Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's a few minutes before midnight, so we can launch into 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 1.1 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 these days, so I've decided to do little capsule summaries of them here, one per week. The book above on the left is my thirteenth published book, and the first one that wasn't really my idea. It so happens that at that point in my life I needed money; I did a working with that in mind, and promptly got contacted by HarperCollins out of the blue. They'd had somebody lined up to do an encyclopedia of secret societies, but their intended author failed to produce; they needed a manuscript in a hurry and were willing to pay quite a chunk of change for one; and one of the acquisitions people had gone into a bookstore, and spotted two of my books, The New Encyclopedia of the Occult and Inside A Magical Lodge, side by side on the shelf. So I got the job, and the money, and I was happy. It was a fun project but the experience got me thinking that it was a good idea to stay away from big publishers. The book's not currently in print, and since it's a big publisher, getting the rights back would be a bear; if you really want one, you can find it on the used market pretty easily.

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. See you next week!***

Comments

Art of Memory and Renaissance Magic

[furnax]

Hey Mr. Greer, first time asking a question -- actually I'm pretty new to this whole magic business, having been a lifelong skeptic who has now seen one too many metaphysical phenomena to be able to deny it any longer. In any case, I'm pretty interested in the Art of Memory and Renaissance Magic, especially after having read Couliano's Eros and Magic in the Renaissance. If it isn't too much of an ask, I'd like to further sources on both subjects, but on a more practical sense rather than something like Couliano's intelectual analysis.

That aside, I'd just like to thank you for your work. It's mighty helpful to have someone writing in a down-to-earth way about magic topics, especially for beginners like me.

Re: Art of Memory and Renaissance Magic

[ecosophia]

The best source on the art of memory is, sensibly enough, The Art of Memory by Frances Yates; it's a history, but it gives the details of the method clearly enough that it's easy for a beginner to pick it up. Renaissance magic -- that's a more difficult question because there's so much of it. Imagine asking someone for a book that would introduce them to science. Renaissance magic is like that -- it includes many different methods, practices, fields of work, and disciplines. Frances Yates' The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age is a decent overview but not practically oriented; Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy is practically oriented but very difficult for the modern student to make sense of. Is there a particular kind of Renaissance magic you'd like to start with?

Review of Last Chapter of Seed of Yggdrasill and Returning to a "Place" from a Pathworking

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

If you've been dealing with the cold weather that's hit much of the US, I hope it has gone well, and if you're getting some of the warmer weather that we're looking for where I am, I hope it's welcome!

To Share: For those who have been following along, I've (finally) gotten to the end of Maria Kvilhaug's The Seed of Yggdrasill, and share my thoughts on the last chapter here: https://jpowellrussell.com/#book_the_seed_of_yggdrasill_12_the_one_and_the_many_and_epilogue

I might also put together a rundown of best and worst things about the book as a whole as a "one stop shop" post now that I've thought my way through the whole thing.

To Ask: In readying my question, I realized I had made a mistake in what I was going to ask about, so two related questions, if I may:

1) I did a pathworking for Fearn, but I screwed up and began in Alban Eiler, rather than Imbolc. Other than doing it over again, the right way, anything I should keep in mind about the experience and the follow-up meditations I did on it? Are they in any way "suspect" or possibly messing up solidifying the symbolic framework of the Wheel of Life and its paths?

2) While along the path, I encountered something that my guide told me I wasn't yet ready for. When meditation and divination suggest I am ready to go back to that thing, should I a) scry Fearn with the intention of going back to the same astral "place", b) do a proper pathworking of Fearn from Imbolc to Belteinne, c) recreate my screwed up pathworking where I began in Alban Eiler, opened a portal to Fearn, and ended in Belteinne, so as to go back to the "same" astral territory, or d) something else?

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

My blessings to all who welcome them,
Jeff

Re: Review of Last Chapter of Seed of Yggdrasill and Returning to a "Place" from a Pathworking

[ecosophia]

1) Yes, they may well be garbled.

2) You should be asking these questions via divination! The right answer varies from person to person.

