Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's almost midnight as I write this, so we can proceed with a new Magic Monday. Let's start things out with a bit of alchemical text: 

 

"All who engage in this art [of alchemy], and are lacking the knowledge and perception of things which the philosophers have described in their books, are erring immensely; for the philosophers have founded this art in a natural beginning, but of a very hidden operation." 

 

The image is the first illustration from Splendor Solis, the most gorgeously illustrated of all the old alchemical texts. It shows the arma artis, the coat-of-arms of the art of alchemy:  on a field azure, a sun or. The eyes and mouth of the sun-face are smaller suns. 

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. 

With that said, have at it!

***This Magic Monday ls now closed. See you next week!***

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

Comments

Moral Behavior

[(Anonymous)]

What will be the moral behavior during the following situation?

In the future a family relation (Doe) is going to become bedridden due to a lifetime of resistance to physical activity and a highly inflammatory diet. Due to me being the only person in the family in the 10-60 year old range, and out of a sense of obligation, I will be the individual providing care. Doe will probably become verbally and emotionally abusive if I not provide constant access to sweets and entertainment. I know my motivations matter, but is there any obligation to provide that which is harmful? Most of Doe’s physical ailments could be ameliorated or fully reversed by a healthy diet and lack of television.

Other details:
Doe occasionally cared for me as a child, and is generally nice.
Doe has zero assets, there is a negative financial incentive to providing care.
Doe has a very robust cognitive denial tendency.

Unfortunately, I have a modest emotional desire to provide only fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats, as a way of punishing Doe for their lack of care for themselves.

Re: Moral Behavior

[ecosophia]

I'm not a moral philosopher or an ethicist, you know, and this question has nothing to do with occultism, so I'm going to pass.

The Johnny Appleseed Report

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John!
Aside from my voice vibrating without my conscious effort, I’m pleased to report nothing to report regarding Friday’s reading of “In Praise of Johnny Appleseed.”
Ha. Did it. (What I’m doing is still kinda fuzzy to me…)
And – Anybody else gonna weigh in?
Rusty… err… Madder Variegated Dhole, that is…

Re: The Johnny Appleseed Report

[ecosophia]

Thanks for this.

Cat pee magic

[(Anonymous)]

Okay, I’m a bit of a crazy cat lady and I’m in a bit of trouble because of it: there are two or three of my fuzzy darlings peeing in places other than the litter box.

Does anyone have any magical suggestions to get this to stop?

I do an SoP daily and
P
include no cat pee as part of my banishing.

I’m also willing and ready to set up an altar to Freya to help out...

Aquamarine Refulgent Puppy

Re: Cat pee magic

[ecosophia]

I'm sorry to say I don't have any suggestions. Magic is not a fix for every problem.

Recommended Reading

[davidtrammel]

I've started reading "Learning Ritual Magic", and saw the six books you recommend reading three of in the first chapter. Are there ones you think are better than others in that list for someone who is focused more on the practical applications than on the theory? A couple seem to cover the same subject if the title reflects what is covered.

I was leaning towards W.E. Bulter's book, Gareth Knight's and Israel Regardie's, but have access to all but yours through local sources, though I can get that as well via online purchase.

Re: Recommended Reading

[ecosophia]

These days I recommend Fortune rather than Knight, but both are good. As for the theory/practice distiction, though, that's a common mistake. Your ability to work the practical applications depends on your grasp of the underlying theory!

Meditation with Pen and Paper

[davidtrammel]

Separate question, I ran across the AODA website, and your "A Druid Meditation Primer". That was helpful. I also read Mam Adar's "A Few Thoughts on Discursive Meditation" where Adar talked about written meditation.

"In the evening, before I settle down to go to sleep, I read a bit of “Wisdom from the Stone Circle”, until something grabs my attention. Then, I open up my notebook and write a cluster about it, putting the topic in a circle in the center of the page and letting other ideas branch out from it. The resulting mass of circles, lines, and words resembles a flowchart gone amok. I leave my notebook open and my pen handy so that I can record my dreams when I wake, and then I sleep on it, letting the nonconscious parts of my mind work on the meditation material. In the morning, I have time to review what I wrote before setting out to walk to work."

I have to say that method really appeals to me. I'm very visually orientated and love diagraming out problems I have on paper. My office has one whole wall with scraps of paper on it with various notes and ideas.

