Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's getting on for 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 image? I field a lot of questions about my books on magic these days, so I've decided to do little capsule summaries of them here, one per week. The book on the left is the current edition of my first published book, Paths of Wisdom., which originally saw print in 1996.  It's an instructional manual of the Cabala, one of the core philosophical systems of the Western occult tradition, in the form that I first learned -- the version taught and practiced in the Golden Dawn tradition. I intended it to be for beginners, but in those days I had somewhat expansive ideas of what beginners in magic could handle! Now I'd recommend starting with a simpler book such as my Learning Ritual Magic before going on to this one. (If you're interested, you can get a copy here if you live in the US and here if you're anywhere else.)

Buy Me A Coffee

Ko-Fi

I've had several people ask about tipping me for answers here, and though I certainly don't require that I won't turn it down. You can use either of the links above to access my online tip jar; Buymeacoffee is good for small tips, Ko-Fi is better for larger ones. (I used to use PayPal but they developed an allergy to free speech, so I've developed an allergy to them.) If you're interested in political and economic astrology, or simply prefer to use a subscription service to support your favorite authors, you can find my Patreon page here and my SubscribeStar page here. 

 

I've also had quite a few people over the years ask me where they should buy my books, and here's the answer. Bookshop.org is an alternative online bookstore that supports local bookstores and authors, which a certain gargantuan corporation doesn't, and I have a shop there, which you can check out here. Please consider patronizing it if you'd like to purchase any of my books online.

And don't forget to look up your Pangalactic New Age Soul Signature at CosmicOom.com.

With that said, have at it!

***This Magic Monday is now closed -- as in, NO FURTHER COMMENTS WILL BE PUT THROUGH.  See you next week!***

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG and commentators,

I hope everyone is well and healthy!

Today I'm looking for information about two angels: Sandalphon and Metraton.

Any recommendations on books and articles that address these angels? I've already read the works of Damien Echols and Frater Ashen Chassan, but I'm looking for something about etymology, association with sacred books, etc.

Thanks in advance!

[ecosophia]

Gustav Davidson's A Dictionary of Angels has decent articles on both angels, but you probably have at least as much from other readers. I'll be interested to see if anyone else has something to suggest.

Oldest percussion recipe?

[(Anonymous)]

Smaragdine Comatose Troll here with a question for our host. I think he mentioned an old alchemical recipe for the stuff they put in percussion caps. Where can I look this up?

Cosmic Oom really did me right this time.

Re: Oldest percussion recipe?

[ecosophia]

The alchemical recipe in question is exceedingly dangerous, and requires several ounces of gold. If you really want to find it, it's called the Red Lion of Salomon Trismosin, and can be found as an appendix in some of the older editions of Trismosin's book Splendor Solis -- but you'd really be better off with something else.

Weather forcast

[vitranc]

Dear JMG,


I would be interested to hear how the astral weather or other subtle conditions are holding these days?

I have noticed sharpening moods and interestingly incresed workloads. Makework approksimatly 25-33% increse in the last 6 months for no apperent reason, but persistant and observable in multiple cases. It is a pattern and gut feeling tells me something is driving it.

Best regards,
V

Re: Weather forcast

[ecosophia]

Hmm! Interesting. I've been doing a lot of intensive spiritual work of late and so haven't noticed the astral weather as strongly as usual -- it's a common side effect. I'll be interested to hear what other people have sensed.

Mouni Sadhu's Concentration - First Exercise

[(Anonymous)]

I am trying to do the first exercise from Mouni Sadhu's Concentration now. I can focus on the second hand of my clock with my eyes, but thoughts continually pop out, for example, the beginning of The Magic Flute: Ein holder Jüngling, sanft und schön kept sounding in my head, as well as other thoughts like a random restaurant I saw on the road. I just kept focusing on the second hand whatever appeared.

I also have had the experience of getting completely distracted, for example, if I thought about a Kazakh restaurant, then thinking about Kazakh food and the steppes, and realizing that I wasn't focusing on the second hand at a certain point.

