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 lineage in photos. We're still tracing Juliet Ashley's end of the lineage. This is her fourth teacher, Arthur Edward Waite, who passed onto her the rituals and lineage that became the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose I've been posting about for a while now. Waite was an odd duck, a devout if eccentric Christian from an impoverished background who clawed his way up to the middle class via a writing career.  He was passionately interested in occultism; he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and when it blew itself apart in a series of political squabbles in 1900-1903, he took a faction of Christian members with him and founded his own version of the Order with no ceremonial magic and a lot of Christian mysticism. (The rituals are publicly available now, and out of copyright; you can find them here.) Evelyn Underhill, the famous writer on Christian mysticism, was one of his order's members; Charles Williams, who wrote Christian occult thrillers, was another; and of course Pamela Coleman Smith, creator of the Rider-Waite tarot deck, was active as well. 

PayPal tip jar link

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 link above to access my online tip jar. (Dreamwidth is having trouble with crosslinks to other sites right now, thus the absence of the usual button.) 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 (as in, no further comments will be put through). See you next week!***

Addendum:  I got more than twenty attempted posts after midnight EST Monday -- after I'd posted the above letting people know that no further comments would be put through. Um, "closed" means "closed." To spare myself extra work, for which I don't have time, ALL ATTEMPTED COMMENTS AFTER EACH MAGIC MONDAY'S POST CLOSES WILL BE DELETED. Please make life a little easier for me and save your further comments for next week!

Comments

Unconscious symbolism: Microsoft Pride.

[jpc_w]

In a prior post on unconscious symbolism the Pride Swastika was detected and mocked.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft has created a new flag for 40+ identities.
Behold The Banner of Pride!

Re: Unconscious symbolism: Microsoft Pride.

[ecosophia]

My initial reaction is that it looks like a bomb going off. My second reaction is to wonder what you'd get if you set an anamorphic mirror at the center:

[open_space]

Good Evening!

First of all, thank you for that, and for your careful reading. Not everybody pays attention to the written form the way you do, obviously.

1) Can I ask, since technically asking an occultist is an occult question, how do you manage your time between occult work and writing work and husband life?

I've found that even though I've learned how to close down (aside below) I find it hard to find a balance between clients, my family, daily life and the spiritual world and they end up all mixed up.

(Yei, birds and the wind and everything have become just that, birds and wind without meaning attached after the proper amount of "banishment". I've started to call my banishing closing rituals, since I don't want to banish that.)

2) This is more a sharing than a question, but being psychic and aspie is kinda hard sometimes... I had a date today with someone I reeaally liked but some unconscious part of herself was even kind of asking for it --I thought. It was my projecting stuff into her and thus establishing some sort of rapport that triggered synchronicities-- I told her I liked her a lot and made an embarrassment of myself, she was really nice about it though. I confused the black cat I saw with a sign, I really like black cats and there were two of them kissing right in front of us.

3) Sorry that this MM I have more sharings than comments but I think my brother was a demonolater on his past life. I... had to exorcise him of demonic obsession. He screamed and yelled and everything when I opened a CGD temple and after that he gave a huge sigh and when I asked him, he had forgotten what happened. Huh... I thought, I wasn't expecting to exorcise him but apparently I did. He still had free will because he asked for it, so perhaps it wasn't an actual exorcism but still... scary stuff. Could you pray for his safety, protection and recovery please? I would really appreciate it.

Lastly, err, you have a lot of fans in mexico. I told them you were pretty chill actually. They loved that on the book that they know you from, there is an aztec calendar as cover even though the bio was a bit cheesy, they just said: that's a freaking cool outfit. You were in full Druid regalia and was wondering if you had any other pictures to share :-)

Ok, last one, I promise. I learned this week that I can say A LOT with my actions and face and look, not just words. A gentle but powerful stare can get more done than an angry rant. Double Yei.

[ecosophia]

1) I don't own a television, and I work from home. That gives me ample time to pursue my various interests, keep my marriage in good trim, etc.

