Money and Magi
Over the weekend, Aaron Leitch posted the following nugget for folks to digest:
“Telling a magician they are “fake” because they don’t have money is like telling a doctor they are “fake” because they caught a cold. In other words, you absolutely don’t get how either magick OR money works.” – Aaron Leitch
I felt like as the author of Financial Sorcery and courses that have finances as one of their focuses I needed to comment on this.
First, Aaron is absolutely right. Money is not an indicator of magical success because not all magicians are concerned with money as goal. Any magician should be judged by the metric they set for themselves, be it wisdom, influence, wild experimentation, or whatever. Success is just that: Success at your goals. There are those whose main goals are about existing outside capitalism, or any type of monetary structure at all. I know some people who have been successful at this. Happiness comes from many places, and it is happiness, self-possession, and wisdom that I judge magicians on not their bank accounts.
But….
If you are going to be pimping financial success as part of the results of your magic program – then yeah, you need to have that, and its fair to judge someone on that. Not riches mind you, thats a whole other ball of wax that entails money being a central focus of your life, I just mean stability. Not being broke. I see some spiritual advisors and magicians out there trying to sell programs that promise all kinds of money success, but they themselves don’t have a pot to piss in.
Also, its entirely likely that even successful magicians will run into a bump in the road now and then. Magic does not prevent all problems – it does however give you the tools to sort them out. As for me, I am not rich, but I do alright. I am make a great living doing what I love, and even more importantly, I have students tell me I have helped them do the same. Things are good now, but may not always be – such is life and anyone who tells you different is deluding themselves as well as you.
Also, while we’re at it….
While I hate to see money or riches being used as the metric for how successful a magician is, I hate even more to see lack of money used as a badge of honor. Some people equate being a Pagan or being a Magician with a distinct anti-materialism that can be romantic in your 20’s and 30’s, gets to be a drag in your 40’s and 50’s, and tends to be a real big problem for those in their 60’s and older. Just as money should not be the marker of a successful magician, poverty should not be either.
My own opinion is that a magician should handle their shit. I know great magicians that work for themselves and others who work straight jobs. I know great magicians who make well into 7 and 8 figures, and others who are content just to get by. None of that matters, but if a magician regularly finds themselves in situations that are untenable, uncomfortable, and unsustainable financially, my advice to them is the same as advice for non-magicians: use your skills and better your lot. If your skills are not up to the task, get new ones.
