over and over…. At one point certain members of the Portland Police Department actually told me it was my fault. I do not know if these gentlemen still have a job, but seeing as I answered the door with visible strangulation marks on my neck, I sure as fuck hope not. You see, my ex had turned to drugs, and these drugs had triggered a mania each time he used them. For those who do not know, bipolar disorder is a progressive illness. Each time a mania is triggered, the next mania is apt to be worse. So my ex believed that I owned Google and Apple and that I was using myriad methods to spy on him and make a special secret web channel where we all watched him and made fun of him….I was also supposedly part of a secret group set to come after him and destroy his life. Mind you, the things he suggested were so impossible that people laughed. This culminated in him being arrested for holding me hostage, telling me descriptively that he was going to kill me and take his time, and he was sure glad I got to speak to my mother one last time, because he felt I had hacked his Apple account. I had not. The police took him away, and took this seriously this time. He supposedly decided he would stop using drugs, and we tried to sort it. This did not end well. Ex Mr NinjaCat is now still in jail for trying to kill me. He's sobered up in there, because it's jail, and if I speak to him, he is the man I used to know, but….

I'm pretty sure you can understand why our marriage did not work out. :P

As you can imagine, this was a pretty scarred-for-life thing for me. But once Ex Mr NinjaCat was in jail and not leaving jail, I began to return to normalcy in my life. This is where my new guy came in. He knew my ex, and he knew what I'd been through. He encouraged me, he was a good friend to me, and after awhile he admitted attraction to me. I still didn't give in because look what I'd been through. BUT, he kept it up and I realized I loved him too. So, there is a happy ending there – at least romantically. Now I am happy and with someone who isn't trying to kill me while accusing me of being part of a superspy network, and it's someone who spoils me and brings me gifts and is also quite handsome and charming.

But since life can suck more than a bag of leeches sometimes, because ex Mr NinjaCat was so troublesome, my landlord was, understandably at the time, pissed when he left for the last time. They decided to put me on extra secret double probation. This meant that even though my neighbor next door can have 20 new people over every week, I would get crap for having one person come by. I was told I had "too many guests." I don't actually have a lot of guests, as I am a reclusive weirdo, just as you always assumed. 😉 So, when my new fella would come around, even though my guests were my new fella and a friend of mine who lives upstairs from me, this was "too many guests," and I would get complaints. That would be asinine enough, but the landlord also drilled gigantic fist sized holes through my wall which led to the laundry room for 102 units (which remain open to this day, and were/are for a sprinkler system), and I ended up with BEDBUGS. The landlord being one of those slimy fuckers you would guess my landlord might be decided to try to blame everyone and everything for those bedbugs except themselves. They sent me a bill for the bugs. They threatened me, they orchestrated bizarre situations like accusing me of living in filth because I had every stitch of clothing in trashbags (this is required for treatment,) ready to move to storage so my home could be treated, as prescribed by said landlord, and that means I'm cluttered and filthy. This became a spot of humor at one point, where I was even posting pics of my squeaky clean apartment with the tag of #myapartmentisfilthy. But the landlord insisted that I am a filthy pig monster and they wanted me OUT.

