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. Papus and Chaboseau, the honorees of the last two weeks, each got their Martinist lineage by a tangle of mostly forgotten figures, so we can jump straight back to one of the founders of the tradition, Louis-Claude de St. Martin. St. Martin was born in 1743 in an aristocratic family and became a student of the elusive master Martinez de Pasqually, learning the distinctive system of theurgic magic Pasqually taught. Later in life, after Pasqually's death, he focused more of his attention on Christian mysticism, studied Jacob Boehme's writings, and penned a series of influential mystical tracts under the pseudonym "The Unknown Philosopher."

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With that said, have at it!

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

Comments

Mansions of the Moon

[andrewskeen]

(Apologies in advance for a long effortpost.) I've been thinking about the Mansions of the Moon as listed in Picatrix, specifically the 27th/Al Fargh al-Thani.

The reason this Mansion has the powers it does is due to the effects of the zodiac, because everything in the created cosmos may be located in one of the twelve zodiacal signs, specifically mediated through the further distinction of decan and term; my sense with the Mansions is that exaltation and triplicity play less of a role, but I can't yet justify this from first principles.

The Plinian description of the 27th is to destroy springs and wells; its ymage is an angel holding a perforated dish to his mouth. This Mansion overlaps the decans of Saturn and Jupiter, and the bounds of Venus and Jupiter. The decanic admixture of Saturn, who has no further essential dignity concurrent with his decan, and Jupiter, who rules both a bound overlapping his decan and the entire sign, is part of the reason this Mansion has such a sharp mixture of benefic uses and malefica; this is also the reason the Sufi mystic Al-Buni says of it, "When the Moon is in this Mansion there descends a spirit of mixed good and evil, in which you will abstain from making any preparation." This is the reason the earlier listing in bk I ch 4 gives its magical uses as:
> increase merchandise and acquire profit (benefic Jove)
> unite allies (Jupiter and likely Venus as well)
> increase harvests (Venus and possibly Jupiter mediating Saturn's influence)
> heal illness (Jupiter)
> destroy the riches of whomever you wish (Saturn "mediating" Jove)
> impede the building of buildings (Saturn)
> put travelers on the sea in peril (malefic Jove?, possibly malefic Venus)
> prolong the incarceration of captives (Saturn)
> to do evil to whomever you wish (Saturn triumphing over all)

It would be foolish to use the Plinian ymage for any of these. The Plinian ymage of an angel blowing his breath (or pneuma) onto a dish (perforated, it spills anything in it and cannot hold water, another reinforcement of the ymage's destructive purpose) is for annihilating the wells and springs of an enemy. The description gives us everything we need: as Picatrix itself states in bk II ch 3, "..from generalities, you will be able to understand and judge particulars." We already know to make the purpose of the ymage as coherent as possible; because of how the cosmos is configured, there is nothing purely coherent in the physical world of matter and energy. Everything is "a coadunation of the elements ordered for the reception of Form." We will never encounter pure Fire or even a pure Form, only shadows of the ideas. While the Moon is in this Mansion, gaining a great deal of influence over Piscean matters, as further mediated through the other rules of the Mansion's degrees, we increase the coherence of our ymage in order to magnify its effect. We draw an angelic spirit belonging to this Mansion; he's breathing on/effecting the target, water; the vessel he holds is damaged and afflicted. And in the operation itself, we call out to the Angel or Lord ruling the Mansion, ask him to destroy the specific spring, then give the ymage to our apprentice and tell him to toss it in the guy's well in the middle of the night.

I believe the powers and effects of the Mansions change based on the state of the five rulers of the degree through which the Moon is passing as the ymage is made. These effects gain further coherence based on which planets the Moon is aspecting, their own essential dignity and angularity, and the houses they rule in the chart of the election. This Mansion is used to heal illness, possibly to aid health and vitality generally. On August 3rd at my location, the Moon rises in the 27th, sextiling her disposer Jupiter with very strong mutual reception, and applying to oppose Mars, also with mutual reception. With Pisces rising, the operator is associated with Jupiter; with Leo on the cusp of the 6th, the Sun represents illness. The ymage for this election might depict a winged, angelic figure breathing on an injured body part, or, even better, speaking into a doctor's ear while the doctor examines the patient (who is drawn to look like the person we want to help). Does this look like an ok election for a healing ymage? And have I made any blunders in this longwinded description of astrological magic?

Best,
Andrew

Re: Mansions of the Moon

[ecosophia]

You could certainly try that. Magic is an experimental science, however, and the proof of the pudding is in the eating; give it a try and keep careful records of the results you get, and then you'll know whether your theoretical approach to the question is correct. Btw, why "ymage"? There's a perfectly good English word for that already.

Re: Mansions of the Moon

[andrewskeen]

Cliff Low writes it that way and I assumed he had a good reason. I'm definitely going to give the operation a try.

Re: Mansions of the Moon

[ecosophia]

By all means. Cliff's got a lot of experience with this stuff.

[taylorrose]

I had three questions:

1) Any thoughts about the ethics and responsibilities surrounding teaching?

2) Any thoughts about dealing with past lives? It felt appropriate to open up to (and affirmed by divination). I didn't take any active measures other than deciding I was stable enough to deal with something that had been hanging over me for years. The results have been somewhat overwhelming.

3) Any thoughts about the karmic repercussions of being conscripted or forced into military service?

[ecosophia]

1) You can't control what people are going to do with what you teach them. It's important to give them as good a chance as possible to make the right decisions, but some will crash and burn.

2) Those show up when you're karmically and evolutionarily ready for them. Yes, it can be overwhelming, but once that stage gets past it's very helpful to know where you've been and why you're here.

3) That's something that happens if you have karma to work off. What you have no control over generates no new karma.

[(Anonymous)]

3) I'm not the OP, but strictly speaking, isn't there always a choice even if most or even all of them are terrible? In the case of forced military service, there have been quite a few people who choose to go to prison rather than serve; and even in cases where the outcome of refusal is harsher, there have been people who chose to defect, tried to mutiny, or allowed the state to kill them.