If I am maintaining my focus and don't lose track of the second hand, as what I wrote in the first paragraph, am I doing it right? Or should I try to become so deeply concentrated that no thoughts besides focusing on the second hand arise at all?

Re: Mouni Sadhu's Concentration - First Exercise

[ecosophia]

Your long term goal is to get to the point where no thoughts at all intrude on your concentration -- but that takes a lot of practice. For now, as the book says, count the time until you actually lose track of watching the second hand. If thoughts pop up but don't succeed in distracting you, that's a step in the right direction, so keep going.

Longevity of the Astral Body

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Mr. Greer,

In my system (Gurdjieffian) the astral body gradually decomposes after death. It’s unspecified how long that takes. In that system, there is no expectation of a rebirth on the Earth.

My current hope or belief is that my astral body will eventually be of such quality that it will not decompose, at least not initially after death. I am hoping that life in the Astral World is a possibility.

I read a book by Papus, where he states, as well, that the astral body decomposes after death. And I believe the Hindus believe the same.

I gather from the Occult Philosophy Workbook that your system indicates the astral body is reincarnated from life to life.
Are you aware of any occultists that strive for a life after death in the Astral World?

Thank You!

Re: Longevity of the Astral Body

[ecosophia]

Terms like "the astral world" get used in varying senses in different occult teachings, so let's cover some basics first. In the system I work with, there are seven planes of manifestation to which human souls potentially have access, and at this stage in our evolution we can only access four of them -- the material plane, the etheric plane, the astral plane, and the mental plane. The material plane is the world of matter and energy, the etheric plane is the world of life force, the astral plane is the world we experience in dreams and imagination, and the mental plane -- which we're just beginning to experience -- appears to us as meanings, intentions, and values. Incarnate humans have a material body, an etheric body, an astral body, and a mental sheath -- this latter isn't quite an independent body yet, which is why we only have glimpses of the mental plane. Okay? Now we can proceed.

Human souls reincarnate on the material plane, but they don't do so indefinitely. No, the astral body doesn't remain from life to life; the dying process involves shedding the material body first, then the etheric body, and then the astral body, in each case absorbing the experiences of each body into the soul. Then the soul descends through the planes, picking up a new astral, etheric, and material body for its next incarnation.

Once a soul succeeds in transforming its mental sheath to a mental body, however, it no longer incarnates on the material plane; furthermore, since the mental body is the first of the permanent bodies for our swarm of souls, once the mental body is formed, that's the end of death and rebirth for that soul. Once that's happened, the etheric body becomes the densest body the soul has, and it also has an astral body and a mental body. So it mostly experiences the etheric plane, just as you and I mostly experience the material plane, but the astral and mental planes can also be experienced.

So if you want to rise out of the cycle of death and rebirth, any system of sustained spiritual practice will do that -- that's what they're for. That won't get you to a life spent primarily on the astral, however. To do that will take long ages of further development, until you can form a spiritual sheath and then a spiritual body; at that point you no longer have an etheric body, your astral body is the densest body you have, and the astral plane is the one you primarily experience. (Rinse and repeat, and eventually you form a causal body, and your three bodies are mental, spiritual, and causal, surrounding the divine spark at the core of yourself -- but that's a very, very long ways from now for all of us, and we can't even imagine what that would be like.

Have I confused you thoroughly yet? ;-)

Occult “Ontology”

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Mr. Greer,

I am a practicing Christian but do really enjoy reading your blog and simply learning about magical theory. My question is about what the various levels or “ontology” of reality is from an occult perspective.

Something I find intriguing about Christianity is the fact that this topic is not expanded on much at all, despite all of the systematic theology the church has written on all sorts of various topics. You have the physical plane of existence, a couple spiritual planes (heaven/hell), some hints at a mental or mind plane, and that’s pretty much it. Nothing in between those are ever mentioned, yet it seems apparent to me that more exist.

But for magical systems there are obviously many more, and so I was wondering if you could expound on what all the various “planes” are, like astral or etheric because it’s all jumbled in my head! Thanks!