Mind you, this had NOTHING to do with bedbugs. They wanted to be irresponsible about that problem, sure, but the real problem was they figured I'd get back together with my ex. I had moved on and have been with someone else since early November 2020, but even when he stopped coming by (because there are still bedbugs here,) they just assumed I'd get back together with Ex Mr. NinjaCat. Nope. Thus started the battle we find ourselves still engaged in…and it's an epic one. My landlord is trying several greasy maneuvers to get me out, and since rental prices are insane and I actually like my apartment except for the bedbugs, I am not planning on leaving. The landlord doesn't understand Maine Tenant Law very well, whereas I'm the child of an estate attorney and I do. For example, the fact that I have them on video harassing me and threatening me and acting in an incredibly gross and egregious manner can get them in a serious amount of trouble. They cannot eject me for being a victim of domestic violence, and that will also get them in trouble. Furthermore, here in Maine, if your landlord decides to evict you, he or she needs to give you this thing called a notice to quit, and you must sign this notice or at least have a certified mail receipt showing you received the notice. I received no notice, but this week, someone knocked inaudibly on my door (it ends up that was the Sheriff's deputy,) and when I tried to schedule an appointment to receive the summons which was illegally made, this person just taped the summons on my door to humilate me just yesterday. Way to go Deputy, you just earned yourself a sanction! 🙂 See in Maine, this person has to knock three separate times on three separate days before doing something so rude. Meanwhile if you make a reasonable request to make a time to receive this summons as I did, then the deputy must meet you on your reasonable request. As I knew I'd be busy most of yesterday, I'd messaged the deputy to say let's do this Friday morning, and you should know I'll be seeing you again, as I'd received no notice to quit. Ah well, the landlord needs to restart the ENTIRE PROCESS NOW, and this nifty summons gave me contact details for their lawyer, who I advised kindly that I'd received NO NOTICE TO QUIT.

What does that mean? Well, I read the "complaint" and frankly it's not apt to go anywhere. In fact, since I have a friend who wants to put this on the evening news as a human interest piece, highlighting my abuse, the fact that my landlord has forced me to endure bedbugs, and things like I've not had a working fridge in five years, it might actually cause my landlord far more harm than good. The reality though, as Future Mr NinjaCat has pointed out, is that if these people really want me out enough, they will eventually get me out. Furthermore, given what these people have put me through, all because they are passive aggressive shitbags, Future Mr NinjaCat doesn't really like the fact that I'm here and they might abuse me more. I think it will all blow over once they realize Ex Mr NinjaCat will not be returning, but others do not support my feelings there.

However, it puts me in a position where if I do find myself having to move because the courts of Portland decide against me (should it even reach a court room,) I would be smart to start downsizing my massive amounts of ritual supply on hand. With this in mind, I have a little offer for you all. I will give a free reading to anyone who purchases the regular seven day spell casting. Now you say "what if I get a reading, Cat, and I don't want the damn spell?" Well, then you just buy a reading. HOWEVER, if you decide you do want the spell, and you already purchased the reading, I will subtract the cost of the reading from the spell. Seeing as I have several weeks before anything hits a court room, none of this landlord debacle should affect anything. I'm just trying to downsize as being prepared is always well advised. I have a metric fuckton of ritual supply, and so I want to downsize to a quarter of a metric fuckton, as that is far easier to transport should I decide on moving.

You let me know if this is of any interest to you. I'm actually in pretty high spirits considering all of this, and my gut tells me I'm not leaving here for quite some time…and I always trust my gut, BUT it never ever hurts to make sure I have a plan in place if my gut is leading me astray. 😉

~Cat
It’s Texting, Baby

June 9, 2021

Hey Occulties,

Some of you have asked me this in the last year or so, and it's "Cat, is it alright to text you instead of using email?" My answer to this is yes, but a cautious yes. Why cautious? Because sometimes people confuse the fact that they can text me with that it means I'm instantly available.

Much like you, I have a life outside of work, AND much like many of you, I can't sit around texting when I'm actively working. This means if you blow up my phone when I'm, say, in a reading or at the dentist or even out to dinner with Mr NinjaCat, you're going to have to wait for my reply. 99% of people have no problem with that. I also have both an iPhone and iPad, so occasionally I find that people get "stuck" on one and I don't get the text hitting the other for some time. It's a weird glitch, but others with both devices have told me it happens to them. So, occasionally you'll text me and I won't even see it until I use whichever device your message hit.

