Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's almost 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 and the teachers who influenced them in turn. Last week's honoree, Theodor Reuss, got the idea and many of the teachings that went into the Ordo Templi Orientis from this man, Carl Kellner. Kellner was an Austrian chemist and a successful industrialist who made a tolerably large fortune by creating and patenting a new process for manufacturing wood pulp for paper. He was also, as the photo shows, something of a dandy; let it never be said that all occultists are dowdy!

In his off hours, he was an active Freemason and a student of occultism. A member of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, he also studied with European students of our old friend, Paschal Beverly Randolph, and with several Hindu gurus and a Sufi shaykh. He drew up plans for an occult order that would pass on Randolph's sexual gnosis using rituals like those of Freemasonry. Before he could complete the plan, however, he was struck down with a sudden unexplained illness, recovered somewhat after a long hospital stay, and then suddenly died. (There's some reason to think that he'd been experimenting with kundalini yoga -- not the modern, simplified, safe version, but the old robust teachings that can drop you dead in your tracks if you don't have a guru watching you on a daily basis.) Since I'm not a member of the OTO, my only connection with any of that story is that one of my teachers was taught by a student of a student of a student of Kellner; still, thin as it is, the connection is there.

Buy Me A Coffee

Ko-Fi

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

planetary charity question

[(Anonymous)]

Do you suggest only doing one planetary charity working at a time?

Thanks.

Re: planetary charity question

[ecosophia]

To begin with, certainly. Later, when you've learned your way around the process and know what to expect, you can make your own decisions about this.

Safe meditations

[(Anonymous)]

My question is in regard to the blurb of Kellner. And it is, is there a rule of thumb when exploring mediation or spiritual technique to judge the safety?

Re: Safe meditations

[ecosophia]

Yes. The meditations that are potentially dangerous are the ones that move subtle energy within the body; you're dealing with the life force when you do that, and if you mess up you can screw up the balanced flows that keep you alive. Certain practices are known to be safe -- the Middle Pillar exercise used by the Golden Dawn and the Three Cauldrons exercise taught in several of my Druid books are examples of these. If you have any doubts, find people who have practiced them systematically for at least several years and ask about their experiences.

[taylorrose]

Hey JMG,

This might be whiny, and if so, I apologize; but The Dolmen Arch curriculum has been getting brutally difficult. I was expecting a challenge and some initiatic tests, but this has been something truly awful, far beyond anything else in my life. Is it supposed to be this hard? Or is this evidence that I am doing something wrong? Is there any encouragement you can give, or do I just need to suck it up?

[ecosophia]

Yes, it's supposed to be that hard -- at least if you take it seriously and put appropriate effort into the work. You're not doing anything wrong, and in fact you're doing something very, very right. Keep with it, step by step, and the benefits you get as you proceed will far outweigh the difficulties you're experiencing now.

(Pro tip: every serious occult practitioner goes through the meat grinder at some point, usually somewhere in the first really serious system of training they tackle. Once you're out the other side, the doors start to open wide.)

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG,
As I am progressing in meditation and having longer sessions, I tend to have more moments where my mind becomes flooded with a continuous stream of images (often random, cartoonish and agressivelly nonsensical). They are not really me daydreaming as I am in a state of involved concentration and stillness (my mind is fully pulled together) but they are similar in some ways to the content one might see before sleep. Today was striking as it felt almost like a tv station being opened in my skull that I found impossible to close without ending the meditation altogether. Would you know of a way to stop that, the only thing I wish is to have a still mind in order to go to deeper states of consciousness or to properly perform the exercises.
Thanks !

[ecosophia]

You're dealing with one of the standard challenges of meditation -- becoming aware of the background chatter below the threshold of ordinary consciousness in your mind. Learning to discipline that level of mentation is one of the things that meditation allows you to do; it's not quick or easy, but if you patiently keep focusing on your intention and the theme of your meditation, in due time you'll finish wading through the muck and bring that level, too, under conscious control.

Completed the LRM course last week

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

Thank you for this space.

