Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's getting on for 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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And don't forget to look up your Pangalactic New Age Soul Signature at CosmicOom.com.

With that said, have at it!

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

Comments

Past lives?

[brenainn]

I have a question about possible past lives. When I was about 11 or 12 years old, I had two unusual dreams. In one, I briefly saw myself as a conquistador about to board a Spanish ship for the New World. That’s it, a single scene. Next, I had a dream about being a man named Bob who died in 1984. Again, it was a single scene of Bob’s funeral. In both dreams, I knew without a doubt that it was me.

When I was 13 years old, one day I was watching as two girls in my class were dancing to some music video. I had a sudden vision that seemed to merge with the scene that was currently unfolding before my eyes: one of the girls (whom I had a crush on) suddenly looked like a woman that I knew had been Bob’s wife. It was like a scene from Bob’s life had suddenly come to the present and merged with this girl dancing. It felt so very real.

Recently, I read a short book on the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The book recounted the final battle at which Tenochtitlan fell. While reading, it was like my mind was transported to that battle and I saw it unfolding before my eyes. I felt the terror the conquistadors experienced, especially the fear of capture and possibly being sacrificed by the Aztec if the battle failed. I don’t normally have such vivid experiences while reading.

There were other accounts in the book, closely related to the conquistadors present with Cortés. They produced similar, vivid “recollections.” This did not happen for accounts where Cortés was not present or nearby. It felt as though I had been present at the conquest, mostly at the side of Cortés himself. I think it was as a “loyalist” to him.

On a related matter, I’ve also never been able to loathe or detest Cortés, despite not knowing much about him until fairly recently. This, despite the often obligatory “all Europeans bad, all Natives good” history lessons I received in school.

The above is kind of long but I hope the background will help to answer my questions:

1. Could these be genuine past life memories? As a guy named Bob and a conquistador intensely loyal to his commander?

2. These first happened as I hit puberty. Does that have an effect on this kind of thing? I’ve heard of small children who recall details of past lives but I also know that awakening sexual energies have occult aspects.

3. Would meditating on all this potentially help me to recall more details or something else of importance?

4. The bulk of these experiences seem to be recollections of a life as a Spanish conquistador. Might there be a specific reason why I seem to recall so much about a single lifetime five hundred years ago?

Re: Past lives?

[ecosophia]

1) Those could be past life memories, yes. They could also come from other sources. The best thing to do, in my experience, is to write down as much as you remember, and then see what else surfaces. When you're ready to remember more details, they'll come.

2) That happens sometimes, yes.

3) Rather than meditating on them, simply remember as much as you can, and then see whether other glimpses come up. If you're ready, they will.

4) Yes, but it's by no means certain you'll find out what it is. Karma is complex, and there are other factors as well. I have no idea, for example, why I consistently remember recipes from one of my past lives; yes, I was a housewife in that life and a good cook, but there was more going on in her life than that...

[(Anonymous)]

I just read Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television and find it more than a little creepy to see just how much advertising and TV has shaped me and society in general. It has inspired to learn to protect myself as much as possible from the effects of advertising. My first steps are obvious: cut out TV use, install an adblocker, and take various other steps to reduce my exposure. I also see that I’ll need to learn as much as possible about how it functions, in order to be able to see how to protect myself from it.

Since you've talked about advertising as a debased form of magic, I figure this is on topic here.

a) Do you know any good sources which discuss advertising from an occult perspective, besides Eros and Magic in the Renaissance?

b) Do you have further suggestions on steps to take to protect myself? (I've just started the Ovate grade of the CGD)

[ecosophia]

1) I wish I did. Most of what else has been written on the subject assumes that advertising is omnipotent, which it certainly is not.

2) Regular banishing rituals will help; so will anything -- for example, meditation -- that helps build and enrich your own inner life. Half the reason that TV is so damaging is that it leads people to neglect their own inner lives, which would otherwise counterbalance the distorting effects.

etheric exercise

[barefootwisdom]

Hi JMG, here's a quick note about the etheric exercise you posted a few weeks ago, with a small question at the end. Of Judson's two books which you linked in that post, I've read the shorter of the two, and have just begun looking at the longer one.