It may also be easier for you to use WhatsApp or another service. I am on WhatsApp, so we might be able to do that. I warn you, however, my What'sApp is set to not deliver alerts. Why? Imagine, if you will, trying to hear a client while someone blindly sends 200 texts to you AND on an app that you need to use for international calls. Now imagine you have an iPhone 8 like I do, and you can barely hear anything already. If you think that sounds atrocious (and if you think it's time I get over my love of the home button and finally upgrade, haha,) you're right.

I still prefer email, but some people take soooooooo looooooooong to reply to even the simplest questions that it's not always the best means of communication. I DO need an email address from you for those times that I need to send you a novella.

THAT SAID…I DO NOT get on the phone except for PAID CALLS. Calling my business phone (which isn't my cell) is BAD, excluding if you have a SCHEDULED CALL. I may be on the phone with a client, I might be doing spellwork, Mr NinjaCat might be napping, and all sorts of other stuffs. You may be BLOCKED from sending me incoming calls if you call the business phone, or my cell phone unsolicited. Abusive texting is also not tolerated.

So, that's the policy. 🙂

~Cat
Sweet Justice!!

June 7, 2021

Good morning, Occulties,

So, I'm glad to have a client story to share this morning, and not only was it a welcome read (because Mercury decided to retrograde all over me before 9am, ha!) I'm even more grateful I was given permission to share. Names are all changed, of course.

Sometime around February, my client found that her soon to be ex had been maxed her credit card out by taking cash out…which is one of many reasons he's her ex. When she confronted Mr Jackass (not his real name) he replied that there was very little she could do about it as no court was going to uphold that he didn't have permission to use her credit cards as they had been together for 8 years, and he'd used them multiple times over 8 years without her ever complaining. Mind you, it wasn't as if she had a huge credit line, so what is it he had bought?

He had bought his side chick some new boobs is what he bought. 😛 And no, ladies and gentlemen, this wasn't reconstructive surgery after breast cancer – there is no hero aspect here, despite the cheating – it was that she was sick of being a B cup.

Understandably my client was livid. She had suspected the cheating, but wasn't sure, and now she was going to be paying off this girl's boobs because that cheating asshole broke up with her for "being such a bitch" about the money. Even worse, she wasn't the breadwinner to begin with, so technically, he could have paid using his own money, but now she's stuck with the bill and her household income is more than halved.

I've heard some crazy stuff in my day, but as you can imagine, this was inline to be one of the craziest damn things I ever heard. So she wanted her money back, and she wanted revenge. We started by breaking the "happy couple" up. This wasn't difficult. Ms Newbobies was not really too interested in my client's ex, but if he was dumb enough to spend all that money on her and get her new boobies, she wasn't going to say no. When he told her he might have to move in for a short time, Ms Newboobies didn't like that, and within a few weeks she had him move right out. Now Mr Jackass had very few options. His surviving parent lived three states away and he was an only child.

He tried to rent, but with the real estate boom, it was hard to find a rental. He was losing so much money on a hotel room that he wasn't really sure what to do, and mysteriously the hours at his job got cut back (it's not mysterious, we totally cursed him, haha,) and his friends, having heard all about Ms Newboobies, really didn't want him staying with them…they considered him (quite rightly) a thief. Finding himself friendless and alone, and with his resources rapidly dwindling, he reached out to my client and literally BEGGED HER to let him stay with her. Having seen the text messages, the man was clearly beyond desperate.

Of course, she didn't really want him around, because…well, um, look what he did. So she told him if he paid her credit card off, she would consider letting him stay. He told her he wasn't sure he could afford that, what with that he'd lost so much money but he'd see what he could do. So he sends her about half the amount. She says "Well that is only going to pay a third of what you owe because the interest is crazy when you take out cash on this card." He says he can't give her more because then he won't have enough to pay his hotel bill, but that he could pay her back if he just could stay with her.

