Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

Midnight is just a few minutes away, and so it's time to 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:  I've decided that questions involving the evocation of spirits are permanently off topic here. The point of occultism is to develop your own capacities, not to try to bully or wheedle other beings into doing things for you. I've discussed this in a post on my blog.

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 was my thirty-seventh published book. Dark Age America was published in 2016, as the United States was winding up its long afternoon of business as usual and plunging into an era of crisis that hasn't ended yet. I'd sketched out the process by which the US empire was ending in my earlier book Decline and Fall, and decided to try something on a larger scale: basically, an attempt to sketch out the history of North America in advance for the next 500 years. I think it worked pretty well; after nearly a decade, I haven't yet seen any reason to change the portrait sketched out in its pages. Unlike most of my New Society books, it's still in print; you can get a copy here in the US and here elsewhere.

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, and (ahem) no further comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Comments

Review of In Search of Odhinn and Question on Changes to thoughts on Theology

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

May all who mark it have a happy and blessed Lughnasadh this week, and for everyone else, may your summer be coming along nicely.

To Share: I've put together my thoughts on Shani Oates's In Search of Odhinn for anyone who may be interested: https://jpowellrussell.com/#book_in_search_of_odhinn

To Ask: We talked a bit about A World Full of Gods last week, and a project I have on the backburner at the moment is to read more on (polytheistic) theology. Despite its poor sales, do you have any plans to expand on what you wrote in that book, and whether you want to put it into book form or not, has your thinking on the subject matter changed in any substantial ways since publishing that? If so, would you mind sharing a thumbnail version of how so?

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 In Search of Odhinn and Question on Changes to thoughts on Theology

[ecosophia]

I did some revisions to the second edition, mostly to improve a couple of the philosophical arguments, but on the whole I'm satisfied with the book. If I were to do another book on similar topics it would be on the theology of polytheist worship, with a cross-cultural perspective and close attention to polytheist philosophical stances from Japan, China, India, and the classical world.

[(Anonymous)]

A round of applause for our gracious host!

—Princess Cutekitten

[ecosophia]

Thank you.

Ecosophia Prayer List

[tunesmyth]

At this link is the full list of all of the requests for prayer that have recently appeared at ecosophia.net and ecosophia.dreamwidth.org, as well as in the comments of the prayer list posts. Please feel free to add any or all of the requests to your own prayers.

If I missed anybody, or if you would like to add a prayer request for yourself or anyone who has given you consent (or for whom a relevant person holds power of consent) to the list, please feel free to leave a comment below and/or in the comments at the current prayer list post.

* * *

This week I would like to bring special attention to the following prayer requests.

May Corey Benton, whose throat tumor has grown around an artery and won't be treated surgically, be healed of throat cancer.

May Heather's brother in law, Patrick, who is dying of cancer and has dementia, go gentle into that good light. And may his wife Maggie, who is ill herself, find the strength and peace she needs for her situation.

May Falling Tree Woman's son's girlfriend's mother Bridget in Devon UK, who has recently regained consciousness after a week of sedation following a life-threatening fall from a horse, be blessed and healed and returned to full health.

May Neptune's Dolphins' husband David, who lost one toe to a staph infection last year and now faces further toe amputations due to diabetic ulcers in his left foot, be blessed and healed, and may the infection leave his body for good.

May young Azalea Troung of California, who recently had a life threatening reaction to the initial antibiotic applied for a finger bone infection, resolve her reaction without lasting issue; may the infection be completely cleared from her body; and may her family, including those physically separated from her, be strengthened against fear and dread.

May Rebecca, who has just been laid off from her job and is the sole provider for her family, quickly discover a viable means to continue to support her family; may she and her family be blessed and sustained in their journey forward.

May Just Another Green Rage Monster, his mother, and his Kiddo be blessed and healed as they deal with the loss of Monster's father.

May Kerry's dad Michael, who is experiencing extreme delusional behavior and overwhelming anxiety, be healed mentally and emotionally.

May Ian, who has recently been diagnosed with Diastolic Heart Failure, be healed and restored to full health quickly and completely.

