Applying for and getting your first job is an exciting experience. It means that you are reaching a level of independence and taking your first steps into the world of personal finance, economics, and (gulp) budgeting. It also means that you will learn about a new social model different, perhaps, than the one you experience at home—the world of work ethics.
A place of employment is not much different than school. There are rules to be followed and a specific type of behavior is expected of you; however, rather than working for grades and peer approval, you are working for cold, hard cash. There are also governmental rules that affect how many hours you can work per day and per week until you are eighteen years of age, and there are additional new rules about how many hours an employer can expect you to work as an adult.
With your first job you will also discover that part of the money comes right out of your check and is funneled into local, state, and federal taxes. In some states there is also a one-time fee per year called the occupation tax (about ten bucks). So, if they tell you that you will be earning $6.50 an hour, and your check reflects much less than that according to your math, it’s probably because of the taxes. If someone hires you and tells you that you are an independent contractor, be careful. This means that you must do all the tax work and the business is not responsible for taking the taxes out of your check. They still must report what you earn to the government, so you can’t get away without paying taxes.
The following spells are designed to help you get a job and, once you have it, help you work through some of the difficulties you might experience in this new environment. Each spell requires a magick circle, calling the quarters, and invoking divinity, although these steps are not specifically listed in the instructions.
Part I: Spell to Get a Job
First, you should sit down and think about what type of work you would like to do. Yes, I know you need money, so maybe you don’t care what it is as long as it coughs up dough, but there is no reason why we can’t tailor your magick to moving you toward work that you think is personally fulfilling. On a piece of paper write:
1. The salary you need (be realistic in relation to your skills, but don’t cut yourself short).
2. What type of job you would like to do.
3. What kind of environment you would like to work in.
4. What kind of people you would like to work with.
5. What kind of supervisor you would like to have.
6. What location you are looking for (within 5, 10, or 15 miles of your home).
7. What kind of transportation you need. Some of you will need to think about this. You might not have a car. How will you get to work? If you say, “A friend,” just how reliable is this friend? Be very honest with yourself in answering this question. Be careful if you choose to work with a friend. If that person is not reliable, his or her actions will affect you once you are on the job, especially if you have an argument and you suddenly discover you don’t have a ride to work. Perhaps you would like a job close enough to home so that you can walk. Fine, but then watch the hours. It may not be safe to walk home alone after dark. If this is the case, is there someone that can take you home if you must work after dark?
8. How long you want this job to last (please never say forever, life has a habit of changing too often for this request). Is this a summer job, something to take up your time and earn a little money until you start high school or college?
Once you have answered these questions, you are ready to look at the career by the moon table below. Cast your spell during the corresponding moon-in-sign. If you must work before that time, cast the spell at the new moon or during the first quarter. In looking at the list you will notice that some occupations are shared by two or more signs, which definitely gives you more to choose from. This list is only a guideline. If you feel comfortable working in a different moon sign that what is shown, that’s fine, too. Remember, to know the sign that the moon is in, you must consult an almanac (see Part 3).
Part II: Jobs and Careers by the Moon
When the moon (new or first quarter) is in the signs listed below, work for the following type of employment:
aries
Selling sports equipment; finding a sponsor for your favorite sport; coaching a sport; helping out at a local sports center or dojo; automobile industry such as mechanics or a gas station; racing and ambulance driver; any kind of mechanical engineering or jobs dealing with new technology or ideas for the future.
taurus
Banking industry (Capricorn is also good for this one); biologist; cashier at a store; musician and music; working in an orchard; selling or making holiday ornaments; gardening; interior designing; farming; horticulture; creating luscious desserts; forestry; camp counselor; working with wildlife habitats; construction.
gemini
Working with the media; secretarial; writing for newspapers or magazines; working part-time at a college or a job sponsored by the school district; telephone service; audio-visual equipment operator; working at a convenience store; announcing events; courier or dispatcher; illustration; working in a library; manicurist; reading palms; driving truck; copy services or printing; forecasting the weather; working with elementary school children.
cancer
Home repair services; working in a real estate office; food service; child care services; the marine and fishing industry; coast guard; making home-crafted goods for sale; plumbing; property caretaker.