Now at this point I suggest to her that she should have him put something worth money in her name as collateral. All we could think of was his car. So she tells him if he signs his car over to her – and it was a 2019 Lexus (I do not know the model) – then she will let him stay. Of course he balked at the idea, but she said she only wants it as collateral as he's done her dirty, and it's the only way she will believe he's sincere in paying her back. She has a car, but it's like a 2014 Ford of some kind, and so when he does sign over this Lexus to her, she says well OK, you can stay. I was surprised by this, but he comes back, and she doesn't speak much to him, but she lets him sleep on the couch. When he goes to take his car to work in the morning, she says no, you can take my Ford but I'm not letting you take my Lexus. He fusses with her, he argues, and she says "Fine, take the bus because if you take either car now, I'm going to call the police and tell them you are trying to steal my car."

Well, he took the bus, and when he comes into work they tell him they don't need him anymore. He's fired. At least that's what he told my client. We aren't sure but both agree he probably just quit or had been fired. 😛 He calls her from a nearby business and asks if she can pick him up and says he got fired. She asks why did you get fired? And he claims well because when he took the bus he was late so he got fired. She says she isn't about to let someone with no job stay with her. So after a fair amount of arguing, he spends the whole day looking for a job – any job, – and when he finally makes it home he swears he has a job…. at Taco Bell.

That's right, he's working at a Taco Bell according to him. This man had been working at a banking type job, and now he's serving you chalupas, so it wasn't exactly a step up. AND we weren't sure that he was working at Taco Bell.

She says, alright, and she lets him sleep on the couch. For about 2 weeks, he's coming and going and acting like he has a job. Meanwhile she's driving to her job in a shiny Lexus. Well, she gets a notice in the mail that the payment for that Lexus is due. She confronts him and says "This is your car loan, and why aren't you paying it?" He says well he doesn't make enough to pay it, and for all he cares they can come take that car since he wasn't getting to use it." So she tells him he can't take the Ford into work, and take the bus again.

Now he thinks she's just "punishing" him, and he goes on the bus that day. She had paid off her Ford so she sells the Ford before he even gets home. Now she's only got one car, and it's the Lexus…which he signed over to her. He about goes off the rails, so she kicks him out and gets a restraining order against him. Now he's got no car, and no place to live, and she's paid off that card with the money she made, and is driving around in a relatively new Lexus.

Oh, but it gets better…. After about a month of not hearing from him, a friend tells her that he's moved back with his surviving parent three states away, but not before telling anyone he could that his "crazy evil bitch ex" (my client) had destroyed his life, and he had nothing to show for it, not even the side piece he bought boobs for. So somewhere in around this time, Ms Newboobies reaches out to my client, and she says she feels badly because she found out that my client paid for her boobies, and that Mr Jackass had only "paid back maybe half" and she wouldn't wrong another woman. She sends her a check for $2000, which she admits is less than what was paid, but all she can spare, and hopes it will cover the difference.

So, my client came out with extra money, a Lexus, and my client's ex is destitute and jobless and moved three states away. Perfect!

That's one hell of a story. Thank you for letting me tell it!

~Cat
It Happens to Everyone Sometimes…

June 4, 2021

Hi Occulties,

So, this whole freakin week, I've been waiting for a long overdue check which quite frankly is very much needed…because, to be fair, when I'd spent the money it wasn't money I could spare, but I did anyhow because I needed to help out a loved one. As is all to often the case, money needed in an emergency takes approximately five-hundred forty-two million years to return, so it wasn't as if I was expecting it back incredibly quickly…yet it's late now, and no it's not a personal loan where I'm waiting on a friend, so I'm guaranteed it back. Every day I check the mail, and every day I am disappointed.

And that would be bad enough because who wants to be waiting on a long overdue check? But I started to notice something…the more I wait for that check, and the more I find myself anxious at it not arriving, the more my income has slowed.

As I'm not the kind of person to waste an opportunity, this is a nice little "law of attraction" (the real one, not the stupid thing so many of you think it is from reading pulpy nonsense on "manifesting,") lesson for us all.