I've done some experiments both with the original method (as Judson describes it in the shorter book) and with your modified version. Both seem to have a positive effect, but Judson's version seems to work much better for me. I can point to three differences in my experience of the results:
(a) It feels far more potent in the moment, in the simple sense that "something's moving," energetically-speaking, in the act of performing it.
(b) As soon as I finish, there's a greater sense both of etheric cleanliness, and of improved general vitality.
(c) That sense of cleanliness and vitality persists longer, after the exercise.

A few other notes:

(1) Vividly *imagining* the process, while seated in a chair, is at least as potent as actually standing up and moving my physical body, if not even moreso. I'm not sure how much this has to do with some feature of the exercise itself, and how much it's a result of being less self-conscious (i.e., not worrying about literally tripping over my own feet and stumbling while spinning in circles), such that I can focus my attention in more useful ways on clearing and moving the currents.

(2) During the spinning motions, the grasping motion of the arms (described by Judson, omitted in your version) seems important. I have no idea *why* a motion of "grasping toward" myself would help with *clearing* energies, but it certainly seems to.

(3) During both of the grasping motions, it seems most natural to have my arms pointed at about 45°; i.e., midway between out-to-the-side and directly forward. The two arms then form a right angle which is bisected by my line of vision straight ahead.

(4) It seems especially potent around sundown, give-or-take; moreso than in mid-afternoon. That's consistent with Judson's suggestions for timing. (She mentions both early in the morning and at the end of the day.)

I'll continue to experiment.

Finally, the small question: Is my observation, that this works as well (or better) in the imagination, consistent with how etheric workings are generally understood on first principles? I ask neither to support nor invalidate the data point, but rather to get a sense of how much it might be worth generalizing from this experience to other etheric phenomena. I don't have as good of a grip on "the etheric" as I might like, and I hope to improve on that.

Also, I'm curious: for anyone else who may be trying this, how does what I've described here fit (or not) with your experiences?

Re: etheric exercise

[ecosophia]

Many thanks for this! Doing the working purely in the imagination makes it an astral rather than an etheric exercise, but if you're one of those people whose etheric body is very responsive to your astral body, that won't be a disadvantage.

Andrew Chumbley cultus sabati

[(Anonymous)]

Could I get your magical veteran’s opinion on Andrew Chumbley’s work and his legacy order the cultus sabbati please?

It seems they are in the Robert Cochrane (as opposed to Gardnerian) “witchcraft” line

Do you think it would be dangerous to delve into any of their books?

Many thanks

Re: Andrew Chumbley cultus sabati

[ecosophia]

The whole range of modern witchcraft is outside my expertise -- it's never interested me enough to get me studying it. One of my teachers back in the day had been a student of Roy Bowers aka Robert Cochrane, but he'd gone on to other things by the time I met him. Sorry!

Sol-Saturn transit

[(Anonymous)]

I. Suppose the Sun is applying to conjoin your natal Saturn, within one degree of arc. What sort of activities might be best favored and most liable to be fruitful during such a transit?

II. I find the current socio-political situation to be quite frightening. In particular, the possibility that a "vaccine passport" may become a standard practice strikes me as the worst idea ever proposed in my lifetime and, if implemented, likely to be the end of liberty as we have known it. In my Lilliputian way, I would like to do my tiny magical best to thwart it.

In your view, what model of practice would be most effective to this end? That detailed by M. Furth in "The Sorcerous Struggle for Albion," or perchance that of the Disorder Wizards on the Interweb - or maybe the Etheric methods of T. Hieronymous Bosch? I'm being deliberately a little coy here so that the opposition are less likely to successfully, er, Fortify the Election, if you take my meaning.

Also, what is the best mental attitude with which to approach such a project? Assume basic HOGD competence on my part, and - I think - a good relationship with Helios.

Re: Sol-Saturn transit

[ecosophia]

1) It would depend on the rest of your natal chart, of course. What house your natal Saturn is in, what house or houses it rules, what other planets are in those houses, and what planets aspect Saturn or those other planets, are all important factors; so is the natal placement of the Sun by sign and house, and its aspects with other planets in your natal chart.

