The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/tag/money)
Mastercard’s introduces the True Name (TM) product that lets you have your affirmed name on the credit card. We look at the new product’s impact for LGBTQI+ and non-binary individuals as well as how it might also benefit the Pagan community.
A Pagan credit union is in the early stages of development.
A few years ago, I started to make bread, almost daily. It didn’t work out. Think vile baked rocks. Then, after some time, the loaves just became baked rocks. And finally not rocks; actually pretty good loaves with complex flavor, good crumb and some were even quite the lookers when they left the oven.
I think we have a money problem. I’m not really sure. Yes, we’ve been through the Great Recession, and it did take a serious toll. And yes, I agree that the deck is stacked in favor of the wealthy, but I think it’s more serious than that. I keep witnessing a deep reluctance to understand wealth and money, and I think we — as a community and to our detriment — have anathematized wealth.
The debate may be as old as the concept as money itself. Is it ethical to require payment for spiritual services? The question has emerged again in Pagan communities, thanks to a widely-shared article on the subject. Those who support payment for services such as divination, spell-casting, crafting and consecration of magical and/or sacred objects and the like often frame their arguments in terms of energy exchange. However, the underlying message appears to be, “I cannot afford to do this for free.”