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? I've decided to trace, as far as I can, my own occult lineages in photos. Last week's photo was of Manly P. Hall, the third of Juliet Ashley's teachers; unlike the first two -- Edgar Cayce and Carl Jung -- Hall has a lineage that can be traced further back. When he was 18, enthusiastic, talented, and wet behind the ears, Hall arrived in California and spent several years studying with Augusta Foss Heindel, the head of the Rosicrucian Fellowship in Oceanside, CA. Born in Ohio, she moved to California as a young woman and became a skilled astrologer. In 1896 she met Max Heindel, then visiting from Europe, and they became close friends. After Heindel returned to California in 1909 he and Augusta renewed their friendship and eventually married; she taught him astrology, and he taught her the Rosicrucian teachings he had received in Europe. Max died in 1919, but Augusta kept the order thriving until her death in 1949, and her astrological lore as well as the Rosicrucian teachings found their way to Hall and, through him, to Juliet Ashley and John Gilbert. 

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 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

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

For anyone marking the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, my sympathy and condolences. To our host, thanks as always for hosting this space and answering these questions. Otherwise, it's fascinating to keep hearing about your occult lineage(s).

To Share: Today, a science fiction book: Anathem by Neal Stephenson. This book technically kinda-sorta violates our host's distaste for space as an overdone trope in sci-fi (explaining why it only kinda-sorta violates this would provide some pretty significant spoilers). Suffice it to say, "space travel" is an element in the story line, but is not the focus of what makes it science fiction. Perhaps most interesting to readers here, it proposes a Platonic view of the cosmos and deals rather seriously with both non-Christian monastic living and some pretty heavy philosophical/metaphysical sledding, all while providing a compelling narrative thread. I haven't re-read since becoming more religious, but it's long been my favorite science fiction work, and I hope it might intrigue some of y'all as well.

To Ask: I know that you (JMG) are not a natal astrologer and don't even play one on TV, but do the descriptions of Strength/Weakness by house you give in your Mundane Astrology write-ups on Subscribe Star apply to natal charts as well? Similarly, do rules like mutual reception apply to natal charts? I'm dipping my toes into astrology by interpreting my natal chart, and I'm trying to get a feeling for the weight to give to the different planets in it.

Thanks very much for your time and consideration,
Jeff

[ecosophia]

1) Anathem's an interesting piece. It's been a while, but I discussed it in a blog post a while back, in particular the mix of genuine originality and hamhanded cliché in Stephenson's attempt to imagine an alternative world. I'd like to see him push further and get past the automatisms in his future vision.

2) Yes, both of those are from the broader world of basic astrological theory.

Affirmation Time!

[cs2]

Thank you for posting about affirmations some years ago! It's time to craft one for another year.

I've asked Ogham single-card draws to narrow down my options. I got the go-ahead to do a spiritual one this year (Gort).

Last week I asked what my Ogham thought about "I do what it takes to reach Gwynfydd in this life" and got Onn.

I was warned not to ask you about it last week (Reverse Straif) so I spent the week meditating & journaling on what this affirmation means and possible ramifications.

This week when I asked about the above option, if it was still okay, I drew Reverse Ailm. I asked if I could still use the word Gwynfydd and got Quert, and when I came up with a far more lofty idea of "I leap to Gwynfydd!" I drew Ur.

I wonder about Ur and this more lofty one though! Since magic is literal, what if I just end up getting gifted a trampoline?

Do you have any advice for me while I try to figure this out? Thank you.

Re: Affirmation Time!

[ecosophia]

Meditate on it very, very thoroughly. Imagine that you were handing it on to a clueless person who will misunderstand it in every possible way. If you're okay with the misunderstandings, go on; if not, amend accordingly.

Coronation

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG, with the first British coronation in some time coming up, can you share your knowledge of the magical elements of the ritual that you know of and we can look out for?

Darren

Re: Coronation

[ecosophia]

Recall that this hasn't happened during my lifetime. Once the date is scheduled, I plan on finding a good description and seeing what I can figure out from it -- and yes, I'll post something then -- but I haven't yet studied it so can't comment on it.

[(Anonymous)]

1. A TV producer tells me that the creepy background in Biden’s “Red Speech” was likely supposed to be patriotic red and blue with white accents, but somebody forgot to adjust for the red brick background. Well. Oops. Also, a columnist floated the idea that the speech was intended to stampede a demographic well known for both ignorance and panic to the polls in November. The immediate walk-back and subsequent mixed messaging sure sound like another oops to me. Curious about the cause of multiple mistakes in a single event, I asked my staves if this speech was a symptom of a magical failure. Ruis upright. OK – is that reasonable? If so, what should we watch for next?

