There are many varieties of magic, not all of which include the idea that magical spell-casting is efficacious or morally sound. Even in those types of magic where spell-work is taught, there is no general agreement on what magic is, or what it is not.
A theory that accounts for the form of magic called natural magic is that certain objects, including but not limited to natural curios such as roots, herbs, minerals, and animal parts, have within them a certain a-causal link to some realm of human endeavour, often by virtue of their shape, colour, size, or scent. In natural magic, the visible link between a curio's physical attributes and its magical symbolism is called the Doctrine of Signatures. Thus, to give two examples of the Doctrine of Signatures, violet leaves, which look like hearts, are used in love magic, and lodestones, which are natural magnetic rocks, are used to "draw" wealth, love, or luck to the holder. These operations may be carried out with or without reference to religious entities (gods, spirits, saints).
An overlapping, but actually slightly different form of magic involves human-made artifacts -- amulets, lucky charms, talismans, and the like. This form of magic is generally called talismanic magic. Talismans can be made by the magician him or herself but are often prepared for clients by a conjurer, craft-worker, or jeweler. If they are commercially purchases, they must be empowered, fixed, or consecrated for use, and once prepared, they are said to work on behalf of the mage.
A third popular form of magic is called will-based or thelemic magic. Its practitioners tend to disdain natural magic, although they may use talismanic magic as a way to focus their will-power. Magicians of this type also have been know to say that performing magical spells is unimportant to them because simply visualizing the performance of the spell is sufficient to strengthen their will-power and this bring about the magical results they desire.
Each culture (or social sub-culture) seems to have its own rules regarding the workings of magic, but many of these rules are found in more than one culture. For instance, ritual cleaning and bathing occurs in the magic of most cultures, including urban ceremonial magick (with a k) and Sicilian folk magic (without a k). But some forms of ritual or rule are not as widespread. For example, footprint or footstep magic (performing magical operations on others through use of their footprints, shoes, or by scattering material where they will step on it) is typically an African magical custom, which is found also in African-American magical practice.
For most folk-magicians, symbology is very important. Faith, technical knowledge, precognitive intent, and emotional power fuel belief and confidence in the effects of a culturally appropriate symbological working.
However, once the rules of each system of magic are internalized by the practitioner, a great deal of improvisation may be done for any given ritual or magical job of work. The mark of a good magician in his or hr own school of magic is his or her ability -- to borrow an analogy from music -- to seamlessly improvise a tune within the chord structure of the system being used.
Perhaps magic seems "too good to be true" to you because you have an inflated idea about the practice of magic from the perspective of movies or tv shows -- but in actuality, magic is not a cure-all for problems. Rather, it is a way of working with subtle energies, with the natural virtues of plants and stones, with spirits, with -- well, with as many different forms of non-ordinary reality as there are schools of magic, i suppose!
Sometimes spells work, sometimes they do not. Sometimes prayers produce results. Sometimes they do not. Nothing is infallible. Death is inevitable. What we do with our lives is a matter of as much choice as we can muster, given the limitations of genetics, circumstance, and happenstance.
Some of us find pleasure and fulfillment in the practice of religion, magic, occultism, and/or mysticism. Others of us do not.
You have wandered into a group of people who practice magic -- but how each of us *defines* magic is left to the individual.
Now, there is a further wrinkle with respect to the question of whether magic *always* works, and that is the matter of "belief."
You may have read in a book or heard in a movie that "magic only works if you believe it works" or "spells only have an effect on people who believe that magic can affect them." These statements and others like them are often used to rationalize away the fear that one has been magically attacked. One says, in effect, "magic can only harm me if i believe in it".
The "it only works if you believe it works" defense against magical harm is generally invoked by folks who think that the only metaphysical concept to which they need pay heed is their own consciousness.
One logical offshoot of this form of solipsism is something i call "belief in the consent of the victim" -- a mental gymnastics move whereby a solipsist can legitimize unfortunate events. Belief in the consent of the victim is sometimes expressed as, "If it happened to me, i must have allowed it to happen or subconsciously willed it to happen to me."