Regarding Princess Cutekitten’s recently renewed problems with mortgage servicers causing her difficulties, may the situation resolve in the best way possible.

May MindWinds' dad, Clem, be blessed and healed after his fall and consequent head injury.

May Jeff H's cat Tuxy, who ran off from their new home in June, be safely returned home to Jeff's family.

May Jennifer have a safe and healthy pregnancy, may the delivery go smoothly, and may her baby be born healthy and blessed.

May Ecosophian, whose cat Cheesecake (picture)ran away on Wednesday 6/12, be safely reunited with Cheesecake; and may Cheesecake be protected and guided on his journey home.

May Kyle's friend Amanda, who though in her early thirties is undergoing various difficult treatments for brain cancer, make a full recovery; and may her body and spirit heal with grace.

Tyler A's wife Monika's pregnancy is high risk, and has now successfully entered the third trimester; may Monika and baby Isabelle both be blessed with good health and a smooth delivery.

May Jennifer's mother Nancy G. in SW Missouri is still recovering from various troubles including brain surgery for hydrocephaly; may she be healed, regain her mobility, and be encouraged with loving energy.

May Erika, who recently lost her partner James and has been dealing with major knee problems (and who senses a connection between the two), be healed in both broken heart and broken knee, and be able to dance in the sun once more.

May Ms. Krieger's hometown of Norwalk, Connecticut recover quickly and fully from the gasoline tanker fire that destroyed an overpass and shut down interstate 95 on May 2. May the anger and fire that has made driving in the area so fraught cool down in a way that benefits all beings. May all people, animals, and other beings around the highway, the adjacent river and the harbor be protected and blessed, and may the natural environment improve to the benefit of all. (update)

May Christina, who passed away on 5/8, experience a peaceful repose; may the minor child she leaves behind be cared for, and the needs of all affected me met; and may her family be comforted in this difficult time.

May Frank Rudolf Hartman of Altadena California (picture), who is receiving chemotherapy, be completely cured of the lymphoma that is afflicting him, and may he return to full health.

Lp9's hometown, East Palestine, Ohio, for the safety and welfare of their people, animals and all living beings in and around East Palestine, and to improve the natural environment there to the benefit of all.

* * *
Guidelines for how long prayer requests stay on the list, how to word requests, how to be added to the weekly email list, how to improve the chances of your prayer being answered, and several other common questions and issues, are to be found at the Ecosophia Prayer List FAQ.

If there are any among you who might wish to join me in a bit of astrological timing, I pray each week for the health of all those with health problems on the list on the astrological hour of the Sun on Sundays, bearing in mind the Sun's rulerships of heart, brain, and vital energies. If this appeals to you, I invite you to join me.

Re: Ecosophia Prayer List

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this as always.

Aphantasia and occult practices

[sierra_jane]

Hello,
First I wanted to say thank you for your thorough explanation about practicing around children. I am currently pregnant with my first and am so grateful for the mini guide you outlined for as they grow.
Ask: As someone who has aphantasia, I rely heavily on energy in my workings. Although I feel it takes me longer to progress, I do feel as though it makes me naturally more receptive to energies within my workings. So much of the studies I've come across however rely heavily on visualization so it makes me question myself more than I like. Are there any studies in particular you think I could excel at with my current situation? Or am I okay altering my studies to fit my strengths? (Additional info: I have been focusing my work on the The Celtic Golden Dawn)

Thank you again for all of your time and guidance.

Re: Aphantasia and occult practices

[ecosophia]

The systems of magic that are most popular in the English-speaking world do tend to focus very heavily on visualization. One alternative you might consider is Franz Bardon's system, which is much more energy-based. Initiation into Hermetics is the introductory book in his system; you might consider giving it a read.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

my blessings to you if you will have them. Thanks to all replies re the noisy neighbours last week (I've got some souped up earplugs).

I have two questions for you. Is it possible to be cursed in a dream? I had quite an unsettling dream last night in which I woke up in a strange bedroom. A man entered room and it transpired he'd doped me. When I refused his advances he said a very weird short word and flicked saliva on me (and I woke up).

