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.

The illustration on the left? That's the Monas Hieroglyphica of Dr. John Dee, the great Elizabethan astrologer, alchemist, occultist, and mage. The simplest version of what it means is over here to the right, which is part of a page from Dee's book: the Latin words mean Moon, Sun, Elements, and Fire. It's also the emblem of Mercury rising from the emblem of Aries, and much, much more. If you want to try your hand at solving the riddle of its deeper meaning, here you go. 

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

[mollari]

1) I've noticed that an awful lot of feedback loops seem to be reaching the point of causing systemic disruptions at around the same time (now), and have been mulling over why this should be the case, and I think I might have an answer. The issue is that feedback loops behave very differently depending on which planet rules them: they are one of the ways that the Plutonian current ran to extremes, and so during the Plutonian Era the risk of major systemic disruptions was lower because that would stop them from being able to run to extremes.

The problem is that as the Plutonian fades, feedback loops revert back to one of the other planets; I think it's most likely to be Uranus, given that positive feedback loops create very rapid change, and then create the circumstances where they abruptly disrupt the system containing it and inducing radical change. So, as feedback loops shift back to Uranus, the extreme forms created by the Plutonian feedback loops will induce rapid, sudden, unpredictable, and chaotic changes; for the simple reason that that is what Uranian feedback loops do once they've run to extremes; and usually this happens long before they run to the same kind of extremes as Plutonian feedback loops.

Does this make sense to you? I'm still working out the implications of it, but I'm curious if you (or anyone else) can spot any kind of flaws in the reasoning.

2) I'm watching what's happening here in Canada with the push to get vaccinated, and planning to use this as a chance to do a few things. First is collapse hard, taking advantage of the fact that a huge number of perks and privileges I took for granted are being removed; work on willpower training by using the restrictions and the need to restructure my life as a way to force myself to pay much closer attention to what I do and why; and finally by accepting this and being as cheerful about it as possible it's also a way to burn a lot of negative karma.

Am I correct to think that in Cosmic Doctrine terms, this is the sort of thing that's meant by the concept of a thrust block?

[ecosophia]

1) That's an interesting hypothesis. Pluto as the planet of hype and overinflated expectations caused feedback loops that appeared to be going to extremes to trickle away into nothing much. The question is whether Uranus will continue to be the dominant planet over feedback loops from here on out. Saturn is the planet of negative feedback, and if his influence comes into play a lot of those positive feedback loops are going to slam face first into hard Saturnine walls -- but that doesn't seem to be happening yet.

2) That's certainly one application of Fortune's principle. It's also a good strategy.

[open_space]

Good Evening JMG,

As a Druid, what is your take between the relationship of the Earth, the natural world and spiritual process? Let me give some context. Piscean religions, at least some of them, seem to look for the Absolute by destroying or denying in one way or another the material existance, or looking at it like a prison. This sounds very unhelpful to me because, simply, why would one prefer for the process to be tortuous? I see their point though. So how could one engage with the world, and the rest of the planes as a magician of course, without getting distracted too much?

[ecosophia]

The Piscean notion that the natural and spiritual worlds are opposed to each other was appropriate in its time, but that time has passed. The natural world is in no way separate from the spiritual world; nature and everything in it is brought into being by spiritual forces and expresses spiritual realities in a form suited to our current state of consciousness. Blake had it down cold: “Man has no Body distinct from his soul; for that called Body is a portion of a Soul discerned by the five senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.” Thus the world is not a distraction -- it is the form that the Spirit takes for us at our current state of evolution.

Timing Policy, 8-Point Calendar, Facing North for Heathen Rituals

[jprussell]

1. I fear I might have imposed on your hospitality last week, and I want to make sure to rectify this. You gave some pretty emphatic notices about the post being closed, and I might have been one of the offenders, so I wanted to clarify the policy: after a Magic Monday is closed, does that mean a) no questions directed to JMG, or b) no replies to any thread on the post, full stop? I had assumed the former, but gather it might be the latter, in which case, my apologies.