In New Age circles, belief in the consent of the victim gives rise to ideations such as, "The reason my house was destroyed in that landslide was because i subconsciously wished to learn a lesson from that event," or "I would not have been born a paraplegic if on some level i did not desire to experience life as a cripple."
Solipsism of this sort can be theoretically intriguing, but realistically it is untenable to me, because i see practical evidence all around me that things happen to people that are not within the control of the people to which they happen.
Thus, the invocation of "belief in the consent of the victim" as a presumed "law" of magic seems foolish and weak and unrealistic to me.
This does not mean that i believe that magic *always* works -- it merely explains why i do not explain away any failures of magical spells by invoking the illogical idea that "magic only works if you believe it works."
The question of whether a mojo hand, spell kit, or other occult item is "guaranteed to bring in results" is one that i am often asked. As most hoodoo practitioners know, every supplier in this country sells their products as curios only, for legal reasons which i am sure everyone can appreciate.
Magic is not guaranteed. Neither is prayer to God.
If a prayer is not answered, it may be that it is not God's will.
If a magic spell does not produce the results you hoped for, despite the fact that an authentic formula was followed and you put into the work all your best efforts and strongest belief, then all i can say is that God may have different plans for you.
It is a mistake to assume that most practitioners of folk magic believe that spells invariably work, like adding water to a box of instant mashed potatoes -- and that if a spell fails, it is the rootworker's fault. This is not so.
Most people know that skill or giftedness enters into magical successes, that timing is important, that traditional natural ingredients are preferred, that personal will and an outpouring of spiritual energy are crucial -- and that even when everything is done with the strongest of intentions and best of timing and authentic ingredients by a worker of great skill or giftedness, there is still no guarantee of success.
Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers ever. He sometimes loses. He sometimes loses extensively. No one says that golf is a game of random chance or that Tiger Woods is a fraud just because he cannot win every game. It is the same with magic.
People who are members of magic-using cultures learn from an early age not to expect more from magic than an improvement of their odds -- that they will sometimes score a startling win or an almost impossible success, but not always. Most people who work with magic on a regular basis think of it as an edge, not as a certain win.
I believe that spells really do work, at least some of the time, just as physical efforts work some of the time.
In order to demonstrate the parallels between physical effort and metaphysical/spiritual effort, let me ask the magical question this way:
"Can doing spell work result in my achieving a hoped-for outcome?"
Now allow me to construct a parallel with physical effort:
"Can physical effort result in my achieving a hoped-for outcome?"
The answer in both cases is: "That depends on a lot of factors which we ought to investigate further before giving you a solid yes or no reply.
For instance, with respect to physical effort, you might ask
"Can people lift heavy rocks?"
And i might answer -- "Yes, they can -- but not every person can lift every heavy rock, and some people can lift no rocks at all, not even the light ones .. and some rocks cannot be lifted by anyone, either because they are too heavy or because they are inaccessible to human beings."
So you see, even a simple assumption -- that physical effort will result in a hoped-for outcome -- cannot be answered yes or no in general terms with any certainty.
The same holds true when discussing spell-work. You might ask:
"Can performing a love spell result in my finding a lover?"
And i would answer -- "Yes, it can -- but not every person can use spell work to make any given person love them, and some spell-using people cannot find lovers at all, not even among those who don't care who they love .. and some people cannot be ensorcelled into love by anyone, either because they are too willful and self-determined or because they are inaccessible to love-oriented spell-craft by reason of pre-existing conditions such as their being already mated, their sexual orientation, their age, their physical health, or other unknown conditions and factors."
In other words, you cannot expect more of magical work than you can of the physical world as we know it. You may find in magic a useful tool, but, like any tool, it does not do the work FOR you -- it simply allows you to leverage your way from where you are now and the condition you are now in to where you want to be and the condition you want to be in.
What i tell my customers and clients -- and you, the reader of this web site -- is this: Even if you use magic only to concentrate upon your desires and to pray, you will at least have clarified what it is you want. If it works for you, however, as it very often does, then you will not only have clarified your desires, you will have achieved them.