2) The basic rule for successful practice in such a case is always, always, ALWAYS to build up what you want rather than trying to oppose what you don't want. The first of your options is a solid and effective way of doing that, and it has the advantage that it's almost impossible for opponents to mess with it. Furth's opponents, the Zanies, certainly gave it the old bierkeller try, you know, and their efforts flopped. "Let It Be Energized Relative To You" is a wholly suitable focus for your work, and one that can be used in exactly the same way as Furth did with certain other images and concepts; given basic HOGD competence, you have a wider range of technical methods available than Furth did -- just for starters, I'll take the risk of murmuring the phrase "flashing tablet" in your hearing.

[(Anonymous)]

1. Can Ur be used for “W” in Ogham?
2. I’ve suspected since the second grade that I volunteered to take a hard drop into my current incarnation as an advance man for some unrevealed purpose. Lately, some unlikely events that line up with the idea that I might be some kind of a pathfinder for somebody’s project are presenting themselves.
When I asked my Ogham staves what they thought about the pathfinder idea, they said (1-3-2) Uilleand reversed, Alim, Muin. Umm… any suggestions on interpreting that draw?
3. Data point: I work at a big-box DIY store. Rototillers are in high demand this year because lots of bored families are starting gardens. This is a good thing, I think.
4. My infatuation with The Cosmic Doctrine continues. I know I’m not getting the full effect by wolfing it down, but reading it still seems very important. Wouldn’t a nicely leather-bound edition with full-color plates by Chesley Bonestell be a hoot?
5. Speaking of Fortune, let me get this straight – Resisting the end of my career path in the PMC made a mess of my life because that resistance went against the natural movements of the universe, right? And that’s why finding a new path is going pretty well…?
Many thanks.
Rhydlyd… I mean, Polka-dot Vacuous Mole

[(Anonymous)]

OMG, make that 2 votes for a leather-bound CosDoc with Chesley Bonestell illustrations.

Features of SolarFire?

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, JMG:

Does Solar Fire, the astrological software you use, have an option to display the chart wheel with degree ticks around it? Are the charts customizable at all or does the software only generate the style of charts we see in your Patreon/Subscribestar posts?

Thanks,

Cicada Grove

Re: Features of SolarFire?

[ecosophia]

It has dozens of different chart wheels, and iirc some have degree ticks. I simply use the one that I like.

[(Anonymous)]

Might you be persuaded to give a nickel tour of this week's Fludd illustration?

[ecosophia]

Sure. It's a title page for one of Fludd's encyclopedic volumes of magical arts and sciences. It includes, clockwise from the top, prophecy, geomancy, the art of memory, natal astrology, face reading, palmistry, and the "science of pyramids." All these are microcosmic sciences, meaning that they have to do with the human microcosm; that's why Man is standing there at the top, going "Like, wow." The glowing triangle over his head is the influence of the divine Trinuty -- Fludd was a devout Anglican occultist -- and the ape down below his feet is a reference to a common motto of the time, "art is the ape of nature," i.e., art (meaning here all arts, crafts, and sciences) imitates nature on the monkey see, monkey do principle.

[(Anonymous)]

I've taken a look at the Cancer Ingress, and it looks like a doozy. In particular, it has what looks like some indicators for an uncomfortably high likelihood of mass death. The ruler of the first is Uranus, in Taurus; forming a grand cross with Saturn in the 12th, Mars in the 6th, and the Moon Scorpio in the 8th; the Moon is the ruler of the 6th, which is not a good sign. A major mitigating factor I see is that Venus rules the 8th, and is not part of the grand cross; but she is still in the sixth, which still looks rather concerning.

Mixed with the indicators of the May eclipse, does this seem to suggest to you that quite a few people in the US are going to suffer serious health problems later this year, with an uncomfortable likelihood of mass death?

[ecosophia]

I've just finished delineating the May 26 lunar eclipse and I'll be starting work shortly on the June 10 solar eclipse, which will be visible as a partial eclipse here in Rhode Island. Once I get that done, I'll take a good solid look at the upcoming Cancer ingress.

[(Anonymous)]

‘Tis the season...

Has anyone come across a good skunk-be-gone spell? I tried last year ‘s, where you work on making the skunks think someplace else is better; alas, they all said “Thanks, but we’re happy here.”

