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.
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.
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 . . .
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.