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. I'm currently tracing my Martinist lineage.  That's rendered complex by the Martinist tradition that one does not name one's initiator, so we'll have to go back through less evasive routes. Both of the last two honorees, and most of the other Martinist lineages in existence, were also taught and influenced by this man, Robert Ambelain, a prolific writer and occult scholar whose work extended from astrology and Freemasonry to Druidry and Martinism. Ambelain was born in 1907; he became an astrologer in the 1920s, proceeded to become a major figure in the Martinist scene and a bishop in one of the French Gnostic churches, played a central role in reviving several defunct occult orders, published 42 books, and earned the Croix de Guerre for his service to France during the Second World War. He died in 1997.

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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.

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With that said, have at it!

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

Comments

Re: Effects of Shipping Costs and Girardian Memetic Contagion

[ecosophia]

This is also quite common in feudal cultures around the world and throughout time. The aristocratic class is expected to display its nobility by constant displays of generosity.

Re: random questions

[ecosophia]

Your reaction to those circumstantial events shows that you haven't yet processed the roots of your anger in past experiences. Until you do that, no ritual, no meditation, nor any other practice will solve the difficulty, because anger is a secondary emotion -- it's almost always covering up shame, grief, or fear from childhood events. Until you deal with those, the same thing's going to keep on happening.

[ecosophia]

I find it useful to put one session of meditation into a scrying that flops, focusing on why it flopped, and then go back and do it again.

Re: Effects of Shipping Costs and Girardian Memetic Contagion

[methylethyl]

It's not real Christianity, but it's extremely human... and Christians are human, too.

If you ever want to see a mainstream US Christian squirm, ask them about the story of Jesus and the rich young man... IMO that passage is right at the heart of what it means to be a Christian, but it is also extremely difficult for most Christians (myself included!).

It's fair to ask, when somebody makes generalizations about "Christianity" (Girard or anybody else), which Christianity they're talking about-- There are a bunch of them, they all claim to be the "real" one, and they don't all believe the same things, emphasize the same things, or practice the same things.

[ecosophia]

Back in March, once I finished getting the new leadership up to speed, I stepped down as head of the Order of Spiritual Alchemy and handed over the email, the website, and everything else to the current leadership. Here's their contact page:

https://octagonsociety.org/contact/

Yes, the option of taking an examination and going further is very much open, but you'll need to go through the order.

[ecosophia]

1) I don't recommend it; it really is specific to the lunar period.

3) Good question. When we get smoke and dust from the fires, it affects my breathing -- not badly, but enough to notice -- and of course that affects my magical work. You may be having the same thing happen to you.

Re: Effects of Shipping Costs and Girardian Memetic Contagion

[(Anonymous)]

I recall the first Queen Elizabeth used this very effectively as a political tool-- at the first sign of dissent in the ranks, she'd up and move her whole court to pay an extended "visit" to the offending noble-- who was required to extend lavish hospitality at his own expense. He'd be "visited" until he was practically bankrupt and could no longer afford to even *think* about any kind of rebellion against the crown. She visited very extensively.

Re: Asatru Folk Assembly

[(Anonymous)]

There is a current schism happening in the AFA ranks after someone was allowed in to the organization that has a past criminal conviction for possession of child pornography. This has given some folks the opportunity to see the groups internal dynamics and what they believe their purpose is, and some of that is available here: https://twitter.com/FolkishFacts/status/1672781123070377985

One of the statements mentioning their avowed ability to conquer and dominate "lesser peoples" was particularly illuminating.

Re: On the Subject of Egregores

[ecosophia]

1) Yes. What Crabtree is discussing is what Dion Fortune calls the creation of a group mind, and that's the first stage in the generation of an egregor. An egregor is a group mind that isn't just temporary, but is reinforced and strengthened by repeated interactions over time.

2) That's an interesting question to which I don't know the answer. I don't fit into groupminds, either, but in my case it's Aspergers syndrome.

