Same Magic, Different Monday

[ecosophia]

Once again, it's technically Monday now -- past midnight Eastern time -- and here I am on Dreamwidth, so it's time for another 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, though it may be Tuesday sometime before I get to them all.

With that said, have at it!

Comments

[jjensenii]

Well, I was going to ask you about a comment I thought I remember you making about curses: something like, "At the heart of every curse is a lie; expose the lie and the curse becomes ineffectual," and how this lines up with your explanation of curses last week, but now I can't seem to find the reference.

So I guess my question is, did you say something like that, maybe in one of your earlier books, or does it sound at all familiar? If you (or anyone) can help me find the source, it'll significantly shorten the amount of time I'm bothered by this.

I'd also like to report that last week, I recognized a particular pattern of behavior that would be great fodder for a curse. So I drafted the curse myself, then did the work of determining what I was getting out of the behavior, and walked away from it.

[ecosophia]

No, I don't recall saying anything like that. At the heart of every curse, in the sense that I understand the term, is a truth that nobody wants to face. Face it, and then take action either to resolve the situation (if you can) or walk away from it (if you can't resolve it), and you're fine.

Excellent work, by the way, in that last paragraph. That's also the least miserable way to deal with nasty karma.

[jjensenii]

Also, you've recommended against anyone with a mental illness doing ritual magic. I'm curious how you would define "mental illness" in this context: obviously those prone to psychosis are better off leaving well alone, but what about those who merely struggle with anxiety and/or depression? ADHD? You yourself have an autism spectrum disorder.

I've been diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger's, as well as anxiety and depression. The latter seem to be easing up, but they've been among the reasons for my hesistance to really take up any sort of ritual magic.

I'm also a bit curious whether sigil magic (say, creating a geomantic gamahe or bindrune) counts as ritual magic for this purpose; it strikes me as having more in common with ritual magic than with natural magic, esp. since ritual magic sometimes uses sigils (e.g. goetic magic).

[ecosophia]

There's a difference of opinion when it comes to this. My take is that purely neurological issues such as autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and the like are no problem -- in fact, magic can be very good for people on the autism spectrum. Anxiety and depression depends on the person -- some people with these handle magic very well, others don't. It's when you get into anything even moving in the direction of schizophrenia or the other psychoses that ritual magic is massively contraindicated.

Sigil magic -- well, here again, that depends partly on the person and partly on the way the work is done. Any practice that opens up your inner senses is a bad idea if you're even mildly schizophrenic, but the kind of sigil magic that simply involves writing a sigil on a physical object or making an image out of physical materials should be on a par with natural magic.

OODA four elements ooo!

[(Anonymous)]

John Boyd's OODA (observation, orientation, decide, act) loop and the four elements- any comparison? If our host has never bothered to look at this I'd like anyone who has to pitch in.

Re: OODA four elements ooo!

[ecosophia]

It's not a matter of not bothering -- I'mnot familiar with Boyd or his theory.

Shape shifting

[(Anonymous)]

Have you observed someone who shifted shape from human to animal form?

Re: Shape shifting

[ecosophia]

Depends on what you mean by that. Physically shifted shape? As far as I know, that's physically impossible. Shapeshifting magic of the kind that people actually do is a variant of astral projection, which involves building a form on the etheric as well as the astral levels; you then transfer your consciousness into it and go for a walk (or a swim, or what have you, depending on your choice of forms). There are detailed instructions in my book Circles of Power, though you need to learn and practice pretty much the whole toolkit of Golden Dawn magic before you can do it.

[(Anonymous)]

I realized a little while back that there is this layer of my visual perception that I have always unconsciously dismissed as some sort of random mental noise. It is a like a transparent, moving texture overlaying everything. I realized I can actually focus on this layer, using the same sort of attention that seems to allow me to (faintly) see someone’s energy body.

Is this what is meant when it is said that everyone perceives ether/nwyfre/qi, but most people ignore it?

It seems the daytime sky has one texture, a moonlit sky a different one, and the ground another, though I have only just begun to track down the patterns in whatever I am perceiving.

Thanks for magic mondays!

[ecosophia]

Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Not everyone sees nwyfre, at least at first; with practice and patience all your senses open up on that level as well as the physical one.

