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

recent posts

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.

  • Non-Coercive, Straight-up Reconciliation

    Hey Occulties,

    In continuing with my last post regarding reconciliatory spellworkin's, today's article examines when is it the most-appropriate to use reconciliation without a drawing element (which would make it "return to me,") or a coercive/controlling element. As I've stated a number of times, it is a relatively common mistake to use this form of work on a very difficult case where the target would have myriad reasons to avoid returning to the petitioner (person who the spell is cast on behalf of,) so if you've been fighting like crazy, or have just been crazy in general (haha,) please try something a bit more intense on your situation than "straight-recon." ;) 

    There is, however, definitely a time and place for these kind of workings, – particularly BEFORE the proverbial shit has hit that proverbial fan entirely. AND if you use this spellwork at that critical time, you're going to save yourself a lot of stress and and work in the long run. For example, if Mr NinjaCat and I are fussing and fighting with each other, I would want to use this type of working before I have had too much of his BS, and tossed him out of the house. In a non-romantic sense, if a coworker was holding a grudge against me, this would be the perfect type of work to do to make my workplace harmonious once more. 

    See, the key here is that the person I wish to reconcile is still a part of my life, rather than no longer in my life. This is why "return to me" is a similar formula to "reconciliation," but has a "drawing" element, meaning it draws the person back into your life. In some cases, that drawing element being absent won't mean that the target won't return to you, but you want to be sure that if it is a possibility that they might forgive you but remain out of contact, that you would use "return to me" products.

    I think the most common spell for "straight up reconciliation" is the honey jar or sweet jar. While there are varying methods of creation for the sweet jar, the absolutely most simple one is to make up a name paper, pop it in a jar, pour sweetener in to fill it, and then put the lid on and burn pink candles on it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until the target has been reconciled. Likely the second most-common would be a seven day vigil light (or even just a pink candle,) dressed with just some reconciliation oil and perhaps a few herbs, like balm of gilead. This should have a similar effect to the sweet jar, – again, it just makes the target forgiving and dissipates anger.

    If you've found yourself arguing or on bad terms with a loved one, or with a coworker, try this kind of work before it reaches a point where the relationship is so damaged that something more severe is required to repair it (or it's past the point of repair.) It's generally very easy work to do (I've seen only a handful of cases where despite the target still being very much in the petitioner's life, the situation was pretty much beyond repair,) and will spare you the far more difficult work of drawing the person back to you, and/or even having to use more heavy-handed methods. 

    In my next article, (which is likely to be a fair bit longer,) I'll discuss "return to me" reconciliations. 🙂

    ~Cat

  • Reconciliation/Return-to-Me/Controlling Reconciliation – Which Is Right for You?

    Hey Occulties,

    So it may surprise you, but for almost 2 months (I think – hard to say as it changes the date each time I hit save,) I have been writing the same post. It's not that it's exceptionally long, (not at all,) but rather that I had some family stuff to deal with, and now I just feel badly for not finishing it and sit here and stare at it with a sad face when I do sit down to try to compose that article again. Sooo, maybe I should just write something else, as that is apparently causing quite the writers block problems for me. 😛

    So today I'd like to discuss working controlling-type reconciliation on another party. This has come up a lot at my job recently, and so I feel it's time to revisit the topic. 

    When we think of reconciliation, some people will think this just means bringing a target back into a relationship with the target expressing desire to make amends and with them behaving themselves as the petitioner (person for who the spell is cast on behalf of,) would want. This isn't exactly right. Reconciliation spellwork, at its core, is more or less that the target forgives the wrongdoing or hurtful action of the petitioner. It doesn't mean they will want a romantic relationship again, or even return, but they will no longer hold resentment and anger towards the petitioner. Now, in at least a third of requests, that forgiveness would mean that the target would seek the petitioner out and try to rebuild their romantic relationship. HOWEVER, there are plenty of cases of novice spellcasters who do not use Return to Me type spellwork (to draw the person back with the intention of rebuilding the romantic relationship,) or controlling-type reconciliation methods, but just "straight up" reconciliation, who find themselves with their beloved ex to be completely non-resentful towards them…while also not interested in ever dating them again. :P 

    This is why I suggest using RETURN TO ME type products to draw the target to you. Return to me (if you're using oil/incense/powders,) contains element/s added to draw the target back to the petitioner. HOWEVER, sometimes in these cases, the damage of the break up is so incredibly terrible that this method, while it still brings SOME results, can fall flat of expectations.

