In Part 3, I talk about the story of the Wall Street Bull and its blocking and unblocking. How did I see a news story that was no longer there when I looked again? Perhaps the universe supplied it so I would be inspired to honor the Bull.
The story of the Wall Street Bull and its blocking by an opposing statue goes like this, according search engine research. The Bull was sculpted after an 80s era stock market crash, to encourage the economy to recover. It was always intended as a symbol of prosperity, and specifically of recovery after a period of less prosperity.
Part 2 of this 3 part series deals with the Bear symbol in the Bull and Bear pair which are the patron spirits of Wall Street and by extension the national and global economy.
Bears are still important in Asatru and other Heathen religions and in my personal practice. The ancient art of Bersarkrgangr is named after the Bear spirit, as it was the most common fylgia, or spirit skin, of historical Bersarkrs. My personal Bear spirit is a guardian spirit as well as a being that I can embody through the art of Bersarkrgangr. I honor my Bear ang gift him with honey. I see him in my mind’s eye as both inhabiting his own realm which is a bear paradise with trees full of wild honey hives and a river full of salmon and a soft place to rest, and also continuously within and around me as my fylgia and guardian against bad entities.
I assume you want to be happy! I assume you want to live the best life you can possibly live. Then, why do you feel guilty about using Magick to manifest this?
It’s okay, you are not alone. Using Magick to gain wealth, prosperity, abundance, and happiness in one’s life is an area where many new and experienced Magicians struggle to justify. How dare you ask the universe for happiness and the means to live a good life!
STOP! Stop, making yourself feel guilty for using Magick to your advantage.
NPR reports on a study that confirms what many of us already felt, that poor people are more charitable, in how they think about community and as a percentage of what they have. So what's going on here? I have some ideas, not all of which could possibly be correct at the same time, and I'm even more curious about the ideas I haven't thought of myself.
Not surprisingly, "religion" is cited as a motivator for charitable behavior, but from what I can tell, that generic term as applied in the studies cited actually means "Christian religion" instead. It's understandable that researchers focus their efforts on the largest groups, but the rest of us must read between the lines.
This is the first time I have been invited to write for a Pagan site, which is both an honor and a privilege. I'm mostly unknown, so it's only fair to introduce myself, and my topic. The topic's much more interesting, so let's start there: MONEY!
Money has always held a fascination for me, the sort of fascination that comes from growing up in a family that never had enough of it. It wasn't just that I wanted more of the stuff (who didn't?), it was the fact that we never quite went over the brink that amazed me, too. My mother worked magic with those bills and coins, always managing to pay the bills in time to keep creditors away, and still have enough of Dad's paycheck left to feed and clothe us.
Erin Lale
Fellow faculty at Harvard Divinity School posted an open letter to Wolpe in response to his article. It's available on this page, below the call for p...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. The Wild Hunt has a roundup of numerous responses on its site, but it carried this one as a separate article. It is an accoun...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. This one is by a scholar of paganism. It's unfortunately a Facebook post so this link goes to Facebook. She posted the text o...
Erin Lale
Here's another link to a pagan response to the Atlantic article. I would have included this one in my story too if I had seen it before I published it...