2) It definitely takes practice. That, or find yourself a woman who's also on the autism spectrum -- understanding comes a lot easier that way.

3) Positive energy en route.

4) Okay, now I'm curious. Which book is that? I don't happen to know of a book of mine with an Aztec calendar on the cover!

ADHD and Karma

[(Anonymous)]

Since my ADHD diagnosis, and, well, the somewhat rapid climb in interest in the condition, I've been wondering about the occult origins of it, as in, what is the karmic cause of it? I've read various theories, ranging from the Hindu theory that ADHD folks are old souls, near the end of their human journey, through to western clairvoyant perceptions of seeing a dark energy band in the aura (just in front of the forehead).

I'm reluctant to buy into the disability as special sauce theories, I think you have said elsewhere that disabilities are just that, and not to be over analyzed.

Still, the karmic origins of ADHD interest me. Is it a conscious choice, to have neurobiology that produces less executive function than neurotypicals, or is it a matter of advanced soils not fully incarnation into matter and being caught with some of their mind still up on the astral?

Insights gratefully received

Re: ADHD and Karma

[ecosophia]

That's a very good question to which I don't have an answer. I have no special access to the karmic process, you know!

Yet another New Pride Flag

[jruss]

John Michael Greer DO NOT look directly into the flag https://images.app.goo.gl/7QENNtk61Yx2kCHw9

I’d love to hear your take on this one. To me it looks like the whole mess self destructing.

Re: Yet another New Pride Flag

[ecosophia]

There's a lively littie discussion on the same flag going on further up the comment thread! My guess is that you're right; it looks like an explosion -- as Fringewood put it, somebody's tie closet blew up -- and that doesn't bode well for the survival of the movement.

Light Meditation?

[emily07]

Dear JMG, upon reading the FAQ I wondered: what makes a meditation light? The duration? The theme? Both?

I'm inclined to think both?

Thank you very much for your work!

Re: Light Meditation?

[ecosophia]

Duration. Less than 20 minutes a day would qualify.

[k_a_nitz]

Having something of an inward looking tendency, I liked this piece I read recently and thought I'd offer a rough translation up as a piece for meditating on. I'd also be interested in hearing your thoughts on the claim that humanity's primary problem is depending upon others and not taking a proper look at themselves. The piece is from the concluding summary of:
Kernning, J. [Johann Baptiste Krebs] Wegen zur Unsterblichkeit auf unläugbare Kräfte der menschlichen Natur gegründet [Paths to immortality based on undeniable powers of human nature] (18??) Schwäbisch Hall und Leipzig: F. F. Haspel’schen Buchhandlung.
The translation is mine (original follows for those who can read German - note that spirit is an imperfect translation for Geist, a word which gives translators into English headaches):

The aim of all life: seek the spirit in yourself, then you are safe. But seek your spirit, not another's. Here lies a primary problem with humanity, that they always depend on others and never give themselves a proper look. The spirit of another never becomes mine, it can merely illuminate me, even coming into my temple, but as little as I can implant and use the arm of another as my own, just as little do I allow the powers of the spirit to be enclosed in other forms. With water you can tune glasses to produce a chord; take the water out, pour it in other glasses, then you have no chord and even none of the previous notes anymore. Everything you wish and desire must come from yourself; if you know this, learn it; rid yourself of all that is foreign, seek your ego, never the ego of another, only then is it possible to obtain the infallibility of life.
Harmony of the tones and mathematical forms are based on infallible principles and therefore cannot deceive; the harmony of your life must become as clear, which like the former is based on unalterable laws and bears its infallibility within itself.
[Ziel alles Lebens: suche den Geist in dir, dann bist du in Sicherheit. Aber deinen Geist suche, keinen andern. Hier liegt ein Grundübel der Menschen, daß sie sich immer nach Andern richten und nie sich selber gehörig betrachten. Der Geist eines Andern wird niemals mein, er kann mir bloß leuchten, auch in meinen Tempel zu kommen, aber so wenig ich den Arm eines Andern als den meinigen einsetzen und gebrauchen kann, eben so wenig lass ich die Kräfte des Geistes in andere Formen einschließen. Mit Wasser kann man die Gläser stimmen, daß sie einen Akkord geben; nimm das Wasser heraus, gieße es in andere Gläser, so hast du keinen Akkord und sogar keinen von den vorigen [169|170] Tönen mehr. Aus dir muß alles kommen, was du wünschest und begehrst; wenn du dieses noch kannst, so lerne es; mache dich los von allem Fremden, suche dein Ich, nie das Ich eines Andern, dann nur ist es möglich, zur Unfehlbarkeit des Lebens zu gelangen.
Harmonie der Töne und mathematische Formen beruhen auf unfehlbaren Grundsätzen und können daher nicht täuschen; so klar muß dir die Harmonie des Lebens werden, welche wie jene auf unabänderliche Gesetze gegründet ist und die Unfehlbarkeit in sich selber trägt.]