[linden_matryoshka]

Good Evening JMG,
I'm happy you're awake - I have a question :) I plan to get an MA in Magic and Occult Science. I got accepted into the University of Exeter, but... my life would be so much easier if I got accepted to the University of South Carolina and didn't have to leave the US for a year. I submitted my application. The application process to the University of South Carolina is much harder and my application is far from perfect. Should I put an effort into improving my chances? Should I contact people there? Should I sit quietly and wait for their reply to my application? Should I forget about it and put effort into hunkering down in Exeter for the school year 2024-2025? These are the thoughts that go round and round inside my head... so I did a divination. The first card is me, the second card is the University of South Carolina, and the third card is the USC's response to my application. I used The Sacred Geometry Oracle... and got somewhat stumped by the following:
1. Card 2, The Point R - Commitment
2. Card 22 Alternation - Approach
3. Card 21 The Spiral - Unfolding
How would you interpret such cards?
Kirsten

[ecosophia]

This is a favorable reading; it says that things will work out but it's going to take time and effort on your part. Put some work into improving your chances, and see how it unfolds.

[(Anonymous)]

I have a few questions about astrological magic.

1. What would you say are the most widely available forces for magick? Would you say the Lunar mansions which just require the Moon be in the appropriate mansion and unafflicted or would you say elemental magick?

2. Now if I want to make a talisman using the fluid condenser method, I would need a piece of gold or some gold chloride solution. I have a 14-carat gold ring but I'm not sure if I should heat it directly. A teacher recommended me to just dip the ring within the boiling water as mere contact is needed for the water to be charged up with gold. What can be the lowest carat limit?
2a. If gold is not available, I may have to go with a scrap computer microprocessor which uses gold pins.

3. Another question related, is whether I can conjure a supercelestial angel such as Gabriel (Moon) or Michael (Sun) or perhaps the angel of consecration, Melchaidel (Aries) be asked to consecrate such a fluid condenser liquid to further enhance its power? I just think that the Angel of consecration is what this means.


I have a few questions about elemental magick:

4. I know you have worked with the Enochian system using the Golden Dawn system. I was wondering astrological debilities and dignities also affect it.

5. If one wishes to work the 4 elemental magick using Enochian, would one work with the 4 Enochian kings Nanta, Bitom etc or do you feel the 4 elemental kings of Levi (who are lower than the enochian kings) would suffice?

[ecosophia]

1) If by "widely available" you mean present everywhere and at all times, supercelestial magic is what you want -- but of course it takes more work.

2) Or a homeopathic medicine such as Aurum metallicum, which is much easier for most people to get. Four tablets in water will give you a very nice etheric condenser.

3) No, in that case you'd end up with condenser that was keyed to that influence -- Moon, Sun, or Aries, as the case may be -- and useless for any other. Simply call down the force you want to call down, and let that charge the condenser.

4) Not in my experience.

5) The Enochian system is a world of its own and should not be mixed with entities from other systems. That is, when doing Enochian workings, call on Enochian names and only Enochian names!

[wizard_in_the_woods_1949]

Greeting JMG, et al!

I'd like to get your thoughts on the concept of reversed cards in tarot practice. Whether one only works privately or publicly is not my question, but do you incorporate reversed cards in any fashion of your tarot practice? I'm trying to get a metric here of practitioners as I personally have gravitated away from reversed cards, shuffling only upright cards. Of Course I realize this is a totally Personal decision!
I'm not asking for explanations or justifications one way or the other, (unless you Care to include one). Basically a Yep, I use'em, or Nope, I don't use'em is all I'm asking! Thanks for your input! ;^)

N.B.
Being innately Clumsy, I recently stumbled on this article (and website). This is something that I believe bears sharing, if only as a thought exercise. I wasn't aware of this publisher prior to stumbling across it.
This is their Motto: Arktos Journal Making Anti-Globalism Global Since 2009.

There's a bit of an intro prior to the main body of the article which can be scrolled past to get to the main body of the article. As above, all comments welcome!

UNRESTRICTED WARFARE: A Holistic Approach to the Great Reset
https://www.arktosjournal.com/p/unrestricted-warfare-a-holistic-approach

[ecosophia]

1) I learned how to read tarot cards originally from Eden Gray's book Mastering the Tarot, which uses reversals, and I've always used them.

2) Interesting to see them pop up again. I heard a little while ago about a book of theirs paralleling my book The King in Orange:

https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/260722.html

Writing, publishing, commenting

[(Anonymous)]

That book looks interesting, although the title graphics don't have the pizazz of some of your newer books where it looks like the art director or illustrator were well informed. I realize that's up to the publisher.