    The next step is generally controlling-type reconciliation, of which obsession and intranquility methods fall under. Not every case is well-suited to this kind of working, and, in my humble opinion, not everyone casting a spell, or every petitioner/case is well-suited for it either. If you're nervous, obsessive, and impulsive, you're a wonderful target for this kind of working, but would be a difficult petitioner. If you're the stoic type, you're a terrible target more often than not. 😉 People who always have to feel like they are "the boss" of every situation can be bad targets for this kind of working… In other words, this is not a solve-all. If you're not practiced at casting spells for yourself or others, you may wish to seek out a professional's advice before proceeding…though in my novice days, I did love experimentation, and, honestly, that spirit of wanting to "try and see," is something that has been of great value in my later days. To those with no caution and lots of guts, I tip my hat to you for keeping that spirit alive. 😉

    How do you know which you would need for your case? Generally speaking, straight reconciliation works wonderfully in situations where the relationship has not broken. If you're fighting with a spouse or partner and you're starting to feel things sour, but are still together (even if you're hanging by a thread), this is a wonderful time for straight reconciliation. If the person has left and you want them to return to you, it's a good time for "return to me," type workings. If all else has failed (or if you feel it's all really, really, really messed up,) then try controlling type reconciliation. 

    Now as a note, every once in awhile, I will get the person who just had to go and scare themselves by running all over the internet and reading anything "bad" they can find about a particular working. Then I will get a flurry of emails or texts about how using obsession is evil and scary and bad things will happen. Well, I mean, I did read that Tylenol is just terrible for the liver, and yet if you hand me one when I have a headache, I do not immediately presume that I will turn yellow and keel over from liver failure on the spot. 😉 Think of obsession type workings as similar…they can have a side which is bad (albeit A LOT LESS SO THAN THE RIDICULOUS BULLSHIT ON THE INTERNET,) but if used properly, they are immesurably valuable in bringing back a lover after a great amount of damage has been done. I have NEVER seen someone become suicidal or deeply mentally-deranged from this kind of working. I have seen obsessive/possessive behaviors crop up (especially in targets who have these tendencies naturually,) and become somewhat annoying, so that is a risk if your target is a jealous, obsessive, or insecure person. I have seen targets become very overwhelmed by a sense of regret and guilt to the degree that they became far more emotional than my petitioner had previously seen, but would add that I do try to check for a known history of depression or anxiety type disorders in a target before moving ahead with this type of working. I have never seen spirits fly out of hell and torment a petitioner or target, and the only places I see people say anything so silly does seem to be either people with NO EXPERIENCE IN SPELLCASTING making things up on message boards, or from workers who are against this type of working trying to scare off people from using it. :P 

    ~Cat

     

  • Now Accepting…

    Hey kids,

    Just a quick note to all of you who have kept asking me for it – I now accept Venmo and CashApp, as long as the price is under a certain amount. ☺️

    ~Cat

  • Maintaining a Harmonious Relationship

    Hello Occulties!

    As I'd said the other day, there have been several clients and readers reporting struggles in their EXISTING relationships (so NOT former, and NOT desired/never together,) most-likely due to the retrogrades we recently experienced. This working could also benefit relationships that have had long-standing difficulties, however…

    Please keep in mind that no spell is likely going to give a lasting fix for an existing problem that arises from severe mental illness or from a personality disorder UNLESS the person/s with said mental illness or personality disorder are working on overcoming this issues at the same time. If you're concerned that you or your partner have these issues (or you're aware that either of you do,) and you are not working with a doctor/therapist to overcome these issues, (and just being presumptive, but the afflicted party refuses to address said issues or seek medical help,) I recommend trying work to get them into treatment OR just keeping in mind that you will have to frequently re-apply this type of spellwork (which actually may help you get them into treatment.) Mental health is just as important as physical health, so if you or your partner are experiencing some severe issues, don't hesitate to speak to a doctor.