[(Anonymous)]

I have been practicing regular discursive meditation and less frequent receptive meditation, and recently noticed that they are interfering with each other— discursive thoughts intruding on receptive meditation and sense perceptions intruding on discursive.

Do you have any advice for keeping them separate? I suppose that making the two forms of meditation clearly distinct from each other, by not using the same breathing or sitting in the same place, might help. Or adding some kind of gestures to differentiate.

[ecosophia]

You've just answered your own question. Yes, the steps in your second paragraph will do a fine job -- you'll also simply have to keep working on training your mind so it does each practice in its proper place.

[(Anonymous)]

Have you ever heard of the following way of classifying the four temperaments:

The choleric person is quickly and vehemently excited by any impression made; he tends to react immediately, and the impression lasts a long time and easily induces new excitement.
The person of sanguine temperament, like the choleric, is quickly and strongly excited by the slightest impres­sion, and tends to react immediately, but the impression does not last; it soon fades away.
The melancholic individual is at first only slightly ex­cited by any impression received; a reaction does not set in at all or only after some time. But the impression remains deeply rooted, especially if new impressions of the same kind are repeated.
The phlegmatic person is only slightly excited by any impression made upon him; he has scarcely any inclination to react, and the impression vanishes quickly.

(taken from The Four Temperaments and the Spiritual Life, by Rev. Conrad Hock, 1934)

...and, if so, is this view of the temperaments compatible with the descriptions of them in the Celtic Golden Dawn?

[ecosophia]

That's an interesting and potentially very useful development of traditional lore concerning the temperaments, and I'm now going to go find the book you've cited. Yes, it should be compatible with the material in my book.

[(Anonymous)]

And this might be an odd question--

Can daydreaming about someone, whether out of love or hate or lust or worry or fear or anything else, affect the person in question? I'm thinking about the way that visualizing (say) an archangel during a pentagram ritual has an effect upon the actual archangel-- in this case, by invoking their presence-- and wondering if it works on people with bodies too. If so, does magical training amplify the effect? And, again if so, is it then important to be careful of one's thoughts/potentially part of the reason for training the mind in magical practice?

[ecosophia]

Yes, and yes, and yes. Concentrated thought can affect other people. One of the reasons that it's so important to practice banishing rituals regularly is that it keeps you from being affected by other people's thoughts.

Astral Projections

[(Anonymous)]

Hello!

(1) Are there any significant risks one should be aware of when attempting astral projections?

(2) If so, what are they and what can be done about them?

(3) Do dreams, lucid dreams and astral projections have much in common? For instance do they belong to the same category of phenomena?

Many thanks

Re: Astral Projections

[ecosophia]

(1) Nope. It's really pretty safe.

(3) Depends on how broadly you define the category. Dreams, from the point of view of occult philosophy, are dim perceptions of the sphere of sensation (the astral sphere or aura that surrounds you), which is why they're a jumble of material from many different sources -- the sphere of sensation reflects the astral world around you, and it also reflects the astral activity of your own mind. Lucid dreaming is the same, but you achieve a certain degree of consciousness and deliberate use of will in the dream state. Astral projection involves creating a secondary body of astral substance, shifting your consciousness into that secondary body, and going for a stroll while leaving your physical body behind in a state of unconsciousness. Thus it's not the same thing, though it does deal with the same realm; it's rather like the difference between watching the river flow past you, on the one hand, and going for a swim on the other.

[(Anonymous)]

If one occultist artfully conceals the fact of his male sex from another male occultist, and the second occultist discovers the deception, is it considered gay for the second male occultist to pursue the relationship anyway?

[ecosophia]

When you ask "is it considered gay," well, just who is doing the considering? You? The person with whom you're considering having a relationship? Judgment calls like that don't just happen by themselves; there's always a person who's doing the considering. Keeping that in mind avoids a lot of confusion.

From my perspective, if you're attracted to the other occultist, and you decide to go ahead and have a relationship with him, you and you alone get to decide whether that counts as "gay" -- whatever exactly that means. By and large, the occult scene these days is pretty mellow about letting people live their own lives, so your fellow occultists aren't likely to get bent out of shape if you and the person in question have a fling, or even a long-term relationship.

