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 noted below, 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 about getting goodies from spirits are also 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. As I mentioned last week, once I found a publisher willing to bring out my fiction, a lot of it found its way into print in a hurry, so we're going to be in tentacle territory for a while now.  This was my fifty-second published book, and it's another tentacle novel, but it's not a part of the core Weird of Hali sequence. The Shoggoth Concerto came slithering up out of my subconscious while I was hoping to get the rest of the Weird published but things weren't looking especially promising; I thought that an independent novel set in the same fictional cosmos might be able to get a hearing at one of the big publishers...and then I started writing, and it turned into the oddest of my many odd books.

You know all those stories about someone who has brash new innovative ideas and gets bullied by the defenders of tradition?  This is a story about someone who wants to do something traditional and gets bullied by the avant-garde, which is of course much more common these days. It's also about love, memory, magic, and shoggoths, and to my taste, it's still the best of my novels. I did submit it to a big publisher; I actually got a personal response, which is rare, saying that it was too quiet and too weird -- those were the editor's exact words -- but that if I wanted to write something more publishable I could send it directly to her. I rolled my eyes and found someplace else to publish, as bending the knee to the shallow fashionable clichés of big-brand fantasy and SF is the last thing I wanted (or want) to do. If shoggoths or classical music appeal to you, you can buy a copy of The Shoggoth Concerto here if you're in the US and here if you're 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 no more comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Comments

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 baby Gigi, who may be suffering from side effects of medication prescribed during pregnancy, be healed, strengthened and blessed. May her big brother Francis also be blessed and remain in excellent health.

May May Jennifer and Josiah, their daughter Joanna, and their unborn daughter be protected from all harmful and malicious influences, and may any connection to malign entities or hostile thought forms or projections be broken and their influence banished.

May Ram, who is facing major challenges both legal and emotional with a divorce and child custody dispute, be blessed with the clarity of thought, positive energy, and the inner strength to continue to improve the situation.

May FJay peacefully birth a healthy baby at home with her loved ones. May her postpartum period be restful and full of love and support. May her older child feel surrounded by her love as he adapts to life as a big brother and may her marriage be strengthened during this time.

May Leonardo Johann from Bremen in Germany, who was
born prematurely two months early, come home safe and sound.

May all living things who have suffered as a consequence of Hurricanes Helene and Milton be blessed, comforted, and healed.

May Kevin, his sister Cynthia, and their elderly mother Dianne have a positive change in their fortunes which allows them to find affordable housing and a better life.

May Tyler's partner Monika and newborn baby Isabella both be blessed with good health.

May The Dilettante Polymath's eye heal and vision return quickly and permanantly, and may both his retinas stay attached.

May Giulia (Julia) in the Eastern suburbs of Cleveland Ohio be healed of recurring seizures and paralysis of her left side and other neurological problems associated with a cyst on the right side of her brain and with surgery to treat it.

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

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.

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.

Indigo Children Prediction

[claire_58]

I’ve been meaning to ask about the “Indigo Children” prediction that floated around sometime before and after the turn of the century. I have no idea how it got started or by whom.

It seems to me that the barebones prediction, stripped of all the grand flourishes about how fabulous, talented, and enlightened these incoming souls were supposed to be, was essential quite accurate. As I recall it was basically that a cluster of souls was 1) supposed to be born (or had been born?) for a short period of incarnation 2) who would have a dramatic impact on society and/or change the world in some lasting beneficial way.

The Indigo Children prediction has been on my mind as very high mortality rates in that specific demographic have featured in the unfolding c0vid debacle. Now, with the impact it (c0vid) seems to have had on events in the current US election cycle, strikes me that this is is very much what was predicted; minus the fantasy about how it was all supposed to come about. Given the dropping birthrates, even the bit about it these souls being only temporarily incarnated seems pretty accurate.

I don’t really have a question, I just wondered what you might think about these speculations.

Re: Indigo Children Prediction

[ecosophia]

I have very mixed feelings about that whole business. On the one hand, it does happen from time to time that groups of souls come into incarnation together for various reasons. On the other...

In every single case I ever encountered of a parent claiming their child was an Indigo Child, the child was being raised by an egomaniac who was projecting her (it was almost always her) fantasies about being specially special with extra special sauce onto the poor kid. It's bad enough when parents do this to kids in some ordinary way -- Joe's going to grow up into the basketball player I could never be, Emmy's going to have the musical talents I wish I had, et cetera -- those are painfully common and result in a lot of misery. But it's potentially much worse when the parent burdens the child with fantasies of supernatural power and a gargantuan mission. I bet a lot of those poor kids desperately wanted to leave home and become fry cooks or something else utterly normal and unremarkable.

