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. Two weeks ago I posted an image of her fourth teacher, Arthur Edward Waite, the Golden Dawn alumnus who passed onto her the rituals that became the foundation for the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose. Waite, in turn, got his knowledge from the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Last week I posted an image of one of these, the redoubtable William Wynn Westcott; this is Westcott's partner and rival in the project, Samuel Liddell Mathers. Another Freemason with a passion for the occult, and like Westcott a genuine scholar and mage, Mathers didn't have the organizational skills to keep the order together once Westcott stepped down from the leadership, and the Golden Dawn promptly blew itself to pieces in the squabbles that followed. Mathers remained in charge of one of the fragments thereafter, and he and his branch of the order will appear again once I get into some of the other ends of my lineage. 

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 these days, 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.

***This Magic Monday is now closed--as in, no further comments will be put through. See you next week!*** 

Comments

SOP on a plane

[miow]

I have to fly European night flights on 8 as well as 9 Nov, ie tomorrow and overmorrow (yes, it is a real word), and on top of my fear of flying I am also passing bricks because of the lunar eclipse pretty much going to be happening more or less while I am in the air. Can I safely close my eyes and perform an inner SOP on the plane? Or should I do my usual morning SOP on the ground and call it good? I would very much appreciate positive vibes and prayers too.

Re: SOP on a plane

[ecosophia]

You can certainly do it on the plane; I've done this quite often.

Positive energy en route!

[ivn66]

Hello JMG.

Quoting an earlier reply of yours: "How many people know their way around occult musical teachings in their ancient, medieval, or Renaissance forms?"

Just curious if you might suggest any threads to start with pulling on this subject.

[boccaderlupo]

Not JMG, but you might try investigating Marsilio Ficino's music theory with regard to the Orphic hymns. One such paper...

Axé,
Fra' Lupo

Lunar eclipse marks 8 billion people

[miow]

I am heartened to see I am not the only one here feeling uneasy about the coming lunar eclipse. Is there any significance in the fact that we will welcome person no 8 billion on the date?

Re: Lunar eclipse marks 8 billion people

[brendhelm]

Not JMG.

I am unsure if we will actually hit 8 billion people on eclipse day. The projections showing that we will are based on models that may be underestimating certain recent and ongoing effects of certain things that have been happening in the world these last few years...

Observation

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, JMG
This isn't really a question, but more of an observation that I feel compelled to say, that the pictures you show of the notables of the occult history all seem to look so very commonplace. What I mean is they are not dressed in outlandish garb as if to call attention to themselves, at least not in the photographs.
This contrasts with my experience of the Pagan Community in Toronto where it is de-rigueur to go about dreassed noticeably differently from the ordinary folk. Almost wearing a costume.
I noticed the same thing at the very, very few festivals or gatherings I went to, I felt out of place not wearing special garb.
Is this just for their photos, or did they simply not feel a need to proclaim their otherness? There are quite a few meditations that spin off from that question!

Bruce
AKA Renaissance Man

Re: Observation

[ecosophia]

They weren't posers.

Certain kinds of magical and spiritual workings require vestments, but serious occultists put those on when they start their work and take them off to put on ordinary clothes when they're done. When you see somebody who goes capering around in funny clothing all the time, you're safe in assuming that they're mostly interested in getting attention, not in anything more serious.

One more geomancy question

[ivn66]

When Rubeus or Cauda Draconis appear as the first mother in a shield chart, are these to be interpreted in the same way as they would be in a house chart?

Re: One more geomancy question

[ecosophia]

I generally do so, but your mileage may vary.

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

You strike me as more of a read a book and keep it case I need to reference it kinda guy. Althought I know you make use of your local library (I bet whoever runs the ILL knows you quite well). Given this I'm curious.

1) How big is your personal library?
2) Does your book collection go to the same organization as your private papers when you move on?

AV

[ecosophia]

Between us, my wife and I own about two thousand books. Of those only a small number are rare or even slightly unusual, and no, I don't keep books I don't think I'll use again. I haven't made arrangements for my papers yet, though it's on the agenda -- I did some research before the Covid business disrupted everything, and it's on my get-to list.

Here in Rhode Island, btw, every library in the state is part of a single library system and you can borrow anything anywhere and have it sent to your local library. Nobody has to run the ILL system -- you do it through your library card account online. The same is also true in Maryland, where I lived until 2017.

viewing lunar eclipse

[(Anonymous)]

Should one avoid actually viewing a lunar eclipse?

Re: viewing lunar eclipse

[ecosophia]

Not at all. I've watched many of them, beginning when I was a child.

