Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's getting on toward midnight as I write this, so we can proceed with a new Magic Monday. Let's start things out with a relevant quote: 

 

"Success and integrity are not matters of opportunity, but evolve in character. The noblest, wisest, and most virtuous human beings are not those who have had the greatest opportunities. Those whose difficulties are numerous frequently develop the best philosophies of life; those whose problems are petty bewail their fate the loudest." 

 

That's from Manly P. Hall's Self-Unfoldment by Disciplines of Realization, arguably Hall's best book, one of the classics of the Golden Age of American occultism, and a reminder that over-the-top political passions are nothing new. (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.

 

I've had several people ask about tipping me for answers here, and though I certainly don't require that I won't turn it down. You can use the button below to access my online tip jar. If you're interested in political and economic astrology, or simply prefer to use a subscription service to support your favorite authors, you can find my Patreon page here and my SubscribeStar page here. 

One other thing. Please do not ask for medical or health care advice here. Practicing medicine without a license is illegal in the US, where I reside; if the medical industry decides to get nasty, even offering advice in a forum like this one can be considered practicing medicine without a license, and people do jail time for that. That's the legal reality these days, and until the corporate kleptocracy loses its deathgrip on health care, I have to take that into consideration. Thank you for abiding by this!

With that said, have at it!

***This Magic Monday is now closed -- see you next week!***

And don't forget to look up your Pangalactic New Age Soul Signature at CosmicOom.com! 

Comments

Magic for people with heart issues

[(Anonymous)]

Hello John. I remember you mentioning that occultism isn’t a good idea for people with cardiovascular issues. Do you happen to know what kinds of magical things can such a person safely do? Thanks!

Re: Magic for people with heart issues

[ecosophia]

The only occult practices that aren't not safe for people with heart conditions are the more intense ends of ceremonial magic and clairvoyance, because both of these can put stress on the heart. Everything else -- meditation, divination, the less demanding forms of ritual, natural magic, and the rest -- is fine for people with heart conditions, and according to the studies I've seen, meditation is actively good for many heart conditions (though you should of course check with your health care provider).

[lincoln_lynx]

Do you think Trump could still make the Tiphareth transition after what's happened?

[ecosophia]

Let me take a moment to clarify that turn of phrase for the benefit of other readers. I suggested earlier that Donald Trump as an image in the collective imagination -- not as an individual, please note! -- used to be a manifestation of Hod, the trickster-trader archetype on the Tree of Life; that he had been redefined as Satan incarnate by a certain number of Americans, corresponding to the shifting of his image up the 26th Path; and that his image would end up becoming a Tiphareth symbol in due time. The answer is yes; the Tiphareth archetype always includes the symbolism of sacrifice. That's one of the things that makes it so potent, and so dangerous -- think of the Tiphareth-symbolism of Siegfried, stabbed in the back by Hagen, and what was done with that image at certain points in German history...

The Johnny Appleseed Report

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John
I skipped reading “Johnny Appleseed” on Friday – So much for thinking I was done. Game on!
Picked it back up Sunday afternoon. Nothing to report, and I felt pretty good when I was done.
From the Green Wizards in Action desk: I find myself trying to live up to David James’ entry in The Druid Revival Reader when dealing with fellow citizens irate about the Presidential election – the bit about giving calm advice and remonstrance – …which can be nearly impossible with depressingly uninformed liberal family members… but only difficult with conservative co-workers. (If anyone else has similar problems, The American Thinker’s website is a great aid.)
Anyway – You’ll recall national ancestor Samuel Clemens has been helping me with “Johnny Appleseed.” Well – I kept getting a pop-up ad for a pocket knife. When the price dropped to $9.99, I said, “Fine, I’ll buy it, now quit following me around!” The packaging points out it is a “real Barlow” as mentioned in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Ah-ha.
Maybe I should suggest to the assembled Wizardren reading “The War Prayer” by Clemens? Or get busy reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court… since I did manage to buy a copy… Alban Arthuan is just a few weeks away… Your opinion?
So – anyone else care to weigh in on “Johnny Appleseed” or Samuel Clemens and friends?
Rusty… err… Turquoise Nocturnal Weasel, that is…

Re: The Johnny Appleseed Report

[ecosophia]

Thanks for this. I'll be posting something about the Johnny Appleseed poem on Thursday or Friday.

