I’ve found myself wondering—what’s the difference between a prayer and a spell? Are they the same? Different? Are they two names for the same sacred act, or do they diverge in power, purpose, and path?
A Scorpio Confession
I decided to call my dear Scorpio friend and talk this question over. She’s both a devout Catholic and a true believer in magick and the occult. She gave me my very first deck of tarot cards a very…very…long time ago. It put me on a path that led to where I am now, and I like it here.
I asked her about how Catholics use prayer. She told me that you can recite a prayer (to a specific Saint, for example), or that you can just pray directly to God. Then I asked her if she had ever done a spell. “You bet I have!,” was her quick response. She told me about one spell in particular–a revenge spell she found in a Book of Shadows that she bought in New Orleans. She also confided that it didn’t work out so well, and that it did come back to her three times over. Scorpio Lesson: stay away from revenge, spell or otherwise.
Divine Surrender or Earthbound Intention?
So what is a prayer, a spell, and how do they differ? Are prayers “Divine spells of surrender” and spells “Earthbound prayers of intention?” In Scorpio’s plea for transformation, are prayers and spells a true path to achieving that goal?
I was first intrigued with the idea of prayer vs. spell by a line from the wonderful movie, “Beautiful Creatures.” It’s about a southern family with supernatural powers. Emma Thompson plays the cruel and vengeful Sarafine Duchannes. She has a line about mortals that has made a lasting impression on me.
“They pray without true beliefs and then wonder why their spells don’t work.“
Is the true connective tissue of prayer and spells true beliefs, faith? Can a prayer or a spell work without it? Can they be used together?
Prayer
- Directed toward a higher power (God, Source, Creator).
- Framed as a request, plea, or surrender.
- Rooted in religious or devotional traditions.
- Often accompanied by scripture, humility, and trust in divine will.
Spellwork
- Directed through natural or metaphysical forces.
- Framed as an act of will or co-creation.
- Rooted in magickal, pagan, or esoteric traditions.
- Often uses correspondences, lunar timing, and symbolic action.
Used Together
- Psalms used as spells in folk magic.
- Hoodoo and Catholicism intertwining prayer and ritual.
- Witches who pray, and mystics who cast spells.
Scorpio dives into the underworld of desire; Pisces dissolves into the divine. Together, they blur the line between spell and supplication. Astrologically, would you consider prayer a Pisces process and spellwork as belonging to Scorpio? Used together they might be 2nd decan Scorpio (Scorpio/Pisces) or 3rd decan Pisces (Pisces/Scorpio). Let me know what you think in the comments. I’m really curious.
I started wondering about the Moon. Is following the Moon a kind of unspoken prayer? Or a silent spell cast in rhythm with the signs and phases? One without an incantation or combining ingredients to create a spell? Am I in prayer for a good outcome when I shop for chili peppers while the Moon is in Aries or aligned with Mars? Or am I working a spell? When we set out to find the answer to a Scorpionic plea, do we cast a spell upon ourselves? I don’t know. I just don’t know. Yet.
Maybe it’s not an either/or answer. Maybe the sacred is in the asking. In the whisper. In the will.
Journal Prompt or just to ponder: Write a prayer as if it were a spell. Or cast a spell as if it were a prayer. What shifts? What stays sacred?
What do you think—have you ever cast a prayer or whispered a spell without knowing which was which?
auntiemoon.com 
Great post (and prompts)! Will reflect on this :) Thank you! :)
Love this! And lots to ponder…to answer right away on instinct (yes, my aries stellium is showing). They are different, yes, very different “feels”. Prayer is a “surrender”, a “trust” a “giving away.” Spell is an intentional action.