Magic Monday
May. 2nd, 2021 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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.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 above 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.
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***This Magic Monday is now closed. See you next week!***
yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-03 07:52 pm (UTC)- Is there a way to safely combine chakra meditations with Western occultism?
Over ten years ago I did some chakra meditations, concentrating on each for several weeks or months until I felt some blockage move, and the next chakra become important, and I was in effect interrupted for years by powerful developments in my life. (At that point, I had not done pagan rituals for some years.) These could be seen as things I needed to experience to develop the feelings and traits associated with that chakra.
Clearly if the effects were so big as I moved upwards through the sequence, it is something to be cautious with, but I find I feel interested in chakra work again, and I am wondering whether I should be careful with it or steer clear of it altogether because I follow druid and occult practises, and not only because of what happened. I have had some very positive change in my life since starting the latter.
Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-03 10:56 pm (UTC)As JMG has said a few times, the problem with East-West hybrids comes from the energetic anatomy of the subtle bodies and how these two traditions move energy in the body, as they do so differently. If you mess up with these energies badly enough people can get seriously injured, sicken and die. So, for example I wouldn't combine a routine that involves kundalini with magical traditions that use energy methods like the Middle Pillar. We don't know yet what causes this imbalance but it does happen.
That said, I wouldn't discard asana to be completely safe either, as they are meant to be done in particular sequences for specific purposes but I have found the general sequences that strengthen the whole body to be ok, but that is just my case. Pranayama is a different story, the only ones I've tried safely is deep breathing and the alternate nostril breathing that usually goes by the name nadi shuddhi as these also have balance and overall wellbeing as a goal. Things more complicated and specific than that I wouldn't mess with, with the exception of devotionals, while pursuing a western approach but I would say even that can create inconveniences if you are putting a lot of time into these things in some cases. Knowing what evolved from culture and tradition and what is more free-form from something that takes centuries to develop is quite tricky! And I am not convinced it is possible at all.
Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-04 01:24 am (UTC)"As JMG has said a few times, the problem with East-West hybrids comes from the energetic anatomy of the subtle bodies and how these two traditions move energy in the body, as they do so differently."
I am interested in learning more about "the energetic anatomy of the subtle bodies." Any suggestions about previous posts on the two websites, or books/sections of books, where this has been discussed? Many thanks, EllenZ
Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-03 11:06 pm (UTC)2) Nope. Each system of energetic bodywork uses its own set of energy centers and its own way of moving energy through them, and combining those can blow a fuse, metaphorically speaking. Stick with one path at a time!
Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-04 12:56 am (UTC)If you're familiar with it, where does Hemi Synch meditation fit on the Eastern/Western "DO NOT MIX" spectrum? Is there a point of no return?
Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-04 12:58 am (UTC)Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-04 01:45 am (UTC)Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-04 03:22 am (UTC)Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-04 03:54 am (UTC)Re: yoga and chakras
Date: 2021-05-04 03:52 am (UTC)I am feeling that, at some point, I should return to those practices for a while - but I mean in terms of several years away, having read your advice here. It is helpful also to be advised by someone of your experience to stick to one set of practices at a time, so that I have a very good reason not to try to do too much, in a practical and time sense.
How long should one leave between working with different systems, such as DMH and the yoga practices above? (To the other commenter above, I don't do asana classes because of joint problems and the number of adjustments needed, or poses to miss out.)