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 picture?  I'm working my way through photos of my lineage, focusing on the teachers whose work has influenced me. Sylvester Gould, last week's honoree, was an active member of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, one of the more interesting occult orders of the late 19th century. (After many reorganizations, it's still around as the Church of Light aka Brotherhood of Light.) The H.B. of L., as most people called it back in the day, was founded by two British occultists, T.H. Burgoyne and Peter Davidson. The photo is of Burgoyne. It's also the photo of another gentleman, one Captain Norman Astley, who took over the reorganized H.B. of L. in America from Burgoyne, married another H.B. of L. adept -- the remarkable and talented Genevieve Stebbins -- and helped Benjamin Williams aka Elbert Benjamine aka C.C. Zain re-reorganize the H.B. of L. into the Brotherhood of Light aka Church of Light. Yes, Burgoyne and Astley were the same person. It's a complicated story. But Burgoyne and Peter Davidson, whom we'll be talking about next week, were among Sylvester Gould's teachers -- and behind them stands another and a considerably stranger figure.

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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 either of the links above to access my online tip jar; Buymeacoffee is good for small tips, Ko-Fi is better for larger ones. (I used to use PayPal but they developed an allergy to free speech, so I've developed an allergy to them.) 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 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

Bad luck or something else?

[illyria2001]

A little over three months ago, I decided to switch from the LBRP/MP as my daily protective ritual to the SOP (after doing the LBRP/MP for over two years). I'd been hoping to get more in touch with the telluric current, and I'd done the SOP in the past, so I figured I would go back to this. But in these past three months I've had the flu, Covid, and a cold. Was this just a case of incredibly bad luck, or could it have been some sort of attack by someone or something waiting for me to drop my guard? I never got sick at all in the two years prior to this, and I can't help but feel something sinister was behind it. I've done some divinations about it but the answers were unclear, and I was wondering if there are any telltale signs of a psychic attack I might have missed. Needless to say I've gone back to the LBRP/MP, and I don't know if it's purely psychological or not, but I am feeling much better now.

Special Forces?

[happypanda]

Well here's one more Y/N Tarot 1 card draw I just did for Russia.

Q: Will Russia attack & hit outside of Ukraine using special forces (not merc troops) in January?

A: The Blessings of Ganesha!

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning, JMG! Happy Magic Monday to yourself and all reading this.

I have some protocol questions pertaining to the FHR I’ve been wondering about.

1) How do we give each other the step, grip, and sign? For example, if I approach you, do I give you the step grip and sign of whatever grade I’m at and then you give me the step grip and sign of whatever grade you’re at? Or are we supposed to try and do it at the same time?

2) How does speaking the word of the grade with others work? Presumably after the step, grip, and sign but how does it work if we’re at two different grades? Do we complete each other’s different words? How does this work if one person is at a higher grade than the other? Is the person of the lower grade still permitted to respond with the second half of the word even though they’ve not initiated that far?

Thanks very much!
J

Another pesky Tarot question

[degringolade]

So, I am trying to learn about the Tarot/Quabala. But I am a little bit concerned that all the readings that I have be using (your and Mssr. Miktuk's book being a part of my syllabus) seem to be lacking in discussion of the pip cards in the lesser ancana.

Is there any books that you can recommend that have a more thorough discussion of the pip cards in the Tarot?

Happy New Year all.

[(Anonymous)]

Is there a name for the type of magic that involves making statues - like gargoyles for protection?

If Antony Gormley knows magic, he could have a massive otherworld workforce doing stuff for him: https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/archive/7ecIqOzOBZ6LgY86gMq4_1082095496.jpeg. :)

[tamanous2020]

Happy New Years JMG!

Q- To assist with my ongoing affirmation this year, I've been thinking of offering up regular prayer/incense to Miyomoto Musashi (as much of his work seems related to the goal of that affirmation).

A) Is that a good route to go?
B) Do you happen to know if there are any special rules regarding offerings to a Japanese cultural figure?

Thanks,

Tamanous

[(Anonymous)]

If you encounter something nasty while out and about, what are the magic anti-surveillance and break contact drills to stop it following you home?

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,
Did the New Thought movement emerge as a vehicle to reveal some secrets of occult teachings in diluted form to the general public at a time when they were ready to hear it? If so, do the occultists practice this kind of partial revelations according to a certain calendar, based on some astrological cycles?

Numerology for the New Year

[(Anonymous)]

Happy New Year and best wishes to everyone.

I’m using numerology to get an idea of how the year ahead looks for both my business and myself. Using the numerology system you posted last year it was easy to make a prediction for my personal life. Doing the calculations for the business seems alittle more complex and I'd like your help on the following.

Some questions:

1) For calculating the birth number for the business would I use the date I formed the corporation or the first day of business?