I'm guessing that isn't a method you use, but do you have any comments or observations about it. I'm still trying the sit in a chair method but since I've been keeping a journal for a while now, I thought the two processes would work well together, especially since I also take a morning walk 5 or so days a week.

Re: Meditation with Pen and Paper

[ecosophia]

The processes would work very well together. I don't use written meditation as such, but my writing process has some things in common with it!

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John,
A few weeks back I asked what a binding spell was and whether that might be an appropriate means for changing my own habit of not being orderly. You didn't say what the definition of a binding spell was but suggested I begin using the willpower training program on changing my habits. I did and I think I am going on three weeks now of focusing 3+ hours a day with not a single day missed. I'm not entirely sure why I'm able to do this well now when before I kept failing miserably ... nor how long I will be able to keep it up. But it's one day at a time and I am happy for every day I move past my blockage. Some of the change, I think, is giving myself more flexibility in how I allocate my time but just focusing on doing something -- anything -- legitimately willful one hour at a time and not beating myself up if I don't do things exactly according to my plan. (So some days I do less organizing, and more of other willful things, and some days I do a lot more). But just the commitment to try to follow your outline as an choice rather than an obligation has a lot to do with it as well. And then there is the matter of paying more attention to how I feel as I go about making my willful choices.

I remain curious about what constitutes a binding spell and would appreciate any guidance or pointing to a source you might give. I'm just curious, as the only definitions I've been able to find on line pertain to keeping a person away from something...not really binding them to anything (so calling it a binding doesn't seem quite right).

Are you aware of -- or have you ever written about -- an overall map of fits into the domain of magic? That map of magic might list categories of spells or it might be in some other form, but I think it might be helpful. And maybe it is already in one of your books or prior articles? If not, maybe you would consider addressing my question in the future?

[ecosophia]

Delighted to hear that the will training is doing it for you. Binding spells are almost always binding someone not to do something. You're literally tying someone up so they can't do something. It's not something to do casually -- I've done such spells maybe three times in my life, and only in serious situations such as keeping an abusive boyfriend away from his victim, at her request.

An overall map of what goes where in the domain of magic would be an immense project, the kind of thing you'd want to assign to a large group of experienced mages rather than one writer! I don't know of anyone who's attempted it.

Geomancy reading and strange things going on in nature

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,
I did a geomancy shield chart to see if a situation between some of our neighbours would grow violent in the next 3 years and got Left and Right witnesses as carcer and populus as the judge. I take this to mean they will be stuck in an unsatisfactory relationship but it will not become openly violent. Do you concur? If not, could you tell me what your reading is?

For my conscious action in the will training exercise, I kept all my things off the surface of the coffee table for a whole week. My family think it is a minor miracle. I have trouble with papers, knitting, books and similar heaping up on every horizontal surface. That was amazing and I plan to keep going with this tidiness.

We have observed some very odd things going on in nature here. Spring crocuses blooming in the autumn, June bearing strawberries trying to fruit and flower in October and the birds will no longer come to my feeder for black sunflower seeds after years of doing so. Another serious birder friend has the same experience. It might not sound like much but usually, nothing can keep them away from those seeds.
I think this portends something but cannot think what. Yes, I have meditated on it. What do you think?

Re: Geomancy reading and strange things going on in nature

[ecosophia]

The geomancy reading suggests to me that the conflict will remain stuck at its current level. As for the oddities of nature, that's traditionally a fairly bad omen, indicating topsy-turvy conditions in the human realm as well. Be prepared for trouble.

Money affirmation

[(Anonymous)]

Halfway through typing my original question I just bad this idea.

What do you think of using more concrete imagery in affirmations Vs numbers-based, more abstract ones?

For example I want to build up an online business while still working my full-time job.

My first thought was to use an affirmation saying "I make $X a month from my business". While typing my question, I had this thought, I could use an affirmation like "I make enough money from my online business to retire my mother" the reasoning being that if I can retire my mother, I'll make more than enough money for my own needs.

Re: Money affirmation

[ecosophia]

Some people have better luck with one of those types of affirmations, some with others. You'll have to experiment to see which one works best for you.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear John,

I am in the tenth lesson of LRM, and have a question about the will exercise that forms part of this lesson: can astrology be taken as the subject that is to be learned about in depth and detail for this exercise?

I know practically nothing about astrology, so the subject would satisfy the criterion for the exercise, but my opinion is that the two weeks to be devoted may not be sufficient to do justice to the subject to the extent required.

