Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

I'm going to be shocking and launch this week's Magic Monday a few minutes early, since I'm here on Dreamwidth,. (The picture is Thomas Taylor, the great Regency-era Platonist and worshiper of the Greek Gods, godfather of the modern Neopagan revival)

Ask me anything about occultism and I'll do my best to answer it. Any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer, though it may be Tuesday sometime before I get to them all.

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 the button below to access my online tip jar. 

With that said, have at it! 

***This post is now closed to new questions. See you next week!***

Comments

Anthroposophy

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JMG,

You mentioned in your Kek series that chaos magic practitioners generally lack the ability to handle deities and other beings in a safe way. You also recommended a course in traditional forms of magic, such as the Golden Dawn, in order to address that weakness (as well as for other reasons).

Would Anthroposophy substitute just as well? I read that you almost started down that path before you began practicing GD.

What are some the pitfalls of Anthroposophy, based on your expertise in the occult?

Thanks.

Re: Anthroposophy

[ecosophia]

The main pitfall I see in Anthroposophy is a tendency to cultlike behavior based on treating Rudolf Steiner's every word as infallible. Steiner was a fascinating guy and a very good clairvoyant, but he had his problems -- as does every human being -- and like every other writer, myself very much included, he needs to be read thoughtfully, not slavishly.

That said, the course of training he gives in Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and its Attainment is very sound, and if you combine it with discursive meditation on such basic Steiner texts as The Philosophy of Freedom, it'll take you far.