[ecosophia]

Thank you! That's exquisite, and worth much reflection.

Qs

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings JMG,

Some questions:
1) I see a lot of people talking about the notion that "life is a dream". I'm curious what you think of such an idea, and if you have any recommendations on readings around it.

2) I asked you once about exercise and health questions w horary. You said 5th to look better/enjoy, 6th for health purposes. I've been using 10th house exclusively for health improvement questions, and 2nd house for food quality questions.

Could you tell me the thinking around why 6th house vs 10th? Is 10th supposed to be a specific cure to a condition vs 6th as general health improvement? If you took a medicine as cure vs a preventative, would that make a difference?
And you use the 2nd at all for food/health questions?

Anyway, I will test out the 6th soon and report back.

3) If you were getting a cosmetic treatment, would that be 5th then?

4) This one is open to everyone here; has anyone recovered from/healed themselves from fatigue post major period of illness? I am having a hard time getting work done and I have a lot of work this year and next (10th saturn transit). Any tips highly appreciated.

P.S. This saturn has stationed on my natal saturn so its absolutely killing me, please send energy. Thank you!

Re: Qs

[ecosophia]

1) It's a good theme for meditation. In terms of books, why, Calderón's play by that name is a good place to start.

2) Well, if it works for you, okay, but none of the classic sources assign 10th to health except in the very specific context of a multisignificator reading. The 6th house is always the primary house for health questions.

3) Yes.

4) I'll have to pass this to others, as that's not something I get.

Positive energy incoming!

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,
If you would be so kind, I ask your assistance in interpreting a geomancy reading. The context is that I have a small but established online presence, and was wondering if I should do planetary charity to Mercury, asking for more success, more views, and ultimately perhaps some financial rewards. However, when I tried a similar working last year on a related subject, it was unsuccessful, and I quickly realised that my heart had never really been in the project, and that anyway I was uncomfortable, in effect, asking spiritual powers for money.
I asked the oracle on this occasion, what the results would be of doing planetary charity to Mercury on my online activities, and received the following reading: 1st House Laetitia (2) Acquisitio (3) Conjunctio (4) Tristitia (5) Laetitia (6) Conjunctio (7) Albus (8) Acquisitio (9) Puer (10) Caput Draconis (11) Cauda Draconis (12) Caput Draconis. The First Witness is Amissio, the Second Carcer, the Judge Fortuna Major and the reconciler Puella.
This is well beyond my ability to interpret, I'm afraid, and I am concerned that there might be something in it which suggests that I could be wasting time doing the planetary charity.
Any wisdom gratefully received, and thank you as always for your work.

[ecosophia]

Geomancy is easy unless you overthink it, and it sounds as though you're overthinking it. To get out of that trap, ignore the rest of the reading, take the judge and witnesses, and interpret those as an answer. The witnesses are both negative figures, i.e., it's a bad idea. The judge is positive, i.e., there won't be any long-term consequences. You can figure out what kind of a bad idea it is by reading the first witness as what happens to you, and the second witness as what happens to the situation. (Hint: the money will be wasted and nothing will happen as a result.) Since Fortuna Major is the judge, what you need to do is just keep on doing what you're doing and be patient, and it will work out well in the longer run.