2. Speaking of magical failures… I hit the too-much-coffee feeling with Kelder’s Five Tibetan Rites on Monday, so I quit at 12 repetitions. Today, I feel fine, my SOP is still in sync, cold showers still feel good, and my reduced intake of meat continues. Now what? Pick up the practice again later, let it go, wait to see if my SOP gets wobbly…or…???

Many thanks!

Rhydlyd

[ecosophia]

1) My guess is that it was unintended, and thus archetypal in nature. Ruis upright tells us that something is coming to an end -- no surprises there. Biden is being drawn willy-nilly into an archetypal role. It's not one that bodes well for his party or the classes that support him.

2) Try doing 12 reps 2-3 times a week and see how that works.

[vitranc]

Greetings JMG,

1. The news of the week seems to be the death of the queen. And I was wondering, in regards to the new king, what the stars are saying? If anything. When would be the time to cast a chart for the new king? The time he became king, the death of his mother. The time he was sworn in? Or the future time, when his coronation is scheduled?

2. The former queen was an icon, and I was wondering about her chart? When does one cast it? Has it been done already?

Best regards,
V

[ecosophia]

1) The formal accession of King Charles III was 10:00 am London time on Saturday the 10th, when his reign was proclaimed. I've cast the chart and will be delineating it for my Patreon and SubscribeStar readers. The coronation chart will replace that, and I'll cast that, too, when we get to it.

2) Her birth chart was cast within hours of her birth:

https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Elizabeth_II,_Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom

If anybody cast a chart for her coronation, I haven't found it online.

Hand gestures

[k_a_nitz]

A few days ago I was reading about Runen-Yoga aka Runen-Gymnastik aka Runen-Asanas, essentially a form of yoga using the shapes of runes to channel energies. The author (Karl Spiesberger) discussed the hand gesture version (ie make the shape of the rune with the hand and fingers alone) and noted not only that this was related to Mudras, but also to hand gestures [Handgriffe] of the esoteric masonic tradition - citing for the Western tradition J.B. Kerning (Briefe zur Königlichen Kunst) and for the Turkish tradition von Sebottendorf (Die Praxis der alten türkischen Freimauerei). According to Spiesberger (my rough translation):

"The goal of the masonic gestures, as the letter mystics have probably applied them since time immemorial and still use them today, is to make the body 'sensitive to letters', to activate the etheric body, to awaken the chakras circulating in it; conditioned by a gradual 'transfer of molecules', the 'spiritualisation' of which the mystics speak, by calling forth an 'effect of rarefaction' which uncovers subtle powers of the nerves; the desired consequences of a 'word-magic condition of oscillation' produced by gesture and letter-thinking."

My question is whether you or any of your readers are able to provide details of any works in English which address these masonic hand gestures and their use?

Also, just a note for those readers who know runes and are following the Levi posts (and related to a comment I made on Ch 12 of Levi some while back about fitting runes to each chapter) that the same author in another work (Runenmagie: Handbuch der Runenkunde) lists the correspondences of tarot cards to the Armanen runes (amongst other correspondences, including astrological):
[Name - Letter - Number - Card]
Fa - F - 1 - magician
Ur - U - 2 - high priestess
Thorn - Th/D - 3 - empress
Os/Othil - O - 4 - emperor
Rit - R - 5 - hierophant
Ka - K - 6 - lovers
Hagel - H - 7 - chariot
Not - N - 8 - justice
Is - I/J - 9 - hermit
Ar - A - 10 - wheel
Sig - S - 11 - strength
Tyr - T - 12 - hanged man
Bar - B - 13 - death
Laf - L - 14 - temperance
Man - M - 15 - devil
Yr - Y - 16 - tower
Eh - E - 17 - stars
Gibor - G - 18 - moon

Re: Hand gestures

[ecosophia]

As a Mason in good standing, I'm prevented by my obligations of membership from communicating the signs of Masonry to anyone who is not a brother Mason in good standing in a regular lodge. Sorry.

[ataulfo]

I am sorting out my lifestyle, which I suspect has been leading to mixed effects from some of my practices owing to its effects on my imagination and memory. Divination has confirmed I need to stop the SoP right now. The realization had been brewing for some time.