So I suppose then it's more a case of the less control you have, the less karma you generate? Is this a topic for meditation?

[ecosophia]

Yes, that's a good generalization -- and yes, it's a fine topic for meditation.

[taylorrose]

As always, thank you.

Seed of Yggdrasill Review Part 1 and Being Drawn to Humorally Unbalanced Foods

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

To any who observe it, a happy Lughnasadh! May you begin to enjoy the fruits of your work so far this year.

To Share: Hopefully of some interest to a few others here: I'm starting to work my way through Maria Kvilhaug's big ol' book The Seed of Yggdrasill. The very short version is that it's a good book full of helpful insights that could have been truly great with better editing and organization: https://jpowellrussell.com/#book_the_seed_of_yggdrasill_1_introduction_and_the_books_of_old

To Ask: Another question on humoral food characteristics: I know you're not an expert on this JMG, but if you (or anyone else) knows - is it common for folks of a certain predominant humor to have more fondness for foods that exacerbate it than they should? I think that I must have a Choleric disposition, and reading the list of foods cholerics ought to avoid in Humoral Herbal was practically a list of all my favorite things - fatty meat, salt, dairy, spicy, caffeine, spirits. Is this a common kind of imbalance?

As always, thanks very much to JMG and everyone else here for all that you do.

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

Re: Seed of Yggdrasill Review Part 1 and Being Drawn to Humorally Unbalanced Foods

[ecosophia]

That's not unbalanced. It's normal and healthy, according to the old books, for people to be drawn to foods that maintain their usual humoral balance, e.g., if you're naturally choleric, hot and dry foods will appeal to you, and it's healthy for you to eat them. Only if you become excessively choleric will you want to eat more cool and moist foods for a while.

Re: Seed of Yggdrasill Review Part 1 and Being Drawn to Humorally Unbalanced Foods

[jprussell]

Ah, this is what I get for only skimming Humoral Herbal thus far, thanks very much. I thought I was looking at a lifetime need to balance things with a more cool and moist diet by default. That being said, cutting back on the hot and dry foods and drinks has helped me clear up some mood and general health issues, so I'm sold on paying attention to such things from here on out.

Re: Seed of Yggdrasill Review Part 1 and Being Drawn to Humorally Unbalanced Foods

[ecosophia]

That's one of the places where the humoral system contradicts modern assumptions. The basic rule is that no two people have exactly the same natural balance of the humors, and therefore no two people thrive on exactly the same diet; one size emphatically does not fit all. The important thing is to find the point at which your body, with its inborn choleric temperament, is healthiest -- and that'll inevitably be on the choleric side of the midpoint.

Re: Seed of Yggdrasill Review Part 1 and Being Drawn to Humorally Unbalanced Foods

[hearthculture]

It would be interesting, or at least fun, to humorally classify magical systems/practices, and to think about them in terms of how they complement and support personal humoral balance.

I have a dearth of earth in my chart which reflects in my life and I had been trying to forcefully balance that by choosing telluric energies to work with. I recently recognized that I have struggled at this and have pivoted to trying more solar, ceremonial work. Perhaps, as with food, it's beneficial to lean in to my nature for balance, rather than thinking it must be balanced by things counter to it. (With the understanding that there is always risk of leaning in too far and becoming unbalanced.) It's surprising to think about "balance" in general being fraught with dualistic thinking.

Re: Seed of Yggdrasill Review Part 1 and Being Drawn to Humorally Unbalanced Foods

[ecosophia]

That's certainly my experience. You incarnated at the time you did for a reason, quite possibly because you'd overemphasized earth in previous lives and need to work on the other elements for a while, so it's more useful to accept that and work with it. A hawk does not prosper by trying to be a groundhog, nor does a groundhog prosper by trying to be a hawk!

Re: Seed of Yggdrasill Review Part 1 and Being Drawn to Humorally Unbalanced Foods

[hearthculture]

I've been taught this lesson the hard way for the last decade or so and am finally internalizing it. Even if I can fit a hawk body in a groundhog hole, it is a needless martyrdom and I'll never excel. Thank you for the validation.

And now a new goddess

[jruss]

Greetings JMG and Commentariat,

So the usual suspects along with the coming storm, tower time, and war in the otherworld, are now going on about a new Storm Goddess reaching out to them. Any idea what this could be? I got a feeling none of us are gonna like it.

Re: And now a new goddess

[ecosophia]

My guess is that it's going to turn out to be Jehovah, but we'll see.

Re: And now a new goddess

[jruss]

I can see that, a flavor of Christianity that's almost the exact same but with a goddess

Re: And now a new goddess

[ecosophia]

Gender bending is all the rage these days, after all!

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

What’s tower time? (Anything like Miller time? 😁)

—Princess Cutekitten

Re: And now a new goddess

[ecosophia]

A bunch of Neopagans have come to believe that we're passing through a time symbolized by the tarot card The Tower:

That is to say, stuff going boom and falling down. "Tower time" is their shorthand for it.

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

Which sounds an awful lot like the sort of Rapture Ready theology being peddled by fundamentalist Christians like Tim LeHaye and his Left Behind series. But then again, much of what passes for modern thought is merely a rehash of Faustian Christian theology, as Spengler and Toynbee pointed out a long time ago.

Re: And now a new goddess

[ecosophia]

Of course. I expect that a lot of these people will follow Paul Kingsnorth et al. back into the arms of Christianity in due time.

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

It could be an improvement!

Re: And now a new goddess

[ecosophia]

Well, maybe so, but having known some of these people I feel a bit sorry for the other Christians. They're going to have a lot of chances to cultivate saintly patience...

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

We are already abundantly blessed with such chances.

—Princess Cutekitten

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

Funny that Tower Time has come up here, my daily Tarot card today was the inverted Tower. I hadn't heard of it until it came up last week here, I think.