[(Anonymous)]

A couple of follow up questions from the past few weeks:

1. If the spirit separates from the body within three days of death and ideally has completely gone on its way after forty days, what is the purpose of grave goods?

2. If someone manipulates karma and ends up shortening their lifespan, does that count the same as a suicide and they have to hang around until their original time would have been up?

[ecosophia]

1) Depends on whether the people who handle the grave goods know how to make them magically effective. Egyptian priests used to enchant the grave goods so that they were talismans, bringing good fortune to the soul of the dead. If you just put stuff in the grave, it's wasted effort, but very few traditional people are that dense.

2) No, just as you don't have to hang around if you get drunk, climb into the car, and wrap yourself around a bridge abutment. What makes suicide a problem is the deliberate intention to avoid life. If you die as a result of your own stupidity or foolhardiness, but don't intend that outcome, it's not the same thing.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

Someone else last week asked about meditation themes when doing the OSA work. Link:
https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/202942.html?thread=35433662#cmt35433662

You replied that you could also do scrying with the OSA material. How do you do this? I have experience scrying and pathworking using a Grove ceremony from the DMH, so I have done it before, I'm just wondering how specifically you can set up the OSA material for scrying.

Thanks!

[ecosophia]

There are several ways to do it. You can literally imagine yourself going back into an experience of yours from earlier in your life and watch it from outside, seeking to understand it. You can take an image or symbol that shows up frequently in your journaling and use that as a doorway. You can also create an image or symbol to represent something about your past that you want to understand, and use that for scrying purposes.

Occult Philosophy Workbook vs. Circles of Power

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

First of all, thank you very much for all your work.

I am about to purchase your new Occult Philosophy Workbook and an additional title, specifically Circles of Power. However, I am wondering about the amount of overlap between those works. Can you elucidate a bit on this? If this is the case, I'd rather purchase another one of your works.

Thank you very much for your help!

Cheers,

Luis

Re: Occult Philosophy Workbook vs. Circles of Power

[ecosophia]

There's no overlap to speak of, and they're also from completely different systems of occult practice. Circles of Power is a practical manual of Golden Dawn ritual magic, while The Occult Philosophy Workbook is a one-year course of meditations and other spiritual (not magical) practices.

If you're interested in Golden Dawn magic, instead of The Occult Philosophy Workbook, I'd encourage you to get Paths of Wisdom, which covers the core occult theory of the GD system and is intended to go with Circles of Power. If the meditation and philosophical material in The Occult Philosophy Workbook is what interests you, a better choice to go along with it would be The Way of the Golden Section, which is the practical manual that goes with it, and The Sacred Geometry Oracle, which provides the core symbolic system of the Golden Section path.

Elements and the Sphere of Protection

[scottyc]

Archdruid,

Questions and request for comments concerning the elements and the Sphere of Protection:

1. The symbol in the for air (east) points upwards and the symbol for water in the opposite cardinal direction is a triangle that points down. The same directional flow is implied with the fire and earth symbols. Are directional flows of some sort of elemental energy implied in the symbols?

I get a Dion Fortune Ring Pass Not / Ring Cosmos vibe from this. I know both the rings and elemental symbols are to train the mind rather than inform but wondering if there isn't some type of shared concept?



2. In one of the Sphere of Protection posts (Earth - https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/60756.html?thread=4942676#cmt4942676) someone referenced a spinning sphere "in the DMH".

Your reply was the spinning sphere rotated in three directions and was hard for many to visualize. Would those three rotations of the spinning sphere be related in any way to the element symbols as I tried to describe above or a whole different concept?

3. I won't name the element as I think I'm approaching "to be silent" but I find it easier to invoke one of the elements in particular. My imaginative ability to create a vision of a symbol is almost nil but at times I think I'm close to visualizing the symbol of the "easier" element, kind of like trying to remember a dream before it's gone from memory. I can't say it is my favorite element but I have felt most comfortable or maybe better to say I feel my imagination is most effecting in this stage.

