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. With certain exceptions, any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer. Please note:  Any question received after then will not get an answer, and in fact will just be deleted. I've been getting an increasing number of people trying to post after these are closed, so will have to draw a harder line than before.) 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. Also: I will not be putting through or answering any more questions about practicing magic around children. I've answered those in simple declarative sentences in the FAQ. If you read the FAQ and don't think your question has been answered, read it again. If that doesn't help, consider remedial reading classes; yes, it really is as simple and straightforward as the FAQ says. 

The image?  That's the twenty-second card in The Sacred Geometry Oracle. Card 22, Alternation, when upright tells you that you can succeed in the situation by approaching your goals a step at a time; when reversed, it warns you that you cannot avoid imperfections in the result. The waves on the sides of the image tell you that this card belongs to the second third of the oracle, which corresponds to Gwyar, the principle of fluidity and change; this is the last of the Gwyar cards, and next week's card will pass into the final third of the cards, corresponding to Nwyfre, the principle of spirit and meaning.

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)]

And from the Department of TSW…
Last year, in my first trip around the Year Wheel with the help of The Druidry Handbook, you may recall I was surprised by a sudden change in my co-workers’ behavior at the start of the season of Alban Heruin in the DIY lumberyard of our collective employ. Twenty-something boys asked my advice, grey-bearded tough guys among the senior salesmen were glad to see me, and pretty girls at the service desk and cash registers found excuses to stand near me. (Erk! I’m kinda prickly about my personal space…) And this year, the second time around the Wheel, I’m having the same experience with similar events at work, while running errands, &c.
OK – So… I’m enjoying the solar-powered spring in my step, but is there anything in particular good Druids do with the extra energy and good will? Getting the lawn mown, the garden bed ready, and chores done is nice in a there-must-be-something-more sort of way…
Rhydlyd

[ecosophia]

Relax and get used to it. People in ancient times used to like to hang out with Druids and ask their advice; that'll be just as common now, not least because so many people are so depleted of the life force by their unnatural and unhealthy lives, and their lack of connection to the living spirit. Just go about your business with that spring in your step, and see how long it takes before somebody brings up spirituality and asks you for advice...

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG,
Thank you for providing this space. A couple of questions if I may.
1. You recommend doing divination in the space cleared by SOP. May I then just sit in that space legs crossed and do a tarot spread on the floor with no additional furniture?
2. You've mentioned a candle magic book and I can't find a link. Can you do it again, please?
Thank you,
Kirsten

[ecosophia]

1) Sure. I use a chair but you don't have to.

2) The original link seems to be broken. Here's another.

[(Anonymous)]

Good evening Archdruid.

I have about two years of fairy consistent SOP practice under my belt, and sporadic practice with meditation and divination. (a) Is it safe thus far to attempt elemental scryings (like the type outlined in your most recent FHR article) after a standard SOP practice session, using the elemental gate signs as doors to the elemental realms? (b) if so, should I explore these realms (and potentially meet elementals and nature spirits) before dissolving the sphere at the end of the SOP practice?

-Gamboge Atomic Pufferfish

[ecosophia]

1) Good heavens, yes. Six months of regular practice with the SoP is usually quite adequate for that.

2) The protective effects of the SoP remain whether or not you dissolve the sphere. Try it either way and see which one you prefer.

Family of the Gods and Planetary Aspects Question

[jprussell]

Good evening!

Happy Mother's Day to those of the commentariat for whom it applies, and for everyone else, a very pleasant Sunday/Monday. To JMG, thanks as always for hosting this space.

First, something to share: for anyone interested in comparative mythology, the Family of the Gods series by William G. Davey takes a look at different Indo-European mythologies to find a shared origin, with a focus on family dynamics. The series as a whole makes an overall argument that is worthwhile, but you can get a lot out of reading The Family of the Gods and the book about whichever mythology is most interesting to you. Those with Druidical interests might be especially interested in the Arthurian and Welsh Mythology and Irish Mythology books.