Last Friday I completed the self-initiation ritual from "Learning Ritual Magic". It has taken me three years to finish the lessons (it's not that there were any breaks--I spent months on some lessons for no discernible reason). I wanted to share (a slightly edited version of) the course review notes that I made as part of the last lesson. These are in no specific order and may seem almost banal, but I wanted to share them all the same.

This is quite long, and it would be helpful if you could comment on some of these points, however, please feel free not to (or even not publish this, for that matter).

1. I am more awareness of the astral plane and am easily able to 'transit' to it, viz., bring readily to the mind's eye images of both real and imaginary things.

2. I have developed a more nuanced view of good and evil; most of the things we consider evil or bad are relative to our milieu and the set of conventions to which we have been exposed. On the flip side, I have become more 'cruel' and am accepting of things which would have earlier made me react in pity and kindness. The notion of revenge and doing something 'evil' in return to somebody is also stronger in me. I have been practising martial arts for more than seven years now and have reached an above-intermediate level of proficiency - I hope this confidence to handle physical conflicts doesn't have something to do with this (going against all the tenets of the martial arts).

3. I have noticed a significant enhancement of my will - in carrying out things that I would otherwise have put off, pushing my limits, sticking to a regimen of exercise or magical practice, and so on. On the other hand, this has made me more impatient towards those who do not have a strong will, in general those whom I perceive as being weak of mind.

4. My career and aptitude are in the abstract domain (computer science, to be precise), and I enjoy problem-solving and exercising my intellect. I guess I have an affinity to Hod - I prefer to dwell in the intellectual plane (puzzles, logic, reasoning out, understanding, and knowing).

5. The initial exposure to the Tarot cards in the early lessons have awakened in me an interest in and love for things European. I don't know if this is because a past-life connection to Europe. I also have a strong affinity for the Roman empire and Latin - so much so that I have been learning Latin for the last two years.

6. I seem to have acquired a strong streak of nihilism and a feeling of "What is the point of anything?". I don't know if this is related to magical practice or a consequence of growing old and becoming more aware of my own mortality. This is somewhat counter-intuitive to the fundamental magical principle that we are more than this life and the presence of other planes of existence.

7. I have been somewhat lax with the meditation and am still somewhat confused about discursive meditation; meditating on a symbol and its associated concepts and ideas seems not that different from 'associative thinking' where we allow the mind to lead us on a chain of thoughts and concentrate on what each thought means and implies.

8. Tarot divination has been pretty hit-or-miss for me. Though I feel a strong affinity towards the cards, I am not able to grasp what they are trying to say to me, or map the happenings in a day to the card I drew.

9. I am beginning to incorporate Tiphareth into my martial arts practice. It is early days yet, but I think I am able to bring out the so-called 'high feel' in each movement that my master talks about.

10. I have become more assertive and dominating/controlling of situations. There has also been an increase in my clarity of thought and analytical ability, with 'magical' intuition coming into play additionally.

11. When I am about to fall asleep or sitting/lying quietly with my eyes closed, unbidden/unrelated images sometimes pop up. These do not relate to any situation (past, present or future) and seem random.

12. I am more aware of patterns of synchronicity in my life.

13. I am a practising Hindu, but I have developed an affinity to other religions/philosophies, specifically Hermeticism and Christianity. I feel a powerful bond of love towards Christ and his suffering on the cross.

14. Affinity for history, old things, permanance (probably an artifact of growing older).

15. I am an introvert by nature. I feel that this trait has become more pronounced - I try to avoid crowds, even conversation with people if I can.

16. I think have developed more insights into people's motives, and read them better. In general, I pay more attention and notice information flows and cues where I wouldn't have caught them before.

17. I am quicker to anger and to take offence.

18. I have become more aggressive in my driving. I live in India where the traffic is, metaphorically speaking, 'eat or be eaten', and my earlier style of polite, safe driving used to get me a lot of stick from other (impatient) drivers. Now I give back as good as I get (though not compromising on safety, of course).