-- Aquamarine Squamous Pangolin

The Art of Memory

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,
Greetings. I have been steadily studying the Druid Magic Handbook and find my memory garden a great help. Memorization is now very easy and helps me to grasp the meanings of the Ogham fews that I am currently studying in a much deeper way than before. I found the same for the paragraphs from The Meditations I memorized. It is as if they are a part of me now.

So, I am hoping you might do a post on one of your blogs about Memory Gardens and how to use them. I am sure I still have much to learn. I have your translation of the Art of Memory but find it mostly very difficult to understand. I will keep at it.

I also wanted to thank you for the idea of praying to the Gods when slaughtering an animal. I have been doing so for some weeks now and find my technique is better as I ask for a God's assistance in guiding my hand and I feel less terrible for praying for the same God to guide the spirit of the animal into the afterlife and to bless and protect it on its journey.

I have also been doing some reading on Zoroastrian ethics and so far like their system of ethics very much. I read you mentioning their ethics to another reader. So thank you for all the good work you do here.
Maxine

Re: The Art of Memory

[ecosophia]

Hmm! I'll consider a post or two on the art of memory down the road. The Bruno book is a graduate-level textbook -- no wonder you find it difficult. I'm delighted to hear that invoking the gods when slaughtering works for you -- back in the day, no one would think of getting meat for the table without such a prayer.

Second chonce

[(Anonymous)]

Good evening everyone. Our host once mentioned, that he once got a chance to go back to collage in adult life without incurring tremendous dept.

My question to JMG and all is; If you would get such a chance, what would you do with it? What would you choose? What would guide your decisions?

I ask in ernest, but please have fun with it.
Umber Exiguous Filbert

Re: Second chonce

[ecosophia]

I did it very specifically to get some skills that I knew I'd need to pursue my desired career as an occultist and writer: a working knowledge of Latin, a good background in ancient and medieval philosophy, and much more practice writing. These days I'd only go to college if I lived outside of the US -- our universities here are a complete waste of time.

[(Anonymous)]

You're very welcome, and thank you for letting me sit in with the band.
I look forward to finding out why I've been playing get-up-ten-times with this working.
T. N. Weasel

Working With Spirits As Jungian Avatars

[davidtrammel]

I had this question put to me by another. They were wanting to work with spirits in their form of Jungian avatars. I don't have the first clue on suggestions, but I was wondering if you have book recommendations or website links to point them to?

I gave them the link and information about here and of Magic Monday, hopefully they will be watching the comments and see this.

Re: Working With Spirits As Jungian Avatars

[ecosophia]

Um, do you by any chance mean Jungian archetypes? I'm not at all sure what a Jungian avatar might be.

Columbia

[miles_l]

What is the difference between Columbia and Lady Liberty?


JMG, you’re comment in the other post had me looking for some good depictions of Columbia. I was not able to find much, which surprised me. Am hoping the readers here are able to help.

From what I am understanding, Columbia is the personification of the people of the United States. Uncle Sam is the personification of the United States Government. Lady Liberty is the personification of Freedom, a variation of the goddess Libertas.

In looking around for statues and depictions of Columbia, I was not able to find much. Most of what is showing up are recruitment posters and some advertising.

It seems that most depictions, especially statues, are that of Lady Liberty. There are no statues to Columbia. I am catching that it seems to be important that Columbia is wearing the cap of liberty (Phrygian cap). Not sure if swords or other war depictions make the statue Columbia or Lady Liberty. The most famous statue for Lady Liberty is of course the Statue of Liberty. I prefer the look of Statue of Freedom on top of the US Capitol.

https://www.uschscatalog.org/prod-31-1-45-150/bronze-statue-of-freedom.htm

This small bit of research makes me wonder why there seems to be so little left of Columbia?

Re: Columbia

[ecosophia]

That's a fascinating point. Columbia was the old archetype of the American people, as you note, and her disappearance will not be accidental -- but figuring out what's behind it is best done through nonrational means such as visionary experience. I find this image evocative, though it's an old beer ad:

Topsy-turvy mojo

[(Anonymous)]

Can you mess with a person's mojo by hanging their picture upside-down? If magically effective, would such an action have blowback? What are the ethics involved?

I have the same question about the name, logo or acronym of a corporation or institution. How about with characters upside-down and backwards? If you did this in the case of some palpably noxious organization, would you thereby create an undesirable connection between yourself and it?

