Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's midnight, so we can proceed with a new Magic Monday. 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.

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With that said, have at it!

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

***Ahem. People have continued to try to post questions, despite the post being closed. I have deleted these. Follow-up comments to existing questions are fine, but other than that, please save it until the next Magic Monday.***

Comments

[kayr]

My Earth Pipe has picked up two more interested parties, my husband and his best friend who is an electronic guru. Parts have been purchased or dug out of the stash and the most recent question is what serves as the reagent jar? I figure it is a smallish 1/2 pint mason jar with a metal lid. Do you think there will be any problem using this for the reagent jar?

Thanks
Kay

[ecosophia]

None at all. I used a well-cleaned jam jar with a metal lid.

[youngelephant]

Hi JMG, I hope you are well.

1) What are your thoughts on the causes and meaning of the phenomena where someone thinks about something, and then shortly after, another person in the vicinity says something about it. I also think this can happen with books. I chalked it up to astral plane resonance in my meditations, which isn't satisfying me for some reason.

2) Does Dion Fortune talk about this in detail anywhere? I know she mentions it in The Goat Food God (I'm only 1/4th through), but I'm looking for more detail&theory than the passing comment she makes.

[ecosophia]

Old books on psychical research discuss it, if I remember correctly. It's a fairly common experience, and astral plane resonance is as good an explanation as any. As for Dion Fortune, not that I recall.

Psychedelics and their effects on the body

[lukedodson]

Dear JMG,

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about psychedelics, in the run-up to a podcast conversation with my friend, the writer Jasun Horsley. Horsley's perspective is that psychedelics (as suggested by Don Juan/Casteneda) are very, very harmful to the body.

I'm wondering what would be your take on the effect of drugs on the subtle body, and if you had any recommendations for healing/repairing any damage that one's previous experiences might have incurred?

Many thanks!
Luke

Re: Psychedelics and their effects on the body

[ecosophia]

Horsley's quite correct -- and I say this as someone who used a certain fairly robust amount of them back in the day. They mess up your etheric and astral bodies -- the effects vary depending on what specific chemicals you used. Regular banishing rituals and washing with cold water will help.

Magic vs mysticism

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

a) In one of your books you had mentioned something to the effect that mysticism is an ascent up the planes of being, while magic is more or a descent down the same. Could you kindly elaborate just a bit more? I am having a really tough time forming mental models of these two.

b) It appears that asceticism is a common feature of the mystic’s path. Isn’t an ascetic in a manner changing consciousness in accordance with will as well? (for eg consciously giving up attachments).

Do pardon me if these questions are too rudimentary for this forum. I appreciate you as always.

m

Re: Magic vs mysticism

[ecosophia]

1) That's not quite what I said. Imagine the universe as a loop of rope that goes through a pulley mounted on the ceiling; if you pull down on one side, the other side goes up. Mystics concentrate on the upward movement, and use it to lift their souls toward the divine. Mages concentrate on the downward movement, and use it to bring patterns of creative energy down from the divine into manifestation.

2) You can define literally anything as causing changes in consciousness in accordance with will. That's one of the fun things about the definition! ;-)

[realmscryer]

Hi JMG,
Do you have any resources or experience with links between the structure or composition of written texts and occult effects?

I ask because over the course of the last 4 or 5 days I have started experimenting with writing in single sentence paragraphs. This loosened something rather noticeably for me. Words began to flow rather easily.

Hours after beginning this different way of structuring my writing the rhyming of sentences started.

Then thinking in rhymes with my physical sense of rhythm began activating too.

I woke up yesterday constructing rhymes in my head. As a side note maybe related I often unconsciously rock my body to a beat I do not hear with my ear.

There is almost a feel of dialogue. With myself? I don’t know. But the feel is quite natural. I also sense this bypasses an editor in my head. Kind of feels like a superpower.

Related, for some time I have wondered how to construct rhyming spells one might say aloud. After this weekend I think I might be able to generate them spontaneously!

Thanks!

[ecosophia]

There used to be a great deal of information about this -- Renaissance writers used Pythagorean mathematics to structure their prose. I've never seen an explanation of how it's done, though -- just references to it. Robin Skelton's book Spellcraft, which is a guide to poetic composition for mages, might be worth a look, however.

r/Geomancy

[(Anonymous)]

Hey John. I wanted to invite you and all here to check out r/Geomancy on Reddit. It's got around 300 subscribers, but the creator and mod u/KidCubby seems to be quite versed in the oracle. Part of the reason I decided to invite you is because he disagrees with some of the things in your book. I'd be very interested to see some conversation between you two, and just like with r/GoldenDawnMagicians, you'd obviously be a very valuable member of that community.