Second is regarding a wands reading for a short period of industrial action I'm in. I have misgivings about the outcome and asked if I'd be lose my job as a result of taking this action.

Judge: Colled (Loss, eek)
but RW: Cyswllt and LW: Bendith Fach

Both witnesses suggest to me some kind of protective effect? Or am I overthinking things and I need to polish up my CV?

My grateful thanks as ever for your time.

[ecosophia]

1) Sometimes a dream like that reflects an actual curse, but that's uncommon. Far more often it has a symbolic meaning. You might consider doing some journaling about it.

2) You should polish up your CV, but don't worry too much -- if you do lose your job, which is somewhat likely, you'll be able to find another promptly.

LBRP and the tarot

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JMG

Recently, it occurred to me that if you treat the 4 archangels of the LBRP as their corresponding Sephitoth, then a tarot card, equivalent to a path, can be assigned to each space between them.
I have meditated on this for a while, and already 2 things of interest have become apparent.

1-The cards form a cross of 5 cards, one diagonal formed of cards that involve fire in some way (20,19,14) and another that corresponds to earth (15, 21). Note also the centre of this cross is occupied by 19, The sun.

2-The Card that sits between Raphael and Michael, in the southeast, is ruled by 15, the devil. It turns out that it is this exact direction that requires two crosses to be traced in the R.C. ritual, rather than the single cross sufficient in all the other 5 directions. I don't think this is a coincidence.

J.L.Mc12

Re: LBRP and the tarot

[ecosophia]

Hmm! A very solid meditation on a neglected subject; thank you for this.

[(Anonymous)]

I found out a bit more about how those Australian Aboriginal curses work, courtesy of Tyson Yunkaporta's Sand Talk:

"It is a metaphor based on deception, and in an Aboriginal worldview this is how curses work. You take a part of a system (eg. a person's hair) and observe the pattern of the whole system (e.g. their body, mind and spirit) in that fragment, then you sing a false pattern (e.g. you are dying) into the whole from the part, powering it with another system in constant motion (e.g. running water). The curse is a deception made real-- either an outright lie or a true law or pattern applied where it doesn't belong. It is like a computer virus, a sneaky line of code that ends up crashing the whole system."

That does sound like Etheric plane magic, I think? So the red bag amulet should defend against it?

[ecosophia]

No, this is a very sophisticated and thoughtful way of understanding magic and it includes etheric, astral, and mental directions. A red bag will certainly help but I'd recommend a daily protective ritual in addition to that.

Glastonbury

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Jmg,

I will be visiting Glastonbury for a couple of weeks in a few months. Do you have any tips on stuff to see or do there?
Also, do you (or any other) have book recommendations regarding Glastonbury?

Greetings, w

Re: Glastonbury

[ecosophia]

The ruins of the Abbey, the Tor, and the Chalice Well gardens are high on the must-see list. I also like the occult bookstores in town, but I'm a book geek. You might also walk out toward Street to Pomparles Bridge. "Pomparles" is a rounded-off version of the Latin "Pons Perilis" -- yes, the Perilous Bridge, across which Arthur's knights rode to seek the Grail. (Nobody waited there to ask me questions three, ere the other side I could see, but you may be luckier!)

As for books, Patrick Benham's The Avalonians is very good; John Michell's New Light on the Ancient Mystery of Glastonbury is another classic.

Grand Central Station?

[earthworm_uk]

“The true delight of the soul lies in love, harmony, and beauty, the outcome of which is wisdom, calm, and peace; the more constant they are the greater is the satisfaction of the soul.

“As man begins to see clearly through human life, the world begins to appear as a forest to him, filled with wild animals, fighting, killing and preying upon one another.

“There are four different classes of men who harmonize with each other in accordance with their different states of evolution: angelic, human, animal, and devilish.

“The angelic seeks for heaven, and the human being struggles along in the world; the man with animal propensities revels in his earthly pleasures, while the devilish man is engaged in creating mischief, thereby making a hell for himself and for others. Man after his human evolution becomes angelic, and through his development in animality arrives at the stage of devil.”

JMG - do you think the earth is like a train station with folks passing each other as they head in various directions?
A way station or grand central sort of thing.

