Note: All archive entries are from Emergence-Activate Zoom poetry readings, organized by Nicky Rainey and Lucien Aeon.
Happy May Day, Activators! May 1st is known on the witch’s calendar as Beltane, and it is literally a time to get lit–bonfires and bacchanalia are the name of the game today. This may be a mixed metaphor since bacchanal refers to the god Bacchus, but I figure you’ll forgive me. The point is, today is a great day to indulge in an altered state, while dancing around something that is on fire. For example: The System.
We are plugging along through Taurus season and I realized this is a good time to go over prosperity magic, as we won’t be in another earth sign until August brings us Virgo.
Why is earth associated with prosperity? The earth element is about tangible stuff: the body, our environs, the work we do. In tarot, the earth suit is pentacles–also known, in some decks, as coins. Coins are made of materials from the earth: precious metals retrieved from beneath our feet. So while we can practice prosperity work at any time, Taurus seems like a great era to go over the aspects of that work.
There are many ways to call abundance into your life. One good thing to know is that gold is perhaps a better color to work with than the green of folding money. (Interestingly, green is associated with love, as it corresponds to the heart chakra.) Golden candles, stones and adornments are a solid way to summon prosperity. I try to wear at least one golden item per shift at the Fortune Teller Bar. (Gold nail polish is remarkably effective.)
Why adorn yourself in gold when you’re trying to make more? Like definitely calls to like with this practice. Wearing gold is a good way to entice luxury into your life. Relatedly, if you work for tips, always have a bill in your tip jar/pocket when you go onto your shift. It seems easier to draw more to you when there’s a little bit to start with. Try to always have at least a dollar in your wallet, so your pocketfold never has an empty vibe.
A little piece of magic for your house is a prosperity jar, or bowl. If you want to create a prosperity vessel for your home, there are many stones, herbs, and ephemeralia you can place inside it to draw in the good stuff. Attached to this document is an utterly non-comprehensive list of prosperity stones and herbs.
To make a prosperity vessel: A small jar of honey is an excellent centerpiece. Place it in a bowl or larger jar and add some amount of money. The more you add, the more powerful your draw will be–but note that you can’t take the money out once you put it in, as that will render your Working moot.
Oranges (or orange peels, for a smaller jar) are a great addition. You should change them often (as soon as they are wilty) and release them by tossing them into a river, burying them in your backyard, or (if they aren’t gross yet), offering them to someone who is hungry. The shrine to Marie Laveau in New Orleans has an open policy that hungry people can take offerings home to eat. This reminds me that having an open hand is also a good policy when trying to call in wealth–give a little, get a little, is a much better policy than “mine mine mine.”
As well as an open hand, an abundance outlook is extremely helpful to draw more into your life. If you catch yourself thinking about lack–ie, “I don’t have enough,” try to re-wire that thinking into “I have enough; what I need will come to me.” It is amazing how much this opens up your being for more success. This relates to gratitude, which is a cornerstone of abundance. Being hype about what you have already is a magnet for additional positive developments.
The neat thing about prosperity magic is that it relates to, but is bigger than, money magic. So I feel it benefits us in a more holistic way. When you do prosperity magic, expect the outcome to impact more than your wallet–I have done some abundance rituals and, in the following weeks, have received gifts, favors, and, very often, food. You may do the work and find that the money benefits are present, but the overall vibe is a flow of luck/necessities into your life.
I suspect that we all can dip into hopelessness at the moment. I hope this treatise on focusing on, and drawing in, extra sweetness to your life adds a little golden tone to an easily grey time. Thank you for listening, Activators, and may your coffers, and pantries, ever be full.
Stones and Herbs:
(Note: some of these stones are reddish–red is another good color for prosperity, perhaps because it’s the color of the root chakra, which gives us strength and stability.)
Citrine is the major stone for calling in abundance. It is also handy because it cleanses other gems, if you leave them together overnight on your altar.
Jade is a good green money-draw, and lucky to boot. It has a rich, long history in Chinese culture of symbolising wealth and protection.
Carnelian is a general good-vibes, energetic stone. It is known as the singer’s stone, because it brings in confidence.
Lodestones are a common element in money-draw gris-gris–you need two, so their magnetic quality attracts good things to you.
Ruby draws in success. Rough, non-gem-quality rubies are available at all the hippy-dippy stores. In my experience, they feel really good to carry around; they give an extra boost of energy, confidence, and ~sex appeal~.
For all the goth kids, it is a relief to know that jet, the Victorian stone of mourning, is a damn fine fortune-draw. (Note that jet should be acquired in person, because it is virtually impossible to tell if it’s plastic over the internet.) Jet requires the most cleansing–it absorbs the blues for you, and a little time in the sun, with a salt lamp, or with a smoke smudge resets it.
Herb-wise, cinnamon, clove, bayberry, and honeysuckle all help call to the sweet life. Add these to your prosperity bowl, or try candles with these scents while you’re working.
Ellen The Red 