The whole thing was invented by New Age writer Nancy Ann Tappe, btw, back in the 1970s, and got picked up and marketed by various other New Age entrepreneurs.

Thoughts on the Sunlilies and Question on Miasma

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

May the waxing of the moon bring increase where you seek it, and not where you do not!

To Share: I've written up my thoughts on a lovely little book about living a spiritual life from the point of view of an Eastern Orthodox layman, which I thought had some helpful insights, and was surprisingly druidry-friendly, with its heavy emphasis on the divinity of nature: https://jpowellrussell.com/#book_thoughts_on_the_sunlilies

To Ask: From within your occult philosophy-inflected druidic worldview, is miasma (spiritual pollution) a helpful concept? As in, do you think it's a "thing?" If so, would you classify it as a different thing than the etheric and astral "grubbiness" you've talked about here and there before? And if that is also so, do you have any recommendations on how to deal with it besides those methods effective against etheric and astral grubbiness (daily banishing, bathing in cold water, plenty of sunlight and exercise, and so forth)?

As usual, I'm also happy to hear thoughts from anyone else who has them.

Thank you again, JMG and everyone here!

My blessings to all who welcome them,
Jeff

Re: Thoughts on the Sunlilies and Question on Miasma

[ecosophia]

From my standpoint, "miasma" is simply another word for the grubby, unbalanced energy state I've discussed here in other terms. Both the traditions I know that make a big deal out of miasma (that's pronounced tsumi and kegare in Japanese) use equivalents of those methods you've listed to cleanse it, so I rely on those.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG and participants,

Wonderful week to everyone!

1. In your studies and contacts, do you have any idea of ​​when and why this methodology of incarnation on this planet began?
2. My mother passed away last week, I was informed (through meditation and auditory mediumship) that she is still “waking up” slowly and that they are taking care of her “body”. Does it make sense to you?
3. I now have several images and small statues of Catholic saints and deities that for me have no devotion or use. What can I do with these little statues? I would like to dispose of them with all respect and honor.
4. This applies to her objects and clothes. I would like to donate them to more friendly people and to low-income elderly homes. Logically, I would like to do this so that she and my ancestors are honored spiritually. Any advice on how to do this!?

And thank you very much!

[ecosophia]

First of all, please accept my condolences. That's got to be rough.

1) As soon as macroscopic multicellular life evolved -- that is, something like 600 million years ago -- souls of the first echelons of our fourth swarm began to incarnate in them. So it was a going concern long before the first intelligent organisms evolved.

2) Yes, that makes perfect sense. There's normally a period of unconsciousness during the death process -- only the enlightened can go through death in full consciousness -- and souls awaken from that at various rates. Given the messages you've received, your mother's soul is awakening a bit at a time; she's probably still in her etheric body, since that's usually shed after the soul awakens.

3) Contact her Catholic parish and ask the priest to see to it that the images and statues go to members of the congregation that want them.

4) That'll depend very much on the resources available in your local community. The Catholic church your mother attended might be able to help; alternatively, if there's a local senior center, they might be able to help.

A different breed of child

[(Anonymous)]

The question about Indigo Children is a little timely for me. I've recently come across the research of Dr. Diane Powell, who has been looking at cases of telepathy in kids, specifically non-verbal autistic children. When these children are given the ability to communicate via keyboards or other spelling methods, they reveal the fact that they can hear the thoughts of those around them. And when their parents or care-givers feel that someone is listening to them that is going to believe them when they talk about their experiences, it starts to come clear that it's not just telepathy that these kids are capable of performing. One teacher or teachers aid, when working with one of the kids, saw a full-blown light-body above the boy and heard in her head "Can you put that back in me where it belongs?" from the student. I'm honestly just utterly stunned, because the non-verbal autistics and near-non-verbal autistics have so far displayed the entire spectrum of psi-abilities I've ever heard of. They have also stated that the more people know what they can do, the more their capabilities increase. That, right there, is... terrifying. Almost as if reality is a consensus. There is an entire podcast right now following the work of Dr. Powell called the Telepathy Tapes that anyone can check out if they have the time or inclination. And I can only imagine that if you have any NVA individuals in your life, there are people you can reach out to for community.