    I personally think this spell is a very easy one to do, so it should work for even beginners! 🙂

    On to some spellwork! 🙂

    You will need:
    1 pink "marriage" or "couple" candle (good for heterosexual relationships,) OR 2 pink figural candles* representing the genders of the couple (So 2 male figural candles, 2 female figural candles, or even a male and a female if you can't find a pink "marriage" candle or couple candle.)**
    A medium to large-sized bowl (Preferably fully white, or a copper bowl,)
    Chuparosa oil
    Pink rose petals (fresh)
    Olive leaves (fresh or dried)
    Water (preferably from rain or a river)
    Table sugar (just regular old granulated white sugar)

    Set the candle/s to represent the couple. I have some instructions here, or contact me for more info about this. Anoint the candle/s with Chuparosa oil UP (base to wick) using 7 strokes of your right hand. If using 2 candles, you should tie these FACE TO FACE using a braided cord if possible. Sprinkle the candles with sugar. Using a separate candle, drip some hot wax into the bottom of your bowl and secure the candle/s to the bottom of the bowl with this wax. Now pour your water in to fill the bowl about 2-3 inches deep (if your candles are sort of small, you want 5/6ths of the candle at least above the surface), and put some rose petals and olive leaves into the water (they don't have to be dunked, just floating about is good.)

    Place this on your altar. Take a few moments to bring to mind the couple represented (whether this is yourself and your partner or another couple,) and try to envision them peaceful, happy, harmonious, and serene together. If it is difficult for you to visualize, you can also place an image of the couple on the altar near you to aid you. When you have a very clear image of the couple in a loving harmonious embrace, light the candle/s, and say***:(Full name of person 1,) in love and in happiness I join you heart in heart, mind in mind, and hand in hand to (Full name of person 2,) and in so doing, I draw away anything that may push you apart. (Full name of Person 2,) in love and in happiness I join you heart in heart, mind in mind, and hand in hand to (full name of person 2,) and in so doing, I draw away anything that may push you apart. Olives keep peace between you always, roses nurture and grow the bonds of love and devotion between you, and may the waters always quickly cool any anger and argument between you. As is my will, so be it!" Allow the candles to burn out. When they have pour off the water and strain out any herbs, then sprinkle the water on your front doorstep (or by the front door of your residence, which may be the door to an apartment or rented room,) and upon your bed. 

    This should make your relationship (or the relationship you had worked on) become more harmonious, peaceful and loving. 🙂

    ~Cat

    *If at all possible, braid light blue, green, and pink ribbons and tie the figures together with this braided cord when using figural candles. 
    ** If you know of a distributor who makes marriage/couple candles in same-sex-couple models, please let me know so I can also inform my readers! 🙂
    ***In the hopes of being all-inclusive, in traditional couples, the male, then the female would be named in that order. For gay and non-gender-binary couples, I would say petitioner first, then the other. 

  • Some News! :)

    Hey Occulties,

    While I'm glad Merc retro is over for now, it is still in a shadow period (so can still effect everyone,) til the 26th of this month. Ugh. Mercury retrograded all over me, so I hope everyone is doing a touch better. 

    A few business-based things:
    I'm still playing catch up with some email/messages. If you've been waiting for my reply for more than THREE BUSINESS DAYS (Monday-Friday are business days,) please let me know ASAP. Most replies are going out in 24 hours or much less, HOWEVER, iMessage is NOT the quickest way to reach me currently. :/ The problem with texting (iMessaging) me is that you have to contend with my friends and family, and that can mean I have 42 messages, of which five are business messages, and I have to get through 36 messages to get yours. 😉 Email tends to be more condensed, and so I get a lot of info in one email, and therefore even if I had 35 different clients email me on the same day, I can prioritize and categorize easier with an email system, and reply faster. 

    Payment is due in full prior to the service being performed. I've tried to be VERY UNDERSTANDING during COVID season, but I really need to pay my own bills, too. Please keep this in mind before you ask me for the umptillionth time if I can give you a payment plan. If I've never dealt with you before, I can't. If I have, I might offer this, but not in a habitual way (so not every time you make a purchase.) MOST people are actually fabulous about this. I'm not calling out anyone for being irresponsible, but I am saying that it's getting out of control and it's against my business rules to pay in this way as is. 

    And lastly, as my readers often know but some of my clients forget – SPELLS ARE RARELY INSTANTANEOUS IN MANIFESTATION. They can be close to being so, but if you're complaining that I started that damn spell 2 days ago and you're still not happy with your life, you don't really understand spellwork, and it's pretty normal for two days to go by with no change. 😉 Your "time frames" on any spell should not be assumed to be instant BUT if you contact me, I can generally give a ballpark figure to what time frames you should expect. Please do not hound me hourly/daily with updates about how nothing has happened in the last five minutes, but you'll let me know five minutes from now if that's changed, etc. It's very disruptive to everyone and slows my reply times. I will gladly redirect you as to realistic expectations, and that is not me trying to be "mean" anymore than someone telling you that you need an oil change on your car is them trying to be mean. :P 