Hope you're well

JP (u/Churrundo)

Re: r/Geomancy

[ecosophia]

If he disagrees with me, all the better; diversity of opinion is a good thing. I'll see if I have the time to swing by sometime.

Mandala for front porch

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings all,

I'd like to paint a beneficial symbol/mandala on the porch for my front door (something like a hexafoil or the like). My only reticence is whether there is a symbol that is appropriate to have people treading on it. I'm open to variations on this, my goals are just to have a nice piece of art that will bring in some positive vibes to the front door.

Many thanks for your suggestions!

Re: Mandala for front porch

[ecosophia]

Most magical symbols can be walked on -- they appear all the time in floor mosaics, for example. The hexafoil would be as good as anything.

Solar and Telluric currents?

[(Anonymous)]

Is there a system of magic incorporating the LRP and the Middle Pillar exercise that works with both the Solar and Telluric currents, rather than just the Solar? I much prefer the LBRP and MP to the SoP, but I feel I'm neglecting something with no Telluric component in my practice.


Kimari

Re: Solar and Telluric currents?

[ecosophia]

If you much prefer the LBRP and MP, then a solar system is best for you, and don't worry about neglecting the telluric current. You can take up herbal magic to balance the solar influence, if you like.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG ! I think you mentionned once that there were ancient landscaping works in some civilzations that were very sucessful for agriculture, for instance with artificial watersheds in India. As somebody that studies in geomorphology I would be very interested if you had a few exemples in mind that I could research.

[ecosophia]

See if you can find a copy of the Nabataean Agriculture by ibn Washiyya; in there among the magic and archaic religion, as I recall, you'll find a fair amount of material about landscaping for farming in a desert climate.

Regarding the cantref Byw and the invoking of Spirit Within within the SOP

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG,
I noticed that the invoking of Spirit Within during the SOP does not call upon the great name Mabon which is presented as the god of the cantref Byw in The Dolman Arch. I was considering adding Mabon in such a phrase as "By the six powers here invoked and here present, and in the great name Mabon, and in the grand word AWEN, I invoke Spirit Within...
Does this seem appropriate or is there a reason that Mabon is not invoked during Spirit Within?

Thank you!

Re: Regarding the cantref Byw and the invoking of Spirit Within within the SOP

[ecosophia]

You don't invoke a god or goddess for Spirit Within because you're invoking the spirit that's already within yourself. That's also why you don't draw a symbol -- you are the symbol.

[booklover1973]

This time not a question, but some data points. In H. S. Green's Mundane Astrology it was remarked that not much ist known about the conjunction of the outer planets. A while ago, I delineated the Aries ingress chart for Eastern Germany, 1989 and the ingress chart for autumn 1989 for East Germany. In both cases, there is a Saturn-Neptune conjunction, which, I suppose, may have had something to do with the political unrest in Eastern Europe 1989 and the popular movement against the East German regime. In H. S. Green's book, there is furthermore a chart for Ireland (May 12th, 1882) with an Saturn-Neptune conjunction, this chart marked according to him the begin of political unrest in Ireland with the Phoenix Park murders. So Saturn-Neptune conjunctions may have something with major periods of popular unrest.

[ecosophia]

Interesting! That would make a great deal of sense.

Order of the Nine Angels

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JMG,

Have you ever heard of The Order of the Nine Angels? (Or is the acronym a play on masturbation?)

Its wiki page makes me think to stay away.

Best

Crimson Exiguous Troglodyte

Re: Order of the Nine Angels

[ecosophia]

Hmm. Do you mean by any chance the Order of the Nine Angles? It's a Satanist group, and thus yes, better left alone.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,
In your book Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings you said that demons inhabit a level of being that is below the physical. Could you recommend some places where I could find out more about the demonic realm?

[ecosophia]

Nope. I have yet to meet anyone who wants that information for a good reason.

Potential karmic stuff

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I seem to remember you discussing a phenomenon like karmic accumulation, backlash, ... Something that was supposed to happen to a person when she starts practicing magic, or starts on the path. I have been using your DMH and the last year has been bad. Looking back I seem to have been hit the hardest off all my acquaintances. Might there be something to it?
1. Is there / what is this „karmic backlash“?
2. what can one do to protect oneself, or how can it be dealt, or worked trough.