Re: A different breed of child

[ecosophia]

That makes perfect sense to me. We're all born with psychic capacities, but most of us are bullied out of noticing them at an early age, some more brutally than others -- parents tend to get especially nasty when children hear their thoughts, realize they're lying, and are innocent enough to say so. Nonverbal autists usually don't come in for the same kind of bullying, not least because parents and teachers don't really think there's anyone in there, and most autists don't pick up on peer pressure anyway, so it's not surprising that many nonverbal autists still have the full set of abilities.

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what CoP, R+C or LARP mean, a list of abbreviations used on Ecosophia.

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this as always.

How far can occultism go in our world?

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG,

I was thinking about a fantasy writing project the other day and got to the question: in our own real world, what is possible to do through magical means? How far can our imagination reach without straying out of touch with reality, and what kind of concrete, physical effects can be achieved?

Not sure if this is the same question through different angles or if it's several different questions, sorry!

And thank you for your precious time!

Re: How far can occultism go in our world?

[ecosophia]

I recommend close meditation on Dion Fortune's definition of magic: "Magic is the art and science of causing changes in consciousness in accordance with will." (Notice that this doesn't specify whose consciousness is changing or whose will the changes are in accord with.) Thus magic influences consciousness, not matter; it can influence matter through its effects on conscious beings of various kinds, not all of whom have material bodies, and so the concrete, physical effects that can be achieved are those that are affected by consciousness.

Does that seem unduly limited? States of consciousness can sicken and kill -- look up the phenomenon of voodoo death sometime -- and they can also heal. They can create prosperity and success, and they can create poverty and failure. They can evoke love, hatred, and indifference, draw people together or drive them apart. They played a massive role in electing Donald Trump to the US presidency. All of this and much more is within the reach of magic.

Election 24 occult influence?

[miow]

As I type this I imagine you either sighing or rolling your eyes. Forgive me if it is a dreary subject. I'm not even American but it does however fascinate (but not surprise) me how wrong all the polls and pundits got it - again! It also strikes me how the vibe in either camps are so markedly different. My question is whether you care to comment on the occult dimension/s around this election. I recall only one instance where you noted and commended a positive attempt at spell casting (as in good, effective, constructive and not the usual leftist strawberry jam generating mode of doing magic).
Did / do you notice any significant occult influence or work this time around? Or is it just me, thinking that there was a marked absence when compared to the 4chan/Kek workings circa 2016? Was it all mostly just mundane? (Just editing to add here a shout out to our own Kimberly Steel's pledge to the flag working which I and I am sure other Ecosophians happily participate/d in. A spell with harm to none. (And sorry to go off topic but also on Kimberly, her toilet spell for prosperity also works, if anyone wants to check it out).

Re: Election 24 occult influence?

[ecosophia]

There were at least three sets of occult influences at work in this latest election. On the one hand, a lot of the people who got into magic to support Trump's 2016 candidacy, and were swept up in the manifestation of Kek in its final triumphant days, continued to learn about magic, and I have some reason to think a good many of them pursued positive magic thereafter, especially after 2020 -- that is to say, invoking positive energies to strengthen Trump and the United States, along the lines that Dion Fortune advised. That had a significant effect.

Second, the blowback from the Magic Resistance had a considerable role to play. All the malefic magic that was flung at Trump and his followers, all the curses and death spells and the rest of that vileness, recoiled in the classic way on the Democratic campaign. Did you notice that the Biden and then the Harris campaigns literally couldn't catch a break no matter what they did? That's classic blowback from evil magic.

Finally, there have been forces moving that don't seem to be human in origin. The trickster spirit who manifested himself in 2016 as the frog god Kek is still very much involved in what's happening, as witness the cascading improbabilities and absurdities of the campaign just past. Nor do I think he's finished. Why he's active and what called him into manifestation is one heck of a good question, which I'm not able to answer, but it's fair to say that we may be in for a very weird time in the years ahead.

Numerology

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

Have you looked into numerology? It is one of those things that to me always seemed very airy fairy new age, something that all the crazy crystal people are into. But is there a root of it that is grounded in reality? A bit like like pop astrology and real astrology? If so, do you know of any good resources on it?
Thanks!

