Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's getting toward 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 or comment 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, past Chosen Chief of OBOD Philip Carr-Gomm, received most of his training in Druidry from Ross Nichols, who is this week's honoree. Nichols was a poet, a watercolorist, and an educator, as well as a good friend of Gerald Gardner, the inventor of modern Wicca. He became a member of the Universal Bond, one of the most active Druid organizations in Britain, in 1954. Ten years later, during a dispute over the leadership of the UB, he founded an order of his own, first called the Bardic Order of Druids and thereafter renamed the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids, which he headed until his death in 1975.  He was the author of three books of poetry -- Sassenach Stray, Seasons At War, and Prose Chants and Proems -- as well as The Cosmic Shape, a programmatic essay on nature spirituality with a set of poems attached, and The Book of Druidry, which was published after his death.

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.

***This Magic Monday is now closed. See you next week!***

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I suspect there is very little bibliography on angels that is not fluff. Aside from the books on the subject you list in Monsters, do you have any suggestions?

[ecosophia]

I haven't looked into the field since I wrote Monsters, so I don't know whether there's anything new that's worth reading. Anyone else?

Difficulty with the Law of Anology

[(Anonymous)]

Mr. Greer,

I am reading Papus' Elementary Treatise of Occult Science. His explanation of the Law of Analogy baffles me. I meditated on this and realized how my own background is the block - in my mind analogies belong to realm of SAT tests, bad sermons by protestant lay ministers, etc. I see how analogies can help communicate a complex idea, but my intellectual background is one that views them as weak arguments at best. Can you explain this better and/or point me to a good source of study?

thank you,

Lothar von Hakelheber

Re: Difficulty with the Law of Anology

[ecosophia]

Analogies aren't arguments. They're attempts to encourage awareness of an implicate order not visible to a superficial glance. Whenever you encounter an analogy -- even, or especially, if it's in a bad sermon by a Protestant lay minister! -- ask yourself: what is the common structure the analogy wants to communicate? What is it saying that these two sets of phenomena have in common? Then, of course -- especially with the bad sermon -- you can make fun of it.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk? Why, they both have blackened quills upon 'em!"

Owen and Burgers

[(Anonymous)]

I’m rereading the Hali series, and have noticed that Owen seems to eat an awful lot of burgers. Is there a reason for this that you can share? Apologies if this is just my aspersers flaring up, but one of the reasons for rereading books is to pick up things you missed the first time, and if there is hidden magic in this fact I am interested.

Re: Owen and Burgers

[ecosophia]

I admit I was tempted to suggest that you meditate on this, but that would be unfair. There's nothing magical in that detail; it's one of the ways I tried to communicate that Owen's a fairly ordinary American guy. He likes burgers and beer!

English Synonyms for those who Practice Magic

[(Anonymous)]

Mr. Greer,

This is a lighthearted question, but I am nonetheless curious. Let us consider the English synonyms for one who practices magic - witch, warlock, wizard, mage magician, sorcerer, etc. Are the differences between them important to an occultist*? Are they only important in the context of say, a D&D game?

*I know, I know, that's an extremely general term that would take a lot of wordsmithing to really nail down ;)

thank you

Lothar von Hakelheber

Re: English Synonyms for those who Practice Magic

[ecosophia]

They're highly relevant to D&D players, writers of the more formulaic sorts of fantasy fiction, and people who use occultism as an opportunity for make-believe and dress-up games. One of those words, "witch," is useful as a label for a particular job category, that of rural healer, spellcaster, and diviner. Other than that, I have yet to meet a serious occultist who worried about them.

Rectifier in Geomancy

[(Anonymous)]

Someone mentioned the concept of the "Rectifier" in Geomancy with respect to the shield chart in the open post. I don't see that discussed in your book "The art and practice of Geomancy". I see the way of points just takes the highest level figure but doesn't mix it with the Judge? Am I missing something here?

Re: Rectifier in Geomancy

[ecosophia]

I haven't generally found the rectifier (or, as I was taught to call it, the reconciler) to be useful, and I've seen a lot of people make a complete mess of their divinations by adding in too many factors -- very much including that one. Since every geomancer I've ever met owned as many books on geomancy as they could get, I figured anyone who wants to know about the rectifier can find it in other sources.

Question

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG and others,

I have a lot of conflict on-going at work (strong L10 with squares) but also a lot of trouble with friends who have tried to hard me after our relationship has ended (weak L11), and even a curse (weak L8).

I pray a lot, including the St Michael prayer daily, and am considering starting the SoP, but wondering if any one has advice on navigating other people’s negative energies that is constantly bombarded my way.