Re: Elements and the Sphere of Protection

[ecosophia]

1) That's a very good theme for meditation and I recommend you explore it in that way.

2) That deserves the same answer, though you might want to practice the spinning-sphere version for a while so you have the concept clear.

3) This is very common, especially for beginning and intermediate students.

BTW, when I say "meditate on that," I'm not just being snarky. Much of the material in my books, and in all occult books of any quality, is there to be unpacked and understood by the student through personal practice, reflection, and meditation. Don't neglect that with anything you don't understand; the things you'll learn include things that cannot be told to you or taught you by anyone else.

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

Thank you very much for this forum.

Is it advisable to work with your Celtic Golden Dawn system whilst simultaneously working with the Druid Magic Handbook? Or is it best to simply pick one of those two systems to work through at a time?

[ecosophia]

No, not at all. They're different systems of magic, drawing on different sources of energy in distinctive ways, and combining them doesn't work well. Choose one, spend the necessary couple of years or more working your way through it, and then decide what you want to do.

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings,

I have been trying to understand what causes derealization (i.e. psychology's name for one's surroundings appearing unreal).

I am wondering if it might be related to the relationship between the material, etheric or astral bodies.

Do you recall seeing anything about this in your readings, or do you have ideas about it yourself?

Thank you very much.

[ecosophia]

The traditional teaching is quite simply that your surroundings are unreal. If they appear to be unreal, that's because you're noticing something that's actually there. Mind you, they can still affect you in important ways -- anyone who's been profoundly moved by a novel or a movie knows that -- but the world of matter is a world of illusions, and waking up from that dream is an essential part of spiritual maturation.

That said, if your awareness that your surroundings are illusory gets in the way of functioning in the world of appearances, concentrate on learning to function in the illusion for a while. It won't do you any good to achieve enlightenment if that gets in the way of dealing with the illusion when you need to.

[stcathalexandria]

I've been mulling over this opening question last week and all the comments https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/202942.html#comments . A tangential question to it -

I have a hard time figuring out how to exist with other people. I can do it if it's a defined event with expected social norms like a dentist appointment. And fortunately, my close family where we can be together and enjoy each other's company. Those people and situations go well.

But then there is, let's say, a group who I see once a month. Things there are odd. My trained habit from being a good school student is to try to get along with everyone and be nice. But it's not working for me anymore. Not that it ever worked before, but now its intolerable to be around others in a small group. Sometimes if I mentally prepare myself ahead of time by stating my boundaries and my goal for being there, it helps.

Alabaster Fragrant Oyster

I don't know if it is the insanity of the world today or me just becoming more aware of other levels of interaction. I don't feel safe being around small groups of people anymore to socialize anymore. Is this normal and what do I do about it? (Probably the theme of many questions here.)

I've found it somewhat helpful to ponder that fact that if a person isn't operating under their own free will, they are in response mode. A person in response mode lashes out at stimuli (like a dog that barks when they hear a strange sound) and there is something about me that doesn't fit, thus what I feel as jabs coming at me sometimes. But it really does feel like 100x worse now around some groups of people.

[stcathalexandria]

No idea why the generated signature name ended up in the middle of what I wrote, but it does match the day 🙃

FHR Work

[iprescott]

Hello JMG,

To Share: I have been using the Heathen LRP. It is not in the instruction, but I felt compelled to visualize the deity's name in runes while vibrating the name, after tracing the pentagram. I realized that in runes, Thor's name was Thurisaz, Othala, Raidho. Only 3 letters. I changed the name to Odin, and I feel I am receiving better results after doing so.

To Ask:
1. Not that I am there...yet... but when one has completed the initiation for the FHR Initiate grade, is it OK to cycle back through the initiation rituals, from beginning to end, again? I have seen that people who follow a GD self initiation do this and report very good results.

I plan on performing the Seeker Initiation on the day after the New Moon this week.

Thank you for hosting Magic Monday.