[causticus]

Good afternoon JMG,

1. I just started trying out the Judson etheric exercise. Quite powerful stuff! One question though, is it normal to feel a tingling sensation around my head and neck area? What I felt is like a subtle version of a sunburn sensation that lingers on quite a bit after the practice.

2. What planetary charity would donating money to a forest/nature preserve qualify as?

3. Do you know of any systems of practice which focus mostly on etheric energies? I seem to struggle a lot with astral-focused exercises (like SOP and visualizations) but my etheric senses have seemed to have become somewhat acute over the past few years; like if I come close enough to a human or animal I can feel their etheric energy just as concretely as if I were to touch a physical object. I do wonder if this is a clue that the etheric side of occultism is something I should focus on.

4. Are there dangers mixing magical practice with an ADD/ADHD-addled mind? (No, not asking for medical advice here, haha)

[ecosophia]

1) Yes, it's normal. There's quite a range of common etheric effects from exercises like this one.

2) Venus, since she governs all green plants.

3) Franz Bardon's system, as given in Initiation into Hermetics and his other books, has an etheric focus. There aren't many others in English, though if you read German there's plenty of material in that language.

[hippieviking]

JMG,

I recently was reminded of the existence of Wim Hof, not sure if you are familiar. The fellow does some fairly astounding feats of cold tolerance. He has marketed his method which is breathing techniques and cold exposure.

I'm not engaged in his program but I read a little about him and decided I would try cold showers again. I'm not a fan of the cold or of being cold. After a week of cold showers, I have managed three ten minute long showers in our 50 degree well water and it hasn't even been hard. I have also found it to be extremely conducive to meditation!

I know cold running water is supposed to be etherically cleansing, it has certainly felt that way to me! Apparently it is also a good medium for meditation. Are there any other occult related benefits that you know of?

HV

[ecosophia]

Wim Hof's methods get brought up here every so often, so yes, I've heard of them. ;-) Cold running water purifies you etherically and it also helps strengthen and focus your will. Lots of cultures worldwide use it as a means of spiritual cleansing, so if that appeals to you, by all means.

Psychiatry and magic

[mooseburger]

In the previous Magic Monday, I asked about the interaction between antipsychotic medication and magic, and you advised not to get into magic if you're on antipsychotics. I talked to my psychiatrist today about going off meds, and the thing is, she doesn't think I can ever get off the meds. Or at least, she strongly attempted to persuade me not to get off them, because she thinks if I'm off them, another psychotic episode will manifest. I suspect the same, with a caveat: while I can't really control if/when my brain decides to flood me with dopamine (or whatever neurotransmitters) if I'm not on meds, my bet is that I can avoid succumbing to the mania, paranoia and delusions of grandeur that have previously affected me.

What's interesting here is the collision in worldviews. You think I can get my psyche in order, she thinks my problem is a chronic physical condition (like asthma) that has to be managed with medication, that the medication is the way to get my psyche in order. Is there no room for the second view in magic? It is clearly materialism, which I don't believe in, and yet, mind and matter are clearly interrelated in complex ways. If I'm using meds to remain stable, and they work, without any side-effects to boot, why would this interfere with magic?

Re: Psychiatry and magic

[ecosophia]

From the occult point of view, the material plane is the plane of effects; the causes are all on higher planes. Thus the chemical imbalance in your brain, while quite real, isn't the source of the trouble; that's something on a higher plane. My advice remains the same. There are other things you can do in this life, and if magic has to wait until your next incarnation, that's simply the way it is.

[open_space]

Are consecrated objects sensible to xray? If so, would wrapping them in silk while being scanned protect them?

To share:

I found this an interesting read, though in french.

L’expérience de l’imagination comme agent noétique dans les courants ésotériques occidentaux. Aspects méthodologiques, historiques et phénoménologiques

[ecosophia]

I have no idea. You'd have to do experiments to find out.

[stellaobscura]

I finally did it, I uploaded a mundane astrology delineation of mine - tomorrow's lunar eclipse for The Netherlands - and it's not even fully complete, but I really wanted to get something up before the actual eclipse takes place. It's also not exactly in the format I wanted, but I was forever procrastinating, so I'm just happy I finally got around to it.

In any case, you can find it here: https://stellaobscura.dreamwidth.org

Comments are welcome.

What's interesting compared to the chart for the UK is that Saturn slips into the 1st house making all three planets in the T-square angular. The ascendant is also in Capricorn. So things look worse for us here than across the North Sea. Let's just hope that since the eclipse won't be visible the effects will be muted.

BTW, do you use AstroDienst for your charts?