Let's start with the law of attraction (it's more like laws, but, whatever,) is not "good thoughts bring good things, and bad thoughts bring bad things," like people seem to think. I've said to more than one of you that, for example, searching is often "rewarded" with more searching. This is why people seem to so often complain that when they look for love, they cannot find love, but then when they stop looking, love finds them. I can't say there is anything wrong with wanting to love someone and be loved, so I can't say it's very rewarding for the person searching to find this great love with just more searching, however their thoughts or intentions are likely not "bad" there…so their good thoughts and intentions did not bring them the desired thing. 😛 Because the law of attraction doesn't really care about what you think is good or bad any more than rain falling from the sky cares if you don't want to be wet.

The law of attraction is instead more like physics. If I drop a pebble on my floor it will sit on the floor. If I drop it into a stream it will fall in the water and make a ripple effect. Both are explained through the laws of physics. If I were to use modern books on the laws of attraction, they would do the equivalent of telling you if you say the pebble is bad it will bounce back and hit you in the face, but if you say it is good it will stick to your hand…neither of which is going to happen. If you drop this pebble, it falls, and the surface it falls on will react appropriately. With the law of attraction, you might get a few different reactions like attract to you, repulse from you, stagnate, mirrored action, etc. It's not really anything to do with "good" or "bad." In fact, fearing a thing is an attracting energy, and this is why I should really fear Jason Momoa showing up at my door butt naked with a bottle of vodka, as no doubt, then he would….but strangely, I just can't find the idea something I can fear. 🙂

So, back to the check… Here I am, knowing that I can cover a few outstanding bills when that check arrives….meanwhile the check hasn't come. As I've frequently told all of you, I can totally be zen about romance and love, but money is not something I'm easily at peace with, and I tend to think my money spells to death more than any other type of working. So with each passing day the check isn't here, I am wondering why it isn't here and getting more pissed about those bills I want to pay.

Again, this is a guaranteed check. While sure, it could be misdelivered, the truth of the matter is that it would still eventually arrive to yours truly.

So, you might compare this to with every passing day someone doesn't get their ex back, or that new job, or etc, they become more aggravated and anxious. With me, it's this fucking check. It doesn't matter if it's a spell or just you waiting for something, it's that MINDSET that is important. When I get angrier and angrier about NOT having it, and more and more anxious about the outstanding bills, and I look for it more and more and more…which is relevant as I am energetically drawing debt (what is unnerving to me) to myself, and simultaneously repulsing incoming money (that which I want but am increasingly aggravated by the absence of,) when in that mindset.

The easy answer to this is throw down some roadopening, relax, and wait. And it's not the wrong answer. It's an overly simplified answer, but it is correct. Until I do this, I am going to be REPELLING incoming money that IS NOT guaranteed like the check is. This means because I'm aggravated, I'm actually WORSENING my situation, because I get paid per sale, and that means less paying sales…. so it's in my best interest to put it all out of my mind.

Rather than do what most of my clients try to do and explain why it's perfectly normal to feel as I do, so I should just stop picking on myself, I am here telling you that I am doing absolutely the wrong thing by letting myself get anxious like this. Not only am I miserable, I'm prolonging my own misery, and I know that.

And I'm going to do exactly what I should. I know that the check is coming, and I don't need to know when. I can survive without out it and while the money was dear and I had to very much live as an ascetic when I'd parted with it a few months ago, I have since begun to recover. I can manage for longer without it. So, I'm not going to think about it. I'm not letting it "rent space in my mind." I'm going to be calm, relaxed, and light this roadopener candle, and just keep my focus on the business I have…and watch next week be stellar for business. You may all feel free to ask me. I've no doubt I will be so busy I can barely make time for people! :)

I want you all to see that no matter how long you've been spellcasting and bringing desired changes into your life, this mindset can come upon you and make your life miserable. It isn't easy to detach from, but if I can do it, so can you. And some of it does require you looking at your own behavior and thoughts and making an effort to turn things around.

