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

Ecosophia Prayer List, Week of May 1

[tunesmyth]

Here are all of the requests for prayer that have recently appeared across the Ecosophia community.

If I missed anybody, 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.

* * *
This week I would like to bring special attention to a few prayer requests.

Nichole Cardillo has a cancerous tumor in her duodenum (in her small intestine) and she's going into surgery on May 1st to try to remove it; for a successful surgery that completely removes the cancer, and for blessings, protection, and a full return to health.

Patricia Mathew's friend Al (Alison Kulp) is in the hospital with a nasty life-threatening MRSA infection; please play for her to be blessed, protected, and completely healed as soon as is possible. (Update here.)

Luke Dodson's friend B, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and is still in serious condition though she's already had surgery; for blessing, protection, healing, and a full return to health.

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 (Lp9 gives a short update here, and says "things are a bit... murky"), 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.

* * *
Guidelines for how long prayer requests stay on the list, how to word requests, how to be added to the weekly email list, how to improve the chances of your prayer being answered, and several other common questions and issues, are now to be found here at this link.

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.

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings JMG and commentariat,

Coming up on two years practicing golden dawn magic, inspired primarily from being introduced to the world of occultism via some fluke url I clicked one day that led me to this forum. It has changed my life, and I am grateful.

Speaking of life changes, I am getting married this upcoming Thursday, and I was wondering if you might have a quick impression of the astrological significance of that day. If by chance it’s particularly bad, I might consider rescheduling it (it’s just a courthouse wedding for the time being). In the past I recall you posting a link with a directory of certified astrologers: would you kindly repost that? I would love to hire an astrologer for a full reading, and not quite sure where to start.

Also, I would like to recall a very strange and particularly jarring experience I recently had, to hear from you and the commentariat about what it was. I live in Denver Colorado, and to the west of the city we have a world famous music venue called Red Rocks. It is a natural amphitheater nestled into the foothills of the Rockies with views that stretch across the entire urban metro of Denver to the horizon. With incredible acoustics and seating for thousands of people, it has a powerful energy, and I have witnessed the music and lights there charge up a crowd with energy unlike any place I’ve ever been to. I believe it is one of the closest places we moderns have to recreate the energetic ecstasies of some ancient temples.

All of this to say, I went to an electronic show there a few weeks ago. I hadn’t been paying attention to lunar cycles, and was surprised when as the show started it turned out to have a full blood moon rise right behind the stage (for a moment there I thought it was a mushroom cloud on the horizon, it was that dramatically yellow and red). Then the energy of the music went really dark, and the massive stadium screens next to the dj started displaying these giant dark shadow figures with red backgrounds looking like they were slamming their fists on the screens trying to break thru. The dj himself was standing the the middle of an upside down cross. The imagery was pretty terrifying and my friends and I immediately turned around to look up the mountain so we didn’t look. Any time we turned around the imagery was just as creepy, and we quickly decided we needed to leave. Even my partner who has had very little connection to esoteric ideas described it feeling like those images were imprinted on him. I also had never seen a crowd charged up like that: I’ve seen intoxicated crowds that are still warm and friendly, but this was a level of intoxication that felt confused, scared, and sloppy. The general age also seemed very young, with many likely underage. I saw people desperately looking for lost friends, passing out and vomiting, stumbling around incoherent.

The moment I got home I lit incense, performed a banishing ritual, a purification and consecration ritual, and middle pillar.

I have three questions about this experience:
1. What do you think that was? It certainly felt conjugally potent, like it was creating a portal to release things into that crowd. What kind of impacts does this have on individuals, and populations? The location, overlooking a massive urban population, also felt significant. Any keen insights would be much appreciated.
2. Like I said, I have been practicing golden dawn magic for about 2 years. My partner has no interest, and having been raised in an evangelical religion, I have no desire to proselytize. But in situations like that, is there a way for my LBRP ritual and purification and consecration rituals to cover him as well? As I explore more about what it means to be life partners with someone and the different energies and skills that we offer each other, can I augment my practice in different ways to provide similar protection and vitalization for my partner who does not have a magical practice of his own?
3. And then more expansively, what kind of ritual work can I do that could also have effects on cleansing the city that I’m in and close off that portal, to counter the darkness that it felt like was pumping into this region from that dark and powerful ritual on stage? (If you’d rather not post about it online, but just point me to a text, that’s ok too)

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,
I am learning the Scrying exercises in the DMH. An entity beyond the gate of Air taught me a symbol or sigil, but provided no explanation. What should I do to unpack the uses of that symbol?
Thanks very much

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Do you have any suggestions for dealing with phobias? Can they be overcome via journaling and aphorisms, or is there a better way to tackle or understand these? Apologies if this has been asked many times before.

