Hey there lovies,
Well, it's snowing like crazy over here today, which means I'm definitely not going anywhere unless I have to. 😉 So, I figured, since it's been awhile, it would be nice to do a Questions You've Asked Me article. I hope you all enjoy it. 🙂
Q: Does it work better to cast a spell on someone you are geographically closer to (or live with,) than it would to work on someone who lives far away?
A: If I'm going to just give a black and white answer, I'd say having access to your target (so that they would come into contact with an item or pass nearby to it,) is going to work FASTER, which might be better in some people's minds, means that proximity might actually make that a better situation to work on rather than remotely working (working where you have no physical contact or geographic proximity to,) on a target. Example: I put some hot foot powder in front of a bad neighbor's door, vs I light a hot foot candle to work on the same bad neighbor. The first is more likely to have speedier results. That said, either working should still have very similar results in manifestation, albeit one is likelier to work faster than the other.
Keep in mind, it is only relatively recently that many of us could travel quickly to places which are now, perhaps, a thirty minute or hour's drive away. A century ago, it would not be strange for you to be born, live your whole life, and die in the same community, and even if you did relocate, you still would likely have targets who would be people who lived in your community. Having a telephone isn't exactly a brand new thing, but even 30 years ago, long distance charges were AWFUL. I can remember being a wee one and wanting to call a friend SIX MILES from my home. It was about 35-45 cents a minute, and that's also in like 30 years ago money, so a lot more then. When I was little, parents and teachers would talk about how you might only talk to a relative at Christmas and it took a long time to connect the call and you could only speak a short time because it was so freaking expensive. So, keep in mind, if it's 100 years ago, chances are, you aren't going to find too many people who have targets all over the world to work on. Most of the people in their day to day life are people they see and live near to because they are limited to that.
Magic has been around for centuries, and while it adapts with the times (and while remote targets – that is people not in your geographical locale – have always existed,) obviously when we look at spells from 100 years ago, many more of them focus on working on a target who you likely lived within ten miles of. So, certainly, there are more spells which say "you must place this where your target comes in contact with it," this does not mean that those spells are necessarily better. In my personal opinion, one of the benefits of a modern society is that we have adapted and perfected spells which can work on a remote target more so than our ancestors did.
Don't get disappointed if you don't have access to your target. It doesn't mean your spellwork is gonna suck. 😉 And if you do have access, you might still want to work remotely because now people have video surveillance equipment and motion sensor lights, and goodness knows, you don't want to get caught planting something on your enemy's property.
Q: You've said before that spellwork can have a "splash back effect," – can that happen with curses?
A: Before I answer, for those of you new to Cat's Rants, a splash back effect means sometimes the energy intended for a particular target, for example a love-drawing spell, can also effect those unnamed in the working, meaning that I (were I the petitioner – who is the person the spell is cast on behalf of,) may find myself the recipient of amorous attentions from other people who are not my target.
This is a really great question, because I don't personally believe in the western idea of karma (bad actions bring bad stuff to you right now in this lifetime) or the actual meaning of karma (what you do in this life affects your next incarnation,) but I do know that working magic can have an impact that reverberates outside of the intended target zone, – however, perhaps (again this is my opinion) not in the manner people believe. Let's step into Professor Cat's Magical Theory Classroom, shall we?
OK, so let's assume you are the spellcaster (and petitioner) first. When you work a spell – basically any spell, you emit energy in accordance with the working. Your altar (or where you are casting the spell,) absorbs some of this energy just as any countertop in a kitchen will get food and bacteria particles from having food prepared there. So, much like we wash our dishes and sanitize our countertops in a kitchen to avoid cross-contamination of foods prepared on them, so should we do the same for our altars. But altars are tricky things….if you always use one particular altar for love, for example, it can work a bit more like a cast iron skillet. You're seasoning this with the same energy. However, if you use the same altar for cursing then do a money spell with out cleansing the altar and the tools, you are going to mix those energies, and that's going to cause you some problems. This seems to make sense to most people – if you use the same altar to do many similar workings (especially on the same target,) these energies can compliment each other, but if you do varying workings on the same surface, you want to spiritually clean this altar between each working.