2. You mentioned in one of your talks in A Magical Education something about the "Bed of Procrustes" of the eight-point calendar of holidays that Neopaganism required of every polytheist faith in its orbit, though you present the eight-point calendar in the DH (one suspects these might be linked). Would you mind elaborating a bit on your current thinking on sacral calendars and the usefulness or lack thereof of Nichols's and Gardner's calendar?

3. And one that is more directed to the commentariat, as I suspect it is outside of your (JMG's) area of expertise: most Heathen rituals I have read about face mostly to the north, but I have never found why this is. I suspect it's because of something like "you know, the Norse are up north", but if anyone knows of historical, symbolic, magical, or other reasons for this orientation, I would be most grateful if you share.

Re: Timing Policy, 8-Point Calendar, Facing North for Heathen Rituals

[ecosophia]

1) I don't mind a little post-closing chatter, but since I have to review every comment before it's posted, if conversations continue at length after I close things, it starts eating my time. You were far from the only person involved.

2) Sacral calendars are very useful and the Nichols-Gardner year wheel is perfectly suitable to some traditions -- I've worked with it extensively as a member of OBOD, the Druid order Nichols founded. I simply get tired of seeing it imposed on everyone and everything.

3) I have no idea. Anyone else?

[causticus]

Sometimes, environmental circumstances dictate that I have to perform SOP in silence, or else I have to mutter the vocalization parts under my breath, whereby the spoken parts come out weak. I prefer the former, since I think I’m rather good at audio-visualizing. I can do this ‘verbatim’ with my own voice and usually in a much more booming and impressive style of oration than I can physically sound out loud using my own vocal chords. My natural speaking voice is often lethargic when I’m in a not-energetic mood (which is most of the time, sadly). Thankfully I’m always free to make all the standard body gestures and directional movements the ritual calls for.

1. If I end up regularly using this audio-visualized ‘silent method’ is the SOP ritual any less effective than if I did the out-loud vocalizations?

2. This week has been bizarro-land as far as the memes and imagery the word “Taliban” now invokes. Is there some kind of strange magic involved here? Just several years ago, the mere mention of the Taliban would have produced feelings if indignation. Now I burst out laughing every time I see a Taliban pic, meme, or mention. It’s all a huge joke to me. It’s like I’m now living inside an absurdity that in ‘normal’ times might have come from the pen of someone like Robert Anton Wilson. I think maybe the chan-board pranskters are at it again and have made spun the Taliban, now being a walking refutation of Neoliberal hubris and cosmic-level arrogance and stupidity, into some ultra-ironic "LOL, I told u so!" motif, for at lest this week and the next. Right after Biden*’s pullout debacle, the top of the Washington monument was struck by lightning. Strange magic or spiritual forces/entities trolling all of us? Even members of the corporate lapdog media, which usually functions as Biden’s PR department, have admitted that as far as the US forces in Afghanistan with the withdrawal process are concerned, “the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.” Alternatively, could this be the hellish inauguration chart manifesting itself?

-Sepia Farcical Filbert

[lincoln_lynx]

For 2:

I couldn't figure out what would make the media turn on Biden. Now we know.

Clay talismans

[(Anonymous)]

Would pottery talismans be viable or does firing them make them problematic? Regards and your health! Thank you for hosting so many moveable feasts! Quite a feat! Monomaniacal monochrome skull or Celadon

Re: Clay talismans

[ecosophia]

Good question. Why not experiment and find out?

Facing down a bad landlord

[(Anonymous)]

I, my sister and our elderly mother some weeks ago received notice of our landlords’ intention to sell. They may be fairly characterized as slumlords: bossy, casually abusive and shamefully neglectful of maintenance.

Tomorrow morning the landlords’ agent will be showing the house to prospective buyers. This agent has already comported himself in such a way as to be on my poop list. I’d love to throw him out on his rear, but that wouldn’t do. Based on history, it is realistic to assume that he and the landlady will try to push us around outrageously.

