Gratitude as Money

One of the most frequent requests for help that we receive is around the issue of money. There are many different magickal ways to attract money, increase your bank account, or solve monetary problems. Many people find simple candle spells with a well-defined set of Directors and Limiters (what you want and what you don't want) works very well. Many people also like this approach because it seems to tackle the issue directly.

However, many of the same people who use this approach find that they have to use money spells frequently because they often need to solve financial problems. This is usually because some aspect of their lifestyle consistently produces a lack of money.

Another magickal approach to more permanently solving financial problems is to do a simple daily magickal ritual. This ritual is mostly about changing one's view of the world, as well as altering the energy that one puts out into the world.

Money As Energy
When you spend money you can easily see the exchange being made: dollars for goods or services. You can also see the exchange when you work to receive a paycheck: money in exchange for your work effort. But if you look behind all of these transactions, you will see that an energy exchange is at the heart of all of these transactions. When you work for a paycheck, you are being paid for the energy that you expend in different ways. Similarly, when you buy an item, you are ultimately paying for the energy that went into producing that item.

So money is really just a form of energy that we humans trade back and forth many times per day.

If we look at what occurs on the next higher spiritual level, we will see this energy exchange even more clearly. Consider the angels. They help us whenever we ask. So how do angels get paid? Partially by helping us. Angels get "brownie points," if you will, by helping us. These brownie points help angels ascend up their evolutionary ladder. Beyond that though, angels are paid in the spiritual coin of appreciation and gratitude.

If you consider the process we outline for hiring an angel for help from the higher, we recommend that people thank angels when they request help, while waiting for help to arrive, and after the desired result has manifested. When we express our gratitude to our angels before, during, and after the whole process, we are paying angels with the spiritual coin of gratitude. What's more, we are exchanging energy, which is at the heart of the monetary exchange system. Instead of dollars, we use the energy of gratitude and appreciation to pay the angels.

At the end of the day, whether we consider spending and receiving money or doing the same with gratitude and appreciation, we are exchanging energy with beings on the Earth plane as well as beings on higher spiritual planes.

How to Use Gratitude to Increase the Money in Your Life
Using the above idea that gratitude is the spiritual coin we use to barter with higher beings, and considering the idea that all types of money (on Earth and on higher spiritual planes) are simply exchanges of energy, we can come to a radical conclusion. Any form of energy exchange can be profitable. So what does that mean?

Let's say that you have a financial crisis in your life. You have more bills than you have money. In addition, the bills are due and you have no idea where to get the money to pay the bills. Can you use another form of money to pay your bills? Yes... albeit in an indirect way. Instead of getting a second job to pay your bills, how about using spiritual coins to pay your bills?

This is how you can use spiritual coin to attract enough money into your life to pay your bills. For the next 40 days, spend as much spiritual coin as you can. In other words, for the next 40 days feel as much gratitude and appreciation as you can about anything and everything in your life. In addition, spend as much spiritual coin as you can for the next 40 days. That is, express as much gratitude and appreciation to others as you can. When you express gratitude to someone, they are paid in spiritual coin that gives them a spiritual boost. The Universe notices that you have paid someone with spiritual coin that led to a higher state of being for the recipient. According to the Law of Karma, what comes around goes around (or, what you sow so shall you reap). The Universe will then convert that expression of gratitude into something you need: money to pay your bills.

This may sound a little crazy, but if you try this experiment for the next 40 days, you will be amazed at the variety of sources from which your money will come. If you spend the next 40 days noticing every "little joy" in your life, expressing sincere gratitude and appreciation to others (and yourself!), you will be paid tenfold in both physical money and spiritual coin. It is Universal Law. You need only practice this to verify the truth of this law for yourself.

It's a good idea to keep notes about your starting point, the ways you express and feel joy and gratitude and appreciation in your life, and the flow of money and spiritual coin that is returned to you. Keep track of the ways in which you spend your spiritual coin as you would a bank ledger. Then see what changes are reflected in your actual checking account ledger. You will be surprised at how quickly both ledgers fill up on the positive side with credits in abundance.

Gratitude and appreciation require only true sincerity and the willingness to keep an open mind. Spending a little energy each day giving yourself and others a spiritual boost costs so little that the risk and reward ratio is very good. If it doesn't work (but it will), you have lost nothing more than a few kind words that are appreciated by those around you. Learn more about daily rituals and how they can enhance your life and bring magic to your life with our Daily Rituals for Attracting What You Want in Life ebook.

Ready... Set... Spend!

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How to Discover Your Animal Totem

If you're confused about how to discover your animal totem or totems, don't despair. The process can actually be a lot simpler than you think. The first and most important step to discovering your animal totem is to do some research. Animal totems act as guides and sources of inspiration in our lives, and they can also help us manifest certain qualities or characteristics in our lives (such as patience, love, joy, or persistence).