[(Anonymous)]

What do you think of using cards from modern card games as oracles?

'Dixit' seems like it would work well. I'm also curious as to if it's possible to construct an oracle deck from the 'Magic: The Gathering' collectible card game.

[ecosophia]

Why not give it a try and see what kind of results you get?

Adjusting basic rituals for the Southern Hemisphere

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG
I have been working with Learning Ritual Magic since last September, with slow, surprising and positive impact. Thank you for your work, and the clarity you provide for beginners. My question is do I need to adjust the Q Cross for southern hemisphere? I have switched north and south in LBRP and go anti-clockwise. With Q cross I feel it to be more open, flow better if I switch and do left (red/fire) side first and then right but I would appreciate your guidance whether this is OK to do. Thanks

Re: Adjusting basic rituals for the Southern Hemisphere

[ecosophia]

That's one of those issues that's been endlessly debated since long before I began to study magic, and no doubt it'll still be debated long after I've taken up a place in the fossil record. The only answer that seems to work is to try it both ways and do what seems to work best for you.

Sacred Geometry Oracle

[(Anonymous)]

I ordered a copy of the Sacred Geometry Oracle. It unfortunately came in the form of *only* the guidebook. While I may be able to press the bookstore I ordered it from for the cards (or at least a partial refund), I'm rather taken with the notion of making my own set of cards, using markers and matte finish blank playing cards (as well as compasses, rulers, etc).

The book is a very interesting read, by the way. I'm looking forward to learning the system. I just have a couple of small questions about it for now.

(1) When it comes to making my own set, do you have any particular cautions to keep in mind as I make it? E.g. it doesn't terribly matter what design is on the reverse side of each card, right?

(2) Also, about the square-circle-triangle symbol that you suggest we visualize as part of the reading ritual. As it appears on in the book, the square is nearly-but-not-quite centered to the circle. (The corners of the squares appear to have different areas.) I am supposing that this is due to pixelization of computer generated art printed at insufficiently high resolution. But it also occurred to me that the process used to construct the shape by hand may result in a slightly off center design, and/or this imperfection is intentional due to the symbolic impossibility of truly squaring the circle by geometric means, or something like that. Would you mind confirming that when one visualizes the shapes, each one should indeed be centered?

Re: Sacred Geometry Oracle

[ecosophia]

I'm delighted to hear that the oracle interests you! That was one of my few really bitter disappointments as an occult writer -- I designed it to appeal to Druids, earth-mysteries types, people who work with the Green Ray, and so on, but somebody at the publisher went to watch The Matrix right before the big design meeting and talked everyone into doing it in a stunningly ugly and inappropriate urban-decay style, all rusting metal and broken concrete. I tried to talk them out of it and was told to shut up -- they knew what they were doing. Of course it bombed; that was also the only time I ever told a publisher to keep their %&$#*!@ author's copies. To this day I don't list that project in my publication credits.

Thus I'd encourage you to forget about the hideous cards that were inflicted on the original project, and simply make your own. There are no particular cautions, other than that it's probably a good idea to do the construction a few times on plain paper before doing it on the card. As for the circle-triangle-square, those should indeed be concentric -- the off-center square was another of the cascade of embarrassing failures that marred that project in its first publication.

Some questions on astrology

[(Anonymous)]

In my various google searches on the topic I've found two interesting sites offering natal chart calculators. Perhaps I'm just inept at using the features of the more popular ones, and these arent that special, but they seem particularly useful to me.

The first is at:
https://www.horoscopeyourself.com/personal_horoscope/

It shows the dominance of the planets in the chart along with, to me anyway, rather interesting/accurate-seeming interpretation. It seems as though they calculate which features are most important along the usual lines but still being quite the beginner I'm not sure. I thought you might be willing to plug in your own information, or that of a chart you're familiar with, and let me know how good/bad the calculator seems. (certainly not asking you to share any of the personal details it shows, simply a 'wrong in a lot of ways' or 'hey thats kinda right', etc.)

The second is at:
https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com

It's layout is sort of neat I guess but what I found interesting about it is it shows parallels of declination, which you mentioned a few weeks back. Its description seems a bit different than your take... but it calculates them at least.