If anyone reading this wants to send a blessing, positive energy, or pray for me, as long as you're not including preconceived intentions for what needs to happen, I would appreciate it. I had a question but forgot it.

[ecosophia]

Positive energy en route.

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG,
Deep gratitude for this forum. I'm no magician, but I've learned a lot here. I am learning dancing and it's a significant part of my life. Today I cast my first geomantic chart. The question was, "Should I go to [this new (for me) dance place with great teachers and dancers that is a long trip from my house] tomorrow? I got the following:
Judge - Via
Right Witness - Rubeus
Left Witness - Puella
I am taking the answer as, "Yes, go" because of Via. Is that correct? I am unsure what Rubeius and Puella add to the meaning of the situation. I would appreciate any comments.

[ecosophia]

First of all, I'm pretty sure that you've already decided that you're going to go! (Rubeus as right witness often means that you've made up your mind already and are trying to get the oracle to agree with you.) It's going to be a mixed bag, because the right witness is a negative figure but the left witness is a positive one, and Via is neutral. The answer is that it's up to you, you can certainly go, but you'll likely have a mixed experience, some good, some not so good.

[athaia]

Good morning JMG,

(1) I've seen numerous mentions here about "planetary charity," but also about lighting candles and reading hymns to the planets. Those seem to be different practices? Have you written about them somewhere on your blog or in your books, or can you point me to some other source where I can learn more about this subject?

(2) Likewise, I'm interested in learning more about what happens between incarnations. I remember reading a book by Michael Newton, Journey of Souls, but wasn't sold on his descriptions (it's been many years, so I don't know anymore what my gripe with them was... I think his afterlife scenario sounded too much like life on campus (and no dogs - or other animal companions - in his heaven, so it wasn't a place I wanted to end up in, ever). Too mundane. I mean, even when you look at the cosmos that science can examine, it's much bigger and bizarre and awe-inspiring than our tiny human experience. I imagine that it's the same, only more so, on the other planes of existence). Anyway, I'd be interested in the sources you'd recommend.

(3) In the SOP, can you just invoke Awen at the end, or is it "all gods or none"?

Thank you for this space and the opportunity to ask questions!

[ecosophia]

1) They're different practices. You can read about planetary charity here:

https://www.renaissanceastrology.com/planetarycharity.html

The other is an adaptation of traditional hoodoo practice which has become tolerably popular in recent years, but I don't think there's a book about it yet. It consists of lighting a candle on the day and hour of a planet, and reciting the Orphic hymn to that planet followed by a prayer.

2) Dion Fortune's Through the Gates of Death is a good starting point. i also recommend books on near-death experiences, which will give you a good sense of the diversity of the experience.

3) You can invoke whoever you like!

Qs

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG, greetings

Some questions for you today.

1) If I have a planet in fall in my chart (Jupiter in my case), is there a way to improve my relationship with the planetary spirit? Or work towards improving it for future incarnations?

2) Is exercise a 5th house, 2nd house or 10th house question? (FYI, I've found it effective as 10th house for my rehab coming back from injuries but not sure if its the same for maintaining or improving health)

Similarly, would playing tennis for example be a 5th house q or another one? (Perhaps it depends on the intent?)

3) You'd said something about the solar logos and its relationship to the tree of life, particularly being at the bottom in relationship to the rest of the cosmos, could you share more or point me to some reading?

4) You'd mentioned that one can balance sun worship w saturn, particularly to balance the ego tendencies. Saturn is prominent on my chart (10th house enthroned) but squares my sun and pluto, wondering if it's a wise idea? I've definitely had some trouble during heavy saturn periods so I am a little wary about how to go about.

Thank you very much.

Re: Qs

[ecosophia]

1) Sure. Figure out how the planet in fall affects you negatively, and then guard yourself against that, while doing your best to express the positive energy of the planet to a modest degree.

2) 5th house if you're doing it for enjoyment or to look better, 6th if you're doing it for health purposes.

3) Dion Fortune's The Cosmic Doctrine is my go-to source here.

4) That square aspect can be a source of great strength. Just don't invoke Saturn when he's badly dignified in the heavens!

[(Anonymous)]

Does the St. Michael prayer have the same effect as a banishing ritual?

[ecosophia]

Not exactly, but if you find that prayer is more suited to you than magical practice, it makes a good alternative.

Working with afflicted planets

[milkyway1]

Good morning! :-)

Many thanks to you, JMG, and to everybody else who answered my questions last week.