There are two basic aspects to researching your animal totem: book research and field research. Reading about animals and their characteristics gives you a good idea of what kinds of energies those animal totems might bring into your life. For instance, hummingbirds bring joy, enthusiasm, and lots of energies, while ravens bring mystery and a deep sense of humor.

Read About Possible Animal Totems
You can read general books or magazines on animals (National Geographic often has great information) or you can read books that specifically describe animal totems, such as "Medicine Cards" by Carson and Sams. Reading about animals also helps you find out more about animals that either don't live in your local area or are extinct (just because an animal species is no longer in body doesn't mean that its spirit isn't still around to lend energies and help).

Field Research to Discover Your Animal Totem
The other part of researching your animal totem is going out and observing animals in your local area. Choosing an animal native to your local area as a totem is useful in a lot of ways. First, they are already adapted to your local environment, and can teach you a lot about survival and enjoyment of your outdoor area. Second, you'll be more likely to receive physical messages from these totems-in other words, you'll be more likely to see and interact with them on a daily basis. Finally, you'll be able to do more direct research through physical observation of local animals than with exotic ones from faraway places.

To do this kind of field research, just walk through any park or wildlife area and observe the animals. See how they move, how they interact with you and each other, how they rest. Do they move fast? Do they react strongly to your presence or barely notice it at all? How do they express themselves? What qualities are most dominant in their behavior?

For instance, if you were to observe a colony of ants, you would notice that they persist in what they are doing, no matter how much interference they encounter. If you scoop up an ant on a piece of paper, carry it 10 feet away and set it back down again, it will continue in the same direction it was headed, as if it had never been scooped up. It will persist in completing its task regardless. If this dogged persistence is what you need in your life, then the ant might be an excellent totem for you. If you want to be more outgoing and gregarious, consider the raven or the magpie. Or what about the spider for sheer creativity and art?

Animals are all around us and we have so much to learn from them! Choosing a specific animal to be your totem personalizes your relationship with that animal species, and brings their particular personalities and energies into your life. Doing this kind of research is the first step to developing that kind of personal relationship. It's fun, inspiring and educational. So start doing your research today ... you've got nothing to lose and lots to gain!

Want to Know More?
If you want to dive more deeply into the world of animals, you'll want to read Learn How to Talk to Animals – A Practical Guide for a Magical Journey written by Esoteric School Expert Leta Worthington.

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Ritual Magic: Magically Make Hard Decisions Easy

I’m sure we’ve all faced times when we need to make a big life decision and find ourselves unsure, wavering and just not able to make a choice. Typically we resort to asking friends or family or making a pro/con list, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if the right answer would just magically come to us? Guess what, it can! Try out this little ritual magic technique the next time you have a big decision to make. We call it the 3 Day Question.

Using the 3 Day Question brings you guidance from your spirit or your spirit guides. Here’s how to do it:

1. Describe your decision in very precise, concise terms. For example, “Do I take this trip or not?”, “Do I take this job or not?”. Don’t add in a lot of extra information, just state the question you are struggling with.

2. Take around 3-5 minutes to sit in a quiet place and hold the question in your mind.

3. Now ask your question out loud.

4. Forget about the question, the decision and anything to do with the whole issue for the next 3 days. I know that is easier said than done, but strive to switch your attention to something else any time you find yourself starting to think about it.

5. At the end of the 3rd day, ask your question again. Whatever the first answer you hear is the answer for you to accept.

You may hear the answer come from within you as a “voice in your head” or a picture. You may instead hear the answer from outside yourself. This could come in the form of a conversation you overhear, a song, a sign in a window or dozens of other ways. Look for the sign that gives your answer. For example, let’s say your question was, “Do I move to New York or not?”. At the end of the 3 days, you ask your question and maybe you hear the song New York, New York on the radio or maybe you hear someone in a conversation next to you saying they love New York cheesecake. Or you may just very clearly inside yourself hear, “Yes”.

In order for this ritual magic to work, you must not obsess or think about your question during the 3 days period. This interferes with the process and will not give you the desired results. Magic is a precision science and therefore the more precise your question is worded, the more precise your answer will be. Make sure you ask a question that will yield you the exact answer and only that answer which you seek. With this simple, little bit of ritual magic, you can access your own spirit wisdom and that of your spirit guides to turn making big difficult decisions into a much easier and less stressful process.

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Life Going Too Fast? 3 Ways to Slow it Down

Is life going too fast and you need to slow it down? In this year of Magic 2012, many people are experiencing this. On top of regular quick paced routines and daily life responsibilities, many are finding time speeding by this year. If you are finding life going too fast, there are ways to magically slow it down.