How does one navigate these pulls? I have to say I've noticed a pull towards Christianity as a lot of small synchronicities over the last half year or so, also in various articles. I practice Druidry, so maybe if that's a type of Neopaganism then this might be why I'm feeling this, but I have no desire to be swept up in some sort of enantiodromia between one or the other. I suppose, due to Christian theology, one cannot be a polytheist and a Christian, and worship many gods, including the Christian one.

Re: And now a new goddess

[ecosophia]

It's a broader pattern. Right now, as our civilization's age of reason comes to an end, a lot of people are fleeing back to traditional religious forms, and that produces a certain pressure in that direction. It's certainly an option for those who can handle the ideology that comes with those forms, but it's in no way mandatory.

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

I wonder how the transition from the Piscean Age to the Aquarian Age ties in with what we are seeing?

The Piscean Age was dominated by religions and ideologies that each claimed to be The One True Way. Of course, there were always lots of different One True Ways, even within religions such as Christianity, Islam and Marxism, which guaranteed never ending strife as people fought over which One True Way was actually The One True Way. As I understand it, the Aquarian Age will be much more individualistic and eccentric, with more of an emphasis on people going their own way and finding their own path.

Re: And now a new goddess

[ecosophia]

If the Neopagans were picking up on an Aquarian influence, every single one of them would perceive a different deity, or a different facet of a deity, coming into play. That it's all the usual apocalyptic crap and one big storm goddess muscling in sounds very Piscean to me.

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

So they are still caught in what might as well be called the Piscean undertow. If my recollections are not mistaken, it was my understanding that you believed the Aquarian Age began in the late 1800's. If so, the transition appears to be taking a long time. Any idea when we will see the Piscean influences fade out and the Aquarian influences become predominant?

Re: And now a new goddess

[ecosophia]

The transition typically takes a few centuries. There were still plenty of holdouts of Arian age religion long after the Piscean age began, and so I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Piscean holdouts for centuries to come.

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

Last year I got suddenly swept up into studying Christianity, but it is definitely not your garden-variety, Standard Sunday School Doctrine type of Christianity!

My Bible study buddy has taught me several principles:

1) Context is key. Who said the thing, who are they saying it to, where are they when they are saying it, what's around them when they are saying it? Job 38 is vastly different from Matthew 1 for this reason.
A good study Bible is invaluable for this. I am using Zondervan's "Archaeological Study Bible", which is now out of print, but their "Cultural Study Bible" may do the same things and it's a more recent NIV translation.

2) Dig into the original language, the meaning of the original words (Hebrew, Koine Greek or Aramaic) to see what the verse >really< says. There are a few red pills in the Bible that make translators twitch, and they'll paper them over. (Try Psalm 82, Job 38:6-7 for starters.)
To do this you want a good interlinear Bible.
My favorite is: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/
In the search field at top, type in the book, chapter and verse you want to look at and you are off to the races. (Hint: the Hebrew reads right to left.)

3) There are very few books >about< the Bible that are any good, and a lot of them will lead you right into the tall weeds. The Bible itself is plenty of material to keep you busy for a long while.
A couple of "outside books" that are at least somewhat helpful are:
- "The Unseen Realm" by Michael Heiser (h/t to the Ecosophian who put me onto him)
- "Beyond Radical" by Gene Edwards

4) If your current god(dess)(es) are taking good care of you, then they are on the team of the good guys. Spoiler: Heiser makes the case that all the other gods are the children of YHWH. Some rebelled and so there's a war on. The others are working with YHWH. So ask your current god(dess)(es) what you should do-- if you should move to Team YHWH or stay with them.

FWIW a few weeks ago I had a brief vision of meeting Odin at an outdoor cafe' table.
After expressing my awe and admiration at "gods who hang on trees to bring us gifts" (referring to both him and Jesus), he smiled and told me, "Continue your studies, little one". So he is OK with my Bible study.

Best of luck, wherever your path takes you.

- Cicada Grove

Re: And now a new goddess

[francis_tucker]

I don't know if you'll see this since you didn't post with a subscriber account. I consider myself a Christian, I'm getting more and more polytheist by the day, and I don't plan on giving up Jesus anytime soon. Perhaps you meant "one cannot be a polytheist and an orthodox Christian"...

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

jruss - could you give the backstory behind the "usual suspects along with the coming storm, tower time, and war in the otherworld, are now going on about a new Storm Goddess reaching out to them."? I'm guessing this is from another part of the esoteric space but confused on the mention of tower time.

Off topic from your post but I know that eschatology can be a fascinating topic and will probably hold human interest forever, despite whatever religions and spiritual practices replace our contemporary ones but really wish the current iteration of usual suspects would give it a break. Here's a prediction though, they won't, too much money and control to give up.

Re: And now a new goddess

[(Anonymous)]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but it was almost certainly an oblique reference to a recent blog post by John Beckett over at Patheos Pagan.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2023/07/the-return-of-a-storm-goddess.html

"The Coming Storm", "Tower Time" and "The War in the Otherworld" are Beckett's favorite pet cliches. The whole thing strikes me as thinly disguised fundamentalist Christian end times theology. This is ironic, considering his hatred of Christianity, particularly conservative and fundamentalist Christianity. But as an old adage points out, what you hate, you tend to imitate...

Ending relationships with spirits

[noxxybaby]

Hi John Michael, do you know of any protocol or advice for ending relationships with troublesome spirits that one might find themselves entangled with? Goetic and Lwa type spirits in particular. Thank you in advance!

Re: Ending relationships with spirits

[ecosophia]

You need to thank them, let go of whatever benefits you've gained by associating with them, and take up some other spiritual practice that doesn't make room for them; classic high magic with a daily banishing ritual is one option, sacramental religion is another.

Re: Ending relationships with spirits

[(Anonymous)]

Would this step help with closing down a contact made several lifetimes ago, or in this case would it be best to leave it alone altogether?

Re: Ending relationships with spirits

[ecosophia]

Leave it alone, and turn to some positive source of spiritual power for help. Religious practice is good for this.

