Money Spells

Today I lit a candle I'd carved awhile ago which I'd intended to sell. At that time, I was working in a shop, and had made three or four "example candles". This one is for money, and incorporates Fehu and Uruz, as well as Kenaz and Thurisaz. When I left the shop, I took what was mine, which included the candles.

I want to talk about money and magic, obvs.

This is a subject which I find really complex. As friend Doug said, "Vitki should not work for free," meaning, of course, there needs to be an exchange of energies - be it cash, or trade in kind. It's what I call the Rule of Gebo - you give and you get. There has to be a (favorite word) balance. I accept that. So, yes, I accept money for readings and for things I make for people. Where's the problem?

I think it becomes a problem when the work gets unhooked from intention beyond "will this sell?" This can lead to all kinds of trouble. On the spiritual side, it does a disservice to both the maker and the buyer - the maker's spiritual flow is twisted away from true development, and the buyer's trust is abused. All kinds of promises are made in an effort to sell The thing: It will cure the problem, it will make you strong, etc.

Cure the Problem is a lie. The candle I lit will not cure the problem. The candle I lit can help to focus my energies to cure the problem. My galder before lighting it, and my stated intention went something like this: FehuuuuUruz Help me to recognize the ability to tame what is wild, control the flow of resources in and out of the household. Help me discover the best ways to move forward in financial strength. Help me to resist that which will derail my efforts.

My efforts. My strength. In saying the candle and herbs and runes are going to Cure The Problem, we rob ourselves of our own strengths to affect change. In telling someone that the charm or other thing we sell will Do It, we rob them of their own agency, leaving them even more vulnerable.

The charms, the runes, the objects, these are all reminders of the strength we have, the energy we can tap into and direct. We turn to these things when we need help. We deserve to be helped, not to be disarmed. As helpers, it is our duty to guide people into ways that actually do assist them, not just our bank account.

As a helpee, what can we do to protect ourselves? One thing is to pledge a No Buy period of time. Look through your cabinets, look through what you already have in the way of tools. Mark Twain said to be wary of any job that requires you to buy new clothes. I am saying beware of any spiritual solution that requires you to buy anything.

My candle is a specially-made candle intended for magical stuff. But any candle could do just as well. A birthday candle, if handled carefully, can be carved with runes. A tea-light provides a good surface for writing. Both can be carefully oiled or herbed, and both provide that light which is the real heart of the spell. Any candle will do. YES, there are color things, and yes there are many factors, but in a pinch, it is actually your intentions which make the biggest difference.

I am not saying ignore what has been largely accepted (certain herbs are good for this or that, certain stones help with x or y, etc); proceed thoughtfully, however the history of witchery is a history of substitutions made through necessity.

Go to the library, or a solid online site and see, what is Cinnamon good for? What grows locally that would represent the thing you need? (Rice for money, for instance.) What ingredients are around you? Be resourceful in making your magic, and that resourcefulness will spill over into the effects your magic has.

Helpers: Yes, we need to eat. But we need to understand that what we earn through trickery will poison us.