I thought both of these might be useful links to give to newbie-commenters that ask how to find such things in their chart if it comes up(as long as there aren't flaws in their methodology I'm not aware of of course).

In addition to that, I had a couple more specific questions.

1: How do parallels effect aspects? Like, if you have a square between two planets and they're also 'contra-parallel'(that calculators term maybe...) How does that added detail influence the effects of the square or does the square sort of overpower it?

2: In the unique form of astrology you talked about prefering, what's your take on the nodes? Is it similar to the others I've read(south node: past lives, north node: what you're meant to do in this one) or do you not use them(like asteroids, I believe you said)?

I suppose that'll do for now.

Thank you again for hosting these!

-Jason P.

Re: Some questions on astrology

[ecosophia]

Parallels are like other aspects. If they're parallel on the same side of the celestial equator (both north or both south), the parallel is like a conjunction; if they're parallel but on opposite sides (one north and one south), the parallel is like an opposition. If you've got a square between two planets in your natal chart and they're also parallel on opposite sides, you've got an extremely strong, extremely tense relationship between those planets; you're constantly going to be feeling the conflict between the two parts of your life that those planets represent -- and if you work with them consciously to balance their energies in you, that becomes an immense source of strength and dynamism in your life.

2. I haven't yet really gotten into the nodes yet. I'm still really getting the hang of parallels! Give me another year and I'll probably have more to say about the nodes.

Narratives and magic

[ferngladefarm.blogspot.com.au]

Hi John Michael,

Is it Monday again already? Wow, time moves fast and as I get older, it appears to be moving even faster. Incidentally, thanks for the wombat joke! I almost spat my muesli, summer fruit, and yoghurt breakfast all over the screen and keyboard!

Sorry, you're busy, and I waffle, so let's get down to business. Thanks again for providing this opportunity to converse in an ‘ask me anything’ format (AMA - that is what the kids call such things these days, and I see you already knew that)!

Sorry, I digress. I was wondering about the intersection between magic and narrative. I feel that there is something deep in there, but are curious as to your opinion on the matter?

Incidentally, the equinox is fast approaching!

Cheers

Chris

Re: Narratives and magic

[ecosophia]

Narrative is a basic tool of magic. There's a reason we refer to a really good story as "spellbinding"!

[mmelvink]

Hi JMG,

To follow up on your response from last week, yes, the Persian manuals I've worked with so far do seem to assume a daily practice (divine-name litanies, visualizations, geomantic readings, etc.), but this is not explicitly stated, as far as I recall; the emphasis is indeed rather on developing and testing special, much more strenuous operations, with special rules applying. But I do wonder where the vegetarianism requirement comes from, since as far as I know it's not in the Maghribi Arabic manuals (e.g., Ghayat al-Hakim/Picatrix), the basis of Persian and Latin practice alike...

Speaking of daily divination practice: I've flirted a bit with trying to excavate a few past life memories, just to understand the mechanism, though naturally with the understanding that such memories are usually wildly unreliable. However, by way of quality control, I've also tried using geomancy to determine the accuracy of specific impressions, with some eyepopping results. Specifically, when asking a series of "Was I [profession/time+location/name] in a past life?" questions to check particularly strong intuitions, I've gotten, without exception, a flurry of Caput and Cauda Draconises back to back, usually as Right and Left Witnesses, and often Carcer as Judge -- looks just like popping into and out of a sleeve!

I still maintain a healthy skepticism toward all such data, of course (though I have to say it has helped mightily to explain my extreme attachment to the Pacific Northwest, my early Russophile monk phase and now career as an academic specialist in Arabo-Persian occultism!). But I'm curious -- have you applied geomancy to any past life memories, and if so, what sort of patterns did you notice?

[ecosophia]

Fascinating! No, I haven't used geomancy to explore my previous lives; when I was having things come through in big chunks, I was mostly working with Tarot, and the readings I did were mostly on the order of "is this something to pay attention to, or is my subconscious just shoveling smoke?"

