In local Pagan gatherings, it is hard for everybody to decide what magic to work. It has to be very general, and often large groups prefer to work for others in the community, rather than to perform beneficial magic for the group. Is this trend a reflection of changing Pagan values, or an Altruistic race with other religions? It is paired with a movement towards Pagan based charity as well as Pagan chaplains serving in prisons.
The most widely public version of Pagan ethics in this department is actually a fictional one. In the television show Charmed, it was said that Wiccans could not perform spells for "personal gain." In real life, of course, Wiccans can and do perform spells for personal gain of money, material possessions, physical fitness and anything else you can imagine. This doesn't reflect flawed temperance in local Pagans, just a value that has been mislaid.
Instead of showing piety through abstinence and temperance this spring season, celebrate the abundance that is there in the universe. Pagans working spells for personal gain know that what they want already exists and is assigned to them without taking away from anyone else's pursuit of happiness. Our personal gain helps us spread benefits to our community as well as the other way around.
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