Secondly, for a question: my wife has always been interested in natal astrology, though mostly just at the deeper end of the popular flavor of the subject. As such, when I started talking about the aspects of planets in our charts, she wasn't very familiar and asked me what the difference was between "positive" and "negative" aspects, especially where potentially malefic planets are involved, since it's not quite "positive=good" and "negative=bad". My best shot at an explanation is that positive aspects strengthen both planets involved and tend to bring about their better sides, and where seemingly opposed, complement each other, whereas negative aspects bring out the downsides of each planet's energies, and are more likely to hinder each other. Is that roughly right?

Thanks as always for this space and your efforts,
Jeff

Re: Family of the Gods and Planetary Aspects Question

[ecosophia]

1) Hmm! Interesting. I'll see if my local library system picks then up.

2) Another way to think of them is "comfortable" and "challenging." Trines and sextiles are comfortable -- the planetary energies blend smoothly and support each other. Squares and oppositions are challenging -- the planetary energies clash and it can take hard work to reconcile them in your own life.

SoP imagery

[vitranc]

Greetings JMG,

I had some questions over the past weeks.

1. I have been rereading the DMH and in the SoP section I found out, I might have missunderstood the imagery. I have been imagining the (lets stay with wind/east) spring, wind and dawn inside the drawn symbol, like a window. But on rerading it I noticed it does not specify, moreover it implies that you should imagine it surrounding you.
1.a Is this correct and one gets better resoults with it? I have tried it like this and it seem easyer, and gets results. It is just I have momentum built up from the previous method.
1.b To just quickly piggyback of it. How about in the case of the SoP as part of the grove ceremony. Is it the same?

Best regards,
V

Re: SoP imagery

[ecosophia]

In both cases, you can do it either way! I know people who use the elemental signs as windows, and get good results; I see the elemental sign hanging in the air and the spring, wind, and dawn off past it as well as to both sides of it. Decide which you like better, and go with that.

Cell Salt, minerals and earth elementals

[open_space]

On the previous two FHR posts it is mentioned that earth elementals are the ones in charge of building matter and minerals out of astral forms. Does that mean that minerals are the core of the physical anchor for energy forms?

Is this the same principle that for example cell salts are based on and why they work even though very little mineral trace is there? If I understand correctly, during the dynamization part of the process they get charged and potentialized with the etheric signature, so they are not really chemically effective but rather aetherically effective.

Re: Cell Salt, minerals and earth elementals

[ecosophia]

1) Minerals are the physical anchor for one set of energy forms. The other classes of elementals use different anchors!

2) No, the mineral has a different function in cell salts. The dynamization process separates the etheric substance from the material substance, resulting in the jujitsu move I outline in this essay.

[(Anonymous)]

Is there a significance to having an eclipse in aspect to a planet's location in a nation's foundation chart? There's a lunar eclipse on November 8 of this year which will see the Sun and Moon both in close conjunction to sensitive points in Canada's foundation chart, with the Sun close to Saturn's position in the foundation chart, and the Moon close to Pluto's position. I know you don't normally work with Pluto, but a good many details about Canada's collective identity make a lot more sense in light of that Saturn-Pluto opposition, and and either way an eclipse in aspect to a foundation Saturn seems like a potentially very dire omen.

[ecosophia]

That's a good question that the sources available to me do not answer. Mundane astrology has been badly neglected for many centuries and a lot of fine details still haven't been recovered yet. One thing I do know is that lunar eclipses are pretty reliably short term phenomena, active over a period of months at most, so if it's a dire omen it may not be a lasting one.

[(Anonymous)]

I think my etheric vision might be coming in:
When I am doing the LBRP the physical world sort of blurs away and I can see a field of 'steam' or white smokiness.
Does this sound right?

[ecosophia]

That's the way some people experience it, yes. Keep going and see what happens.

Fine-tuning in the SoP

[goatgodschild]

Mr. Greer --

Thank you, as always, for hosting these weekly forums, it has been immensely useful.

I am seeming to progress decently through the SoP, and am currently at Spirit Below. I've found Earth to be the most difficult, but I'm curious about something I've noticed with the Closing. By the time I reach it, and begin imagining the sphere, it feels as though it's already begun, or that there's a second, larger ring around the initial sphere starting from the solar plexus. Has that ever taken place for you, or others?

Is it also common for one's feet to feel awkward afterwards, as though they have fallen asleep over the course of the ceremony?