Re: Question

[ecosophia]

That's one of the reasons why I strongly advise anyone who's concerned about their spiritual health to practice a daily banishing ritual. The SoP is one good choice.

[(Anonymous)]

JMG

I read the account of Dion Fortune (physic self defense appendix) where she describes that she feels that instead of being born into a body, that she entered a body child who had just died and lived the rest of her life in that body.
Is she then affected by the astrological influences of the birth time of that body? Moreover I am curious about is if astrology is more at a soul level or strictly physical.

[ecosophia]

That's a very complicated question that would have to be settled by detailed astrological analysis. A good natal astrologer would need the birth chart of the body, and then also the chart for the time of the child's apparent death and resuscitation. Astrology governs both the body and the soul, which is why that would be so complex.

Bridge of Love

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG

I wondered if you'd have any tips on the following. I'm chipping away at the tree of life visualisation as the basis for Essene "Bridge of Love" practice. I'm not quite there yet in bringing it all together, but am reliably managing to visualise the first 3 steps separately. Even that seems to be having notable effects such as tingling in my crown area and palms, and an increased confidence with the healing and blessing.

Anyway the issue is: the instructions you posted don't emphasise the need to visualise all 22 traditional paths of the tree, only those paths that are relevant to the "Bridge of Love". In your view is it important to have the full tree structure visualised as a background? Relatedly, how clearly imagined/felt would you say the paths that aren't part of the "lightning bolt" ought be during the process?

Many thanks
JH

Re: Bridge of Love

[ecosophia]

Don't worry about the paths that aren't part of the visualization. Just follow the specific instructions as given, and let the rest unfold as it will.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,
I have been working through your Occult Philosophy Workbook, and most recently the chapters on the various Kingdoms. I've never had a problem with karma as applied to humans, and I can see that for occultists it would be a way of proceeding to the next level. That said, I don't see what process could operate for minerals and plants, and even most animals, since they do not make conscious choices. That would imply that divine sparks in minerals, for example, must all proceed through the various incarnations roughly in parallel. And in any case, what is an "incarnation" for a piece of rock? Sorry if I have missed anything.

[robertmathiesen]

I'm not JMG, but ...

Actually there's excellent evidence that some animals, at least, do make very conscious choices, and can communicate their decisions to their fellows. As for plants, the available evidence is less compelling, but it definitely points in that direction, at least for trees in forests.

[(Anonymous)]

I think I've figured out a minor mystery: my sense has been that the Covid-19 hysteria, TDS, wokeness, and the 2012 Phenomena have all been symptoms of an underlying problem, that there is a common cause that unites them all. I have formulated a hypothesis I'd like to share.

I've noticed that each further increase in the madness follows shortly after an expansion of the "plant-based meat" products: they first hit the market in early 2012; Impossible Burger was marketed in July 2016; and major partnerships brought them to fast food, and thus to millions of people's diets, in 2019.

My own experience with having accidentally eaten one has been that it drastically increased my psychic abilities; and that effect appears to be permanent. It has toned down dramatically, but my psychic abilities are still much higher than they were before that experience, even with the increase in meat in my diet to balance it out.

If you start marketing products that increase psychic sensitivity, and remove meat from large number of people's diets, this seems to me likely to produce dramatic increases in psychic sensitivity in large number of people. Since the effects appear to be permanent, if each time it increases a little bit, things could get very, very weird.

Of course, two other factors make this even worse: first, we live in a society that simply rejects psychic abilities altogether, and these products are being marketed at the people who believe in this the strongest; and second, things are energetically nasty out there.

So, what I'm wondering is if what we're witnessing the consequences of opening millions of people to increased psychic sensitivity in a society that rejects this is even possible, and which is energetically septic.

What we've gotten since 2012 has been mass movements promising or demanding change, that don't make logical sense but with ideas that spread from mind to mind; obsessions over safety; and the collapse of religion among the comfortable classes, as they descend into dogmatic atheism, in a pattern that looks a lot like some of the more frantic reactions to realizing there's a magical reality I've seen, albeit on a larger scale.

I know I need to do further research and thought on this, but does my hypothesis have any flaws you can see?

Answer

[(Anonymous)]

I'd be a bit skeptical of this hypothesis simply cos these products didn't reach the scale of sales required to have this effect. (And you got to remember the food supply chains are very contaminated with a lot of other junk already).

[(Anonymous)]

I'm starting practice of the Grand Psychic Breath out of the DA, and I've got a pretty nuts and bolts question:

Tolerably often both of my nostrils are clogged, especially during allergy season. Is it acceptable to do mouth breathing in such a situation?