Do some experiments for yourself and see what your results are. Keep a record of what you did, how you felt while doing it, and how it turned out.
Some people may be / seem to be / claim to be more "gifted" at performing works of magic than others -- for them, success seems to come early and easy and they continue the practice.
For others, this is not the case and after long struggles, they may drop the practice of magic.
The same is true of mathematics, of sports, of farming, of cookery -- some of these skills and arts come early and easy to one person and not to another -- some people may never excel at certain of these skills and arts.
Your *interest* in magic will carry you part of the way.
Your natural gifts may make even the early stages meaningful and successful to you -- or you may not be naturally gifted and yet find your way through dogged persistence.
Or you may find the entire venture useless and unproductive to your development.
Give it a try and see what happens to you.
Every person's story is unique. Only you can live your life story.
Some people have no interest in the subject of magic at all. Some people come from cultures where magic is not valued. Some people belong to religious groups that actively oppose magic.
If vegetables are so good for you, why doesn't everyone eat them?
If marijuana is so bad for you, why do so many people smoke it?
If war is so evil, why do so many people become soldiers?
If tv is so attractive, why do so many people refuse to watch it?
The answer to all of these questions is this: People have free will and they make choices consistent with their interests, desires, emotional states, skill-sets, and the circumstances which put them into convenient proximity or keep them at an inconvenient distance from with various mental concepts and physical objects.
I operate a small occult shop, and i continually ask my customers which spells work best for them -- and i'm happy to pass along some trends i have noticed in this regard.
If you believe you suffer from crossed conditions or have been jinxed, you may do better if you get that mess out of your way before you work on drawing money or attempt a love spell. Spells for Uncrossing and Jinx-Breaking are a great help. Some folks whose main problem is back-biting, jealousy, and gossip will benefit from working for protection from gossip before they go on to other magical acts.
By our customers' accounts, the money-drawing magic spells for luck in business and career provide a higher success rate than magic spells designed for casino gambling. In my opinion, this is because casinos set their own percentage of house winnings and it is difficult to prevail against them. However, certain gambling formulas and spiritual supplies, in particular Fast Luck , Attraction, and Lady Luck, can, in the right hands, we are told, increase the winning edge of gamblers who do not play long-shot games such as the state lotteries or betting casinos.
The various love-attracting mojo hands and love spells seem to have a high rate of success as reported by our customers. People regularly call to tell me that they have attracted the love of someone they wanted after performing a love-drawing lodestone spell or personalizing a candle magick spell for love. I myself have experienced such results. The Nation Sack, in particular, seems to work very well for women who have a man in sight and want to draw him closer and really make him stay in line. Those who use spell-work for fidelity and to reduce friction in the home report satisfactory results as well. But not everyone who uses these love spells reports success.
On the down-side of love-magic, it is my experience and that of my customers that Reconciliation magic spells are by far the most difficult of the love-spells to accomplish. Typical causes of failure include: residual anger on the part of either party, complete apathy on the part of the desired party, and/or a change of heart in the person doing the spell whereby they secure the return of the lover only to find that they didn't want that person's love after all because the problems that led to the original break-up remain even after the reconciliation takes effect.
I am often asked, "Will a lucky charm really make me lucky?" and the answer, is complicated because concepts of what luck is differ from culture to culture and from person to person.
For most people, luck is a "winning edge," an increase in the statistical odds that they will win money or get laid or whatever it is they want. They may carry a lucky charm or good luck token in the belief that it increases their success-to-failure ratio in specific areas of life. They may augment its efficacy by dressing it with oil. The charms you mentioned above are typical of those that people have given credence to through long custom.
Some people think that luck is the same as or a form of directed magical will -- e.g. casting a spell -- and they expect specific results from the act of carrying a lucky charm. These folks are more likely to prepare and carry a complex charm like a mojo bag or a Mexican "amuleto" bag. They use the prepared curio as a focus for their magical will.