    And some NEW SPELL NEWS:
    Several months ago, I started reworking a formula I'd made to expose liars as the liars they are. This made some interesting results which actually have led to a new formula which is independent of that which I am trying to improve. I call it "Inferno of Insanity" and it's as mean as it sounds…or so I think it is as it's not easy to find people who want me to work on anyone in such a dark manner. And honestly, I'm fine with that. HOWEVER, since it would probably be 20 years or more before I even found 2-3 personal targets to use it on (I'm secretly a sweet pushover,) please know if I approve your curse request (again, I do not approve of most of them, because I'm just not that mean,) and you accept to allow me to use this formula in your working, it will discount the price of the overall spellwork. If curious, let me know. 🙂

    Thanks to 2020 just making people very angry and cranky, I also have a really great improved formula for making someone hate their ex forever and ever. You know that ex that your partner just thinks so fondly of that it drives you bananas (especially if you're quarantined with them, apparently, haha,) – this will make them entirely sour on that person. It also works great if your friends are all friends with someone you hate, or you just want people close to someone you hate to really dislike them. I call it "Bitter pill." It's still in the testing process so please let me know if you want me to use it in work you purchase from me, and I will of course reduce the cost for beta testing the formula for me. I actually find 99.9% of people talking bad crap about me to be hilarious, and I don't care if my partner loves any of his exes, so it's great to have test subjects. 

    Of course not all of my formulas in testing are dark in nature. 😉 Keep in mind, it's much easier to find situations where people want to heal, want love, want affection, so I've reworked these enough times that I rarely revisit them to do so again, as they are pretty damn perfect. BUT quarantine gave me a surprising spike in "my partner isn't on the mood to have sex" cases (maybe from pandemic depression?) and what's interesting here with lust type works is that too much lust can sometimes cause pettiness, anger, agitation…not so good in a pandemic quarantine shitshow, right? So I created a new formula to reignite lust (so sexy hot feelings,) while also making it sweet and romantic and comforting. It isn't really so much a love oil, as much as a "make love" oil, rather than a "Let's f*ck right now" oil. Preliminary results are promising, but I do need some test subjects. I've not really given it a name yet. 

    Lastly, in less than happy news, the 24 hour weekend specials are canceled. I just wasn't getting the interest I should. 1 or two purchases isn't worth the discount. I end up losing money unless it's closer to 7-8 people buying or more. :/ Sorry if that's bad news for you.

    Alrighty, so I will try to get some educational articles up soon! Thanks for reading!

    ~Cat

  • Now That Venus Retrograde Is Over…

    Hey there lovies,

    While some of you did miss a good reconciliation opportunity with Venus Retrograde, I know many others had new and existing relationships messed up by said retrograde. As we still have many planets in retrograde (because 2020 is fun like that,) I know some of you still are struggling to repair what damage was done to your existing relationships during the retrograde, and so I’m going to offer some spells for that this week on the blog (so you can repair it yourself.) I’ll also offer 10% off on all love spells purchased from today through to Wednesday (quarantine has not been kind to me either, so all sales are limited.)

    In the meanwhile, remember, sweet jars are easy to make, and work fabulously when you want to calm arguments and sour feelings between you and your loved one.

    ~Cat 

  • The Rat-Skull Experiment – a humorous outcome

    Hey there occulties,

    Have you ever dealt with a situation where you knew someone was talking badly, but you just couldn't quite pinpoint who? A few years have passed since this experiment, but needless to say, it worked, – and quite quickly. 

    A little background is needed… I was acquainted with a person who would always tell me I did this or that thing, or said this or that thing (always a hurtful action, and nothing I was guilty of,) and that they had proof because someone they refused to name had told them as much. As I'm not one to deny doing something controversial or upsetting IF I did such a thing (because I won't admit to doing something I did not do, but if I did it, I'll own up,) nor am I one to say something bad and not admit I had said it if I am confronted, this was a puzzle. I was doing nothing hurtful and not saying any thing hurtful. Was this a problem where the acquaintance as imagining the wrong-doing on my part and blaming the accusations of said wrong-doing on a non-existent witness against me…or was there really someone saying all of this. I mean, I had to get to the source, because either situation was not really acceptable. Clearly either my friend was making up stories about me, or someone else was, and without knowing which was the case, I would have to uncover the antagonist using magic.