Re: Fine-tuning in the SoP

[ecosophia]

1) Interesting. No, that's not a familiar phenomenon for me, but the SoP tends to set off various strange experiences for some people.

2) Not common, but it does happen.

[(Anonymous)]

A while back, someone posted seeking help after selling their soul to a demon in some sort of ironic demonolatry ritual. Does anyone know what happened to him?

[ecosophia]

Some months ago his imam posted something here; he converted to Islam and apparently is doing very well now. I wish him all the best in his new life.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG & all,
I notice this month that we have a new moon on the first and last day of the month. The second new moon is sometimes called a 'Black Moon' (vs. the second Full Moon in a month being called a 'Blue Moon').
There is also a lunar eclipse in the middle of the month.

Is there any astrological or occult significance to this conjunction of Black Moon and Eclipse? I don't think it happens often, and it seems malefic to me.

How would I find out the last few times that this combination happened, and if there were events linked with its occurrences?

--Mauve Bulbous Mandrake

[ecosophia]

Black moons and blue moons don't have any astrological significance, since they're artifacts of the civil calendar -- that is to say, the weird way we divide the year into twelve not quite equal portions. Older calendars, which are more attuned to the cosmos, begin the month on or shortly after the new moon, and so don't have this problem.

Black moons, like blue moons, are tolerably common, appearing every two or three years. To find out the last few times, find an online calendar that includes the full moons and start paging back; you should have plenty over the last decade.

[(Anonymous)]

I apologise in advance for this question.

You've said before that blood during rituals is a bad idea. This got me thinking though about blood and prayer. I've heard menstrual blood is miasmic. Does the presence of blood from battle, menstruation, hemorrhoids, a wounded pinky, etc. make one unfit for prayer at that time?

[ecosophia]

Don't apologize -- it's a reasonable question.

There are rituals in which the presence of blood is a bad idea, and most older religious traditions have specific rules to tell people when they should avoid ritual practice and how they can purify themselves. Ordinary prayer is not subject to that rule. Lots of soldiers pray on the battlefield during and after battles, you know, and those aren't exactly free of blood! Ordinary prayer is always appropriate, no matter what the circumstances. Only if you're entering a consecrated space or handling sacred things does blood become an issue.

[(Anonymous)]

Salut JMG: A question about magical properties of plastics. A friend asked me to bless a pendant he plans on wearing. I know how I would normally do this - by raising, projecting and locking-in energy by a modified version of the middle pillar. But the object is a symbolically shaped plastic resin on a metal chain. I don't really use plastics in my practice, and my sense is that it would have a difficult time retaining the charge. The one time I've really investigated a plastic object by opening the senses on it in a consecrated space, I got some odd results - like a kind of 'slipping off' of the senses. In fact I found it quite an alien experience. Do you - or anyone else - have different results? I was thinking of gently suggesting replacing the object with something wooden or metallic but I'd appreciate the perspective anyway.

[(Anonymous)]

Confirming what you have experienced. My gut tells me that plastic is as close to a neutral energy with regards to spiritual energies. My extremely Catholic aunt had a treasure trove of objects and upon her passing we took the metal and wood objects and gave them to her sister. Other items made of paper were donated. One could sense the power innate in them.

My late aunt had bags of plastic stuff shaped as images ect.. and I felt virtually no trace of spiritual presence. Its as if its kind of a super neutral - and slippery - substance. Good for containing items but not great for making objects of spiritual veneration.

Solarpunk

[sea_spray]

Hi JMG

Not exactly magic but may be of interest to you. I recall you writing before about how steampunk had promise as a social movement that could have good potential for helpful responses in the retrotopia style. You may already be aware of it but I recently stumbled across "Solarpunk" which almost looks like it was invented by a reader of yours. It appears to be full of dissensus and commonly features a mix of high and low tech.

No doubt it will have those who claim it will "save the world" and so on but it looks like it could be the start of the process of working out what to keep and what to throw out from our civilisation.

Thanks
Sea Spray

Re: Solarpunk

[ecosophia]

I'm familiar with solarpunk. Some of it's pretty good, but most of what I've seen falls into the standard trap of thinking that we can maintain our current standards of living on renewable energy sources, which we can't. That said, you're right that it's a hopeful sign that people are beginning to think, and imagine, in such terms.