Re: Ending relationships with spirits

[noxxybaby]

Really appreciate this response, and it affirms my intuition about it as well. Thank you.

Re: Ending relationships with spirits

[ecosophia]

You're most welcome.

Taoist Magic Resource

[jruss]

Wanted to add in a separate post the webpage of a writer that's a good source on Taoist Magic for those interested: https://benebellwen.com lots of good info if a bit "woke" at times.

Re: Taoist Magic Resource

[ecosophia]

I've read (and written a blurb on) one of her books, and thought it was quite good. Thanks for this.

Steps to protect a friend

[(Anonymous)]

I have a friend whom I have reason to believe is the target of hostile magic. He has been suffering dental problems, ear problems and especially eye problems, the latter severe enough to make him fear the loss of sight.

I know who is the spell caster, a young person who has the advice and support of an older and highly experienced magical practitioner.

I would like to do something to protect my friend and help him get his health back. I have some basic skills in the HGD tradition. The most suitable thing I know of would be to practice my Hellenized version of the Rose Cross ritual on his behalf. Would this be a good one to use for such a purpose? Is there anything else you would suggest, that I could do with my fairly modest HGD skills?

Assuming the Rose Cross is suitable, I have a follow-up question. I don’t have enough floor space to leave temple center for the visualization of my friend. How might I modify my visualization to accommodate the limited ritual space at my disposal? Also, how often should I do this?

My friend been to see some doctors but they have done next to nothing for him. He has little money and is basically at the mercy of the American medical system.

Re: Steps to protect a friend

[ecosophia]

First, do you have your friend's permission to do magic on their behalf? Consent is as essential in magic as it is in sex. If you don't have their consent, you don't have the right to intervene.

Second, yes, you can certainly use the R+C ritual or any of its variants for this purpose. Make whatever adjustments to the visualizations you need to in order to bring down the divine white brilliance onto an imagined form of your friend; that's the one thing that matters. I recommend doing this daily, or twice a day if you're up for that.

Re: Steps to protect a friend

[(Anonymous)]

He’s an unbeliever in magic, so it may be difficult to obtain. But I’ll ask. If he gives the go-ahead, I’ll do it. Thanks for your advice.

Nicknames, Caricatures and Curses

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I was thinking of a discussion on your blog a while back regarding Magic Resistance-type projects to curse Vladimir Putin and how they were likely to fail due to using the romanized version of his name. By this same principle, does it follow that the heavy use of insulting images and nicknames for a person makes it less likely that collective ill-intent will affect them? For example: Drumpf, Blurmph, Big Cheeto, der Drumpenfuhrer, etc. Couple that with all the silly caricatures cooked up by cartoonists and it seems likely that many of Trump's detractors will vent their derangement syndrome on these names and images in their heads rather than at the man himself. Recall also the panoply of nicknames for George W. Bush: Duhbya, Shrub, Chimpy McCokespoon and so on. I always had a sense that all this nicknaming was self-defeating along with being juvenile and I feel like I've just connected some dots as to why.

Re: Nicknames, Caricatures and Curses

[ecosophia]

That's a good point, but don't say it too loudly -- I'd rather have practitioners of evil magic keep on directing their hatred and rage against empty caricatures of their own creation, so that it doesn't affect its target. This is better for the evil magicians, for that matter, since they don't reap the nasty karma of actually hurting someone other than themselves.

Re: Nicknames, Caricatures and Curses

[(Anonymous)]

The type of people who do that stuff would probably be as receptive to such advice as the Magic Resistance was to your warnings about their rituals.

Re: Nicknames, Caricatures and Curses

[ecosophia]

Here's hoping.

Re: Nicknames, Caricatures and Curses

[(Anonymous)]

Molly Ivins did die of cancer. I hope it wasn't raspberry jam for "Shrub" and "Dubya." Of course the Orange Man himself is a great one for assigning nicknames to people.

Re: Nicknames, Caricatures and Curses

[jruss]

I remember one origin of nicknames in the West was as a protective measure against curses and evil spirits.

Wrong name, wrong target.

TS for sure W

[(Anonymous)]

I have an amusing TSW story that others may find entertaining, perhaps even instructive. Also I have a small question about my experience.

A few months ago, under the influence of certain New Thought figures, I tried an affirmation. It was something like “I am successful.” For now I prefer to be little coy about the exact wording.

One day I repeated this affirmation, or one very similar to it, for some time with great vigor and passionate conviction. This was no mere mechanical repetition; I really put my heart into it. Doing so felt heady, exhilarating.

The very next day I found myself in the parking lot of my local supermarket. As I left my vehicle behind and headed for the entrance, a man approached me. I didn’t know him from Adam nor he me. He stepped right in front of me and spoke. And do you know what he said?

He declared loudly,

SIR! YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL! YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL!

He repeated this several times. Completely out of the blue.

Half an hour later, as I bagged my groceries and prepared to leave the checkout counter, there he was again, right in front of me. And again he said:

SIR! YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL!

More than once. It was kind of an embarrassing situation, but I’m not complaining. I’m fine with it.

Not for a millisecond do I believe this happened by mere coincidence, nor that it would even once in a thousand years.

I am unshakably convinced that somehow my thought and feeling propagated outward in whatever medium carries them and influenced a receptive mind in such a way as to produce this response.

So now for my question. What is that medium? Is its nature etheric, or it astral? How high up the planes must thought and feeling travel to be communicated in this way?

I’m hoping to find constructive ways to employ this phenomenon to my advantage, and that of those I care about, and for the disadvantage of no one.

Re: TS for sure W

[ecosophia]

Ha! Thank you for this; that's a great TSW story.

As for the medium, all the planes are continuous. Matter is the lumpiest of all, and even so the far end of physics shows that atoms aren't little lumps of stuff in vacuums, they're fields of force that interact in some way with every atom in the universe. In the same way, the life force of the etheric plane -- why, "it surrounds us and penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together." The astral plane, ditto, which is why thoughts and feelings flow so easily from mind to mind -- and the same is true of every other plane. You are never actually cut off from anything else in the cosmos on any plane of being.