leo
Hotel industry; athletics (a bit more stable than Aries energy); cheerleading; working in daycare; the stock market; cosmetics and hair; any kind of artistic pursuit; leadership positions; movie theaters.
virgo
Accounting; carpentry; data processing; health care industry; janitorial; working with metals; mechanical engineering; any type of public service position, such as police officer, EMT, state, local, or county positions; secretarial; waitress or waiter; catering; pet stores; proofreading; investigative services; working at a zoo.
libra
Music; entertainment and the arts; anything to do with weddings or parties; planning and facilitating large events; business services; dating services; engraving; graphic arts; hairdresser; host or hostess positions; modeling; house painting; pottery; social director; sculpting; referee for sports; charity functions; weaving; working with stone (masonry).
scorpio
Analyst; archaeology; babysitting; bill collector; biochemist; working in a cemetery; criminologist; detective agency; diving; excavation; fortunetelling; guard; hypnotherapy; insurance occupations; junkyards; laboratory technician; magician; pathology; police force; research companies; secret service; mining; psychology; ghost buster; scientist; Navy Seal; Army Special Forces; tax collector; union work; career counseling.
sagittarius
Academic studies; archery; attorney; advertising; broadcasting; clergy; diplomatic services; editor; teaching night classes for adults; fireman; grocery stores; animal grooming; horse training; hunting supplies and activities; interpreter of foreign languages; judge; jockey; lawyer; philosophy; college professor; publishing; sales person (general); scholarship; skateboarding; jobs located in foreign countries; travel agencies; x-ray technicians.
capricorn
Astronomy; banking and financial services; dentistry; executive position; foreman; geologist; manager; mountain climbing; physicist; valedictorian; any leadership position.
aquarius
Advocate; airline industry; astrology; consultant; electrical work; clubs such as country clubs or other private clubs as well as nightclubs; high-tech equipment; inventions; mechanic (dealing with electrical components) navigation; politics; power industry (such as gas, oil, electricity, water); sociologist; space exploration; setting trends.
pisces
Addiction counseling; tending bar; working in a brewery; charity work; chemistry; working with the disabled; ghost writing; magician (as in illusion); working in a jail; photography; oil refinery; shipping; podiatrist; shoe repair; social work; game warden.
Supplies: An old embroidery hoop; green tissue paper; your list; glue; a roll of new pennies; your favorite incense.
Instructions: On a new moon, cleanse, consecrate, and empower all supplies. Carefully stretch a few layers of green tissue paper over the embroidery hoop and secure. Glue your list of job requirements to the center of the hoop. Set the hoop down flat. Arrange the pennies around the outside of the hoop so that the spacing is pleasing to your eye. Now, glue the pennies, clockwise, on the flat edge of the hoop. As you glue each penny, say:
The circle is unending,
from birth to death to birth,
and life is but a pattern
I weave upon this Earth.
This spell is for employment,
to meet my needs and more
the energy I raise this eve
will open fortune’s door.
Note: You can use this charm for other prosperity magick as well.
When the glue has dried, repeat the charm three times, then blow on the hoop, imagining that the circle is a vortex drawing employment and prosperity to you. Hang in a window, facing north. Once you land the job, put the hoop in a safe place. Later, if you wish to leave that job, dismantle the hoop on a full moon at midnight, saying:
I honor the work you did for me
but now I must move on
a better job awaits me
at the coming of the dawn.
The fire will release the pact
the air sends magick home
I’m very pleased that in this job
I’ve learned a lot and grown.
But now the north will open up
new treasures come to me
therefore this Witch releases you
as I will, so mote it be.
Note: This part of the charm can be used to release you from any job.
Burn the green tissue and the job list. Scatter to the winds. Bury the hoop and the pennies, asking that a new and better job grow in place of the old one.
Helpful Job Hints
• Dress nicely for your interview.
• Never go for an interview when the moon is void of course; likewise, do not sign any important papers (college loan, employee statements, tax forms, etc.) when the moon is void or when Mercury is retrograde.21
• Don’t take your personal life into the job, and don’t bring the job life home. Try to keep them separate.
• Always try to be at work on time.
• If you are between sixteen and eighteen, there are special labor laws to protect you. Your place of employment should have those laws posted.
