Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's nearly 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've been tracing my lineages back as far as I can, and last week took my Martinist lineage back as far as they can be documented. The next step -- and it's the last step in the entire process -- involves a fair bit of speculation, but it's speculation backed up by some evidence. It's been suggested by some historians, Marsha Keith Schuchard foremost among them, that the mysterious Knight of the Red Feather who conferred the Templar lineage on Baron von Hund, last week's honoree, was none other than Charles Stuart, the Bonnie Prince Charlie of Scottish song and story. The claim is that in the years immediately before 1745, when the House of Stuart made its last (and disastrously unsuccessful) attempt to reclaim the British throne, Charles and his inner circle of supporters used various forms of clandestine Freemasonry to raise funds, engage in espionage, and gather arms and supporters for the planned rising. Baron von Hund's initiation was an incident in that process. Martinez de Pasqually, who was honored a couple of weeks back, also claimed to have a charter signed by Charles Stuart as the basis for his occult Masonic order. So it's possible that what lies behind one of the great traditions of Western occultism is a failed political intrigue that got picked up and repurposed by a couple of canny occultists. Stranger things have happened in the history of occultism.

...And with this, the rambling tale of the odd lineages that I've inherited comes to an end. Now I'll have to think of something else to use as illustrations to Magic Mondays!

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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!***

***Please note -- when Magic Monday is closed, IT'S CLOSED.  I just had to delete a flurry of attempted comments posted up to eleven hours after I shut things down. I do need some time to write and do other online chores, you know, so please don't keep trying to post after 12:00 am Monday night/Tuesday morning -- there'll be a new Magic Monday in a week, you know. ***

Comments

Re: Druid Magic Handbook vs Dolmen Arch

[jprussell]

Cealin,

Not JMG, obviously, but as a heathen who is working through the DMH and the DA, I thought I might be able to share some insight "from the inside." Also, synchronistically enough, I was /just/ looking for a thread you posted a while back about a Wodenized three cauldrons working. Unluckily, Ingessunu's three Of Gods and Runes books you referenced there are currently out of print, as that was a thread I was interested in following up, given the use of the three cauldrons in DMH and DA.

Anyhow, the short version is that I have been doing a daily SOP, weekly grove, and 8-times-a-year seasonal ritual following the methods in DMH (and later modifying slightly for DA) for about 2 and a half years now, all while calling on heathen Gods, and it seems to be going swimmingly. I've had a number of meaningful spiritual insights, deepened some of my relationships with the Gods, and have benefited from the discipline of following a system "by the book," rather than my own bespoke (i.e. "cobbled together") program. Doing daily divination with the Ogham, as well as meditating on and scrying the Fews (not /quite/ to pathworking them yet) has been worthwhile and enriching on its own, and I've found occasional parallels/insights with the Runes, some of which have been surprising. The meditation work has also been deep and rewarding, and has taken me in some different directions than a purely heathen focus would likely have done, without invalidating what I'm getting from heathen sources. Working through the Mabinogion while being alive to parallels/influences to/on/from Germanish myth has been especially exciting.

All that being said, the main downside that I have felt is having to set aside, or at least put way less emphasis on, certain heathen-specific work that I am excited to do at some point - things like going deeper on the Runes, meditating through the Poetic Edda, and working out a seasonal ritual calendar more in keeping with heathen traditions. It also means that reading/study that I'm not directly using as meditation fodder gets less time, less attention, and likely fewer and shallower connections to the magical work I'm doing. I'm trying to treat all this as excellent practice in patience, but it can be a bit tough.

Lastly, in case you didn't know, Azoth has put out paperback versions of the two /Dolmen Arch/ volumes which are not cheap, but are waaaay more affordable than the limited edition hardcovers ($37-$40 before tax and shipping from bookshop.org).

Anyhow, if this proves to be a path you walk, I'd love to hear how it goes for you.

Cheers,
Jeff

Re: Natal chart privacy

[ecosophia]

Vague enough that I'm not going to answer this question. ;-)

[boccaderlupo]

For 1), I regard myself as heterodox Catholic, and, short and sweet, although I attend Mass regularly, I don't participate in the sacraments. I aslo remind myself of the long line of those who engaged in magic who were also devoted to the Church—notably for me, Marsilio Ficino, priest and mage, down the line to my own Nonna, buonanima, who was extremely devout but who also worked in areas that might be regarded, from a certain vantage, as maledizione.

Re: Practical Sacred Geometry

[booklover1973]

There are harmonious proportions in book design (book and layout), which probably ultimately are derived from sacred geometry, like the rules the typograph Jan Tschichold laid out in his essays about book design.

[ecosophia]

This is wonderful to hear! For something like that I'd recommend electing a chart with Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter all dignified essentially or accidentally; having one or more of them in or ruling the 9th would be wise, and of course the Moon should be waxing and Mars and Saturn should be as far out of the picture as possible. Your ritual protocols -- well, depends on what approach to ritual you want to use; me, I'd design and perform a Golden Dawn Z-2 formula ritual, but your mileage may vary.

