tarot spells

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 13 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

LittleWing	13 May 2003
after reading celeste's post 'freaky' i wanted to hear more about tarot spells. i am not into ceremonial magic - but these kind of spells sound like they could work for me as i know the tarot. however - im not sure to get involved - eg - what are the repucussions of doing spells in self interest? i suppose it is a matter of will - a focus - like a prayer. with the intent of good - what can be the harm. i suppose we should also consider - be careful what you wish for.

gloria	13 May 2003
I second this Little Wing. I also was intrigued with Celeste's post. I wouldn't want to get into anything too heavy though. I have a rose quartz crystal given to me by a white witch, to ward off negative vibes. I feel sure it has helped in a certain situation I was up against. I was told by a tarot reader friend recently that I should soak it in a salt-water solution every so often to "cleanse" it. I would be interested to hear from Celeste if the book Major Tom mentioned is in fact the one she used. Gloria.

divinerguy	13 May 2003
There are 2 or 3 books out there which might interest you. I have one called, Tarot Spells, by Janina Renee. The whole idea behind them is that they're easy to do, and don't require a lot of materials other than your deck and a candle or two. I try to do spells, which I consider to be prayer on steroids, which don't seek something which will bite me in the a$$. Things like asking for wisdom, peace, etc. Not as many threefold law implications to worry about. Have fun.

gloria	13 May 2003
Thanks for that Divinerguy, shall look it up tomorrow. Gloria

raeanne	13 May 2003
Hi all, I would like to suggest that anyone interested in doing spell work should first read Robin Wood’s book “When, Why…If”. It is an excellent book about pagan ethics but is also very helpful to anyone who is not pagan. This book has exercises to help you understand the concepts. Spells really do work, but there are consequences. Personally I do believe that intent is a big part of a spell. If your intent is honorable, that will definitely be in your favor, but there can still be unforeseen consequences. I remember the first spell I ever did. There was someone at work who was always trying to get me in trouble with the boss. I wanted to stop her from doing anything to cause me any more problems. I wrote her name on a piece of paper, rolled it up like a little scroll and tied it with string and put it in a bottle with a lid. It worked! But, I felt tied to this person in a rather uncomfortable way. I hadn’t expected that type of feeling. Later, I figured I had to let it go. I opened the bottle and burned the paper. The very next day this woman caused me some problems at work. I had to do a great deal of thinking about what I could do about this woman. Finally, I simply put a protection spell on myself. It has worked wonders. I no longer feel any ties to this woman and she has not caused me any serious problems at work. Looking back, I realize that this was a binding spell. I don’t have the right to restrict someone else’s behavior. They must be responsible for their own actions. I have a lot of respect for spells.

celeste	13 May 2003
The book I used was the Janina Renee one called Tarot Spells that has been mentioned. I did the invocation in the beginning of the book at the beginning and end of the spell. The spell I used was in the Enemies section on pages 149-151. I didn't bother to dress "magically" or light candles. The only other accesories I had were white daises(to signify purity of motive) and my cards. I just really wanted the negative behavior at work to stop and conventional methods (going through management and the Union weren't working that effectively.) In the book,it mentions that when your problems with the individual are resolved, then you can take the paper or objects out of the jar and casually dispose of them. I'm not saying the problem is licked, I don't know. Only one good day isn't a good enough indicator if it really worked or not or whether I have incurred negative consequenses to myself. I think the point of being mindful of the negative consequenses of working a spell are well taken. This is my third spell(and first tarot spell.). I did one spell for more money coming in every month-and I got it in the form of full-time work in my field(that is hard to get when your relatively new). The unforseen and negative consequence is that it is very stressful and I sometimes wonder how long my health(and nerves )will hold out. The other spell I worked was a love spell. I became infatuated with a man and worked a spell to get him to return my feelings. He noticed me alright-and it turned out he was a jerk. I could have gotten very hurt if it had gone on long enough, but thankfully I was only humiliated by this person and my ego was what got hurt the most. Even though its long over, I still feel uncomfortable and have some animosity towards this person-and I know he feels the same. We used to joke around alot,but the relationship has been drastically altered. So,yeah,be careful what you wish for(or cast for).

HudsonGray	13 May 2003
Yes, that's a common thing with love spells--they just don't work out. Anytime you do something that involves another person--think, THINK, and double think! There are consequences that will show up--and they may not always be the ones you anticipate. Anything that's a 'binding' will be, in effect, tying that person to you in some way, as raeanne found out. I can very highly recommend Robin Wood's book, it's fantastic. I'm glad someone mentioned it.

Cerulean	13 May 2003
or Tarot for the Healing Heart, etc., by Christine Jette, has wording, ideas and suggestions that touch on attitudes, ideas, even good and specific wording for this kind of focused intention and 'wishing'. I find these books helpful, maybe they will assist others here. They do help suggest spreads for people who like working with multiple cards and focusing their intentions. If you do a google search for Llewellyn Publishing, their online journal is wonderful. Their archive of articles actually has some wonderful excerpts from Tarot for All Seasons with layouts and ideas. There are very old books by Florence Shinn that talk about prayer as specific, strong intentions where you wish in the kindly way for the good of what can be involved--and also sincerely helps focus your belief, personal vision and outlook for what works for you. There may be other titles that you prefer--I've really liked Tarot for All Seasons for a few years now and its monthly spread suggestions..there's even a section in back that has some general card meanings that is quite helpful to me. Mari Hoshizaki

sagitarian	14 May 2003
Wow, thanks for your words of wisdom everyone! Yeah, a long time ago, i did a love spell, BUT i KNEW not to do it over another person. Instead, i just called out for love in general, wether it be a pet companion, a good friend to confide in, or family closer to me. Just a general spell of calling love to me. My cat came to me, and then a few yrs later, my cat was adopted by my mom, don't ask, long story. lol. Besides, my companion was then replaced with my husband (so i didn't mind giving up my cat for my husband) and since, we've had three beautiful children. So i don't know if there's an "end" to it or not, but it DEFINITELY worked for me, and I'm not aware of any reprecussions that happend, if there was, they were so slight that it was very very minimal. Anyways, as i stated in Celeste's post, i've done VERY few spells, and VERY hesitant about doing spells for the same reasons listed above. Be careful what you wish for, and be careful what you cast for, very WISE advice in MHO.

The tarot spells thread was originally posted on 13 May 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.