Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's just a few minutes to midnight, so we can launch a new Magic Monday. Ask me anything about occultism, and 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.  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.  And further:  if you ask a question about some occult topic and I tell you it's not something I can or will help you with, and you keep on asking more and more questions about that same topic, don't be surprised if your questions just get deleted. 'Nuf said.

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 twenty-fifth published book. During my time as head of the Ancient Order of Druids in America, it became clear that we needed a few books for members with rituals and the like. This was the first of them, a guide to the ritual work of a grove (that's what you call a group of Druids) in AODA. It was a pleasant, simple, straightforward job, and I didn't (and don't) make a cent from it -- all proceeds go to AODA. It seemed to me that this was appropriate for what was, after all, a labor of love.

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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

Multiple Timelines

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

What are your thoughts on alternate/multiple timelines? Do they exist and if so how do they interact with our pirmary/conscious timeline? How as students of esoterica should we incorporate them into our morality and our metaphysics? Or are they just a wish projection and another convenient way for adherents to bypass the tragedies and vicissitudes of our conscious lived reality?

Thank you!

Anthony from Pittsburgh PA

Re: Multiple Timelines

[ecosophia]

I've never encountered any reason to believe that they exist. Certainly the occult traditions I've studied don't include the concept. The furthest they go is to concede that different people experience the world differently and so, in a certain sense, we each live in a slightly (or more than slightly) different world. Yet reality in its fullness embraces all of those experienced worlds and more.

About a Tree

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG,

Up until May 3rd there was a large, beautiful, healthy Aspen in front of my house (it was 60-80 feet tall). On May 2nd my landlord informed me he was going to cut it down because he thought "it might damage the house". The following morning two men with a chainsaw arrived.

I had called my lawyer on the night of the second to see if I could stop this but it turned out that my landlord was legally within his right to kill this perfectly healthy tree that wasn't hurting anyone (and posed no imminent threat to the house). I could have gotten my lawyer to send a volly of nasty letters but that could have easily cost me thousands of dollars and it was likely that my landlord would prevail in the end.

I went out and talked to the tree the night before it was killed and explained that it was absolutely not my idea to kill it but that there wasn't much I could do. I apologized to the tree and told it that if it wanted to seek retribution to please direct that at my landlord and not my family.

I'm looking for a new place to live because I really don't want to have any more dealings with my tree-killing landlord.

My question is: Should I do anything else for the spirit of the tree or is the talk I had with it the night before it was killed sufficient?

Thanks,

FSH

Re: About a Tree

[ecosophia]

What you did was both sufficient and gracious, and the local devas (nature spirits) will have taken note of it. I wouldn't want to be that landlord, and you're probably wise to get as much distance from him as you can.

[jdecandia]

I have just recently fought off a bit of a head cold that kept me pretty fatigued...too fatigued to practice my daily ritual work in the morning for about 4 days. It wasn't the fatigue, in fact, as much as my inability to concentrate from the congestion.

It has been nice to get back into the physical swing of things and to have a zest for what presents itself in front of me for the day again. I am bringing all of this up to ask if there is any magical detriment to having stopped my morning SOP, 15 minutes of meditation, and daily divination for a few days? Or if anyone has noticed a difference?

I have noticed making this a daily ritual has allowed me to see my thoughts and patterned behavior from a larger perspective so it is less of a struggle against a poor habit and more of a shedding of. I've also noticed the ability to mentally visualize has much increased and the ability to hold a fully formed thought to its completion is much easier. Some of my realizations seem too slippery and vast to put into words...but it is more of an internalized understanding than an intellectual.

I have found that these past three days not practicing my thoughts are a lot more automated. Has anyone found this to be true for them? Have I had a set back?

[ecosophia]

It happens from time to time in just about every mage's life, whether due to sickness or from some other cause. It's always a little bit of a setback, but once you resume regular practices you'll find that you make up all the lost ground promptly.

Review of the Rebirth and MOE Elemental Associations vs DMH/DA

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

For anyone affected by the recent storm systems in the US, I hope they've passed you by without too much trouble.