19. One worrying aspect is the reduction in my belief that all humans are equal. While I believe in treating everyone fairly, realism in terms of people's capabilities, potential, etc. has crept in. I also think the knowledge of things like karma is also a factor in this outlook.

20. There has also been a gradual shift to a right-wing ideology - I am drawn more to tradition, proven ways of doing things, order, and so on. I have developed an aversion to degeneracy and deviance.

21. I have stopped caring about what people (who don't matter to me) think of me. I still adhere to my own ethical code, of course, but social conventions no longer bind me that strongly.

Best regards.

Re: Completed the LRM course last week

[ecosophia]

Congratulations on finishing the course! Less than ten per cent of the people who begin a study course of that kind get to the end of it, so you're among the few. I'd encourage you to work on the increased anger and the readiness to take offense -- those aren't helpful. Anger should always be something you choose, and it's best used in small doses; as for a habit of taking offense easily, that normally comes from inadequate self-knowledge leading to a brittle self-image. (The Order of Spiritual Alchemy lessons are very good for working on this.) As for the rest -- yes, those happen. One very common consequence of doing serious esoteric work is that it helps you understand what you yourself think and believe and desire, as distinct from what society wants you to think and believe and desire!

The Well and the Tree Review and Whence New Thought?

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

I hope everyone's starting to enjoy some early spring weather, and that the skipped hour last night hasn't done you too much ill.

To Share: I have taken a first stab at putting together my thoughts on The Well and the Tree, but I'm not totally happy with it. At any rate, in the spirit of "writing to work things out" and "put it out there and learn from it", here's the post as I have it for now: https://jpowellrussell.com/#thoughts_on_the_well_and_the_tree

Furthermore, it is my opinion that Daylight Savings Time delenda est!

To Ask: I've gotten used to digging through 20th century self-help and occultist stuff and going "oh, that's from New Thought", but what has been less obvious to me is where did New Thought come from?

As always, thanks very much to JMG and everyone else here.

To any who will have them, I put forth my blessings and best wishes,
Jeff

Re: The Well and the Tree Review and Whence New Thought?

[ecosophia]

Fortunately I've already done a blog post on that very subject!

Ecosophia Prayer List

[tunesmyth]

To those who are interested, here are all of the requests for prayer that have recently appeared across the Ecosophia community. Please feel free to add any or all of them to your prayers.

If I missed anybody on the full list, or if you would like to add a prayer request for yourself or anyone who has given you consent (or for whom a relevant person holds power of consent) to the list, please feel free to leave a comment below and/or at the prayer list page.

This week I would like to bring special attention to these prayer requests.

Mr. Beekeeper (Beekeeper in Vermont's husband), who was airlifted to a hospital in Albany NY for heart issues, for blessings, protection, and healing. Mr. Beekeeper's condition is stable but he's in need of a bypass, with surgery scheduled for Thursday.

Praesepe, who got a double mastectomy on March 8th. Please pray that she overcome her cancer; for blessings and her protection, and for her healing. (Original request here).

Last but not least is Lp9's request on behalf of their hometown, East Palestine Ohio, for the safety and welfare of their people and all living beings in the area. The details coming out are still caught in the fog of war, and various claims of catastrophe and non-catastrophe are flying about, but the reasonable possibility seems to exist that this is an environmental disaster on par with the worst America has ever seen. At any rate, it is clearly having a devastating impact on the local area, and prayers are certainly warranted.

***

Finally, if there are any among you who might wish to join me in a bit of astrological timing, I pray each week for the health of all those with health problems on the list on the astrological Hour of the Sun on Sundays, bearing in mind the Sun’s rulerships of heart, brain, and vital energies. If this appeals to you, I invite you to join me.

Re: Ecosophia Prayer List

[ecosophia]

As always, thank you very much for this.

Burial techniques

[(Anonymous)]

Hello Mr. Greer,

Do you think there is a danger to exposing a dead body to chemical treatments like formaldehyde that impeded the decaying process? Could this retard or impair the reincarnation process?

