Recently it seems in some new literary acquisitions that there is this returning theme of condemning love magic, specifically love magic directed towards a specific person. The arguments about ethics and morality, and the metaphysics behind the differing authors’ statements were, while worded different, pretty much the same thing. It’s about “karma” (and I don’t mean Hindu cosmology, but rather the very popular notion that immorality gets punished by the universe) and controlling people, or rather “removing a person’s free will.”

A love spell is exactly that, a spell that conjures forth love. Much like the proverbial rabbit out of the hat however, it can only conjure up love that is present. If rabbits didn’t exist, there would be no rabbit. If that love is not there, then said person will not love you. Thus why love spells cannot make a person gay or straight. This is why witches don’t have the most popular or favorite celebrity on their arm. This is why sorcerers aren’t walking around dating super models. If love spells were as all powerful as the morality and karma crew seems to paint them, then this would be the case more often, which it is not. It’s much easier to paint some metaphysical schlep reason as to why they don’t work or not do them, then face the cold hard facts that a total stranger who you have at best only the most tenuous connection to, or a familiar acquaintance that you have shyly eyeing from a distance, might not being interested in a romantic, sexual, and/or lasting relationship with you. It’s called rejection, it’s something you need to deal with and get over it, because it happens. A love spell doesn’t remove free will; it doesn’t force someone’s actions where they become near mindless automatons, or emotional sycophants who go pining after someone uncontrollably. All of those images are fictional portrayals of spells, and it is much more to give the reader a thrill then it is an accurate depiction of what really happens in a person specific love spell

All of this is different from controlling magic or compel/command/dominate spells. These operate in various intensities, with the mildest being having an influence where the target or targets favor you, to getting someone to follow through with actions that they have sworn to, to outright commanding people or dominating them. While I can’t say that I have exact percentages, but most people can be influenced to one way or another, and slightly less then that can be compelled to follow through on their sworn actions, not everyone can be commanded or dominated. It just doesn’t always work. When a person is more susceptible to that, even then, it doesn’t work forever, (although it can operate for a long time, depending upon the situation). Humanity just does not take to being made a slave in anyway for an extended period of time. Eventually something inside us rebels against the bondage and restriction, and we fight for our liberty and freedom

I have not been in a position where I would want to dominate someone for that length of time, but I have heard many stories told by first hand witnesses where the domination spell used to make someone’s actions to enter into a relationship went fine, until after a few years, the person needed to do it again, because the target was resisting. Then, a year later, they started resisting again, and so the repeated the spell. Then, 9 months, 6 months, 3 months, every month, and then week, after week, after week, then every few days, then every day. Eventually the person performing the spell gets sick. A cold, the flu, something and they can’t perform the spell for a day, two days, and a week. The person they were dominating shows signs of coming around more and more, and next thing, their relationship is over, a nasty break-up follows, and the person who cast the spell is spiritually and physically exhausted after all that has occurred. They use domination and controlling magic to force someone (who could be forced) into a relationship. It’s not a love spell, it’s a spell of control and they are completely different, although some of the curios used in them might be similar, often their methodologies of deployment, and the words used with them(i.e. incantations, prayers, spells, etc..) are completely different or different enough in language that it can be easily understood to be different.

Most “general love spells” are not actually a love spell at all, but rather a spell of control, aimed only at influencing people around you favorably, mainly to notice you and be attracted to you. Anything that comes from that is more of an example of ones one personal skill at persuasion and influence, through presentation, and social graces. It doesn’t really conjure up love, just attraction or favor, which is different from love

I have felt the influence of a general love spell once, and while I was fond of the person, I don’t think I was actually loved that person in any significant way. It was weird how, after I came across this person, I found my mind could not stop thinking about them, which is very unusual, and when they told me they had cast such a spell, I went about breaking its influence over me, which quickly ended the influence. She called it a “general love spell” but the feelings I felt were not love, just notice, a non-sexual attraction, and an almost obsessed focus on my friend until I broke the spell and ended the influence. It was from that experience that I later realized the difference between a love spell and a controlling spell.

The thing is with love spells and controlling spells is that they can work well together, when used with skill. Influence can be used to attract people to you, while the love spell can then be worked in follow up, if you really feel there is something there. That is when the controlling spell is put away, to see if the love manifests fully. If you keep the control spell going, then you might find yourself in a loveless situation, which can be equally unhappy for both parties.