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

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“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.

  • Remember to bring cash next time…

    Good afternoon, fellow occult masterminds…

    Well, all is not well in the world of Miss Cat today… I actually went out last night and had a bar tab of $9.15 that was rejected by my credit card…which is a debit card, so I wrote a check. My friend with me couldn’t spot me the cash, but I can’t find fault with him…he did buy the beer so we could watch the rest of the Sox game…however – HOW EMBARASSING! 😛 And here I was thinking I had a balance of at least $25… Well, its off to the bank I go today! 😉 It’s okay – your favorite occult mastermind apparently carried a one that wasn’t there (I never said I was a math mastermind!) 😀 Ah well, and here I was thinking myself bright for not taking cash with me last night…. 😉 Easy enough to cover, but still not fun…thank goodness I live out in the boonies or else I would not be able to write a check to cover booze at a bar!

    Budweiser

    Anyhow, just thought I’d share this interesting tidbit. More today – I promise! 😀

    ~Cat

  • Fair Return?

    Hello my lovelies…

    I am pre-coffee right now, so ‘scuse me if I get a little off-topic. Today’s topic is the one of returning a lover/loved one through spellwork. It’s one that will probably come up more than once, so I am not going to spend a helluva lot of time on it. 😉

    Rackham_the_grail_maiden

    A lot of the requests I get involve someone desperate to get their lover back. Generally, these requests follow some sort of time line in which the petitioner asks me for help about 2-4 weeks post break up, though I have had some come in as late as 5 years past the end of the relationship. I try to be as understanding as possible in these cases – the first guy I fell in love with took me 3 years to get over, but I also attempt to illustrate to the client that: a) I cannot guarantee the return of the lover, and b.) I DEFINITELY cannot guarantee the success of the relationship once the lover has returned. These folks seem intent on finding the person who can drag the object of their love back, brainwash said “object,” and keep them put. To be honest, doing just that isn’t an impossibility, but it have yet to hear of a case where accomplishing that task has been pleasant for the client or the object of their desire.

    Before I go on, I would like to interject that I am not in anyway trying to instill some sort of ethical nonsense about what is right or wrong or black/white/grey in the feild of magic/k. Your ethics are yours, mine are mine, and they are all the product of human conditioning, ergo, not some sort silly “good” and “evil” gibberish, because I have yet to find proof that the Divine or the universe have any sort of defined “good” or “evil” as those are HUMAN concepts.

    However, there are reactions and results that I have witnessed time and again in regards to my own spellwork and the spellwork of others. I can only speak from my experience and those I know of, and warn or instruct you on the likely outcome should you persue it. They are neither good or bad, just the reaction, such as if I prick my finger with a needle, I will bleed…as it is the most common and likely reaction – ie, the sun might not rise tomorrow (nothing is definite,) but I would still bet you money that it will.

    Digressing back to the topic at hand, the returning of a lover through magic/kal means is not always pleasant for both target and practioner/petitioner, so the person who wishes to do so must ask themselves…”Is this what I really want?” A million immediate “yes”-es fill the auditorium… 😉 Why the sly smile on my face? Aha, but I know something about this, and from personal experience, too.

    Firstly, there is the amount of energy that may be required in bringing the person back. If this is all over some trivial arguement, and the client/practioner is just “freaking out” because they had a fight with their loved one a week ago, and nothing has yet been resolved, then it is as easy as can be. In fact, reconciliation magic/k may not even be what is needed. Simply use some peace and healing spells, and KA-BLAM, the happy couple is reunited. However, if this break-up is the product of years of fighting and the once-happy couple has been parted, say, for 8 months… 😛 My goodness, the things I have to call up just to get that person back to you… So it can be done, but to what degree would I recommend it? Once the energy is used to “drive” the lost love back to you, the fun part is, that energy will only keep them with you for about one moon cycle – the rest is up to you in the mundane. Perhaps it was a stupid fight, and you two only need to be reunited breifly to smooth things out… But generally, things can go from bad to worse in a short matter of time, especially if the break up was not over anything “stupid” or “unfounded.”