A follow-up about the planets, if I may: Last week, you replied

„Be careful. If Saturn's afflicted in your natal chart, even that much invocation may be enough to mess you over.“

( https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/197130.html?thread=34112522#cmt34112522 )

1. I‘m not sure if I got you right and want to avoid misunderstandings:

Did you mean that even invoking Saturn in a general, respectful way (without any requests) could be problematic - i.e. pretty much any contact at all?

Or were you, in particular, referring to the necessary invocation to create a talisman for somebody else?

1a. If the first (any invocation at all could be troublesome), then what about planetary charity? I seem to recall you saying that this would be a good way to appease an afflicted Saturn.

1b. And how does this square with the devotional practice suggested by Christopher Warnock, where you‘d invoke each planet on its day? Does invoking all planets balance out Saturn, so-to-speak?

2. In any case, is this a problem in particular with Saturn? Or are there also certain other planets where, when afflicted, even invoking them might be problematic? (Mars maybe?)

Thanks for sharing your wisdom - and may you and your wife have a blessed week!

Milkyway

Re: Working with afflicted planets

[ecosophia]

1) I meant purely the kind of intensive invocation needed to make a talisman. Planetary charity is always a good way to deal with a planet in affliction, and invoking all the planets on their proper days holds the whole system in balance and is a very good idea.

2) Saturn's the Greater Malefic, meaning that of all the planets, he's the toughest to deal with when he's badly dignified. Mars is the Lesser Malefic, meaning that he's next in line. Every planet can be a challenge when afflicted, but those two and Uranus are generally the most difficult.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

Thank you so much for hosting these Magic Mondays, I really appreciate the time and the trouble you take to let us all benefit from your expertise. I’ve been a lurker here for a while, but have finally decided to post a couple of questions.

1. The SoP includes symbols for the Elements. For Fire and Water, the origin of the emblems (upward / downward pointing triangles) is obvious enough. But I haven’t found the emblems used for Air and Earth (circles with upward / downward stroke) anywhere else. Do you know by any chance where they come from and why they are used in the SoP, rather than, e.g., the upward / downward pointing triangles with a horizontal line?

2. In Golden Dawn literature, the description of the initial stage of the Kabbalistic Cross often instructs the magician to draw the Light down from far above his head to formulate a sphere of Light just above the crown of his head. However, other Golden Dawn textbooks state that that sphere of Light should be formulated inside the magician’s head, behind the eyebrows. Do you know the reason for that variation? And can you explain what the difference is between the two, i.e. what are the distinct effects of formulating the Light above or inside one’s head in terms of magical and/or spiritual development in the long run?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

R.

[ecosophia]

1) Those are distinctive emblems of the tradition I received from my teacher John Gilbert, and as far as I know they're not found elsewhere. Based on what John said, his teacher Dr. Juliet Ashley created them on the basis of her own spiritual experience. The basic idea is that from the circle, which is spirit, one manifestation moves upwards -- this is air, which is also mind and consciousness -- and another moves downwards -- this is earth, which is also matter and embodiment. Fire and water then weave these two together.

2) It's a matter of choosing which energy center you want to activate. There are well over three dozen energy centers along the midline of the body from the soles of the feet to above the top of the head, and each one has different effects -- this is why it also makes a difference whether you place the Tiphareth center in the Middle Pillar at the heart or at the solar plexus. In terms of the two centers in/above the head, the one above the head connects to your higher self, while the one in your head activates your psychism; the former always struck me as the better choice, but your mileage may vary.

Appropriate Geomantic House

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JMG,
As always, thank you for this space.

I was wondering what the most appropriate house would be to use for a geomancy reading on forming a group, (magical or otherwise).

Also, with the equinox approaching, what advice do you have for choosing a personal password as we enter what will most likely be a difficult winter?

Re: Appropriate Geomantic House

[ecosophia]

Voluntary associations of all kinds are 11th house. As for a password, that's an intensely personal thing -- choose one that embodies whatever ideal you want to focus on during the difficult season to come.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

With regards to the SOP, I swapped the direction of fire/earth to better match the southern hemisphere (ie fire-north, earth-south). Would it be appropriate to also switch the symbols and elements in the FHR temple to match the SOP? If so, when doing purifying, does elemental order take precedence over cardinal direction/clockwise?

