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 was my fifteenth published book, and it's the one book of mine that I've allowed to go out of print permanently. The publisher who brought out Monsters was interested in other books in the broad paranormal-weird stuff end of things, and the Atlantis legend was an obvious topic; unfortunately the result was rushed, and not really well thought out. Someday I want to do a proper book on the Atlantis legend, and more generally on the tradition that there were entire cycles of advanced civilization in the distant past -- but this is not that book, and I'm somewhat embarrassed by it. 

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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

Prayer List & gratitude.

[(Anonymous)]

This letter describes my situation since last August or so, when I was placed on prayer list that Quin maintains. I had been in economic distress as my medical practice had been marginal, as after a year in business, my case-load plateaued at a low level, as my patients’ workers’ comp claims were being closed or denied as quickly as I was getting new patients. My income was was not covering my outgo, and my savings were consumed by Jan, 2023. My situation is all the more onerous in that I am paying out a stiff divorce settlement, and my combined business expenses plus divorce settlement alone runs to nearly 6 figures.

As a practical matter, I had to submit to an onerous settlement because my former wife wanted to give the Covid shots to our 13 year-old daughter, and I negotiated a stipulation in our settlement that our daughter NOT get the shot. So my Ex is really motivated to comply as she knows perfectly well that my cooperation and the juicy settlement would disappear. I’m obviously motivated to pay to keep Lindsay unjabbed.

I became pretty preoccupied as my business languished, and by last Summer, I was commenting rather less than my norm, dropping to zero basically. A regular commenter here, Scotlyn, noticed my absence and wrote me asking if I was alright. I was touched by her concern, and I replied, reporting my situation. She kindly suggested adding me to Quin’s prayer list, though I hemmed and hawed as I felt ashamed at the suggestion, and didn’t reply to her for several weeks. Even so, I was facing prospects of even worse trouble, and I replied to Scotlyn to include me, and she kindly submitted my name to the prayer list in August, IIRC.

Within two months, I had an uptick in new referrals, and most of the claim closures & denials were reversed following my protests and the legal appeals filed by my patients. Also, a new medical lab opened in the strip mall next to my building. The proprietor asked if I would do DOT (Department of Transportation) exams for medical certificates for commercial truck drivers; he would refer them to me. I agreed, and now I’m doing DOT exams. I did only one in August, and am up to 13 in January. We’re anticipating 20-40/month as word gets out. And I met a physician at a swing dance who I became friends with; he needs space in a clinic for his new part time practice, and I have space for him. So he started paying me rent in August, and has been paying monthly, but he hasn’t moved in yet, or even signed a rental agreement with me! I do receive some packages here for him, and he’s been having delays in getting himself extricated from Florida, but he assures me he’s coming. (His practice involves treating chemically addicted patients, and no other medical practice wants his patient population walking in through the door. But he will have too few patients to justify renting an entire clinic.) He just paid for February.

I’ve also become aware of a proclivity to self-sabotage. It’s actually my biggest problem. While I’ve made headway, it’s not fixed yet. That will be the decisive breakthrough.

I’m now operating at 60% capacity (maybe 40% without handicap of self-sabotage), and my remittances for December and January have soared to the point where I’m easily covering my obligatory expenses, and can make some headway on my business and personal debt. I no longer need to borrow, or use the Food Bank, to eat. While I don’t yet live in a legal domicile, if this level of income sustains itself, I will be able to rent a proper place by the end of the year. Then my daughters can visit me and spend the night.

The one big, and potentially dangerous, unknown is my standing with the IRS. 2023 is a net loss, but I will still have to pay taxes on what I pay out on my divorce settlement.

In short, I’ve had a dramatic improvement in my fortune since I was placed on the prayer list, it’s been more dramatic than I dared hope for.

First, I declare my gratitude to The Holy One who has helped me, and given the varied beliefs of those who offered their prayers, I think I owe thanks to other deities, unknown to me, who have deigned to assist me (I expect all the deities involved are drinking buddies.)

I owe thanks to all of you who offered intercessory prayers, thanks to Quin for maintaining the prayer list, to JMG for allowing it on his blogs, and I owe particular thanks to Scotlyn who noticed my absence which lead to her championing my inclusion in the prayer list. This has been a blessing for me. I pray that blessings rebound onto all of you. Thank you all.

