Are you considering paying for magical work done on your behalf?  Spells cast by a magical practitioner?  Here's another option that will be just as powerful - if not more powerful - one that empowers you, not the magical professional, and one that will certainly save you money.

Magic does not have to be veiled in secrecy.  It is a power you can tap into yourself, regardless of your experience or inexperience, so that you can effect change in your own life.  All you need is a clear and willing mind.  That sounds easy, but some times we are so upset, enraged, or basically irrational about one situation or another, and in that instance it is enormously helpful to have an unbiased professional step in on your behalf.  If you can't think and plan rationally about your current condition or topic, if the emotions overcome, wait until it subsides, your  mind clears a bit, or seek the help of a competent and caring spiritual/magical worker.  You have a lot to chose from, practitioners who offer their services on eBay.  Read my other guide for more information about chosing an ethical magic worker.

In this guide I'll offer you a basic magic spell outline, one that you can adapt to your specific goals.  This particular spell is easy, but don't let that mislead you.  All you need to magically succeed is well defined intent, a plan of action, and the help of a few natural allies.  Anything more, at least as a beginner, can be overkill.  It could be easier to focus on the "props and dressings" rather than the petition. 

Trained and experienced practitioners have many, many more techniques to chose from at their disposal, but these techniques only come to life and power through their skilled magical midwifery.  No one, I repeat no one, can guarantee you that their super powerful unfailing love spell is going to be any more effective than a simple spell done yourself with an open heart.  I would argue the contrary, actually (and i do offer my services as a spiritual worker on eBay.  I represent the professional magical worker camp, and I still shout from the mountaintop: "Empower yourself!  Do your own magic work!  Cast your own spell if you so desire!  YOU CAN DO IT!!!). 

So here's the step-by-step.  You can adapt this spell to pretty much any need or desire.  Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.  * Also, if this guide was of any help, or at least entertaining, please consider voting for its helpfulness.  The higher of a score it gets, the earlier it appears on search results and the more people can be helped.  Kind thanks for this consideration.*

STEP ONE:  Take time to logically define your situation.  Write this down on paper.  Make an evening of it - this step is very mundane, i know, no witchy, incense smoke, magic secrets here, but leave it out at your own risk.  You will use the answers to help solidify your magical intent.  I have actually created a questionaire for my clients to this aim.  It asks for answers to the following:  (Note that all the answers in parenthesis are made-up examples for illustrative purposes only.)

1) A simple sentence summarizing the situation  (Let's use the common magical intent of:  "I want my ex-boyfriend to happily and faithfully return to me and leave the home-wrecker he's currently running around with").  This helps to focus you intent and narrow it - we're not talking paragraphs here - what's the core of your issue?  Maybe upon this deep inquiry, you'll come to the heart of the matter - self-esteem and self-worth issues, usually.  You may wish to change your focus and work on this.  Or not.

2) Any relevant and important information about the current situation  (I have children with him, five-year relationship, mistress is an ex from highschool, I don't feel worthy of love, low self-esteem, I feel distanced from a loving God, etc.).  Again this helps to focus in on the issue at hand.  Many people, when contemplating spell work, wish to have one spell address all their life's problems, as in:  Please draw money, a new lover, luck at Bingo, protection from gossipers, help my kid do well at school, let me please maintain my employment, and so on.  This will not be effective magically; one intent per spell, please.

3)  Your perfect desired outcome:  (My boyfriend to return to me loving and faithful.  I will provide a happy, peaceful home for him and our children.  I provide for all his needs as a perfect mate.  We will be married soon.).  Speak like it has already happened.  Keep this positive and in the present tense, not negative like:  That hateful mistress b**tch will get hit by a bus, and my no-good sorry man will come a crawling back to me, where he belongs, tail between his legs. 

4)  A one-sentence statement of intent *a most important part*:  (My boyfriend and I are united in perfect, faithful love.).  You will use this statement of intent as a mantra throughout your spell and in the days/weeks/months to come.  Make sure it is something you deeply identify with and one that has a comfortable flow when you speak it out loud.  Have your statement of intent be in the present tense, and again, have its focus be on the positive.

Here are more examples:

~ The Universe provides enough money to meet my needs, with plenty to share, and I am abundantly provided for.

~ God sends my perfect mate to me in our perfect timing.

~ My mind is open and receptive to learning.  I will get an A on my test.