Thanks

[ecosophia]

Once you start tinkering, yeah, you're likely to end up in a tangled mess like this. My suggestion? Go back to the standard version. The directions of the elements are symbolic and not real anyway -- for example, the Atlantic Ocean is east of me and most of our weather systems come from the west, but I still invoke air to the east and water to the west and get fine results.

Sphere of Protection Phase 6

[(Anonymous)]

Good Morning,

I am now at the stage of invoking the Spirit Below but unlike the elements there is only an invocation, no banishing in this phase.

I'm guessing that in the overall process of creating the Sphere of Protection it is enough to invoke then banish the elemental symbols which clears negativity but when invoking the three spirits there is no banishing aspect and each spirit stays invoked until the final closure?

That may be a bad way of phrasing the question as I understand the elements are not banished during the rital, just the negativity we focus upon after closing the elemental symbol.

Re: Sphere of Protection Phase 6

[ecosophia]

You never banish spirit, because we all need more of the presence of spirit in our lives! Spirit is always balanced and always appropriate. It's the material elements that can take on unbalanced expressions that need to be banished.

A strange occurrence

[(Anonymous)]

Last week I had a weird - albeit minor - experience that made me wonder if it had a supernatural cause. After cleaning my bathroom I had left the sponge on top of the toilet tank to dry. Awhile later when I came into the bathroom the sponge was on the floor a good distance away from the toilet, and standing on its edge. It immediately struck me that it was impossible for it to have ended up there: I had no recollection of going in the bathroom earlier and e.g. accidentally knocking it off of the toilet, and it was too far away to have simply fallen there (to say nothing of it being on its edge!).

Obviously this wasn't a big deal at all, but if it did have a supernatural cause I have no interest in further or more significant variations on the theme. Anything I should do to keep a possible supernatural influence out of my home? I have zero experience (and not much interest) in magic, the occult, etc.

Re: A strange occurrence

[ecosophia]

The world is an odd place and a lot of odd things happen in it. If nothing of the sort happens again, don't worry about it. If you start getting more odd things happening, well, you may not be interested in the occult, but it may be interested in you -- in which case a little basic knowledge won't hurt. Dion Fortune's book Psychic Self-Defence and my book Monsters might be worth a look if that happens.

[baconrolypoly]

Hello JMG, someone close to me has suddenly become very interested in the work of the New Thought author Neville Goddard. I've taken a look at what he said and he seems to me to saying that people can have whatever they want if they think the right thoughts, but I haven't read enough to form a firm opinion. Do you or any of the commentariat have any opinion on Goddard?

[ecosophia]

That was the great failing of the New Thought movement -- the conviction that your thinking isn't just powerful, it's omnipotent. Goddard, like many other New Thought authors, fell headlong into that trap. His work is still useful, but it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. No matter what thoughts you think, you can't get a perpetual motion machine!

Lineage

[(Anonymous)]

This talk of your lineage has me wondering--since I've studied (not just read through) a number of your books, starting with the Druidry Handbook and currently the Dolmen Arch, could I consider you my teacher? Or does that distinction apply only to in-person or personal tutoring? You know the expression "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear." I haven't found it true in my life--or maybe it's true that I'm still not ready after all (which is disappointing and frustrating). But then, if everyone who has studied your work can consider you their teacher, you have a great many students!

Re: Lineage

[ecosophia]

I made a decision many years ago to concentrate on passing on what I know via books rather than by personal instruction, and my experiences with trying to teach personal students since then have confirmed me in that decision! (I'm well aware that the issue may simply be that I'm not much good at personal instruction.) Anyone who has taken on at least one of the courses of magical training and initiation included in my books, and finished the whole sequence of work, is therefore a student of mine.

[courtinthenorth]

Hello JMG.

I am interested in learning more. What makes your two paid subscriber pages different, one from the other?

Thank you for all your work. Your books, blogs, podcasts, and even the commentariat conversations have and continue to be an important and highly valued part of my own mental and spiritual development, sometimes uncomfortably so.

If I've learned anything from you, it is that those difficult, sometimes painful places and moments are where we can truly grow when we use them as thrust blocks to a new way of seeing/being.

Kind regards,
Court

[ecosophia]

Thank you!

The material I post to Patreon and SubscribeStar is identical. The differences between the venues is that Patreon is very popular but it likes to censor unpopular viewpoints, so some people dislike it. SubscribeStar won't censor anything that's legal to post at all. I post my material to both so that readers can choose whichever they like.

