What is the difference between a prayer and a spell of some sort?

I should have said a means to an end.

Both require faith. I am not an expert in spell but I am sure if you do not believe that the spell will not work then the spell will not work. No you arent wrong..in fact that is very right..

Magic is used to get what you want and when you want it. With praying you don't always get what you want when you want it. Its the same with spellcasting..you dont always get what you want... Also for me there is no need to use any item to talk with God. I do not need charms or statues Again thats the same with spellcasting...SOME ppl find those items useful but there are MANY of us that dont use anything....I for one dont and I know several others who also dont...AND there are plenty of ppl who WILL, when praying to God use a candle, a statue of him etc..

from another practitioner, who has a different view on deity than Raven, so consider this my answer and not hers. Magic is like a muscle. something you train yourself to use effectively. if you consider the time and effort gone into training that skill, warming up that skill and the discipline required in directing it a relationship, I suppose it could be seen that way. but I DO have a personal relationship with my Gods. one that has grown and deepened throughout my life. Magic and Gods are part of the same thing, and also separate. you can use Magic without seeking the intervention of Gods. or you can ask them to help, but use Magic as another part of that request. to show you are willing to give your own energy towards it. rather than waiting to be a passive recipient of Divine intervention. and the energy that Gods are made of connects every living thing in the universe. and you are a part of this energy. so when you raise your energy and direct it, that could be seen as working with the life force of the Gods as well as yourself many many people who use Magic have sudden senses of danger or risk that save them from a dangerous situation. how many of us have heard the word stop clear as day in our minds just before stepping into danger? a very common experience. and something Magical practitioners tend to be very in tune with. so yes. My Gods do all those things. and Magic is a tool that is part of them and of me. even when I don't specifically ask them to intervene. which would be prayer. and the Gods do communicate back. in fact, this is considered fairly normal to have a face to face connection with Gods in Pagan circles, whearas it seems to be unusual for Christians to actually see or hear their Deity. he seems more distant. Ravens answer may be similar in some ways, but I know her take on deity is different from mine, so in such ways our answers will be different.

You say this, but let me ask you something. Do you have a personal relationship with your magic? Can your magic communicate back to you with words and its own voice? Does it call you by name? Does it protect you in the midst of danger, say for example a car is about to run you over. Does your magic help you get out of the way in time?

Hi again blummus, I agree such a prayer would be interfering in someones free will and don't agree with such prayers. Anything that seeks good for another is fine with me, but to ask for harm to come to another is something that I could never agree with. Blessings.

I have never prayed for bad things to happen to anyone even people I don't like. Nor would God ever answer a prayer like that. He would completly ignore it.

The question of free will is a big one in both prayer and magic, or so it seems to me. I've often heard prayers and wishes that someone will have a change of mind, or conversely, that their heart will be hardened so that some disaster or other punishment will fall upon the target. Don't prayers like that interfere with others' free will and wish the kind of harm on others that witches and other magical people are accused of doing?

"As for spells all I know about them is from tv and Hollywood." Wouldn't it have been simpler to say you don't know anything about spells? Spells are used for health and prosperity to oneself, one's family, one's community, one's land. Nothing evil in any of that.

well I've never invoked the power of evil. it's certainly not a widely used practice within Magic. the power you invoke is your own energy. neither good nor evil.

why do you assume a spell is to harm others?

And thank you for considering the question. Thoughtful responses are the real reward here.