To Share: k_a_nitz was kind enough to send me a translation of Karl Kolb's The Rebirth, a quirky little book of mid-19th century Christian letter mysticism. Not being a Christian myself, I took a somewhat outside perspective in gathering my thoughts on it here: https://jpowellrussell.com/#book_the_rebirth

To Ask: The Modern Order of Essenes material includes what look to be some fairly idiosyncratic takes on the five elements and their correspondences/symbolic associations, without departing too far from the traditional western esoteric associations. For a student of the DMH and the DA also pursuing MOE, are there any particular warnings or guardrails you'd recommend in considering the different symbolic systems, or is it all just good themes for meditation?

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 the Rebirth and MOE Elemental Associations vs DMH/DA

[ecosophia]

It's all raw material for meditation. You can use different symbolisms just as you can speak different languages -- and you can often learn something by comparing how you say the same thing in two or more languages, of course.

Extremes of Magic

[(Anonymous)]

Good Evening, Mr Greer,

I am aware that you are careful not to categorize magic into so-called White and Black Magic; or to judge any magician as to their “morality”.

But I have a question which includes goetia or magic work with demons. All though this may not necessarily apply, specifically I am wondering about A. Crowley and Thelema. My feeling is that the average Thelema follower considers him/herself a practioner of High Magic; i.e. magic with the goal of self-transformation.
Although I realize not all magicians presume to be on the path of High Magic.
How do such magicians who may dabble in the relative negative “morality”, alongside their High Magic, reconcile that negativity with their self-transformation?

Please, magicians, feel free to respond, too.

Thanks

Re: Extremes of Magic

[ecosophia]

I don't use the labels "white magic" and "black magic," and I don't make a habit of judging people, but ethics are as important in magic as sterile technique is in surgery -- neglect either one and things go septic. As for Crowley, well, I'm not a fan. He grew up in the church that invented modern fundamentalist Christianity, and spent the rest of his life rebelling against it, becoming an egomaniac and a world-class jerk in the process. For all the passionate energy he devoted to magic, he could never get over himself, and sooner or later made life miserable for everyone who had to deal with him.

After his death, his legacy was picked up by several more competent mages, Grady McMurtry arguably first among them, who turned the steaming mess into a viable system of initiation and succeeded in marketing it. I know some first-class mages who are Thelemites; I have no idea why they chose that particular path, but hey, do what keepeth thou from wilting shall be the loophole in the law, and all that.

As for goetia, it's best strictly avoided. It's like going in search of your local gang members because you think you can get them to do you favors -- they might grin and comply for the time being, but sooner or later they're going to beat the crap out of you and rob you blind, because that's what gangsters do to the clueless and arrogant. Demons are the same way. Turning to spirits of any kind to get favors is the classic mistake of the failed mage -- everything you can get from them, you can accomplish all by yourself, if you're willing to put in the work and accept the changes that follow. That's the problem, of course, and people have been falling for that trap -- "bow to me and I shall serve thee" -- since ancient times.

Did I do this?

[(Anonymous)]

A few weeks ago I complained about an annoying landlady and asked your advice about how to deal with her. You suggested I try invoking Saturn and practice some Saturnine planetary charity. This I did. I invoked Saturn at the appropriate time and gave three dollars to a beggar. I also invoked Saturn on each of the two subsequent Saturdays, wishing to give myself fairly robust and lasting protection.

A few days ago when I went to pay the rent she told me she had just had the worst three weeks of her life. She had suffered from a respiratory affliction, her sister unexpectedly died and she had a nasty fall that bruised her face and left her with a concussion.

The timing seems suggestive. Could this be a case of a person with a history of being too aggressive, something of a bully, and when someone does a bit of magical self-protection it produces for the first party an unexpected karmic wallop? Or is something else going on?

I don’t want to give people concussions, and she’s not altogether a bad sort; but I can’t deny I’ve enjoyed the relative peace.

Re: Did I do this?

[ecosophia]

Yes, it's quite possible that she got to deal with some of her own karma, but since that wasn't your intention you don't bear any responsibility for it. The planetary intelligence you invoked assessed the situation and decided that it was time for her to deal with some of her crap; you'll know it worked if she becomes a nicer person. Dion Fortune used to say that Mars was the great initiator of the swollen-headed, but in my experience Saturn is even more effective at taking arrogant people down a peg or two.