Re: Topsy-turvy mojo

[ecosophia]

Just hanging a picture upside down won't do a thing. Deliberately inverting it as part of a magical operation might, if you've structured the operation so that the action has meaning -- but even there it's simply a physical manipulation. The real magic lies elsewhere.

Honey Jar Spell

[(Anonymous)]

Hi!

A few weeks ago I enquired about a money spell. I am quite willing to work and earn what monies come my way.
A reader suggested a honey jar spell.
I work in the services and retail industry.
May I know how to carry out this working?
Many thanks
Regards

Re: Honey Jar Spell

[ecosophia]

When in doubt, for hoodoo spells, always go to the Lucky Mojo site. Here's the page you want.

Merry Cthistmas

[davidtrammel]

A friend draws custom Christmas cards, and I put in a request for something Lovecraftian. I'm partial to #3 though I said he should change the Happy Holidays to "Merry Cthistmas". (he's going to color them later)

Re: Merry Cthistmas

[ecosophia]

I like them all!

A Magical "Go Bag"

[davidtrammel]

From left field, but do you carry any occult related items on a regular basis in your day to day life?

Re: A Magical "Go Bag"

[ecosophia]

Nope. I use very working few tools at this point, and any magic I need to do, I can do with my mind and body all by themselves.

time

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG ! The more I'm learning about magic, the more I hear about strange philosophies of time. From what I've seen so far, it seems common for mages to end up having a non-linear view of time. I was recently listening to a podcast with Lon Milo duquette where he said that he tended towards a non-linear view of reincarnation, where your next incarnation could be in the past relative to your present life, and that it would be possible to actually shake hands and have dinner with one of your past or future incarnation without knowing it ! I also heard about chaos magiciens using the quantum physics concept of retrocausality in which future events influence present circumstances. Otherwise, I also heard from mages having the view that every moment past and future would be happening simultaneously, like pannels in a comic strip...I'm wondering, what is your view of time in a nutshell ?

Re: time

[ecosophia]

I start from the recognition that human beings aren't very bright and there are many things in the cosmos we can't understand. Thus I don't worry about having a single view of time. Retrocausality is a common experience for operative mages -- it's routine for the successful results of a spell to depend on events that happened before the spell was cast, or even thought of -- and eternity, the state in which all time is simultaneously present, is a common experience for mystics; thus it's clear that both of those are part of the whole phenomenon of time. Beyond that, I don't worry about it much.

Influence of Judaic mysticism

[(Anonymous)]

With devouring so much Judaic mysticism over the past few days, I recall how often I've seen reference to the Kaballah, sometimes as the Qaballah, to Zohar, the Tree of Life, which seems to be commonly used, along with a lot of terminology with is Hebrew in origin.. it has made me ponder how much influence have Judaic ideas given to the lens from which modern Western occult and esotericism have derived their understanding? Is it to such an extent that spending a lot of time understanding Judaic mysticism is useful first step in developing more understanding of the occult mysteries?

Thank you as always for your insights and shared knowledge,
Prizm

Re: Influence of Judaic mysticism

[ecosophia]

A great deal of classic Western occultism comes through Judaism. Most of that wasn't Jewish in origin -- as Gershom Scholem, the premier historian of Kabbalistic thought, points out in The Origins of the Kabbalah, the Kabbalah was simply the Jewish version of the broad classical occult tradition that became Gnosticism in Christianity and theurgy in Hellenism. The Gnostics and the Pagan theurgists were exterminated by Christian persecution, however, while the Jews in some parts of the Mediterranean world managed to hang on to their inner teachings; that's why the occultists of the Renaissance turned to Jewish sources to fill in the gaps in what they got from the ancient world. As to whether studying Jewish mysticism is a good idea for your occult studies, that really varies from person to person; some swear by it, some swear at it.

[(Anonymous)]

Is it possible that someone who inadvertently consumed too many psychedelics to render themselves an "obligate occultist" by prematurely opening their sensory gating channels and more esoteric aspects of cognition? By obligate occultist I mean someone who must engage in some sort of regular practice etheric/astral hygiene due to increased sensitivities.

[ecosophia]

It's far more common for things to go the other way around -- using too many psychedelics leaves the aura so shredded that it's necessary to stay away from magic entirely for the rest of that incarnation.

The Art of True Healing

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG. Thanks as ever for hosting this.