Re: TS for sure W

[(Anonymous)]

If you like, I’d be willing to send you my exact words privately. They make it even funnier. I’d be fine with you using this story to illustrate the concept, so long as my privacy is conserved.

Your words seem to suggest that consciousness might travel even on the physical plane. The idea that we are connected with everything is inspiring, but also a little scary. One doesn’t want to excite a connection with, say, Ahrimanic spirits. Must choose spiritual company carefully!

Re: TS for sure W

[ecosophia]

If you'd like to send them, I'll certainly keep them private. Simply include the words DO NOT POST in the comment.

Re: TS for sure W

[ecosophia]

Okay, that's really funny. Thank you.

Re: TS for sure W

[(Anonymous)]

So, were you in fact successful?

—Princess Cutekitten

New visualising practice

[(Anonymous)]

I've been attempting a practice based off that counterspell in your tentacle novels, where you make something you don't like the object of your awareness, rather than the subject of your awareness.

I've found that if I visualise my anxiety, intrusive thought, or whatever annoying problem I have that day, in the way a pilot might see a few flashing things on a heads up screen, the problem has a way of dissolving in its own smallness against the rest of my vision.

Does this seem an accurate way to explain the practice?

Re: New visualising practice

[ecosophia]

I'm very glad to hear this! Yes, that's a good description.

Re: New visualising practice

[(Anonymous)]

That business about controlling who is subject and who is object reminds me of a quote by the Zen teacher Dogen:

That the self advances and confirms ten thousand things is called delusion;
That the ten thousand things advance and confirm the self is called enlightenment.

Re: New visualising practice

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this -- I found that very quote an extremely useful theme for meditation back in the day.

[(Anonymous)]

1. Do trees have a 'front'? Do they 'face' in a particular direction?

2. What does it feel like for a plant to be pruned? Is it more like a haircut or an amputation?

[ecosophia]

1) They're radially symmetrical, not bilaterally symmetrical the way we are, so they don't have a front. Their orientations are "up," "down," and "around."

2) Depends on the plant. Sit by a tree sometime, ask mentally if it's willing to communicate, and if you get a positive feeling in response, pose that question.

[(Anonymous)]

My mom's had her favorite oak tree trimmed a few times over the last fifty years.
The tree continues to thrive at a century and a quarter.
I suspect the efforts are appreciated.
Rhydlyd

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know how it feels (ask the tree...), but depending on the species of tree, trimming even to the point of cutting the whole trunk off near the ground can stimulate new growth. Some trees can live practically forever if they are cut down periodically.

[(Anonymous)]

They’ll lean towards the south if there’s nothing blocking the sun, such as a big building. It’s not like the Leaning Tower of Tree, it’s more subtle, but you’ll notice which way a tree leans if you watch it for a while.

My Xmas cactus, Big Yellow, sprouts new leaves after the old ones are trimmed, and then it blooms, so as far as I can tell it doesn’t mind. (Jungle cacti bloom directly on the tip of a new leaf, for those unfamiliar with the plants.)

—Princess Cutekitten

A Druid in Psychologist’s Clothing

[realmscryer]

Hi JMG,

This evening I finished “A Druid in Psychologist’s Clothing”. Howe’s use of Druidry in psychology was really quite interesting. The quaternary thinking bit offers more than a few themes for meditation. Definitely, revisiting chapter 12, Howe’s Via Positiva, too.

As a side note: it took me a while to ramp up my ability to read the book. I believe that my online reading and media consumption have made focusing on longer form books with some depth to them more challenging.

Frankly, it was a bit disturbing to witness this short attention span that had developed in myself. Thankfully, a few good books is all it is taking to get things right again.

Thanks,
Eric

Re: A Druid in Psychologist’s Clothing

[ecosophia]

It's a very fine book. As for the effect of the internet, yeah, I get that. I use big dense books of philosophy to counter that; Sartre's Being and Nothingness is next on the stack.

Curses

[(Anonymous)]

Is it possible for a family line to be cursed down through the generations?

If yes, can it be broken?

I'm asking as someone who would break a curse, not inflict one.

The Ninth Mouse

Re: Curses

[ecosophia]

Yes, that can happen, though it rarely lasts for more than three or four generations, and then only if the family in question has committed some very serious wrong. To break it, it's usually necessary to do something to right the wrong or at least make restitution for it, and then to call on positive spiritual powers to help heal the situation. Even so, it may not be a quick process.

Cosmic Doctrine

[(Anonymous)]

Morning John,
There is an interesting section in the Cosmic Doctrine that I would appreciate your thoughts on. It relates to the 5th death.
“He then seeks freedom from the lesser love, and with this desire for escape from that which is good though finite in order to realise the good that is infinite, causes the fifth death, and he is born into consciousness of the Individuality and lives upon the planes of the Individuality, perceiving “the face of the Father which is in heaven” but with the asking of desire come again the dreams and with the dreams come the recall into matter, the Spirit “beholding the face of the Father” until consciousness is weary with its brightness, closes its eyes and sleeps and sleeping, it dreams of its unfilled desires and so it is born again, for upon the plane of desire a state of consciousness is a place, and as we desire so are we reborn, thus each man makes his own Karma.”
This section seems to sketch out how the Individuality falls back into incarnation, and it seems to hinge on “the asking of desire”, which then causes the Individuality to turn away from the brightness of the divine and fall back into material form. Is this the right interpretation? And why would the Individuality having finally achieved the task of perceiving the face of God seek suddenly to turn away again?
Kind regards
Averagejoe

Re: Cosmic Doctrine

[ecosophia]

What Fortune is describing here is one of the details of the after-death process. Once the personality of the last life has been absorbed, the Individuality is able to awaken to its real nature for a little while. It maintains that state only for a relatively brief time, because it still has work to do in incarnation.

Necromantic amulets and LBRP

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John Michael,

I asked a question a few weeks ago about potential issues with caring for some necromantic amulets I've inherited and my personal practice of western ritual magic.

