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.

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. 

 

I've also had quite a few people over the years ask me where they should buy my books, and here's the answer. Bookshop.org is an alternative online bookstore that supports local bookstores and authors, which a certain other gargantuan corporation doesn't, and I now have a shop there, which you can check out here. Please consider patronizing it if you'd like to purchase any of my books online. 

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

[(Anonymous)]

Hi!
I’m still wolfing down The Cosmic Doctrine. (Still no idea why.) Your commentary led me to The Welsh Fairy Book by W. Jenkyn Thomas. I’m finding it more digestible than another Welsh symbolic text. Might you be persuaded to say a few words about Thomas and his work as it relates to Druidry?
And from the Office of Planting by the Signs… I looked up the best days to plough so my garden gets a good start this year. First try – rototiller needed repair. Second try – rain. Third try – snow. Fourth try opening on Monday and Tuesday. Will report. Seems like a good year to plant red, white, and blue popcorn.
Speaking of signs – what’s a favorable moon sign to send my membership petition to the AODA? Besides some time after I edit the essay back to a readable length, I mean.
Many thanks.
Rhydlyd

[ecosophia]

1) I'm not familiar with Thomas' book.

2) Unfortunately lunar phases don't make everything convenient!

3) Any air sign -- Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius -- is good for sending in a petition for membership.

[(Anonymous)]

Any chance I could get a nickel tour of this week’s Robert Fludd plate?
Thank you.
Rhydlyd

[(Anonymous)]

Will report back, you can say that again, and thank you.
R

[(Anonymous)]

I'm getting increasingly angry with the dicyanin story. For some reason, most people discussing the subject are treating the filters as something that can make you see auras instantly, without need to train the eyes. There is also a problem of many people trying to use other materials, without testing them with training.

This combined with the fake units on internet will make this whole affair into a joke like those X-ray googles in old magazines. And scientism wins again.

My experience with the Chenrezig mantra as a non Buddhist, aka Good Is Not Nice

[(Anonymous)]

I just thought I should report on my experiences as a non-Buddhist chanting the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra.

After having visited a Buddhist temple, I'd started chanting Om Mani Padme Hum, and eventually, as I have had experience with the Middle Pillar exercise I realised that each syllable belonged to an energy center. I placed Om at crown of head, Ma at center of forehead, Ni at throat, Pad at Heart, Me at groin, and Hum at feet.

As a result, I found that I could not digest my meal and was violently ill. Next day was a full day of fasting, and the rest of the week was forced vegetarianism. I also, on a whim, gave a beggar much more money than he asked, enough for the packet of cigarettes he clearly wanted.

So... TSW, but at a cost. I think I'd need to have a think and do some divinations as to whether continuing that is a good idea.

[ecosophia]

It's a cosmological diagram. The uppermost circle is the divine, which is divided into a bright and a dark half -- in Fludd's terminology, the Bright Aleph and the Dark Aleph, which are the two aspects of the divine. The Bright Aleph manifests itself in our cosmos as the Sun, the Dark Aleph as the Earth -- think Solar Logos and Planetary Spirit. The two half circles down below are commentary: the figure in the dark semicircle is Dionysus, who is tearing someone apart; the figure in the bright semicircle is Apollo, who has put the person back together and healed them. All in all, the diagram is good for about a month of solid meditation.

[ecosophia]

Get used to it. This is how pop-culture vulgarizes and distorts every single detail of occultism. All we can do is keep telling the real story, for those who are willing to listen to it.

Re: My experience with the Chenrezig mantra as a non Buddhist, aka Good Is Not Nice

[ecosophia]

Er, well, yes. This does not sound like a good idea to me.

[(Anonymous)]

a) What steps would you recommend someone working in the Celtic Golden Dawn use to make himself more lovable? (Ovate grade)

b) I met a very odd figure at a mosque a few days ago. I don't remember how we got talking about your work, but after a while he asked me to relay a message: he's the atheist who sold his soul to a demon for wealth and power, and he thinks he is doing fine.

He's living a fairly strict life, with the imam having told him he's not to use any form of media (no TV, no internet, even newspapers are out); the rules are quite strict due to his earlier mistake, and so while he can't thank you directly, he's asked me to relay the message that he is doing well, and to relay his sincerest gratitude for your advice.

[(Anonymous)]

Your grand mutation prediction includes a distinct drop in the number of democracies in the world, and watching the fallout of the Covid debacle, it seems uncomfortable plausible right now. Is there a way to tell whether a particular country will be able to hold on to democracy in advance?

Current Mood: cheerful?

[(Anonymous)]

You likely explained this elsewhere, but what is the function and origin of the chinese (?) symbol of current mood which accompanies each entry on this blog? That's probably not a profound question, but I am curious.

Prayers for Kiki

[kimberlysteele]

Hi JMG and Ecosophians,

Please pray for my cat Kiki, she is going through a bout of constipation again. I am doing all the physical plane things for her: getting her to play, feeding her raw meat, two kinds of anti-constipation meds, massage, etc. I need help on the higher planes. Thank you in advance!