Thanks,
Stella Obscura

[ecosophia]

Delighted to see this -- a good classic delineation. No, I don't use AstroDienst -- I have an old copy of SolarFire, a good workmanlike horoscope program.

weird question

[(Anonymous)]

sorry for the newbie question! since I was a child I felt like my father hated me but repressed his feelings and had nightmares of him trying to destroy me. as a teenager I tried to avoid him because whenever I did things while he watched I would slip up and often hurt myself, sometimes almost fatally. I felt like when we watched me bad things would happen. often when I'm around him I get a sense of overwhelming hostility. a few years ago he came into my bedroom and when he stepped where I drew pentagrams in the air for the daily LBRP he actually tripped and nearly fell down! then I got him to tell me exactly where he felt the energy, and he pointed to place where I drew the pentagrams. when I wear florida water he always comments that it smells bad to him and he almost gets upset. as an adult I try to tell him nothing about my life or what I am doing ever because I feel like he always projects bad energy at me --- insulating the windows I had no problem at all when I did it without him knowing about it right then but everytime I have done it with him knowing the tape won't stick and I get a sense of him sending me hostility.

from an occult perspective what do you this is going on here?

Re: weird question

[ecosophia]

Some people radiate nasty energies. The old word for such people was "witch." (It didn't mean "Goddess-worshipping Pagan" until a handful of 19th-century intellectuals redefined it.) Have you considered other forms of protective magic? Any good book on natural magic will give you plenty of options.

Judson Exercise

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry if the answer is terrible obvious - where can I find the instructions for the Judson exercise?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Judson Exercise

[ecosophia]

You're the second person to ask that this week! (The other was in the Covid open post.) You'll find the instructions here.

[(Anonymous)]

Are there concerns with claiming donations made for the purpose of planetary charity on taxes? I figure that whatever refund I get should be used for purposes which align with the planets, but are there other issues which need to be taken into account?

[ecosophia]

Not that I've ever noticed.

Ephemerides

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

For the purposes of following your cell salt 'experiment', and located on the other side of the pond, is this the correct one to use from this website - the 'tropical @ UTC/ kind of GMT?

https://www.astro.com/swisseph/ae/2000/ae_2022.pdf

I think there's another link that has loads to generete in there with some weird names, so it's confusing...

Thanks!

Re: Ephemerides

[ecosophia]

Yes. Any ephemeris that gives the location of the Moon in the tropical zodiac is fine.

CosDoc-Cosmoi

[(Anonymous)]

As I am slowly working my way through the CosDoc, a few questions / thoughts have arisen that I'd like to share. I'd be grateful for comments and suggestions:

1) When talking about (small) cosmoi as a system - what we call "evil" in regard to those, this can never be a reference to the ring chaos of the cosmos we inhabit but only an analogue, since the cosmoi we experience are obviously in manifestation but the primeval ring chaos is not part of our cosmos. I'd interpret the ring chaos of a (sub-)cosmos as something that is outside of this cosmos but still part of a larger cosmos that encompasses it (and possibly more cosmoi). From inside a (sub-)cosmos, the ring chaos appears to be an outside, diffusing force - but from the perspective of the larger cosmos, what leaves the sub-cosmos just becomes part of the larger cosmos' basic substance.

2) Looking at the classic figures of the mage, the mystic and the occultist - the mage is somebody who manipulates cosmoi (like turning their angle in regard to others) and possibly creates cosmoi to move through the larger cosmos and achieve his goals. The mystic tries to do this by merging his own cosmos with others and the occultist watches the dynamics of the cosmoi of his world to plan his steps and move in the right moment, possibly using a little bit of magic for assistance?

Whether or not these thoughts are anywhere on track, there seems to be a vastness behind all this that makes me shake my head in wonder at times - but sometimes I feel like staring at the screaming abyss Asenath can enter in WoH which can be very frightening.

Greetings and many thanks,
Nachtgurke

Re: CosDoc-Cosmoi

[ecosophia]

1) Yes -- and even in the Cosmos as a whole, what spins out along the angle of the Ring-Chaos simply becomes part of the basic substance of the Unmanifest.

2) The mage creates mesocosmoi -- cosmoi intermediate between himself and the Cosmos. (That's what a ritual is, for example.) The mystic aligns with the forces of the Cosmos. The occultist understands the tides and flows of the rings and rays so as to act in the opportune place at the opportune time.

3) Yep. We live in a far vaster and stranger world than our culture likes to pretend.

Holy water

[(Anonymous)]

Hey jmg

In “Circles of power”, what is the source for the consecration of holy water?
Also, do you have any sources on the meaning of the prayers used in the consecration?