The bonus of choosing astrology is that this would be a worthwhile addition to my occult studies, so this appeals to me a lot.

Many thanks for Magic Mondays.

[ecosophia]

You can certainly do more than two weeks. As long as you do at least two weeks of study, and learn as much about astrology as you can in that time, you'll have amply fulfilled the requirements of the exercise, and of course then you can go on and keep studying astrology. It's an extraordinarily useful thing to know.

Did those "spells" really work?

[revert2mean]

Hi JMG.

Like I've said a couple of times, I don't really know anything about ceremonial magic, but it's occurred to me that over the course of my life I've done three things that were like spells.

(1) A long time ago I tried to kill someone close to me. Bad idea. I barely survived and they're still tooling around doing all the annoying things they always did thirty years later.

(2)

Re: Did those "spells" really work?

[revert2mean]

Eek. That wasn't the whole comment.

(2) I did a binding spell on a nasty boss when I applied for another job. I timed it carefully and did a "speak no evil of me" just before she was going to be asked for a reference. Seemed to work. I got the other job and left her behind. She's still probably speaking evil of me today, but I don't care.

(3) After that success, I did a financial spell for an ongoing line of income in excess of my needs. Seems to have worked. It's been three years now and strange things just seem to keep increasing my income, including this pandemic. I spelled for a line of income because I'd already experienced the boom and bust personal financial scenario you talk about with financial magic.

Did these "spells" work, even though I have no idea what I'm doing, or is there blowback coming?

USA Pluto return

[(Anonymous)]

Last week Tunesmyth mentioned he would like to hear more about the USA's Pluto return. I mentioned another blog and that I wasn't sure if it was okay to link other astrology blogs here, especially as the poster doesn't agree with JMG about some points. Tunesmyth suggested it would be okay to post it. Here it is.

https://astrologyresearch.co.uk/pluto-return-anarchy-in-the-usa/

In the recent astrology thread on here, someone mentioned Kamala Harris' transitions suggesting she may end up president in the next few years. This is a post from the same blog about that
https://astrologyresearch.co.uk/president-harris-might-be-sooner-than-you-thought/

If it is inappropriate to post these I assume JMG won't let this comment through and I will know not to post similar links in future.

Re: USA Pluto return

[ecosophia]

This will make an interesting test of my theory that the Plutonian influence is fading out and will have fallen to minor-body status around 2036.

Astral temples

[(Anonymous)]

I've read that there is a tradition among occultists of creating in the mind particular astral locations, such as a temple or library. R.J. Stewart describes one, a library, on this page:

https://rjstewart.org/additional-meditations/

The am also thinking of the visualizations of imagined places in the spheres on the Tree of Life, as in pathworking. Poke Runyon has described some of these from time to time on his podcast.

Could you discuss this topic a bit? What are the most common purposes of such astral locations? Can one be created by an individual mage, or does it need the egregor of a lodge to sustain one, or that of many practitioners over a sustained period of time? How does this work, and what exactly is it all about?

Re: Astral temples

[ecosophia]

That's a subject for a book, not a few comments! You can use an astral location of that kind for a dizzying array of purposes. I teach people to do that in several of my books so they have a familiar space in which to interact with the forces of the inner planes, and I've also helped run inner plane spaces for groups, which did group workings for a range of purposes. As this suggests, individuals can create them, so can groups; the additional energy you get from a group has to be balanced against the varying competence (or lack of same) of group members.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John Michael
Thank you for MM

A couple of field reports for you on the 5 Tibetans and Recollection.
Before I start it's relevant to say that like several of your commentariat I'm a log time Hiolistic Health professional with long experience in Bodywork and Energywork.
Also relevant that I'm old and banged up enough to have some joint and movement problems.
So I have a suite of bends , twists, stretches and range of movement test that I use to see what I need and – most important in this context – what works.
OK – the 5 Tibetan Rites.
You may recall that a few month ago I asked you about concentrating on the vortices; you replied that you had no info. And suggested I experiment – so I've been doing that for several months using my suite of tests as my guide.
Worth noting that even the 1 st. Tibetan (turning in place) makes a significant difference all my itself. Quite remarkable given that there's not a bend, flex or joint extension in it. A lovely proof of the system !
Anyway I tried all kinds of ways to focus on the vortices in conjunction with e movements; before, after, during, singly, multiples, Spleen centre, Liver centre and so on.
I have worked out a protocol that very sharply increases the benefits that I find.
I get better results using this protocol doing 3 rep.s of any one of the Rites than doing 15 each of all 5 Rites without it.
It's very simple; after each Rite remain in the extended position and take 10 – 15 seconds ti flick attention through each of the Vortices (Liver Vortex on the right not the left).
So Rite 1- stay standing with arms up
Rite 2 – legs up
Rite 3 – bent backwards
Rite 4 – body up off the ground
Rite 5 – hips up head down.
Ie the positions shown in Keldars original line drawings.
Of course YMMV but it sure works for me.