If one were to plan a working using the method in Regardie's Art of True Healing focussed on directing energy into a specific centre, and in one's basic daily practice one used the form of the MP ritual that concludes with the circulation of a flow between the Tiphereth and Malkuth centres, could one continue to include that circulation as an addendum to the specialised form of the ritual, or would that be likely to dilute its efficacy?

Alternatively, would it be better, for the period in question, to practise the MP ritual twice rather than just once a day, once in the customary manner and once in the special adaptation? Bearing in mind that owing to the demands of their schedule, the hypothetical person would likely find that quite taxing! But not impossible.

Re: The Art of True Healing

[ecosophia]

As long as you do the complete standard form of the ritual -- or rather any of the several standard forms -- you can add on other things with good results. What I'd advise is to do the general circulations after the specialized circulation.

Grove finding

[(Anonymous)]

John,
The other night I was meditating my I ovate grove, as I do from time to time when sleep is illusive. It came to my attention there was a metal cylinder with a lid. I picked it up and removed the lid. I became aware I was in a circular room with wood paneled walls but the walls were books or the spines of books. There was two leather back chairs, I sat in one and in the other sat me, my sole/spirit brother. A hidden door opened in the wall and my ovate guide entered. He explained to me that this place was called the ‘separator’ a place I could come to, to discuss things with my sole brother and that I couldn’t separate outside the cylinder. My guide then left and I exited the cylinder and was one with my sole brother again. It seems to me his was a very important moment on my ovate journey. What is your take on this?
Regards Averagejoe

Re: Grove finding

[ecosophia]

That you should work with it and see what unfolds from it, of course! Every Ovate's journey is unique, and if this is part of yours, work with it.

[(Anonymous)]

If you want to do something important on a particular planetary day, and it has multiple stages, but also needs to be done quite quickly (so you can't keep waiting a week between stages) what is the best way to do something like this. In this instance it might involve establishing a professional relationship, but there are a lot of other similar things, like getting a tradesman to do some work:

Say you have to make an initial enquiry and someone will phone you and then you get a form and then you send the form and then there are appointments and so on and so on.

[ecosophia]

In astrology, the beginning is what matters most. Start it at the right moment and then don't worry about it.

playing cards

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I like to shuffle playing cards, and I'm wondering what magic I can do with playing cards. Is there anything you'd recommend for someone who hasn't got magical experience?

Thanks,
A

Re: playing cards

[(Anonymous)]

People do tarot readings with regular playing cards. They historically evolved from the tarot deck, so they have the same meaning as (a subset of) the tarot.

Great videos of rituals?

[(Anonymous)]

Does anyone know of some really good videos of pagan / druid / heathen rituals, especially reconstructionists in full costume?

I mean where the visual aspects and the chanting all come together like a well-filmed Latin mass in a beautiful church can, where you can only see the officiants in their robes and it can feel sort of timeless.

I had hoped there might be something filmed in or around the heathen temple in Iceland but there doesn't seem to be anything from there.

What I've found so far is either homespun and slightly awkward ceremonies where you probably had to be there to really feel it, and/or events where half the view is spectators in goretex jackets.

And for druid rituals, there are loads of search results from video games.

It certainly doesn't have to be in English and the language matters less than the feeling that it's "got it". Original languages like Welsh or Old Norse or Icelandic might even be better.

Are there any scenes from films that are really accurate? Perhaps those would work better as so many YouTube videos appear to be solo productions.

Re: Great videos of rituals?

[ecosophia]

You won't find anything like that. Remember that Reconstructionism is, ahem, reconstructed, and it's going to be homespun and rather awkward for the next century or two. Doubtless when early Christians fumbled their way through the very first versions of their ceremonies, they looked equally homespun and awkward, compared to the timeless elegance of the ceremonies going on at the local temple of Jupiter. "Nothing new was ever done, except awkwardly."

As far as "accurate," we have next to no knowledge of what ancient Druid ceremonies entailed. Nobody alive today knows what an accurate ancient Druid ceremony would be like!

Surgery Moon

[hulkwholegrain]

I scheduled sinus surgery on Dec 1 and thought it was all good until reading your latest subscribestar post. My initial question was going to be about the full moon causing extra swelling, but now it looks like bad timing for a whole different reason. Thinking about asking the doctor to move it a little sooner, sometime after Mars goes direct.

It would be really nice if they gave community college courses on astrology. Some things I can learn from a book but it is so easy to get lost in the minutia and forget the big picture without someone guiding me.