-Cliff

[ecosophia]

Yes, if your nose is clogged you can breathe through your mouth. If my experience is anything to go by, though, the more often you do this, the less often your nose will be clogged.

[(Anonymous)]

Do you ever use divination to help you decide where to take a story?

[ecosophia]

Not as such, no. Keep in mind, though, that I've been practicing divination regularly for 45 years, and I don't necessarily need to use a divinatory method to tap into the same intuitive state. Very often I let the story unfold by intuition, using skills I developed through all those years of divination. I also tend to let my characters tell me what they want to do -- that's a side effect of a different branch of occultism, since the active imagination plays a large role in scrying and other forms of visionary experience.

[(Anonymous)]

Blessings to you JMG. I have a couple of CGD questions I hope you can help me with.

What happens - and I guess this goes on a wider scale - if part of a working is incorrect? I realised this week I'd missed out a step from the Sign of Salutation (bringing hands to ears, I'd swept them forward from above head). Is it like missing out a herb from cooking - the result will be similar to the desired one, if not quite as tasty as intended?

And one from Inner Grove of Earth working (also this week, now with correct Sign). I'd entered the grove, heard what sounded like a twig snap, thought, "I'm not alone" then very briefly saw a flash of what I can only describe as a snarling wolf's head (!). I focused on staying calm and that it wasn't really there and the wolf-feeling passed, though there were still a few small noises. Did I somehow create the wolf? Is there any way of guarding against this, or is it part of the experience? (Let me guess - meditation?)

My thanks as ever for your time and all that you do.

[ecosophia]

1) It's very much like leaving out an ingredient from a recipe. If it's a minor ingredient, as in this case, the taste won't be quite right and the resulting dish may be kind of bland, but that's all.

2) That kind of thing is common. One of my teachers used to call it "astral static," and stressed that it rarely means much.

C.G Jung, Wotan and Pests Encountered on the Average American Interstate

[scottyc]

Something I have been mulling over is what I believe to be symptoms of a disturbed American psyche that manifests itself on American roads. As the Wotan archetype started to reemerge amongst the Germans during the inter-war years (http://www.philosopher.eu/others-writings/essay-on-wotan-w-nietzsche-c-g-jung/) a noted symptom of this emergence was wandervogel (German youth) sacrificing sheep (https://counter-currents.com/2015/12/wotan-as-archetype-the-carl-jung-essay/). I'd say many of the unthoughtful and selfish driving habits on the modern American interstate qualify as a symptom of a disturbed psyche. Instead of sacrificed sheep there is some need or some prevalent lack of thought that manifests in selfish and thoughtless driving.

I don't want to turn this post into a rant so I won't list examples of baffling driving behavior and I note that selfish pests have been on the roads ever since the automobile was invented. I'm just seeing worse and worse behavior which is just as difficult to explain than the need to go out into the countryside and slaughter an innocent sheep.

Anyway, welcome to hear other's opinions on this and thoughts on what archetypes we may be dealing with in our various countries and how that manifests during these interesting times.

Re: C.G Jung, Wotan and Pests Encountered on the Average American Interstate

[ecosophia]

That's possible. Be aware also, however, that there's some evidence that the mRNA-based Covid vaccines can cause progressive brain damage in some people. How many? Nobody knows, because the testing was never done. So it may be a matter of public health rather than the public psyche...

[(Anonymous)]

A few more or less unrelated questions:

1) Regarding the SOP: From my experiences during and after performing the ritual I concluded that there is something "special" to the first four elements and that the protective part of the ritual is largely provided by these four. The calling of spirit would then contribute some ... distributive part? ... where the energies invoked in the first part are guided to the proper place, so to say?

2) Also SOP and beyond: Sometimes there's talking about "more potent means of protection" and every now and then (last week, for example) one can read about instances where regular practice of the SOP seems to be not enough. Sticking to the SOP and thus following DMH/DA what are those means in that tradition?

3) CosDoc: I tried to wrap my head around what it means to "absorb something into ones consciousness", especially when "something" is another consciousness. The closest experience I could come up with was one instance which happened as the result of some quite intense healing working. While I was laying on the ground, a thought entered my mind, though "thought" seems to be an inappropriate description. It consisted of just a few words, but in total it could best be described as revelation. As a result the relationship that were part of the cause for my problems completely changed to the better, because suddenly I understood. One could say that in that one moment, "everything" had changed.
Would it be fair to say that I absorbed some detached part of myself into my consciousness? Does that necessarily mean that this detached part had a consciousness of it own? How would one best describe that which was absorbed in that case?