Re: Holy water

[ecosophia]

1) It's adapted from a consecration given by Eliphas Lévi.

2) Meditate on them!

[(Anonymous)]

We have a total lunar eclipse over Aus tonight - is this usually a good or a bad omen astrologically speaking? What does it usually symbolise, anything personally I should look for?

[ecosophia]

Eclipses are always bad omens, but this one won't affect you unless it happens to be in aspect with something in your natal chart.

Combust Hours of the Moon

[tunesmyth]

Happy Monday! Thanks as always for this forum.

I've been the Vivian Robson book on Electional Astrology that you linked here a couple of times. One of the factors in there which was previously unknown to me is that of "combust hours" of the moon-- a cycle of hours wherein the moon's energies lose their force. For those unfamiliar, the first 12 hours of a new moon, according to this way of thinking, are actually *not* useful for starting new things. The following 72 hours are fine, but then once again there is another 12 hour "combust" stretch. And so on, cycling through so that every 3.5 days, exactly the first seventh of the time is combust and thus less than ideal for Election purposes. I'd heard before--perhaps from you?-- that some consider the first visibility of the moon, rather than the actual New Moon, the best time to start something new place. This May account for it. (And for why some things that I attempted to start exactly on a new moon never got off the ground.)

(1) Is this something that shows up in Horary, Mundane, or other forms of astrology that you know of?

(2) Robson doesn't go into any details, but as it's called "combust", I'm guessing there is some kind of lunar timing system going on here similar to the planetary days and hours? Where the first 1/7 of the cycle is the "12 hours of the sun", perhaps, accounting for why it might be called "combust"? I'm just making a guess here. Do you know any more about it? Is it tied into lunar mansions (which I haven't gotten to yet)?

Re: Combust Hours of the Moon

[ecosophia]

I have no idea where Robson got that. I've never seen it elsewhere. There may well be some kind of timing system involved, but it's not known to me.

[d_mekel]

I can't recall where I heard or read it, but it was in regards to suicide and reincarnation. If you commit suicide, you are reincarnated pretty quickly and have to continue the trials you already were on. Does that sound familiar or is written somewhere?

[ecosophia]

Not familiar at all. The teaching I learned was that people who commit suicide have to hang around until their normal time of death would have happened, and only then go on to the afterlife. It's very dull, and also fairly miserable.

[pleiadesdreaming]

This is my first attempt trying to celebrate non judeo Christian holidays, like the equinoxes and solstices. The thing is, I really have no idea how to incorporate my family (daughter age 2) into the celebrations. I'm probably overthinking this, but how does the commetariat and host go about this?

[ecosophia]

The same way you would any other holiday, with a big meal and some fun activities. The winter solstice is easy -- most of the old, pre-corporate shopping spree Christmas customs fit it perfectly. Hot spiced cider, homemade cookies or other treats, and the like will make it memorable for your daughter. In Druid tradition, the bear is the symbolic animal of the winter solstice, so you can always do something involving that -- say, a favorite teddy bear might become a distinguished guest. The most important thing is to have fun in a way that reflects the season.

[ivn66]

Hello for the third and final time this evening.

I just now cast a house chart to ask if I would benefit from going on a weeklong trip out-of-country I was invited on. The chart translates with Via in the 2nd and 8th houses. I'm still very new to geomancy so I'd like to see if you wouldn't mind offering a quick interpretation of the precise nature of this translation. This one has me a little stumped. It does look like the two significators aren't really the most promising, so perhaps the chart is saying the benefit will be more in the nature of a lesson learned the hard way. Also interesting to me is that the figure making the translation can be obtained by combining the figures if the querent and the quesited.

https://georatio.com/?c=9df8&t=1&d=9&s=2&q=

[ecosophia]

The answer is yes, but the thing that makes it worth taking is the trip, not the destination. I gather that you're not really happy where you are right now, and going somewhere else will give you a chance to get away for a while. Sooner or later, you'll have to deal with whatever it is that's making your current situation unwelcome.

Judson Banishing

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Folks and JMG! I have not heard of the Judson exercise; or banishing ritual; is it in one of your books, John?

My partner and I have spent the last 13 months care-taking his folks who both passed, his mom at at 97 and his dad at age 100. We also weathered Covid (again) and a "Bloody Hell" flu a month later and are slowly regaining our momentum. It's nice to be back scrolling through the conversation. As always, thank you JMG for all your generous counsel and information. ~ Sidney

Judson Banishing

[(Anonymous)]

Ah, just found the link, thanks! ~ Sidney

Re: Judson Banishing

[ecosophia]

You're most welcome. ;-)