This is only a data point but I found that rituals like the LBRP make the ghosts in the necromantic amulets "quiet" for a short period of time but doesn't expel them. Perhaps because the amulets contain bone/flesh relics? Or do the dead exist on a plane that is not impacted by the astral energies of the LBRP (would this mean the dead are more etheric than astral?)

Anyway, just a data point and it explains partly why necromancy was considered such a verboten practice in Western magic if the dead do not respond strongly to typical banishing.

The LBRP did make me realise how spiritually "noisy" (I hope that makes sense?) ghosts can be even if I can't sense then using astral senses yet.

Thanks,

P

Re: Necromantic amulets and LBRP

[ecosophia]

Interesting. Thanks for the data point.

[(Anonymous)]

To what extent is fire purifying? For example if an object has a nasty charge or has absorbed bad energies, will burning it solve the problem or will the smoke and ash still be dangerous? The same with metal, will melting reset it to neutral, or will the effect persist even after it's recast?

[ecosophia]

Fire is a good purifier. Fire with the addition of purifying herbs and resins is even better. With regard to metal, melt it and the crystalline structure that holds the charge in place dissolves, the charge departs, and you're left with something quite pure.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG, I have a question about the intuition exercises in John Gilbert's book The Doors of Tarot. He describes quieting all of your active minds (subconscious, imaginative, bodily, and rational minds) to be able to hear the intuition. Are these active minds the same thing as the ego/false self, or are they created by the ego?

Thanks!

[ecosophia]

Nah, it's the other way around. The ego or false self is simply your mental self-image, so it's created by your active minds. When you quiet the active minds, the ego is silenced as well.

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what LBRH, BOL or SOP mean, a list of Ecosophia abbreviations is available.

To ask, a question about Dion Fortune's definition of magic: the art and science of causing change in consciousness in accordance with will. Up until now, I read unconsciousness, but it says consciousness. Merriam-webster defines consciousness as:

the upper level of mental life of which the person is aware as contrasted with unconscious processes

Merriam-Webster defines will as:

the power of control over one's own actions or emotions

So consciousness is the mental life you are aware of, minus the control you exert over it. To help me better understand what that means I have this question:

What is an example of a change in consciousness? From what consciousness to which consciousness?

[ecosophia]

Consider a person who believes that they can't succeed at something. That's a state of consciousness as well as a set of mental contents. Try to replace the mental contents -- say, by talking yourself into thinking that you can succeed -- without affecting the underlying state of consciousness, and any change you make is temporary. Change the state of consciousness into one that embraces the belief that the person can succeed, and success usually follows.

[(Anonymous)]

That sounds a bit like the 'state of consciousness' is similar to what Albert Ellis describes as a 'core belief' in REBT therapy, a deeply set belief that one isn't always aware of.

[ecosophia]

It should -- it's basically the same concept. I don't know if Ellis had any occult background but a lot of his ideas mesh very well with occult philosophy.

[(Anonymous)]

Another question, if I may. You've critiqued before the Buddhist idea that "life is suffering" as being so general that it is meaningless (if I remember correctly). I'm wondering if the same applies to statements such as the Christian idea that "God is love" or in the Kybalion that "all is mind"? Is the difference that we can verify whether life is indeed suffering through experience, but we can't with the latter two statements?

Thanks again!

[ecosophia]

I don't find the latter two statements any more meaningful than the first one. You might as well say "God is peevishness" or "All is cucumber."

[(Anonymous)]

I thought so, I wanted to check if there wasn't some metaphysical or logical reason for the other sentences I wasn't seeing.

I suppose it's a case of: The infinite, being infinite, includes all those things but is not limited to them. I have an issue accepting a human statement about the nature of the universe or the divine, when the universe and the divine are much greater than I am. But then again, my statement just there is one also made by a human.

Also, you've given me the title of my forthcoming new book: The Cucumbalion!

[ecosophia]

I'd be a little more specific, or perhaps nitpicky. Each of the things we're discussing -- life, God, and the universe -- is an abstract universal term embracing an infinity of subordinate things or qualities. To pick one of those things or qualities out of the multitude -- suffering, love, or mind -- and say that this one thing defines the whole universal term is absurd; my examples were an attempt to show just how absurd they are.

I would pay money to read the Cucumbalion, though!

[(Anonymous)]

So demons are petunias and God is cucumbers. I see a vegetarian theology developing here.

—Princess Cutekitten

[(Anonymous)]

An extract from the second chapter:

I. The Principle of Mentalism.

"The All is Cucumber; The Universe is Mental."
-- The Cucumbalion

This Principle embodies the truth that "All is Cucumber." It explains that THE ALL (Which is the Substantial Cucumber underlying all the outward manifestations and appearances which we know under the terms of "The Material Universe"; the "Phenomena of Life"; "Matter"; "Energy"; and, in short, all that is apparent to our material senses) is SPIRIT, which in itself is UNKNOWABLE and UNDEFINABLE, but which may be considered and thought of as AN UNIVERSAL, INFINITE, LIVING CUCUMBER.

It works!!!!! :)

[ecosophia]

You know, that works remarkably well.

It also occurs to me that in modern slang, saying "The universe is mental" suggests something Atkinson probably didn't have in mind. Not that it's inaccurate, mind you... ;-)

[(Anonymous)]

The All is Cucumber, the Cucumber is all, world without end, amen.

Anonymous, you just started me giggling at the mental image of a priest reverently holding up a cuke before the faithful.

—Princess Cutekitten

[kimberlysteele]

Clearly you have been spending time in my garden. I planted one sad little cucumber plant in late spring and I've hauled 60 cukes out of it in the last week. It has announced plans to invade Poland...

[(Anonymous)]

For what it's worth, I mean I haven't experienced this myself, but it's a commonplace among the Western Buddhist authors I read that practically anyone who gets far with certain kinds of meditative practice will eventually start "directly perceiving" that their brain was always attaching suffering to every experience, or something like that. I guess the idea is that, in uncultivated consciousness, there's never any point at which one is standing from the place where one could perceive the suffering as distinct from a possible background of not-suffering, so it never stands out.

