A lot of people in the Pagan community struggle to make ends meet, financially speaking. To some extent, it makes a lot of sense for Pagans to live frugally and more simply than the often greedy and thoughtless mainstream culture. That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m observing the struggle to afford a place to live, food to put on the table, basic medical care, and enough money to support a family. Pagans often value organic local food, fair trade products, and sustainable heating & cooling systems, but for many people, the cost seems way out of reach.
Those who do use their spiritual gifts, talents, and skills to succeed financially are often suspect. Those Pagans who live in prosperity can be seen as “selling out” or using their magick for ill. Yet there are many opportunities for helping the community and the Earth while thriving at the things you most enjoy doing. Practical Prosperity Magick is a breath of fresh air in this regard. The author, Ellen Dugan, encourages the reader’s personal prosperity as part of a healthy, ethical lifestyle. She equates our own cycles of abundance with those of the Earth, the Moon, and the Universal tides of energy. Dugan then empowers us to tap into the flow of our own creative abilities.
From the beginning of the book, you’ll see that Dugan has done her research. Yet at the same time, she shares her own flaws, which we can all relate to. The story of Dugan’s own misadventures with prosperity magick at the beginning of the book puts us on an equal footing with her, and from there she builds, step by step, a framework for improving our own relationship with money, success, and abundance. You‘ll discover that it has a lot to do with your mindset. Dugan writes, “if you have trouble believing that you can actually create an abundant, prosperous future for yourself, then, my witchy friend, you are allowing your magick to be blocked.”
But working with your mindset isn’t just a panacea. Dugan deftly weaves prosperity magick into a whole that incorporates the elements, the Hermetic principles, specific deities, and even the Law of Attraction. She gives us the big picture. “Like the element of water, prosperity is without bounds. There is always enough to go around. You just have to flow with it and not fight against it. Prosperity is about energy flow. The truth is that this type of elemental magick is not so much about money as it is about your personal energy and how you interact with your environment.” Everything in the universe is made of energy, and there is plenty for everyone.
In this book, Dugan also takes the opportunity to reinforce the careful attention that magick requires. Her teachings on increasing your Personal Magical Energy, or PME, are beneficial to everyone. She encourages all of us, even long-term Pagans, to up our game. “You will get out of this type of magick whatever you are willing to put into it,” she cautions us. Our personal prosperity is part of a whole, healthy life.
As noted in the title, the prosperity magick included here is practical in nature. Dugan includes spells that are focused, effective, and easily customized. The quotes at the beginning of chapters and sections are excellent. I especially like the “witches’ dozen” lists (each containing 13 items, of course) she offers throughout the text. She suggests various herbs, stones, and deities to work with as you customize your prosperity spells.
Dugan is an experienced witch, and is aware that designing your life is an ongoing process. She encourages us to stay open and focused. “Life loves to throw little challenges our way. The trick is not to let yourself get dragged down.” When we fall into a negative mindset, our problems will multiply. By keeping our focus on building the life we do want, we can both live ethically and thrive.
As this excellent book makes clear, it is not wrong to blossom and prosper. By uplifting your own situation, you are helping others to do the same.
~review by Nikki Starcat Shields
Author: Ellen Dugan
Llewellyn Publications, 2014
pp.209 , $16.99