Now the Recollection of the day in reverse..
I asked about this more recently – it's something I did a lot of, for years, back in the paleolithic :)
just to be sure it was OK
Well – accidentally I found it has the same effect on joints and muscles as the Tibetans!
Not as complete but definite responses and not just me! I've shown this to several of my clients with absolutely consistent result; muscles relax, palpation pain decreases, joint mobility and spinal alignment improve. It doesn't seem to matter whether they run back the last day or the last hour as long as they (we) do it in reverse for at least 2-3 minutes.
Any suggestions as to how this works ?
Yes I have meditated on it ;)
I can give an explanation in terms of Patanjali that may address the physiological changes. My best bet is that we habitually over-involve and over-exert in our activities, adding a lot of unneeded tension and this reverses it to some extent. This ties in to Patanjali because in the Yoga Darshana memory is one of the 5 vrttis – flows of mentation that lead to increasing involvement/identification with materialisation; so by this practice we inhibit the vrtti and so decrease our fixation on our activities. Or more simply we get over-focued and this help to reduce it.

On a separate note - having greatly enjoyed the Haliverse I remember that some while ago you posted a few pages on the Elder Gods on the Tree of Life and a potted History of the Haliverse. Could you give me the links please if available
thanks
Lurksalong

[(Anonymous)]

OP here
I forgot to mention that the response to those practices is very quick - within minutes or seconds and the results last for anything from a few minutes up to a few hours, or even most of a day; dependent of course on activities and events.
Lurksalong

Banishing/Talismans

[(Anonymous)]

Do banishing rituals like the LBRP erode the strength of astrological talismans?

If so, how would you go about protecting them?

Re: Banishing/Talismans

[ecosophia]

Yes. Keep them in a different room or wrap them in silk or linen to insulate them.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

I am currently meditating my way through the Ogham fews in preparation for scrying of the fews and pathworking as outlined in the DMH, and also reflecting on the Wheel of Life as I do so.

What is the significance of the Stations as they correspond to the planets as outlined in the DMH? I would guess this has something to do with astrology?

I know little about the cabalistic Tree of Life nor that much about astrology, but I do know the planets correspond to the spheres, are the Stations meant to line up to the spheres via the planetary correspondences?

If so, it looks like I will have to look for a book about the Tree of Life to understand this, is there a particular book you'd recommend?

Thanks very much!

[ecosophia]

The Stations of the Wheel are not identical to the Tree of Life, and trying to equate them via correspondences is slippery at best -- in symbolism, things equal to the same thing are not necessarily equal to each other! Simply treat the planets as one set of symbols for the Stations, which you can use or not as you feel appropriate.

tattoo working

[(Anonymous)]

1) You inspired me to dig deeper into amateur astrology and as a result I got an uncomfortable perspective of my unhealthy paranoia and foot-in-mouth syndrome. I have both Sun and Venus square Neptune in my natal chart, and want to get a water goddess tattoo with the intention of integrating Neptunian energy in a healthier way. The day after my appointment I have a Venus/Uranus conjunction and Jupiter trine Mercury. Do you see any red flags?

2) Also wondering about part of fortune, dark moons, asteroids, vertex, etc. because I never recall you mentioning them in your political charts. It seems like your approach is very conservative and keeps to the planets, houses, and signs. This has a lot of appeal to a beginner who does not want to get overloaded. Thank you.

Re: tattoo working

[ecosophia]

1) It's impossible to answer a question like that without access to your entire natal chart. Astrology isn't a bits-and-pieces science -- you have to look at the whole picture. I'm also not yet up to a professional level with my natal skills, so if you want that question answered, you probably need to book an appointment with a natal astrologer and get a proper delineation.

