Magic Monday
Oct. 4th, 2020 11:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ecosophia
It's getting on for midnight as I write this, so we can proceed with a new Magic Monday. Let's start things out with a quote again: "Discipline has long been interpreted as self-control, or as some would say, "the overcoming of the lower nature.' The difficultiy is that such words as 'conquest' and 'overcoming' suggest an entirely inconsistent aggressiveness of technique. The true metaphysician is not a wearied man wrestling with his lower nature; rather he is poised and relaxed, achieving through realization instead of conflict. Avoid the process of suffering your way into a spiritual state."
That's from Manly P. Hall's Self-Unfoldment by Disciplines of Realization, arguably Hall's best book and one of the classics of the Golden Age of American occultism. (The image to the left, on the other hand, is one of Augustus Knapp's splendid illustrations for Hall's The Secret Teachings of All Ages.)
Ask me anything about occultism and I'll do my best to answer it. Any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer. (Any question received after then will not get an answer, and will likely just be deleted.) If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 143,916th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.0 of The Magic Monday FAQ here.
***This Magic Monday is now closed -- see you next week!***
***AHEM. THIS POST IS CLOSED. Please quit with the political bickering!***
And don't forget to look up your Pangalactic New Age Soul Signature at CosmicOom.com!
Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 04:41 am (UTC)One I just heard the other day:
How many Wokesters does it take to change a light bulb?
—You racist!
And a couple of oldies:
How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
—Only one, but the bulb really has to want to change.
How many kittens 🐈 does it take to change a light bulb?
—None. Kittens can see in the dark.
How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb?
—That’s not funny!
Lady Cutekitten 😄
Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 05:09 am (UTC)How many Christians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Charismatic: Only one. Hands already in the air.
Pentecostal: Ten. One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.
Roman Catholic: None. Candles only.
Presbyterian: None. Lights will go on and off at predestined times.
Baptists: At least 15. One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken.
Episcopalians: Three. One to call the electrician, one to mix the
drinks, and one to talk about how much better the old one was.
Methodists: Undetermined. Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Church-wide lighting service is planned for Sunday. Bring bulb of your choice and a covered dish.
Mormons: Six. Five wives to replace the bulb while husband reviews church lighting policy.
Lutherans: None. Lutherans don't believe in change.
Amish: What's a light bulb?
More seriously, there's the miracle of the lamp oil in the Temple in Jerusalem in the tine of the Macabeans, which probably provided inspiration to magicians trying to create an everburning lamp.
BoysMom
Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 07:01 pm (UTC)Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 08:04 am (UTC)How many traditionalists does it take to change a lightbulb?
"If candlelight was good enough for our ancestors, it's good enough for us!"
As to the joke ending in 368, Jewish Kabbalah, as opposed to Western Cabbalah/Quabbalah, tends to put a bit more emphasis on Gematria. Try typing "lightbulb" into an online Gematria calculator like this one: www.gematrix.org
The original joke actually had a random number that didn't link up with any related word or phrase, so I edited the number to make a connection to actual Gematria, and specifically Jewish Gematria, since the original joke spelled it "Kabbalah" and I'd always read that "Kabbalah" is Jewish, "Cabbalah" is Christian and "Quabbalah" is Hermetic/modern usage, although there seems to be some flexibility in applying the non-Jewish spellings.
Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 02:08 pm (UTC)Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 03:08 pm (UTC)Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 05:00 pm (UTC)A: Californians screw in the hot tub!
Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 07:16 pm (UTC)—You've been led to believe you need a working light bulb to live a fulfilling life, but consider accepting a vibrant alternative future without one.
How many Ecosophia.net commenters does it take to change a light bulb?
—Three. One to turn the bulb, one to act as a thrust-block, and one to power the light on a higher plane by sublimating the binary.
How many Magic Monday inquirers does it take to change a light bulb?
—That's a fine question for meditation!
Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 08:05 pm (UTC)Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-06 12:24 am (UTC)Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 08:13 pm (UTC)-I have candles! We can use that instead!
Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-05 09:35 pm (UTC)Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-06 02:48 am (UTC)Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-06 02:16 pm (UTC)A fine joke. Bravo.
Re: Let There Be Light!
Date: 2020-10-06 03:17 am (UTC)Two: One to hold the giraffe and one to fill the bathtub with brightly colored machine tools.