boyd -
personally i don't see any problem at all with doing a job or even a general "get some money" spell. let me state up front that i do not believe in the law of threefold return, i believe in balance. i also would argue that every type of magic or spellwork is selfish when it really comes down to it. if we didn't want the outcome, we wouldn't do the spell. ergo, selfish. that said, selfishness within reason is a survival skill. we have to take care of ourselves in order to take care of our loved ones. we have to take care of our loved ones to understand the importance of our community. etc etc - each stage leads to a larger awareness and in each one we are not just doing what is better for us, but also what is better for everyone in the long run.
that is not an excuse, by the way, for full on negative workings - those must be reserved for only the most extreme needs, and i respect those individuals who believe they should not be performed at all because sometimes we aren't so good at determining the difference. but honestly if you can't even use magic for your basic needs in a general sense ("hey universe i need a job"), then what could you possibly believe you would be allowed to use it for? rhetorical question but i'm just trying to make a point.
also, unless you are fully committed to a tradition that requires either initiation or spellworking in a group setting, performing magic alone and uninitiated is not anything to apologize for. how else would you learn? some of us are very fortunate to have a local coven to learn things with, but most people either don't have one or have had bad experiences and don't want to be involved with one. initiation as a requirement is totally unrealistic in my opinion, unless you have the opportunity locally and just don't bother to follow up on it. unless of course you follow a tradition that doesn't use it, which are much harder to research and translate into practice. there is no level, in my opinion, of when one "should" be using magic or "shouldn't". you can't get experience if you don't try. experience is what gives you condfidence, and confidence is what gives your efforts power. so practice and get some experience!
Chickie'sMoma -
i have been bellydancing with my SCA group for over a year. i LOVE it. to put that in perspective, i DESPISE exercise in a way that most people really can't understand. i find exercise boring, painful, and altogether unpleasant. i do not, apparently, get the "second wind" or endorphin charge that people who are addicted to working out claim to get. i just get tired and cranky and sore. bellydancing (and yoga) for me feel different. they feel like doing something that is interesting, i won't go so far as to say spiritual but maybe after i do it a little longer i could see that happening. it's a process, but at least it's a fun process. by the way i do not perform - i bellydance because it makes ME feel good (and yes sexy) but i don't do it in front of other people except within my very small class. it is something that is just for me. and we all need to have something that is just for us. i think because of the beats and repetition a person could probably use it to induce a trance or ecstatic state, although that hasn't happened to me yet, probably because i don't have the endurance yet to do it for long enough. it has happened to me in yoga though, my yoga instructor does not do a relaxing yoga class it is more of a yoga for strength/agility. it's exhausting. and there have been a few occasions when i felt like i was about to cross into trance during a really hard workout. as for losing weight, yoga is more muscle toning but you definitely lose weight and inches with bellydancing. although my class has several very overweight people and they look just as beautiful bellydancing as the thin people. again with the confidence! confidence is so overlooked and so important... doing yoga once a week and bellydancing once a week was really helpful, they compliment each other very well.
personally i don't see any problem at all with doing a job or even a general "get some money" spell. let me state up front that i do not believe in the law of threefold return, i believe in balance. i also would argue that every type of magic or spellwork is selfish when it really comes down to it. if we didn't want the outcome, we wouldn't do the spell. ergo, selfish. that said, selfishness within reason is a survival skill. we have to take care of ourselves in order to take care of our loved ones. we have to take care of our loved ones to understand the importance of our community. etc etc - each stage leads to a larger awareness and in each one we are not just doing what is better for us, but also what is better for everyone in the long run.
that is not an excuse, by the way, for full on negative workings - those must be reserved for only the most extreme needs, and i respect those individuals who believe they should not be performed at all because sometimes we aren't so good at determining the difference. but honestly if you can't even use magic for your basic needs in a general sense ("hey universe i need a job"), then what could you possibly believe you would be allowed to use it for? rhetorical question but i'm just trying to make a point.
also, unless you are fully committed to a tradition that requires either initiation or spellworking in a group setting, performing magic alone and uninitiated is not anything to apologize for. how else would you learn? some of us are very fortunate to have a local coven to learn things with, but most people either don't have one or have had bad experiences and don't want to be involved with one. initiation as a requirement is totally unrealistic in my opinion, unless you have the opportunity locally and just don't bother to follow up on it. unless of course you follow a tradition that doesn't use it, which are much harder to research and translate into practice. there is no level, in my opinion, of when one "should" be using magic or "shouldn't". you can't get experience if you don't try. experience is what gives you condfidence, and confidence is what gives your efforts power. so practice and get some experience!
Chickie'sMoma -
i have been bellydancing with my SCA group for over a year. i LOVE it. to put that in perspective, i DESPISE exercise in a way that most people really can't understand. i find exercise boring, painful, and altogether unpleasant. i do not, apparently, get the "second wind" or endorphin charge that people who are addicted to working out claim to get. i just get tired and cranky and sore. bellydancing (and yoga) for me feel different. they feel like doing something that is interesting, i won't go so far as to say spiritual but maybe after i do it a little longer i could see that happening. it's a process, but at least it's a fun process. by the way i do not perform - i bellydance because it makes ME feel good (and yes sexy) but i don't do it in front of other people except within my very small class. it is something that is just for me. and we all need to have something that is just for us. i think because of the beats and repetition a person could probably use it to induce a trance or ecstatic state, although that hasn't happened to me yet, probably because i don't have the endurance yet to do it for long enough. it has happened to me in yoga though, my yoga instructor does not do a relaxing yoga class it is more of a yoga for strength/agility. it's exhausting. and there have been a few occasions when i felt like i was about to cross into trance during a really hard workout. as for losing weight, yoga is more muscle toning but you definitely lose weight and inches with bellydancing. although my class has several very overweight people and they look just as beautiful bellydancing as the thin people. again with the confidence! confidence is so overlooked and so important... doing yoga once a week and bellydancing once a week was really helpful, they compliment each other very well.