2) I don't mention them because they're minor factors that have very little influence. I also don't use minor aspects such as quintiles and noniles, for the same reason. One of the easiest ways to get confused in astrology is to pile on the minor factors to the point that you miss the major ones!

Egyptian Coffins

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,
I wonder, do you think the recent unearthing of all those coffins, given the sophistication of Egyptian magic at the time, could have some "spooky side affects"?

On karma, it is often in my thoughts, I think about the terrible tragedies that often happen to people. I ask myself, Is it karmic culmination?
Not really something that could be brought up, you'd get looks of horror.

Understanding, through your writings​ on the subject, karma's ramifications, I think for me, it has been a subtle teacher to just be a bit better person.
Certainly in a way that I consider to be mean spirited, the Catholic version of hell, doesn't achieve.
Yes I was raised one. Irish strain. Not fun.
My poor Mum, a nice sweet, simple lady, church every week, before the stroke and vascular dementia struck, worries that she might not get to heaven!
Mum has always said she is open to prayers from anyone and they would be greatly appreciated right now, as, as of today we have been locked out of the nursing home due to a CV cluster here in Adelaide.
She will not be doing well, hearing voices and seeing people has become exacerbated this year, due to our restricted access.
Regards, Helen in Oz

Re: Egyptian Coffins

[ecosophia]

1) If I recall correctly, the sarcophagi had already been removed from their original tombs in ancient times, and so whoever did that back in the day would have gotten the magical impact.

2) Not necessarily karmic culmination -- that's specifically what happens when you start magical or spiritual practice and have to deal with your unfinished business -- but karma, sure. If you've done ghastly things to other people in a previous life, you're going to face ghastly things in a future life, unless you can attain a level of spiritual development sufficient to go through the karmic blowback internally. That's not much easier -- imagine having to come to terms with all the nastiest aspects of your own personality and see, in excruciating detail, exactly how you've hurt other people -- but it can be done.

Last week's comment about beekeeping

[(Anonymous)]

Last week someone asked about occult lore surrounding beekeeping.

Within 24 hours of me reading that post, I came across the following while reading G. Hodson's The Kingdom of the Gods. In the chapter on Earth's Angelic Hierarchies, he organizes his writing from the large- to small-scale, so towards the end he talks of "The Insect Kingdom." Rather than leaving it there, he devotes a few pages under the heading, "A Deva of the Bee Kingdom," where he writes....

"My own observations have led me to a belief in the existence of protective and directive angel guardians of the bees." (p83)

Regarding the OP's question of hive inspections, I saw nothing addressing that directly. However he does conclude with something surely every beekeeper already knows:

"The angel from whom I sought counsel indicated that attempts by man to co-operate with his kingdom were welcome....." (p85); "But there is a distinct danger of over-development in the culture of bees. Their organization is marvelously adaptable, but if they are over-exploited , and if their hives are made too complex and artificial, harm will be done." (p86).

He also notes that part of the subject matter under the heading of bees appeared in his (Hodson's) out of print book The Coming of Angels.

~DavidinCMinor a.k.a Magenta Nocturnal Filbert

Re: Last week's comment about beekeeping

[ecosophia]

Thanks for this!

-- Fuchsia Crunchy Stoat

[(Anonymous)]

Hello,

I started doing the Sphere of Protection about a year ago. I worked up to The Calling of Spirit Below, got weirded out, and stopped. I want to start doing the SoP again, but can I start from where I left off? Or should I start from the beginning and practice the opening closing parts for a week, and keep adding to it as the weeks pass?

Thank you.

[ecosophia]

If it's been most of a year, start over again at the beginning.

Preventing prophetic dreams

[(Anonymous)]

Hello John. My girlfriend tends to have prophetic dreams. She recently had a bad dream that she does not want to pass. Is there anything magical she can do to prevent it or at least decrease the chance of it happening? Thank you.

Re: Preventing prophetic dreams

[ecosophia]

Well, what kind of magic do the two of you know how to do?

Beekeeping, plust saturn question

[(Anonymous)]

Someone last week asked about occultism and beekeeping. I don't recall if they got an answer, but I'd suggest starting with Steiner's lectures on bees, which can be read at https://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA351/English/SGP1975/NinBee_index.html. I used to know a few biodynamic beekeepers that used various astrological methods to determine best days for hive maintenance, etc.