    I procured the skull of a rat (you can actually get this item at a place like Skulls Unlimited,) and, removed the wax from the head area of a figural candle (I used a male candle in this case, as I was 99.9% I was dealing with a man,) placing the skull which I'd stuffed with a special blend of herbs to make someone talk and a small slip of paper with a command inside on top of the "headless" figural to act as the head of the candle. I wrote "expose yourself to me" on the skull of the candle with a sharpie as well. I placed this item into a tray filled with sand and surrounded it with 9 candles, each with the command "expose yourself" inscribed up (base to wick,) and anointed up in commanding oil. I did a chant to specify what I wanted to happen (I made it up on the fly, so I can't recall the exact chant now,) and allowed the candles surrounding the "Rat man" to burn out. 

    About a week or two later, I was at a bar that myself and many friends would frequent, and, as happens in a bar, I had to use the restroom because I'd had about 3 drinks. 😉 As it so happens, I open the door to the bathroom, and I got a full view of a particular male patron who was a friend of mine. He actually turned a bit, which clearly exposed his man parts. I apologized and closed the door. As is common enough in more than one place in Portland, there was one toilet for ladies, and one for gents, but there is literally ONE TOILET (no stall,) for each, so basically if yours is taken, you just lock the door even if in the "wrong gendered" bathroom, and no one gives a hoot. This is a common enough thing to happen, so I thought nothing at all of it – someone just forgot to lock the bathroom door. Then it happened a second time. Then it happened a third. In the same night. Mind you, I'm not watching this person for when they go to the bathroom, and the second time, I had tried the gentleman's bathroom, so it's not like he's running into the ladies' bathroom to expose himself to women. 

    As I sit down at the bar after this third exposure, the person who I'd walked in on goes up to me and says "Look, if you're trying to see if I'm texting (friend,) I'm not. I figured (friend) would tell you what I said, and that I said it. I was really drunk both times. I'm sorry, I know that I went overboard." Aha! The rat has now been exposed FIGURATIVELY as well as 3 times quite literally! 

    So, I got to not only confront my accuser, but see his man bits (to which I had not ever desired to see said parts in my life.) The spell was a success, however, I clearly needed to adjust the working if I tried it again, if not just to spare myself from undesirable nudity. 😉

    I hope that gave you all a smile,

    ~Cat

  • The Planets Must Be Crazy

    Hey there, my lovies,

    So, as you may have heard/read, SIX planets are retrograde at the moment. That's right…SIX. Holy moly! As if 2020 hadn't been unkind enough to us all, right? Well, perhaps, and perhaps not. Remember, there is an upside to retrograde, as it is a time to revisit that which falls under the sphere of influence of each planet. So, this is why Venus retrograde, for example, can be great for getting your ex to come back to you, or why Mercury retrograde can actually create a situation where you re-establish communication with a loved one who you no longer speak with. 105357327_2733211696892522_5281603813518576847_n
    The above is not my image (I don't claim ownership,) and since I don't ascribe to the idea of karma (the only Karma I believe in is Karma Zain,) clearly I'd not use "karmic events" in anything I'd produce, but this will show you what is CURRENTLY retrograde as of June 22, 2020. I'm also not really sure of the effect of Pluto in astrology as both it's discovery and it's inclusion are relatively recent events. 

    So, keep this in mind…I want all of you to be extra careful with your spellworkings and with making any large decisions for the next few days, OK? If you're looking to cast a spell for most any reason, the desired sphere of influence could very likely be in this retrograde. Again, that could be beneficial if you want to revisit from the past, but detrimental if you're relatively new to spellwork, and desire NOTHING from your past to be in your life now. 😉 Past "things" aren't just people or places, they are also attitudes, and feelings, and intangible ideas. 

    Best wishes,

    ~Cat

     

  • Questions You’ve Asked Me: June 2020 Edition

    Hey everyone,

    I hope you all had a lovely weekend, (and Monday, if that's even possible, haha), but even if you didn't, here I am with another installment of QUESTIONS YOU'VE ASKED ME, everyone's favorite type of article. I apologize if any of these are repetitive – I get a lot of similar questions, and I've been writing this blog for 16 years now, so it happens. 😉

    Q: What is the best way to deal with an ex that you did reconciliation magic on, who came back – only for you to realize, you don't want them back, and you made a mistake? My ex won't stop bothering me now – HELP!