Re: Burial techniques

[ecosophia]

Not at all. Once the soul has detached itself from the material body -- a process that normally takes about three days -- what happens to the material body has very little effect on it. If you pump the body full of poisonous chemicals such as formaldehyde before the soul has finished detaching from it, the death of those cells that are still living breaks the connection with the soul very suddenly; that's a jolt to the soul, but it's not significantly different from what happens when somebody dies in an explosion or some other very sudden means of death.

Interesting channeled works from the 20th century!

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, JMG! Thanks for another Magic Monday.

You have previously replied with this to a question about Crowley:

"As for the Book of the Law, channeled volumes handed down by discarnate intelligences were a dime a dozen in the 20th century. Crowley's contribution to the genre doesn't strike me as especially interesting."

Could you please elaborate on that, giving us a few of the channeled volumes you do consider interesting and worth seeking out (aside from the Cosmic Doctrine, of course -- love your articles about it, by the way)?

Cheers!

Re: Interesting channeled works from the 20th century!

[ecosophia]

Alongside The Cosmic Doctrine, W.B. Yeats's A Vision ranks particularly high in my estimation. Most of the others -- The Urantia Book, A Course in Miracles, Meade Layne's collections of the messages of E Yada da Shi'ite, the Seth material, Edgar Cayce's material, etc., etc. -- don't really interest me.

James Merill's The Changing Light at Sandover is seriously worthwhile as literature -- arguably the best piece of channeled literature so far, in fact -- but I don't use it as a source for occult teachings.

Divination

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I've been working my way through The Druid Path and have started with the divination using the Coelbren alphabet. I made myself discs from cardboard which I then select out of a paper bag.

At first I thought I would do it for a month or so to see what happens before I ask any questions here, but after only a week I'm building up resistance against it and I think it may help if I can get some guidance.

The book advises to ask the question 'what will I encounter today / tomorrow?'

I find this such a general question that it's difficult to write down anything meaningful as a prelude to see if what I 'intuit' comes to pass. Thus far I have basically written down what I have planned for the next day and any expectations I have of it. And thus far the outcomes have been as bland as the predictions. Maybe my life is just bland :-)

In some cases I had meetings planned that were cancelled and that fit with the readings. But that happens to me all the time, I don't need divination to know that meetings have a good chance of being moved or cancelled.

Also, I consistently get very 'negative' readings in the sense that they foretell difficulties or need for change. Apart from the fact that such successive readings with a similar message actually induces fear of divination in me, I often wonder whether I should be seeing these readings in a larger context e.g. perhaps the change required is that I should move to another country?

The danger I see here is that I start reading meaning into the divination that is simply not there but that are occupying my mind in general.

Where I live I can't get physical books from overseas easily and I can't find an ebook version of your book about the Coelbren alphabet to buy on the internet.

Could you or any of the commentariat give some guidance on how to approach the divination so that I treat it with adequate but not overdue respect? Or point me towards books / readings about divination in general that might help?

Thanks

Periwinkle Somnolent Raccoon in a far flung and collapsing corner of the world

Re: Divination

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Periwinkle Somnolent Raccoon,

(not JMG, just a random member of the commentariat)

I spent several years doing daily divinations, first with Tarot cards, and then with geomancy. And I completely know what you mean; much of the time, you have a pedestrian day, and you think "wow, I really read a lot into that divination that was overly dramatic!"

The benefit of doing the divination every day is that occasionally, something dramatic DOES happen, and then you can go back and see how the oracle indicated it.

Once that happens enough times, you can use the oracle profitably for specific questions. It becomes easier to understand the indications. (Of course, you still need to ask the right question.)

The fuzzier aspect of daily divination is that it trains you to "read the vibes", so that you begin to notice small details in your environment and other people that subtly tip you off to what is going to happen, or where you need to go.

Just my two cents, for what it's worth. May your perception grow ever keener!

-Ms. Krieger

[thinking_turtle]

Question from a beginner about upright or reversed card readings. For example the Sacred Geometry Oracle card 4 is named The Ellipse and its upright meaning is Flow and its reverse meaning is Adjustment. I'm wondering about the concept of reversion. Is upright an internal force you initiate, versus a reversed for an external force applied to you? Is upright good news and reversed bad news? Is upright the opposite of reversed, or a variation in the same direction?