    The truth about love is that love itself can be a very coercive beast despite the fact that it is terribly blind. Love makes us stupid with the belief that it is the one thing that can make all of our suffering worthwhile, despite the fact that it is not returned, but rather twisted back on us so it is a bit like willingly feeding the beast that is gnawing you in half. Sometimes, suffering for love does pay off, but oftentimes, it really doesn’t. I’m a meatball in this case, too, so don’t feel bad. 😉 We love someone, and figure if we can just get them to stick around for a little while, we can make things the way they were when they were “good,” even though the last time they were “good” about 2 years previous to when we actually broke things off with the lost love…and here we are, say 4 months post-break up… 😛 So in desperation, many folks use reconciliation/return to me love spells to get the object of their desires to return, and then pummel the person with love spells, and so on…

    The end result in several of these cases is this. The person does come back… But at what price? It isn’t that sweet, innocent love you had when you started. No, siree, it is not. Now the client/practioner is desperate to get the target to remain, so they launch love spells. Well, the target stays, but they still act like a complete horse’s butt to you. Love spell after love spell is launched in true attack form… This can go on for years, and I have seen people do just that. The client/practioner attatches themselves to a target who remains for no reason that the target can figure out, thus making the target more and more abusive and shifty, while the client/practioner falls deeper and deeper in love with the target… Eeek, a vicious cycle indeed. No, this doesn’t always happen, but if you force someone to stay with you using love spells, it sure as hell often does. At best, your target isn’t going to “change” in the way you need them to to make the love affair work.

    My suggestion? Okay, go ahead and use that return to me spell. It’s okay. Maybe you can fix things. I don’t personally know you, but go ahead and give it a whirl. Now, when the target is back, go ahead and do one or two coercive love spells if you feel the need…but leave it at that. Be pleased that you got the closure you needed if it doesn’t work. Tying someone to you with love magic/k wil just make both of you nuts.

    Sometimes, even the reconciliation spell doesn’t work. Why? Well, hey, nothing is foolproof…. Generally, I say try again, and if you see no results, it probably is a moot point.

    Okay, kiddies, coffee is done… perhaps more on this later.

    As always this is just my opinion and nothing more. 😀

    Blessings!

    ~Cat

  • Money, Spells, and the Occult

    Good Morning my Dearies!

    I seem to have been slacking in regards to keeping up my ancestor/spirit altar, and thusly, I am very poor and broke. 😉 I would do some money spells, but the issue is quite pressing, compunded by the fact that people seem to think I can materialize occult supplies for free… So they petition my help, and yet offer no compensation. This is pretty bad, considering I see plenty of disingenuine mages charging $1000’s and genuines making $100-$500. Grrr… You know, I have decided to put up a DONATION button, since I hate to cyber-beg, but all the freebie seekers are definitely abusing the priviledge. If I can afford to pay TypePad, there will be a valuable and considerable amount of occult and magic (magick) advice as well as spells available for you for free. The real stink-o part of being this poor is that it is effecting my other job by making me incapable of getting the design and art supplies I need to make money doing the other thing I do best. Well…actually there are 3 things I do the best, but only one person (the Fella) is allowed to use the 3rd, and not being a whore, I don’t market it. 😀

    I’m also going to try to scan in some art pieces so you can buy some or employ me for your design needs, but today is not the day to scan. 😉

    Today, my lovelies, we do shall an easy money spell, in the spirit of all of us wanting to make some money!

    We_rule

    (just thought I’d get that Red Sox picture in…ha ha,)

    Money Spell

    You will need

    One green taper,

    A candle Holder,

    A fireproof container such as a pie plate or cake tin,

    4 Silver coins of the same type (if they aren’t real silver, silver color will do,)

    Cinnamon

    Parchment,

    A push pin, needle, nail or similiar,

    And a pen.

    (optional, any money drawing oil, if you don’t have money-drawing oil, use a citrusy or cinnamony scent.)

    This is best done on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Thursday during a waxing moon.