    A: Honestly, what you should do is just tell this person while you were initially curious if it could work out, you're not interested in dating them again (or continuing to date them again, depending on the situation,) as you are now sure it could never work out. Being direct, and making it more "your fault" (example "I do not feel this will work, I am not interesting in pursuing a romantic relationship further," not "You're impossible to date, and I forgot what a jackass you are,") and not taking personal jabs at them is going to make most people just quit trying to be with you. 

    But let's say you've tried that (and if you haven't, try that first,) and this person just won't leave you be. What do you do then? Well, you can wait it out. Most people get sick of being rejected shortly, and just letting their desires for you dry up on their own is cheaper and requires little energy, or you could do work to make them lose interest, work to make them get outta your life (for example, you see them frequently as your paths cross,) work to totally obliterate those loving feelings in them for you (remember that this is permanent, though, and sometimes that isn't exactly what people want,) work to make them fall for another, – there are a myriad of solutions. I know someone will want to know what I personally would do, and I would say 9 times out of 10, I'll just let them get sick of chasing me around and being rejected – and I will be certain to flatly reject them outright, because like I'm always telling you all, clear communication is the key to most personal relationships (romantic or otherwise.) 

    I also get people complaining that an undesired ex is "social media stalking" them, although this person is not actively engaging them in any conversation, or trying to keep up a strong friendship. While this would bother me not one bit (really,) it drives other people bananas. Look, you're not obligated to remain social media friends with someone after dating. If it really creeps you out, remove them. If you really can't deal with an ex, you can even block them after so doing. I don't generally condone this (I enjoy being friends with the vast majority of my exes, and it's also proven to be beneficial that I stayed friends with them in more than one case,) but if someone is really making you creeped out, you would not be alone in unfriending/unblocking after a break. Some people have that as their standard. 

    Q: I have no real talents I can think of, and I have very little (to no) real education – can I benefit from success or money magic?

    A: I suspect everyone has some talent, and even those that have very little have something they could do to make money (albeit it may be an undesirable job,) so I think technically, yes, everyone could make more money and more opportunities could arise for you, it just might not be opportunities that you personally want. 

    That said, I also think most of us (the vast majority,) have some talent that we could put to good use. Perhaps what is really needed here is a brainstorming session AND a bit more self-confidence….although I realize I sound like a Hallmark Card saying as much. 😉 Maybe you're not made to be a surgeon or a ballet dancer (I certainly lack the grace and dexterity for both, in my personal opinion,) but you can still make a good living doing something that you have skill in. People skills and organizational skills are actually really valuable assets in business. If you have one or both of those traits, you can use them to your benefit. If you are good at fixing things or repairing things, this is also a valuable skill, and there are a lot of people who ARE NOT good at those things who would hire you for your skill. So what if you can't sing or you don't have the looks to be a model, and so what if you don't have a PhD – you can still be good at something, excel at it and make money doing it. :) 

    The protocol here for you if you feel like you have no talent, and you don't have an education is to think VERY REALISTICALLY about what you can do (so no "I'd be great as president of a foreign country that most people have never heard of!") and try to suss out an idea of how you can apply your skill set to a job – and trust me, you probably have a lot more skills and opportunities than you realize. Now, once you've done that and you have an idea of what you can do and would like to do, THEN do the success magic. 

    Q: How can I make an emotionally-remote person open up? 

    A: While I can't say this for certain – some people are naturally just more-reserved, – many people are emotionally-remote as a self-defense mechanism. So, while you could "open them up," and make them more emotionally-demonstrative, you might also open-up an emotional jar of cockroaches you never did want to open up. :/ If someone is reticent about their past, I understand a curiosity as to why this is, and possibly it is something that you should know, but in saying as much, it might also be something pretty deep that this person is uncomfortable sharing, and for good reason. I have heard before instances of someone telling their partner of a few short weeks that they were molested as a child, for example, only for the partner to bring it up without thought around others, or even make jokes about it. Ugh! So, this person may have told others of their experiences before, and had such action blow up in their face. It makes sense that, since so doing, they kept whatever made them "emotionally-remote" to begin with close to their heart. 

    Perhaps this person also had a long experience of people abandoning them, or not being emotionally-available to them in their youth. I mean, again, it's often a self-defense mechanism. This isn't something that will go away easily. You might suggest that they see a counselor if you feel it is impeding their well-being. You could do healing spellwork on them to help with this, and they may become a little less stoic if you do.  