Seems to me like the universe is giving humans a chance to pick which direction(s) they want to head in - folks get to choose whether they exist in a creative and imaginative world like this: https://x.com/buitengebieden/status/1816848114814218720 (that bacon posted over on frugal friday), or if they'd prefer a trip to Paris for the sport and other 'entertainments' or perhaps some other path.

Sometimes it makes me wonder...

Re: Grand Central Station?

[ecosophia]

I think that's a workable metaphor, certainly. What the world is in itself, as I see it, is beyond anything we can even begin to understand, so an assortment of good metaphors is all we can have.

Sensing good energy

[(Anonymous)]

When driving around, I frequently will notice if a place has 'good energy' or 'bad energy'. My partner is less sensitive to such things. Recently we were driving down a road neither of us had been down before and I noticed very good energy. Before I said something, he remarked, Wow, this stretch of road feels good. It went on for about a mile or so. This was a rural area, just a few houses around. I saw a house in the distance and got a feeling that it was the source of the good energy.

Is it likely that someone was doing magical practices that extended that far out to the land around them, including the road. If it's possible to say, what type of magic might they be doing and if it was that big does it mean it was a powerful person? Since I was possibly detecting it, either it's not secret, which may be a risk to them or they didn't care if non-malicious people caught it. I'm counting myself as non-malicious because my main thought was 'I want to have a cup of tea and talk to this person'. Why would it not be secret?

Is there an etiquette when people who know these things accidentally run into others?

Thank you very much.

Re: Sensing good energy

[ecosophia]

Might be magic, might be some other kind of positive spiritual practice. The person who lives in that house might be a devout Methodist who studies the Bible and prays for an hour every day. If it's magic, the etiquette is that you don't approach someone unless they give some sign that they're open to approach -- they may be in the middle of an intensive magical working that any interruption would disrupt.

Thus your best option is to invoke whatever gods you pray to and ask them to arrange for a meeting between you and the person who is radiating that energy. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen; if not, you've just had an extremely useful lesson in what you can accomplish if you decide to.

Concept of 'elements' in philosophy?

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, I have come upon this by chance. It is a lecture from Rudolf Steiner describing the elements, in terms of physical concepts :
https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA110/English/APC1928/19090412p01.html
Earth, Water and Air are considered to describe the different states of matter, and Fire is used to represent what I understand to be the Will animating matter.
Somehow I gather, from the glances I have taken to occult materials from the English-speaking world, that the elements usually don't represent that, but instead do represent philosophically different ways of being for how a person relates to others.
Do I understand that correctly?
And then did Steiner have his own views, which he originally formed, or had he studied some occult sources which don't use the elements in the usual fashion?

//Neaj-Neiviv

Re: Concept of 'elements' in philosophy?

[ecosophia]

The elements are all these things and more. They are symbolic categories that can be applied to just about anything in the world of human experience. Steiner, in that lesson, is focusing on the material plane -- he was very careful to ground occult concepts in the world of ordinary experience, which is one of the strengths of his teaching. The elemental categories apply to other planes in other ways.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

I've had my natal chart read over the years by two astrologers, and I'm going through it again to learn how to read it myself as compared to their reports, so this isn't a question about interpreting the chart itself. It's more about how to set my sails given that chart against the headwinds shown by mundane astrology.

I'm still learning the house placements and the aspects, and I can provide specifics about these, but generally speaking I've got a Jupiter and Uranus in exaltation and a Saturn in detriment, all of which suggests I struggle with limits. The other planets and aspects support this. Yet we enter a time collectively where limits are tightening and much harder to ignore (the long decline). That means that I have to keep learning to accept limits, which I've been doing over the years, but I'm starting to wonder whether in so doing I've been ignoring my strengths.

Is coming to terms with future tendencies a matter of leaning in even more in this direction, and ignoring the positive aspects and placements that want to resist limits? Or do I rely on the strengths as shown in my chart to buck the overall trend? I know the stars incline and don't compel.

Thanks in advance!