It seems that the claim of "all phenomena are unsatisfactory" is meant to be first a technical claim about a purported truth about human consciousness that anyone could in principle verify with enough training, and only after that is it assumed to also validly imply a philosophical claim about the existential condition of all experiencing beings (so that existential nausea about this unsatisfactoriness could be considered a progress-milestone). So making an "I refute it thus", of people sometimes being happy, is sort of talking past the core claim without engaging with it. But at the same time, it seems like maybe there's a motte-and-bailey argument pattern going on, and it's important to challenge the connection between the motte ("nearly all humans have an unnoticed bad constant background level of suffering") and the bailey ("any state of experience more concrete than nirvana is intrinsically a sucker's game, net-suffering-wise").

Of course it's possible that the suffering, even if it is "directly perceived", is an observer effect -- an artifact of the meditative process used to allegedly train introspective perception up to that point, rather than something intrinsic to everyone including those who haven't practiced meditation.

I don't know what to make of this possibility. My current guess, from the reports I've read, is that there are some kinds of quite avoidable suffering that normally any human has, from their brain attaching suffering willy-nilly to not getting all sorts of things they want, as a sort of commitment device -- the same way one person might commit to retaliating against another for not giving them what they think they deserve, just using internal mechanisms of retaliation:

https://neuroticgradientdescent.blogspot.com/2019/07/core-transformation.html

But there might be another kind of "suffering" associated with having erroneous anticipations, or with having attachments to possibilities (perhaps possibilities that one couldn't have known at the time were infeasible), as in the Predictive Processing cognitive-science paradigm for how brains push themselves to navigate spaces of possible combinations of future details when selecting actions. If that kind of "suffering" is part of what an advanced meditator discovers, I'm not sure how much this should be counted as suffering. Conceiving of that as "suffering" might be like conceiving of water as always finding higher altitudes "uncomfortable" and that that's why it flows downward whenever there's a downward to flow to. Extending that conception, to the idea that all concrete existence is a web of undertows that tries to ensnare all experiencing beings into a sea of suffering, might be like extrapolating to the idea that being at the earth's surface is torture for water and it's a moral emergency that all the water on the earth isn't at the earth's center.

While I was looking for the previous link I found another link that was about the question of whether the introspective experience of "dukkha", conceived as one unified treatable form of suffering, was just such an observer effect:

https://neuroticgradientdescent.blogspot.com/2019/12/dukkha-created-vs-discovered.html

An awakened sense - a divine calling?

[inykane]

As I understand, one point of magical practice is to awaken modes of experiencing that are for one reason or another not operational in the practitioner. Likely due to consistent practice of the ritual, meditations etc. I have had something curious happening. The best I can describe is is some sort of a divine call.

It started more or less around when I found myself drawn to a local deity, "The Master of the Woods". The best I can describe is some sort of a pull that is not in any way violent in its nature, but can perhaps be called an "urge" to somehow "get into contact" with the said deity. There is a sense of "otherworldly joy" in the experience and also something I could perhaps call "a meaning". It is also something very raw and likely powerful. I somehow "know" that I could easily give in to it and get lost in the experience.

Now instead of fully opening myself to that experience, I performed the closing gesture and basically calmed down. I still feel the "sparkle" inside, but I am not sure what to do with it. I have carried on with the rituals etc. as before, hoping I could open up to that sensation with the opening ritual, but so far it has not happened. There may be some subtle changes, but nothing overt.

My questions are:

1) is magical practice compatible with a closer union with a deity?
2) if I were to let this union take place, how should I go about doing it?
3) is it appropriate and wise to ask the deity for assistance in the magical practice, namely to become open to the higher realities?

Re: An awakened sense - a divine calling?

[ecosophia]

1) It's a very common thing for mages to do.

2) Ask the deity. He's the expert on the subject.

3) It's a very, very common thing for mages to do.

[(Anonymous)]

Upon learning one’s elemental balances via natal chart, how should one proceed with elemental magic? Is it better to focus on the elements strongly represented in your chart, or should you do the opposite and work with the ones you have less of, in order to even things out?

[ecosophia]

That varies from person to person. That's why divination, meditation, and just spending time reflecting on such things is so useful.

[francis_tucker]

Are there other ways to find one's elemental balances for froods like myself who don't personally sass that otherwise hoopy astrology?

[ecosophia]

Other forms of divination can help, and so can simply reflecting on your own habits of thought (air), will (fire), emotion (water) and sensation (earth).

Baby teeth & Disposal questions

[(Anonymous)]

1. What's the best way to dispose of baby teeth? I've no intention of keeping the kids around forever, *or* booting them from the house early-- so perhaps burying them in the front or back yard is out? Does intent matter? Trashing them seems a bit wrong, but maybe I don't want them hanging around and available for use with bad intent either?

2. A second disposal question: I was gifted a feather, by... an oak tree? Was having a temporarily rough time, had a chat with the tree about it, it gave me the feather, I carried it around for several days until the situation resolved, and felt it protected me. Now it's all manky and crushed, and I feel like I should probably dispose of it respectfully. Ideas?

Re: Baby teeth & Disposal questions

[ecosophia]

In both cases, bury them near the roots of a tree, and in the latter case, thank the tree for the gift. That way the energies will be dissolved and return to the cycles of the cosmos.

Re: Baby teeth & Disposal questions

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks! In the latter case, the tree is now hundreds of miles away (I held onto the feather when we left, to make sure of a clean escape!)-- might it be good enough to inquire of a more local oak tree if it would take it?

Re: Baby teeth & Disposal questions

[ecosophia]

Yes, you can certainly ask another oak. They share the same group soul.

Re: Baby teeth & Disposal questions

[(Anonymous)]

I have noticed that they have similar personalities.

