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 fourteenth published book, and my first book on ritual magic that wasn't basically a rehash of what I'd learned as a Golden Dawn practitioner.  The Druidry Handbook, my ninth book (and one of my bestsellers), didn't talk about magic much -- its purpose was to help people make sense of Druid nature spirituality, which can be related to magic but doesn't have to be -- and I got a lot of questions from Druids, and people interested in Druidry, who wanted to know how to practice magic in a Druid context. This was my first answer. (We'll get to the others.) Looking back on this project, I'm pleased by it; it sets out a straightforward course of magical training and seems to work well for many students. It's still very much in print, and you can get a copy here if you live in the United States and at your favorite bookseller if you live elsewhere. 

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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

Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

Good evening dear fellow commentariat and may blessings enliven all who'd receive them. JMG, thank you again for hosting, inspiring, answering, informing. I'm glad you're awake, as I don't know if you click to approve comments in your sleep. :-)

1 It looks like most or maybe all of your books are about timeless topics. You've described in other Magic Mondays how you came across Druidry when it was obscure, and fading into even greater obscurity. Thus making a wide open opportunity for you to help others discover it. Unlike a topic such as "how to troubleshoot the latest version of Windows," things likely don't change much in one lifetime about Druidry spirituality. Does this translate into publishing longevity? It seems Druidry Handbook (with its invitingly mysterious cover) could be continuously reprinted year after year. What's your overall longest-term success with a book?

2 I have an astrology question. I see many people instruct to never start anything new from full moon to new moon. This seems extreme. Are we really to throw away half of all days when we could exercise initiative? Is this supposed to be only a minor factor between otherwise equally auspicious times?

3 I'll want to ask on Frugal Friday for pragmatic tips about dealing with bugs in an apartment. Here, I'll ask if there's a magical way to clarify that uninvited critters should stay out.

By the way, for those who might be confused, Christophe is a different person who also comments here. Our back to back comments here last week were two individual views, not my talking to myself with a typo.

Christopher from California
Mocha Amphibious Moose

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[ecosophia]

1) Yes, very much so. I've written a number of books on more topical issues -- my peak oil books, for example -- and most of them are out of print or available only in ebook format at this point. By contrast, nearly all my occult books are all still going strong; some of them are on their third publisher, but others are still with the original press.

2) That's a mistaken approach to astrology. Astrology shows tendencies, not destinies -- thus during the period of the waning moon, it's harder to get something started and easier to finish something up or get rid of something. That doesn't mean you can't start something, just that it's a little more difficult, and if it's something that will be hard to start anyway, you might want to do it during the waxing moon instead.

3) Depends on what kind of magic you know how to do. The Picatrix includes spells for chasing off insects, but you have to be good at medieval astrological magic to use them.

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

1, 2) That all makes sense, and thanks. I have something I'm fully ready to start, so no need to wait around a fortnight!

3) Very limited, still getting used to your basic trio recommendation of Sphere of Protection, meditation, and divination. I've not looked into Picatrix or anything medieval beyond some articles about Fludd, but no hands-on applications. I guess this particular episode will need to stay with physical remedies.

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[ecosophia]

That's correct. Generally speaking, if you need to change something in yourself -- and it's not anchored in place by strong psychophysical factors or powerful emotional doublebinds -- you can fix it with simple magic. If you need to change something outside yourself, you need to know quite a bit more about magic to get good results.

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

Got it. Hopefully by the time I know how to apply anything from Picatrix, this particular problem will be long gone!

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[kimberlysteele]

For getting rid of bugs: mint. Ants, roaches, termites, and nearly any creature that crawls close to the ground hates mint, and this includes mice. Mint is sacred to Mercury, so it's entirely possible that adding some propitiations to Mercury could help it repel bugs (and mice) from your space. You might try putting some essential oil of peppermint in an infuser or mixing it with water and a dash of rubbing alcohol in a plant mister and spritzing it around the apartment. When my house had mice, I used to sprinkle the essential oil all over the basement and put it on cotton balls in the oven drawer.

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you Kimberly!

- C from C

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

Borax mixed with 2 parts to 1 part flour will also kill roaches. If you have to move into an apartment, mix up a truckload of this stuff. Apply IN A THIN LAYER under the sinks, in the cupboards, all the usual places, AND along all baseboards. (If you follow the natural human inclination to put down heaps, because roaches are so disgusting, the roaches will just shrug —“Gee, that’s funny, that big white hill wasn’t there yesterday”—and walk around it.). And NEVER USE BROWN PAPER GROCERY BAGS. Roaches lay eggs in the seams so the babies will have a nice nutritious glue meal when they hatch. If you are embarrassed to ask for plastic, take pillowcases to the store with you and use those.