Failure of LHC

[(Anonymous)]

This might be a bit of an overblown title, but it seems to me that the large hadron collider has failed in its mission. It found exactly what it was set up to find, the Higgs Boson, and nothing more. The highly reliable but not particularly beautiful Standard Model of quantum physics didn't generate super symmetry, as the mathematical physicists thought, and no new particles, or even anomalies, have been found.

It's interesting as it means that it may be the limit for high energy particle physics, and especially interesting given that Pluto is fading out. High energy particle physics, the idea that we make nature behave in a large atom smasher seems to me to be the epitome of pluton.

So where does it leave physics? I suspect physics might have to focus again on the big, rather than the small, and that quantum physics, may be seen in times to come as a statistical exercise.

Thoughts would be appreciated.

Re: Failure of LHC

[ecosophia]

Um, perhaps you can explain to me what this has to do with occultism. It would be an interesting topic for the general open post on the 22nd, though!

Magical/kundalini energy and biology

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John Michael,

Are you aware of any writing or research on the connection between magical energy or kundalini energy and how it relates to human biology?

I ask because I have recently started to take a nootropic supplement that has an impact on dopamine and I am experiencing surges of energy in the heart chakra and head that I have only previously felt when engaged in kriya yoga and magical ritual.

Thanks,

P

Re: Magical/kundalini energy and biology

[ecosophia]

There's an enormous amount of research on that subject, including papers in peer-reviewed journals. You might try some of these for starters:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9282169/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5433116/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5540331/

You might also look up the work of Hiroshi Motoyama, a Japanese scientist who spent much of his career researching kundalini; some of his books are available in English translation.

[(Anonymous)]

Mr. JMG,
Thank you very much for this space and have a good week!

I, like almost all normal people, have good dreams and nightmares. Nightmares usually come when I'm too covered or feeling hot. And these have a villain: a vampire. He appeared about two years ago. Count Dracula, or any other vampire, was my biggest fear as a child. I don't have lucid dreams to be able to face him and I'm always at a disadvantage. What can I do to scare away this figure of my dreams?

tks in advance!

[ecosophia]

I'm sorry to say that dreamwork is something in which I have very little background. The one thing that's worked for me in situations like this is journaling, to help figure out what the dream-figure represents. A dream is a message, and a repeating dream is a message that won't go away until you pay attention to it.

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning and thank you as always.

I was thinking about the part in the Book of Haatan where Dr Moravec tells Ariel that she should imagine herself as a mage to help her begin the journey to becoming one.

I can see how this kind of exercise could be useful for many things in life, but it seems like it could also risk becoming and ego trap because of how easy it is to fall into contemplating how others would perceive you if you became whatever it is you’re visualizing (such as business success or being a capable artist or the like.) I also worry about how to balance fantasizing about what one would like to be with maintaining sincere self awareness.

Is there a good way to approach these kinds of visualizing exercises that is meant to avoid these pitfalls?

[ecosophia]

Ah, but he didn't say "visualize yourself as a mage." The point is to imagine the possibility that you can practice magic, that you can become a mage -- not that you should sit around wallowing in fantasies about what other people will think of you. Instead of visualizing anything at all, just ask yourself: how would your life change, for better and worse, if you gave up the fantasy of being a passive victim of circumstances, and started consciously using the powers of will and imagination to shape your life?

On amulet being overwhelmed

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JMG. So, as I mentioned on the other blog, I did make the amulet. Thing is, in the FAQ it said it's supposed to last from one to three months, right? Well, in about a week the salt got a sickly-looking color and the nail had rusted through completely. Maybe I'm in a particularly toxic environment and I don't even know?

I've been having lots of depressive thoughts recently, and I wondered if they are the cause for this overwhelming the amulet, or if they're a symptom of whatever may have also caused the amulet to go bad. Any thoughts?

Also, have you any further suggestions? I've been doing the daily SoP (finally completed it), and it feels pretty powerful, as well as having made another amulet. I don't really have any requisite magic skills, but I do have a copy of Natural Magic, so that might be more accessible? Any help is welcome. Thanks.