• If you are fired, take a parent or other adult with you to finish business and hand in uniforms, keys, etc. Ask for a receipt indicating you have returned these items. Do not sign anything, no matter what that manager or supervisor says to you. They cannot legally withhold your paycheck for a signature. Take your case immediately to the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation and/or hire an attorney.
• It is illegal for an employer or a company employee to sexually harass you. Know your rights.
Leaving a Job or Getting Fired
There are lots of reasons to leave a job. Regardless of why you’ve decided to move on (or someone has decided for you), the experience is, in its own way, a loss. The daily pattern you’ve been experiencing for some time will cease to exist, and you will no longer be active in the group mind of the business. If you are not moving immediately to another job, the loss of this one can be more stressful than you anticipated. The world of business is not a fair one and situations will arise where you feel you have been treated unfairly or been downright cheated. If you have been fired, you will be wrestling with feelings of inadequacy and negative emotions connected to issues of self-worth.
It is at this point that you must be absolutely honest with yourself. If you were fired, did you deserve it? Did you frequently call in sick, come in late, disobey the rules, etc.? If the answer is yes, then consider why you did these things. Perhaps once you got into the job you realized it wasn’t the right place for you. Maybe you didn’t like your coworkers or supervisor. Rather than quitting, you played it out as far as you could. Was it worth it? Teens have a particularly rough time because they are trying to juggle an extremely heavy schedule—school, homework, socializing with friends, sports or other interests, family—and a part-time job can leave them exhausted, cranky, and unhappy. Statistics tell us that of all the age groups, teens suffer the most from sleep deprivation, which leads to accidents, emotional trauma, and other unfortunate side effects. Were you trying to cram too many activities into too little time? If so, you might want to revamp your schedule before finding a new job.
Regardless of why or how you left this job, it is healthy to do some type of closure ritual. This helps us to release any negativity or fear and open the pathway to a new, fulfilling experience. You can use the second half of the spell listed above, or you can perform the following:
Laying a Job to Rest Spell
Supplies: Items from the old job that you did not have to return to your place of employment; bowl filled with spring water; fresh mint; a stick or rod (see Wand, Rod, Stang, and Staff); black cloth; white candle; incense of your choice.
Instructions: During the third or fourth quarter moon (waning), lay the black cloth on the altar. Place items from your old job on the cloth. Crush the mint and float in the bowl of spring water. Light the white candle, asking for the light of deity to enter your heart. Pass the candle flame over all items, saying:
Light and darkness meld this night, from under the pond and over the head. The light of the night, and the light of the day, banish impurity and send it away. Stars, air, water—
spirit, soul, body—the fire above,
the fire below, as I wish, this will be so.
Breathe the incense over all items, saying:
Stars, air, water—spirit, soul, body—the air above, the air below, as I wish, this will be so.
Sprinkle the items on the black cloth with the spring water, repeating:
Stars, air, water—spirit, body, soul—the water above, the water below, as I wish, this will be so.
Gather up the four corners of the cloth and tie. Hold your hands over the cloth, and say:
Guardians of the crossroads, release me from the bonds of (say the place of employment). Sever all negative connections between myself and (say the place of employment and anyone there who was unkind or cruel to you), and anyone who worked against me. Prepare for me a new employment pathway, filled with light, love,
and happiness. So mote it be.
Bury the bundle off your property, preferably as close as you can to a crossroads. Pour the water on the ground in front of your house. Allow the candle to burn, or light every day for seven minutes until it has burned completely.
The Nasty Customer Spell
As many teens find their first jobs in the service industry, they learn very quickly that some people believe the word service means “you are my verbal punching bag,” especially if the customer is older than the teen. This also happens to young adults in their twenties, and sometimes in their thirties wherein an older individual feels it is their right to treat the younger person unfairly. Hopefully your place of employment will have guidelines on how to handle the difficult customer, but a little magick goes a long way to ease the stress, and works like . . . oh, yes . . . a charm.
If you can, use your finger to trace a counterclockwise spiral on a flat surface, while staring impassively at the spot between the screaming person’s two eyes. In your mind, keep repeating “Evil be gone.” Continue to trace the spiral until either the person stops ranting and decides to be a reasonable human being or simply goes away. You can also spin a long necklace in a counterclockwise motion, though this is more obvious.