In terms of donor communications, Jupiter, Jupiter, Jupiter all the way -- you want peace and prosperity and happy donors. A group intention might help, but you might also encourage any of your initial class who happen to be practitioners to do whatever they know how to do to make the project prosper... ;-)

Re: Seed of Yggdrasill Review Part 2 and Planetary Elemental Influence on Humoral Temperament

[ecosophia]

That's a fascinating question that would have to be settled by experimentation. I don't know of any discussion of it in the literature.

Qs

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings everyone!

jmg, I am seeing some folks on twitter engage in a mystical/occult tradition that's throwing me off. It seems like some type of modern interpretation of gnosticism.

They believe that we are trapped by "archons" in the samsara cycle via reincarnation, and these "spirits" feed off our emotions, and therefore want to keep us here. They play up (as actors) the roles of gods etc to feed the narrative delusion etc.

They even believe there is a direct way to not reincarnate after death by using specific gates to exit from lower realms (in this framework, the while light is a trap that keeps the reincarnation cycle going, and you're supposed to find a different gate to exit without being reborn). In this scheme, rebirth is optional and the spiritual tradition is mostly a vehicle to keep us trapped.

Would like to hear your take on these ideas, if (and why) they're wrong, and how they relate to the previous gnostic traditions etc.

[ecosophia]

The faery folk are a class of beings incarnate in etheric bodies who also inhabit this planet. They've been here longer than we are, and are apparently finishing up their time here -- certainly their numbers seem to have declined steadily over the course of recorded history. Robert Kirk's book The Secret Commonwealth, published in 1815, is a good intro to them.

The gods worshiped by Pagan religions include a very, very big grab-bag of entities of many different kinds. It's worth noting that many words used by the old Pagan faiths themselves -- for example, the Latin word numen and the Japanese word kami -- can quite literally apply to any supernatural being that humans revere, from fairly minor spirits to great cosmic powers. The Solar Logos and the Logoi of the twelve rays are among the gods worshiped by the old Pagan faiths, but angels, devas, intelligences, and human souls who have completed their work in incarnation also traditionally received reverence.

[ecosophia]

Oh, the disappearance of the old prohibition against usury is much simpler than that. Bankers donate to churches; so do people who make their income on interest from government and private bonds -- that's also usury. I doubt there was ever a formal quid pro quo, but the churches shut up about that as soon as the capitalist class became large enough to make up a significant share of church donors.

For what it's worth, this is a place where I think traditional Christian and Muslim moral teachings are dead on target. Usury is parasitism, and eventually the society and economy that permit it are bled dry by it.

[ecosophia]

It's powerful, risky, and suitable only to advanced practitioners. I recommend a solid background in a couple of other forms of magic before you give it a try.

[daveotn]

Catholic Encyclopedia has a good article on the history of the change from the Catholic Church's perspective (https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15235c.htm). In practice of course I think the material benefits of a little bit of finance have shifted the culture. Yes, lending at interest is intrinsically tied to infinite growth and all the environmental problems attendant in that, but it's also allowed pretty much all of the entire Industrial Revolution. Without loans at interest not only would most regular people be unable to ever buy a house or a car, but most of the businesses that brought about modernity would have never made it.

Still, with the push towards loan forgiveness by some parties, with many years of zero- or low-rate interest rates, and with the need to move at some point away from constant growth and towards a more steady-state society...maybe the time has come to dust off usury from the list of sins?

Druid Pathworking Questions

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

I've been working my through the COGD curriculum and have two questions that I was hoping you could answer for me.

1. In the Bardic pathworkings in CGD, one conducts the summoning ritual of the pentagram for the appropriate element to help establish a connection with that element in its inner grove. In the Druidical grade pathworkings, there is no mention of doing the pentagram rituals in each grove. Is it unnecessary because all of the connections have already been established by the round of Bardic pathworking?



2. In the Bardic pathworkings, the locations of the dolmens correspond to the directions based on the elemental cross; the altar cloths and veils reflect this as well. In the Druidical pathworkings, things are then meant to represent the tree of life, so dolmen locations change. Is it feasible and/or advisable to use the sphere colors rather than the elemental ones for the altar cloths and veils for Druid grade pathworkings?

Many thanks.

Re: Bodily affects

[ecosophia]

1) No, it's important to have the feet flat on the floor during meditation, so you remain in contact with the telluric currents. That's why the chair is recommended.

2) A brief interruption isn't a problem -- just go on with the working. With anything that distracts you thoroughly from the work, though, it's best to start over from the beginning.

3) Fascinating. No, I haven't encountered that before and am not sure what to make of it.

4) I know people who get excellent results from it, but it's not something I can do at all well. Maybe someone else can suggest something.

Re: Puppy vision

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Cute Kitten,
Or should I say, Hi Princess? Thank you for your kind words. Those really terrible things happened nearly 50 years ago and I have done a lot of meditation and cleansing until I can see clearly and no longer suffer the sorrow and rage I once felt.