2) The name number is 5. Reading the description of a "5" name number for an individual doesn't seem to translate directly into a description for a company. Since this is a small company where I am the principal, along with my wife, would the personality of the company be more along the line of my personality? (Interestingly my personal name number is a "5" as well so the point may be moot.)

3) The business time number for 2023 is 5...lots of 5's here, which is ruled by Mars. Since this indicates "...a number of unexpected changes in which the risk and rewards are both considerable..." would there be any value in doing planetary charity to Mars throughout the year?

4) My plan is to develop and grow the business to sell in a few years. Is there a preferred time number year in which to sell a business? I was thinking an "8" or "9" year, which would correspond well with my personal plans.

Thanks in advance.

Weather radio and MOE Healing Hands

[slclaire]

I've recently begun working with the MOE Healing Hands technique. A few days after I began, the display on my weather radio went dark at some time overnight, although the radio itself still worked. I left the radio alone the next day until it was time for bed. The display was still dark. Then I performed the MOE Healing Hands on the radio, with the intention to heal the display. Sometime overnight, the display started working again, and it continues to work!

This brings up a discussion of life in what we usually consider machinery. I've always had friendly feelings toward the weather radio. Here in the Midwest, knowing when to take shelter from an approaching tornado is a big deal. The December 2021 tornado that hit the Amazon warehouse in Illinois about 10 miles away was one it had warned us about, and we were in shelter and the radio with us when it hit. Treating the machinery in our lives in a respectful manner honors their lives, so it may not be such a stretch to use healing techniques on them, especially if, like the weather radio, there are no user-serviceable parts aside from changing the battery.

On another note, I'm enjoying the practices in the Way of the Golden Section. A zoo of constructed polyhedra has an honored place on a coffee table. Thanks for the GSF; I'm looking forward to working my way through all the books!

[(Anonymous)]

Last week, I mentioned my uncomfortable theory that part of what drove the vaccine madness was accidental magic on the part of large parts of the middle classes to make sure they died before they lost their perks and privileges. Well, something very uncomfortable happened last night: my mother, always a good example of where the middle classes will be going next, said something I find very troubling when my sister said she was still not vaccinated against Covid-19 and brought out the evidence of harm to try to convince my mother to get off her case about it:

"Even if the Covid-19 vaccine kills me, it was a good deal, and given the chance, I'd do it again even knowing that it would cost my life."

This suggests two things to me: first, things are about to get really, really weird, since my mother is quite reliably about three months to a year ahead of where the majority of the middle classes will go; and second that if the vaccine does kill a lot of people, it won't be entirely unwelcome by all of them, and may even at some level have been the point for some of them....

D&D as the Road to Perdition

[(Anonymous)]

Mr. JMG,

I have a question prompted by your December 14 post on role playing games. I grew up in a Christian church which taught that any involvement in the occult was a surefire way to deliver one's soul to the Adversary. "The Occult" was defined widely enough to encompass yoga, D&D, rock music (especially if played backwards!), etc.

I no longer hold these beliefs, and my experience with the occult, particularly the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, has been nothing but positive. However, occasionally I wax paranoid. Is it possible to inadvertently start down a dark path by way of a song, game or other sort of entertainment?

Let me give a specific example. Yesterday I rang in the new year by avoiding alcohol and spending the day out in nature in the company of good friends. It was an extremely positive day. Driving home I relaxed to the song "By Demons be Driven" by Pantera.

I've contemplated this question, and believe that intention is key. I did not focus my consciousness on the negative, I did not perform any ritual in the plane of Malkuth designed for any malign purpose. My conclusion is that it's just a song, just a game, etc. I'm interested to know how you view the matter.

cheers,

Anonymous

Numerologicaly finally in a year of 6.

[(Anonymous)]

Last year was pretty tumultuos I was in a year of 5.

How will this year be for me.

I haven't fixed all the issues last year, but given the battles I am quite content.

What should I have in mind this year?

Thank you

[(Anonymous)]

1) I'm meditating on the triads of the third grade of the DA, which discuss the relationship of the higher self to the personality, and the potential for the soul to fall back into the Cauldron of Annwn.

What would you expect to see, if anything, in a person who is headed down that path, putting the higher self at the service of the personality's desires?

-Cliff

[liamq]

JMG,

My apologies if this is a loaded question. The subject is one of my pet hates and I’m seeking some perspective.

I find that it is common in the relevant circles to own scores of tarot decks. And I notice my wariness of this trend because it strikes me as out of control consumerism. I also have suspicions that utilising so many decks in a skilful way is nearly impossible.

But maybe I’m being harsh and missing something. Are there any serious divinatory reasons one might consider owning an arsenal’s worth of tarot cards?

Energy

[(Anonymous)]

Are there any etheric or astral techniques you know of/recommend for having more energy throughout the day?