    Because, lovies, here is the thing, – you can really really really really bring out something that someone can't handle (or you can't handle) if you just do work to make them open up to you emotionally (so be careful if someone is a bit stony and unemotional when doing that kind of work,) to the degree that I have seen people have to spend time in psych wards because someone who just wanted their boyfriend (usually, less-often their girlfriend) to unvault all of their secrets and tell them all and be so open with them and used spellwork to make it so. 

    It could also be that this person is not READY to be open and show their sensitive side because they just haven't gotten to the point that they feel that close to you. In these cases, try using love drawing magic and communication magic together to help speed this process. Again, you might be opening a jar of cockroaches you never wanted open, but that's on you. 😉

    Lastly, keep in mind, some people are just wired to be this way. :/ Using work to make them more expressive and to tell you more of their secrets will not make you feel any closer, because nature made them an emotionally-remote douche. I've come across a few of these in my lifetime (both dealing with clients and in my personal life,) where there is absolutely no reason they "Shut down" and never came back…they were always shut down. 

    Q: I lent a friend money, I helped him out in many ways, and now he's being rude and abrupt with me and trying to end our relationship because he owes me so much – what spells can help me here?

    A: Ah, I know this type too well. 😛 OK, the "normal" way I get people to pay back money-owed is through intranquility-style work (yeah, that's right, kids, it's not just for bringing back your ex,) but the type you have described to me is a poor candidate for that to be effective in many cases. You have a few options, but I guess my personal gold-standard would be to curse the person terribly until they repent and give me all money-owed (no one of this ilk is like to repay your favors which are not financial,) which might just mean they are horribly cursed, and let's be fair – that's pretty deserved from the sound of it. If someone borrows a ton of money, and then, ASSUMING YOU ASKED FOR IT BACK NICELY, they tell you fuck you and you're a bad person, then they are not a good person. If I lent you money, and asked for it back (I would not be rude,) I would expect you to just nicely tell me that you don't have it, and could I wait awhile longer, assuming again, that is the reason you won't pay. Heck, even if someone can pay you back and just doesn't want to (it happens), a little politeness goes a long way. To be fair, if I lent you, say, $500 (not a huge or small amount there,) and you said you'd pay me back in a month, then when that time comes, you just say "Cat, I don't have it," even if you gave me $50, that's in good faith that you can pay me back, and I'd still appreciate it a lot. I know people who would get mad and tell the friend that they loaned money to that this is unacceptable (and I get it, kids, I really do – I've totally been screwed over by someone who SWORE they were paying me back in full in a few days,) but remember, that defensiveness can actually be detrimental in getting your friend to repay you. Try remaining calm, and offering a payment plan if the money is dear. ALSO, remember my cardinal rule (which I've regretted the few times I've broken it,) of lending money – never lend anything you can't spare. :P 

    That said, there is always that douche canoe that just decides not paying you back EVER, and pretending that you're the bad guy (when you weren't even mean,) and ending your friendship is easier than paying you back. My first experience of this was in college where a friend of mine owed me TEN FREAKING DOLLARS (that's it!) and ended our friendship over that amount. I'd asked the day he got paid, very nicely, if he had my $10, and yep, he told me off. That was the inglorious end to a 4 year friendship. 😛 BUT, assuming the person who is being asked about had borrowed A LOT OF MONEY, then look, they never intend on paying you back if they are being rude and you've been nice about it, and if they are trying to end the relationship, then the sad thing here is, they have probably convinced themselves that you don't deserve to have the money anyhow. This means making them "Feel badly," isn't going to work in a lot of cases. The problem here is, a lot of people are just serial assholes. It's unfortunate but true. HOWEVER, if you use cursing to make everything blow up in their face until they pay you back, they are at least getting "paid" for not paying you back. I also think the energy of this kind of working actually motivates the person to do whatever you wanted them to (because subconsciously I think they pick up that they are being cursed until they do.)

    For my more tender-hearted readers, you might also try suing this person civilly (I'm assuming it's a great deal of money) and using justice and court work to get the courts to award you (and mandate them) your money back. You can also try reconciling the friendship, but I would bet you a whole shiny new nickel that you're going to find they want you to forgive the debt to reconcile, ugh.

    Of course, you can also use intranquility work to make them pay you back, just in my experience, this type isn't going to fold because they really don't experience guilt.

    Q: I recently moved, and would like to make new friends, but most of what I can find is about hooking up, and I'm not looking for romance (or sex) – is there spellwork for this?