What can you say about upright and reversed? If one knows a card is upright or reversed, but not its name or number, what could one read from that?

[ecosophia]

What can I say about upright and reversed? Why, that it's a fine theme for meditation, one that is used in many occult schools that work with divinatory decks, and one that some designers of divination decks deliberately work into the meanings they assign to their cards.

;-)

Question about etheric level protection

[(Anonymous)]

Dear John Michael Greer,

As ever, my thanks to you for hosting these Magic Mondays.

To return to a much-discussed topic of yore: using sharp iron objects such as knives or needles for etheric protection. I have a silver jewelry pin, the sort of thing to wear on a jacket lapel. Would this serve?

And a related question: this pin has a needle that folds over and a little roundy thing to hold it in place. Therefore, when in place on the jacket lapel, the tip of the sharp needle is enclosed. Does this matter?


PS You might be amused to know, if you do not already, that in the book The Aran Islands, John Synge reports that according to the local storyteller, a needle hidden in a shirt collar is the trick to protect oneself against the good people.

Crimson Erudite Trafalgarsaurus

Re: Question about etheric level protection

[ecosophia]

You'd have to experiment and find out! I'd recommend trying the silver pin on one day, a steel needle on another, and nothing at all on a third, and see what results you get.

50 gates

[(Anonymous)]

Hey jmg

Last week I asked some questions concerning the 50 gates, and I’m afraid I have one more, which is how exactly are the 5 sets of the gates attributed to the tree of life?

With 50-41 and 40-31 it’s is pretty clear, but with some it’s hard to see if the numbers should go “up” or “down” the tree. 1-10 is when I started getting difficulty because it seems equally possible to have 1=kether and 10=malkuth or vice versa, though I lean towards the former.

Re: 50 gates

[ecosophia]

You know exactly what answer you're going to get, don't you? ;-)

That's an excellent theme for meditation. One of the reasons the Gates don't come with explanatory notes about their relationship to the Tree of Life is that you're supposed to meditate on them and figure out how it works.

[(Anonymous)]

My understanding from reading some of your Golden Dawn-based work is that bringing one's personality into balance is a major goal of occultism. As a child I was almost cripplingly sentimental, sensitive, and emotionally reactive; as I got older I repressed that to the point where I'm now too out of touch with my emotional life--should I expect this to be something that balances itself naturally through GD training, or are there supplementary exercises/studies that you would recommend for that sort of thing?

[ecosophia]

That will balance itself as you proceed, but it can be useful to draw on some other resources. One set of practices I found very useful in this context is the system taught by the Order of Spiritual Alchemy, one of the traditions I was initiated into by John Gilbert back in the day. The basic work is available free of charge, starting here:

https://octagonsociety.org/preliminary-lessons/

As you'll see, this involves journaling and working with old memories, and it meshes well with every kind of magical practice I know of.

[(Anonymous)]

I have many years of experience studying mundane astrology, though I’m by no means an expert. I read your book Twilight of Pluto with great interest and found it fascinating, compelling, well-researched, and truly original—something sadly missing from most astrology today (the shallow “new age” self-help sort).

And I’m convinced by your hypothesis. I also strongly dislike Plutonian vibes on a personal level (everything you described in the book about the worst aspects of modernity in the 20th century), so I very much want to believe in your hypothesis that Pluto’s influence might be waning.

However, I have the disappointing feeling that Pluto’s influence is not winding down so fast. Pluto’s entry into Capricorn in 2008 coincided with the cascading failures of first Bear Sterns, and then several more banking systems, leading to a very flawed bailout by the Feds that failed to correct underlying rot. Now, just as Pluto leaves Capricorn and enters Aquarius for the first time next week (March 25), Silicon Valley Bank has collapsed and threatens to spread bank runs and contagion through the wider American or even international finance system. SVB’s collapse is the first bank failure in the US since 2008. And the symbolism could not be more on the nose with Pluto (systems, destruction, modernity) entering Aquarius (technology, innovation, “the future”—and Silicon Valley itself).