Re: Occult “Ontology”

[boccaderlupo]

Not JMG, but a (heterdox) Christian here.

You might consider looking into the writers of the Philokalia in the Orthodox tradition. They spell out quite explicitly the various aspects (the Nous/intellect, the passions, etc.), and these roughly correspond with Neoplatonic thinking on the matter (the latter of which is foundational for much of Western magical thinking, as I understand it).

Axé,
Fra' Lupo

[thinking_turtle]

To share, a list of abbreviations used on Ecosophia.

I had somewhat expansive ideas of what beginners in magic could handle

Can confirm that, Paths of Wisdom is way over the top. The Druid Path was at the right level for me :)

Looking forward to the next book description!

King in Orange Magic

[(Anonymous)]

Hi,

I have read some of your blog posts about Donald Trump using magic to put a hold on his opponents' thinking. I have heard an interview with Mattias Desmet where he talks about mass formation. It was interesting that he talked about phenomena that academics can't explain using rational, scientific methods at the end of the interview. Do you think that you and Desmet are looking at the same thing from different perspectives, or is the linkage weak—or nonexistent?

Moserait

Re: King in Orange Magic

[ecosophia]

I haven't read what Desmet has to say, so I'm not really in a position to judge. If he's starting to talk about things that rationalists don't understand, though, he's very likely getting into my kind of territory.

Evil beings

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG!

You once stated somewhere that Lucifer and Satan has been mixed up.

What are the differences between these beings and are there more evil beings with different qualities?

Thanks for all of your work!

Re: Evil beings

[ecosophia]

There are entire volumes of demonology that sort out the different evil powers known to occult tradition. I don't recommend studying them, though, since there's nothing useful to be gained by contemplating the scum of the cosmos -- which is what we're talking about, after all.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Some divinations, with Kimberley's help, have led me to believe that I may have offended Venus. Ouch. I have been working to mend my relationship with her - the process is slow, but thankfully she has been forthcoming with suggestions and guidance on how to do this.

My question is this: in the meantime, is there anything can I do *magically* to increase my attractiveness to potential partners without potentially offending Venus again?

I am slowly working through the DMH, and I am at the point now where I should really start pushing my practice forward, as I have been resting on daily SoP-meditation-divination for quite some time now. I have considered using a series of SoP workings to enhance my romantic appeal; of course, I will divine and meditate on these workings before taking the step to do so, but given my situation with Venus, I thought I would ask your advice as well.

If this seems like a viable option to proceed with, would it appropriate to consider astrological timing with regards to Venus (planetary day+hour, or indeed auspicious transits) for the workings, bearing in mind my situation?

[ecosophia]

My advice here is to rely on your own divinations and meditations! Venus is an easy deity to get along with, and since she seems to be perfectly willing to give you advice, she's the one to ask.

Healing

[aekeenatia]

Dear JMG and commenters,

I would like to share a – hopefully – inspirational experience and ask a question.

The experience is a self-healing experience. In 2019 I started meditating and have been keeping the practice. This was an unexpected outcomes:

Since childhood I have suffered quite frequent headaches which often develop into migraine. In 2020 I had a headache and was deciding if it was the time to take a painkiller. Coincidentally, it was also the time when I usually meditated. I had an idea: I will try the meditation to heal the headache. I did. The headache ceased almost completely after about 20 minutes of meditation. Over the two years I have had many good results both with headaches and migraines – and the meditations proved even more effective than medication: headaches usually cease in about 10mins, migraines 15-25mins; it takes about 50mins for the medication to take effect-if it does. Over the couple of years my headaches and migraines got less frequent, too. However, if I am too exhausted to focus or be patient, I fail. I am happy about my results and would like to share the “healing” meditation:

1) Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable position
2) Relax and gently close your eyes.
3) Focus on just being – all of you; which is, pain, but focusing on your pain has a curious effect – there is the pain and there is a distance between your consciousness and the pain. Focusing on the pain enables you to realise you are more than the pain; it lets you gently “touch” the border of the pain, gradually releasing the tight threads which cause the suffering
4) When your consciousness does not try to run away from the ache any more, in case of migraine there are two more things you can focus on: first, your breath. The pain rises or leaves a little while breathing; adjust your breath so it minimizes the pain and then gently go to the pattern 4x4.
A more difficult thing to focus on, which I have not mastered yet, is focusing on the slight movements of your eyes (this also influences the amount of pain). Very slight correcting movements can relieve a lot of pain; but it is very difficult (for me) to focus enough on these, as they are incredibly subtle.