The law of attraction isn't always your friend. Sometimes you get into a dark spot and find yourself making things worse because your energy is attracting the wrong stuff and repulsing the right stuff. When we become anxious and aggravated we push away the very things the lack of having is fueling said aggravation and anxiety. It's a nasty cycle to get caught in. Recognize it for what it is, try to calm yourself and reassure yourself, and watch your life change for the better.

~C
Occult/Spell Questions People Think Have a Simple and/or One-Size-Fits-All Answer that Do Not

June 3, 2021

Hey there, Occulties,

Today on Cat's Rants, I'd like to discuss some of my least favorite questions that people ask and then get all pissy when I answer them honestly. 😉 Why? Because they are not yes or no, or simple-answer responses, when someone wants things to be less complicated than that.

Q: What is the best/strongest spell for (money/reconciliation/love/communication/revenge, etc etc.)?

A: Quite possibly the most annoying question I get is the one that implies that there is one BEST SPELL for a specific basic need. I've been over this a million times on my blog, but there is no one single best spell ever in an entire category of spells. Like let's say "best love spell." This is a very non descriptive thing because what KIND of love spell is it? Is it to attract love, to keep love, to reconcile a lover, to entice sexual interest? I mean, I'm not even touching on all the sub categories under love spell there are, and then there are even sub categories to the sub categories, and in many cases sub categories to those categories. This is why if you see, say, "Love herbs" and someone lists about 20 herbs, this person is not being helpful to you or teaching you jack or shit. What one "love herb" does is quite important. So if balm of gilead is used in reconciliation for it's healing properties, then it's not going to do much for you if you try to use it to attract a new lover.

Spells is like saying "words." if you do not understand the meaning of a word just having seen a word won't mean you can use it properly. Similarly if you see "love spell" but you don't understand the specific trigger of how this spell works or what situation for which to apply it to, then it might not suit your situation.

So, with that in mind there is no specific best spell for all money needs, or for all revenge needs, or love needs, or blessing needs, etc., as without knowledge of a situation, and without knowledge of how specific spells work, then you can't just use a broad-purpose spell and think it's going to be the "best" for your situation, but then if I recommend x spell to you for getting a job, and you just think it's a "money spell," you may be disappointed when using it to get a raise, so which is the "best" or the "best one [I} know," is going to change with every problem you bring me.

This is why when you ask me what my best or strongest spell for x or y is, I just kind of sigh and ask what's going on. ;)

Q: If psychics are so psychic, why don't they always know everything that's about to happen? Are they really psychic?

A: While I can't answer as to whether or not a specific person claiming psychic ability is psychic without having some contact with that person, I can state that it is a hugely misunderstood thing. This seems to be a favorite of obsessives who probably believe they would spend every waking minute knowing what the next day would bring down to intricate detail when in my experience it's not that at all, and to try to do that would actually be incredibly exhausting and not worthy of the energy expended.

For example, when I am asked what someone is thinking RIGHT THIS SECOND, it's so rarely about my client, and often nothing of note that there is a great deal of disappointment. It might be thinking of needing a specific kind of grocery item. It might be thinking of a dog they saw on the way to work. It might be them rhyming two words. Sometimes it's difficult to discern as the person is zoned out. I expend a fair amount of energy to get that snippet of what someone is thinking "right now," and for no good reason much of the time. The information is of little or no value. So why would I do that constantly? Furthermore I have have the right mindset to do that, so if I'm in a heated argument with my own partner, trying to get what's going on in his mind at that moment is going to be quite difficult for me, so clearly, I'm not using it then. Ergo, I can read what someone is thinking, but to get a quick glance at that might not be useful for you, and the moments when it may be the most useful for myself, my own emotions may render me incapable.