Your’s

—Lunar Apprentice

[thinking_turtle]

The German physician Paracelsus lived in the 1500s. The two popular medicines in his days were Mercury and guaiac wood. The guaiac wood importers formed a cartel and kept prices high. When Paracelsus claimed guaiac wood was a fraud, the importers retaliated and had the city council exile Paracelsus. They also lobbied against publication of his books.

So the madness goes back way further than 1921. Interestingly Paracelsus experimented on himself with Mercury. He eventually died to symptoms of Mercury poisoning. This supports your claim that many physicians are genuinely interested.

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what EOTCR, DF or OP mean, a list of Ecosophia abbreviations is available.

Diabetes

[(Anonymous)]

As a healthcare provider I have helped dozens of people reverse their type II diabetes. It’s pretty easy to do for most. Just limiting carbs and losing some weight. Those few who are already skinny respond well to Chinese herbs. It’s much harder to do if they are insulin dependent

1. Psychic distress and magical practice; 2. The metaphysics of stuff

[furnax]

Firstly I'd like to ask what forms of magic are safer for studying for people that are currently mentally imbalanced or are dealing with a strong projection of their shadows. Asking for myself first and foremost, of course, since I have been dealing with some very difficult personal subjects and discoveries in the past year or so, but it seems like an important subject in general. Maybe a second part of the question is what kinds of magic align with a process of slow self-healing. (I'm not sure if it counts as "magic" per se, but I've had nice experiences with Qi Gong).

A second question, and somewhat more philosophical rather than empirical, is: is there some magical explanation for the distortion that masses of physical objects (i.e. stuff in the most visceral sense) cause on people? I have seen people just utterly twisted to bits desperately trying to hold onto things they have (which I suppose isn't exactly greed, but rather something like a sort of worship or possession?) and it vexes me deeply. I have been doing some major cleaning of old stuff (old photos and the like, but not just) and I was impressed by how exhausting it is. Sure, it is actual hard physical labor sometimes and I'm not demeaning this side of it, but there seems to me a certain metaphysical edge to this work.

Re: Qs

[(Anonymous)]

1) What does coming into the energy field of the archangel entail?

3) I just did. Was positive (signifier was scorpio, mars in capricorn in the 11th house, I was saturn pisces in the 1st house). How would you recommend I go about this?

SoP + seasonal rituals

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

Last Magic Monday, I wrote to enquire about the mutual compatibility between AODA, FHR and GSF, saying that as a long-time practitioner of the LBRP I had had a not-so-convincing start with the SoP. (My query and your reply can be found here: https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/264441.html?thread=46135033#cmt46135033)

First of all, I would like to thank you for your answer last week, which I was not able to do before the close of Magic Monday as I happen to live in very different time zone.

Heeding your advice, I set aside the LBRP and tried again the SoP, i.e. its first step (Opening+Closing).

Frankly, I’m not sure I’m doing it properly, as some of the operations involved may feel awkward when you come from the LBRP. But I must admit that something is indeed happening. It’s hard to say whether or not it is really due to the practice of the SoP, but since I began practicing the Opening+Closing after last Magic Monday I have experienced a mental clarity I hadn’t had in a very long time – in short, the kind of mental clarity that makes me realize how much garbage and negativity there is in my head most of the time. I am under the impression that this is somehow connected with the initial stage of the Opening, when the Light from above is drawn inside the head rather than above it as in the Qabalistic Cross.

Even though I can look back on many years of spiritual practice, I must say I am utterly baffled by the experience, and I am definitely going to proceed with the SoP: such an astounding start calls for more! Normally, learning the SoP is a 8-week program, but I will take an extra week: before moving on to the Calling of Air I feel I have to practice the Opening+Closing on their own a bit longer to make them feel slightly less awkward to me.

I have two questions for you:

1. Last week, another anonymous poster asked how one could learn the SoP when one has no affinities with any gods, to which you replied it is possible to invoke the elements without specific divine names, even if that makes the SoP less strong. (Link to original post and your reply here: https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/264441.html?thread=46155769#cmt46155769)

Now I happen to be in the same situation as that anonymous poster, and I have the same question regarding the seasonal rituals: I wish to honor the 8 festivals of the Wheel of the Year, but at this point I have no affinities with any gods. Of course, coming from a Christian background I could include Saints, or even the Archangels (at the solstices / equinoxes), but for some reason that would not feel right to me. Hence my question: is it possible to honor the 8 festivals without including deities? And what should be included instead?