Last Saturday, I tried a similar thing on my hurting knee. It needed much more focus, but to my surprise, it worked. And the effect was long; usually, when this pain wakes me up at night, I am very stiff in the morning and it takes quite a lot of exercise to be able to move freely. That morning, I felt very little pain and stiffness - and the feeling of lightness and flexibility lasted all day.

This is my experience. Now, the question. What is going on from the occult point of view?

Sorry for the length of my text and thank you.
Yours with deep regards,
Markéta

Re: Healing

[(Anonymous)]

This reminds me of an African method I heard of decades ago where you mentally poured migraine pain into vessels until it was gone. For me it worked for 5-10 minutes. Then, the pain came back.

Moserait

[(Anonymous)]

In terms of magical defense, how do you "unsee" a message which looks intended to get stuck in your subconscious and then influence your behavior? An ad would be a simple example of what I mean, but also a claim made in an article that you didn't know was there, but you can't avoid the message because you've already read it.

[hearthculture]

Perhaps tangentially helpful...
A form of building what you are for rather than fighting what you are against:
My son was having troubles with a scary image playing over and over in his head as he was trying to go to sleep. I told him instead of trying to fight it or stop seeing it, replace it - the next time it plays imagine the image getting brighter and brighter until you can't see it anymore, you just see white and imagine what is making the bright light (anything bright looking and feeling, whether it's a star, angel, god, goddess, glowing sword, sparkly winged unicorn.) Then if the scary image comes back call on the brightness again. It has helped me in the past and helped him in that moment.

Candles on the alter

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings JMG, could you comment on the meaning and utility of using 1 vs. 2 candles on the alter? I typically see two at opposite ends but occasionally I see a single pillar candle off center on the alter. It’s also interesting to me that this configuration seems to be more popular with women. What is going on here? Thanks!

Re: Candles on the alter

[ecosophia]

Different systems of magical practice use different numbers of candles. In the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, for example, we use four candles. The single pillar candle will be specific to some system -- or, pop-culture magic being what it is, it may have been lifted from some system because somebody on TikTok thought it looked cool.

Freudian symbolism may also be involved. I'll let you imagine why women might be more likely to have a single thing sticking up on their altars, while men prefer a pair of things protruding from it... (No, this is not just a joke. It's funny, but it's also true.)

Geomancy House Question

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks, JMG, for maintaining these weekly MMs!

I am of the view that questions pertaining to substance addictions would be associated with the 12th house in geomancy charts, as addictions are a chronic health issue and are a form of self-undoing – both of which are associated with the 12th house. Do you agree?

Scarlet Flummoxed Gorgon

Re: Geomancy House Question

[ecosophia]

That's what I would use, certainly, though I'd also check the 6th in any such chart to see if there was any other health-related issue involved.

[antoine_eva]

Greetings JMG and thanks for this wonderful place.

I read a lot about how "the planes are discrete and not continuous".

I feel there is a lot to unpack in that short sentence.

Could you gave a short summary and/or where i can find more info on it ?

[ecosophia]

It is a lot to unpack, and you're supposed to do the unpacking -- that's what meditation is for, and meditation on your own experience is where you can find all the info you need.

To give you a push in the right direction, think of the planes of being you experience, and how you can affect them. You can't daydream your way through a brick wall -- daydreams belong to the astral plane, while the brick wall is on the material plane. If you want to get through the wall, you may start by imagining a way through, but then you have to take action on the material plane to put a door there.