It will be my task, on this occasion and on others in the near future, to assert our rights vigorously and with great backbone, yet without losing my temper. I’m hot-tempered so this won’t be easy. To speak truth, what would please me would be to make the other guy mad while chuckling and being happy myself.

I’ve already consulted legal counsel, and it has done what it can for the time being. Is there any magical preparation or basic ritual that might put me on a proper footing to keep both my cool and my wits, and defend my rights? My magical background is basic HOGD, with regular pentagon banishings and circulation of the light, working with Hellenic deities.

Re: Facing down a bad landlord

[ecosophia]

Learn the Hexagram rituals and invoke Hermes using the appropriate rite. He's the one who makes you agile, smiling, and utterly irritating while remaining utterly correct.

[vitranc]

Good evening,

a question from a solitary mage. The recent tremors have caused me to think about what if I, as a solitary practitioner, become stranded alone? I started my DMH practice after years of reading JMG material and the results after 1,5 years are noticeable, but not in any way spectacular.
But this is it, is all I have. Some e-books for portability (that I backed up in real copies two weeks ago), a diary and the MM community.
I have backed my druidry books in physical copies, and printing OSA material and binding it in a separate notebook.
If some disturbance would come around, I would be stranded on the other side of the world so to speak alone. I just might add, that some MM ago it was mentioned, that the forces seem to want my path to be a solitary one for now. What advice would you give a solitary novice looking at isolation?

Best regards,
V

[ecosophia]

Since disruptions of this sort are tolerably likely in the future, I encourage anyone who wants to establish and maintain a practice for the long term to pick up a good set of instructional books as soon as possible. If you have the DMH and find it satisfactory, you might consider the other books in the same sequence (as listed in the Magic Monday FAQ) and any other books and resources that seem helpful.

I was a solitary practitioner for the first fifteen years I practiced magic, and I'm mostly solitary these days too. It's an entirely workable path. As long as you have practices well suited to your needs, just keep working.

[reid_pnw]

JMG,

1. My daily tarot pulls have been a bit odd and rather opaque the past week or two. During the journal reflections I’ve been drawing a lot of blanks, and I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected from the deck too. Any tips here? I would just switch to another deck or oracle for a while but I’m trying to stay committed to learning the RWS. (Going to feel a bit ashamed if you tell me to do a divination about this, but I’ll understand).

2. How often should you perform the Rose Cross ritual when you’re starting with it? For reference, I’ve been doing the LBRP regularly for about 10 months, the Middle Pillar regularly since around February, and I started doing the Echols version of the Analysis of the Key Word LVX about a month ago to slowly prepare for the R+C and the hexagram rituals.

I bought a copy of the Art and Practice of Geomancy this week by the way. *Really* loving it. Never expected I would find geomancy so interesting. Oh and just while I’m thinking of it, I had a really bizarre amount of people inquire about your books at work today. You must be a well known occult author or something. ;-)

Regards,
Reid

[ecosophia]

1) Well, that was my first suggestion! Also, these things come and go -- keep at it, and things are likely to improve.

2) Once a week is a good rthythm for the R+C ritual.

3) Delighted to hear it. Geomancy is a lot of fun!

[(Anonymous)]

Why would it not be a good idea to alternate some gods (such as on alternate days) in the SoP?

Not really magic, but have you considered writing a blog post on the stoicism revival? Would be interested in your thoughts on that

[ecosophia]

1) Because you want to build the tracks in space as solidly as possible, and exact repetition is what does that.

2) Unfortunately most of what I've seen regarding the Stoic revival has been pop-culture drivel meant to make privileged people feel better about their lives, and that gives me nausea at the best of times...

Lemon Balm

[(Anonymous)]

I have been finding lemon balm capsules helpful. Can anyone suggest a site with info about making lemon balm concentrate or similar at home, just how much of the plant you would need to grow to match the concentration in commercially available capsules, if there is a way to make it consistent, and that sort of thing?

I am hoping that by not mentioning what it's for, this doesn't constitute medical advice.