3) Egregors can very easily turn sour, septic, or even suicidal, if they're not managed well by people who know what they're doing. The woke movement is a good idea. It started out with a mix of good intentions and grubby agendas, got turned into a vehicle for privilege and an excuse for hatred and intolerance, and is now caught in a doom loop in which every self-inflicted failure is simply another reason to try harder. The end is likely to be messy.

Dolmen arch questions

[autpaxautbellum]

I’m currently working my way through the Dolmen Arch and would appreciate your thoughts on a couple questions.

(1) considering the powers associated with the various cantrefs, I have been wondering where emotion fits in. My best guess currently is that it is associated with water / memory (idea being that emotions are derived on the basis of memory and experiences) … is this accurate or is there a better model for how emotion ties into the system?

(2) I have been working on the color breathing and cantref visualizations for some time now, but the quality of the colors and shapes remains inconsistent . Sometimes they are quite crisp, but other days much less so. Some colors I seem to have an easier time visualizing. Should I delay completion of the second grade until this is sorted out? Or move forward and keep working on it?

(3) not strictly Magic Monday material.. I just finished reading Fires of Shalsha which I quite enjoyed, but it appears the sequel Journey Star is out of print (far as I can tell). Do you expect this title will become re-available in the near future?

Thank you!

[ecosophia]

Depends on where you want to go. If you're interested in magical work, for example, you might want to have a look at the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose material, and do some of that each week as time permits.

[ecosophia]

If you let the amulet get wet, the salt will dissolve and it'll lose all its effectiveness.

Re: Asatru Folk Assembly

[jprussell]

Let me just second causticus's recommendation to look into Theodism, especially if your interest is in the Anglo-Saxon Gods specifically. The Ealdrice Theod is the currently most active group and has gotten the blessing of the founder of Theodism, Garman Lord. From the outside looking in, it seems mostly due to the very active efforts of Thorbeorht Ealdorblotere, the current Cyning (Sacred King). While I am less drawn to their very reconstructionist approach, they have put out some extremely well-researched books.

Their website: https://ealdrice.org/
Their Lulu Store: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/haliggyldbooks

Re: Effects of Shipping Costs and Girardian Memetic Contagion

[jprussell]

Thanks for this! I've heard of potlatch cultures and know a very little bit, but I'll have to look into them more. As JMG says, conspicuous generosity has been a workable mode of social organization in a lot of places, so it's not an alien idea to me - the English word "Lord" comes from "hlaford," which means roughly "loaf warder" - in other words, the guy who provided your bread. And throughout the Germanic world, especially in the migration period and into the early middle ages, Kings and Lords were praised for being "Ring Givers" - the deal was ambitious young men would show you insane loyalty and fight to the death for you, but you had to give them room and board and shower them with treasure. A lot of feudal relationships evolved out of that earlier model.

Practical magic question

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, JMG,

I have a practical magic question. A guy backed into my car in a parking lot recently. He was clearly at fault and caused damage to my car. So now the ball is in the court of his insurance company. I'm not sure what he's told them. The business we were in front of has video of the incident and had told me they would save it, but I've been unable to get a return call from the manager that day.

What planetary magic would be good for a successful resolution of this and to get a fair settlement/repair from his insurance company? It's not a legal matter as of yet, and I'd like to keep it from going to that level.

Thanks!

Re: Fiction and magic

[ecosophia]

1) It's not a matter of contradicting certain rules, it's a matter of leaving out things that would provide links to magical power. No, I'm not going to list those; if you want to learn them, study and practice magic and you'll figure them out.

2) Oh dear gods, yes. That I know of, people have tried doing magic using symbolism from Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels, Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar and Diana Tregard series, the Star Wars movies, the Dragonlance novels, and a gaggle of comic books. I haven't heard yet of somebody trying to do Harry Potter magic but it's doubtless only a matter of time. The results vary; if the fiction you're riffing off has a lot of popular enthusiasm, you can get some energy from that; but it never lasts long, and the results are never as significant as what you'll get from nonfictional magic.