In the same way, you can't change a problem with your self-image by doing things on the material plane. If you feel like a failure, it doesn't matter how many signs of material success you heap up around you, you'll still feel like a failure, because those feelings are on the astral plane and the material plane won't affect them. You have to work out the tangled emotions on the astral plane that keep you feeling that way, and then you can release the feeling.

Does that help?

45 Minute Vision

[pleh]

I was having an anxiety attack and I did a breathing exercise I learned from Rudolf Steiner's Esoteric Lessons; I breathed in as deep as I can imagining a caduceus. Then I hold it, breath out all the air and imagine a wood cross with a rose blooming on it. I ended up feeling a powerful presence enter me, something like a Crimson Angel took me to Mars and I saw myself riding a chariot. It went on for 45 minutes according to my wife and another presence was speaking through me. MY wife said it was like an exorcism scene from a movie. None of my Anthroposophist friends have any idea what it means. I sent my deceased father to Valhalla at one point. Do you have any advice for interpreting this? It was the most "real" thing I have ever experienced if that makes any sense. Thank you.

Re: 45 Minute Vision

[ecosophia]

Sounds to me as though you may have a talent for going into trance and doing trance work. No, I don't imagine your Anthroposophist friends can help you with that; if you can find an honest, competent spirit medium, they can give you some guidance.

The Occultist, J. F. C. Fuller.

[(Anonymous)]

Do you have an opinion on J. F. C. Fuller?

He was a General in Britain who was around for the World Wars. I ask because I've picked up some books by him on military strategy and on U. S. Grant. I've found them much better/insightful than I expected, and I can see occult-themes in them.

He also wrote a bit on magic; this non-occultist was just curious if he was as good writing on that as he was on war.

--- Joshua

Re: The Occultist, J. F. C. Fuller.

[ecosophia]

Fuller was a fan of Aleister Crowley, and I'm not, so I haven't read his magical writings. I know people who speak very highly of his occult work, however.

[mmelvink]

Hi JMG,

Delighted to report to the MM company that our new History MA in Magic and Occult Science at USC is aleady going gangbusters, with an inaugural cohort of eight amazing grad students, most also practitioners! Our sister program at Exeter has also just launched to much international fanfare (including in the NY Times), and we're now working on securing scholarships for all incoming students there too so we can join forces as of next year (USC's is already fully funded and tuition-free, one of the only such MA degrees in the world, and hence actually ethical). The fact that neither program existed a year ago and now suddenly both do is, well, sheer magic :)

Given our overnight success, however, two of my department colleagues have now made it their mission to cancel me personally and the program generally as a controversial liability, despite the fact that its strong decolonial tenor fits perfectly with our department's well-known strength in the histories of colonialism and slavery. The animus being directed at me by colleagues I considered friends is truly bizarre and heartbreaking, and has already put the program and its students' well-being in jeopardy, precisely as intended. Historians, it goes without saying, tend to be resistant to change, so I expected some pushback, but nothing so violent, personal and blatantly thoughtstopping. Yet the fact is that our graduate program – like the humanities generally – is in serious danger, so I was authorized by the department to try and save it with Magic – and I did! This behavior is therefore not merely irrational but quite literally suicidal.

My geomantic reading on this crisis (Mothers: Puer, Puer, Fortuna Minor, Acquisitio) made it clear that if I stand my ground and refuse to be cowed by threats of cancelation we will eventually prevail through outside help and secure the immediate future of the program as a manifest asset. And indeed, it so happens that major donors are now interested in possibly helping us do just that, which would make both the USC and the Exeter MOS programs impervious to such threats. Nor is this the first time a colleague has tried to cancel me, so I know the drill – thank the gods for tenure :)

To that end, I’d like to submit a prayer request to you and the valiant assembled for the protection of our Magic and Occult Science grad program from these threats and its flourishing going forward, including through donor endowment. Wednesday and Thursday of this week will be critical windows if anyone has a few spare minutes then. My own practice is limited to geomancy, talismanry and a bit of hoodoo, so I’d also be most grateful for any other interventions, prognostications or strategies folks can suggest.