[fringewood]

Dear Mr Greer

Hello, I am fringewood's husband Jack.

Even though I don't use computers, my wife has read your blog posts to me for years and I have always enjoyed and learned from the information you have provided.

I am an alcoholic who has been sober for over 25 years. For the past 5 years, I have neither wanted to nor thought about having a drink, even when things were stressful. At the risk of sounding like I'm bragging, these are things I am very proud of.

However, over the course of a very stressful past year, the voice that tells me if I have a drink that I'll feel better has come back , but with some changes. The voice is more insistent and demanding and always seems prevalent when I leave our property and the wards and protection we have in place here.

It seems worse when I'm riding in a car. We don't have a car and get rides from friends and neighbors. I also am affected when around crowds of people in a store. It also seems worse around electronics, for instance the checkout at a grocery store was very bad. I have been talking to another person who has a drinking problem and he is experiencing something similar.

My question is this: Do you know what might be causing this? Also, have any of your readers experienced this or something similar or know someone who has?

Thank you for your time in reading this and I hope you have a good day.
Jack

Also thank you to my wonderful wife for typing all this in for me.

[ecosophia]

I'm going to encourage you, if you have the chance, to read Dion Fortune's book Psychic Self-Defence. She talks in some detail about the way that malicious spirits are sometimes involved in difficulties like yours. You might see if the protective talisman described in the Magic Monday FAQ might help.

Tuition fees

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning,

I've had the good fortune to fall in with a newly formed Anthroposophical study group over the past few months. The combination of esoteric science in a Christian Rosicrucian stream together with an in-person, public-facing network of institutions feels like a very good fit for me right now. I am making some good friends too.

I've now found an opportunity to take the official Anthroposophical Foundation Studies course with a small group one night a week. The tuition fee, over thirty weeks, works out to about twenty dollars an hour for ninety hours of in-person small-group classroom instruction.

I know you have some acquaintance with Anthroposophy, and I'm mindful of Dion Fortune's advice to look carefully at occult courses that charge significant fees. Have you heard anything worth mentioning about the Foundation Studies course, and does this sound like a reasonable tuition fee for a classroom experience?

I've seen nothing amiss so far, and I will attend the free introductory talk this evening to gather more impressions.

Dylan

Re: Tuition fees

[ecosophia]

My background in Anthroposophy is mostly a matter of reading a lot of Steiner and some other writers in the movement; I'm not at all sure of the quality of current teaching. The price seems a little high to me, but not outrageously so. Anyone else?

[(Anonymous)]

Regarding the use of psychedelics. Do these bring the user to the same states as when in deep mediation? If so is are there benefits of repercussions from choosing this path?

[ecosophia]

People have been trying to convince themselves and each other for a couple of centuries now that getting ripped on drugs is some kind of substitute for meditation. No such luck. I've met people who've achieved enlightenment through meditation, and I also knew a lot of burnt-out ex-hippies who baked their brains on hallucinogens, and -- well, let's just say you don't have to work hard to tell the difference.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Do you or your commentariat have a good oracle system for answering "why" questions? I use the three card tarot of: problem, cause and solution. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's too vague. I guess I can drill down by asking the question again and focusing on the cause card. But is there another way? Does Ogham answer "why" questions very well? Maybe Kimberly knows this. I also journal.

Thanks,
Jon
Tangerine Tangential Cactus

[milkyway1]

If I may: imo JMG‘s Sacred Geometry Oracle would lend itself well to that sort of question. It‘s great at making roles and relations between things transparent. „Why“ questions should be right up its alley.

Milkyway

Mundane Astrology

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, this is a question about your Subscribestar posts. I had subscribed for a while so I could read your mundane astrology lessons. I tried to print them because I'm middle-aged and old-school so I like to be able to highlight things and make notes in the corners. However, I couldn't find a way to print them without the print being so small that I almost needed a magnifying glass to read it. Was I doing it wrong or is this a feature meant to prevent people from sharing your work without paying for it? If it's the former, how do I print it so it legible? If it's the latter, when will your book on mundane astrology be out?

Thanks,

Crimson Gibbering Capybara

Re: Mundane Astrology

[ecosophia]

What you need to do is highlight the text you want to print, using your mouse to do it; then hit "copy" (right-click on the mouse for this); then paste it into an open Word file. You can then highlight it and set the font to any size you need.

The book on mundane astrology will be out about a year after I finish the lessons -- my guess at this point is early 2024.