Now, if you can understand the altar and the tools can retain some of your spell energies, then you, as the spellcaster, are also going to get some of this energy in your auric body. So, if you think about this with a mundane example…well, when I was in my teens, I worked in a sandwich shop, and every day, when I got home from that job after working about 8 hours there, I smelled like deli meat. I did not rub deli meat all over myself, but somehow the deli stink got on me. Similarly, if I work reconciliation or love type workings, some of that energy is going to stick to me. That could be a positive experience for many of us. If I work a curse or a dark working, I often take a spiritual bath to remove any dark energy from myself, because while it WOULD NOT have near the effect the curse has on the target, it would still have a minor (though often negligable) impact on me as well. I've picked up a bit of that energy. Also, many beginners will touch the cursing oils and incenses. I do not. I use a cotton swab to apply them. I think of it like a very strong poison, and I do not want it on my skin. And as a professional spellcaster, regardless of what spells I do, I frequently take spiritual baths to cleanse off energies attaching to my auric body.
However, that still leaves a question of why, for example, if you have me do a reconciliation working for you, suddenly a bunch of your exes (not just THE EX) come around, telling you that they miss you. I'm the spellcaster, so you – the petitioner in this case – would likely not have direct contact with the energies I'm working, and therefore you should, in theory, not be impacted. OK, so keep in mind with love spells, I may be working solely on the target (your object of desire,) or in some cases, it is more appropriate to work both petitioner and target together. If I work an obsession type of love working, I WILL NOT work on the petitioner, but only the target. When I work a love-drawing, it is also almost always on the target, and not the petitioner. HOWEVER, when I work reconciliation workings, I often use both petitioner and target as my targets. Working on both parties in a love situation can mean that other people you DO NOT WANT are suddenly sniffing around looking for love. It is a common practice of many spellcasters to work on both parties in love workings, whether or not that will just create a problem for the petitioner by making him or her more deeply and desperately infatuated with the target. Further, the target for any spell should be NAMED to prevent a wide range of influence. For example "Bring Martha's ex boyfriend back to her," could be any ex boyfriend she ever had, versus "Bring together Martha and Frank, and have them resolve their differences, and draw forth and inflame strong loving feelings between them," etc. Not all traditions/magical paradigms believe in working on a specific person who did not agree to be worked on. That means a more wide-ranging impact.
But I'm getting off of my main point…so why is it, sometimes when working on both targets in a reconciliation working, is there some "splashback," – both targets have their energies attuned in such a way as that it is attractive to an unnamed ex, despite that ex not being a target of the spell whatsoever. While it's an uncommon (albeit not super rare) side effect, I have definitely seen it where a desperate ex or two comes around looking for affection, being drawn by this negligible (they are not the target) change in energy within the auric body of the target, into believing said target would welcome a reunion. Amusingly enough, this almost always is reported as "person I'd never want to date again," showing up…thus leading me to believe that person has been silently hoping and waiting for a clue you might want them back. It's an uncommon side effect in reconciliation. I most often see "people I don't want" showing up when someone does a working to draw in the perfect mate….that kind of working is almost like leaving a bug-light on and hoping you only draw mosquitoes and other biting pests to the light, and then not realizing EVERY BUG IN A FIVE MILE RADIUS IS ON IT'S WAY. 😉 The "perfect mate," does come, but some unwanted attention usually does, too.
So here, if you're working for yourself, and doing love work, you can find that even when just working on your target, some of that energy attaches to you, and you have more people interested in you than before. That might feel nice, and you might not want to do a spiritual cleansing. 😉 HOWEVER, the most amount goes to the target. If you name yourself as one of the targets in a spell (think crossing your name with another person's name, and writing the command around the names in a circle,) then you also will be affected by the spellwork DIRECTLY but being the spellcaster, you would also have some of this energy attach to you as well. This means some "splash back," as you are the target.