Thanks a million as always for Magic Mondays, and to y’all for the support!

Matt

[(Anonymous)]

Since you are into Hoodoo, you might consider working with Psalm 65. In the ancient grimoire of psalm magic available in English as _The Secrets of the Psalms_ the author writes that this is the Psalm that helps one to become fortunate in all undertakings. You can read some of the other ways people work this Psalm here as well as the full King James Version of the text: https://readersandrootworkers.org/wiki/Psalms_65

It's worked for road opening, reversing bad situations, and generating fortunate outcomes. In your situation, I would recite it everyday and pray for the outcome I desire that benefits all and harms none. I'd pray this in Jesus' name as per John 15:16. That's the context I am familiar with --- there are also Jewish ways of praying psalms and Muslim ways of praying the Zabur which I am not familiar with. Before Wednesday I would divine on writing a petition paper and putting it into my left shoe. If the divination were favorable I would write the psalm by hand on paper. After I'd copied the psalm, then I'd fold it towards myself and clockwise and repeat until it could be folded no more, focusing on the intent and reciting Psalm 65. Then --- divination dependent, of course --- I would put that in my left shoe, so that every step took me closer to the goal, as per verse 11 of the Psalm. I'd make sure to have that petition in my shoe during those crucial days! In addition, I'd keep on praying that psalm everyday.

After I'd gotten through to the other side, I'd pray Psalm 150 in thanksgiving. After that it might be a good idea to consider giving $65 to a local food bank in Jesus' name --- or the name of the divinity prayed too specifically and personally --- in thanks for the outcome.

Ethical love spells II

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John Michael,

Last week you suggested a love spell involving the symbolism of Netzach to make oneself more lovable. You also mentioned that the work would bring up all of one's "unlovable" traits as a consequence of the work.

Well, you were right, very soon after I started the prep work I was faced with a host of traits that felt distinctly unlovable and I began to doubt whether I even knew what it meant to be truly lovable.

Do I need to have a strong image and feeling of being lovable before I construct the Venus/Netzach talisman I had planned or us it sufficient to ask for the quality to be imbued in the talisman - in other words, do I trust the Angel and Intelligence to understand the words even if I don't necessarily connect to the meaning on a visceral level? Or is it better to try to desk with the unlovable traits before beginning the work?

Also, how would one go about doing this work from a Hoodoo perspective? Would a honey jar with love herbs and ones own personal concerns work? I have a non-GD friend who would like to do the sane work but follows a less ceremonial path.

Thanks as always and gods bless,

P

Re: Ethical love spells II

[ecosophia]

Excellent! That experience of doubt and unhappiness shows that you're already coming to grips with the unlovable aspects of yourself. If you knew what it was to be truly lovable, you'd be able to choose consciously to be that, and you wouldn't need magic.

Thus you don't need to have a strong image, or any image at all. That's exactly why you need the talisman -- it becomes the anchor for the thing you can't yet formulate in any nonsymbolic form, and brings it into manifestation in your life. You're invoking the angel and the intelligence precisely because they understand things you can't yet consciously formulate.

For your friend, I'd suggest writing out a petition paper crosswise, with the friend's name seven times going one way and the words "I become lovable" seven times across the name. The paper should be torn, not cut, and folded up with personal concerns in it, then placed under a candlestick. Then burn a green candle every Friday in that candlestick, saying a prayer to Venus asking for help becoming more lovable. This should be done for at least seven Fridays in a row.

Ecosophia Prayer List

[tunesmyth]

Here is the full list of all of the requests for prayer that have recently appeared at ecosophia.net and ecosophia.dreamwidth.org, as well as in the comments of the prayer list posts. A printable version of the entire prayer list current as of 10/24 may be downloaded here. Please feel free to add any or all of the requests to your own prayers.

If I missed anybody, or if you would like to add a prayer request for yourself or anyone who has given you consent (or for whom a relevant person holds power of consent) to the list, please feel free to leave a comment below.

(Also, if you think you might be interested in having anyone pray in support of your own self-improvement, please have a look at the Ecosophia Prayer List Autumn Special.)