—Lady Cutekitten

[ecosophia]

I wish I knew of one!

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Mr Greer,

I was hoping you could provide some guidance on the following matters.

1. Would scrying as described in the appendix of your book on Atlantis be usable to relive or review memories of my younger self (in more detail than I can remember)?
2. Is it important to get the direction correct when performing a ritual, as in trying to mark the exact direction on the floor to the closest degree, or is the general direction sufficient? Say, just turning in the direction where the sun rises.
3. Are you aware of personal electronics (watches, smart watches, hearing aids etc.) having any influence on the effectiveness of rituals or negatively impacting the subtle bodies?
As always thanks for your time and for providing this forum.

[ecosophia]

1) Potentially, but remember that -- as with other forms of scrying -- there's always a risk of astral static confusing the matter.

2) You don't need to be especially precise.

3) I've never had one on me during a ritual. Most mages I know take them off before beginning magical workings, but your mileage may vary.

Doctrine and french

[vitranc]

Hi JMG,

If I may, ask you and the commentariat. I just bought your translation of doctrine and ritual. And I had this idea, that I would maybe try and couple the club with learning French and eventually reading the doctrine and ritual in original.
1. How would one learn French from scratch. I have zero knowledge?
2. Any occult, or magical, tools to help the way? I am a DMH practitioner for 1,5 years.

Best regards, V

Re: Doctrine and french

[ecosophia]

1) I used a college-level textbook aimed at providing a reading knowledge of French. You can probably find those in any European language you like.

2) Sure. Try using the active elemental workings to invoke skill at learning a language.

Magical endocrinology?

[(Anonymous)]

Over the years in various spots, you’ve clearly noted risks to the endocrine system from unskilled magical practice. I am turning that association on its head for my question – might having a damaged endocrine system hinder progress in magic?

You see, I have “polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, type 2” (type I diabetes, Addison’s disease, and hypothyroidism). It happened gradually, over roughly 50 years. So your recent post about Kundalini and the endocrine system caught my eye. As did an earlier post where you mentioned how certain Victorian-or-Edwardian dabblers in dangerous magic ruined their endocrine systems and died.

I’m a rank novice at magic, just now on Chapter 2 of LRM. The book makes very clear to expect obstacles, and I’m not looking for new excuses-- my own “monkey mind” and lack of discipline are more than enough for that. But I did think this was a very interesting question.

(And holding in mind what happened to Wm. Reich, let it be clear to all that this is not a request for medical advice! ) Thanks.

Re: Magical endocrinology?

[ecosophia]

That's an interesting question to which I don't know the answer. In theory, you should be able to do standard ceremonial magic without difficulty -- the interface with the endocrine system comes in certain advanced modes of work which none of the books in my Golden Dawn sequence discuss. In practice? That's a very good question.

[open_space]

I sometimes get a feeling in meditation that there is something for which I can only make a rough outline and I feel I need some word or shape to understand it. Is it possible to bring down a thought to create that link?

[ecosophia]

That's one of the things that meditation is for, but it takes a fair amount of practice to do reliably.

[(Anonymous)]

What's your opinion of the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra? I'm not technically a Buddhist though I am influenced by them, and it's quite sticky in my mind. It also feels pretty good.

I also haven't had any occult Buddhist instruction, but it also seems like each syllable belongs to an energy center, like the middle pillar. Does JMG or anyone have a suggestion on how to use this?

[ecosophia]

You'd need to talk to someone with a background in Tibetan Buddhism, which I don't have. Sorry!

[(Anonymous)]

Good evening, Brother Greer,

You've mentioned several times about the effect of public adulation on public figures, and as a music performer (strictly small time) I've often half-joked that my drug of choice is the performance high. I can see quite easily how musicians get sucked into drugs chasing that high.

My firstborn is pursuing a professional performing arts career in ballet. He is currently Master Councilor of his chapter of DeMolay, has a hearty respect for ritual and old ideas, a fair amount of natural ability to sense non-physical entities, the usual dash of familial precognitive dreams, and is a baptized practicing Christian. Is gifting him Mr. Knight's book a good choice, or is there a better option for such a young man? He will, of course, do with it as he pleases, at this point my duty is simply making him aware of resources that he might not otherwise find.