I think that was quite lot to ask, hopefully not too much. Thank you for your patience and for this space and your support, of course!

Greetings,
Nachtgurke

[ecosophia]

1) Good. Keep meditating on this.

2) The Grail working is among other things protective; you can also make talismans or other protective devices using the DMH methods. I'm currently working out a version of the Bornless One ritual, a classic GD magical working, revised to fit the SoP and related magical practices; once it's been adequately tested, I'll be publishing that as well. It has very potent protective capacities.

3) When you can define "myself" clearly, that question will be a lot easier to answer!

[(Anonymous)]

JMG and all, do you think there is any significance to these two vids?
Are the animals trying to tell us something?

https://twitter.com/CBKNEWS121/status/1652722108970029056?cxt=HHwWgMC-mY2A0-8tAAAA

https://twitter.com/CBKNEWS121/status/1652795056149987334?cxt=HHwWjIC8hZiW9O8tAAAA

it seems very bizarre to me!

[ecosophia]

Er, you know I don't do videos, right?

The Death Point

[(Anonymous)]

I've discovered quite a disturbing point in my natal chart, and I'm wondering if you can offer any advice for working with it.

I'm not going to share the details for obvious reasons; it should be enough to say that it involves my natal 8th house. When a planet transits a particular point in the 8th house which brings it into aspect with a certain other planet, I reliably suffer disaster.

The first time it happened it was a Uranus transit. I was hit by a car while crossing the street. Uranus retrograded back into place half a year later and I became severely ill, the worst illness I'd experienced in my life up to that point.

The second was a Neptune transit. When Neptune was then joined by a square to Mars, I was attacked by a gang, beaten, robbed, and nearly killed.

Saturn was next. When Saturn transited this point I again became gravely ill, far worse than the Uranus transit.

I'm aware of your opinion of Pluto, but he's very active in my natal chart, and I've found that I ignore his transits at my peril. He will be the next planet to transit this point, and I'm afraid that that will mark my death.

Now, modern astrology does not have many resources for dealing with this sort of thing, but I believe that traditional sources must have more to offer, as questions about death, its timing, and how to avoid it were very common in prior centuries. Are you aware of anything you can point me to? Or do you have a particular method of dealing with difficult upcoming transits you're willing to share?

Re: The Death Point

[ecosophia]

The traditional approach would be to make and consecrate a talisman that brought opposed influences to bear on the vulnerable person. If you have adequate magical experience to make and consecrate such a talisman, that's certainly an option.

[(Anonymous)]

A happy Labor Day to everyone outside the U.S., and a happy whatever that spring holiday is, my mind’s gone blank. 😳

U.S. Labor Day is in September. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.

—Princess Cutekitten

[ecosophia]

That was done very specifically so it would not be International Workers Day, since May 1 was a major rallying day for the communist and socialist movements.

Transits

[(Anonymous)]

Does anyone have a good theory for why transits in astrology work so well?

I don't really notice/can tell apart the inner planet transits, but saturn transits for me are so accurate and generally painful/stressful, it is wild.

I also am not clear if its a a herald/sign for what is happening, or there's actually a planetary spirit's energy at play causally. (For example, i don't think electional astrology is very real, as I have shared before).

Thoughts?

Re: Transits

[ecosophia]

Er, because astrology works?

Electional astrology is easy to get wrong, because people constantly try to use it to get things that their natal charts won't permit them to get, then blame electional astrology when they don't get it. The same is true of transits and progressions, though more people seem to realize that those are always conditioned by the natal chart.

[(Anonymous)]

Hey, look!


https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/05/gradually-and-then-suddenly.html?m=1

—Princess Cutekitten

[ecosophia]

Hmm! Glad to see this.

[(Anonymous)]

In the open thread on the other blog, you mentioned "etheric starvation" as being common nowadays. Have you written anything and/or can you suggest a reference describing the condition more?

Also, I am wondering what effect you think setting up a projector and a powerpoint in church would be. My wife and I tried attending Catholic Mass after the pandemic reopening. The local had a wonderful Latin American priest who was able to make even the rather crummy ritual he was saddled with work, and one could feel the presence of the divine in the mass. The next priest set up a projector ahead of time so he could put on slides-- not during ritual, but in his homily. Christ hasn't shown up at that parish since, and I'm afraid after a few weeks of that neither have I. Does the divine shun the digital, or is it more likely the personal faith or charisma of the priests in question that makes the difference?