BUT, other times it is quite useful to be psychic. I'll have a nagging feeling I need to do something or go somewhere or call someone, and it's right. I avoid danger, or I run into good fortune, or I help a friend when they need it most, etc. If it's incredibly clear – not just this sort of feeling or urge, then of course I follow through…but if it's mild and I ignore it, I tend to regret so doing. The misunderstanding is that I have some sort of clear image in my head all of the time of secret thoughts or like a video playing of what I'll see ten minutes from now, and that this somehow runs concurrently to my perception of things around me all of the time. Now, if that were the case, I'd be batshit insane. Because some of the problem is that time doesn't work that way. If I turn left instead of right when coming to an intersection, the outcome of the next five minutes will probably be different. I am not FORCED (see, free will) to choose one direction over the other, therefore the future is somewhat fluid. So, this means if I was constantly "feeling" what's about to happen as clearly as some of you think I do, I'd be feeling so many different outcomes happening at once, my brain would probably explode.

Also, it's very difficult feeling other people's feelings. When I was a younger woman, I had to learn to block a lot of it out, just because it's a very heavy load a lot of adolescents are carrying emotionally, and it could be overwhelming. I actually try to stay blocked off to some degree even today.

So, do things come through all of the time….yes, I think that's fair. Sometimes you pick up something that you weren't looking to find out – it is just "loud" and hits your frequencies. But for the most part, most psychics aren't looking at the future constantly or trying to read minds. We are trying to operate just like you. We also grapple with our own fears and hopes and dreams, and these can sometimes color our perception of what our psychic senses pick up. So if a psychic "didn't see something big coming" in their own life, a lot of factors can explain why, and it does not make them "not psychic."

Q: My spell still hasn't manifested. Did I do it incorrectly?

A: OK, well, that would come with a few questions to figure out if you did or didn't, so…

Assuming you did NOT do the spell correctly, I would need to know where you went wrong. Was it omitting a needed ingredient? Was it calling spirits you shouldn't be calling? Was it combining the calling of spirits from different traditions? Did you completely alter it in other ways? Were these alterations minor, were they major? The interesting thing is that even then, I know several stories of people making AWFUL mistakes (as in "what were you thinking?" type ones,) where they still got some result.

However, the next question is when did you do the spell? A lot of the time I get an answer like "Oh, like two days ago." I can't even begin to tell you how much I want to hit people when they say that. Look, spells don't often manifest overnight. So, if on the other hand, you say "Oh, like a month ago," I might be more interested in looking into seeing what the hold up is, 48 hours ago is not a large enough window for me to wonder if spell failure may be afoot.

Next I'd need to know if ANYTHING has happened. So, let's say I wanted a new job, and so I did a spell to get a new job in my field, and I've gone to several interviews, but still haven't been hired, even though I've had 2-3 callbacks for another interview. My spell may be MANIFESTING (that is, in the process of coming to be,) so it's not done working. That's hard for some people to understand. Sometimes things can even feel "backwards" – for example some years ago, I reconciled a couple where when the guy came back, he did it by picking a fight with my client because he was insecure that she'd been with someone else in his absence. Once he was satisfied she hadn't, he immediately calmed down and became a loving teddy bear and wanted her back. While I did not and do not defend that sort of behavior he showed towards her, obviously for an hour or so, she was absolutely flummoxed – this guy was acting like a real turd to her! It did not feel like reconciliation…and then, yep, it was. :P

Now if nothing really has happened, now I need to know how the petitioner has been acting, thinking, and feeling. Some people do the equivalent of breaking their leg (wanting to change a situation,) getting a cast (getting a spell cast,) and deciding the leg is now perfectly repaired the moment that cast is on, (the second the spell is cast that what they want is theirs and the situation is 100% changed as desired.) This isn't now this works. It's more like if you go mountain climbing and dancing with that newly-broken leg plus cast (act against the spell, engage in problem behaviors,) you're just going to make it worse. Sometimes bad actions are obvious – for example, trying to reconcile an ex, and then fighting with them. Sometimes they are less obvious…like lust for results. Realize this is a very important part of the process, and you'll need to be honest with yourself. I've totally fcked up my own work for myself just being an asshat before. 😛 It's OK. It happens to a lot of us. ;)

I wish this was an easy answer – that I could tell you, say "Oh, sure, yeah, you just forgot to add x ingredient" or "Oh, yeah, see you need to do that when the moon is in a water sign," but rarely is it ever that simple. 😛 Basically, you're giving me the "symptom" of several possible problems, and hopefully the only problem is impatience, but often it is more than that.