5)  Now, make a HUGE list of all the things you are going to do in the physical world to help with this work (I will forgive him so that when he returns I will not be a wrathful, hateful, hen-pecking wretch; I will go to a therapist/life coach to work on self-esteem issues; I will stop stalking his mistress on myspace; I will start going to church, get in with a spiritual community; I will get involved in this positive activity; I will learn this which I've always wanted to and which should make me happy; I will get my hair done and pamper myself; I will start exercising and stop eating sugar; I will read self-help books on positive relationship skills, etc., etc.).  Plan to do these right after finishing your spell work.  The magic you did will rub off on these plans and make you mor effective. 

Although magic has performed miracles for folks, it is unlikely you'll have lasting or good results if you make no changes in the physical world - sorry.  Again, don't skip this infomation-gathering step.  You will undoubtably learn something new about your situation.

STEP TWO:  Research the magical correspondences specific to your unique situation.  Fortunately the internet makes this easy.  Google "magical correspondences" or "love (money, success, protection) spell correspondences."  Alternatively, you may come across a spell kit you ressonate with.  Expect to pay over $20 for a good one.  Researching correspondences is important because we are doing natural magic here, thus we need all the help from our magical world as we can get.

Common correspondences include: Auspicious times (for our above situation of return of a lover: morning, Fridays, Venus, Taurus); Symbols (heart, initials, doves, flowers, peace signs); Colors (pink, light blue); Herbs and Natural Items (Balm of Gilead, Violet, Rose, Lodestones); God/desses, Saints, if you so choose (Aphrodite, Hera, The Magdeline, The Holy Family, etc.); Prayers, check out Beliefnet (Peace Prayer of Saint Francis, A Love Song, by Saint Teresa of Avila); Incense (Rose, Sandalwood).

Make a list.  Find correspondences for:  Timing of Spell, Astrological affinities, Symbols, Colors, Herbs/Plants/Roots/Flowers, Minerals, God/desses, Saints, Prayers/Chants/Scripture, Incense

You need all of these, plus any others you come across that ring true, to create your spell.  Consider Tarot images, stones, religious items, etc.  The natural items, the herbs and incense, have natural magic all of their own, so these are especailly important.  Their powers will combine with your intent to work your magic out into the Universe.

Using these researched correspondences make up a game plan  (For our example:  I'm doing my spell for "My boyfriend and I are united in perfect, faithful Love," on Friday morning.  I'm encorporating the symbols of Venus, hearts, and peace signs, coupled with Rose incense, a pair of Lodestones, Rose Quartz, Balm of Gilead Buds, and Spikenard.  I've printed out the Love Song prayer for use, and dug up a Sacred Heart of Jesus and a Holy Family prayer card, and so on).

STEP THREE:  Collect/Purchase your supplies and set up your altar/magical space.  Visit your nearest occult supply, botanica, or an online merchant.  Many internet sellers offer overnight or priority mail.  Waiting on mail-order supplies can be frustrating, but it gives you the opportunity to really nail down your statement of intent and the steps you will take in the physical world.

Buy/Collect: 
1)  A candle of the appropriate color (you can get great glass-encased vigil lights in the Hispanic foods section of many grocery stores) - choose from tapers, glass-encased, votives, or specialty magical figure candles (Bride and Groom, Lovers, etc.)
2)  The herbs and natural items you researched.  Don't buy huge quantities.  An ounce of violet leaves is a pretty large baggie full.  You can also find pre-mixed spell herbs from some vendors.
3)  The incense.  A magical incense specific to your intent - they make incense and other spiritual supplies for just about every magical working under the sun (in our example you'd use Love Come To Me, Reconciliation, Stay With Me).
4)  If the subject of this spell includes another person other than yourself, find a personal item of theirs to include on the altar:  a photo, piece of handwriting, business card, hair, item of clothing.  This link will make your spell exponentially more powerful.

As you collect/purchase the items, set up an altar space for the magical work.  Add important things that are specific to your spell work (Photos of you and your boyfriend, a red piece of fabric as an altar cloth, valentines, religious statuary, a vase of roses, etc.)

You will also need:  A piece of paper, a writing utensil, a candleholder, and incense burner, a pin, matches

STEP FOUR:  Perform the spell.  When you have assembled all your supplies, on the researched day and time, start this spell.  This spell is a combination of petition magic and candle magic, but it is just one example from those rich bodies of magical techniques.  Other practitioners most likely do it differently, and that's okay.

1)  At the predetermined time, your spell's timing, make sure you will be uninterrupted.  Take your phone off the hook, lock your door.  Do something soothing to prepare you for the work.  I'd suggest a prayerful and meditative bath.
Go before you altar, which you have already set up, decorated, and all the required tools are assembled before you.  Hvae some music playing.  Focus your mind, and try your best to clear out all the mundane "monkey mind."  Read prayers, scripture, invocations, chants, to set your mindframe.  If you did your research, you will have a whole body of relevant readings that correspond to your working.  Take as long as you need until you feel "right."