Do you have any thoughts on all of this? My gut feeling is that you are right about Pluto, I feel that very strongly. But also…Pluto seems to be holding onto its energy pattern and influence around money.

[ecosophia]

Of course! If it takes Pluto the usual thirty-year period for its influence to sink to minor-planet levels, we still have thirteen years before that process completes itself, and it will remain relatively strong in those areas that resonate most closely with Plutonian influences. Money is certainly one of those areas. It'll be 2036 before the winding down process finishes, and even then it'll still be significant for those whose birth charts have Pluto in prominent locations.

[randomactsofkarmasc]

In the book "The Rosicrucian Cosmo Conception", the author includes a Venn diagram color wheel, but in the center (where normally would be black or white, depending if the colors are light or pigment), he has indigo, which he states contains all the colors of the rainbow.

He doesn't discuss indigo any further (though I still have some more book to read). I haven't found any other references online to occult thoughts on indigo. Do you know if this was something unique to Heindel?

[ecosophia]

Color theorists in the English-speaking world have always been left floundering by Isaac Newton's insistence that there had to be seven colors in the spectrum. If you have a six-color wheel, as Goethe demonstrated, you're fine -- everything works out -- but indigo is neither a primary nor a secondary color, it's one of six tertiary colors, and including it but not the other five tertiary colors makes a mess of the whole scheme. I'm pretty sure Heindel stuck it in the center because he thought he had to do something with it.

Mood

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings everyone,

No questions but I would request a prayer if you can spare. My big business project I’ve spent working on my entire 1st Saturn return (10th house) that just ended, may fall apart for completely arbitrary reasons out of my control, and I’m feeling very tired, and spent, and on the verge of giving up.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Re: Mood

[ecosophia]

Positive energy en route!

[booklover1973]

The consecration of the working tools in the Druid Magic Handbook does not mention if the consecration of the wand, cauldron and crane bag is an one and done deal, or if they are to be reconsecrated after an interval. I presume that it is the latter, but am I correct in assuming this?

Thanks, by the way, for the Magic Monday, I have learned quite a bit from them!

[ecosophia]

You can do it either way. Some people do it once, others prefer to repeat the consecration at regular or irregular intervals. Divination is always a good resource to decide when this is a good idea.

Healing Breath Meditation

[(Anonymous)]

I have a question about the use of the ‘healing breath meditation’ taught in the Modern Order of Essenes course.

I know a person who is trying to recover from a traumatic experience that has left him with an over-active mind and a fear of taking action. Based on my experience with the healing breath meditation over the past two months, I believe that it may be helpful in getting his mind to calm down and focus productively. I have enquired via divination about the effectiveness of this meditation on the individual and have received an unambiguous ‘yes’ as an answer. However, I do not believe that he would be interested in practicing the complete Modern Order of Essenes course. So, I’d like to know from you whether a the healing breath meditation as a stand-along practice is perfectly fine for a person who may not be either ready or interested in becoming a healer.

Thanks for all that you do!

Ron M

Re: Healing Breath Meditation

[ecosophia]

It can certainly be used as an independent technique. John Gilbert recommended it to all his students, whether or not they were interested in the rest of the Essene work.

[(Anonymous)]

A question, after some preamble.

Are you familiar with the tridoshas system of Ayurvedic medicine? It proposes three types of constitution that people can be classified into; vatta (thin / air), pitta (medium / fire) and kapha (thick / water / earth). The endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph types of Western herbalism correspond to it.

Interestingly, as people age, their constitutional types seem almost to turn into weaknesses: air people dry out, fire people burn up, etc.

There's also in Jung the concept of the superior and inferior types. In Marie-Louise von Franz's book Jung's Typology, she writes how the superior type wants to dominate one's psychological activity. Even when you try to learn how to use your inferior function, it is often through the lens of, or is 'corrupted' by, the superior function.

It strikes me that these two models have something in common: assuming that your physical constitution and your superior function can be considered your strengths, the use of these strengths can through time end up in imbalance.