Re: way of the golden section

[ecosophia]

1) Please do everything exactly as written, during the period you spend preparing for your initiation. After that, you can experiment with making adjustments.

2) I provided a Valentinian Gnostic version:

East: Nous, Mind
West: Aleitheia, Truth
South: Logos, Word
North: Zoe, Life
Below: Bythos, Depth
Above: Ennoia, Thought

Yes, if someone were to make such a file, I could post it to my main blog as a page, in the same section as the Magic Monday FAQ.

[(Anonymous)]

Take it off when you shower or swim.

Re: Effects of Shipping Costs and Girardian Memetic Contagion

[brenainn]

Then in fairness, I ask what you mean by "real Christianity"? It seems to me that there is no one true version of Christianity. Lots of different Jesii out there, and some versions of Christianity seem just fine with burning witches and heretics, among other things.

Re: Explanations for self destructive behaviors

[ecosophia]

We all enter into each incarnation with various patterns derived from our thoughts, words, and actions in previous life. An addiction very often develops from habits cultivated over several lives -- many addictions, for example, are attempts to run away from life, or from one's problems. To resolve them, it's necessary to grapple with the habits of thought and feeling that give them power; that can be difficult, of course, but then life is that way.

Suicide can have many sources, but it often comes from a similar attempt to run away from life or from the problems of life. It's a waste of time, because you'll just be reborn into another life where you have to face the same problems over again. If you confront your problems instead of running from them, you can get past them -- in your next life, if not in this one.

Re: Asatru Folk Assembly

[brenainn]

Thank you for the links, Jeff. I'll watch them later this evening. As far as a pro-McNallen source, he's got a lot of videos and writings out there. It might be best to go to those primary source materials, since I won't have to factor in another individual's biases (for or against him) when trying to understand his thinking. Well, other than my own biases, that is.

[ecosophia]

It's early to tell, but this sounds a great deal like the childhood of saints, sages, and holy people, complete with the usual set of childhood miracle stories. Give her plenty of love and encourage her religious aspirations, and there's a good chance that she will become a blessing to the world.

Re: Asatru Folk Assembly

[brenainn]

That is an interesting way of looking at it. One thing that did occur to me before is that it is possible to have both a folkish and open version of Asatru, and for both to be legitimate forms of the religion. This is especially so if there is more than one god who answers to the name Thor or Odin or so on. I suspect the situation of multiple Jesii isn't limited to deities named "Jesus."

Re: Asatru Folk Assembly

[brenainn]

Thanks for this. I'll think over several of your points here, and I'll also look into Theodism. Fortunately, I am not a member of the PMC nor do I run in those social circles. Most of my social circle consists of White working class people. I don't imagine AFA membership would cost me any social standing.

OPW - Summer Solstice

[arth_cerdded]

Good Afternoon JMG, and the commentariat,

Thank you for this space.

For those who celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful and enlightening Summer Solstice.

I have question about the OPW Summer Solstice chapter. Paragraph 7 is really about the visualization used during meditation throughout the week. I used the 7th day as a time to review and expand on other topics of the week. I'm mostly certain that was ok to do, but I wanted to double check that I didn't miss something in para 7 I should have meditated on specifically. I meditated some on the visualization as part of the other six meditations. I suppose when it comes to topics for meditation, most anything is fair game.

I have really enjoyed initially reading through all of OPW, and this was the first time I have used it as intended. It provided much to meditate on and I realized very quickly that I had some research to do. I am still working through the SGO meditations and used this to help celebrate the season. I am looking forward to when I have "completed" WGS & SGO and can move to this. I have learned a great deal through the awareness exercise and affirmation provided this week as well.

Also, I have really enjoyed "The Witch of Criswell". I have read it a couple of times and am looking forward to the next in the series. (No rush! I know you always have a number of projects in the fire)

Regards,
Bert