Thank you,
BoysMom

[ecosophia]

Knight's book is in fact what I would recommend. If he chooses to work with it, he should find it very easy to get into.

Three questions and a data point

[goatgodschild]

Mr. Greer --

1) I agree with you about the magical nature of ads for Fizzy Brown Sugar Water. When I see them, it doesn't feel right, sort of like when your teeth grind, but at my temples and along the sutures of my skull. Is that a signal of attempts of magical influence?
(Sidenote: I do have about 4-8 ounces of Fizzy Brown Sugar Water of the root beer type every 3-12 months for its mild entheogenic properties.)

2) My mother is going through an midlife crisis and has chronic pain, so she has taken to yelling at me for perceived slights (sometimes escalating to grabbing or hitting) when she is frustrated with her life. These range from saying nobody cares about our house except for her, to claiming I have conspired to intentionally make her life difficult. After she yells at me, she insists I forgive and hug her because I'm her child, it wasn't really her fault, and she just gets upset sometimes. I have been considering using Dion Fortune's method of staring at the forehead to turn her away. Is this reasonable and/or ethical? If you or others have further suggestions for managing this situation, I would like to know them.

3) I am still getting thrown out of my body a lot, particularly in meditation. Or rather, floating out. Usually I focus on grounding and just force myself back into my body, but I am still curious. Is it best to keep the self locked into the body during meditation, or practice moving about?

4) To answer your question last year on whether, in September, the deities of "woke" types deserted them, I would answer that Pan and I were getting along fine then. We had a bit of trouble off and on from November 24th 2020 to early March 2021 due to miscommunication and failed rituals on my part, but he has not deserted me at all.

Re: Three questions and a data point

[ecosophia]

1) I have to admit I had no idea that root beer was a drug!

2) You might try that. You might also let her know that it's pretty childish for her to use you as a punching bag when she gets upset, and if she keeps doing it, no, you're not going to forgive her. Unfortunately, it's sometimes necessary to treat adults as though they were five-year-olds, particularly when they act like it.

3) Focus on staying in your body during meditation. If you want to practice being out of your body, which can be quite useful, set aside separate times to do that.

4) I'm glad to hear it.

Judson and Abbott

[hwistle]

Hi John,

I’ve been doing the Judson exercise as per your instructions and found that, generally, step 2 (Reception of Telluric magnetism) feels stronger in the evening than the morning (like a more accentuated tingling feel in the hands).
I did also try the exercise with Judson’s instructions for the 1st and 4th steps: I have to admit that I had to scratch my head to figure out how to do the movement she describes of reaching out and up, palms down (though this is reversed in one of the instructions!) as if gathering up magnetism… I settled on a sort of ‘flapping wings’ gesture and I tried this for a couple of days…I have to say I didn’t find much difference, apart from ending up with sore arms!.. I wonder if you could elaborate on your reasoning for altering this step.
One other thing, since I never heard of Judson before I did some research and found some bits and bobs, including other mentions of the exercise in other publications and journals, as well as a bit about our mysterious doctor… Not sure how much of this could be useful or pertinent to you or the readership, please feel free to edit as you see fit:

The earliest description of the exercise I could find was in 1890 in number 49 of The Progressive Thinker (iapsop.com/archive/materials/progressive_thinker/progressive_thinker_v2_n49_nov_1_1890.pdf) where she also mentions Abbott: ‘The writer received these directions from Dr. H. W. Abbott, who was instructed by an exalted spiritual intelligence.’ (No mention of Osseweago yet).
This changes in 1891 with the publication of Development of Mediumship by Terrestrial magnetism, which you quoted, where she says: ‘It was in June, 1888, that I began to study with Dr. H. W. Abbott, who was taught this magnetic process by Osseweago, who was king of Atlantis, the sunken continent, about 6,4oo years ago’.
In 1893 she publishes an article in Light of Truth, vol XIII, No 8 (iapsop.com/archive/materials/light_of_truth/light_of_truth_v13_n8_aug_26_1893.pdf): this time, she seems to bypass Abbott as a teacher and goes straight to Osseweago: ‘(..) this process was taught to me by the grand Osseweago and my other spiritual guides’
In 1894 she publishes The Bridge Between Two Worlds, where she expands on the nature of the exercise, but no mention is given to Abbott nor the Spirits.
In 1898, in a letter to the Banner of Light on Magnetic Harmony (re-issued in A Happy Year, published 3 years before her death in a home fire (iapsop.com/ssoc/1899__judson___a_happy_year.pdf )) , her instructors are only referred as ‘my guides’ (She also mentions she started teaching the technique in 1890 by lessons at Clinton Camp)