Your borax solution should be reapplied weekly till you haven’t seen a roach for a month, then monthly after that. Good luck!

—Princess Cutekitten

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks! I'm already in the apartment. I'll do this as well as the mint suggestion. I love peppermint tea, so I opened a couple of bags and swirled the ground mint in water which I splashed along the baseboards and counters where I've seen bugs. Paper bags aren't a factor here lately. In past when I've brought in groceries with paper sacks, I've promptly recycled them so they didn't stay here.

- C from C

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

How long did it take to get rid of the mice, using mint? I have not tried it for mice, but tried it on ants once. They laughed at it. The efficacy of anti-ant mint must depend on the species of ant.

—Princess Cutekitten

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[kimberlysteele]

The mice did not truly go away until we started trapping them mercilessly. They did seem to avoid areas with mint though, such as the oven.

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[wizard_in_the_woods_1949]

Kimberly,
That's very Cool, my wife and I have herbs, and derivatives everywhere, she has seen to it that my knowledge and appreciation has grown over the years with hers. We've got teas, lots of teas.
Plus, your suggestions given here smell Better (to humans) than your Grandmother tying an Asafetida or Asafoetida bag around your neck when you're five years old. But, she meant well! ;^) We don't have much of an insect problem though, pretty minor. If only more people would practice (and Grow) these things who knows what might happen?

P.S.
Including Hermes/Mercurius is a very cool point to add to your post, to acknowledge & appreciate Them and what's sacred to Them with sincerity sure won't hurt! Insects are a little like the "Borg". Their guiding group light has lots of children?

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

To add to Kimberly's fine advice, cayenne or other powdered hot pepper can be a useful detterent for ants, which we've had a lot more of coming inside our old house (now that the cold snaps aren't often as cold). Ant's are wonderful creatures, but I prefer not to have a bunch of them crawling around the kitchen. Between that, and sealing some holes in the mortar on the bricks and filling up some small holes on the inside, we've had less trouble. Alcohol will also remove the scent trail they leave.

Best of luck!

JPM

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

A friend mentioned the hot sauce. Since I don't do well with spicy food I'll add that as plan B if mint and borax aren't enough. Complete crack sealing would require hostile landlord to become responsible. Wood floor was badly laid here a couple of years ago, with a multitude of cracks and hilly bumps throughout the entire unit. I'm glad to know about alcohol wiping out their trails! I'll add some rubbing alcohol to my dollar store list.

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

Whew, thank you for laying my confusion to rest. I was beginning to worry that I might have developed a particularly articulate alter ego, which was making a beeline for the keyboard whenever I believed I was simply falling asleep.

That would have been quite the troublesome glitch to try to get properly reintegrated! Especially if it had already grown assertive enough to seek out advice on timesharing based on lunar cycles or disposing of pesky bugs, when, from it's own perspective, I would merely be a bug disrupting its programming.

I am so very pleased to know that you're not some figment of my imagination, run all amok and trying to delete me... Right? No, seriously. I'm right about this... Aren't I? Oh Good Lord, I do hope I'm not just talking to myself here!

— Christophe

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

LOL!!! Thanks for letting me start my day with a really great laugh!!

- C from C

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

This is hilarious—thanks to both of you for sharing a delightful moment!

Winifred

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

My pleasure! Or, should I say, our pleasure? Or would it perhaps be better if I left that to him?

— Christophe

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

You said it so well, I can't add anything to that!

- C from C

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

Hi! I offer a data point for your bug situation. My apartment complex has pest control spraying available once a week. This past Spring I noticed more bugs in my home than usual, but I was reluctant to have them exterminated.

I stood in the center of my apartment and loudly asked for the attention of the bugs - I couldn't see any at the time. It was like talking to myself. Then I said I wished them zero harm but they must find someplace else be. My home must be free of bugs. I said if I saw them again I would make an appointment with pest control, albeit reluctantly. Then I offered them a blessing and wished them well in there lives, far away from me.

I had zero expectations that this would work and felt a bit silly saying these things. BUT I didn't see anymore bugs.

I thought I'd read a suggestion like this here the Spring before (2022), but when I searched I couldn't find it.

YMMV, but it worked for me. Best of luck!

Heloise

Re: Questions about bestsellers and full moons and bugs

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you Heloise! I've made a similar proclamation. I pointed out that this town, including the immediately adjacent drainage ditch leading to the park, provide plenty of places for critters to live without interfering with humans. But if critters come in here, they are interfering.

I didn't have a pest control type of threat at the time as "or else." But now I do, or else mint, borax, and hot sauce treatments will increase, soon to be followed if needed by more toxic measures. Perhaps it's time for a fresh announcement!

- C from C