My sister returned to our Grandmother the night she died and then to my older sister. She was wearing a white wedding gown in both visitations. I pray for her soul. If she had lived, she would only be 69 now so she may well still be waiting in the dull waiting room of souls. If you would like to remember her in a prayer, her name is Kameen Johnson and she was a pretty girl with auburn hair and green eyes.
Much love to you.
Maxine

Re: What's in a name?

[ecosophia]

Names have influence, but they aren't omnipotent. Choosing a name for numerological reasons can give you a boost but it won't do all the work. As for the Cosmic Oom, most people take a different one any time they post something, so any influence it might have is fairly brief!

- Psychedelic Crunchy Centipede

Occult history

[(Anonymous)]

As an historian of the occult, how do you adjudge certain occult authors, teachers and movements that were probably or possibly, at least partially, the product of paid government actors? It would be sticky to get into motivations here but are you guided by the principle "by their fruits shall ye know them", or if someone clearly comes across as an insincere actor, do you pass them over in haste in dismissal of any potential occult utility? It is amusing to consider the possibility that projects that were initiated with more material aims in mind caused their handlers some fright upon discovering more than what they had perhaps bargained for (non-materially speaking). It might be why such things were promoted at the beginning of the 20th century and ignored or dismissed at the end?

[(Anonymous)]

That sounds like a good idea. I'll take that up eventually. Thanks.

Choosing a system

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,
I'm having real trouble choosing a system to start studying and practicing.
A few things I need to have clarified I guess:
1. Last week you clarified that the Celtic Golden Dawn is a straight up magical system, and the AODA for example is not strictly magical, but can have magical elements using your Druid Magic Handbook. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each system?
2. I'm now looking into your Golden Section system. How does that differ, besides not being Druidic?
3. Any suggestions for criteria to help me choose a system?

I guess I have extreme decision fatigue. Thanks for your reply in advance, I'm sure you've written about this before but it is hard to find!

Re: Practical Sacred Geometry

[(Anonymous)]

Are you aware of any literature which touches on the use of sacred geometry in magic?

Milkyway

Re: GSF SOP

[(Anonymous)]

"the world isn't consistent, after all"

Funnily enough, I said almost the exact same thing to somebody else yesterday. I'm fairly sure there's a lesson in there... :D

Thanks a lot for your replies - they cleared up quite a few things!

Milkyway

John Gilbert

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Thanks for sharing all of John Gilbert's work, it is fantastic! For the past few months I have been working my way through all of his various traditions (FHR, UGC, MOE, OSA) since they're all interconnected. So my 3 questions are focused on that:

1) Is there more information or other books on the wheel of life as presented in John Gilbert's Tree of Spirit book. For some reason it make so much more sense to me than the traditional tree of life.

2) Angels! In the FHR there is only a brief mention of Archangels listed by name but no directions or instruction on how or when we work with them. As apart of my FHR reading work I've selected Damien Echols' book on Angels and Archangels. Would it be fine to invoke the archangels in my SoP instead of deity names or is that too much like the LBRP? Is this book compatible with the FHR work?

3) Thank you for uploading the voice recording of John Gilbert's MOE lectures. Will the recording of him giving the apprentice attunement work or do I need to schedule it with a Master Teacher?

Thanks in advance!

Re: Druid Magic Handbook vs Dolmen Arch

[(Anonymous)]

Hello I have now been a member of the Odinic Rite for just over 5 years. We have a book of Blots which is superb with monthly rituals. These are very powerful superbly written rituals. As I said I came across JMG's DMH early in my path and love the Solar, Telluric flows merging into a combined force. Something I have now done for some time is a 3 couldron exercise similar to the DMH Rising Dragon Ritual. I visualize the solar white pillar (Wooden) descending through me into the earth,then the Mother Goddesses flow up my legs as Magma coils and merge in a golden plasma sun. This plasma/fluid fills up the lower caldron which spins on it's axeis This is Thor (life force) and is dark blue then flows up to the Hart caldron Tiw Red and meaning principled power then rising to the White caldron of Widen the Spirit. When all caldrons are spinning fast my whole being is flooded with the Golden fluid and this then enables me to preform healing. This is quite involved and I am thinking of simplification maybe building a grail as in DMH.
Cealin

[(Anonymous)]

I think your grandma might have held traditional European attitudes towards magic? Hexing neighbor’s cows—or neighbor!—bad; charming the onions so you get bigger ones and more of them, good.

The Charmed Onions would be a heck of a good band name.

—Princess Cutekitten

Re: Druid Magic Handbook vs Dolmen Arch

[(Anonymous)]

Jeff you would be interested in 2 books by the Circle of Ostara which was part of the Odinic Rite. Odinic Mythology part 1 and 2.
Very much influenced by Viktor Rydberg. His 3 vol Teutonic Mythology is easily downloaded and Kindle has A properly formated book of all 3 vols for a couple of dollars
Cealin

Re: Druid Magic Handbook vs Dolmen Arch

[(Anonymous)]

JMG is what I have described here "Good magical practice"?
Cealin