[ecosophia]

You rely on the strengths in your chart. With Saturn in detriment you will tend to limit yourself inappropriately. Keep in mind that mundane patterns are very broad averages and every normal curve has tails on both ends. You can always position yourself well out on one end. (Of course as a believer in astrology you're already there... ;-)

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what J, DOGD or FHR mean, a list of abbreviations used on Ecosophia.

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this as always.

[charlieobert]

I want to pick up on a topic from last week's forum.

You pointed out that material level, magical level, and spiritual/religious levels, are three discrete levels and practices.

I am phrasing my question three different ways, but I think they are slightly different takes on a single question.

1) What are your thoughts on practicing magic as a religion, ie, not distinguishing the levels?

2) What are your thoughts on practicing magic when you have no spiritual practice?

3) What are your thoughts on practicing magic when your effective religion is the modern secular religion of Progress?

[ecosophia]

1) It's a lot like pounding nails with a saw instead of a hammer.

2) It's a lot like building a shed with a saw but no hammer.

3) It's a lot like building a shed when you have a really crappy hammer. If that's what you've got, do your best with it.

curse object?

[(Anonymous)]

A couple days ago I found a couple items at the base of a large white pine in a local park--a dime, and some kind of fruit or vegetable, maybe a potato, which was rotting, with several sewing needles stuck into it. I had picked up the dime as the first object I saw, but after I saw the needles I threw the dime back on the ground. There was also half a lemon nearby--not sure if that was part of it. It seemed likely that this is some kind of spell, probably a curse. Are you familiar with this particular spell? I performed the Druid's Egg right after that, and I doubt the spell harmed me, but I wonder if there are additional steps I should take to make sure. Whatever it is, it's none of my business at best.

A second, unrelated question. I'm contemplating will and desire, and they seem very closely related to me, practically 2 sides of the same coin. When you speak of "divided will," do you mean that will and desire are at odds? Or are there actually 2 wills, or 2 parts of will?

Thanks very much.

Re: curse object?

[ecosophia]

1) No, I don't know that one. You should be fine, though, since you put the dime right back.

2) They're related but not the same thing. You can desire something and not will it -- when you decide not to do something even though you want to do it, for example. You can will something and not desire it -- when you decide to do something you don't really feel like doing, for example. A divided will is in fact a split in will; desire is always divided. Consider wanting to make a lot of money, and also wanting to spend a lot of money. You can choose one or the other; if you try to do both, you won't accomplish either. (Although you can also choose to spend some and save some, if that meets your needs better.)

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

In a geomancy reading, I got Via for Right Witness and Populus for Left Witness, leaving Via again for the Judge. My question was if I book I planned on writing would be successful (popular, I suppose was my intention.)

Via still mystifies me as an answer!

Thanks,
tangerine tangential cactus

[ecosophia]

Via means that you've got a long road ahead of you. That suggests that the book can become successful, but it's going to take you a lot of work and careful market research to get there, because (Populus) other people are writing similar books and you'll have to make yours stand out.

blessings; creating an astral place to pace on to future incarnation

[milkyway1]

Good morning!

Hope you had a good start into the week. :-)

1. To everybody:

I offer formal blessings again this Wednesday, in order to improve my blessing skills, and would very much appreciate signups:

https://thehiddenthings.com/weekly-blessings-30

I've also started a series for people who want to get started with blessings themselves, or ramp up their own blessing practice, "Blessing: How to Get Started in 9 Simple Steps". Part 3 has gone up today: https://thehiddenthings.com/blessing-how-to-get-started-3


2. To JMG:

There was a discussion in an MM a while ago of which I can't remember the exact details, but iirc it was something to the effect that the OP had built up an astral "place" in a prior life, and had in that prior life also left cues, or created triggers, which would lead them to said place in this life. I have meant to ask since then:

1. Why would one want to build up an astral place to pass on to oneself in a later incarnation - what could be the purpose of this? (If there could be all sorts of reasons or purposes, could you give a few examples?)

2. How do people set up or create "cues" or triggers which would lead a future self to such a place?

Thanks, and my blessings to you, if you'll have them,

Milkyway

Re: blessings; creating an astral place to pace on to future incarnation

[ecosophia]

1) If you want your next incarnation to have access to certain kinds of knowledge or certain contacts you have in this incarnation, this is one way you can do that.