Regarding the good doctor himself, the earliest reference I found was an entry in the San Francisco Golden Gate journal in 1886, where it is said: ‘Dr. H. W. Abbott, the magnetic healer, has removed his office to 1047 Mission street [San Francisco]. We hear some excellent reports of Dr. Abbott. He is doing a good work.’ He also advertised in the same number as:
‘H. W. Abbott, (late of Wichitaw, Kansas), NATURAL HEALER. Diagnoses Diseases without one word of information. Nearly all diseases that the human family are subject to, treated successfully. Terms Reasonable & Diagnosis Free.’ (golden_gate_v2_n23_jun_26_1886.pdf (iapsop.com))
He seems to have been touring: in 1888, in the Santa Barbara’s Morning Press, he’s referred as ‘the boy wonder of Kansas and Illinois’ in a brief notice updating the date of his local lecture. (Morning Press 28 April 1888 — California Digital Newspaper Collection (ucr.edu))
In 1889 the Golden Gate informs the ‘well known healer and test medium’ is back in San Francisco after a year and a half absence, where he is ‘holding developing and test circles’ with good success ( golden_gate_v8_n21_jun_8_1889.pdf (iapsop.com))
One year later he seems to be travelling again, he advertises in The Colorado Daily Chieftain as:
‘CLAIRVOYANT. Dr. H. W. Abbott, metaphysical healer and clairvoyant; disease diagnosed without asking questions; occult science taught; sittings daily from 9 am to 8 pm. Room 6, Baxter block.’ (The Colorado Daily Chieftain January 4, 1890 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection)
And in 1891 we find out the good doctor might not be as good after all, according to a Kansas paper: ‘News come from San Francisco that the relatives of Mrs. G. C. Williams, a widow worth $750,000, are fearful that she has been hypnotized into a marriage contract with Dr. H. W. Abbott, a spiritualist.’ (Macksville Independent from Macksville, Kansas on December 17, 1891 · 2 (newspapers.com)) (Interestingly, after 1891 Judson drops Abbott’s name when talking about her teachers)
Next mention I could find was in Los Angeles Herald, 1898, where it says: ‘Dr. H. W. Abbott, late of Chicago, will deliver an inspirational lecture on “The Power of Harmony” at Truth-seekers hall, 125 ½ S. Spring, followed by spirit messages through the mediumship of the lecturer and other mediums.’ (Los Angeles Herald 2 January 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection (ucr.edu))
It also appears that Dr Abbott had a side business as an inventor and seller of a sort of refrigeration system! according to two entries in the San Francisco Call (San Francisco Call 4 March 1900 — California Digital Newspaper Collection (ucr.edu)) and the Hanford Journal (Hanford Journal (Daily) 15 March 1900 — California Digital Newspaper Collection (ucr.edu)), both in 1900.
And that’s as much as I could gather, not sure how useful this could be but I enjoyed the detective work nonetheless!

Many thanks,
Manuel

Re: Judson and Abbott

[ecosophia]

Good heavens. Many, many thanks for this!

Continuation from last week...

[lunarapprentice]

Re: My application of the Cosmic Doctrine

Hi JMG and Christophe (who also responded, thank you). This is a continuation from last week, when I wrote of my first foray into applying the first chapter of the Cosmic Doctrine to my own situation: “… I would liken the Ring-cosmos to the pattern of behavior my parents developed after I was born, along with my reactions to them. The Ring Chaos would map to the self-image/self-concept that develops in the child as an outcome of the relationship…”, and you replied “You're mostly there, but I'd reverse the symbolism. The Ring-Cosmos of any system is its own internal structure; its Ring-Chaos is provided by its environment. So your self-image and self-concept is your Ring-Cosmos, and the behavior of your parents in response to you defined your original Ring-Chaos…”.

