I recently discovered that there are people who believe you can’t use magick for personal gain. Until recently, I have only heard of that on the television show “Charmed”. Although I have to say I am a big fan of the show and I find it completely fun and entertaining, a lot of the basic principles of the show are just that, entertainment. The Charmed ones don’t really exist and magick doesn’t really work that way. There are no lightning bolts flying from fingertips, spontaneous explosions or people appearing or disappearing in real life. If any of those things happen, call 911 emergency because someone is in some serious danger from faulty electricity or may have used chemicals or explosive items in a dangerous way.
There are a lot of traditions such as in Wicca that carry ethics such as doing what you will and harming none, but personal gain? I think that is adapted from the television show. It is my personal opinion that it is perfectly alright to use magick for personal gain. What is personal gain to you and why would it be wrong to use magick for it? If we examine how magick works we can realize that magick works best when it is for oneself because it is our own desires that is a key factor in magick.
Let me explain why I say that. If I wanted the truth in a matter to be clarified or to have my needs met, no one else will have that desire as strong as I do. Although I care if my friend has enough food on the table for her four children, I don’t desire it as much as she does. So, to clarify what I am talking about is that how magick works is based on focus, will and desire. My will and desire for something I want is stronger than what others want for me.
Let’s look at it from another perspective. Personal gain, is it selfish to desire something for oneself? Everything we do we do it for selfish reasons. Yes, we do. Everything we do, we get something out of it. Even giving someone your last bit of currency or the clothes off your back or even your last crumb of food. Yes, it is done for selfish reasons. It makes us feel good, it earns good karma or it gives us emotional satisfaction or whatever one gets out of it. Even the most selfless act can be to quench a drive that gives us relief. Whatever we do we get something out of it or we wouldn’t do it. Even if it’s merely to be appreciated or loved in return. For example, I love my children unconditionally even if they don’t love me back no matter what they do even if they are serial killers. That may sound selfless, but the truth is, it makes me feel good to love my children without any attached conditions. I’m compelled to love them that way. I fulfill a need to love them that way. It doesn’t make me a bad person it simply makes me self-aware and honest to admit it. It doesn’t change the fact that I love them unconditionally.
It is my personal belief that magick works best when it is for personal gain. The real question is how that gain is acquired. Was it at the expense of someone else? What were the consequences of the gain? Did someone have to die such as a wealthy aunt who met an untimely death and left you a million dollars because you did a money spell? A lot of traditions of Wicca teach that it is important how you word your spell and what exactly you are asking for. Some traditions add “And It Harm None, So Mote It Be” to the end of their spells to add that extra protection of those it may affect.
For every Witch, the ethics are personal and are different for each. I suggest that until you learn or believe differently, go by your own Convictions. If you truly feel and believe that it is wrong to use magick for personal gain then by all means don’t use it for personal gain. But most experienced witches use magick for personal gain. After all, magick is used to change our own world or reality. Don’t forget that reality is as you perceive it to be, and just like the controversy of ‘what color is the dress” everyone has a different perception of the world around them.
As for me, I am aware that everything I do, I do for a reason, to gain something personally and I will be using magick for personal gain but with caution to not cause harm. That is my personal ethical belief and practice. You have to decide what is right for you. I ask this single question. What does personal gain mean to you?