2) There are various ways. One is intensive concentration on specific symbols, linking them to the inner place, so that when you encounter them in your next incarnation they will stir memories of the inner place.

Trump Buddha

[neptunesdolphins]

I showed my husband the picture of the Trump Buddha from the other blog. He decided to buy one and have me burn incense, etc. My husband is a Trump supporter but sees Trump as more than a man.

My problem is I have never done any devotions to a living person. Is it the man, or the archetype, and what is the archetype? I do not think of Trump himself as a God, but I am feeling sort of in between. It is something I am wrestling with. How do you do devotions to a living person who is more than that?

And is it appropriate? I am full of questions as to how to proceed. Such as is this putting a person on a pedestal or is it something else?

As for my feelings on Trump the man, I never felt one way or the other about him - other than he is one of many with ideas about things.

Puzzling Over the Orange One

Re: Trump Buddha

[ecosophia]

And you a Roman polytheist. ;-)

In Roman times the standard approach, which is still quite viable, was to burn incense to the genius or guardian spirit of the emperor. The genius is a numen, that is, a being who is appropriate to be worshipped, and it invests the person who it guides and protects with power and wisdom. Making offerings to the genius of the emperor helped strengthen the genius and thus gave it additional opportunities to help and guide the emperor, and thus the empire.

Donald Trump clearly has a very strong guardian spirit, as we saw not too long ago! It could still use plenty of help, given the scale of the mess that has to be confronted, and the old Roman habit of burning some incense and asking the gods to bless the emperor and guide his genius seems quite appropriate to those whose religious impulses lead in that direction.

Lion's Gate Portal

[(Anonymous)]

My wife will be attending an event that's meant to coincide with the Lion's Gate Portal.

I've looked at some sites online that try to explain the significance of this astrological event: it's supposed to be an excellent time for manifestation.

The astrological explanations I find on line are not particularly clear. Some say it's connected to Vedic astrology. Others say Egyptian, with references to the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Most say it is due to an alignment of the Sun with the fixed star Sirius and that the portal starts sometime between July 23rd and 29th, culminating on August 8th--every year, I guess.

I thought: that's interesting. I hadn't noticed that my personal midheaven at 5 Leo is conjunct Sirius. And, of course, it's not: Sirius is at 14 Cancer, with which the sun is conjunct in early July.

I thought: oh, this must have to do with the precession of the equinoxes. But I don't see how the move from the present back to the time when Sirius was within the range of the portal span would take us all the way back to Vedic or Egyptian origins.

I did find one website that talks about Sirius becoming visible after being behind the Sun at the time of the portal--rising above the sun at dawn.

Do you have any insights on the Lion's Gate Portal?

Thanks!

-Mark T.

Re: Lion's Gate Portal

[ecosophia]

I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it, and I haven't been able to find any reference to it more than a few years old. The New Age movement is very quick to coin such things and give them catchy names. This is almost certainly another one of those. For all I know, it may be effective, but my working guess is that it's about as meaningful as the (supposed) end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012...

Publishing contracts

[hedgerow]

Hi JMG,

Following your advice over the years about pitching proposals to small to mid-sized publishers, I have received a publishing contract from an imprint whose occult books I have bought and studied for several years, including a number of your own titles. Thank you awakening the inspiration and motivation to do this!

This is a new experience for me, and I wondered if you might be able to share any simple things to look out for or to specifically request to be included in a contract of this kind?

Many thanks.

Re: Publishing contracts

[ecosophia]

Make sure it specifies the dates by which you will be paid your royalties each year, and that it gives you the right to reclaim all rights to the book once it goes out of print. You will probably be ripped off, especially if this is your first published book, but if you treat it as a stepping stone to better things you can do well by it.

MOE Healing Hands

[kylec]

I'm offering healing hands in the Modern Order of Essenes tradition to anyone who would like to participate. All you need to do is reply here or PM me with your details. To those who signed up last week, your sessions are complete but you can always sign up for more each week.