Astrological ephemera

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG! Hope you're well!

I had some questions about the Ascendant and the other major angles in Astrology. How significant do you consider an aspect with them? I remember reading that aspects with the luminaries are considered stronger and more beneficial; does this apply to the angles? (i.e, Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant.)

As a related question/observation, I was listening to your appearence on Coffee and Divination (well done btw; very pleasent to listen to on an afternoon walk). I heard you mention that Uranus was discovered in Britain, thus meaning its effects had a particular effect there, quite logical given the Industrial Revolution, and the profound effects of the American and French revs on British society. Neptune was of course discovered in Germany, which is both interesting because of the German quasi-mysticism that was so prominent in the 19th century, and also quite ominous given the mass, psychotic, Neptunian flavor of National Socialism and Hitler's dreamy allure.

Given that Pluto was (gulp!) discovered in America, and that we still have 14 or so years of his influence, do you think we will experience any highly dramatic, individual politico-social movement on par with Nazism or Industrialism, but with a Plutonian flavor? The possible (and arguably ongoing) "splitting" of the United States in two due to the power-hunger of our political factions and their mutual disregard for integrity seems alarmingly possible to me. Do you see this as Pluto's main effect in these waning years, or do you have any other type of event in mind? One other thing that occurs to me is that it could have whistled right past with me being none the wiser; do you have any thoughts about what it could have been? Am I perhaps thinking too linearly here, and the diffuseness and distant nature of Pluto means that such dramatics won't present themselves? I really, really hope that the whole comes in with a bang, exits with a whimper pattern of Plutonian energy holds with current American political tensions ...

Much thanks as always. I'd like to say that I dearly hope to see more books on astrology from you; I quite like almost all of your writing, but Twilight of Pluto in particular grabbed me with great force, and I can't stop thinking about it. Not for nothing were the stars of great interest to the wise ones of antiquity, I can now see quite clearly how useful they are both for practical knowledge and esoteric illumination.


-Derpherder

Re: Astrological ephemera

[ecosophia]

1) Conjunction with the angles is very significant in my experience. Other aspects, at least as far as I've seen, don't seem to have a lot of force.

2) Oh, we've already had our Plutonian ideological movement in the US: the warrior liberalism of the 40s, 50s, and 60s, with its over-the-top hubris ("We can win the war in Vietnam!") and its boundless faith in the supposed universal validity of its rather quaint belief system. The Neoconservative movement of the last decade or so of the Plutonian era was simply warrior liberalism renamed -- it wasn't conservative at all, though of course by then what passed for liberalism wasn't liberal, either. Fortunately the basic trajectory of Pluto through time can be summed up as "starts with a bang, ends with a whimper," and we're well into whimper territory at this point. The next fourteen years will see much, much more of that.

3) I've got two new astrology books in process -- a manual of mundane astrology and a book on the practical use of planetary transits. I'll doubtless follow those with others. Stay tuned!

Logic

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JMG-
Something that I have been pondering recently, after learning about the bizarre hyper-logic of demons and studying Discordianism, is -
What is the appropriate role of logic?
Thanks!

Re: Logic

[ecosophia]

Logic is basically a user's manual for the narrow range of mental processes that we call rational thinking. It's extremely useful if you want to make sure your thinking isn't self-contradictory and confused. The problems with logic pop up when you try to apply it to things it's not suited to handle, such as interpersonal relationships, or the natural world (which is not logical in most of its workings).

So like any other tool, it's exceedingly useful for those things it's suited for, and not useful at all for the rest of existence. One of its great virtues, however, is that since it's a user's manual for human reason, nonhuman intelligences generally can't imitate it unless they're very far beyond us in intelligence. Demons are smarter than we are but their minds are oddly limited, and they can't fake our kind of reason at all.

Lunar eclipse and the House of Windsor

[miow]

I hope this question is OK to ask here, I asked it over on your Subscribestar account but am afraid may not see an answer (I try to subscribe to support you when I can, but my finances don't always allow it, so my patronage on there is intermittent). The question is: Our Queen's platinum jubilee is bang in the middle of this chart's operative period (I.e. the recent lunar eclipse.) Is there anything in this chart that may be of significance for the House of Windsor?