/Fredrik

Re: Numerology

[ecosophia]

Yes, I was taught a system of numerology by my teacher John Gilbert. Unnervingly enough, it seems to work. Here's a series of posts -- start at the very bottom -- I wrote on the subject:

https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/tag/numerology

Buddhist meditation and discursive meditation

[(Anonymous)]

I previously noted a few years ago that Tibetan Buddhism has a very similar approach to discursive meditation called "analytical meditation", where the practitioner meditates on a verse, a text in an analytical way.

Through my studies I have come to realise that the broader Buddhist meditation framework actually covers this under the rubrics of shamatha and vipashyana meditation. I use the Sanskrit instead of Pali as I think the Pali terms have become a bit loaded and the Sanskrit is more inclusive of the Mahayana schools anyway.

The main confusion that people have is that shamatha often takes the fore, or some modern approaches to vipashyana, such as Goenka's method, have come to dominate the meaning of the term while being very idiosyncratic.

Shamatha practice brings about a focused and concentrated mind, and the focus produced from entering and exiting very deep states of meditation is very strong. These are the dhyānas. They are not strictly necessary according to Buddhism but they are just very helpful for the deep focus which they bring about.

With the focus produced by these strong states of meditation, one then analyses the component's of one's consciousness in vipashyana.

Discursive meditation as taught by JMG also has a short period of breathing, with the same effect as shamatha, but without the explicit goal of deep meditative states.

Then the discursive meditation itself is analogous to vipashyana, just the themes differ.

Anyway just putting this out there to share.

Re: Buddhist meditation and discursive meditation

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this! Can you recommend any good English or French sources on these kinds of meditation? One of the books I plan on writing in the next few years is a textbook of discursive meditation, and I'd like to include Buddhist perspectives if that's possible.

A couple of questions

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning everyone,

Thanks as always for hosting MM JMG. I didn't get an opportunity to follow-up on my question about the universe slapping my wrist last week after you answered, so I was hoping to try again this week.

Now that I can feel confident that I wasn't just adding personal bias to the events happening to me, at least not solely, I want to continue my work towards changing the path of my own self-destructive behavior. I have noticed that in the days when I am about to screw up, I tend to start arguing with myself internally about whether this time it will be different(spoiler alert: it never is), and from The Cosmic Doctrine, I can see how this is exactly the sort of mental pattern that guarantees failure by resisting and locking up an impulse that I should be letting go of so that it can go out past my Ring-Pass-Not to death. Is there a ritual that would be a good choice to...unfocus my consciousness on something obsessive, or would meditation be my best bet here? Doing spiritual practice has helped me tremendously over the last year, but I want to get my fail rate to 0%.

Secondly, if Nature corresponds to the One Thing, which seems to correspond to the thoughtform of the Solar Logos, would it be accurate to look at natura naturans as the aspects of the thoughtform that are produced by the Solar Logos itself, while natura naturata corresponds to the concepts generated by the Cosmic atoms that the Solar Logos uses when generating the solar system?

Lastly, I saw the conversation about changing the location of consciousness in the body last week and it reminded me of this research on cell-based consciousness I saw awhile back. It's from "scientists are the last to find out" category of science, their minds will really be blown once they start to question whether organic life is the only matter that can be conscious.

https://phys.org/news/2023-12-explores-cell-based-theory-consciousness-entails.html

Sub

Re: A couple of questions

[ecosophia]

1) Meditation's the master key here. You've noticed the pattern of arguing with yourself, which is a good step; the next step is to recognize it at the time and stop the potential failure in its tracks. That'll come with time and regular meditation.

2) That works quite well, yes.

3) Good heavens, they're finally getting a clue! I'm delighted to hear this.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I’ve been recently listening/watching content related to Catholic exorcism rites and the priests keep making the point that any practicing of magic will lead to interacting with demons. Druids were specifically called out too. I think their contention is with using your will to enact change vs using God’s will to do so.

Would you mind responding to these charges or link me to where you have previously addressed this?

[(Anonymous)]

Hi... I think this is a problem (but I'm not Catholic). Catholics aren't the only ones who do exorcisms... It's common in a number of other religions, who by their nature, work with different spirits.

Catholic exorcisms also frequently cajole and berate spirits (some of which might not be demons, but could be other beings that are causing problems with humans... it's a big world out there). Anyway, since its a topic that interests you, I can't recommend enough Josephine McCarthy's book on excorcism, The Exorcist's Handbook, which approaches the topic from a magical point of view, and a point of view not exclusive to Judaeo-Christian worldview.