3 Ways to Slow it Down
1. Cortothalamic Pause
The Cortothalamic Pause is a way to stretch time by creating a bridge between the thalamus (part of the forebrain) and the cortex allowing us to move from reaction to reason. At the thalamic level you can check your reaction to see how you feel about a situation or interaction, then take that information to the cortex level to reason out the best response.

It takes some practice to become proficient at using the Cortothalamic Pause. You will know you have it down when you feel an actual separation from physical time. Here are the steps to practice:

• To start, pick a small thing that is not something you have a passion for. Don't start with something you know is a pet peeve or "touchy" subject for you.
   
• When someone asks you a question or asks you to do something – STOP. Do not respond right away. Shut your mouth and calm everything inside you as much as you can. This part obviously takes practice too.
   
• Wait 2-3 seconds and don't let your mind race ahead thinking of all the things you could say in response. Just absorb the question and stay quiet.
   
• Take a deep breath and now respond to the question.

Practice these steps several times a day. The more you practice, the better you will get at using this technique to slow it down when life is going too fast.

2. Do An Act of Power
Any intentional act is a magical act as well as an act of power. Any act of power restores personal power and grounds you in your life. Being grounded in life puts you in control and feels less chaotic. When we are in control of our lives, grounded and putting aside chaos, our lives are less hectic. Doing an act of power allows us to slow it down. Here are the steps to performing an act of power.

• Choose a simple act and decide when you will do this act.
  It does need to be a simple act and you do need to specify the time you will do it because a complicated act could be interrupted and a non-specific time nullifies the act of power. An example is to decide you will get up from your desk at noon, go to the kitchen and drink a glass of water. An even simpler one would be that at noon you are going to draw an X on a piece of paper. It doesn't matter what the act is as long as it would be easily accomplished without interruption. 
• When the time you specified comes to do your act of power, do it.
  Let nothing interrupt you before you complete your act. That is why it is important to pick something in the first step that you know you will be able to accomplish in your individual circumstance.
• When your act of power is complete, take a moment to review the act and the fact that you have completed the act. This moment of "appreciation" will help you gain all the power you can from your magic ritual.

You can do this several times a day to increase the anchoring in your life and thus slow it down.

3. Start Your Day Over With the Day Greetings
You can re-start your day at any time and as many times as you need by doing the Day Greeting ritual to the 4 directions, Sky Father and Earth Mother. If you are not familiar with how to do Day Greetings, you can find the directions HERE.

If your life is really going too fast you can use all three of these techniques to help slow it down. After a little practice you will find they are easy to do and will really pay off for you.


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Yoga and Meditation for the Rest of Us

Yoga, meditation, chanting ... mmmm, all great things for your body, mind and spirit. But sometimes, in the hectic rush of everyday life, thinking of bending your body into a pretzel, or even breathing slowly, can be a huge challenge. How can you possibly relax when you have bills to pay, work to do, and life to attend to?

Don't worry. Relaxing is easy. Healing yourself and your life is not as hard as you think. You don't need to read 20 books on self-help or sit at the feet of the guru. Remember, magic, healing, and enjoyment of life are all your natural birthrights as a human being. You just have to remember how!

In fact, did you know that you've already done all 84 poses of yoga before? Fetuses go through all 84 yoga poses before they are born, so we've all done yoga! The real yoga starts, though, when we take our first breath. Breathing is the very first step in yoga.

Just Breathe, Really!
So if you really want to give yourself a huge gift of healing and relaxation during the day, breathe. Set aside three minutes to give yourself this gift. Turn off the phone, close the door, dim the lights, and just breathe. You can either breathe deeply and deliberately, holding inhales and exhales for several counts, or you can relax by just following your breath but exerting no effort.

Breathing not only increases circulation and oxygen in your body, but it nourishes your lungs, which according to Chinese medicine guards your chi or life force. Talk about the "breath of life"-breathing really can bring new energy, vitality, and zest into your life. You'll feel better, think more clearly, and act from greater inspiration.

Adding More to Your Meditation
If you've got more than three minutes to spare, you can add even more layers to this quick "meditation" with some colored candles. Burn a sun yellow candle for more joy, bright red for more energy, light blue for more understanding, grass green for grounding and physical healing or water blue for calming and connection with your Spirit. Candles actually "push" the colors at you, so you absorb those energies without effort.

If you take a few minutes each day to breathe, be present in your body, and be connected to Life, you can say that you do yoga and meditation every day. Quantity isn't all that counts, quality counts too. When you're deeply present, even for a few moments every day, you can take great strides in both your physical and spiritual life!

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