2. Among the many things you have written about Druidry, I feel most drawn to the Druid Magic Handbook and the Dolmen Arch. May I ask you to clarify the main difference(s) between these two paths? I imagine this question must have been asked a zillion times before, and I apologize for asking you to repeat yourself a zillionth time, but I haven’t found a way to search/google past Magic Mondays on Dreamwidth to find the info by myself.

I have many more questions, but I realize there are only 24 hours in a (Magic Mon)day and you have many other Ecosophians to attend to!

Thank you for all you do, Mr Greer.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

After regularly doing Grove ceremonies from the DMH, I've noticed that I can be pretty spaced out for the rest of the day. it can also be hard to get to sleep at night. It could be the sandalwood incense I use, and I will try ventilating the room more next time, but could it be something I am doing incorrectly with the energies raised by the ritual? I also notice the difficulty in getting to sleep after doing an Inner Grail working, which I do once or twice a week on separate days than for a Grove ceremony.

Many thanks!

Tarot cards repeating

[autpaxautbellum]

With the guidance of John Gilbert’s book, I’ve begun learning to read tarot cards. Still early on in his course, I’ve been doing a number of single-card readings every day - which I’ve generally found helpful and insightful.

The oddity is that there are a couple cards (3 cups and Empress) that have been showing up quite often, to the point I’ve questioned my shuffling abilities. The Empress is particular has been appearing across diverse, sometimes making good sense for the questions, sometimes not obviously so.

Is there any ‘meta’ reason why this might happen? Or is it just a ‘huh that’s weird’ kinda thing? Thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

John--

I have been rereading Fortune's _Mystical Qabalah_ these past weeks. In the chapter on Hod, where she spends time discussing ceremonial magic, she comments that the Roman Catholic rites have power that the rites of her Anglican faith does not. What specifically is she talking about here?

On a related note, I received a flyer in the mail from the local parish, announcing their schedule for the upcoming Lenten & Easter season. I am considering attending the Saturday Easter Vigil Mass, with the intent to observe, to the extent I can, what Fortune was talking about. What should I look for, in particular? (I have attended mass before, but not for many years.)

Finally, for what it's worth, I would be very, very interested in your not-yet-written book about Atlantis, ancient advanced civilizations, and the myth-cycles referencing them.

--Teal Ponderous Mosquito

[(Anonymous)]

On another Monday, I asked about the astral plane, and how stories & imagination interact with it, creating astral "realities" in a sense. It was a good response, but I want to delve in further. If a story, myth, meme, etc becomes very popular and well known, wouldn't that make it much more powerful, or realer, in the astral realm? But perhaps it goes both ways -- maybe there are alternate realities out there, which express themselves through authors/artists in this plane, using the astral as a bridge. I don't mean to indulge in wish fulfillment either -- I don't think all fictional works are emanated from another reality across the astral, but maybe the most enduring myths are? Or could enough astral energy make something real? I don't mean to overload you, but I'm trying to get a sense of the astral plane, the nature of its reality vis-a-vis our own.

This is inspired by the Neverending Story, one of my all-time favorite movies. More recently I read the book -- I had minor objections to the translation (since I can sorta read the original German, and spotted issues here & there), but it was mostly adequate. I noticed that the film was an excellent adaptation of the first half of the book, with the second half being tonally different, almost a sequel, but it was a mirror reflection of the first half and quite good in its own way. While the film touches on this, the book goes deeper into the relationship between reality and Fantasia, as represented by the double ouroboros called AURYN. Essentially, the real world and fantasy world feed into each other, both positively and negatively. Humans create art & stories which enrich Fantasia, while Fantasia offers insights and higher truths to its visitors. Conversely, lies and plagiarism and cynicism destroy Fantasia, and the fantasy creatures who go into the Nothing (spoiler alert) turn into lies & delusions in reality (a point not mentioned in the film). So there's both a virtuous and vicious cycle, with both worlds aiding or harming each other, again fitting the double ouroboros.

Hope this isn't too long, I wanted to provide background to my query. I'm wondering if the above isn't an accurate description of the interactions between physical, astral, and perhaps other planes. Also, the book version of the Childlike Empress is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. Especially when I found out (spoiler alert) that she's not actually pure goodness, but in fact is an amoral being who is loyal only to her realm of fantasy. Part of me wants her to be a real entity, but perhaps I'm just being ridiculous. Or maybe she represents some higher principle? Anyway, I'd be interested in your thoughts.

tl;dr: I'd like to know more about the relation of the physical, astral, and other planes, how these interact, especially in the context of fiction & fantasy, and the possibility of fictional works representing something more on another plane, with the Neverending Story being a useful model for all this.

