Excerpt from the Street Magi's Guide(1)

One of the things that can be pretty hard to take is the fact that no one believes you can do magick. I’m not really talking about a lack of faith in some or even ANY kind of supernatural force. Most people who profess to be rational might still believe they’ve seen a ghost, or read the horoscopes, or something like that. The supernatural is ingrained in all cultures to a degree. No. What really grinds the nerves to powder is the fact that no one believes that YOU have any supernatural ability.

And I'm not just talking about some kind of perverse belief that Uri Gellar (who is foreign and living on another continent) might have powers, but you (who are nearby and of the same ethnicity) cannot possibly have any kind of powers.  Though that belief structure certainly exists.  Magick is supposed to be EXOTIC.  Hell, some of the trappings are there solely to soothe a civilians need for the exotic.  No. I’m talking about the extremely infuriating tendency of the PEOPLE WHO GODDAMN HIRED YOU to not believe you actually have any kind of ability.

And the main reason why is, because they don’t want to fucking pay you. 

Now it’s bad enough when someone  "in the know" shafts you for reasons, personal or professional. Sure, they may have their axes to grind.  But the person who sat in front of you days ago, and begged you to help because the house he lives in has bleeding walls, and it tends to mutter obscene imprecations in latin at 4 in the morning...THAT ASSHOLE will, in less than a weeks time, convince himself that it was all down to some bad enchiladas and that you had nothing to do with the fact that his home is no longer trying to kill him. In fact, he’s insulted that you tried to take advantage of his vulnerable state and enchilada-based delirium. Serves that fucker right that I stopped payment on his check.

It’s worse than being in a band and trying to get paid.

Look. Most of us get into this sort of thing because it’s cultural, or maybe we’re just too curious for own good. Maybe we had a tragedy at the hands of the supernatural and that emotion propels us onward.  But regardless of the motivation, we have certain needs. Occult books and the occasional TV dinner cost money. And frankly, I’m not interested in coddling some jerks desire to go back to believing in a world free of supernatural influences, if it gets in the way of me paying the rent.

Granted. I have ways of enforcing collection that is a little outside of dunning phone calls. But that just gets me more in hock energy wise. I will point out for the novice, that a signature on a contract is as personal as a lock of hair. Should you have to go that far...