Re: Lemon Balm

[(Anonymous)]

Lemon balm grows like crazy and spreads easily, so it is easy to grow a lot. I'm not sure how much it would take though to grow enough for say a bottle of 90 capsules. That said, my wife and I came up with a great recipe using lemon balm in place of parsley, for a lemon balm tabouleh. It's really good!

I too like it for its calming nature and the mental relaxation it bequeaths.

JPM

Evil hour

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG and commentariat,

is there any base to the attribution of 03:15 a.m. as the hour of the evil?

thank you!

Re: Evil hour

[ecosophia]

Nope. It's one of those pop culture superstitions.

Christian Cabala

[(Anonymous)]

There seems to be a version of the Qabbalah (the "Christian Cabala") that is not frowned upon by the Church. Pico della Mirandola developed it in the XV century, and while he was prosecuted by the clergy, he was then declared innocent.

Do you happen to know where I can find information about it? I did some googling, but I only found historical references, not manuals that teach the system. And della Mirandola's texts were not written for beginners like me.

disc_writes

Re: Christian Cabala

[ecosophia]

I know of no one who teaches the system -- in fact, I'm far from sure anyone still practices it. I'd suggest reading a lot of books on the Cabala, starting perhaps with Gareth Knight's Experience of the Inner Worlds (which is an introduction to the Christian Cabala), so you get to the point that you can work directly with Pico's texts.

Is the Magician State failing?

[(Anonymous)]

I see you post of John Dee synchronistic, I came to ask about the magic of Empire. A lot of recent studies make John Dee the magician founder of the English Empire. When England handed the Empire to US probably some magical transference was handed over to the Empire, maybe elite interest in the US on Aleister Crowley is not that accidental afterall, given that it is discovered relatively recently that he was working as an agent for the British Crown. Maybe there was some transference of techniques on the US levels.

Now as Culianu remarked the west worked because it was rules by the Magician State. We can argue that since the death of Culianu the Magician state is almost gone and the Magic techniques are becoming more and more crude turning into Pavlovian and Behaviorist methods of controls. Now we should know by the failed MKULTRA and other experiment that the Pavlovian and Behaviorist don't work on control.

Given that the death of Culianu was pinned on Romanians it turns out from history retrospective that those forces in Romania accused of his death were either inexistent or when existing NATO/West oriented.

My belief is that hadn't Culianu been assassinated, his discoveries would have penetrated also the Magicain State techniques, and US would have been a more sophisticated Magician state.


There seems to be a puritanist aproach on branching anything in the US maybe inherited from the reformation, once a different branch is pursued the other is cut. There are several branch splits and cuts in the approach of magic, similar how the analog synthetizer gave way to the digital, MIDI synth in the early 80 and the everything started to sound the same, when it came to the State Magic everything sounded the same too especially after 90s.

Now US no longer has any magic for intelligent immigrants ant that is a very big problem for anyone who understands Empire, the brain drain to US slowed down considerably somewhere in the recent past.

It looks to me that the US is magically impotent lately. Probably psychic spies closure was the last use of magic in the 1995. And the only magic working is relegated to the web platforms and Internet where US still has the biggest user bases, but seems heavy handedness, banning, censoring, etc on normal post while still letting trolls is a sign that things are not going that well there too. Here US might be a few clouds outage away of loosing its subjects.

Can I please ask JMG and readers if there is more on this magic of the state recent literature or very good literature to read?


Can the Saturn return reveal a murderer?

If yes given that the US academic and US intelligence are in really bad shape a sign of Karma. Killing a highly ethical and skilled magician cannot go without consequences in my book, some Gods wouldn't close an eye on that. Culianu was killed on 22 May 1991 and the Saturn return on that event is right about now. My thinking is along with some speculation that can be found on telegram channel https://t.me/ioanpetruculianu

Is there a magician founder of the US Empire?

Re: Is the Magician State failing?

[(Anonymous)]

The Secret History of America by Manly P. Hall might interest you.

[extatic]

Hi John,

1. My wife and I are expecting our first child soon and after reading your FAQ it states not to practice magic until 3 years+. I would hate to pause progress for 3 years, could i continue just away from the house?