Thanks!
-Epileptic Doomer

[ecosophia]

1) I don't know of any written material on it, but I've heard it discussed in occult circles from time to time. I've had a reader suggest that I do a book on the occult dimensions of the human body, and if I do that, I'll include this.

2) That's a fascinating question. The divine can overcome just about any obstacle, but it has to have some good reason to do so -- and if you've got a priest who's phoning in the spiritual side and a congregation that's responding passively, the god will go someplace where he's actually welcome.

[(Anonymous)]

Forgive me if I'm paddling into dangerous waters here, but... while you have stated that the MOE SOP safe for use around young children, you didn't mention pregnancy anywhere I've seen. Could a pregnant woman continue the Healing Breath Meditation with the SOP? Would it make a difference before/after quickening? Since we're tapping into divine love with this one, I can't imagine the ritual causing any inadvertent harm, but, well, you know how we all are when it comes to this issue. Apologies if the question annoys.

(At the risk of annoying you further, my guess is that a pregnant woman should keep her healing hands to herself as she's channeling all she can to the baby, but she can receive healing no problem. Does that track?)

[ecosophia]

The MOE work is not ceremonial magic. Let me repeat that: The MOE work is not ceremonial magic. And again: THE MOE WORK IS NOT CEREMONIAL MAGIC. Oh, and did I mention that the MOE work is not ceremonial magic? I say this because, ahem, the restrictions discussed in the FAQ have solely to do with ceremonial magic.

The "Sphere of Protection" taught in the MOE teachings isn't the same as the SoP taught in the other systems I inherited by John Gilbert, and I wish it had been given a different name, precisely because of this sort of confusion.

Since the MOE work is not ceremonial magic, however, it is not subject to the restrictions that apply to ceremonial magic. Furthermore, the MOE "sphere of protection," like the rest of the MOE work, is not ceremonial magic, and therefore is not subject to the restrictions that apply to ceremonial magic. Oh, and it's not ceremonial magic. And not subject to those restrictions. In case you were wondering! ;-)

I don't happen to know whether or not a pregnant woman should practice the healing hands for others -- that wasn't something that John ever mentioned. Healing for pregnant women, to help the pregnancy and birth go well and deal with any health difficulties that might come up.

Metal

[(Anonymous)]

I'm looking to make the magical sword from circles of power but I'm having trouble finding or understanding what is meant by sheet iron. Home depot and Lowes have steel sheet metal but it probably has alloys in it. What's the allowance on alloys bc one of steel sheets has minimum alloys but still has them.

Re: Metal

[ecosophia]

Pure iron is all but impossible to get, and the steel used in magical implements is usually some version of mild steel, containing modest amounts of carbon, manganese, sulfur, and phosphorus. You can use sheet steel from a hardware store; that's what I used, and got good results.

Bottle Spell

[(Anonymous)]

Hello,

Thank you as always for your time JMG.

I have a friend who I am reasonably certain (confirmed via divination) is under serious magical attack from his ex who has significant magical ability. He has been receiving a constant stream of uncanny misfortune for several months in a way that lines up with the end of his relationship with her.

Question: I remember a some time ago there was a spell posted to release someone into the universe using a bottle and a river. My friend seemed interested in it as an option. I can't find the week or remember the exact details, would you be able to share it again?

Also I have his permission to request prayers or magical support for him, if anyone feels so inclined.

Re: Bottle Spell

[ecosophia]

The ritual requires the person to take a photo, a piece of handwriting, some hair, or some other object link and put it into a small jar or bottle. The person then takes it to a river that flows away from the place they live, tosses it into the river, and goes home by a different route from the one they took there.

That may not be enough in this situation, though it's worth doing. I would strongly encourage your friend to consider the protective bath and the protective amulet given in the Magic Monday FAQ, and if those don't do the trick, to consider taking up a daily banishing ritual of some kind.

[walt_f]

As I've been gifting the local birds with small piles of possible nesting materials near some new bird houses, it occurred to me that they might find my home-haircut hair clippings useful in that category.

Over the years I've heard various cautions concerning possible malicious uses of such (literally) personal materials, by humans (which in this case I'm not particularly worried about) or other beings. Assuming that (1) I clearly declare my intention that what I'm leaving is a gift for the wild creatures and thus separated from myself, and (2) I banish with the SoP regularly just in case, can I "donate" my hair clippings safely? Is there any other step I should include?

[ecosophia]

Place the hair outside and say aloud that you are giving it as a gift to the birds. That breaks the connection. (Generosity is powerful magic!) Once you've done that, it's theirs, not yours, and someone who steals a gift meant for another and tries to do nasty magic with it is calling down very bad luck on themselves.