1. May I ask, what was the overall approach or theme to your magical working for money?

2. If you were back at that time with what you know now, would you include in your working intentions that the work should not only get you paid, but also your book should be published and distributed in a way that would make it readily available for all who'd be interested? (As unlike some Hollywood rewriting scribes, well paid writing locked in someone's file cabinet, forever unused, isn't the only point...)

3. I had a bit of a rocky start here learning how to appropriately comment for your blogs. I don't have a question here, just appreciative: I'm glad you let me see if I could get that right, as this community's helped me learn a lot. And I'm glad I was even able this weekend to pass along the unwittingly entertaining prediction of fusion-powered AI, any year now. Given unlimited investor funding!

4. For other commenters: I felt a huge sense of difficult oppressive burden lifting this weekend, at the time of Pluto into Aquarius. Anyone else?

Christopher from California
Mocha Amphibious Moose

Re: Writing, publishing, commenting

[ecosophia]

1) Finding an opportunity to earn more money in a prompt manner.

2) Nope. Magic is always strongest when it has a single tautly focused intention. The fewer limits you put on the outcome, the more likely you are to get the one thing you want.

3) You're welcome. It's probably fair to point out that you're far from the first person I've helped through that process.

4) Glad to hear it. Is Pluto strongly placed in your natal chart, by any chance?

MOE Master Attunement; Blessings; "Seeing without eyes"

[milkyway1]

Good evening/morning to JMG and everybody else! :-)


1. Reminder: MOE Master Attunement on Sunday, February 4th, at 6pm German time

More info and room for questions: https://thehiddenthings.com/moe-master-attunement-on-sunday-february-4th-2024


2. I offer weekly blessings. These are open to everybody, i.e. not only for MOE practitioners:

https://thehiddenthings.com/categories/weekly-blessings

(I want to practice my blessing skills, so you'd do me a favour in signing up... :-) )


3. And finally, a question of the type "how does this work?":

Somebody recently told me about "seeing without eyes" ("Sehen ohne Auge"), which he and his kids learned through a workshop. They started with some "intuition training", and then learned to "see" things with their eyes covered. He said his kids learned it within a few hours, while he is still practicing. Once somebody has developed that faculty, they can recognize objects, distinguish colours and, with some practice, read passages from physical books or random-generated numbers from a computer screen (all with their eyes closed or covered), and he has personally seen examples of this from some people.

I have no reason to doubt this guy's account, but I've been wondering how that works.

My initial guess was something on the astral level (i.e.. "connecting" to the object or book in question on the astral, and determining the properties/"reading" the text this way).

But apparently, the people who do this don't "see" the things in their mind's eye. Instead, there seems to be a small "vision field" which opens up (usually circular, and for most people in the lower part of their "physical" vision field"), where they can "see" these things as if they'd see them through their physical eyes. With training, this vision field can widen. (I've found videos of kids demonstrating reading with this method, and they actually moved their head in unusual angles to get the objects into the right place in order to see them, which seems to confirm this account.)

I.e. there is a weird mixture of occult things and physical influences going on - and now curious mind is wondering about the mechanism behind it... Since this person could only give me some generic talking points about the third eye and about connecting to the morphogenetic field:

Do you have any idea how this might work, or what might be going on there? Or any pointers to similar things I could compare that with?

Thanks! :-)

Milkyway

Re: MOE Master Attunement; Blessings; "Seeing without eyes"

[ecosophia]

Fascinating. My guess is that it's astral clairvoyance but that's only a guess. It's great, though, to see people actively cultivating such "impossible" practices!

Imbolc/Chinese New Year thoughts?

[(Anonymous)]

Not sure if it should be asked this week or next week, but does anyone have any thoughts, recommendations, etc. regarding Imbolc as mid-season turning, or Chinese New Year as a more sensible time than January 1 to start a year?

Mocha Amphibious Moose

Re: Imbolc/Chinese New Year thoughts?

[ecosophia]

The year begins on every day and it ends on every day. The official date is purely a formality.

[realmscryer]

Hi JMG,

A question related to the map not being the territory concept.

This week I revisited, after many years, the book “I Am That” by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. I am getting a lot out of his practice recommendations.

I am also doing my daily morning practices of the DA SOP, discursive meditation, and divination. They too continue to be very rewarding.

Feels like I am experiencing two different maps of reality. Two maps showing different perspectives of the same territory!

Are there practices which approach reality as say a multifaceted gem? Where different ‘isms for example are different faces of reality?

Thanks!

— Eric

[ecosophia]

I don't know of any specific practices that do that, but most people who do practices from more than one tradition end up in that state.