Re: Surgery Moon

[ecosophia]

Compare the eclipse chart to your own natal chart. If the eclipse isn't in aspect to anything in your natal chart, and your natal Mars in particular isn't afflicted, you won't be affected directly.

[(Anonymous)]

Do you know of any occult lore surrounding beekeeping? What's the right magical timing for hive inspections? First thought was Mars, on account of the smoke and fire.

[ecosophia]

I've never heard of any. Have you considered doing divination on the subject of timing hive inspections?

Guardian

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG, long story followed by a few questions.

For the first time (and probably last for a long while) I had a go at gambling and put some money down on Trump to win. I usually have a sense about elections, but this time it was all fog. Still, my reason said it was the likely outcome so I gave it a go. On election night he was pulling ahead and I went to bed fairly confident. I slept lightly and woke up at 3am (I'm in the UK) feeling completely awake, and as I was in the bathroom I heard a voice, very clear and loud in my head, that said: "You should cash out now before they take it from him." At another time in my life I might have dismissed it as nerves, but I went and checked and lo and behold, that was right at the point when his odds were the shortest. I sat for a few minutes as they started to get longer again, cashed out and doubled my money.

A few times in my life when I felt like I was on the ropes I tried reaching out for help, and each time felt like there was a kind of comforting presence, out there, that was pulling for me. I don't have any magical training, but my guess would be that it was a kind of guardian spirit? But I think this is the first time that it ever actually spoke to me!

My questions are these:

1) Do you think I'm correct in my assumption about what contacted me?

2) If so, what would be the best way to go about communicating? I've tried asking questions in my head, and it seems to answer, but...

3) How can I tell that apart from whatever my subconscious might conjure up?

Much obliged.

Re: Guardian

[(Anonymous)]

Whoever this spirit was, it's another voice affirming that this election was essentially stolen.

I placed a bet on Trump to win too and am waiting to see what unfolds.

Vienna

[(Anonymous)]

There was a terrorist attack last Monday night in Vienna and I was very startled to find out that my tram must have left just a few minutes before the shooting occurred there. Not only that, but I felt my guardian angel's influence.

I'd been sitting in a cafe at Schwedenplatz and had planned to stay there till it closed at 8, which would have put me at the tram stop right when it happened. Instead I had this feeling of "You're bored, tired, and would rather be home." I'm not the type to get bored, and I was hopped up on caffeine, so I fought the repeated feeling for about half an hour till 7:40 when I gave in and left.

Then I went to the grocery nearby, and again had unusual feelings. I'm typically bedazzled in the grocery and spend a lot of time there, but this time I felt a strange contentment, "Jogurt's on sale? Okay grab some. Now you're completely satisfied and would rather be home." That put me waiting at the tram stop sometime close to the hour, and I got home shortly after 8.

This was quite a shock to me. I didn't sleep the first night. Then there was the emotional reaction of feeling my HGA's intervention and protection so strongly. I do the MM journaling exercise to talk with my Higher Self (or maybe it's my HGA or subconscious, I don't know), but this time I didn't get any kind of response, even though I'm not distraught anymore.

This culminates at a time when I'd been evaluating my priorities because I accomplished a life goal last month: I'd always wanted to write a novel series, and I've finished the last book. I was also surprised to realize I was content about it, even though the books have only achieved mild success. Instead of putting that as primacy and churning out a ton of books and maybe accruing success, I felt like I wanted to slow my roll and put spirituality first. A few weeks ago on a whim I wrote "Forty Hours of Spiritual Study Per Week" on a note card on my desk and was surprised to find myself utterly thrilled about recording the hours to see if I could get there.

All that is to say, I'm wondering whether you have any advice for me, since I didn't hear anything from my Higher Self in the journaling exercise. Every moment holds weight, and I feel like I've been handed something I may not deserve, and I don't want to fumble it. Thank you.

Re: Vienna

[ecosophia]

I've had things like that happen. At a certain point in one's spiritual development, it becomes possible to tune into that kind of emergency warning. Relax, thank your HGA, and go on with your spiritual study!

[booklover1973]

If you can at this point say anything about it: With the unexpected aftermath of the US election, do you consider your Johnny Appleseed working to have been successful?

[ecosophia]

Like most of my large-scale magical projects these days, the Johnny Appleseed working is aimed at the long game, and it won't be clear for a long time whether it will succeed or not. No, it wasn't intended to influence the election.