Re: Potential karmic stuff

[ecosophia]

It's called karmic culmination. What happens is that when you take up the practice of magic, or any other kind of spiritual discipline, any unfinished karmic business that you've been avoiding lands on you. Once you deal with it, that karma is cleared away, but yeah, it can be unpleasant. All you can do is deal with it as it comes, and keep up your practices; after a while it'll be over and done with, and then you can move ahead to better things.

[(Anonymous)]

Apologies if this has been asked and answered, but have you decided which book the Ecosophia book club will focus on next?
-Cliff

[ecosophia]

I'll be announcing that on Wednesday.

[lanktank]

Hello-

I've just recently become a Candidate with the AODA, and have begun studying the Ogham fews starting with the first aicme. I've noticed that in your books 'The Druid Magic Handbook' and 'The Druidry Handbook' you have the order as Beith-Luis-Nuin-Fearn-Saille, but in other sources I've come across the third and fifth fews are switched. You make note of this in 'The Druidry Handbook' but don't explore it other than to mention that it was re-orderd during Christian times. I've only done some superficial searching on it so far, but saw that it was Monday and thought I might stop in and ask you about it here. Is there a deeper explanation for why this re-ordering occurred? For the purposes of my Candidate Year, will the ordering be important, or should I simply commit to one or the other?

[ecosophia]

You can simply commit to one or the other. The reason it was switched is that the older order, B-L-N-V-S, spells the name of the Pagan god Belinus, and when the Irish bards became Christian they changed that to eliminate the Pagan reference.

Affirmation advice wanted

[(Anonymous)]

Hello all! I hope everyone has been well here.

I would like to ask for your opinion on an affirmation. You posted a series maybe two years ago about how to craft a proper affirmation, with the advice to say that affirmation 100x/day for a year and a day. I did that (mostly) and noticed some startling transformations in the tone of my self-talk, that really became noticeable about 3-4 months in. So, first, thank you for the effective advice and the inspiration to test this out!

Second, after some time off and some life events, I'm ready to choose another affirmation and start the process over. However, the year-long commitment makes choosing a good affirmation important to me.

I am playing with the idea of the affirmation: "I am where I need to be in my life. I am doing what I need to do. I am enough."

I am drawn to this affirmation, because I struggle a lot with contentment and acceptance in my life. Give me a difficult situation and I am fine, but over the last three years I have struggled a lot with the areas of my life that I perceive to be mediocre. There's a lot of good in my life, but there's a lot that I'm not satisfied with either. In some ways that makes sense to me, because I don't want to settle for a life that doesn't fulfill me, but at the same time I think this drive is taking a toll on my mental health. Especially this last year, I noticed the times where my mind was the most at ease were difficult situations, but ones where I felt completely sure that I was doing what I needed to be doing. Two examples: the month my father was in the hospital after a surgery did not go well, and had complication after complication, and then passed away. That was awful, but I was absolutely sure that I was doing the best I could for my family, and I felt at peace. The other month was the first month of COVID, when the lockdowns started and my family had to quarantine, and we weren't sure what direction everything was going to go. I had the strangest sense of peace, feeling like I was doing my civic duty. I knew people were suffering and I knew it wasn't a good situation, but at the same time I remember feeling like I had finally lifted above the clouds that had been covering my head for the last three years. I stopped feeling like I was so short on time and resources, even as the rest of the world went crazy. (Not coincidentally that was about 3-4 months into my affirmation/meditation practice, when a lot of things started to finally align for me.) Unfortunately, this sense of abundance didn't last, which is why I believe it was the initial change in my mental attitude, rather than lifestyle changes due to covid.

So, my takeaway from the last year is that I do best when I am sure that I am doing what is necessary, and I allow my mind to let go of the constant drive to do more, and the flipside of that, the constant fear that there is not enough time/energy/resources to do what I need to do. So, I am looking for an affirmation that will help me change these mental patterns. I would appreciate any advice from anyone here. Thank you so much in advance! And thank you for reading this saga :)

Again, the affirmation I am considering:

"I am where I need to be in my life. I am doing what I need to do. I am enough."

-Cym

Re: Affirmation advice wanted

[ecosophia]

That seems like a perfectly good affirmation. I notice that your fear of not doing well enough has spilled over into a fear of not doing an affirmation well enough...

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Can you point me in the direction of occultists who were also interested in physical training and exercise systems of various kinds? Genevieve Stebbins comes to mind; are there any other particular people you know of who had interest in both areas?

Thanks!
Stefania

[ecosophia]

The one other I know of for sure is Joseph Greenstein aka the Mighty Atom, a Polish-American Jew who was both a serious Kabbalist and a first-class strongman -- this is a guy who could tie a #2 iron horseshoe in an overhand knot with his bare hands.