- furnax

Re: On amulet being overwhelmed

[ecosophia]

You're in a very, very toxic environment. Depressed thoughts won't cause that kind of fast discharge, but a nasty environment can cause depressed thoughts!

A daily protective ritual such as the SoP will do you a lot of good. If the noxious energy focuses on a place you can do this, you can also crank up the amulet effect by getting a bowl or jar (leave the lid off), fill it most of the way with salt, and put several bent nails into it. Leave that in a place where people won't see it -- that'll discharge a great deal more of the nasty energy before it runs down. (It can also be recharged promptly -- just add more salt and more bent nails.)

If you have access to a store where you can get herbs, an amulet containing frankincense resin, angelica root, and St. John's wort would also help.

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG,

I recently read one of Rudolf Steiner's lectures where he referred to the etheric body as having organs. It struck me as odd. The etheric body always seemed more like a uniform and amorphous aura, without that kind of differentiation.

Are there etheric equivalents of a brain, heart, lungs, skin, etc.?

[ecosophia]

It's a common misconception to think of the nonphysical planes as being vaguer and more abstract than the material plane. CS Lewis had a useful bit on that in That Hideous Strength, where Jane, one of the protagonists, is coming to terms with the reality of the spiritual:

"For still she thought that 'Religion' was a kind of exhalation or a cloud of incense, something steaming up from specially gifted souls towards a receptive Heaven. Then, quite sharply, it occurred to her that the Director never talked about Religion: nor did the Dimbles nor Camilla. They talked about God. They had no picture in their minds of some mist steaming upward, rather of strong, skilful hands thrust down to make, and mend, perhaps even to destroy."

The higher planes are more complex, more intricate, more structured, and vastly more powerful than the plane of matter. It's the material plane that's vague, formless, indefinite and muddled by contrast. The etheric body does in fact have organs, intricately patterned and active organs, which are sometimes called chakras or energy centers; it also has channels of circulation like the bloodstream, which are sometimes called nadis or meridians. The astral body also has organs, though they're difficult for us to understand because astral substance is in such constant motion; and the mental sheath, the highest of our embodiments so far, is evolving organs.

[(Anonymous)]

I was reading a thread on people’s weirdest stories using magic. The range of experiences was really interesting, anything from causing weather events to hotfoot powder quick results. Obviously there is no way to know how much magic influenced these situations, but most of what I read came across with sincerity. Many of the posters themselves were surprised at what happened.

In the past you have written something like “learn a system of magic, it doesn't really matter which one” which got me wondering what the common elements behind these systems are. What are the common denominators? Aside from intention, I see mantras/vibrating sounds, gestures, visualization/imagination, and spoken words as the basis of what one is actually doing aside from meditation and divination. Are there certain systems that will allow someone to develop “paranormal” abilities more than others? You have often written that there are many different systems of magic, but the only ones I ever see getting consistently mentioned are Golden Dawn, Franz Bardon’s system and Agrippa to a lesser extent. How does someone know they are making progress in a given system? I know this is a bunch of small questions...

2) You mentioned you know some serious practitioners of Bardon’s system. What makes somebody a serious practitioner and how does the experience of life differ for someone who spends a lot of time doing these types of practices (magic)?

Thank you for doing Magic Mondays JMG

[ecosophia]

1) The common denominators are will and imagination; everything else is detail. Yes, different systems have different effects, "paranormal" or otherwise; the measurements that allow you to know that you're making progress vary from system to system, but one that's common to all valid systems is that your life improves.

2) A serious practitioner is one who puts in practice time every day. It's the same rule you use to call someone a serious musician: how often do they practice? As for the differences in the experience of life, that would practically take a book to explain. Imagine for a moment that what you think of as "paranormal" abilities were actually normal, things that everyone has though most people don't notice or use. Imagine that what you think of as "supernatural" was all perfectly natural, and you experienced those things all the time. Imagine that you stopped experiencing yourself as a helpless victim of circumstances beyond your control, realized that your will and imagination were shaping your life constantly in ways that you weren't conscious off, and that you started taking conscious control of the process and making your life what you want it to be. Imagine all of that together; that's a start.