[k_a_nitz]

Just a note that I have posted on my own dreamwidth blog the next chapter of Karel Weinfurter's Textbook of Magical Thinking - at https://k-a-nitz.dreamwidth.org/10002.html - the chapter is titled "The Religion of Nourishment" and may be of especial interest to the recent commenter who asked about the effect of prayer etc on food preparation.

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this!

[(Anonymous)]

About pathworking:

How do we know on first glance that our pathworking was accurate? I've used geomancy divination just one after a pathworking and it indeed confirmed that communication with the spirit did happen.

So will we also be looking at the 8th house? Or would we be looking to the 9th house since this is a question of divination (spirit communication)?

[ecosophia]

Pathworkings aren't accurate and they aren't inaccurate. They're a glimpse at what's passing through the astral plane at the time when you do them, colored by as much magical energy as you're able to bring to bear on the intended subject. Treat them as dreams -- and thus as 9th house matters.

Principia Magica

[robertmathiesen]

Those who downloaded and liked my booklet, Microcosmographia Magica, last week might want to know that I have now uploaded the other booklet I mentioned last Magic Monday to archive.org. Its final title is Principia Magica, or Some Fundamentals of Magic for Ritual Design and Spellcraft. You can search for it there using either the title or my name.

Re: Principia Magica

[ecosophia]

Got it and thank you! I now know what I'll be reading once I finish the latest pass through John Dillon's The Middle Platonists.

[(Anonymous)]

I recently had a fascinating experience during the SOP: For some external reason I had an inner monologue running for some time already while starting the ritual. That happens from time to time, especially when there is some reason for anger or concern and I usually just let my mind chatter until it's exhausted with that specific topic. On this day, however it significantly disturbed my ritual practice and caused me to make a lot of mistakes. I just reached the calling of Water when I was fed up and "looked at my chattering mind with a raised eyebrow", so to say. In some way I told it to stop it's chatter, though it was not by a thought but more like a change of perception. I "looked" at something behind my ordinary perception. I'm really lacking the words to describe what happened. When I did what I did, however, there was silence. I "heard the last echos of my minds chatter resounding in a vast chamber" for a brief moment and then there was profound silence and the SOP continued rather powerfully.

I usually have some control over my thoughts and can tell them to stop - but mostly this is a kind of suppression in the way "not now, later". This time it was significantly different and not something I have experienced before (there once was an experience which you labeled "mental banishing" but it was different from this one).

I have some ideas on what I practically did but it seems that it's not that easy to reproduce voluntarily, at least without practice. So I guess my question are - What did I do? Is there a "theoretical" background for this experience? Or any suggestions how I could practically work with this experience that might help me to improve my own experiments? Thank you!

Cheers,
Nachtgurke

PS: I am currently reading The Secret of the Five Rites - It really is the most entertaining of your non-fiction books that have passed my way so far and I enjoy reading it a lot and I guess researching and writing it was probably fun, too. Thank you for for writing it!

[ecosophia]

1) You rose up for a moment from the astral plane to the mental plane. When the mind's in the astral plane, it's swamped by the internal chatter that's the normal activity of the astral; when it rises to the mental plane, it can control the astral. There's no simple way to make it happen, other than continuing on with your practices -- but it's hugely important. As that state becomes more common, you prepare yourself to rise above ordinary humanity into a condition beyond incarnation.

2) Delighted to hear it! I had enormous fun researching it.

How can I get into Paganism and understand which Gods I can work with?

[kurtyigit56]

Hello JMG! I live in the Republic of Turkey and I have become cold from Islam because of the 'Muslim' religious abusers in my country. I love Folk Literature and Folklore and when the name of Muslim is mentioned, I move away at lightning speed, so I'm tired of being monotheistic and being exploited as a result; What do I need to do to resurrect the Old Turkish Religion and what do I need to do to understand which Gods I can work with? JMG, I'm sick and tired of these monotheist bigots and their rotten beliefs, what do I need to do? Thank you.

Re: How can I get into Paganism and understand which Gods I can work with?

[(Anonymous)]

From what little I know, Tengrism is the belief system of the Turkic peoples before they converted to Islam under Persian pressure. Tengrism is an animistic, shamanic belief system that was widely followed by not only Mongols but Khuns, Bulgars, Altaic and Turkic peoples. It is enjoying a renaissance these days, along with so many other Pagan religions. You can find out a lot about it from the internet; like every other religion it is complex, with different branches and different approaches. Some consider it polytheistic, some monotheistic, some animistic. It is interesting, anyway—look into it and see what you think!