[(Anonymous)]

Is there a way to adapt the CGD version of the LBRP in order to banish something specific that you want to remove from your life?

[ecosophia]

That requires a more extensive knowledge of magic. You don't simply do a pentagram ritual for that; you open a temple in due form, use the invoking pentagram ritual to call it into manifestation in the temple, bind and banish it, and then close the temple in due form. You'll learn how to do that in the Druid grade materials.

Fools gold

[(Anonymous)]

When did pyrite become a stone which brings wealth? Does this only seem counterintuitive to me?

Re: Fools gold

[ecosophia]

That's not a use I know of, and using fool's gold as a symbol of wealth seems not merely counterintuitive to me but seriously stupid!

Planetary Symbolism

[(Anonymous)]

JMG, is there a book you could recommend about planetary symbolism? I find it intuitively easier to understand planetary symbolism than some other forms of symbolism, but I wouldn't mind checking my intuitions against a book.

Re: Planetary Symbolism

[ecosophia]

Any good introductory book on astrology will cover that. Parker's Astrology is one that's readily available.

Past Lives

[(Anonymous)]

I've had a question rolling around in my head for a while. How many human lives does a typical soul live before moving on? I've been contemplating on this for a while. Are there still crusaders roaming around, etc. Thank you.

Re: Past Lives

[ecosophia]

I've seen various estimates, usually in the upper two or lower three digits. Yes, there are probably people incarnate now who were involved in the Crusades.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, JMG! Thanks for doing this as always.

First, a TSW moment. I started doing the Five "Tibetan" Rites last week, and the effect has been immediate and dramatic, even with the small number of repetitions recommended for the beginner. I'm still always a bit shocked when something has clear effects beyond the physical. You'd think I'd have learned by now. :)

Second, a question: from a Druidical perspective, does Geomancy work with the solar or telluric current? Or is that question confusing ontologies in an unhelpful way?

[ecosophia]

Geomancy relates to the telluric current as astrology relates to the solar current. Glad to hear you're having good results with the Rites!

Geomancy question

[(Anonymous)]

Hello and thanks for providing this forum!

I'm very much a geomancy beginner, having used your book to cast shield charts for around six months. I also have a marriage on the rocks that I'm trying to navigate back to wholeness, with mixed success. Of course I'm using geomancy to try to help chart my course. So I recently was rather taken with the idea of giving my wife a particular romantic gift. This general type of thing has resulted in ugly blow ups in the past, so it's risky. As I was at work I used whatever free online chart generator that was the first search result. I asked "Should I get the ?" I got what looked to me like a wildly favorable result:

Left Witness: Puella
Right witness: Latetia
Judge: Fortuna Major

This seemed too good to be true, and it was just a random website, so when I got home I asked the same question and used my usual throwing sticks, and received:

Left Witness: Latetia
Right Witness Puella
Judge: Fortuna Major

I must confess that I got a little scared by the mirror image duplicate result. TSW! Apparently. I interpret it as again highly favorable, but I'm second guessing myself. Do you have any commentary on my favorable interpretation, or some insight on the way I got the same result with the witnesses reversed?

Re: Geomancy question

[ecosophia]

These things happen. I hope you got her the gift!

[zosmia]

Hi JMG,

First, I wanted to say thank you as I've been reading your material for years and have always found it considered, penetrating and thought provoking and am consequently one of the many quiet ones you have influenced over the years.

Today you made a comment which has finally brought me out of the shadows and is at the heart of my recent bout of questions. To give some context, while not an anthroposophist, I do consider Steiner my gate way drug to the Occult; however, as I've read more and explored the history of the Occult I have found little which indicates the traditions that Steiner himself worked out of and yet today you indicated at such traditions in one of your comments. Is this something you would be willing to shed more light on? Ultimately, I have reached a point in my life where I have more time to commit to Occult practices and am trying to decide what path I would like to trod and feel understanding the traditions he was working out of may help me make this decision. Thank you for any advice you may provide in advance.

[ecosophia]

Steiner was an interesting cat. As a young man he learned quite a bit of folk magic and Christian mysticism from Felix Koguzki, a Swabian herbalist and mesmerist; he apparently also studied with the mystic Alois Mallander, a forgotten figure these days but very influential in his time. Steiner later became a Theosophist and added Blavatsky's ideas to the mix, and of course he fused all of these with the products of his own clairvoyance. Tracing Steiner's sources back to the older tradition of which he was an exponent would take work, and fluency in German, but it could be very much worth the investment of time and effort.