Kimberly Steele

[ecosophia]

1) While you're still in the Ovate grade, you're not ready to start doing practical magic, which is what a spell to become more lovable amounts to. That's Druid grade work, and the best thing you can do is work your way steadily through the Ovate and Bardic grades so that you lay the best possible foundation for the practical magic you'll be doing when you get to that point.

2) I'm very glad to hear this. Yes, I remember him; if you see him again, please let him know that I'm delighted that my advice was helpful, and pass on my continued best wishes.

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

1. Some occult writers on the GD system state that you don’t have to begin and end the Middle Pillar exercise with the Qabalistic Cross because the MP itself is a “super-charged” form of the QC. Do you agree with this claim?

2. Does the occult model of the universe imply that there are no ‘miracles’ as popularly imagined in the major religions? Manifestation follows the path of Creation, from the pure will of the divine, through the mental and astral realms, into the etheric and material planes. To the extent that the divine will manifests, it occurs through synchronicity: apparently meaningful coincidences following the laws of nature on the material plane, and not through a suspension of the natural order. The magician, in turn, influences the process of manifestation by formulating symbolic patterns on the astral plane and allowing them to descend into the etheric and material planes. What is your personal stance on miracles?

3. It seems that the occult view of spirits implies that they have no physical bodies, and that our interaction with them is limited to the astral and etheric planes, as phenomena in consciousness. Is the depiction of angels, demons, and other supernatural entities in the major world religions as embodied entities an example of telesmatic imagery? Is it possible to ever “see” such an entity in 3-dimensional space?

[ecosophia]

Cast the grand mutation chart for the location of that country's capital city and check the condition of the 10th and 11th houses, their rulers, and the Sun and Moon. If the Moon is stronger than the Sun in terms of essential and accidental dignities, and the 11th and its ruler are unafflicted, democracy will likely endure there. If the Sun is stronger than the Moon, and the 11th and its ruler are afflicted, that's less likely. Aspects between the Sun and Moon and between the 11th and 12th house rulers are also indicative -- supportive aspects are good for democracy, hostile aspects bad for it.

Re: Prayers for Kiki

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, no, poor Kiki! Will ask St. Francis to get on the case.

—Lady Cutekitten

Re: Current Mood: cheerful?

[ecosophia]

It's a gimmick that comes with the particular color scheme and design I chose. I don't read Chinese so have no idea whether the characters mean anything at all.

Re: Prayers for Kiki

[ecosophia]

Healing energies en route.

[(Anonymous)]

Question for both JMG and the readership: Could anyone recommend a place to buy a good set of magical working tools (wand, dagger, pentacle, cup, mirror, etc.) of adequate quality and constructed from the appropriate materials? I’ve been meaning to make my own, but the task feels too big for me and since I never get around to it, I figure it’s better to get a start with purchased tools and then craft my own set at a later point. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Journaling, Ogham, and Path

[(Anonymous)]

Three questions:

A) The other week, I decided to try the journaling mentioned in the FAQ and felt really good immediately afterwards. That night, I had horrifying nightmares (far outside of normal). The next day, I found the journal felt like it soaked up an enormous amount of negative energy. Have you ever heard of something like this? Is there some way to safely journal without accidentally cursing the book?

B) I like the look of the Druidry & Druid Magic Handbooks, but I don't have any sense of connection/attraction to the Ogham. Even the plain latin alphabet feels more meaningful to me. Is it acceptable to make the substitution, or use geomancy instead? Or do I just need to suck it up and embrace the Ogham if I go that route?

C) Do you have any other advice or techniques for deciding on a spiritual path? I was really disciplined in the past but started wandering a few years ago, and it has become hard to stop. I feel like I've reached the point where I have to focus on some particular path in order to progress any further. Unfortunately, every time I try to pick something, I feel like I'm trading too much for the promises of whatever system I'm looking at and would be better off working with something else.

[(Anonymous)]

I remember him! Did he get his soul back?

—Lady Cutekitten

[(Anonymous)]

And if the Sun clearly outranks the Moon; 10th house is well placed while 11th house ruler is a mess; and hostile aspects exist between the 11th and 12th ruler and the Sun, then it's safe to say democracy is likely dead there, right? Yay.....

[ecosophia]

At some point during the next 199 years, yes. How soon? You'll have to watch the ingress charts for that.

[ecosophia]

1) Not at all. The Cabalistic Cross has a different energetic structure than the MP exercise, and both of them are useful. As Israel Regardie points out in one of his books, the Cabalistic Cross includes a great many potentials which are not at all apparent to a casual glance.

2) We have no idea whether there is a fixed natural order, and if there is one, we have only the sketchiest idea what it might be. (For all we know, nature has habits rather than laws...) Thus the entire conventional concept of a miracle is handwaving. In our time it's apparently quite rare for superhuman beings to intervene on the material plane in unsubtle ways, and claims that this has happened need very good evidence to support them, but I'd be silly to insist they can't happen.

3) Of course. The etheric plane is subject to space and time, and the astral plane can be.