I’m having difficulty assimilating your reply(s): My parents’ behavior is ancient history, and they are deceased. I see their early behavior as conditioning my self-concept which persists to this day, and certainly their behavior temporally preceded my formation of my self concept. According to the Cosmic Doctrine, the Ring Cosmos precedes the Ring Chaos temporally, so it is not obvious how my self-image could be the Ring-Cosmos, and I don’t see how my parent’s behavior can be my Ring Chaos, or “Thrust block” now.

Your referencing my “original” Ring Chaos (parents’ behavior) makes me wonder if you had in mind a subsequent Ring Chaos which would presumably exist in the present, and be more pertinent.

These temporal relationships are really a barrier to my seeing your mapping, and the current non-existence of my parent’s behavior preclude me from seeing it as a thrust block.

I hope my questions are clear.

—Lunar Apprentice.

Re: Continuation from last week...

[ecosophia]

The Ring-Cosmos is you. Start from that point -- it's crucial. The Ring-Cosmos of any system is the system itself. The Ring-Chaos is the environment in which the system exists. Your parents' behavior toward you -- not their behavior overall, but the way they behaved toward you once you were born and became a factor in their lives -- was your original Ring-Chaos, which you used as a thrust block to define your original Ring-Pass-Not. Their behavior before you were born is irrelevant since you weren't there to be influenced by it, just as whatever else was happening in the Unmanifest before the Ring-Cosmos came into being is irrelevant to Fortune's metaphor.

Of course your Ring-Chaos has changed since you were an infant, but if you're like most people, you're still affected by the impulse that the parental Ring-Chaos gave to your Ring-Cosmos; its tracks in space still shape your movement, and in that sense, they are still an essential part of your current Ring-Chaos, even long after their death.

Curious vision

[abrahamjpalma]

Good day, Mr Greer.
last week I had a strange experience.

I'm working on scrying, and my visions are improving in visual quality by the day. Then I meditate on them, and it seems that most of them end up being just some concerns or feelings about recent events, but in a metaphoric way. However, last friday was a little bit different.

Before scrying, I performed the simple middle pillar ritual, translated version. Then I stared at myself into the mirror, trying this for the first time, and blurred eyes until images came.
One recurrent theme in my other scrying sessions it's a green wind dragon (might be a wyvern), which I have identified as my magic self. Well, this time I felt the urge to mimic him, flapping my arms as if they were wings (sounds crazy now, but it was natural back then). And in doing so, we fused bodies. The image was no longer in front of me, but inside of me. I don't know how to describe it, but I think I felt complete, stronger. (I have had dreams about flying before, specially in my youth; they are just coming back recently.) There were no rides this time, but I was awake and felt a strong communion.

I'm trying to analyze it with meditation: the raw message is that I am accepting that I am more than flesh and thoughts, and this recognition makes me stronger. On the other hand, this trance felt quite vivid, initiatory, so I wonder if it was something else.

Re: Curious vision

[ecosophia]

A very straightforward sort of magical experience. Many people do things like that deliberately. You have a mental image that represents your magical self; you fuse it with the mental image that represents your ordinary self, and help catalyze the union of the two.

Fellow students in Poland?

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings JMG and commentariat,

I have asked questions in the past about magic and dance, and the community here has been very helpful. Thanks again. I own a dance studio and creative space in Kraków, Poland, and I am finding that I am slowly starting to gain a reputation as a student of the esoteric arts.

I wanted to see if there was anyone here in Magic Mondays who also is in Poland? It would be nice to meet up in person sometimes and I'd be willing to organize something if that ends up being helpful.

Thank you JMG for doing what you do each week with Magic Mondays. I think there are many, many people who are gaining much wisdom from following along here.

Cheers,

Greg Austin

Quaker meditations

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

Following on from the post about discursive meditation on the other blog last week, I was wondering if Quaker gatherings would qualify as discursive meditation?