Winifred Hodge Rose

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,
Any book(s) you'd recommend for getting into Pythagorean music theory?
Thanks

[open_space]

I don't know if it's in english but Gaspar Calvo Hernandez' two volume Música Hermética is really good.

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG and commenters,

1. JMG, thank you again for this space and for helping everyone.
2. What would intuition be?
3. Is there any way to develop it?
4. Is there a point at which intuition and guesswork meet? I mean, is there the possibility of guessing/obtaining answers without the use of specific instruments (tarot, geomancy, etc.) just through a developed intuition?

[ecosophia]

2) It's a very vague label for all the modes of perception that work on planes other than the material plane.

3) Yes, most forms of occult training do this.

4) Yes. One of the reasons for practicing divination is that it brings you to the point that you don't need the divinatory tools to reach the same state of consciousness.

Manly P. Hall and Kundalini

[(Anonymous)]

Hi!

Did you find Hall's citation for the kundalini awakening issues?

On the subject of Hall, I read on 4chan that Hall would be more than one writer, because of the name: Manly P. Hall, Manly Fall. He of course had a public face, but... make of that what you will.

Re: Manly P. Hall and Kundalini

[ecosophia]

1) No, I've been helping my wife with some health issues and haven't had time to look.

2) 4Chan doesn't always have a clue. His name was Manly Palmer Hall, and there was just one of him. There's a fine bio of him, Master of the Mysteries by Louis Sahagun, which I recommend if you have any questions.

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG and commenters,

I read something a long time ago and would like to resolve this issue. There is a Christian Order, the Carthusians, who developed a form of meditation through long walks or exhausting work. Has anyone read anything about it?

[ecosophia]

No doubt somebody has, but I haven't. It sounds rather tiring. ;-)

[hwistle]

Hi John, I hope it's ok to share this here, if not, please delete!

I'm getting towards the end of my studies in Horary Astrology and, in order to gain more real practice, I'm offering free Horary readings. If you would like to ask me a query or want to know more, please pm me. Only a query at a time per person and per day please. I'll aim to answer all questions as soon as I can and will keep querents updated if there're delays (vg, I might want to double check with my teacher to clarify judgment in some cases, etc)

Many thanks!

hwistle Horary Astrology

[(Anonymous)]

Hello,
I'm a long time MM reader, infrequent commenter. I'd love to have a reading from you. I don't have a dreamwidth account. How might I contact you to send you my question? Thank you so much for your offering.


Mary

Discursive Meditation on the FHR Air Symbol

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I've been going very slowly through the Candidate grade material for the FHR and I've reached the point where I am beginning discursive meditation. My theme for the past three days has been on the air symbol used in the sphere of protection, as well as the earth symbol which mirrors it in a sense. My frist breakthrough was the notion that the "air is a mother". That led me to the idea that the symbol represents the unmanefest, the single line, begetting all the worlds below, the circle. Air is the first world and so this represents its close proximity with the unmanefest. The earth symbol, with a circle above a line represents all the higher worlds leading to a single point, manifestation or the material plane. Am I on the right track here or am I far off the mark.

Thank you for making the FHR material available. It's been fantastic, particularly the essays on the tree of life. Also when should I start experimenting with astral forms. The essay detailing the process is interesting but I feel like I don't know enough yet to really make use of it. Will it be elaborated on in the higher grades?

Thanks and best regards,
JZ

Re: Discursive Meditation on the FHR Air Symbol

[ecosophia]

1) There are no right answers in meditation, and there are no wrong answers. Whatever track you take is the right track for you. That said, this is pretty good.

2) No, that's the sum total of John Gilbert's teaching on the subject. Don't worry about it. Start experimenting with it now, so you'll have some idea of what works for you when you get to the initiation.

Magical Curriculum and Geomancy

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John,

first of all, I´d like to thank you for redirecting me here.
My question is what kind of magical traditions would you recommend to those of us who might not be inclined to ceremonial magic? I know perhaps there isn´t one tradition where ceremonial magic is just absent, but maybe is there a tradition whose curriculum delves as deeply into other areas such as divination, meditation, talismans etc. ?

My next question is, can Geomancy be used to locate lost objects and if so, is it as effective as horary astrology?

