The following is an excerpt from
The Prosperous Pagan

Copyright 2014 - Kathy Cybele

Part I: Choosing Prosperity

The title above may seem like a no brainer. Who wouldn’t choose prosperity? But look around you. How many people do you see whom you would consider prosperous?

You see, most of us are not programmed for prosperity; we are programmed by society, religion, and even our own families for a life of mediocrity.

Society programs the masses to be workers as opposed to leaders. From an early age most of us learn that in order to fit in with our peers we need to do the minimum required. Breaking away from the herd is discouraged, and if you do dare to step outside the accepted norm you may find yourself an object of ridicule.

Think back on your early school experiences, students were expected to work hard to achieve good grades and yet when a fellow student excelled, what was the reaction of his or her fellow classmates? How many of us either hurled, or had hurled at us, names like “egg-head”, “teacher’s pet”, “nerd”, or “suck up”? The masses don’t like it when someone breaks from the herd and does something different.

The same was true for the students who had trouble obtaining the average grade. These students were also labeled as “stupid”, “idiots” or “losers.” So people at both ends of the spectrum were ridiculed, only those who achieved mediocrity were left alone to float through school relatively unmolested.

Why does this happen? It happens because the individual differentiated himself or herself from the accepted mediocre norm by excelling or failing.

This type of pack mentality extends to how individuals dress, social economic background, race, and even in which groups they participate.

Another way society can control the masses is through religion. The majority of today’s religions eschew the material world for the afterlife. They teach that the pursuit of material, or earthly, concerns is undesirable and that one must focus on the spirit to the exclusion of all else in order to reach a divine state.

Few of us modern day pagans were raised in pagan households and so we carry this mindset, that poverty equals spirituality, forward with us into our adult lives. I address the myth of pagan poverty in more depth in the next chapter.

Speaking of how we were raised, think back on your childhood. Did you receive mixed messages about what you could do versus what you should do with your life? Were you encouraged to excel and yet were directed toward mediocrity? For example, did your parents expect you to do well in school but encouraged you to tailor your studies toward a “safe” profession? Did your parents encourage your natural talents and yet expect you to abandon them for a more “realistic” career? Your family didn’t do this to harm you; they did it from a place of love. You see, they too were taught the message of mediocrity, and so in order to protect you they passed that same message on to you.

If you were luckily enough to have avoided the above situations then you will have fewer hurdles to overcome on your way to a prosperous life. But no matter what your background is, I think it is safe to assume that you have begun to break away from the accepted norms, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this book. In fact, the act of choosing to be a pagan has set you apart from the masses and placed you on a very different path. Congratulations.

As you begin to work toward your personal prosperity, and rise above the masses, you may again find yourself singled out.

To help with this let’s look into the teaching of the Four Powers of the Magus.

The Four Powers Of The Magus

The Four Powers of the Magus is a list of four axioms that constitute the four cornerstones of magick. In this case, an axiom is a short sentence that describes a more complex concept. Let’s examine each of these axioms and what role they play in our magickal workings.

TO KNOW

The first step in a magickal working is to truly know with what, or for what, you are working. This type of knowing moves beyond the intellect and into the gut.

This means that you don’t think that it would be good to possess something but that you know, on a deeply emotional level, that you must possess something.

A key component in successful magick is desire, and you cannot desire something that you think you want. You must know you want it and know exactly what it is.

An unformed concept of prosperity is unlikely to bring you what you desire. In a later chapter you will explore exactly what prosperity means to you and begin to form a concise picture of what you desire.

TO WILL

In order to create something you need to will it into existence. You do this by taking what you created through your knowing and feeding it energy through visualization and magick to give it life. This book includes exercises and magick that will help you breathe life into your creation.

TO DARE

As discussed earlier, in order to improve your life you must dare to do something beyond the minimum required. You must dare to take responsibility for your personal prosperity and dare to continue to work toward your goals even when the masses react negatively and try to coerce you back into mediocrity.

TO KEEP SILENT

This statement works on many levels. First of all, in order to do effective magick, you must make your mind silent. You must block out all intrusions, whether they are errant thoughts or external stimuli. At the moment that magick occurs, there is nothing but your focused intent.

Secondly, after your spell working has been completed, you still need to observe both internal and external silence. Magick happens in your subconscious and talking requires your conscious mind. In order to let the magick go, so that it can speed toward your goal, you need to stop thinking about it.

Speaking to others dispels the energy of your working by engaging your conscious mind and by allowing another’s energy to influence you and your spell. A non-believer may cause you to doubt your abilities or even the reality of magick. A believer may have post-spell suggestions that have the same effect. Post spell suggestions can make you question your magickal choices and doubt the power of your spell work.

So how do the Four Powers of the Magus impact your journey toward prosperity?

TO KNOW - You are moving your concept of personal prosperity from the intellectual to the emotional as you focus on your desire to be prosperous. You know in your gut and your heart that you desire personal prosperity.

TO WILL - You are beginning to will your energy toward manifesting your prosperity.

TO DARE - You are going to dare to change as you begin exercises and magick to obtain your prosperity.

TO KEEP SILENT - You will keep silent about your progress because you know that this work is a deep internal work and not to be shared with the masses.

As you progress down the path toward prosperity, keep in mind the Four Powers of the Magus.

What Is Prosperity?

One of the challenges with any conversation is understanding each other’s vocabulary. When I teach this concept in class I’ll say, “Think of a dog.” Then I’ll ask students what they saw in their minds when I said, “Think of a dog.” The images vary greatly. My students will say they saw a puppy, a German Sheppard, a mutt, a cartoon. What type of dog did you see when you read those words?

So when you say the word prosperity it can mean a wide variety of things to different people. For many the word prosperity means only one thing, money. But the Miriam Webster dictionary defines prosperity as “the condition of being successful or thriving; especially: economic well-being.”

So yes, prosperity can be about finances, but it can also be about being successful and thriving.

You can be prosperous in many areas of your life. For example, you can be prosperous in love. This can be the love of one special person, many individuals, or even yourself.

Prosperity can also be about enjoying many deep supportive relationships. Be they friends, relatives, lovers or family.

You can be prosperous in material goods, a home, food, transportation and entertainment. There is no shame in wanting the material things that make life not only livable but also enjoyable.

So as you work your way toward a prosperous future try and expand your definition of prosperity to encompass all facets of your life. Because if money was all it took to thrive, many people we see in the news would be living a perfect life instead of one of despair and drama.

I’d like you to perform a short meditation.


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