On to my question: the questions recently of Saturn as it relates to house hunting (and the referenced offering/prayer to Saturn) has really provided the "hook" I've needed to dig into astrology, as up to now my only knowledge has been of sun sign stuff and that's obviously too simplistic. I was wondering if our host could comment on this Saturn placement:

Moon, Mars and Saturn in Aries, second house
Moon conjunct Saturn (3deg 44’)
Saturn conjunct Mars (0deg51’)
Saturn sextile Venus (1deg31’)

So, as this relates to a Saturn working, would you say:
A) The path appears clear; do you homework and you should be okay.
B) Doable, but you have your work cut out, proceed with caution.
C) There be dragons, good chance you’ll get roasted.

I've found a lot of conflicting information online (and some of which sounds like it would be found in the Sunday paper horoscope section), so until I can find a reputable book along with a local astrologer, I'd appreciate any guidance. Thanks for hosting this every Monday!

Re: Beekeeping, plust saturn question

[ecosophia]

Is that in a natal chart, or what?

etheric practice

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

After a 4 year hiatus from Golden Dawn ceremonial practice, I've recently started up again, but haven't gotten back into the Middle Pillar yet. About the same time, I started seeing a massage therapist who also happens to be clairvoyant and can do some kind of "energy work". She reported my solar plexus chakra was constrained and discolored. During one session, she lay her hands on me and I felt pleasant yet strange. With my eyes closed I could see a dull greenish tint in my field of vision. Eventually I giggled nervously, at which point she stopped. My questions are:

1. I'm guessing it's not a good idea to let her do something like this again, because I don't know what kind of interaction it could cause. Is that right?

2. On top of the rituals that I'm in the process of picking back up again, is there anything I can do to open up this energy center on my own?

-John N.

Re: etheric practice

[ecosophia]

1) Yes, it's a bad idea to let her do that, precisely because the interactions could be messy. There are also a lot of people who think they know how to do energy work, and not all of them have a clue.

2) Regular practice of the Middle Pillar exercise is the best thing you can do. Also, in your daily meditation, when you spend five minutes or so breathing the Fourfold Breath, concentrate on relaxing the solar plexus. That will help.

[(Anonymous)]

I was quite fascinated when you described how Johnny Appleseed made his living. What are some other business models suitable for occultists and mystics?

[ecosophia]

There aren't many; most occultists and mystics make their livings doing something else. One exception is astrology: quite a few occultists down through the years have paid their bills by casting horoscopes. Another is writing: quite a few occultists have been authors, though it's rare to be able to make a good living writing about occultism -- you need to be able to write for genres with broader appeal.

[(Anonymous)]

When doing the SOP, sometimes it seems like the colored light is coming in and out lower than my solar plexus, I sometimes have to make the mental shift to bring it upwards. Is there any dangers involved in aiming the colored light, and missing the target?

[ecosophia]

Nope. Just keep working on bringing it up to the solar plexus, until that becomes a comfortable habit.

Subtle Bodies

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG! This is the Accidental Mystic, happy to report that I'm doing fairly well. I've been following your recommended daily practice of banishing - meditation - divination for three months now, as well as working to deepen my prayer life and receiving communion once a month. Having accomplished that, I've been considering what steps to take next.

However, while I've been given the okay for the Christian banishing ritual (but not the SOP) and for some simple natural magic, my tarot- and prayer-aided attempts at discernment have warned pretty emphatically against ritual magic, or any intensive program of occult study. I don't get the impression that it's verboten in general, just not right or safe for me.

I've actually come to suspect that I may have some sort of damage or malformation in my subtle bodies which is contributing to my chronic illnesses and which contraindicates such activities. I also have reason to suspect that I may have undertaken intensive spiritual practices of some sort in a previous life, perhaps less than responsibly.

So my question is: Is it possible to screw yourself over so thoroughly that the damage to your subtle bodies carries over to a future incarnation? Because I can't think of anything that I might have done in this life to cause it. I'd also appreciate any advice that you might have for the spiritual development of someone in my situation.

Re: Subtle Bodies

[ecosophia]

Yes. Serious magical misbehavior can mess up your subtle bodies badly enough that (a) your next set of subtle bodies takes shape in a malformed way and (b) the relevant spiritual entities let that happen, so you won't make the same mistake a second time. I'd encourage you to consider devoting your efforts to mysticism rather than magic; Christianity has a robust mystical tradition and you should have no problem finding a set of spiritual disciplines that will be suitable to you.