[(Anonymous)]

Re triad of qualities

I've spent some time working on a triad of qualities which work with the triad of druidic elements. This is very much a first draft and I suspect that I am being too literal and not allowing the symbolism to reveal itself, but:

Fluid (shared by nwyfre and gwyar, opposite calas)
Stable (shared by calas and nwyfre, opposite gwyar)
Deterministic (shared by calas and gwyar, opposite nwyfre)

I went through many versions, meditating on various words and their meanings, and on the elements and their respective characteristics. I had a particularly difficult time with the last one -- I was going for something that reflected the lack of consciousness, but was seeking a word that wasn't a negation (e.g., unconscious, insentient, unaware, etc.). "Deterministic" is incredibly clunky. And, as I mentioned, I'm likely being too literally-minded.

Is there any knowledge as to where/how the four traditional qualities were developed? I was thinking that understanding that process might aid in the development of a triad here.

David, by the lake

[ecosophia]

That I know of, the four qualities were developed in preclassical Greece, and no, nobody has any notion of how it happened. Lots of time and many trial runs were probably involved, though.

More Questions on Pantheons

[(Anonymous)]

John Michael,

In your estimation do the multitudinous pantheons of gods that human cultures have devised and worshiped generally point to the same gods/energy structures only with different names, different myths surrounding them? Or are they genuinely distinct from one another? Or is this something that we are not given to know? I am thinking in part of your distinction in World Full of Gods between the common metaphor of various paths all leading to the same mountain peak versus your metaphor of a valley with various paths leading outward.

While I am not ready to start performing the Sphere of Protection, I'm still studying, preparing, and pondering, I have concluded that it would be best not to mix pantheons in the Elemental Cross, i.e., Buddhist deities with Greek or nature deities, and will choose four from the same tradition. It seems to me that this approach would provide more coherency and at the same time more potency.

Thank you for your guidance along the path,
Yanocoches in Colorado

Re: More Questions on Pantheons

[ecosophia]

The Neoplatonists had a way of talking about gods that makes a great deal of sense to me. They held that we don't interact with the gods directly, except in very intense mystical states. The gods are beings of the noetic level, the level of pure consciousness, and there, all sun gods are the same sun god, all love goddesses are the same love goddess, and so on.

But we don't interact with them on that level. We can't reach that high. The gods and goddesses reflect their own essences downward to the next level below, where they take the form of daimons. That's what we experience when we invoke the gods, and each god or goddess has one noetic form but many daimonic forms. So you have all the various sun gods and love goddesses, and they really are different beings with their own particular preferences and manifestations.

[(Anonymous)]

I would be interested in your thoughts on the concept of advertising as a form of Magic.

Best Wishes, Alan

[ecosophia]

It's a profoundly corrupt form of what Renaissance mages called "cacomagic" -- that's cacomagia in Renaissance Latin -- which is meant to make people stupid, stressed, and obedient, so they can be tricked into buying products they don't want and don't need. It works, too -- which is all the more reason for you to chuck your television. Ioan Culianu had some useful comments along these lines in Eros and Magic in the Renaissance.

From Scotlyn

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, a couple of weeks ago, I found myself adding a new touch to the SOP. It goes like this. Draw symbol, say invocation, ask for blessing. *using fingers to draw a connecting line of colour from symbol to 1) forehead 2) chest 3) womb centre - each time visualise the cauldron within filling with the colour of the symbol. When three cauldrons are full* thank the invoked for their blessing. Actually, with air, fire and spirit above, I fill the cauldrons from head to womb centre. With water, earth and spirit below I fill them from womb centre to head. I've found I now have a powerful sense of having a "bank" of blessings to draw on and share the rest of the day. I can allow the cauldrons to "spill out" rainbow colours that can be mentally offered to other people, places, beings.

I'm not sure I have a question, because it feels good and useful, but reassurance that I am not straying too far from SOP's nature & purposes would be welcome.

Re: From Scotlyn

[ecosophia]

See how it works for you! The SoP is very flexible and forgiving of variation, and if you get good results with your addition to it, you may well have just added a useful technique to the toolkit.

[(Anonymous)]

For background, I've read your _Well of Galabes_ blog post on discursive meditation many times and the comments as well. It's a wealth of information, but there are a few points I wish to seek clarification on.