    Take the candle, and carve something like “Money in my pocket,” or something similiar up along one side. Now, take the parchment, and write your full name 4 times on it, then turn the paper a quarter turn, and write the same statement you wrote on the candle four times across your name. Put the paper aside. Charge the candle by holding it in your hands, and sending the energy of your desires for money into it. Now, if you have it, anoint the candle with oil by placing a few drops in your hand and then running your hand from base to wick up the candle towards you 4 times – NOT down. With the remaning oil on your hands, anoint the four corners of the parchment. Now sprinkle the candle and the parchment with cinnamon. Now fold the paper towards you, turn a quarter turn, and fold it again. Place the paper beneath the candle holder, and place the 4 silver coins around the base of the holder in such a position that each one hits a point of the compass such as N, S, E, W. Now, place the candle in the holder, making sure it is stabilized and secure. Light it, and hold your hands on either side of it, envisioning a green and gold energy floing out of your power hand through the candle, with your other hand taking in the excess. (Remember, your power hand is the one you write with.) Now say, “Candle of power bring to me, all of the money that I need. Money in my pocket, Money for me, Money in my pocket, all that I need.” Now tell the candle your specific financial desires; this is personal to you, and I can’t tell you what to say. When you are finished, say, “My words have strength, my victory’s one; this spell shall not reverse or place upon me any curse; so say I, this spell is done! As is my will, so mote it be!” Allow the candle to burn out completely. When it has, take the paper and the coins and bury them beneath your front doorstep or the base of an oak tree, and walk away without looking back; (if you can’t do either, place them in a green bag, and keep them on your person until your desires are realized.)

    That’s all for today kiddies. Please donate to this starving artist if you can!! 😀

    As always, this is my opinion only, and no promise of effectiveness or ineffectiveness is made.

    Blessings!

    ~Cat

  • Back from the Dead…again.. :) With SPELLS

    Phew! What a 2 weeks! Just to let y’all know… the Fella and I have worked things out for now, so I can go back to being carefree about all of that. Other than that, I have been at death’s door (sorta, not really,) and also some moron chipped my front tooth (2 months after I had it fixed for the same chip,) and I have to wait until Election Day to get it fixed since my dentist has an appointment with me and a drill that day anyways. I guess its only noticable to me…but that’s bad enough. But…hmm… I’m also voting for Kerry, and hoping the BoSox win the World Series….screw the Yanks…heh heh heh heh….

    Now on to the occult… Hooray!

    Today we are going to just put some spells up here for you occulties…at least in this post.

    Fairy_queen

    Controlling Spell #1

    I’m not particularly fond of this spell, and have personally received so/so results on it, but I’ve tweaked it all a bit for you, and you guys let me know how it works out for you. Its based on a Draja Mickaharic spell from “A Century of Spells” which is published by Samuel Weiser.

    You will need:

    A small scrap of paper,

    A new spool of black thread,

    A new spool of purple thread,

    A pen,

    Something of your target’s that is small, such as a hair, a fingernail clipping, thread or tag from soiled clothes, etc,

    and optional: Controlling powder or controlling oil. Use http://www.luckymojo.com if you do not know how to make this yourself.

    This is best done on a Tuesday or Thursday on a waning moon. Write your target’s full name on the small scrap of paper. Any type of paper will work. In the center of the paper, place the personal item, and if you chooose this option, anoint this paper/item with controlling oil or sprinkle with powder. Fold the paper away from you. Now, the packet should be very very small. Take both spools and begin wrapping the packet up in them. It is suggested that you then take a walk as you do this, the whole time thinking of your target. If you don’t feel capable of this, don’t, but if you do feel capable, try walking places near where your target will go. Once you have wrapped the packet entirely with both spools of thread, you should have something that looks a bit like a cocoon. Take this cocoon, and throw it high in a bush or tree where it will not be found, and walk away without looking back. You have control over your target from then on.

    Controlling Spell #2

    Again, this one is so/so, but it has worked for me, and is pretty easy, so give it a shot.

    Yow will need:

    A purple taper candle,

    A fireproof candle holder,

    A fireproof container such as a pie-tin or cake-tin,

    A push pin, pin, needle, or nail,

    Controlling oil,

    Paper,

    A pen,

    A picture or personal item of the target (optional.)

    This spell is best done starting on a Thursday. It has worked equally well for me in all moon phases. Take the candle, and with the needle, inscribe your target’s initials all over the candle to cover it. Now, put the candle aside. Take the paper, and write your target’s full name on it nine times, and then turn the paper one quarter turn, and write “Is under the control of (your name) completely” nine times. Anoint the paper and the candle with the oil, and then, placing the picture of personal item in the center, fold the paper away from you into quarters. Secure the candle into the holder, place candle and holder in the fireproof container, with the paper packet beneath the candle holder. Now, light the candle, and say to it exactly what you want your target to do. Allow the candle to burn for about 20 minutes as you concentrate on your target and what you wish from them. Then, using a candle snuffer (NEVER BLOW OUT A CANDLE,) snuff the candle out. Repeat this process the next day, and so on for a total of 7 days, on the seventh day allowing the candle to burn out completely. When it has, take the paper packet and thow it high into a bush or tree where it will not be found, and walk away without looking back.