She talks about it on this podcast: https://occultofpersonality.net/podcast-100-josephine-mccarthy/

JPM

Streams of Thought

[(Anonymous)]

I usually meditate while walking works very good especially when I'm tired. There's one thing that's happening, though, which may have it's origins in my long-term habit of going for a walk and think about stuff. Not always, but quite often (maybe 50% of the time), another stream of thought, usually not connected to the chosen subject of meditation, manifests and occupies my mind during rhythmic breathing. It's usually not random wandering of the mind but comes along in form of a coherent monologue or dialogue and stays. If I interrupt it too early, it will leak into my regular meditation. It requires no conscious effort. If I let it run it's course it will run out after a while (which can be short or up to 30 minutes) and then usually a productive meditation of the chosen subject follows.

I know it's encouraged to quiet the mind during meditation, on the other hand rhythmic breathing seems to give my subconscious the opportunity to say a few things it feels to be important. You could possibly say it's two different meditations in one (the first being more "astral", the second being more "mental", maybe). I'm unsure - So I'd like to ask you for your opinion on this.

Many thanks, as always!
Nachtgurke

Re: Streams of Thought

[ecosophia]

If that works for you, go with it. The breathing period is preparatory, and if the stream of thought that arises during breathing doesn't interfere with the steady even breathing, and making room for it results in better discursive meditations, it's not a problem.

Self, Image and Reality

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG, in your answer to a question last week (https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/302895.html?thread=52029743#cmt52029743) you said that "The fixation on a single image is a good way to see to it that the opposite of that image manifests in one's life." Do you have any thoughts as to the causes of this? Is a person fixating on an identity image unlike their own feeding their energy to the egregore of that image rather than cultivating its traits in themselves?

I can think of many examples of this I've seen, like people who buy into multilevel marketing pyramid schemes and get obsessed with "dream building" their vision of themselves as millionaires while their lives collapse around them. There are scores of others. Thanks.

Re: Self, Image and Reality

[hearthculture]

I too am curious about this, from the direction of how it differs from focused will in magic.
Fixation on an image leading to the opposite of the image manifesting seems strange when so much of magic is about unified focus and will on a singular goal. Is the difference in positive vs negative fixation? Or, perhaps in the consciousness of fixation?

Shoggoth Concerto, Sanders, and Sybchronicity

[(Anonymous)]

I'm in the middle of rereading the Nyogtha Variations, and knee-deep in the pat where Brecken and "Henry Blakely" are taking past each other about the message of "The King in Yellow." Blakely is arguing that an indifferent universe is ipsp facto a hostile one, because it won't give you what you want. Brecken keeps pointing out that the King's messengers kept trying to tell Aldones how to turn his situation around, and the only one who had a clue was Cassilda.

This morning, Bernie Sanders played "Phantom of Truth" to the democratic Party, and gave them an identical message, completely without gloating. More like a fed-up schoolteacher who'd been trying to pound some sense into his students. And of course, he was dead-on; but his message was one the party didn't want to hear at all. And so, ended up, well, nobody's killed themselves yet over it, but the verdict on The Establishment was, as Sanders pointed out, "suicide."

The Grey Badger

Re: Shoggoth Concerto, Sanders, and Synchronicity

[ecosophia]

Thank you, seriously and deeply, for getting it. A lot of what I wove into my two shoggoth novels is highly relevant to our situation just now.

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning,
I know you've talked about this somewhere but I can't find it. A DMH question:

Is it okay to begin the Inner Grail workings concurrently with the Ogham scrying/pathworking?

Thanks very much

[ecosophia]

Yes. You can begin them as soon as you've gotten a solid grasp of the material on the Sphere of Protection in Chapter 5, you can start work on the Grail workings, and do that while you work through the rest of the material in chapter 5 and 6.

Concerning divination results

[(Anonymous)]

My preferred method of discerning what road is best to take is Bibliomancy, and on Monday (the day before the election), I was struck with a sudden impulse to do a reading, after a long period of not really feeling it. I was expecting to get my usual reminder to work on whichever virtue I am currently failing in, and was very surprised to instead get The Plague of The Firstborn, where the Angel of Death goes through the houses of Egypt and kills all the firstborn males.

Concerning, but it seemed in line with everyone's predictions about the next 5 years seeing a ramp-up of excess deaths.

And then on Friday morning, I found a dead frog in my bed, right near my pillow.

Has anyone else been seeing signs that we may be on a shorter timeline than expected?

