I thought this was a great question to field at this time of year since many people are looking for some extra cash for the holidays.  Ethics with any kind of spell can get a little tricky, even when they should seem pretty cut and dry.  We all have our own personal beliefs and ethics that guide us along with the ethics set forth within the Craft and sometimes they can conflict.  At the end of the day every Witch has to decide for themselves what is right and what isn’t, even when following the Wiccan tradition and adhering to the Wiccan Rede; remember, “rede” means advice, not law.  Hopefully my suggestions and thoughts to Sabriel’s question will be helpful for others navigating this particular issue.

hi i am a bit confused about money spells i am only a beginner and i looked around lots of website and books but they all say different things. are money spell black magick or white? can you use the money to by presents and things for others? can you by stuff for your self like wiccan stuff or what ?

blessed be x
sabriel

Thanks for your question Sabriel.

Money spells can be tricky, but then so can any spell.  All kinds of magick, whether money spells, love spells, or even healing spells have their own gray areas or aspects that can considered to cross an ethical line.  For example with love spells we don’t want to cast spells that are going to force someone specific to love us or be in a relationship with us if they don’t wish this on their own.  With healing spells we don’t want to force someone to be well since there may be a life lesson to be learned from their illness or it just may be their time to leave this earth and an illness or injury may be the process for them to go through that journey.  In these cases we are essentially imposing our own will on other people’s paths and lives making the “black” aspect of these spells more obvious.  Money spells can have some gray areas as well.

When we cast a money spell looking for more money from a job there is the risk that we could be changing things so that someone else who should be getting a raise or promotion wont.  When we ask for money without specifics we could very get that money from an inheritance through the death of a relative or maybe as the result of a legal settlement from an accident that we sustain.  And much like how we don’t want to cast spells to force someone to fall in love with us we don’t want to cast spells to force a specific person to give us money no matter how much more they may have than us.  It’s always important to remember money isn’t going to fall from the sky and it has to come from somewhere.

Whether or not money magick is “black or white” magick, if you’re thinking in those terms, depends largely on how you view these divisions of magick.  Personally I believe it has elements of both however I do not see the magick itself in these terms but instead it is our intention which is the fuel for our magic that defines whether it is “black or white”.  If you cast a money spell with the specific intention of gaining money through someone losing their job, someone’s death, or some form of trickery you could be walking in that “black” territory.

The other questionable area is casting spells for money out of greed and not need.  If you need money to cover living expenses when you’re in a very difficult situation such as risking losing your home or having the power turned off, many will see a spell here as acceptable if done without any harmful intention.  On the other side of things, a spell for money because you want to go on a shopping spree is considered more of a spell driven by greed and therefore unethical.

Honestly, this is a situation where personal ethics plays a large role and part of why you’ll never find a definitive answer about whether these, or any other spell for that matter, is really “black or white”.  Just like there are some people that feel casting love spells to force someone into marriage is OK while others things it’s wrong, you’ll find some people think casting money spells for any reason is wrong while others thing money spells for certain situations is acceptable.  Regardless of how much is written about the ethics of magick everyone is going to have their own way of rationalizing certain types of spells in their lives based on their personal situation.

In the case of casting a money spell for the funds to cover holiday gifts, I think this would be something you’d have to really think about.  Is there a specific amount of money that you feel you need?  Do you have a list of specific items you’re looking to acquire and are they realistic?  For example, if under normal circumstances you wouldn’t be able to afford an extremely expensive gift for someone then asking for the money in spell to purchase it may not be ideal. There is no cosmic cash machine that is going to bestow upon you the funds for a designer Prada bag for a friend this Yule when normally it’s something you’d never be able to pull together the money for.

It’s always best to have a specific goal and actual dollar amount which you feel would cover your expenses in mind.  Do you have the means for money to come into your life? Do you work or have some way of making money when you need it?  If not then this is going to make getting cash a little more difficult.  If you’re not working or looking for work then you’re basically counting on money either being gifted or won, which again would need to have a path to get to you. You might want to consider other ways to give gifts if you’re strapped for cash (handmade gifts, for example) or making your money stretch farther by buying less or being particularly thrifty.

When it comes to purchasing other items, like items for your spiritual and magickal path, you’re again in a position where have something specific in mind is best.  If you want money to buy a specific book, for example, rather than focus on the money focus on the book.  Do a spell to get the book and it may come to you by way of a gift, you could find a used copy for free or very cheaply, or you could very well receive money or a gift card from someone that could be used to purchase it.  If you’re looking to do spells to for money because there is something specific that you want to purchase focusing on the item itself opens up far more ways for you to get it than by just focusing on money to purchase it.

So, before casting a money spell, take time to consider these points:

• What is it that I specifically need money for?
• Is this money for me to purchase a specific material item that I desire?  In these case, focus on the item and not the money.
• Is this money to pay a bill or other living expense?  How much money, specifically, do I need to cover these expenses?  Ask for this amount in your spell, no more and no less and when you get it honor that magickal work by actually using it to cover the intended bills.
• Do I have means in my life for this money to come to me?  How would this money come to me?  Do not focus on the means for the money to come to you when working your spell but be aware how, realistically, this money is going to come to you.  Much like the person who casts a spell for a job but then never goes out to apply for one, if you cast a money spell but don’t have means of acquiring money normally you’ll find it just as difficult to gain money with magick.
• What is my real intention and desire?  Is it out of need or out of greed?  Be honest with yourself!

When you stop to consider these things and you feel very strongly about your answers just simply see how comfortable you feel with the answers.  Do you feel nervous about the spell and its intention?  Are you questioning whether or not it’s ethical?  If you ever find yourself, with any spell, wondering if you’re doing the right thing and wondering if it’s ethically OK, then you need to stop and start over.  Never do something that you can’t believe is completely, 100% right.