    Well, there’s 2 spells for now kiddies! >:) Will be back soon with some luv spells and money spells for you.

    Blessings!

    ~Cat

  • Normal People Like It, Too

    It never ceases to amaze me how surprised other folks are to discover that even though I am an “occult mastermind” and really into the occult, that I am still a normal person. You know, don’t dress all in black or look like a goth fruitcake, or gob on and on to them about how Mercury is Square Jupiter and the dark Shoggoth Lords have started Ngroth, Shoggoth aru-Nylaarhotep! Uh… Yeah. Listen, I like to watch sitcoms, and get mad at shows like the apprentice, I enjoy scary movies, and art openings, and like to play frisbee with my dog, and drink Miller Lite (yes, I am aware that its a crap beer,) and dress like anyone else… Anyone who feels the need to garb themselves in black and draw stars on their face with black eyeliner to leave the house to get a gallon of milk is either really nuts, really a geek, or just probably still in high school…or they are a member of a heavy metal band, I guess. The people who walk around looking like Marilyn Manson generally don’t have a clue about the occult…usually the issue there is that their Daddy didn’t love them – or he loved them too much, if you get what I’m saying. Occult people are just like people who are really into collecting stamps or watching Football…we just have a passion. 😉 Now if you love football, do you go around with your face and body painted with the team logo just to leave the house to get a gallon of milk…do you paint your face and body like that daily? No? Why not? Because then you would be a freak? Ah, yes. There is having a passion about something, and then there is having a sick obsession that takes over your life…

    I love the occult, and could discuss it all day – HOWEVER – I look normal (and incredibly sexy as well,) and I date a male nurse, who looks normal too (ah, looks are deceiving!) and dresses kinda preppy, and if you saw us walking down the street together, the only thing you would be remarking to yourself about is how damn fine I am, and who’s the lucky bastard with the sexy brown eyes holding my hand. Yes, I am vain. >:)

    The kicker here for me is that I take on clients, most of whom seem to think I have some crazy Necronomical death altar from which I cast down hideous shrieks from the cursed book… Uh… okay, I like Hoodoo, and Paganism (especially Celtic,) and Ceremonialism, have an interest in Vodou, and don’t bother with the Wicca. Not into Satanism, and don’t believe the Necronomicon ever existed…at least the real thing, as I realize that there IS a “Simonicon.” My altar is pretty mild…less than what one would see in a good Catholic household. When I pray, I don’t generally strip down and dance and speak in tongues to demons… I just pray like most folks.

    The occult…normal people like it, too.

    ~Cat

  • Morning Breaks in the World of Cat

    Good morning my lovelies…

    Morning Breaks in the world of Cat…

    Catgirl

    It’s a lovely, brisk autumn day here in New Hampshire, disrupted only by the bizarre and foolish “leaf-peepers” (the most despised tourist to all NH-ites,) tho most of the foilage is green or brown, making it pleasingly moot for those morons to infect my birthplace and home state. The Fella is still assumably choking on his post-traumatic-quarter-life-crisis crazy-pill, that reared its ugly head a few weeks ago, and (hopefully) reached its peak last Thursday (or else I might need to put him to sleep – LOL!) I spent half the night reading a John Kellerman novel…where the red-herring suspect shared the same first name as my beloved Fella. (The irony is not lost.)

    There you go…isn’t that pleasing? Heh heh heh…

    More later today.

    ~Cat

  • Fool-proof Spell

    The Fool-Proof Spell and other Fictional Creatures

    Alright, ENOUGH already!!! There ain’t no gal-danged fool-proof spell! If you say you have one, you are a big fat fluffy-bunny LIAR!

    Also, I don’t know where the f— you people are finding these spirits, but working with angels is neither safe, nor easy. Angels are powerful non-human, never-human beings who don’t particularly like YOU or any other human being, and you can whine for help from them all you want, just don’t try to order one around or else it would probably eat you. They can appear human, but they aren’t… remember that nifty story about the fall of Lucifer and the war in Heaven? Yeah…just because some angels took God’s side and others took the Lucifer’s (according to the mythos,) they were still the same type of being with similiar motives on everything else. Angelic Theurgy is just as hard if not harder that Goetic Theurgy… Didn’t you meatballs ever read the Lemegeton?