Lunar Standstill

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings, JMG. The article linked here:

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stonehenge-moon-2474008

reports an effort underway at Stonehenge to determine whether the site was aligned not only toward directions with solar significance but also toward the points of the "lunar standstill," which occurs every 18.6 years and is beginning about now. This was all news to me, and I don't understand the nature of the investigation, but I mention it as possibly of interest.

Gray Hat

Re: Lunar Standstill

[ecosophia]

What is it with researchers rehashing old work? As I recall, that was demonstrated back in the 1960s, though I couldn't tell you whether it was Gerald Hawkins or Alexander Thom who worked it out. You have to track lunar standstills if you want to track eclipses, and Stonehenge was among other things an effective eclipse calculator.

CosDoc and Kybalion

[(Anonymous)]

I am currently meditating my way through the "three" Initiate work - which is a somewhat mixed experience, at least compared to the time I spent with the CosDoc...

Certainly it seems that the CosDoc is much, much denser than the Kybalion. While with the CosDoc I couldn't read a sentence without thinking about it for some time, I wade through several paragraphs of the Kybalion thinking "you are using so many words...". On the other hand, I noticed that at intervals of several days of daily meditation on the Kybalion, I experience something I could best describe as "emotional insight" in the matters presented - which is rather different from the insights gained by studying the CosDoc, which produced somewhat more "intellectual" revelations with the emotional aspect being largely a reaction to these.

Would it be fair to say that while the CosDoc was written to train the mind this training has it's emphasis on the mental plane, the Kybalion does the same with an emphasis on the astral?

Thank you, as always!

Cheers,
Nachtgurke

Re: CosDoc and Kybalion

[ecosophia]

Yes, but there's another way to talk about it. The Kybalion is for beginners, and so it focuses (subtly but effectively) on common life problems, most of which are emotional in nature. The Cos. Doc. is emphatically not for beginners, so it focuses on understanding.

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JMG

Have you ever had the chance to use "Qirra" dice for geomancy? And if so what are your thoughts? I ask simply since I am planning to make some wooden Qirra as a project.

[ecosophia]

No, but I've used ordinary dice quite often with good results. (I happened to be picking up groceries one day at a store on the Oregon coast, and they had dice for sale, 4 for a dollar, in four colors: red, yellow, blue, and green. I couldn't resist.)

Developing Clairvoyance and reincarnation

[(Anonymous)]

You've written on quite a few occasions that three incarnations seriously practicing magic and occultism would take someone to the stage where they no longer needed to incarnate on the physical plane.

For someone who found ceremonial magic wasn't for them and instead made the practices taught in W. E. Butler's 'How to Read the Aura and Practice Psychometry, Telepathy, and Clairvoyance' the core of their spiritual training(along with meditation, divination, prayer, etc.), how would that effect their development in future lives?

Is there believed to be a similar number of incarnations of training and then it's off to the next stage, or are these two paths very different in that regard?

Re: Developing Clairvoyance and reincarnation

[ecosophia]

I have no idea. You'd have to talk to someone who'd pursued that other method of training.

Ovate grade spagyrics

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning, JMG. I'm approaching the end of the Ovate grade in the CGD, but I'm finding the spagyric work to be a stumbling block, both practically and emotionally. In terms of the latter, I feel a certain anxiousness about working with open alcohol flames, lots of smoke outside with neighbors around and alcohol in general, since I don't normally drink it. I'm also worried about making mistakes and ending up something that's unsafe to imbibe, even in these small quantities.

I'll admit I've considered stopping short of the initiation, deciding this isn't for me and maybe moving on to the DMH system, which also has a lot of elements I like. On reflection, though, there's something about the CGD system and GD-style magic that speaks to me in a different way. I also tend to have issues with committing to things, and I feel it's important for me to see this commitment through to the end and proceed with the initiation. Is what I'm experiencing here "the Watcher" you've been talking about before in action, maybe?

Getting past the emotional hang-ups is of course on me. In terms of the practical side, I'd appreciate a few pointers. Thanks to the previous owner of my house I actually have a suitable grill, but I'm more unsure about the vessel for calcination.

1) The CGD book calls for an "iron pan", which I took to mean cast iron. After looking through earlier comment threads here and elsewhere, though, I see that you don't consider this a great option, and recommend a porcelain crucible instead. I'm not American, so maybe I misunderstood and you were thinking of some other kind of iron pan in the book?