    A: Yes, there is! 🙂 I think if you look WAAAAAAY back in my archives, there are a few spells on the blog you can use, but I also find using sweet pea scent (so this isn't really a spell, but use it with intention and it sort of kind of is,) attracts people like flies – and no, not just for romance. 😉 I'm also a HUGE FAN of Dara of Hoodooroots.com fame's "Magnetic Attraction" to attract friends (use it on an orange candle, and make the command to attract friends to you,) but failing that, even just plain old "attraction oil" will work. 🙂 You can also work a honey jar (burning orange candles on top on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and making yourself the target (so your name 7 times,) and crossing it with "Everyone is drawn to me, seeking my friendship," seven times. Also, if you use rose petals, swap them out for passionflower. I don't know why this is, but passion flower is actually better for friends than it is for passion. 

    It really is a common thing to be seeking, so don't feel badly if you want to attract new friends. People are social creatures, but not everyone is a social butterfly by nature.

    Alright kiddos, that's enough for your old friend Cat today. If you need help (or want me to cast a spell for you, or do a reading for you,) you know where to find me!

    ~Cat

    Follow Me on Twitter!

  • Getting the Amorous Attention That You Desire

    Hey occulties,

    You know what happens when people become depressed? A lot of the time, apathy is what happens. Of course, apathy rarely ever solves anything. I like to think of magic as being like that big beam of hope that can wake us all out of the "I could give a fuckall if I even get out of bed, much less solve my problems," funk that many of us can fall into. So are you ready to get out of that funk and get down with your badass selves? Good. Let's do some magic. 

    Today's offering is for those of you who are like "Damn straight, I want out of this boring no-people, all Netflix all the time, always wearing my pajamas nightmare," (aka quarantine,) and will help direct attention to you now that many of you can be out and about. 🙂 It's really a very simple spell to do, and because I love those candle spells so much, it's one of them.

    You will need:
    A white bowl*
    A red candle 
    Red rose petals
    Spring water**
    Magnetic Attraction oil (or similar)***
    A pen with green ink
    A scrap of paper with all of the edges torn off

    Using your pen with green ink, write your (or the target's) name seven times, like this:
    Firstname Lastname
    Firstname Lastname
    Firstname Lastname
    Firstname Lastname
    Firstname Lastname
    Firstname Lastname
    Firstname Lastname

    Now, turn the paper, so that the names are running vertically, and write horizontally the command seven times (similar to the above,) "All eyes are drawn to me, all who see me desire me," seven times. If working for another person, replace "Me" with their name. This should sort of resemble a grid. Spit into the center of the paper, fold this in half TOWARDS YOU, then fold this in half again TOWARDS YOU. Place this beneath your bowl. Anoint your red candle UP (base to wick,) using a few drops of Magnetic Attraction oil and seven pulls of your right hand (while envisioning yourself or your target looking gorgeous and surrounded by sparkling red and pink energy). Now light this and allow a few drippings to fall into the bowl and secure the candle snugly using this melted wax. Pour some spring water into the bowl to fill it about halfway, then add red rose petals. If your candle has been extinguished in the middle of these steps, relight it now. Place your hands on either side of the bowl, keeping the vision of yourself (or your target) looking absolutely as sexy as can be, and surrounded by a pink and red sparkly energy, and say (again, replace pronouns and etc when working for another,): "All eyes on me, all desire me. All are drawn to me, and want to be near me. I am the diamond in the sand, the brightest star over all the land. Lovers and friends come to me. Drawn like moth to a flame, come to me, filled with love and desire, as is my will, so be it!" Allow the candle to burn out (generally the water extinguishes it), and when it does, anoint the name paper with a bit of the water, hiding it in a place near your front door where it will not be seen. Pour the water into a container, and splash a bit of it on you before you go out.****

    See, how easy! I'm sure there will be questions, so feel free to ask! 

    ~Cat

    *OK, TRY to get a white bowl. If it has a design on it but is white stoneware that is the second best thing. If it's colored, avoid brown or black. 

    **Spring water can be bought at many stores, but I guess if you REALLY CAN'T (be honest with yourself) get spring water (which I don't believe), then you're going to use tap water anyhow and there isn't much I  can do about that. It won't work as well. 😛

    ***This formula is available through Hoodooroots.com, but if you can't or won't get this please get real COME TO ME oil (not the cheap fake stuff,) from a respectable seller.

    ****This water will get stale after awhile. Please use it soon after doing the spell.

    Copyright OriginalNinjaCat, all rights reserved. I do give a reward for catching plagiarists, so please let me know if you see one! 🙂