    Also, one platform is not neccisarily better than another… Most Pop-Wicca is watered down GARBAGE, but I wouldn’t go pick a fight with a Gardenarian or Alexandrian any day of the week…. And the spirits dealt with in Hermetic and Ceremonial are some pretty tough cookies, but then again, no tougher than a Voudou lwa. It is the mage, not the platform that is better or worse than another.

    Silver RavenWolf is a pariah on the world of the occult. She negates her own statements, she is a bigot, a liar, and an eager mis-educator of all newbies.

    Well, that is all of the occult-ey stuff annoying me right now (LOL,) and again, this is just my opinion, of which I have a right to, just as you have a right to you yours. Rant over and out…

    ~Cat

  • I almost forgot…

    If you miss the old OriginalNinjaCat.com site, please tell me, or let me know if you have a good hosting site for CHEAP!! I need lotsa bandwidth, as that much occult info is a lot of memory, and pretty valuable to a lot of people, meaning my bandwidth is INSANE… Donations are always accepted. >:)

    Blessings!
    ~Cat

  • Hooray! My first rant in months!

    First off, I would like to shout a big old HELLO to all of my old friends! I have been tossing the idea of putting OriginalNinjaCat.com back up, however, the $$$ it was costing me was INSANE! Things have been okay here, but not as great as could be… The Fella is definitely suffering from Post-Traumatic-Quarter-Life Crisis disorder, but I haven’t misplaced him or dislocated him (tho I really want to…heh heh heh…) again just yet… Money has not been good since in our current economy in the US my professions are simply luxuries (you know, artist, graphic designer, imbiber of several beers, and occult mastermind are really unimportant when you need to spend money on food…) but such is life, right?

    This summer I did get to go to a Psi Beta Gamma reunion and see all of my pledge sisters for the first time in over 5 years!!! (and we were a class of 4 so understandably, it is pretty lame that we don’t do that more often.) Here is a lovely picture of me and 2 of my pledge sisters…I am the very inebriated redhead in the center:

    Catpartygirl

    Steph and Steph are on either side of me… I don’t know where Christina is…my memory is a little fuzzy… I remember taking this, being on the porch, and then calling the Fella to tell him how much I love him, how much I want him, how happy I am, and how much I love him again…and that was at 1 am, HEHEHEHEHEHEE! Later I passed out on an Aerobed…er, except that it wasn’t inflated, I just slept on the rolled up hard thing… So many wonderful memories, just like the old PSC days… >:) I could publish some great pix of all of my sisters very drunk (several of us don’t even have our eyes open,) but I will spare them the embarrassment as we all pretend to be mature adults when in the public eye. Hey, at least I waited until the beer was gone to fall asleep, right?

    Anyhow on to the occult:

    as that is usually what the blog is centered on. Today my half-sensible rant is about seeking outside help with one’s own spellwork…

    Generally, I do NOT recommend this practice…so many phonies… 😛 You know who I mean…and the newbie and outsider is incapable from determining which is which… Well, first off, toss out that number for the psychic friends hotline, because that is not the place to go, then avoid the California Astrology Association like the plague…those people couldn’t cast a spell or do magic/k if the lwa and the Goetia showed up at their door offering to do free work for them… 😛 Generally, if your a newbie or outsider, please find your smartest occult/psychicism/magic/k friend, and ask them for references. I have a few people I would refer you to, but I have no clue where the f— any of you are, so I won’t waste the blog-space.

    But if you find yourself lacking in results (and we all have these moments,) or if your Tarot cards are reading something that makes NOOO sense, and you are pretty sure it is some sort of issue or interference regarding your own ability, you may choose to get some assistance. You can ask your friends who are into the occult for help, but we all have those moments when we know those near and dear and like-minded to us woud not approve, so you may need to seek help from someone who is virtually a stranger to you.