Re: Lunar eclipse and the House of Windsor

[ecosophia]

No, but several other recent charts have raised the possibility that an important public figure will die soon. The last time I got those, of course, Prince Philip died; we'll see what happens this time.

[(Anonymous)]

Where's the best best place to start?

[ecosophia]

That depends entirely on what interests you, what you already know, and how much time and other resources you're ready to commit to the work. The starting point for someone who wants to study a little occult philosophy and maybe do some natural magic in their spare time won't be the same as the one for someone who wants to get into astrology, or alchemy, or ceremonial magic -- and those who don't even know what they want to know about (and that's a reasonable place to begin!) need to start in a different place still.

So -- what interests you, what do you know, and how bad do you want to learn?

New books and Astrology

[iprescott]

Hello JMG,

A Hearty thank you for consistently keeping Magic Monday going. I always find something of worth here.
I have finished learning the SOP using the Eldritch Old Ones over the last 10 weeks. I never gave the SOP a chance before since I was very hard core about the LRP and MP. Now I ask myself, why did I wait so long? lol.
I do have a couple of simple-ish questions this week.
1. I get Evil Empire cards from my job quite often. I noticed that The Occult Philosophy Workbook: A One Year Course in the Secret Wisdom is being released for Kindle on Sept 28. Is a hard copy forthcoming as well? I did not see a listing on Bookshop.org.
2. I have a great interest in astrology and would like to begin learning how to do it. What is the most useful aspect of astrology and what is a good book to begin to learn it?

Again, thank you for hosting Magic Monday.

Cobalt Necrotic Skull

Re: New books and Astrology

[ecosophia]

1) Yes, it'll be out in print form around that same time -- the exact date may vary depending on the state of the supply chain.

2) It depends very much on what kind of astrology you want to do! I find mundane astrology (the astrology of politics and nations) very useful, but some astrologers find it irrelevant; I've also studied electional astrology (the astrology of timing) very closely, but here again, that's not something everyone finds useful. I'd recommend starting by reading Derek and Julia Parker's Parkers Astrology, which is a good general introduction to astrology with a natal focus, and then tryhing to get a sense of what interests you.

[lukedodson]

Hi JMG,

Thanks for hosting this space once again.

As the media has found the convenient distraction of Roe vs Wade to fill the place of Current Thing, I was wondering about your views on the spiritual implications of abortion?

It's a tricky issue which I find has been turned into an uncomfortable binary. I increasingly find pro-choice activism ranges from the distastefully flippant to the genuinely disturbing (from cracking open bottles of champagne over the law change in Northern Ireland, to the 'abortion rituals' of the Satanic Temple: https://news.txstate.edu/the-conversation/2021/satanic-temple-is-claiming-religious-liberty-against-tx-heartbeat-bill.html).

Luke

[ecosophia]

This is one of the places where occult philosophy has something to offend everyone. From the point of view of occult philosophy, the soul enters the body at the time of quickening -- the point at which the mother first feels the baby move in her uterus. That normally takes place 13 to 16 weeks after conception. After quickening, that's a baby in there, an independent being with its own soul and body, and an abortion thereafter involves taking a human life.

Before quickening, from an occult perspective, it's not a human being yet. It may not become one. It used to be quite common for couples to wait until the end of the first trimester to announce a pregnancy, because a lot of early pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion in the first three months or so -- from an occult perspective, this usually happens because there doesn't happen to be a soul waiting for rebirth who needs to be born into the conditions such a baby would experience. During the period before quickening, a physical form that can become a human being is being prepared, but it is not yet a person.

So from an occult perspective, the laws in many European countries that permit abortion up to 12 weeks, but not thereafter, are reasonable. I doubt anyone is interested in hearing that, however.

As for the Satanic Temple, bleah. I came to the conclusion a while ago that they're lying when they claim they're just a bunch of atheists using Satanic imagery. (Satan is the prince of what?)

Suggestions for authors

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning JMG!
As always, thank you for your time.
Which authors would you recommend and which ones would you advise we avoid?
I thought I saw you say to avoid Scott Cunningham's work, and I was wondering if there are others we should avoid and other we should read.
Thanks!!