While meditating on a subject in a discursive meditation, often after a few minutes I feel swept up in a beautiful inner world. It is filled with gold light and music and angelic presences. When I enter this state it feels mystical and hard to put into words. Definitely I feel safe, but for all I know I might be acting the fool in a world of unknown dangers. After leaving the state I feel energized and refreshed. My question is what are your thoughts on mystical discursive meditation? Is it better to focus on thoughts that are easy to put into words? Is it most probably safe to enter these inner landscapes, or am I likely traipsing into fairy-tale perils? Are there things that are important to know or be wary of that a novice would probably be ignorant of?

[ecosophia]

No, there's nothing to worry about. That's an ordinary mystical experience, and it suggests that you may have a particular talent for mysticism rather than magic -- which is fine; they're both valid approaches to the spiritual realm. I'd encourage you to read Evelyn Underhill's book Mysticism, which is a helpful introduction to that end of spiritual experience, and to follow that up with further readings in mystical literature, so you have some idea of what you're dealing with.

[(Anonymous)]

In meditation I have been working ever more with the four elements. Something that has been stuck in my craw is the common factor shared by earth and air in contrast to that shared by water and fire; something of the same catagori as wetness contrasted to dryness or warmth to coldness. This factor has been very useful as I get to know colled and elw particularly, but also coch and gwyn have opened somewhat up to questions along that tangent. I have been imagining the air/earth pairing as 'statuesque' and the fire/water as 'passionate' for want of a received lable. Is there a prefered term for these two pairings?

Thank you, by the way, for the encouragment to follow up on prayer as responce to difficulties with ritual. At present extended times of meditative prayer in a circumambulated temple is the most engaging aspect of the practice. I am assuming that the difficulty in telling what aspects ofthe experience are coming from my own mental static, ans what aspects ain't is a sense developed in a paralell track to the way that one develops that same kind of discrimination in divination, no?

Ray Wharton

[ecosophia]

There isn't a traditional label for those pairings, as the old theory sees them as opposites that don't share anything in common. That said, if you've found a common theme in these pairings, by all means develop it! As for discrimination in prayer, yes, that's something that ripens at its own pace.

[(Anonymous)]

Im just getting started with the magical training described in Druid Magical Handbook.


The Celtic Druids and Mythology are apealing to me, and i didn't mind at all to devote some time to get to know them.

However i decided some time ago that the Greek gods are my Pantheon, and i wonder how that will fit with the meditations about Celtic mythology and other parts of the book.

Also, i happen to breed hens, and when its time to butcher an old hen or rooster, i always wonder if i should offer them to the gods,but i have no clue if its apropiate, or how to do it.

Many thanks,

Guillem

[ecosophia]

Magic isn't religion. As long as you maintain your devotions to your gods and goddesses, they'll be fine with your also studying Druidry -- after all, back in ancient times, Greek travelers in Gaul used to make offerings to Celtic gods and goddesses; it was the kind of ordinary courtesy found in general among polytheists! As for animal sacrifice, there you'll have to find someone who knows something about it; it's not something I've looked into.

Findhorn & magic

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, JMG. My interest in the gardening phenomenon that was Findhorn’s early years has recently been re-kindled. At least one of the key figures (Theosophist Robert Ogilvie Crosby) seems to have been a competent mage. There also seem to have been Rosicrucian Order Crotona Fellowship connections to the community (Peter Caddy). But it was also (from my perspective) cringingly “new agey”. Was it just well executed biodynamic gardening conducted in a great microclimate? Or was some serious magic going on as well? Perhaps a combination of both? If it is not asking too much, I would like to know your perspective. Thanks!!!

Ron M

Re: Findhorn & magic

[ecosophia]

One of the things that gets in the way of a lot of people who go looking into pre-1980 versions of occultism is the heavily Theosophical language used back then by many occultists, which sounds very "new agey" now. (There's very little actually new in the New Age; it's an amalgam of Theosophy, New Thought, and Spiritualism -- that is to say, most of the popular alternative spiritual movements we've had in US history so far.) I've talked at some length with David Spangler, who was deeply involved in Findhorn for a part of its history, and the impression I got from him is that there was serious magic going on there, as well as good biodynamic practice. Don't let the language get in the way of your research!

Working with others

[(Anonymous)]

As part of your discursive meditations do you work with goddesses and gods to help discuss thoughts and ideas to help address problems or challenges you face or to help guide and support you?

Re: Working with others

[ecosophia]

I don't, but you can if you want to.