At last we can get to cursing. I am going to assume if you want to curse a person, you are going to name only them as the object of the curse. You will name no other in the working. This means the energy is going to the NAMED party, – that is, the target. HOWEVER, I would strongly recommend that you do a cleansing to avoid any "splashback" which would be those dark energies getting into your auric body and causing you a little trouble. So is there a massive "splash-back?" No, not really. It isn't like it can be with love spells, where people often name themselves as a target. There can be a bit of dark energy attaching to a spell caster, but the prudent spellcaster should be doing a cleansing shortly after doing the curse. If the petitioner is someone who is not the spellcaster, he or she should not be effected.
Hopefully that makes sense.
Q: What is "tricking through the skin"?
A: This means I am leaving a powder, oil, or other substance on a surface where the target will come in direct physical contact with this powder/oil/other substance. It DOES NOT always mean you will literally get this on the person's skin, for example, leaving a powder on a road, and having a person who has shoes on walk through this powder.
This is a type of working I find is more difficult for a novice, and yet looks the most simple. Basically, you are going to name the target while applying this item that the target will come in contact with. As you do this, you need to have clear intent, and also you want to try to send energy as you speak. In theory, you will be using a powder/oil/other substance which likely has already been created with focused intent (versus by a machine,) so it has innate power already.
So let's say I want to make someone feel loving towards me, and I wish to use this method. I choose "come to me" oil, and as I know where this person parks their car, and it isn't left in a place during the day where anyone is apt to see me do this. I would take this oil and make an odd number of lines, saying "(name of target) love me, desire me, and come to me now," each time I say this, while keeping clear focused intent and trying to send this intent as I place each line. So if I use 7 lines, I would make 3 X's (2 lines per X) and then a third line through the middle X (kind of an astrisk shape) last, saying the command each time. Then I would say "As is my will, so be it,) and walk away without looking back.
That sounds really easy. It's not. I find people do not have a lot of luck with that unless they are practiced and have strong intent. It also helps that you're using QUALITY INGREDIENTS. Someone will go buy a $4 bottle of machine made, colored oil that will have absolutely no value to it whatsoever, and then wonder why it is weak or does nothing at all. 😉 OR they will get colored talc – which IS NOT ritual powder, – and they will wonder, again, why this red powder isn't hot footing anyone (when real hotfoot powder has no talc in it.) With practice, however, this is a very quick method of working on a target, and quite effective once you get the knack of doing it.
Q: Can you make someone forget about something bad that you've done?
A: Short of making them get severe brain damage, chances are that the answer there is no. As a fellow human being, I understand that we all make stupid mistakes and that it can be difficult when held accountable for these mistakes. No one wants to be the jerk who totally flaked on paying their part of a bill, or the person who made that awful joke, or even embarrassing stuff like the person who pulled the back of her dress into her tights and walked around like that before someone told her.
The first thing you do that isn't magical is to not let people get to you. So, if you put on ten pounds, and someone makes a comment that you sure got a big butt, you laugh and make a joke. Instantly it's no fun to pick on you. When people see that they can't use a weakness against you, they quickly stop trying.
The second, and not magical, thing to do is to make sure you've made amends. Don't grovel, but if it's that you owed someone money, pay up. Is it you broke something special? Replace it. Are you late on an assignment? Finish it.
Magically speaking, you can do work to minimize the impact of poor decisions and bad actions. Do this by using roadopener to help break down the negative memories of the situation (it won't make them forget, but it will make people stop clinging to the memory,) while also using reconciliation and sweetening work on them. They will soon put your "bad actions" in the past, and think positively on you.
HOWEVER, if it was bad enough – like super duper bad, – you might just have to live with the fact you made a huge mistake. So, if you got caught for murder, or for being a drug lord or similar, this might not suit your needs.
Q: You're good with love advice – what should I NEVER DO if I want to reconcile someone? I mean, other than the obvious.
A: Don't put anything in writing. Don't email, don't text. People read that stuff over and over in the worst tone possible.
I hope this has been educational!
~Cat
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Cat’s Rants: Confessions of an Occult Mastermind 