Additionally, if anyone has completed the requisite grade work in the MOE and needs an attunement, please PM me with the grade you are seeking, and we can work out a time for the ceremony. Thanks!

Odd Notes on Cord Magic

[kylec]

Since I seem to not be the only one with a recent interest in this topic, I will post some work I've been doing in hopes that others might get ideas of the resources out there, or share their own experiences.

Thanks to several suggestions here, I purchased R.J. Stewart's The Spirit Cord, and while I'm still early on, it seems like a fine resource for both theory and practical magic. He asks a LOT of work, and dispels a lot of common New Age delusions about the practice, which to me is an excellent sign of quality.

I also bought The Thread-Spirit by Mark Siegeltuch, which is more of an academic collection of history, myth, and symbolism. I haven't begun reading in earnest but it's a very nice volume, there are lots of pictures, and thumbing through I already discovered several practical nuggets. For example, the Egyptians used a charm or talisman formed by tying seven overhand knots, then attaching the ends with a square knot. The square knot was also called the Hercules knot in the ancient world, and seems to have been a favorite for positive works of magic.

I have also been learning patterns from Decorative Fusion Knots by J.D. Lenzen (who you can also find on youtube as Tyingitalltogether). This is the more intricate end of the practice, and though I am far from using these knots in works, I can already see how many of them lend themselves to wonderful purposes. It also gives the knotter a much more complex understanding of patterns that can be used to make their own weaves and knots.

On a very practical note, my favorite knot channel on YT is First Class Amateur, and I also acquired a copy of The Ashley Book of Knots, a treasure trove, though sometimes hard to follow.

J. Romilly Alan has an interesting old volume on Celtic art, both Christian and Pagan. He has identified 8 basic knot forms present in illuminated drawings of knot work, and he shows them in the book and gives basic details on drawing them, but there were no names. I sat down with some cord and Ashley and worked out hat these knots were to the best of my ability. We can assume that these knots had importance to the Celts at least in practical terms and possibly beyond.

Knot 1 is the classic overhand knot.
Knot 2 is the figure-8 knot.
Knot 3 is the Carrick bend.
Knot 4 is probably the single harness bend, ABOK 1474.
Knot 5 is a bit of a mystery, because I couldn't find it Ashley. 1406 was similar but definitely different. Like 1474, it involved tying a simple half hitch around each tail with the other, but the direction of pull is different. I tried it and it feels very snug when pulled taut. Maybe it was so simple that it eluded Ashley, or it might have a critical flaw I don't see, but he did list many terrible knots and said as much.
Knot 6, the way it is drawn, appears to actually be a ring of wood or metal with a wood or metal toggle and a cord woven over it. In other words, a belt buckle. It could also be a poorly-represented marlinspike hitch with a cord or toggle in the hitch.
Knot 7 is a single half hitch tied around a standing line.
Knot 8 is hardly a knot. One rope is bent into opposite bights, and another line is woven under/over/under through the bights. It would require tension on both ends of the bighted rope to actually hold in place. Maybe this represents weaving, and the single line is the warp while the bights are the weft.

If you prefer to draw knots, George and Iain Bain are the classic resources. I got George's Celtic Art and find it incredibly hard to follow and light on instruction. It just shows stages and you have to figure out how to get from one to the other, but it does break down a lot of beautiful illuminated patterns and with some tinkering it can work, just don't expect to have your hand held. Iain, his son, might be better but I don't have a book from him yet as I prefer tying real cord.

Happy cording.

Re: Odd Notes on Cord Magic

[ecosophia]

Thank you very much for this.