Re: Suggestions for authors

[ecosophia]

Er, there are thousands of authors who have written books about occultism, and those books are of varying quality. I haven't read all of them but I've read a good many, and I could spend all day working up a list. How about you ask about specific authors that interest you?

Sadhu and Hall

[(Anonymous)]

Morning John
Thank you for continuing to run these weekly Monday advice sessions. Recently I bought a copy of Theurgy, the art of effective worship by Mouni Sadhu which you had recommended. I’m finding it very interesting. But I found an apparent contradiction with the excellent articles by Manly P Hall. Hall talks a lot about Karma and how we are all being subject to what we deserve as part of our journey of becoming enlightened and at one with the law. Sadhu on the other hand suggests that through faith, effective worship and prayer one can mitigate Karma through ‘the Lord’ taking on some of your Karma. Can these two views be reconciled? On the face of it I don’t think so.
Regards Averagejoe

Re: Sadhu and Hall

[ecosophia]

Of course not. Occult teachers disagree from time to time, especially if they come to questions from different perspectives. Sadhu was a Christian, and it's central to Christian theology that you can't bear the burden of your karma/sins yourself, but Jesus can do it for you. Hall was a Platonist (and also an esoteric Buddhist), and it's central to both those traditions that you can and will deal with your karma/sins and so you might as well get busy. Which is true? Why, meditate on it and see what you think. In the meantime, the practical advice -- i.e., clean up your act, don't maltreat other people, and get busy on your spiritual life -- is shared by both sides.

What Can Be Sensed in a Picture?

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Something I've noticed, as I've progressed in my own religious practices, is a budding ability to get a sense of a certain "vibe" that people give off--especially as they relate to me (e.g. "better stay away from this person" vs. "getting to know this person would be beneficial"). I don't claim to be seeing anybody's aura or anything of that nature, but it does seem that I'm beginning to look beyond my own psychological projections and see something more authentic in others.

Does such a sense of a person's "vibes", especially as to how well that individual might mesh with my own "vibes", also have potential to come through in a photograph? It seems that I may be picking up such a sense there; however, I question how this could be, since a photograph is not my direct experience of the presence of the individual, but a digital representation of what a camera lens captured through light.

Thanks!

- Monochrome Woozy Catfish

Re: What Can Be Sensed in a Picture?

[ecosophia]

You'll be seeing or sensing auras fairly soon, so don't worry about that. As for reading vibes through a picture, that's psychometry, the most common psychic capacity. You'll likely find that you can do the same thing with something that a person has written, or something they've carried around with them for a little while.

[(Anonymous)]

After several false starts, I settled on a daily practice with the classic LBRP including the angels, and found it effective. More recently, I began to feel the need to expand the ritual to include something closer to a prayer, and that was effective too, at first. But a week ago, as I was doing the ritual, I had the strong sense of someone saying "Oh no, not you again!" It was Raphael, the angel I feel the closest to. I tried to explore further, and got a sense of a group of angels standing around with their arms crossed, leaning against the wall, and saying "stop worshipping us!" I asked if I could continue the ritual, and they said that would be OK. I have done it since without any of the prayer-like trappings, and it feels effective, but I don't have the presence of the angels nearly as strongly as in the past. The angels seem, if anything, a bit irritated. Have I just chanced across a particularly laid-back set of angelic manifestations, or should I rethink what I am doing? I very much like and respond to the angelic format of the LBRP, but neither meditation nor attempts to contact the angels have really been helpful in deciding what to do next.

[ecosophia]

Fascinating. You might want to find a good diviner and ask them for a reading on the subject, because there could be any number of things going on here.

Amulet question

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

Hello, I finished Natural Magic and have a couple of questions about amulets for protection. I understand red is best for these...does the shade of red matter, or pattern? I have some flannel in a bright red and dark red abstract pattern - will that work or is it best to stick to a solid color?

The other question about the protective amulet is about placement. Would it work placed under a bed? I'd prefer not to wear it right now.

Many thanks,
Psychedelic jocular puca

Re: Amulet question

[ecosophia]

1) Solid colors are best but patterns will work. You might experiment and see.

2) It'll only protect you when you're in bed, but other than that, it should be fine. (Consider putting it between the mattress and the box spring -- it'll be safer there, and free from dust.)