(Maybe this is a 'no, duh' moment for everyone but me.)

I find it interesting because we're often told in our culture to use our strengths, but this would imply that at times, you almost have to realize your strengths are actually an imbalance by nature, and to focus at least for a time on dealing with your weaknesses.

I guess there's not really a question after all. But the SOP makes even more sense now!

[ecosophia]

Plenty of people haven't figured that out yet, but it's good to hear that you have. Jung based his system on the Western humoral system, which is like the tridosha except that it has four basic types, sanguine (air), choleric (fire), phlegmatic (water), and melancholic (earth); and yes, going to any extreme is a bad thing, and relying solely on your strengths guarantees that you will be blindsided by your weaknesses.

Tarot

[(Anonymous)]

Humble request for your take on the following 5 card Tarot draw.
Question was “what do I need to know about my relationships with 3 individuals; myself; and the overall situation.

Card for person #1: Page of Pentacles, upright.
Person 2: Knight of Pentacles, upright.
Person 3: King of Pentacles, upright.
Me: Nine of Pentacles, upright.
Overall situation: Three of Pentacles, upright.

Re: Tarot

[ecosophia]

It's a very positive reading. Other than that, since I don't know the individuals in question -- or you, for that matter! -- there's not that much I can say, other than that you and the people in question should be able to work together very constructively.

[booklover1973]

JMG, you once mentioned that you are writing a book about the Covid pandemic. Regarding the recent controversy about the demonic hypothesis, is this still something you plan to do?

[ecosophia]

That project is on hold until we all find out what the long-term effects of the vaccines turn out to be.

Two concerns

[(Anonymous)]

Good Morning John Michael,

I have two questions for MM today. My first question is what are all the necessary ingredients of a good and successful blessing. When you are thinking about blessing or trying to bless someone or thing what are the things you need do to have success with that? What are the things that help and what are the things that hurt the process?

The second question is about prayer for my daughter. She is 12 and nearing 13. She already has a strong will of her own and thinks of her self as much more mature than she actually is. Therefore we have different ideas about some situations. When a child is just an infant a parent I think has wide latitude in their prayers for the child. By the time the child is an adult the normal prohibitions of prayer come into effect, not praying without permission and respecting the child's Will, etc. In the in between time how should one handle this situation. I know you are yourself not a parent but I imagine you have some ideas here.

Thanks so much
Will O

Re: Two concerns

[ecosophia]

1) That's a fascinating question that I've never seen discussed in occult or spiritual literature. For me personally, blessings are strengthened by clear intention, mental focus, and as little emotional connection to the recipient as possible -- with blessing as with divination, emotional connections tend to bollix things up. Blessings are weakened by the opposite of these things.

2) As a parent, as long as you have legal responsibility for your child you have spiritual responsibility as well, and that means you can pray for her without asking permission. It's best also to pray for wisdom for yourself, so your prayers will be guided for the benefit of all concerned.

Returning to the DMH

[(Anonymous)]

After a couple years away from magical practice, I am thinking of taking up the DMH work again (I'd learned the SoP and Grove Ceremony and had been really struggling with learning the Oghams when I allowed medical issues to derail me). I am wondering how long to practice meditation before attempting the elemental scryings. Is there a general idea on the order of "once one has been meditating 20 minutes a day one can try scrying," or is one ready once one has learned the Grove Ceremony, or is it best left up to divination?


--Carnelian Rubbery Wolverine

Re: Returning to the DMH

[ecosophia]

I certainly recommend learning the grove ritual before you take up scrying. Other than that, use divination to figure out timing issues.

Planetary day/hour for application

[(Anonymous)]

I am applying for a position to serve on the board for my local public charter school, and I’m not sure what the best planetary day and hour would be best for submitting the application. Would this be under Mercury? Thank you as always for your help.

Re: Planetary day/hour for application

[ecosophia]

I'd submit it in the day and hour of Jupiter. He governs people in authority, and also imparts a generous and broad-minded spirit to everyone involved.