Your “Personal Brand “ is a Tulpa is a Thoughtform

I was doing some random Internet-hopping today, and ran across an article that talked about ones “Personal Brand” and how important it was to nurture.  Never having heard the term, I went looking it up because I was curious.  What struck me about it was the similarity to a tulpa, or thoughtform as we define them in our various magical communities.

If you look up personal branding (you can start here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_branding), you’ll see that it’s the public image people associate with you.  It’s usually associated with the reputation, appearance, impressions, and virtual identity that people associate with your name – as opposed to your real, private self.  The focus I was reading about (here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/malcolm-levene/building-your-personal-brand_b_902997.html) was on appearance, and the author said about people with good personal brands “Their personal brand is such that their intention and purpose to convey the best version of who they are is always present -- no matter what. This entails self-discipline, sacrifice, and a high level of emotional maturity and empathy. ”  So it’s conveying an image – like an illusion.

I don’t know about you, but in my magical training I was taught how to create thoughtforms and put them to work for me, imbuing them with characteristics and personality as appropriate, as well as how to maintain them, or “feed” them if you will.

So doesn’t it stand to reason that we as witches ought to be *really* good at this Personal Branding stuff?  Heck, all it takes to feed is dressing your best and being pleasant?  Yeah, I can do that.  It’s a lot easier than incense and offerings of food or some libation!  Charging a stone you can carry in your pocket would add to it, or a necklace you can wear under your clothes… heck, even a bright shiny copper penny you can put in your shoe would work, if you put the right spell on it.  Something simple you can say, like:

“Lord and Lady let them see the best me that there is to be.

 Let all whom I encounter stay moved by charm and grace today.

And for problems which arise let help be found before my eyes.”

Or something along those lines, whatever works for you and your path.

We’re magical practitioners, if the non-magical can use charm and a snappy wardrobe to fake people out and impress, why can’t we do the same thing and add magic to the mix and be more successful?  Is there really anything so terrible about having enough money to pay the bills, a successful career that makes us happy, or a day made more pleasant because people find us charming and helpful?  Personally, I don’t see a thing wrong with it.  It’s not mind control, it’s not manipulation, it’s not deceit – any more than putting on a really nice outfit and styling your hair or putting on makeup is deceitful.  It’s just about putting your best foot forward on an energetic level where people might feel it.

So many in our communities are struggling with money, or in jobs they can’t stand that we ought to start collectively putting our heads together on ways to fix it.  If you don’t hate your job, but aren’t getting promoted or recognized for your work, maybe your Personal Brand thoughtform needs some conscious spellcasting to help you along.  It couldn’t hurt to try, right?

Dare to succeed in your careers witches, warlocks, wizards, et al.  Go ahead, I double-dog dare ya.