Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's just past 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!***

Comments

Addiction

[(Anonymous)]

Is there an occult explanation for the periodic (~hour) need for comfort? For myself this often manifests as self aggrandizing fantasies. For others I have seen food munching, drinking, smoking, music listening, and gossiping. I suspect substituting in affirmations and prayer would be beneficial and fulfill the need. Any thoughts on this from the occult perspective would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

I don't know of an occult explanation, but psychological? Sure. People learn to do this as a way of distracting themselves from the miseries of their lives. Little pleasures are good for that. Yes, affirmations and prayer can fill the same purpose more constructively; you can also see if you can do something more constructive with your fantasy life -- if you've got a lively imaginative life, that's a powerful magical tool. You can use it for mini-pathworkings, for example, or simply construct a pleasant place in your imagination that has a lot of things that comfort you, and do magical practices there.

Re: Addiction

[(Anonymous)]

Thank You.

Re: Addiction

[(Anonymous)]

Not OP

Ohhh, mini-pathworkings. Can you give some examples please JMG?

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

Formulate a symbol on an imaginary doorway. Pass through the doorway. See what's on the other side. Have a conversation with anything there that's interested. Return through the doorway.

Re: Addiction

[(Anonymous)]

Ok, so same as what is described as "scrying" in the DMH. Got it.

I am meeting beings regularly now during scrying, where to begin with there was nothing.

Just met my first critter who didn't return the invoking form of the symbol. A meeting with another being during the same session warned me to stay away from the first being.

It's a fascinating world out there.

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

It is indeed. The term "pathworking" is also used, because most Cabalistic occultists use it to travel the paths of the Tree of Life.

Re: Addiction

[kalidasa]

"Formulate a symbol on an imaginary doorway. Pass through the doorway. See what's on the other side. Have a conversation with anything there that's interested. Return through the doorway. "

How does this work? More specifically, what benefits does this provide?

I'd think that in an untrained person,such a working would produce 'random static' from his psyche, and not so much information about the symbol itself. Isn't pathworking generally considered an advanced technique, held back till the aspirant has deepened his meditative, ritual, etc skills? What happens (theoretically) if an untrained person tries this?

Ok I tried this just now. I "opened a door" with an I-Ching symbol on it, (#57, "wind") and "walked into" a moon litt night among the hills, with a lake in which the moonlight played. (there was no wind, which is kind of weird given the name of the symbol) I didn't "see" anybody I could talk to. So I turned around and came back through the door.

Now what?

Thanks in advance, *John* (not James ;-))

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

Pathworking aka scrying has been being taught to complete beginners for a century or so, with tolerably good results. Of course your first experiences are going to include little of value, because the skills of imaginal work can only be developed through regular practice, but you can start now. Your goal is to develop a set of capacities for perception and action that most people don't have, or have only in a very weak and limited form.

As for your pathworking, good. That's a nice start. Meditate on what you perceived, trying to link everything you encountered back to hexagram 57. (You may not succeed, but make the attempt. How do night, moon, hills, lake, and the absence of wind relate to the hexagram and its traditional texts? Plan on at least three sessions of meditation for every pathworking. When you've gotten what you can, do it again.

Re: Addiction

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for these instructions. I'd gotten the impression from the DMH sections on scrying that it should only be done in magical or banished space. Would you say it can be safe to do without even banishing, or is it best to banish first?

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

I recommend banishing first but some people get fine results without doing so.

Re: Addiction

[cutekitten]

Actually, that sounds nice & peaceful. How bad were the mosquitoes?

Re: Addiction

[cutekitten]

That sounds like fun! I’m going to try it.

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

As one author to another, I'll let you in on a secret: your characters may show up. You can also ask them to show up.

Re: Addiction

[(Anonymous)]

Should you ask before you open the door or after?

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

After. Once you're through the door, you're on their native turf.

Re: Addiction

[cutekitten]

They’ll probably all put in chits for overtime.

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

Throw an imaginal beer bash for them and they'll be fine. ;-)

Re: Addiction

[cutekitten]

I’ll put out some polenta too in case the shoggoths drop by. Do shoggoths like beer?

I’ve been reading this site, with its many shoggoth-centered discussions, so long that when I type “pol” Autocorrect brings up “polenta “ before “pole.” 😄😳

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

The only shoggoth whose opinion I know about had a very bad reaction to a glass of wine and won't touch anything alcoholic. I'm not sure if it's universal, but I'd definitely say you should have something else for them. They adore anything with cheese in it.

Re: Addiction

[cutekitten]

We have to go to the store tomorrow. I’ll buy more cheese. And the shoggoths will lend a little class to the affair. No “Hold my beer and watch this!” from THOSE ladies! 😄

Re: Addiction

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, wow! Mine, from a possible novel-length work I'm working on, or that started working on me, have showing up during my meditations, with scenes in it. Sometimes I go along with it because they're overriding everything. Sometimes I try to put them out of my mind and concentrate on a "regular" theme, so the characters show up at bedtime and keep me awake.

The Grey Badger

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

They can get very intrusive! I've got mine trained to leave me alone during my morning meditation, since I give them a lot of time in the evenings.

Re: Addiction

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, so Pathworking is what's out the door on the stairs!

Someone-not me for at least two decades-should ought to write a dictionary. This in this system is similar enough to that in that system and the other in the other system that all y'all are talking about the same general area.

As someone married to an English speaker from another country, we've learned the value of checking the definitions of words against a reference.

BoysMom

Re: Addiction

[ecosophia]

I don't know that anybody has the necessary background to write that dictionary!