    For example, Jim-Bob and Sally-Jane have been making up and breaking up for 5 years now, and Jim-Bob is sick of this. He hasn’t dated anyone BUT Sally-Jane for 5 years, but he’s a spitfire, and she’s a commitment-phobe (despite the fact that Jim-Bob is her only lover all these years, too,) and Jim-Bob want’s to cut the s—, and marry Sally-Jane once for all. Sally-Jane catches wind of Jim-Bob’s intention, and being the commitment phobe that she his, is totally adverse to the idea…but she won’t leave so Jim-Bob can find someone else, and damned if he wants her to anyhow. Jim-Bob employs several techniques in the mundane and the magic/kal… He leaves Sally-Jane and looks for someone new…can’t get Sally-Jane out of his head… and Sally-Jane wants to come back to him… Very well… Tries to settle down with Sally-Jane – what? and she give up her bachelorette status? No way, there Jim-Bob… Very well, Jim-Bob uses a love spell on Sally-Jane… uh, Jim-Bob, she’s already in love with you, it’s a commitment issue. Jim-Bob tries to use a commitment-type spell on his lady love… Now she won’t leave you alone, but she still doesn’t want to be your wife… Well, that’s f—ed up, Jim-Bob. Now, Sally-Jane won’t have kids with out a wedding ring, and yet will not marry Jim-Bob, and he isn’t looking foreward to waiting till his viagra days to have a family… Jim-Bob has a few choices here…does he cut the ties that bind magic/kally, or does he stay and wait this out? Jim-Bob pulls out the cards and does a reading… Says they are supposed to be together, but there is an obstacle…he spells to remove the obstacle…Sally-Jane still won’t marry him…

    If this sounds complicated, it is, but it is also a f— of a lot more common than you think. Perhaps Jim-Bob is deluding himself about his woman, or perhaps he is taking the wrong approach… However, asking for second opinions from friends is all the more confusing. They love Jim-Bob, so their advice is biased by that. Should he seek outside help from a relative stranger?

    Believe it or not, I say yes. Sometimes we are so blinded by our own motives and desires, that we are incapable of using the correct actions and spells. Sometimes, our own attatchments make it impossible to bring about the desired result.

    What about this case? My personal opinion would be to have an outside mage divine whether or not it is a good idea for the couple to remain a couple. If the answer is no, the mage should just tell Jim-Bob so, and not do any work for him. If the answer is yes, Jim-Bob should employ the outside mage to do something like a marriage spell. If the end result is inevitable, then a push to speed it up in this case will probably be welcome. However, what if the case for Sally-Jane’s refusal to commit is due to the fact that she was with an abusive lover for years, and fears commiting to another man because of this? The outside mage should be able to discover this, and heal this trauma…the reason Jim-Bob’s spell to remove the obstacle wasn’t working is because he tried to remove the obstacle, which obviously needed to be healed…how can you remove abuse that has already happened? (Please don’t spout about retro-active magic/k here…that isn’t the point.) Jim-Bob, never hearing of Sally-Jane’s abuse, would not have known how to fix this obstacle to their being together. Despite the fact that he knew there was someting coming between them, he felt it was a person or job or something, and not a trauma. Either way, if you are going to employ an outside mage to divine for you, you might as well have them cast the spell as well… Maybe you did do the same spell, but you’re so ADHD that you can’t get it as strong as it needs to be anyhow.

    However, seeking outside help should be a last resort. Personally, casting for my non-magic/kally inclined friends is sometimes hard enough for me (you know, since I have my own life,) but casting for folks who should be capable of doing it themselves gets…well, annoying. It is a little like making me come over to your house to wash your dishes because you like the way I do it better…. You should be able to help YOURSELF, and in the event that you realize your best efforts are bunk, THEN ask for help.

    First, ask a friend who isn’t too involved in the situation for advice. If their advice sucks, ask another friend. If that advice sucks, ask a friend who is willing to help you for help.

    Now, if, on the rare occaision nothing comes of any of that, then consult the occult-smarty-pants in your life for a reference to a good mage-for-hire. Generally, if he/she can’t recommend one, he/she knows an even smarter occult-smarty-pants who can. You may have to be willing to spend a few hundred bucks. Generally, I would recommend not spending over $300, and even that is a pretty exorbitant fee in my mind. A good mage for hire will be honest to you about the situation, and will not take on your job without first having some sort of consultation. If they say there is nothing they can do, or if they can’t accomplish what you want, you can seek out a second opinion. If the second opinion says the same thing, then there is nothing you can do, and you are better off not seeking out whatever you wanted to get through magic/k in the first place. Of course, if you are desperate (very bad thing in spellwork,) you won’t listen to me, and you will probably employ 3-4 charlatans and the California Astrology Association before you come to this conclusion.

    However, if the mage for hire says in their consultation that they are capable of helping you (and their references are SUPERB,) go for it. Pay the fee, and pray for the best. Maybe all you need is the consultation, and you will realize what you need to do. If this is the case, be good enough to skate the mage for hire a few bucks out of gratitude since they spent some valuable time to help you, and go to your spellwork.

    Blessings!

    ~Cat