2. I am deathly afraid of public speaking, especially the lead up to a speech. I don't have a bad memory which triggered this, perhaps a past life, any tips in exploring this? Would Sigils work here?

3. I am currently doing the Tarot exercise from LRM where you draw two cards. I have been performing this task without any intention going in. For 2 weeks now i have been drawing the hanged man close to 80% of the time, and the lovers a close second with 60%. I shuffle quite rigorously before hand. Obviously something is screaming at me here. Most interpretations come back with some sort of Sacrifice. Could you guide me here?

[ecosophia]

1 and 3) I can interpret this quite readily. You need to sacrifice your magical practices for the next three years while you raise your child. You can continue with meditation, divination, and natural magic, but ritual magic needs to be put on hold.

2) No, you need to dig up the memories and process them. Journaling might be a good way to help.

[(Anonymous)]

If it's something that can be answered simply, what is the relationship between the planets and the zodiac signs?

[ecosophia]

It's not something that can be answered simply, since each planet has its own relationships with different signs. Fortunately you can find that set out in any halfway decent book on astrology.

[(Anonymous)]

Prometheus stole fire from the gods. In the RPG Agon a centaur steals ambrosia. Is there anything else the gods may have left lying around? :)

[ecosophia]

If they did, would I tell you? ;-)

[(Anonymous)]

I'm having a difficult time thinking clearly about the risks/reward assessment of getting the vaccine. Am I being interfered with magically here and how do I counter it?

[ecosophia]

Yes, you may be facing interference; a lot of people have reported that. As for what to do about it -- well, do you practice magic, and if so, what kind do you do?

[(Anonymous)]

I was meditating the correspondences of the elements to season and time. I could explain them all except water. Apart from how good an autumn sunset looks reflected in water, what is the connection?

I also thought about the elemental connections to the four stages of alchemy. I was thinking the first stage would be water as it's a solvent. The last stage earth, as then the process is finished and returned to stable form. I could have gone either way on the middle two. Then I looked in CGD and the order is earth, water, air, and fire. What is the logic of those associations?

[ecosophia]

These are two really fine themes for meditation. Keep at it!

[(Anonymous)]

In the Afganistan mundane chart it's implied that governments will always aim for stability. But if they intend to change something, couldn't they aim for fluidity in that area - thus making it more malleable for them to shape?

[ecosophia]

That's a possibility, but if they do that, others will be just as able to shape that area as they will.

Shroomjak

[(Anonymous)]

Hello mr Greer, and thank you for holding these regular Q&As.

This question concerns something that happened a little over a month ago, but I wanted to wait and see what'd come of it before asking (nothing, as it turned out).

This meme was made earlier this year and posted anonymously to 4chan, where it didn't make much of an impression at the time as far as I'm aware https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/037/610/covershroomwoj.jpg
It's a mushroom themed variation of the "wojak" meme, a kind of blank everyman people can project their emotions on.

Around july, someone on 4chan's /x/ paranormal board made a post about it, describing it as a sigil for a malevolent entity, possibly posted by someone who knew what they were doing or someone who saw it under the influence of psychedelics and didn't realise what they were drawing. After this, for a few weeks, it became very popular in various corners of twitter dealing with more mystical/non scientific topics, with very divided reactions between people who just had fun posting it and people who also claimed something was "off" or "evil" about it. Then it just tapered out and vanished as far as I can tell. At least it's not on my radar any more.

I've already heard about "meme magic", and how it may have been harnessed in the american 2016 elections for political reasons. Can you tell if this meme could have been more than meets the eye, and of you're aware of other online memes that could have had such a usage outside the realm of politics?

Best regards
JW

Re: Shroomjak

[ecosophia]

One of the side effects of the use of meme magic in the 2016 election is that a lot of people think they know much more than they do about memes, and some of those are now seeing meme magic under every damp rock. As Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes a meme is just what it appears to be.