Thanks!

[antoine_eva]

Happy Beltienne to all who celebrate it.

1) I know you written more than you wanted too about children and magic but are those rules also apply to domestic animal and their less visible body ? I'm talking about the DMH and a little pup if that's change anything.

2) In numerology when you calculate the number of a name that contain roman numeral, how they are counted ?

thanks very much for these MM.

DA nywfre exercises

[(Anonymous)]

I have a quick question about the 7 nwyfre exercises and grand psychic breath in Grade 4 of the Dolmen Arch. It says not to perform them within an hour of eating a meal. I assume that's both before and after eating. Is that correct?

Thanks very much.

[(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?

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

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.

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

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?

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: Greetings

[thinking_turtle]

Thanks, and happy labor day for you as well! I'm not an astrologer, but it seems that if Saturn returns, it will also depart again. Things tend to sort themselves out without our interference.

One thing that worked for me is when I did a divination (like a Tarot) and wrote it down. Then I applied it to interactions with the family member in question. Afterwards, I wrote down what the results were. Then I compared the two, and repeated the process. This had tangible results for me in terms of understanding and acceptance.

[(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.

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

[ecosophia]

That's a huge question -- enough for a book, in fact. The hoodoo course I took some years ago included many pages on the subject of how to deal with clients. In terms of the question you've raised, why, it depends on the client's personality, the divinatory omens, and the current state of the economy, just for starters. A client whose sole problem is a lack of self-confidence, who has good prospects of employment, can be helped with something very simple; a client who's got serious problems finding work, or who comes to you during a serious economic downturn, is going to take much more help.

Of course the first thing to figure out is whether the client really wants a different job. Many people turn to magic because they want to go through the motions of trying to get something that they don't really want, and such people will do everything they can to make sure any magic you do will fail. If you think you may have a client like this, require them to do some very specific magical action as part of your response; if they don't do it, or make a point of not following directions, tell them that there's nothing you can do for them because they don't actually want the new job, and show them the door.

[ecosophia]

You will be better off choosing one planet than scattering your efforts this way. I would also recommend getting divination from another person, who's not emotionally invested in the situation, and following their guidance.

[ecosophia]

Alcohol stimulates the etheric body, which is why it's so effective at arousing sexual and other biological responses. When you drink more than a modest amount, the stimulation is strong enough that the aura begins to wobble, causing disorientation.

[ecosophia]

1) The Book of Lambspring belongs to the inner order material of the OSA. That's true of most of the old alchemical texts, which are relevant to that work.

2) Yes, exactly! Ask the right questions and the answers are easy.

Re: Human design astrology system

[ecosophia]

I haven't encountered this, so can't offer an assessment of it. There are always new systems coming into being, as often as not via personal spiritual experiences; some of them will go on to become enduring parts of the tradition, others won't.

Re: Scrying; and GSF egregore

[ecosophia]

1) Oh, the egregor of an open system like the GSF is inevitably going to be more diffuse and less intense than the egregor of a magical lodge that meets regularly. It's always a tradeoff.

2) Ha! No, you can always just open your eyes. If a guide wanders off -- well, I've never had that happen, but if I did I'd call another guide and ask to be brought back to the portal.

[ecosophia]

Get your natal horoscope, look up the elemental attributions of the twelve signs of the zodiac, and note how many planets are in signs corresponding to each element. That'll give you a good basic summary.

[(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.

[ecosophia]

I need to come up with some kind of magic ritual whose initials are WTF. ;-)

Re: Greetings

[ecosophia]

I'm sorry to say that in my experience, you can't help someone unless they want to be helped. A Saturn return at her age may actually help, though, since Saturn routinely kicks people in the pants to get them moving. (It's certainly done that to me in both my returns...)