Mario und Der Zauberer - Thomas Mann

[(Anonymous)]

Your posts on Wagner on Ecosophia have coincided with a renewed interest in German Nobel Laureate Thomas Mann on my part. I have been a fan of Mann since I was 22 and am now 65. Initially, I followed Joseph Campbell's work to Mann and eventually into a Master's Degree in Folklore and Mythology. Mann's work is influenced by Wagner in a big way but also by Nietzsche, Goethe, Freud, Kleist, and many others. I have found his works grounding during unstable times. The Magic Mountain, The Joseph and his Brothers tetralogy, and his retelling of the Faust legend set in Nazi Germany are all moving novels. In 1930, Mann published "Mario und Der Zauberer," Mario and the Magician. I lived in Asia for 12 years, 11 of those years were in Beijing. I have seen the impact of totalitarian government and groupthink on people in China, in my own country, and all over the world, but Mario and the Magician seems to distill that into a neat little package like it could have been written last week. The magician/hypnotist (Cipolla) shows increasing power over the audience until a humiliated young man shoots and kills him. JMG and others, has anyone else read this story and found it eerily familiar to recent events? I am a big fan of Occam's Razor, and feel like this is a much simpler explanation than many that are circulating.

Re: Mario und Der Zauberer - Thomas Mann

[ecosophia]

That's not one of Mann's pieces that I've read -- my favorite of his is Royal Highness -- but I'll see if I can scare up a copy. Thanks for this!

Waning moon

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings, and good wishes for Lammas!

I have a nasty Moon - Saturn aspect, and a difficult relationship with my mother which has parallels with this, without going into a lot of detail.

It recently occurred to me that I could use the waning moon positively, for endeavours where I would like her influence to decrease. Does this make sense?

Re: Waning moon

[ecosophia]

It does indeed. Once you take the step from enduring your horoscope in a passive way to using it actively as a map of forces to work with, any negative aspect becomes a source of energy. For example, you can use the waning moon energy to dissolve Saturnine stuckness, and you can use Saturn's stabilizing force to keep the Moon from making things too unsteady and volatile. That can be done with magic, and it can also be done simply by trying to attune yourself with the energy of one planet while resisting that of the other.

Q

[(Anonymous)]

1) Where do you and other people here fall on the phenomenological realism (Whitehead, Bergson and Goethe (etc)) versus subjectivist anti-realism (modern day Kastrup and Hoffman heavily derived from idealism) description of reality?

I am interested in what a spiritual cosmology has to say about these topics.

2) In the 7 plane system, is each lower plane an emanation from the higher plane, or is there any underlying substance to contain all of them (ie what is the sub-atomic substance)?

For example, a table doesn't have an etheric body so what is holding it on the physical plane (this is sort of relevant to Leibniz's argument about something non-extended and non-material has to hold anything that has extension).

Similarly, my intuition would be that this table exists whether we see it or not, so more that phenomenological realism is truer than the anti-realism in a lot of idealist philosophies.

3) In general, despite being actively spiritual I am little resistant to anti-realist takes because it creates the space for a lot of woo-woo/bad ideas.

Re: Q

[ecosophia]

1) My cosmology is quite specifically Schopenhauerian, as modified by Eliphas Lévi. That puts me closer to Goethe's camp than to the anti-realists, but I'm not sure it's really well described by either label.

2a) Yes. ;-) The occult traditions I follow postulate an underlying substrate, called Cosmic root substance, of which every other mode of substance from the most spiritual to the most material is a modification. At the same time, each of the seven planes is emanated by the plane above it, as part of the Cosmic root substance that has already been modified by that plane condenses further to become the substance of the plane below it.

2b) A table does not have an independent etheric body. It has an etheric structure, because nothing material can exist without such a structure (just as nothing etheric can exist without an astral structure, nothing astral can exist without a mental structure, etc.) but that structure is not independent; it is simply a pattern present in the broader etheric body of the earth. Ether has extension in space and time, by the way. (That is to say, we experience it through the a priori categories of space and time.)

2c) Something corresponding to the table exists, but we have only the most indirect and faulty knowledge of what I suppose you'd have to call the Tisch an sich (Tisch is German for table) might be. The table as we perceive it is a representation, structured by the a priori frameworks of human consciousness. So the Tisch an sich exists independently of us but every one of its properties as we perceive them is co-created by the actual table and the observing consciousness.

3) I can sympathize with Dummett's rejection of naive realism, but he did a fine job of proving that the opposite of one bad idea is usually another bad idea. Did you know that he despised occultism? Read his books on the history of tarot cards and you'll get a hefty dose of the usual clichés.