With recession looming large, I think it's time to review the magical job search.
The magic has to have something to work on.
The key is your resume. Write your resume in a meditative state, focusing on who you are, what skills you have to offer, and what you want in return. Infuse the words with that "perfect job match" energy. The clear visualization of what you want in a job, both standard and intangible, will be an anchor for your job search, and will be what all the rest of your efforts hook into.
Write your cover letters and emails the same way. Do your homework, visualize working at that type of job. You can put energy into email - do it! You want to load it, and the attached resume, with an "I can do this well" type of energy.
When you get a phone screen, visualize yourself working for or with the person. Smile, even on the phone. Mentally reach out and meet them. Don't try to control them, that can backfire very nastily.
When you go for an interview, plan to arrive early. When you get ready, put on your clothes like you were going to a ritual - get in the working mindspace. When you get there, spend a few minutes in meditation, reviewing your skills, your desire for the job, your willingness to work, your competence, and work your magic on yourself to make yourself a successful candidate in everyone's eyes.
Your intuition and divination will help you find the right people who know the right people to open the doors at the right time so you can wow them with your magical resume. But remember, you have to have your information out there.
Yes, spells to attract "people who need what you have to offer" will help find those contacts. Enchanted business cards, set to gravitate to people who need your skills, are handy.
Keeping a good list of contacts is helpful. You do it for your pagan network, do it for your work too. You might be surprised at the overlap.
I actually try to keep track of who is looking for what kind of work among my pagan and fannish friends. I will refer people to headhunters who contact me with something that is not up my alley, but is up someone theirs. Joining online networking groups (not the paid ones) where you keep in touch with former coworkers and friends is a good way to do this.
This in its own way is a form of contagion magic - the more a concept of "person X is looking for Y kind of work" is out there, the more it gains momentum. It's like viral marketing with a magical component.
Concentration, will, focus, planning - we use all of these magically, now it's time to use them to help manage our funds, and to attract good financial luck. Yes, we should use these all the time, but it's especially important when out of work.
Just like planning our magic, planning expenditures and prioritizing budgets is an exercise in magical discipline. Being out of work means, in part, reducing non-essential spending - like reducing distractions aids in sucessful spellwork. It means putting off or forgoing that tool, book, festival or gathering now in favor of paying the rent, food and utilities next month and the month after. It means cooking at home instead of eating out, and spending your reserves on essentials, not on expensive treats and entertainment.
This does not mean don't reward yourself with a small luxury for accomplishments. But, if you risk being evicted because you are constantly rewarding yourself with things you can't really afford, it's not really a reward, it's setting yourself up to fail. Luxuries are just that, luxuries, things you merely want, not need. Luxuries are not the essentials of life, no matter how much it feels that way sometimes. Part of being a magician means knowing what is a need and what is merely a want.
I do not mention deities, or specific rituals here. That is up to each individual and their magical/religious practice. YMMV, of course.
Copyright 2008 - 2010 by Ravan Asteris. Please don't plagiarize - attribute and link if you want to quote!