Card Spells

I am posting a manuscript that I wrote about casting spells with playing cards, and I hope you will enjoy this weekly series.

INTRODUCTION: ARE SPELLS REAL ?

What are spells, really? Are they the forces that we use to create a new reality to fit desires? Do they really work? Are spells something that only some of us can conjure up, or do they come from a power that is deep and strong within us all?
These are a few of the questions I thought about a lot while I was finishing this book. I believe in spells and I think people should be more open to their use. Some say that magic is dangerous and that we should leave things as they are, and then some of us are different. Take my grandmother, who called spells "wishing," much like making a birthday wish. She thought spells were just that, wishing for fate to change and good fortune to be yours. Some use spells to bring up a dark side to make dark desires true. If you are malevolent, then the dark side can harm a foe. If you decide to use a hex to conquer a hardship then, the dark side turns to light.
Some folks will say that they tried a spell once and it did not work for them. My grandfather would have told them that some have talent and can manifest what they need without doing a spell, he said that this is true "Wishing" . Others say that you should not mess with destiny and just accept your lot in life. I say that it is good to play with fate as long as you follow the rules of magick.
Spells are the subconscious desire and the mixing of elements with incantations, like following age old formulas, much like your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, in order to have a desired effect come into being. Spells tap into spirits and helpers from beyond to aid in a desire, or at least some think so, they also tap into your psyche. Casting spells is an age old skill and talent used by many, but known to few. In casting a spell you frequently need to have the support of a god or goddess to give you the 'oomph' you need. Picking the right deity is, for some, the first step. For myself, If I am to do a money spell, I might ask for help from the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of plenty in the Hindu system. Lakshmi does not have much of a wrathful side, so she is a natural also. I would not want to pick a goddess that might not approve of what I wanted and would teach me a lesson. I also would not tell my students that they should pick her to worship. For prayer and devotion to a goddess is a personal choice.
I worship her every full moon, even if I do not ask for dollars or material wealth. She is important because she is kind and loving to those who accepts this goddess; she makes it clear to me what it is important for me to develop in myself. A loving patient side is worth more then finances and wealth. This will occur naturally if I am respectful and devoted, for Lakshmi is real and an archetype of motherly love and giving.
I have been worshipping her for the past ten years, yet it was another who turned me on to her. I was encouraged by a male friend who thought that I did not have enough Lakshmi in my life and too much Lalita Shakti (the young Tantrik Goddess). He noted that I even resembled Lakshmi and that I was attracted to what she represented, only I did not have her temperament, her sweet and kindhearted nature, often enough. He gave me her mantra to invoke her, and I still do so. The aspects of what you want to encourage in your life is what you need to pick or what picks you. This is the first step in invoking the magical way of life.