Re: Concerning divination results

[ecosophia]

Okay, that sent a chill down my spine. I've had an uneasy feeling about this autumn and winter for a while now, but so drastic an omen really has my hackles up.

[(Anonymous)]

Do you have any tips for managing/approaching relationships with multiple deities, some from different pantheons? I read your late wife's article on tending shrines / altars and that has been fantastic help (someone linked to it on a magic monday earlier this year). I feel called to relate with different deities, but don't always know how best to time things or how I often I need to, say, light an incense stick, or candle or say a prayer to some of them. Some are in the forefront more often, while others go into the background for awhile. Maybe I'm overthinking things and I should go with the flow. Alternatively I could be more disciplined and do things with greater regularity.

Thanks for your thoughts, and anyone elses.

Best,

JPM

[ecosophia]

You're overthinking things. If you've done the deities the courtesy of setting up altars to them, they're already going to be pleased with you, and they'll let you know, intuitively or otherwise, if they want your attention. Remember that religion is a relationship -- or rather a set of relationships! -- rather than a mechanical procedure.

Vultures bearing messages

[mskrieger]

Dear JMG and commentariat,

The week before the election I went for a stroll in a pasture on the state university grounds where I work, and a vulture approached me. Just walked right up and looked at me meaningfully (?) for a couple minutes. Giant bird as big as a goose with iridescent brown feathers and a naked pinkish grey head. I was a little freaked out—vultures are big!!!

I spoke to it a bit. It just looked at me. Amazing eye contact (can I reemphasize how uncanny vultures are?) We parted ways.

Later I called the state ornithologist and she said there had been many unusual reports of vultures on campus lately.

This is a major American university in a blue state. Symbolically vultures signify death and transformation. Considering I was not the only one to encounter the bird, it seems as if the phenomenon may be collective…perhaps American academia is in for significant changes.

I’m open to anyone else’s ideas of the significance, too.

—Ms. Krieger

Re: Vultures bearing messages

[ecosophia]

In the light of the bibliomancy-and-dead-frog omen above, this has me very uneasy. If we're lucky, what it means is that the university where you work may not be long for this world; if the incoming administration gets the federal government out of the business of guaranteeing student loans, a lot of universities are going to shut their doors over the next decade. If not -- well, we'll just have to see.

Not for posting?

[earthworm_uk]

Not sure if this is suitable/appropriate for posting publicly but FYI.
Any thoughts much appreciated.

Exploring the idea of laughter mentioned last week and am experimenting with a variation to incorporate smile/laughter into the 3 Cauldrons exercise. Early days but shows potential so far.

Overview
After initial prep/ opening, use a vagus breath pattern and visualisation to begin, then let breath find its own pattern as work is done, close.

Opening
Set the initial energy states, clean and clear with silent loving smile/laughter

Breath
Based on a breathing pattern to work with the vagus nerve
inhale (e.g. 8sec), pause (e.g. 5sec), exhale (e.g. 12sec), pause (e.g. 5sec),

Visualisation to use with breath
1. On inhale focus at three centres (lower cauldron [tantien/earth], Middle cauldron [sun/heart], upper cauldron [Seed/lunar/3rd eye]
2. On pause blend three to one
3. On exhale charge the blend with the inner fire and feel the loving smile/silent laughter
4. On pause ‘smile’/’call out’ [vibrate] to the ‘greater self’ - the ‘light body’ bursts into light like a star
5. Let breath take on its own pattern as Rest and feel the light body pulsating (energy circulating too) – peace and calm tranquillity in a gentle ‘smile’
6. Repeat as required, then, when prepared
7. Do work (e.g. cleansing/flowing/charging/energising/balancing/unfolding integrating all the energy bodies etc) – e.g. tree of light / cosmos breathing
8. Finish – by drawing focus to lower cauldron and if necessary offer out excess energy to telluric/solar/cosmos with gratitude, thanks and a loving smile [vibration]

On another note – am also experimenting with doing the cold shower exercise by adding an additional focus of silent smile/laughter as turning – only tried first time this morning and laughed at myself wondering if it was a silent smile or crazed rictus! ;)

Re: Not for posting?

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this -- this sort of thing is entirely appropriate for posting here.

Spheres in balance

[(Anonymous)]

Dear John Michael Greer,

I have a question about a statement in Paths of Wisdom.

Paraphrasing on p.40:

Where Spheres of the middle pillar in balance interact with each other, the higher Sphere functions as a centripetal force (like water) and the lower as a centrifugal force (like fire). On path 25 Tiphareth is centripetal (water) versus Yesod and on path 13 Tiphareth is centrifugal (fire) versus Keter.

