The Return of Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

Yes, Magic Monday is on again. I appreciate deeply all the kind words, thoughts, and prayers sent my way in response to the recent passing of my wife Sara. I know that a lot of people respond to grief by taking time off, but that's not at all what I need or want just now. I've been through a long, lonely, stressful time during which I had nothing to do but provide a dying woman with the care she needed and would accept, which wasn't much, while we both waited for the inevitable to happen. What I need now to start the journey back to balance is conversation, interaction, and useful work to do.

So...

It's a few minutes before midnight and thus time to 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.  

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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. 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 -- that is to say, no further comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Comments

Re: PTSD

[(Anonymous)]

OP here.

On your first point... I think the biggest fear that I have is that my easy life has in no way prepared me for a severe crisis. To be blunt, what keeps me up at night is that in a crisis I crack and fail the people who need me. I have a family and nothing else has impressed upon me my vulnerability like knowing they depend utterly on me. There is also the possibility that I weather the crisis but end up pushing any damage done onto my family. Hence the reason for the question.

So I say hard choices because to-date all I've made are easy ones. I have goals and I would very much like to pursue them. If we avoid crisis altogether that would be my overwhelming first choice. I made it through covid with my friends and family intact, a job that has gone from strength to strength regardless of the nonsense, and I didn't end up in jail for not wearing a mask though there were absolutely spit-flecked threats to do so. I have been very blessed. I am not naive enough to think there is anything permanent in any of this which is why I would like to capitalize on it should the world hold together. But I also don't want to get caught flat footed when reality asserts itself.

Re: PTSD

[(Anonymous)]

Okay, I've got you now. Please forgive me for being so heavy handed. I badly misunderstood the tone of the conversation.

As far as breaking goes, the people who are the biggest risk are the ones who think they'll never do so. Most people can go further still when acting in defense of loved ones. You're showing signs of maturity that make me think you can go further than average.

In my experience, even without a family, the fear of failing the people who need you never really goes away. For me, training, experience, or government issued gold stars saying that I'm extra special never really alleviated those fears. Eventually you get used to it and learn how to turn your mind towards more constructive pursuits. The stoic advice to focus on what you can control hasn't failed yet.

The fear of pushing your own damage onto others is a common one. Distancing oneself from prior relationships is a common pattern of behavior with PTSD if not a recognized symptom. There is at least one psychiatrist who has theorized the former is the cause of the later. In every case known to me, the family would rather have the traumatized individual sustain the relationship rather than dissociate. Though I will admit that it may require everybody to adjust to a new normal that isn't the same as the old one.

>I have been very blessed. I am not naive enough to think there is anything permanent in any of this.
More evidence of maturity, and another reason to think that you will be fine.

As far as actual preparations go, our host's advice to collapse now and avoid the rush is very sound. Having some kind of spiritual or religious life is probably the single most valuable thing as a system under pressure will give out at the weakest point. For most people, this is either the mind or spirit. After that, skills, relationships, and physical fitness are the next things to cultivate. The survival bunker loaded to the brim with goods and supplies is, in my mind, one of the classic mistakes people make in a dying society.

In any case, I wish you luck in your preparations.