Outdoor Bad Boss Spell
There is a warning that goes along with this spell. If you are misbehaving on the job, and the supervisor or manager is only doing what he or she is supposed to do, then this spell will not work. This spell is reserved for the truly scummy boss. In most cases, I’ve noticed that when an employee is targeted, it is time to get out and find a new place of employment. It is as if Spirit is using this bad management as an example, and is saying to you: “Gee, you don’t want to end up like that guy or gal. Don’t you think it’s time to bail? Weren’t you just saying the other day how much you hate this job? So why are you still here?” If, however, you want to hang in there, or you feel that this person’s behavior is hurting other people, then your best plan of action is to create harmony. Yes, I know, doesn’t sound quite like the sweet taste of revenge, but it certainly gets the job done—sort of like playing “The Sound of Music” until they go insane.
Supplies: Items from the job that are disposable (these items cannot be stolen, they must be cast-offs); a small piece of white paper with the boss’s name written on it; holy water in a bowl; a broom; a white candle; a bowl of cooked white rice; and a stuffed snake (the snake here stands for wisdom; if you don’t have a stuffed or rubber snake, you can make one out of paper. Some Witches have a staff with a carved snake that they can use for this purpose.). One egg; black marker; thin wire or masking tape; a square of white cloth; a spade; a plastic resealable bag; a drum (a bucket turned upside-down will do if you don’t own a drum).
Instructions: With the black marker, write carefully on the egg exactly what you want, then draw a snake underneath; for example, Harmony at (name the place of employment) for the good of all. Set carefully aside. Tape or wire the snake around the broom so that it looks like it is crawling up toward the bristles. Dig a small hole in the ground so that the broom can stand, bristles up, in the hole and not fall over. Tightly pack the ground around the broom handle. Scatter the white rice around the base of the broom. (You can support the broom with stones if it just won’t stand up straight.)
Note: You are not worshipping the snake. You are using the broom and snake as a visualization key. Your thoughts move up the broom to deity, and your request is answered by the energy coming back down the broom.
Draw a large circle in the dirt around the broom. Fold the white cloth so it is shaped like a triangle and lay the cloth on the ground in front of the broom. Place the item(s) from work on the triangle of cloth. Put the egg on top. Cast a magick circle. Call the quarters. Invoke deity. Sprinkle the items in the triangle with the holy water. Place the bowl of water on top of the work items beside the egg in the triangle. Light the white candle and place in front of the triangle. With your athame or your hand, salute the broom. Lay your hands on the egg and repeat the intent of this ritual. Be specific. Imagine that the egg is surrounded by white or blue light. Begin drumming as you chant (definitions are in brackets):
Spirit of the drum
[the voice of deity]
spirit of the serpents
[wisdom of the Lord and the Lady]
spirit of the waters
spirit of the fires
mystery of the places
where the waters meet.
Spirit of the drum
spirit of the serpents
spirit of the waters
spirit of the fires.
Where the spirit travels
on the sacred crossroads.
Spirit of the drum
spirit of the serpents
spirit of the waters
spirit of the fires.
Rise O mighty serpent
[wisdom]
from the void of darkness.
[This does not mean darkness as in evil, but the darkness of the Great Void where the formula for all life is contained.]
Spirit of the drum
spirit of the serpents
spirit of the waters
spirit of the fires.
Birth your mighty wisdom
emerge from time and space!
Repeat as many times as necessary, until you feel the circle fill with energy and the drum beat becomes naturally faster. When you reach the last line of the last stanza (“Emerge from time and space”) say it loudly, point to the egg, then smash the egg. Say: “The birthing is done!”
Pick up the three corners of the white triangle and place the cloth with its contents in the plastic resealable bag. Pour the water at the base of the broom, thanking deity for swift action in this matter. Snuff the candle, saying, “Blessed be.” Release the quarters and the circle. Now here is the tricky part. Littering is against the law and bad for the environment, therefore you can’t just throw this bag onto the employment property (as your ancestors would have done before you). You will have to dump the biodegradable contents on the property and place all other nonbiodegradable items in the property dumpster.