Re: Magical Curriculum and Geomancy

[ecosophia]

1) This notion of "traditions" is overemphasized. If you read accounts of mages back in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, no two of them did exactly the same things, and most of them cobbled together some set of approaches that worked for them and called it good. If you want to work with divination, meditation, talismans, etc., study and practice those subjects and learn from your experience.

2) It was much used for that purpose back in the day. As for whether it's effective or not, that depends on the practitioner -- any given oracle will be wonderfully effective for some people, mediocre for others, and a complete flop for still others.

SOP question

[(Anonymous)]

I have been working with the Sphere of Protection for quite a while now. My background is that I have been an acupuncturist for over 30 years and have worked with the Chinese Medicine Wheel in my professional and personal life on a daily basis during that time. I have worked with the Druid version of the SOP and have also adapted it to the correspondences of the Wu Xing. Unsurprisingly, since it is so embodied by now, I have a more powerful experience using the Wu Xing/Chinese Medicine Wheel correspondences. Do you have any advice in how to work with it in adapting it to a different system like this? Should I continue to use the Western sigils or choose perhaps Fu talismans instead (which I do have some training in)? Will this have a negative impact in my working through the Hermetic Rose material? I do think it is possible that over time, I may be able to embody the SOP as it is, so if that is preferred in working through the Hermetic Rose materials, I can continue to work in that way. I am an initiate of OBOD as well as a Taoist lineage. Thank you for your help!

Re: SOP question

[homeopathic_meditations]

Hello, I find you adaptation of the SOP to the Wu Xing an enticing proposition. How did you work around the Chinese conception of 5 elements instead of 4? Also, the Spirit Above & Below... the first thought to come to mind was the Yin/Yang, but it feels quite forced. Would you be comfortable elaborating on what you did?
Whether you choose to talk about it or not, thanks for traversing that path!

Capabilities

[(Anonymous)]

JMG, Last week I had a question about my natal chart and you said that one aspect may be founded in a dim sense of what I’m capable of. This sent me on a thought tangent. Are some souls more capable of achieving greatness than others? If so, is this a trajectory that’s set from the moment of the souls creation? (I was raised Presbyterian so the concept of predestination is probably lurking somewhere in the back of my spiritual worldview). Thank you-Croatoan

Re: Capabilities

[ecosophia]

Every human being has a capacity for magnificence in some field. It can be literally anything; I once knew a guy whose magnificence was as a short order cook. (People would line up around the block for his breaded deep-fried mushrooms.) Every soul has its own unique talents, but some lives will go into developing those talents and others will go into working off karma or doing other things. Thus every soul has an equal capacity for greatness, but no two souls have a capacity for greatness in exactly the same things, and in any given life some people will develop one or more of those capacities and others will not.

It's done!

[(Anonymous)]

Archdruid,

Not sure if you're keeping up with what's going on in India, but the Ram temple at Ayodhya was consecrated on the 22nd at 12 pm ist. After 550 years, the temple stands again.

Regards,

Syfen

Re: It's done!

[ecosophia]

Yes, I heard about that. I imagine the date and time of the consecration was very carefully elected by astrologers.

Request for prayers/magic for wife going through labour

[(Anonymous)]

My wife is in the early part of labour right now.

The original due date for our child was supposed to be this Sunday but the doctor advised us to induce labour last Sunday as my wife seemed to have high blood pressure.

We were hesitant to induce in the first place, I actually called them up and said that we would rather not induce, they said we could come down for the checkup on Sunday and then make a decision, but right away when I wasn't around (after visiting hours) the doctor (who wasn't the one we spoke to over the phone) inserted the labour induction drug.

They already removed it, but it didn't really start active labour anyway. My wife's cervix is at 1cm dilated, some contractions have started according to the machine, but they're not really strong enough for my wife to notice.

At this point, my wife just doesn't feel good about it, we both really wanted to have a natural delivery if possible and they seem to be pushing towards a Caesarean section now.

As far as I can see, the baby's heart rate is normal, my wife, when she's relaxed, has a normal blood pressure level. I am not a doctor but I feel that there is no need for a Caesarean right now, and tomorrow I will ask for her to be discharged and for us to return after the due date if active labour hasn't started.

Anyway, I am doing my own practices and prayers, but would appreciate any positive energy directed our way for a healthy and smooth delivery.

Thank you!
Alvin from Singapore

Re: Request for prayers/magic for wife going through labour

[jprussell]

Positive energy to you and your growing family!