Other people -- especially those from cultures where disease is believed to be caused by malevolent airs or the evil eye -- may carry what appear on the surface to be "good luck" charms and they may even call them that -- but upon investigation, the charms turn out to be apotropaic in nature, that is, they are intended to avert ill-luck, sorcery, or unnatural diseases. Among these supposed "good luck" charms can be found the various blue glass charms, hamsa hands, eye-in-hand charms, corno charms, mano fico charms, and so forth of the Middle East and Mediterranean, and the Ojo de Venado (deer's eye) seed charm of Mexico.
For a bit more of what i personally think "luck" means to various people, and how "luck" intersects with religious belief and with a desire for protection, see the Lucky W Amulet Archive page on Luck, Protection, and Religion
People often ask, "How soon will i see results?"
In my experience, if a mojo hand, free magic spell, spell kit, or dressing oil is going to work for you, there will be definite "movement" within a week. Many people report amazing and complete results the first day. Some spells are traditionally worked over a period of time, such as 9 days, after which one is instructed to "watch and wait" for 3 days. In these spells, the results are expected to come about after the waiting period is over. Usually i would wait three weeks to see if there is any movement toward the results i desired -- and three months to wait for definitive results.
But be aware that not all spells work for every person every time. Like sports contests and wars, there may be a winner and a loser ... or, as with farming, some crops may thrive while others fail. You do your best and try to get the results you want with all the knowledge, dedication, and will-power you can bring to bear on the event -- and if you win, it's a triumph, and if you lose, it is defeat.
Magic is no different than any other area of life in this regard.
I can certainly go on record stating that i have found many benefits in my own life through the working of magical spells and that here in our shop we have had many customers provide us with feedback that they have had successful results with spell=craft -- but due to the nature of magic and the differentiation of attention and power among those who employ these spells, combined with the irregularity of feedback, we cannot be absolutely certain of their success rate.
Spell-casting and other forms of magical work, such as divination or augery, spirit communications, astral travel, and the like are found in virtually every culture and in virtually every religious group. No one religion can claim them. You could ALSO be an atheist and a mage.
There are so many different cultural traditions in which magic is a factor that there is no one source that could teach your everything about the entire subject.
A good introductory book that outlines many of the types of magic, so that you can set your sights for closer examination of what most interests you, is "Practice of Magic" by Draja Mickaharic. It explains in easy, simple terms the various types of magic found in numerous cultures and provides pointers toward more specialized books on each area of magic. It is available through amazon.com.
After you read that book, you will be prepared to embark on a study of the type of magic that you feel most interested in, whether it is African American hoodoo rootwork or ceremonial magic or Solomonic magic, or Mexican brujeria.
If you wish to take my course in American Hoodoo (African American folk magic) and learn to become a root doctor yourself, please read the prospectus for the clourse and then contact us at the LUCKY MOJO CURIO CO. -- 6632 Covey Road, Forestville, California 95436 / voice: 707-887-1521 / fax: 707-887-7128 / email: order@luckymojo.com
Good luck,
cat yronwode
If you have any questions about Lucky Mojo spiritual supplies or how to use them to cast real, authentic money spells, love spells, healing spells, protection spells, revenge spells, or gambling luck spells, call the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. occult store at (707) 887-1521 any time Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific time -- or search the Lucky Mojo web site for hundreds of free online magic spells that you can use:
We specialize in spiritual supplies that are hard to find, esoteric, arcane, and, above all, authentic. Our prices are fair and our quality unsurpassed because unlike most occult shops on the web, which are just resellers of factory-made products, we grow many of our own herbs, and we hand craft all of the dressing oils, incense, bath crystals, sachet powders, mojo bags, floor washes, and spell kits that we sell right here in our shop, one at a time.
In keeping with old-time conjure shop standards, we don't just make spiritual supplies; we pray over them and dedicate them to the needs of our clients as we craft them. We also offer free candle dressing with herbs and oils on all mail-order or in-shop glass encased vigil lights and novena candles, and there is no charge for the setting of prayer lights on our petition altars for customers of the shop.
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