All the best,

Ian

Re: FHR Work

[ecosophia]

Yes, very much so! In fact, when I post the final FHR post this week, one of the things in it will be encouragement to do the entire course of training more than once. Nobody gets everything in a course like this the first time around, and my experience consistently has been that I get more out of it the second time than the first.

I've done the Holy Order/Magickal Order/FHR work three times from beginning to end: once under John Gilbert's tutelage, once just after his death as a refresher, and then again while I was editing the material to make sure I could get the details straight and answer questions, and each time I learned more and got further than I did the time before. The only study courses I haven't done more than once are a couple where the second repetition is on the schedule but I haven't gotten there yet!

[(Anonymous)]

Is it possible to spiritually overdevelop a region? Is there such a thing as putting too many monastreries, holy mounds, standing stones, shrines, temples, and sacred groves - into too small an area?

[ecosophia]

It depends on what purpose you have in mind. If the area's going to be set aside for purely spiritual activites, apparently not -- there are places in Asia where the monasteries, shrines, stupas, and other holy structures are crowded together cheek by jowl over pretty impressively sized areas. If you intend people to be able to live ordinary lives, however, yes, it can get problematic.

A couple Sphere of Protection questions

[autpaxautbellum]

I’m just beginning to practice the SOP as described in the Druid Magic Handbook and had a couple things I’m unclear on:

(1) should the eyes be open or closed throughout?
(2) where are the hands / arms during the circulation of light ?

Thank you in advance!

Re: A couple Sphere of Protection questions

[ecosophia]

In both cases, the answer's the same: try whatever variations interest you and see which one gets the best results. The SoP is flexible that way!

A 7 year

[baconrolypoly]

A while back, there was a series posts on numerology and how to use it and one of the exercises was about finding out what sort of year one might see ahead by the year number. It turned out my year was to be a 7 and part of the guidance said it would be a 'weird one'. This year has indeed been very weird and started getting that way a few days after my birthday with an inadvertently self-inflicted head injury (it healed up well, I'm glad to say, though I have an interesting scar). Since then the weirdness has continued pretty much without let up with more accidents (me and others), injuries, illness, death, drought, heatwaves, national financial crisis et cetera. This isn't a complaint, as in amongst the more painful happenings, there have been some delightful surprises too - a valued friendship re-kindled, good family and neighbourly relationships, an amazing growing year, unexpected kindness and generosity and so on. Ever since my birthday, I find myself muttering wryly, 'Well, it's a 7 year!'.

My question is, does the year number run from birthday to birthday or from the calendar year?

Also, is anyone else having a 'weird one'?

Re: A 7 year

[ecosophia]

It's based on the calendar year, because that's where the number comes from. One-ninth of the population will be having a weird year just now!

Occult knowledge

[(Anonymous)]

Hello!

Last week you wrote: "Several times in history -- after the Christian seizure of power in the Roman world, for example, during the crusade against the Cathars, and at the end of the Renaissance -- a great deal of occult knowledge was lost."

Are there any good historical accounts of these episodes?

Many thanks!

Re: Occult knowledge

[robertmathiesen]

Take a look at Dirk Rohmann's Christianity, Book-Burning and Censorship in Late Antiquity (2016), which strikes me as an excellent, very thorough account of the first of the three losses that our host mentioned.

It is an open-access book that can be freely downloaded at: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/46037

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

For most of my magical "life" I’ve worked in a primarily Judeo-Christian (Qabbalistic) context. Even though I feel generally comfortable with that context, in recent years I have also felt increasingly drawn to Druidry. The main reason is that the Qabbalistic approach as I experience it is rather abstract and cerebral, whereas the Druidic approach as I see it is more sensual, corporeal and open to the infinite richness of Nature. Being pretty cerebral and intellectual as a person, I feel it wouldn’t hurt to open up a little to the beauties of the Natural world around me. The 8-spoked wheel of the year in particular appeals to me and I’d love to find a way to honour the 8 festivals of the year.