Michael Ende

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

I think Michael Ende has been mentioned somewhere in your online writings, especially with regard to his famous book, The Neverending Story.

Could you please mention your take on this book? I've felt it would make a wonderful study material for developing the imagination, but how solid is it from an accomplished occultist's perspective?

Of course, if you have already written about it, a link to the relevant post would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time!

[(Anonymous)]

Are the Lords of Flame, Form, and Mind the beings who show up in various culture's pantheons as deities and other entities? For example, might Bast simply be the Lord of Mind that is the group soul of cats? Native American religions also come to mind where animal spirits seem to be a focal point.

Asian folklore

[(Anonymous)]

Hey jmg

Not exactly a question so much as a sharing of something of interest to everyone here.

I have found these resources on Vietnamese and Chinese folklore and tales that people may want to read and which I share here.

“Under the starfruit tree” by Alice M terada

“Vietnamese stories for language learners” by Tri C Tran & Tram Le

“Chinese myths & folktales” sterling publishing.

Interestingly, the 1st & 3rd books all have a story involving the soul of a recently dead man reanimating the body of a different recently dead man and returning to their previous life to the confusion of the second man’s family.

J.L.Mc12

Day by Day

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, and thank you for offering this forum.

For a year and half now I've been practicing daily the Sphere of Protection, the simple meditation on Eliphas Levi that you recommend in your blog posts, and a four-card Tarot divination.

I have now reached the point of finding these practices exceedingly onerous. The SOP often feels like slogging through a swamp of distracting thoughts, and the meditation wanders off in all directions. The four-card draw seems to be getting harder to interpret, and frequently the meaning of one or more cards is completely opaque to me.

Nevertheless I persevere, even if it takes me much longer some mornings to drag myself to the task than others. I'm tempted to move my practices to some time in the evening, but I think that would only make it easier to contemplate skipping a day.

My question is simple. If I understand the sum of your writing and teaching aright, this is the point at which I need to Just Keep Going. Am I right?

[(Anonymous)]

If someone knew they were going to be heading into high-stress situations is there magic they could do to protect themselves from PTSD? (Assuming they were doing the material world things as much as possible - being well trained, well fed, well rested, and debriefing after incidents.)

Curses

[(Anonymous)]

Happy New Year, JMG!

I think we all agree that the Hex Trump movement was a very bad idea. But I'm wondering whether you think a curse against someone (not a national figure, I'm thinking someone you know personally) is ever justified. I've read varied opinions on this. Some say they should be confined to people that do very bad stuff (people making threats, putting your life in danger, etc.). I do know one well-known occultist who thinks a curse against someone threatening your livelihood (like spreading malicious gossip at work) is justified, especially if you live in an area without many opportunities.

Or do you think curses always have negative consequences for the magician? I'd be interested to know your viewpoint.

Thanks!

Mundane Astrology: How far ahead?

[milkyway1]

Good evening,

And thank you very much for hosting another Magic Monday - this is a real treasure trove. I hope you and your wife had a pleasant start into the week! :-)

How far ahead can one reasonably look with mundane astrology?

My understanding is that one needs a certain background knowledge about the current situation of a country etc to do meaningful predictions - or putting it differently, the further one would look into the future, the less fine-grained the predictions would become.

But could mundane astrology also be used a bit further out in the future to get a very general idea about some „coarse-grained“ stuff which will happen in a country‘s future?

As an example: There are predictions talking about a „war cycle“ in upcoming years, say the second half of this decade. If somebody simply wanted to check the most important mundane astrology „markers“ for war in their country, could this be done five to ten years ahead? Or do you think it would be hard to predict even major trends this far out?

(And yep, I‘m aware that this would be assuming that the capital would stay the same and the country wouldn‘t break up or otherwise rearrange in a major way… ;-) )

Milkyway

PS: I‘ve skimmed through the mundane posts on subscribestar, but haven‘t worked with the material yet. Subscribestar makes printing it a royal pain, so I‘ve decided to wait for your book. Apologies if you‘ve already covered this question somewhere in your posts there and I missed it!

the value of Mystery Schools

[(Anonymous)]

I have been interested in esoteric studies for several years and have allowed my curiosity to guide my intellectual wandering. Lately however, I am feeling that this approach is leading nowhere in particular. I have recently learned about The Modern Mystery School, which would offer me a more structured approach to the information, but also requires incremental financial investments for healing and training milestones/levels of advancement.

If you have any knowledge about this group, would you please provide me with any impressions or opinions that you may have? Thank you for any guidance you may be able to offer, I appreciate it.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you once again for hosting Magic Monday!

I am curious about your thoughts on where the Western occult / magical community is headed. I have been thinking about this after reading some of your work and learning that magical lodges were once all the rage, but gave way to Wicca and covens, for instance. It's difficult for me to see the current iteration of neo-paganism having any kind of lasting roots, for a wide variety of reasons.