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I first heard the wisdom of the visionary teacher and writer, Louse Hay 25 years ago when my dear friend Duncan gifted me his well-worn cassette tape of her speaking about how to develop a mindset of abundance. I admittedly brought a bit of a scarcity mindset to California with me from West Virginia and was eager to learn new ways. I loved Louise Hay’s insights, wholly new to me. Duncan patiently explained to me his takeaways from Hay’s wisdom and how it had worked for him and changed his life for the better When paying bills, instead of resenting the utility that had supplied water and electricity, instead, write the check and seal the envelope and say aloud “thank you, Pacific Gas and Electric for supplying me with power for my home and trusting me to pay you. Blessings to you, PG&E!” We even began a ritual of paying bills together and then walking together to the mailbox and pronouncing our gratitude to all the recipient of our money. We even added the finishing touch of kissing the stamped envelopes and saying “Thank you!” before dropping them in for mailing. We got some looks of surprise at our mailbox rituals but we believed wholeheartedly in Louise Hay and this was working for Duncan. Soon, it began to work for me and I fully embraced the mindset. Most surprising of all, I stopped being filled with dread and worry when bills came in started paying bills the same day they came in, whenever possible. In addition to abetting an attitude of abundance, it helped my credit score

In the early 1990’s, we had to go to the mailbox for our 5 minute gratitude ritual. Nowadays with all the instantaneous ways of sending money and electronic payments, it might be closer to a 5 second ritual. However, before you hit send, get into your Manifestor’s Mindset and express thanks before you hit “send.” This attitude of abundance that stems from the mindset is like a muscle; the more you use it,  the stronger it will be and you will see much manifestation. A lot.

To attract more money into your life, fill a pot with fresh water and place it on your altar during the new or waxing moon phase. Light a green candle and pour into it an offering of a cup of chamomile and mint tea. Pray aloud:

 I call upon you, gods and goddesses of old, \

When I started the Dirty money blog, I didn't have a money shrine.  I didn't work any money magic, because it all seemed self-referential spellwork to make more money.  I didn't give much away, and I knew nothing of the mystery of the rubber duckie.

More than a year later,my relationship with money has grown.  A lot of that comes from a really excellent money class given by Galina Krasskova, which reawakened the animist in me and helped me connect with money on a spiritual level, while simultaneously reinforcing the rules of how money acts, and how people act around it.  I don't know if she will ever give that class again, but if she does, jump on it, because the information is enough to transform that money relationship.  This is one of those cases where the money spent will return to you many times.

The Pagan savings challenge isn't just a way to get into the habit of saving, it's also a way to get in the habit of thinking about money magically.  Charged with energy, representing earth, moving from person to person, what can you do with this stuff?  Here's a hint:  there's more to money magic than "send me more money."

Do you make offerings to the money spirits?  Do you keep a money shrine?  If the answer is yes to either of those questions, how is that work similar to, or different than, tending other shrines and working with other spirits?

I've imposed some rules upon my own interpretation of the Pagan savings challenge, some of which are probably going to fall before long.

1. I'm using the smallest bills possible, because I'm posting a picture each week and want that image to express abundance.  The envelope I use is pretty much maxed out as of this week, and my money shrine isn't large enough to support a larger one, but I still like the look of the growing pile of singles.
2. I'm also replacing the cash entirely each week before I add new, to keep me mindful of the flow of money.  As the numbers grow higher, the practicality of doing so will drop, because . . .
3. I am performing this savings challenge in cash, because talismans are powerful.  While there are security concerns for this practice, I have put sufficient safeguards into place that I feel confident continuing in this manner, even if I can't comply with the first two for much longer.

These rules are part of ritual which surrounds my savings, the ritual which places this work into religious context.  While I won't be dogmatic about them, I do believe that rooting work with money in one's faith practice will make it more powerful, more successful, and more valuable to the whole person than a wad of cash can be in its own right.