I tend to think of Keter as being higher on the tree than Tiphareth. Here, does higher equate with higher number, so that Tiphareth is 6 and Keter 1, so in that sense Tiphareth is higher?

Thank you,
JML

Re: Spheres in balance

[ecosophia]

Um, please reread the passage that you copied. On Path 25, Tiphareth is higher than Yesod, so it's water to Yesod's fire. On Path 13, Tiphareth is lower than Kether, so it's fire to Kether's water. What part of that doesn't make sense to you?

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning and thank you for hosting this. I know you’re not a natal astrologer but I hope the following question will be general enough for you to feel comfortable weighing in on.

My understanding is that the elements of natal charts have a lot to do with the karmic influences that we’re meant to deal with in our lives, but I’m not sure about the extent to which they are meant to be accepted and embraced vs counteracted and worked against.

As a specific example, my chart is heavily Saturnian, and while this has absolutely had advantages and upsides, it also reflects many tendencies and habits that I don’t like and want to change such as an overly hesitant and withdrawn reflex towards life. Just being aware of it helps, but on the other hand trying to work against Saturnian energies (implacable as they are) feels like trying to beat one’s head against a brick wall. Is it better to think of these kinds of things as the guardrails that our lives are meant to work within, or more as challenges to overcome? Or something in between, or entirely different?

[ecosophia]

You can't overcome the influences of your natal chart, but you can work with them instead of struggling uselessly against them, or being clobbered by them. Saturnian influences don't have to express themselves as hesitation and withdrawal; for example, they can take the form of careful planning, relentless execution, and unwavering purpose. There are also other options. Since you were born with this gift of Saturnine energies, your task in this life is to learn how to use them rather than being used by them. As the old saying goes, the wise rule their stars, while fools are ruled by them...

[jenniferkobernik]

Hi JMG,

I recall from one of your Lévi posts that having a toad in the garden can create a subtle atmosphere that helps keep one free of enchantment, including unintentional enchantments of the negative sort. I am thinking this might help with our situation with my cousin and his possible creation of an egregor of resentment and rage towards us, until I can start my SoP again some years from now. Any ideas about the extend of the area the toad’s subtle atmosphere might cover? Are the effects of more than one toad additive? There are definitely toads in the area from time to time—am I being goofy if I start building toad houses all around our house and garden in the hopes of attracting them?

(Meanwhile I am continuing and intensifying my efforts in the realm of natural magic and prayer).

Thanks!

[ecosophia]

What an excellent idea! If you can find wildlife experts in your area -- universities and community colleges are often good sources for this -- find out what toads need to have good habitat, and provide it for them, and you'll have one or more toads promptly enough. Yes, as creatures of Saturn, they soak up noxious magical energies like a sponge, and suffer no harm at all from them -- quite the contrary, they thrive on the energy. (That's why old-fashioned witches liked to have them around.)

Divination or wishful thinking - follow-up

[neptunesdolphins]

Well, I did write in my divination two weeks before the election that Donald Trump would win by a landslide. My comment was that I was running counter to the polling people. Perhaps Trump-Buddha knows most than what He is saying.

All the signs of augury were there from the elephant Kamala that was put down to Peanut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon being killed. The reaction to both was interesting.

My problem was listening too much to social media and all that rot. I need to have more faith in my inklings than I do. I need to shut out the noise better.

As for Peanut and Fred: In October, I was working on two embroideries of fall seasons - one of two squirrels and one of two raccoons. I woke up after hearing about Peanut and Fred, and realized another inkling was in front of me. Problem was I couldn't see it.

I wonder how to sharpen my skills at noticing signs. Any suggestions?

Re: Divination or wishful thinking - follow-up

[ecosophia]

Seems to me you noticed plenty of them this time; the issue was simply one of having confidence in yourself, and that's simply a matter of learning from your experiences.

Re: MOE Healing Hands

[kylec]

I'm offering healing hands again this week to all who are interested. Just reply here or PM me if you'd like to sign up. Nothing more is required. Thanks to all who have been signing up lately, I've really enjoyed the practice.

Re: MOE Healing Hands

[jenniferkobernik]

Hi Kyle,

We (Jennifer, Josiah, and Joanna) are doing better than last week, but would appreciate being on this list again this week if you’re willing. Thank you!