Consequently, I’m looking for a way to combine the two approaches, embracing Druidry, which I find appealing, without relinquishing the Judeo-Christian approach which I still find valuable. Indeed, I like to believe that the two approaches can be complementary rather than mutually exclusive. With that in mind, I took a look at the Druidical Order of the Golden Dawn, but for some reason it didn’t really click, probably because I’ve grown weary of the GD system over the years.

Regarding the 8 festivals in particular, I should probably mention that I’m not a polytheist and that I find it difficult to invoke Celtic deities (or otherwise) in a way that I find convincing for myself. (I realize it could be objected that honouring e.g. St. Michael the Archangel is not pretty different from honouring e.g. Ceridwen, but somehow it feels less incongruous, probably because, having grown in a Christian environment, Archangels are somehow a part of my cultural background.) I’m also aware that Saints and Angels of the Christian faith can be honoured at the 8 festivals (your Druidry Handbook provides a list of Saints/Archangels to that end), which in theory would fit nicely with my Judeo-Christian background. However, I also feel that honouring Saints that simply happen to be celebrated on a day near one of the cross-quarter days but are otherwise not known for having had a privileged relationship to the the world of Nature, would not really allow me to experience the life and rhythms of Nature I wish to celebrate.

Do you have any suggestions? Can you think of a way of experiencing a deep connection with Nature and a genuine appreciation of Its cycles in a specifically Judeo-Christian context?

Thank you for reading my message!

Damian

[ecosophia]

Welcome to the world of Christian Druidry. There's a lot of it, going back to pioneering 18th-century Druid Rev. William Stukeley, an Anglican minister; quite a bit of the older Druid literature has that focus. To make a start, I'd encourage you to reread the first chapter of the Gospel according to John and reflect on what it means that Christ, as the Logos, "made all things, and without Him was not anything made that was made." Oh, and what it means -- with an eye toward nature -- to say that "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

I don't happen to know what's available on the internet or in recent books on the subject, but you might be interested in looking through The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg sometime; his theology was quite strictly monotheistic. As for the eight festivals, check your traditional Christian calendar and see just how many of them have close equivalents there. Hmm -- Candlemas, the feast of the Annunciation, Lady Day, St. John's day...

[(Anonymous)]

Over how large an area does an earth pipe increase the fertility of the land? If a house is inside the radius, will it also have an effect on the occupants?

[ecosophia]

In both cases, that depends on local conditions -- the nature of the soil and the underlying strata, the flows of the telluric current, and so on. Experiment is a better guide than theory here.

[(Anonymous)]

According to Raven Kaldera, if an object is given sufficient magical charge, it exists in the spirit world and can be used there: https://www.northernshamanism.org/a-closer-look-at-my-pathwalking-kit.html. Do you agree with this? If so, would that mean if you gave a magic charge to all the components and contents of your house, after death you could continue to 'live' in it, wherever you ended up in the astral?

[ecosophia]

Yes, you can charge a material object to give it a presence in the Unseen. Yes, you could do that to your house -- but whether you'd be able to find your way back there is quite another matter. It will exist astrally on whatever level you reach while charging it. If you rise above or fall below that level, it's somebody else's house!

Sports astrology

[(Anonymous)]

Is there any tradition of sports astrology?

Re: Sports astrology

[(Anonymous)]

In the old Horoscope A to Z by Llewellyn George (editions before the 1970s), there is a chapter relating to sports astrology. Llewellyn George was an avid sports fan, and he compiled into that chapter every scrap of astrology related to predicting the outcome of contests of all kinds. The "New A to Z" scrapped that chapter, so it is best to get a used older edition or one of the repop facsmiles.

The method involved making a horoscope reading at the moment the contest started, and assigning particular roles to the various houses, and predicting the outcome based on relative strengths and weaknesses of the planetary rulers of said houses.

As it is a question of judging contests, it could also be used for political contests, and if my faulty memory of 2020 could be trusted, it provided an accurate reading that the results of that political contest would be quite muddled.

[(Anonymous)]

Can ghosts and those in the afterlife read?

[ecosophia]

That's a fascinating question I've never seen addressed in any of the literature on the subject.