FWIW as a datapoint: since someone else downthread asked about energy vampires, that was what prompted the exchange with the oak tree. We were on an obligatory visit with faraway relatives, stuck in the house for a week, and as always happens when we visit there... we were all lethargic and kind of depressed. I don't have any special abilities when it comes to figuring these things out-- for all I know they just have poor ventilation and low oxygen in the house-- but I was desperate for some relief, and found that the further I was from the house, the better I felt. So I found a friendly oak to sit under each day and work on my homework (an extensive stack of liturgical music I needed to learn), and each day I'd ask Jesus and his Mother to bless the tree, and I'd thank the tree for its hospitality. Harmless little yellow bugs came and perched on the pages of my book while I worked-- the tree sheltered a thick blanket of moss and seemed to hold court with a whole mini ecosystem of tree sprouts, insects, lichens, and fungi in the tiny domain under its branches. I was careful not to step on the tree sprouts, and by way of thanks, I'd break up any dead branches into small, digestible pieces and leave them on the ground for the fungi. By about day 3 the situation indoors was intolerable-- no sleep, no energy, no will to do anything (until I forced myself outdoors). And for crazy synchronicity reasons, I have to back up a little-- I had been reading Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, and finished it that morning. A major plot point in the story is a manky feather, gifted by a supernatural being, tucked into a hat, and used later to free someone from an enchantment. And for anybody who doesn't know, Anansi is a spider/god/trickster character in African folklore. So anyway, I got out there, made my usual petitions, moved out of the way of a very large brown spider (I was raised never to harm spiders-- we leave them alone, or relocate them when they move into a bad spot. Hippie parents and stuff), and then went and put my head against the trunk and sort of... I dunno. Listened to it mentally. Felt for its patterns (This is how I talk to trees-- but I lack words for what happens). Spent some time with it, then talked to it about the house situation, and asked if it could help. I opened my eyes and on the moss at the base of the tree was a raggedy, vivid blue jay feather I hadn't seen before. So I picked it up, thanked the tree, tucked it under my bandana, and wore it around for the rest of our stay. Three nights running, I still couldn't sleep... and then remembered, kicked myself, and put the bandana-with-feather back on and went right to sleep. Wore that rig around like a magic helmet until we left. It helped a lot.

No idea if any of that's useful to anybody else, but I highly recommend treating trees with respect, and trying to make friends. Always be polite ;)

[(Anonymous)]

I've had what appears to be past life memories from a long time ago coming up, in which I was a mystic and then I willingly, deliberately, consciously, and horrifically betrayed the god I worshiped. He provided me with a vision of the future of my people, and rather than accept it, or ask him to change it, I turned to demonic forces; the results of which were, predictably, disastrous.

Is there an accepted method for what to do in these circumstances in order to apologize to the god?

[ecosophia]

You need to talk to the god and find out what he needs you to do. Cases like these are profoundly individual, since no two souls are the same, and neither are any two gods.

[(Anonymous)]

This doesn't directly relate to your problem, but, depending on your position on a scale from "The supernaturally-perceived past lines up moment-for-moment with actual history" to "The supernaturally-perceived past is a palimpsest of transitory meaning-orchestrations relevant to the different times and places it is perceived, with no consistency except insofar as consistency would prove to be meaningful at the time", you might consider putting an account of the situation in your will (deity willing), to be published anonymously in the event of your death. While strange problems do seem to arise when too many people put too much weight on these kinds of perceptions, your story may be of interest to some people trying to piece together an idea of what was going on behind the scenes during that period. Even a half-myth-clouded idea.

[(Anonymous)]

This is a very odd question, but is there any occult factors in the way that the idea "We should never change our mind about anything because how convincing an argument sounds is unrelated to how true it is" seems to be taking off in the "rationalsphere"? It seems to me that it might be a desperate attempt to avoid admitting that their beliefs are obviously false, but it seems bizarre enough that I wonder if there's something else going on here...

[(Anonymous)]

Not JMG, nor have I heard of this idea in the 'rationalsphere', but isn't this just saying 'be careful about rhetoric in arguments'? Rhetoric seeks to persuade even if the argument the rhetorician is making isn't necessarily true, as far as I understand it.

[ecosophia]

It's one thing to recognize that arguments can sound convincing without being true -- and of course that's a very good awareness to cultivate. It's quite another thing to insist on that basis that some set of current beliefs must be taken on blind faith irrespective of evidence or argument. That latter suggests to me that the rationalist movement has just about completed its transformation into a faith-based antireligion, and will collapse in the decades immediately ahead.

[(Anonymous)]

(oops, sorry, including "Do you have a citation?" in a reply made more sense when I had been expecting to post that reply sooner)

[ecosophia]

Er, no umpty-screen angry rants, please...

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,
You thoughts, if you would be so kind, on an odd use of the Middle Pillar Exercise.
I'm a lifelong insomniac, and with age have begun to wake in the middle of the night, unable to get back to sleep again. (I could write a book on clever ideas to counter insomnia, by the way.) One night, in desperation, I tried mentally doing the MP Exercise, lying in bed and just repeating the names of the spheres and trying to move the energy up and down, and soon found myself apparently dozing for a few seconds, or at least forgetting where I had got to. After a while, it became clear that a lot of time had passed, without being sure that I had actually slept. I've continued doing this from time to time: at the very least it's better that being consciously awake. From your knowledge of the MP Exercise, what do you think is going on here? And is it the sort of thing you can do for long periods of time without risk?
Thank you.

[ecosophia]

That's a very worthwhile thing to do. There are states between waking and sleeping; if practicing the MP in that way helps you enter them, good -- because in those states your body can rest, and the energies of the MP will continue to flow through you and heal you. Yogins practice a similar exercise called yoga nidra that is actually more healing and refreshing than ordinary sleep.

[(Anonymous)]

This is basically what monks are doing when they get up for midnight offices. I have tried it myself, when unable to sleep, and can report that an hour or two of intense prayer/meditation followed by maybe two hours' sleep is as good as the canonical 8 hours.