* * *
This week I would like to bring special attention to these prayer requests from the list.

May the brain surgery that Erika's partner James underwent for his cancer on October 16th have gone successfully; and may he be blessed, healed and protected, and successfully treated for all of his cancer.

May Kyle's friend Amanda, who though in her early thirties is undergoing various difficult treatments for brain cancer, make a full recovery; and may her body and spirit heal with grace.

May Jeff Huggin's friends Dale and Tracy be blessed and healed; may Dale's blood and spinal fluid infection clear up sufficiently to receive a heart valve replacement; may his medical procedures go smoothly and with success; and may Dale and Tracy successfully surmount these difficulties.

In the case of Princess Cutekitten and the large bank who is suing her, may justice be done, with harm to none.

Lp9's hometown, East Palestine, Ohio, for the safety and welfare of their people, animals and all living beings in and around East Palestine, and to improve the natural environment there to the benefit of all.

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

If there are any among you who might wish to join me in a bit of astrological timing, I pray each week for the health of all those with health problems on the list on the astrological hour of the Sun on Sundays, bearing in mind the Sun's rulerships of heart, brain, and vital energies. If this appeals to you, I invite you to join me.

Re: Ecosophia Prayer List

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this as always.

Lovecraft

[susan_c]

Good morning JMG
In case you need a little amusement today my son posted the
following very short story on his blog this past weekend.

http://flyingtotems.blogspot.com/2023/10/a-tale.html

Re: Lovecraft

[ecosophia]

Ha! Funny.

[(Anonymous)]

In the context of political magic, I’ve taken note of the main chanted slogan of the Pro-Palestinian protests— “From the river to the sea/ Palestine will be free.” Arguably most of the people chanting it don’t fully understand what it references (the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea, and by extension the elimination of Israel in its current form). From an objective point of view it seems like a perfectly crafted phrase—focuses entirely on a positive mental picture rather than any negatives, and completely ignores the other side.

In contrast, Israel’s main phrase is “Never again,” which is a negative and which focuses on the past. Comparatively weak.

I’ve been astonished at how little emotional resonance the initial massacres of Israelis (especially kids and women tortured—there are extremely graphic videos, imagery, and testimonials out there) has had compared to the Palestinian casualties (which are horrific as well but don’t involve sexual crimes, mutilation, etc.)

Thoughts?

[(Anonymous)]

Not JMG, but at least to me, the "river to sea" one feels weak and negative too. Free of what? That's an opposition to something. Also, if the maximalist Jewish settlers have their way, arguably the slogan would be literally satisfied, just not in the way intended by the folks currently using that slogan.

A positive slogan would instead focus on, say, the idea of a homeland. I don't have a catchy one to offer as an example, though.


(For what it's worth, the Israeli one, while negative, feels extremely "crisp" to me, if that makes any sense)

Dijon Harebrained Moth

Homework and Rite of Rays

[hearthculture]

Reporting back on homework: I asked before about concerns with Western European pantheons because of their link to violent and colonialist values that I don't want to embody. You reminded me that this is another form of faulty exceptionalism- both the error of thinking western gods are unique in their violence and that the west is unique in it's imperialist streak. I’ve been processing those biases and balancing my perspective with more research. I've let go of the western exceptionalism (and the correlated shame/guilt - hooray for OSA,) and can see the pulses of power and dominance in many cultures and many pantheons. I also see that a god or goddess embodying a value or force is beyond morality, and the stories often are two sided with complexity in how those forces come to bear (hooray for meditation!) Morality, however, seems to be something beyond a human construct- as your recent post about reincarnation points out, we are on a journey to learn lessons and eventually move beyond physical incarnation, and sleaziness is an obstacle to that (though what sleaziness comprises is also not a simple rule-set but dependent on context.)