If so, in my city their gatherings last one hour, which is longer than the maximum time you recommended for advanced meditators. (I am a beginner.)

I would like you opinion on the safety of joining such gatherings.

Re: Quaker meditations

[daveotn]

My wife is a Quaker and I enjoy attending their meetings from time to time. I'm interested to hear JMG's reply, but I don't think a Quaker meeting is a form of discursive meditation. It's a silent communal invocation ritual designed to call the Holy Spirit (or the "Light", in a more ecumenical setting) into the group. Sometimes it speaks through one or more of the participants, and sometimes it doesn't, but done properly it's not really an hour-long meditation on a specific phrase or theme. In fact, it's generally considered bad form to reply directly to someone else's comment - it's not nearly so "rational" a though process as what you get in a discursive meditation, but a more meandering path through an open, attentive, listening mind and a thoughtful, critically-thinking one.

I think you'll find it quite different from discursive meditation, but use your best judgment. You're opening your mind up in a group of different people who may be reaching out to a different deity than the one you have in mind, so "by their fruits ye shall know them." The two Quaker groups I have regularly attended meetings with were both great for my spiritual development, but my wife attended a third once that she described as in a perpetual conflict between a more liberal and more conservative faction who were continually battling it out in their comments rather than really listening carefully to anyone besides themselves.

Health geomancy

[bendithfawr]

Hi JMG,

our daughter suddenly developed atopic dermatitis a few years ago. The doctors can only treat the symptoms but I'd like to find the cause and wanted to see if geomancy can give an answer. I've been practicing for a few years and usually get clear and correct answers.

However, I'm a bit stuck on the question and the houses. I wanted to ask "Is there anything we can do or refrain from doing in order to heal our child's dermatitis?" - would that be 1st house querent and 5th house quesited or should it be rotated so it's 5th house querent (child) and 2nd house quesited (10th house for a medical treatment and rotated so the 5th house is the first)?

After that, I wanted to approach different causes: "Is an ingested substance the primary cause of our child's dermatitis?", "Is a psychological matter the primary cause...", etc.

I haven't tried medical divination yet, so I wonder if I should rather do that: 1st would be my child, 6th would be the dermatitis, 7th ourselves (currently no physician), 10th the solution?

Which approach would make more sense to you - if any?

Thank you, Bendith

Re: Health geomancy

[ecosophia]

Okay, this is a great example of the most common problem with reading house charts: getting bollixed up over the houses. If you're asking a health question it is ALWAYS the 6th house -- your 6th if you're asking for yourself or for a querent, the 6th from the relevant house if you or the querent are asking on behalf of someone else. If you're asking it on behalf of your daughter, you rotate the chart and take the 6th house from the 5th, or the 10th house.

Cast another chart, and use the 1st to represent you, the 5th to represent your daughter, and the 10th to represent her health. That will tell you if you or your daughter are doing something to cause it.

[(Anonymous)]

I asked for river pearl earrings for Christmas and my husband got them for me, but they also have "moonstones" in them. Is a moonstone the same as an opal? Christmas Day I quickly looked it up and Mr. Internet said they're not the same, but my year has been really hard and I'm starting to wonder what Mr. Greer says. And if they are the same, what was it you said people should do to protect themselves?

I'm anxiously awaiting my copy of The King in Orange!

Thanks!

Vera Lee

[(Anonymous)]

I have a variety of jewelry so I can help you. No, they’re not the same. Moonstones and opals are completely different gems.

—Lady Cutekitten

Twins and reincarnation

[(Anonymous)]

I've read that people reincarnate into lives in order to gain the experiences they need, which sounds fair enough to me. The next question that occurs to me is to wonder if twins choose to reincarnate as twins. Being a contented twin, this idea is appealing but I'm wondering if it's the case. Any thoughts, please?

Re: Twins and reincarnation

[ecosophia]

Each soul incarnates in order to gain the experiences that it needs, yes, but souls don't choose those experiences consciously until they've reached a fairly high level of spiritual development -- before then, it's as reflexive as going into labor. Two souls incarnate as twins if they have powerful karmic ties connecting them, and they need very similar experiences in life. If you're happy being a twin, the karmic ties connecting you to your twin are positive ones.