2) How and where would I get hold of one of these crucibles? Did you buy yours in a store, or online? I'm not even sure what the correct term for these would be in my language, and I haven't been able to find anything local online. I know various Chinese sellers on eBay and Amazon have them, but I'd rather not patronize those if I can help it, on top of the long shipping times and import fees.

3) If I can't find one, are there any other kinds of kitchenware (ie. oven dishes etc) I could use as substitute? Seems like most dishes for sale here can't handle the necessary temperatures.

4) Alcohol is very expensive and heavily regulated/taxed here. I understand it's essential for the tincture itself, but would it be possible to do the initial blackening stage without dousing the herb in alcohol, to save on that expense? Say, by heating the herb material directly on the grill?

Your assistance is very much appreciated.

Re: Ovate grade spagyrics

[ecosophia]

0) Might be the Watcher, might simply be some kind of unfinished emotional business from childhood. Either way, I encourage you to push straight through it.

1) For the very simple spagyric work of the CGD, a plain cast iron pan is entirely suitable. Porcelain is better suited for more complicated alchemical work.

2) See above.

3) See above.

4) Yes, you can roast it that way. Just put it straight into the iron pan and put it on the grill, and let it blacken and burn.

[gnosticlombe]

Good day JMG,

I hope your day and week are off to a wonderful start!

I was wondering if the symbol for the Byw/spirit within symbol has its origin in the old universalist “off center cross” logo? It may be over reading, but both visually, and symbolically it would make sense. (It’s visually similar to both the off center cross and Gnostic cross that was just coming to use at the time in the direct sense, and symbolically instead of the cross, it brings to center the direct center of the cross-maybe indicating the emphasis on the direct experiential gnosis the founding UGC ministers hoped to emphasize while maintaining the universalist ethos.)

May fully be overstretching, but I’m curious if there’s any definite origin of the symbol you’ve been thought or discovered?

Thank you once again for the time and effort in hosting Magic Monday!

[ecosophia]

It's supposed to be a plain cross in a circle:

The other two symbols of spirit have the same cross either above or below the circle. How you interpret it in meditation, of course, is quite another matter...

Inaugural chart

[(Anonymous)]

Are you going to do a review of the 2021 inaugural chart? The odd stinger at the end of the perfecting aspects, Sun conjunct Jupiter, implying an oddly benefic rear overview of an otherwise disastrous term of office, comes to mind. The US has left Afghanistan, MacKinder's World Island has united to the despair of Britain and the European subcontinent, the wave of neo-puritan woke iconoclasts is receeding, and the Anglo-American empire is being dismantled, all under the aegis of a convenient scapegoat.

Re: Inaugural chart

[ecosophia]

I am indeed. I plan on doing so shortly after the election, if Joe Biden lives that long, and after his death if he doesn't. I want to discuss my mistakes -- I made several -- as well as the hits.

Of Harry Smith, Moses Asch, Matmos and Magic Chains

[(Anonymous)]

During the discussion of chapter 11 of The Ritual of High Magic, on the subject of magic chains, the topic of Harry Smith and his Anthology of American Folk Music came up. As part of the chat about that, there some talk of reactivating that chain. To that end, here is a feature I wrote for the electronic and experimental music site Igloo Magazine, of the newest album from electronic music duo, Matmos, "Return to Archive." It at first may not seem related, but the album was made at the invitation of Smithsonian Folkways for Matmos to use all of the different "sound" recordings released by Moses Asch on his label to create something new. To my ears, it is a great album. In my essay I tie it in with my reading of "Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith" by John Szwed, and Smith's connection to Asch and the Anthology, among some other things.

Enter a Library of Babel from the masters of the electronic concept album, as they plunder the plethora of “sound” albums released by the maverick founder of Folkways, Moses Asch:

https://igloomag.com/features/matmos-return-to-archive-smithsonian-folkways-recordings

Justin Patrick Moore

Re: Of Harry Smith, Moses Asch, Matmos and Magic Chains

[ecosophia]

Hmm! Interesting.

Witches

[yogaandthetarot]

How would you define a “witch”?