I still feel grief at cultural tolerance for sleaziness, particularly when it results in losses of life for comfort, convenience, and profit and is supported by a system of morality that finds ways to justify that sleaziness. Yet, I now understand that my grief is not unique to my location or time; it likely existed in many other times and places, and is likely a reason why mystics and others who are spiritual aligned and ecologically-minded seem to reside at the physical and metaphorical edges of their societies. I interact with hundreds of people a day and am embedded in the society, so I'm having to find other coping mechanisms than retreat. Ironically, this includes connection with the Gods whom I was originally blaming; and blessing walks in which, ironically, I'm offering blessing to the members of society I am frustrated with. (It's amazing how the blessing walk reveals my own biases.) Thank you for the suggestion to reexamine.

A practical question: I'm still on break from the LRP in discernment on my reactions to it. I am realizing that converse to the strange reactions I had to the LRP, the period of Celtic Golden Dawn work was marked by increased wellness, focus, and drive in my daily life. I strongly resonated with the Rite of Rays. Do you believe the Rite of Rays from the CGD is appropriate as an opening for the SOP? In my analysis, the place it differs from other openings is that all energies come down from above. I've experimented with adapting it where:
-the initial visual and calling Mae is as normal, as is the first ray (alawn) coming down;
-then, on naming the second ray (plennydd), I see it come down my arm and create a polarity that inverts the first ray to come up from the earth;
-then, the third ray (gwron) comes down my arm and connects to the second ray and so becomes the receiving current of polarity which allows the first ray to be re-revealed as the virtuous middle. So the final image is of three rays the outer two creating a circle of energy going into and back out of the heart of the Earth, and the middle is a pillar of light from above (in total it appears like the power-on symbol you see on electronics.)
This is significantly different from SOP formulations in your DMH and WotGS books, yet I wonder if it contains the requisite elements.

Quick check: is it just me (entirely likely) or is anyone else having muddier and less consistent results from divination of late?

Thank you as always for this space and your counsel. May you and yours be blessed.

Re: Homework and Rite of Rays

[ecosophia]

Thanks for the update, and I'm glad you're getting things sorted out.

1) You can certainly use the Rite of the Rays, modified or unmodified, to open the SoP. John Gilbert used to use the classic Cabalistic Cross to open the SoP, and it's a similar all-from-above working.

2) It's not just you. I've had to go back to geomancy, the clearest and most reliable divinatory method I know, to get good readings.

[(Anonymous)]

A question about karma. Suppose a soul did something harmful to another person - another child - when much younger and acting mindlessly, and has come to remember and realize it, and has developed far enough to be very sorry for the deed and would certainly never do it again. But the harm was still done and it's far too late to make up for it. What would carry over into the next life? Especially if you came into the old one with a tender conscience anyway?

(Part of the confusion was due to the standard mid-century Christian moral code, which for a child amounted to an all-inclusive, largely abstract "don"t." (i.e. "be unselfish.") I remember - after 3/4 of a century - the one vividly concrete one, when out of idle tension, I picked the bard off a young sapling, and feeling very bad about it when my father told me I'd killed the baby tree. You can bet I never did that again! In fact, my memory bank - and a pocket notebook - has a collection of concrete lessons from other sources, including "If you take a living being into your house, you're obliged to look after it the rest of its life." Wicca's "An it harm none, do as ye will," was a lot more to the point. Okay, back to brass tacks...)

Plum Ludicrous Pufferfish - and what a fitting name the Cosmic Oom turned up!

[ecosophia]

The remembering, realizing, and sorrowing is a way of processing the karma. You'll know that it's over and done with when you have the chance to do something comparable and find yourself backing away from it instinctively.

[(Anonymous)]

I've been down with a sore throat for the last 4 days - the sort that anything kicks off a coughing fit. I haven't lit candles since the first evening of that, when that kicked off a coughing fit that made me unable to continue. It was bad enough that a dish of hot oatmeal had the same effect, as if my throat's been sensitized.

I've been meditating, using a soft white mag-lite for a focus, but it's not the same. And suggestions?

Plum Ludicrous Pufferfish.

[ecosophia]

It's not the same, but you may have to put up with it. I've used electric candles more than once; they're not the same, either, but they do the job.