[brenainn]

Can a government improve its odds if it "re-founds" itself? An example: the French Fourth Republic came to a peaceful end, and was replaced by the French Fifth Republic mostly because the leaders of the Fourth Republic drafted a new constitution and submitted it for a referendum. Did they get a new "birthday" for the French state as a result?

[ecosophia]

Yes, that's an option, and it can be a very helpful thing to do if you've got a bad foundation chart.

Two questions

[planetpriya]

Have you ever considered ( or have you already ) writing a book on Astrology - specifically the history. I realise there are a few books already out there but maybe time for a new one?!


Also if one is following the practice of Druidry as outlined in your handbook and outside the US is it a good idea to join with an order or is solitary practice ok especially to begin with and is it recommended to stay away from other disciplines while learning a new one or is it ok to bring other things in in your opinion ?

Thank you

Re: Two questions

[ecosophia]

1) I've got one book on astrology in process at a publisher and another on the way. The first of those discusses history to some extent.

2) First, I recommend solitary practice to begin with for all spiritual and magical paths, so you can explore it without having to deal with the various pressures that come with group membership. As for your second question, if you're following a specific course of training, stick with it exactly as given and don't bring in anything else until you've finished the course.

Vinegar Dish & Fruitfly Update

[cs2]

Thank you to JMG and the two commenters last week who advised me on what to do regarding fruit flies on my vinegar dish. We had a cold snap last week that took care of them. That gives me more time to finagle a less appetizing vinegar or acid, as well as cheesecloth or another cloth to cover it. Thank you!

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG and all!

First time MM poster here, I believe. Money on my mind over the weekend, so I figured I'd put in a few questions on the subject.

1) My birth chart has Saturn and Mars conjunct in my 2nd house, and it's basically all there: windfall via my paternal line, modest yet easy income and frugal in my day to day, but willing to spend relatively large sums on books and tools that support my passion projects. This last (apparent) contradiction often confuses my wife. She's currently going through school and I'm taking care of most of our household expenses, and money can be a bit tight. I try my best to stay balanced and not get either miserly or too impulsive, and find that awareness of these tendencies in myself help a lot. This is maybe more of a background for the following questions, but is there something else I can do that helps navigate this sort of setup?

2) I'd like to increase my income for a change. My employer isn't known for giving out raises easily, but I think I'm overdue. I like most other aspects of my job, so don't feel like looking for another, either seriously or as a bluff. Other than asking on the day and hour of Jupiter, and using various mundane tactics, what magical things can I do to increase my luck here?

3) Some months back I lent money to my mother-in-law and her husband. They're not people I'd normally like to have financial dealings with, but it was out of responsibility towards a third party. They paid off about a third in fairly short order, but then seem to have fallen off. The money isn't urgently critical to me, but I have a feeling they might conveniently forget about the whole thing. My first gentle attempt at a reminder was brushed off. I don't want to come off as nagging or angry, since I know they're resentful towards what they perceive as my "wealth", our relationship is already tricky, and any fallout will land on my wife. Is there something I can do to make this resolve extra smoothly?

Thanks!
-P

[ecosophia]

1) You'll want to consult with a natal astrologer, who can take your whole chart into consideration and provide you with an answer.

2) Well, what kind of magic do you know how to do?

3) I have Aspergers syndrome. I'm quite literally the last person on earth you want to ask about how to navigate complicated interpersonal problems.

[(Anonymous)]

Another question about he Taliban if I may.
The western political and media classes, irrespective of political affiliation, have completely failed to take into account, it seems to me, the fact that the Taliban had their origins among religious scholars, that they practice religious (we might say magical) rites and are firmly convinced that they are on the right side of an supernatural religious conflict.
So what are the practical effect of this? Is it possible to see evidence of the effects of these beliefs and practices already. Could it partly explain their rapid success? What should we look for in the future?
Interested in your views.

[ecosophia]

All of those are questions that need to be settled by people who can read the relevant languages and put in the necessary time to figure out exactly what the Taliban practiced and what traditions they draw on. I don't have any of the necessary knowledge.