I’m asking because I found myself puzzled (and forgive me if I’m insulting anyone ) that it has now become common for women to call themselves witches. And to market themselves as such.
I saw a book that included Yoga and Witch in the title, and like Drunk Yoga ( yes, there is such a marketed thing), seemed to me rather contradictory?
(Ok - maybe I’m being overly sensitive or exhibiting shadow ? as some might object to MY “Yoga and the Tarot name too!)

Thank you JMG always.

Re: Witches

[ecosophia]

Ahem. The meanings of words are defined by how people use them. Words don't have a fixed meaning enshrined in the heavens; they're sounds used by human beings to communicate things, and their meanings inevitably drift over time. When somebody says that a meme is dank, for example, he doesn't mean that it's wet and mildewed! In the same way, a word like "witch" has no fixed meaning -- it's been used to mean various things down through the years.

Thus it doesn't matter at all how I define the word "witch." There are people who use the word to mean "follower of a neopagan religion," and people who use the word to mean "devil worshipper," and people who use the word to mean "useful piece of construction equipment."

Take your pick.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

1. Just a comment: watching current events unfold in USA after reading through your recent mundane astrology work is downright spooky.

2. Any advice (suggested practices, intentions to work with, etc) for someone who feels completely unsure of what desires are their own, vs what has been sold to them?

I have a working grasp of the SOP, a small-scale planetary practice, and basic natural magic. Figuring out what to do with it is the hard part.

[ecosophia]

1) I know. Sometimes the planets really are shouting aloud what's about to happen.

2) This is where meditation shines -- not instantly, and not directly, but ten minutes a day of discursive meditation gradually dissolves the learned ignorance that keeps you from noticing the difference between what you want and what you've been told you ought to want. It has other effects, too, but that's an important one.

The meaning of invoking the elements in the sphare of protection

[(Anonymous)]

A little theory question. I think the attitude of being light in theory and experiencing things for oneself makes a lot of sense in an esoteric path, so before my question I just want to mention I am asking this because of a religious concern, I want to make sure I understand what is it that I do when I invoke an element.

So I tried doing some reading and meditated on what I found, and based on this it seems an "element" is a symbol, meant to train the mind and not inform it. I read that in a Kabbalistic context it refers to a part of the self, analogous to the chemical elements that compose the material body, but not exactly. But the elements make up most other things as well, so my first question, is which object's "elements" am I calling? The "Air" within my own body? within the volume of the sphere of protection? or is this the idea (in the platonist sense) of air, I am talking to the air of everything in existence?

My second question is about the word "invoke". My native language is Hebrew and I know you have a working knowledge of the language. I could not find a suitable translation, but if I had it, it would prove helpful for me so I can meditate on this word. So far it seems it's like calling someone and inviting him in, much like what happens during prayer. If so, and if the "elements" are just symbols, than who am I calling when invoking each element?

I'd like to end by thanking you for teaching this, although so far I have only been doing the opening and closing, it proved a rewarding experience.

Re: The meaning of invoking the elements in the sphare of protection

[ecosophia]

1) An element is a general category of experience, like a color. Lots of different things are yellow; similarly, lots of different things are airy, or watery, or fiery, or earthy. The element, like the color, is simply a way to talk about what these things have in common. as for what you call in the Sphere of Protection, that depends on what you ask for -- it can be as specific or as general as you wish, depending on your choice of the wording.

2) I'm sorry to say you've got an exaggerated sense of my knowledge of Hebrew; I can read the alphabet (or, rather, the aleph-beth) but I have only a very limited vocabulary. To invoke is to call toward you, just as to banish is to send away from you; the Latin prefix in- is more general than the English preposition. As for who you're calling, here again, that depends on you; if you want to call upon the six permutations of YHV from the Sepher Yetzirah, for example, as some Jews I know do when they practice this ritual, why, I don't think there's any question who you're calling!

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Following up on DA grade 4. How often should I do the grand psychic breath? Is this daily to start or like the seven nwyfre exercises should I start with weekly and build up to daily?

Thank you!

[ecosophia]

That varies from person to person. Start by doing it every few days and see how that feels; space it further apart or closer together depending on the results.