Q: Is Hoodoo the strongest magic ever or is it another kind?

A: It is the practitioner of the magic generally who is "stronger" than another practitioner in magic, and, plus, in my personal experience, practitioners tend to be really good at certain kinds of magic (like love work or curse work or court spells,) as well. So…while I'm not a huge fan of certain paradigms and find them dubious at best, I can't tell you that there is the "strongest" paradigm of spellcraft.

Q: My target is very religious/devout, – will that protect them?

A: Not necessarily, no…. I would instead say it's a factor that will influence how they react to the spell itself. So, let's say a person is interested in a same sex partnership with a target who might be bisexual but who feels, for religious regions, it's wrong to engage in homosexual urges, and therefore does not, – they only engage in heterosexual relationships. This means, even if they feel a strong attraction to someone of the same sex from the spell's influence, they probably won't give in, and even if they do, it's going to be emotionally harmful if they truly believe that God/dess/Spirits/Universe etc, is going to turn away from them now.

On the other hand, let's say you try to curse a person, and they call upon St Michael Archangel to defeat your curse, which is then rendered moot under his mighty heel. That could definitely happen….so it's not a "hard no," but rather that it's not necessarily the kind of defining factor in spell success in the way people think. It's often not an instant deflection (and if no harm is meant, there is a good chance it would not be deflected unless the target specifically calls upon a spirit or deity to do so), but rather an influencing factor on their reaction to spell influence.

Q: I want (specific event or thing or person), but after so much work, things will start going my way, but then won't happen…. Does this mean spells don't work?

A: The fact that ANYTHING is starting to go your way means that the spells are working. You know for years, I was very in love with someone who just was so stuck on something I'd done (not even to him) back more than a decade before (basically when I was 21, I cheated on my then boyfriend, and he knew about it,) to us seeing each other romantically. It wasn't entirely that, – he'd also had some experiences over those years which made him relatively paranoid about being cheated on or hurt which were entirely valid to be hurt over, but that he was just processing poorly (because they had also happened many years before), and were giving him some commitmentphobia. I would do work and I would get a result, and then he'd get scared and run off again. 😛 It wasn't my spells "not working," it was that a combination of factors existed that were preventing him from settling down, and sadly, the only thing that eventually made him process his own issues was me getting sick of his commitimentphobia and all the back and forth, and seeing someone else seriously instead of going back to him when he was ready to try again. It hurt him quite a bit to lose me, but now he's a lot happier and in a serious relationship with someone he seems to love very much. I'm glad he did get over his commitmentphobia, and while it's a pity that he couldn't do so in time to have something with me forever and ever, I never felt like my spells didn't work because we didn't end up together. In fact, there are no hard feelings, and I love him and wish him the best, even if I am not in love anymore. He gave me all he could but when I wanted him, he wasn't ready to be a good partner.

And maybe that's the problem you have, too. You want this specific outcome or person or thing, but the obstacles to that being as you want are preventing you from fully having it. The spells are doing their work, which is why you see SOME movement, but whatever obstacle is in your way, either you need to remove it, or if you can't or won't do so, you will find the spell falling short of your expectations. It's just that you have to realize SOME MOVEMENT means the spell is working. If it's then not fully bringing about the desired change, that's a sign to you to identify what obstacles are preventing that, not that your spells (or someone else's) don't work.

Hopefully that was enlightening. :)

~Cat

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