Regards, xcalibur/djs

[open_space]

That's actually a great idea, to rotate the list and give everyone only five of them.

Could you provide an example regarding the emotion draining away the energy of the intention? Say, for example, someone who wants to have better chances of finding a new apartment that suits him, and does a simple prayer and working for it. What should the person not do to not have the energy drain away?

Between Life Memories

[(Anonymous)]

You've stated numerous times that you have memories of former lives. Do you have any memories of the time between lives? What was it like? (If you're willing to share.)

Best wishes and prayers for Sara's health!

Roldy

Re: Prayer List & gratitude.

[milkyway1]

Lunar Apprentice,

I just wanted to say that it‘s great to hear from you - and even better to hear you‘re doing rather well. I‘m looking forward to the time when you will again have the capacity to post more.

What I‘m not sure about is whether I want to know what a „swing dance“ is, but hey… ;-)

Milkyway

Plants

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG-
I heard from someone that having houseplants and certain pets, specifically birds and fish, drain the energy from a room. Do you know if this is true, and what the reason for this is?
Thanks!

Re: Qs

[open_space]

Not JMG,

but for 1) and Archangel Michael, for me, it meant that his blessings were closer and my energy and myself become a little bit like his. It becomes much more noticeable if you anchor those energies in the material plane by taking actions that correspond with him and his attributes. I've done this with a candle and asking prayers for others and their protection, specially during the pandemic and it works really well.

[charlieobert]

I think I have a way of approaching this issue, that builds on an insight from last week's forum. The logic goes something like this:

1) Most people don't think; I would even say that conscious thought is the exception.

2) When you don't think, you react with whatever association patterns you happen to have in your mind, with a lot of them being habitual, and with a lot of them not being correlated with each other. Once an association pattern becomes habitual it largely drops out of awareness.

3) Seeing context, overall pattern, inter-relations, contradictions and consequences, are all functions of thinking.

4) Thinking takes time and conscious effort. If you don't take the time, you don't think, you associate and react. The busier you are, the less likely you are to be able to think.

5) Most people don't think.

If you think of some of those illogical actions you described (diabetes <==> insulin, carbs bad <==> fat bad) as being more like habitual stimulus-response associations (ring bell <==> salivate) than like conscious thought - they still don't make any sense, but they are at least more explainable. Seeing implications of research takes conscious thinking.

While I'm writing this I have an image of a friend of mine who always uses only artificial sweetener in coffee (coffee plus sugar bad), and really likes coffee with a frosted donut.

Way of the Golden Section

[frittermywig]

Dear JMG,

I've been following the Way of the Golden Section for a week. I like it a lot! Exploring the Unseen through impersonal geometry is a great entry-point for me; As someone raised materialist and as an adult convert to mainline Christianity, I can get a bit anxious around the colorful pantheons discussed in your other pathworking books.

My questions are about the Sacred Geometry Oracle. On my first casting, following the directions in the WGS, I drew:

Vesica Pisces (upright)
Double Square (reversed)
Square and Diagonal (reversed)

I was getting hung up on the "risk" and "consequences" labels on the second two cards before my wife pointed out I'd cast the three cards that constitute "the primary roots of sacred geometry."

1. Am I right to interpret that as auspicious? Or is it the divination equivalent of the operating system logo appearing when you boot up your computer?

2. I presume I could consecrate the SGO cards like one might do with a new tarot deck, correct?

Thank you!

Occult Philosophy Workbook

[(Anonymous)]

No question, but as I progress through your "Occult Philosophy Workbook" I'm finding it very useful. It's given me some insights that may prove valuable and for which I should be grateful.

[(Anonymous)]

What were the spheres of the tree of life called in Greek, before they got transmuted through the Hebrew?

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,
A trivial question, perhaps, but one which might have a wider interest.
From time to time I write and publish things of various types on the Internet, and I have generally chosen to do so on Wednesdays, the day of Mercury.
However, I was looking at a planetary hours calculator, and I found that this coming Wednesday, where I live, Mercury is weak (-5) and Jupiter, who has helped me in the past, is just as bad. On the whole, the planets are relatively weak at the moment: only Venus and Mars seem to have any real power, and Saturn just about creeps up at +1.
So is there any point in not using the hour of Mercury to publish, and using Mars or Venus? Or am I over-thinking something which is essentially simple?
Thank you for your advice.

