When I was growing up, I was taught that wishing for money was evil. My parents read me the story of "The Monkey's Paw" to illustrate what happens to people who are selfish enough to wish for money. God will punish those who make such an unwholesome wish, for money is the root of all evil, or so I learned.

When I discovered metaphysics, it seemed logical to me that wishing for money was not, in and of itself, inherently wrong. However, due to my earlier training, I still could not bring myself to do spells to increase my prosperity. I still feared that I would be punished for having selfish desires.

In the early morning hours on August 23, 2007 something happened which alleviated this long-held fear. I experienced the spontaneous manifestation of the benevolent Lord Ganesha, Vedantic God of Plenty. This is not to say that I saw a 20 foot tall human-elephant hybrid standing before me, but I did see this benevolent deity very clearly in my mind's eye. I sensed his kindness and knew that  if I wished for what I needed through him, it would never manifest in a negative way. For Lord Ganesha is a merciful deity who would not play a wicked trick on one who turned to him in their time of need. Nor would he ever punish an innocent person for the wicked deeds of an associate or family member.

I often become too wrapped up in doing things perfectly, and I tend to do things to excess. During the preceding two days, I had engaged in very deep meditation, intense worship and spell work, and a great deal of spirit contact. Lord Ganesha asked that I lighten the load for myself on this particular night and instead have a day of fun, to perform but a few spells, and to ask for and allow his help. He knows the true heart of those who petition him, and he knows that my intentions are good. True, I wish for money so that I may have a less stressful life, but I also wish to do positive things with my money, to share it with others. With Lord Ganesha's blessing, I was at last able to do a prosperity spell without fear that I would be punished for wishing for money.

I feel very honored that Lord Ganesha manifested without my asking and freely granted his blessing. I know that I can always turn to him and can ask him anything. While it isn't likely that I'll receive my wishes in instantaneous "genie in the bottle" fashion in most cases, I can rest assured that this benevolent deity will never punish me or harm those I love due to the things I may wish for. If Lord Ganesha believes I desire something erroneous, he will find a kind way to inform me of my fallacy.

Blessed be Lord Ganesha, he who is all benevolence. Great is my regard for him and ever am I grateful for his kindness and blessings.

Lily