2)  Light the incense.  Say your statement of purpose strongly with emotion (Remember?  "My boyfriend and I are united in perfect, faithful love).  The spell has begun.

3)  Prepare your candle.  This is a highly simplified method.  Feel free to research other magical candle preparation techniques.  Carve your symbols, and if there's enough room, carve a simplified version of your statement of intent.  Rub the candle with the crumbled up herbs, and wave it in the incense smoke while again, firmly speaking your statement of intent with great feeling.  Hold the candle between your two hands while you visualize your perfect desired outcome.  You may also pray.  When it feels "right," set the candle in the holder.

4)  Take your time and write out your petition on the piece of paper like a letter to God/the Universe.  Start it with "Dear God (Mother God/the Universe/whatever)"  Be detailed but positive.  Write this letter as a thank you, as if you have already received your desired intent, speaking in present tense (Dear God, Thank you for reuniting Adam and me.  Our love is a perfect example of your Divine gift, God's Love in action.  Thank you for entering our hearts, and we share this Love with...).  Add as many details as you wish, tying up your situation in a nice little bow, thanking God all the while. 

* Very imortant:  Sign your name to the petition, owning it.  As you sign your name say, "With God as my witness, these truthful words will come into being.  Amen"

5)  Wave the petition paper in the incense smoke while speaking your statement of desired outcome.  Set it on the middle of your altar space.  Sprinkle herbs on it.

6)  Set your candle on the paper and light it.  Again, speak your statement of intent with strong emotion.

7)  Now, read your petition letter out loud with great feeling once or any number of times, whatever feels right.  Vibrate your intention into your bones, out into the Universe.  Visualize as you read; see your words materialize.  You may also ad lib prayers as you are so moved.

8)  Stay in prayer while the candle burns, or a portion of the candle burns.  Stay open to any guidance.  Focus your mind on your desired outcome and/or your statement of intent.  Don't be overcome with your "monkey-mind," worrying and fretting about what's next, how you're doing, doubts, etc.  Your monkey mind does not do magic, doesn't understand magic, and therefore gets in the way!

9)  Repeat part of this process, if you desire, any odd number of days.  You don't have to repeat it if you feel "full" and complete after one time.  Many spells, though, do specify multiple days buring multiple candles.  Follow your own intuition.  If you decide on multiple days, prepare new candles in the same manner, or if you used a 7-Day vigil light, keep it burning without pinching it out and just spend time with it each day reading your petition and praying.

10)  When you are finished working the spell, gather all the remnants, herbs, candlewax, incense ashes, etc.  If this spell was to attract something to you - more money, a lover, blessings - bury the remants outside your front door.  Use a potted plant if you don't have a front yard, or bury them under a tree at your nearest park.  If this spell was to remove a condition - an illness, low self-esteem, scatter the remnants in the wind away from your house or in a moving body of water.  Fold up the petition paper and keep it amongst your sacred items.

11)  Now, keep your mind open to any "movement."  Within three days you should start to see some signs, good or bad.  These signs could appear to be "coincidence" or mundane happenings - they're not.  Watch out for dreams, the people you run into, your feelings and intuitions, words spoken to you and around you.  Within three weeks you should have some concrete manifestations.  You may not totally have everything in your desired outcome, but things should be apparently moving towards that or away from that.  By three months if you have not gotten the results you worked for, it's time for a do-over, or really it's time to re-examine your intent (you know, maybe my man is no-good after all.  He and that b**ch are perfect for each other - may they make themselves miserable!  Let's do a love spell to bring me a new and better guy!).

Remember the list you created of all the mundane steps you were going to take in the physical world?  Do them.  Your magic spell will lend you the extra motivation and success you need.  Again, you can do magic until you're blue in the face, but if you sit around and watch tv and do nothing to help the magic along, you're doing yourself a disservice and severely limiting all the good coming your way.  Get up off the couch!!!

This spell is simple, but effective.  It can really be all you need.  Use it or not, and adapt it as you see fit.  You just might be suprised in the satisfaction and power that comes from doing your own magical work.  It might just open a whole new door for you.

If you are so moved, please vote Yes for its helpfulness, and also check out my other guides.  They might be of interest too.

Use this spell in good health and wellness.  May you allow the floodgates of Good to open, showering you with all the blessings that are your birthright.  Amen.
Julia