Free divinations and blessings

[open_space]

If you left a question for me last week to answer through divination, I've left you a comment with it. Thank you!

If you have a question or situation that you would like me to answer using either the Tarot or Geomancy you can do so by leaving a comment below and I'll do so free of charge within the week. Divination

---

I am starting another period of Healing Hands also, an energy blessing created by the Modern Order of Essenes aimed at healing. If you would like to receive spiritual healing energy daily for 21 days from me for something specific or for general healing, you can do so by leaving me a comment here: Healing Hands.

Quin and family, Jen and Josiah, Valerie and Trevor, randomactsofkarma and CP, you don't have to do this unless you want to mention something, I automatically added you to the new list either because you joined late on the last one or you gave me an update or comment asking for it.

Thanks!

[open_space]

Good afternoon JMG,

For what is worth, I did enjoy your book on Atlantis, even though it might not be up to the usual standards, it turned Atlantis in my mind from an (underrated) movie to actual legends and facts and was my first time scrying. I have not seen another book on it that doesn't go into wild speculations, so one that looks deeper into it would be nice.

A question, what are the uses or possible uses of ashes? I didn't find them on the Encyclopedia but they seem to be used in many natural magic traditions. It seems to me, from holding them, that they might be good to focus or absorb energy, given their mineral composition I presume.

[(Anonymous)]

Any other fans of the late British children’s author Diana Wynne Jones here? I’ve read very widely in the field, and she’s one of the very, very few children’s authors who appeared to understand how magic actually works. (Usula K. LeGuin, in her Earthsea books, is the only other I can think of). Which doesn’t mean DWJ didn’t take liberties to make the plots and details have more action—there’s some spectacular spellwork and things not rooted in reality, though she tends to put those in other worlds that are related to but different from earth, and make the rules of those worlds accommodate it—but her underlying world building and understanding is very prescient and accurate. She gets it, especially how the will and psychology and psychic vampirism intersect with magic.

For example in Charmed Life (one of her best), the main character is a boy who is a very powerful enchanter by birth, but who can’t do magic. (It is set in a world related to ours but different—magic is widely accepted and practiced.) I don’t want to give any spoilers, but the way it is revealed why his magical ability is being suppressed is so real and startling to find in a children’s book. Dion Fortune would approve. It’s emphatically NOT Harry Potter.

Another one of her greats is The Lives of Christopher Chant, in which a boy who can spirit travel gets roped into smuggling illegal magical goods between related worlds. The between-the-worlds locale he passes through owes much to CS Lewis (Jones was his student) but is still original and compelling, and doesn’t feel like a ripoff in the slightest.

Witch Week is another great one by her. It’s set in one of the Earth-related worlds, but this one has banned magic. Magical practitioners who get caught are killed, and their children sent to state-run boarding schools to train them out of magic. Children caught doing magic are sent there as well. The book is set at one of these schools in the aftermath of an anonymous accusation of witchcraft among the students. Hijinks ensue as there is an attempt to sus out the witch (spoiler: there are a lot of magical practitioners!) It’s a serious book but also quite funny.

She wrote so many books, some better than others, but many more are excellent than just the ones I mentioned here. Her most frightening in my opinion is “The Time of the Ghost,” about a trio of neglected young sisters in the English countryside who play around at calling up an ancient earth goddess/spirit/entity at a megalithic site or tomb nearby—and accidentally get very potent results. The unrelated subplots about the girls’ school and family troubles are tedious and less compelling/have some flaws, but WOW does she nail it when it comes to the effects of ignorantly playing around with unfriendly deities.

That book and “Eight Days of Luke,” a more cheerful novel about a boy who accidentally meets the Norse gods, make me wonder if she was a practicing polytheist of some sort.

I did encounter an interview she gave (in the back of a paperback version of one of her books) where she says that she was born understanding how magic worked; she never had to study any of it for her books. Makes me wonder what she was up to in earlier lives!

DA "healing" work

[(Anonymous)]

I'm at Grade 6 of the DA, where we learn to apply the healing energy to others. There's a local event where it would be appropriate for me to offer this. As you say, I wouldn't call it "healing," but, as an option besides your term "spiritual energy work," I wonder if it would be appropriate to call it an "aura cleansing." That's what it seems like to me when I do it for myself. What do you think?

Thanks for all your advice.