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

Wedding Band

[kylec]

I am currently going through an amicable (though unexpected) divorce. What are the appropriate options for handling my silver wedding band? I don't need it anymore, nor do I need to do anything to distance myself from my ex-wife since we're still on as good of terms as is possible in the situation. It was a source of joy for me for many years, so if it's charged with anything, it will be positive feelings.

Can it be used for something else down the line that requires a silver ring? Should I just get rid of it, and if so, what's the best way to move on with positive feelings?

Re: Wedding Band

[ecosophia]

In that case, why not keep it as a memento, as you'll no doubt keep photos of the happy times you and your ex had together?

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Archdruid

I don't have a question, I just want to say thank you for the Secret of The Five Rites book. I picked it up out of curiosity and proceeded to have my mind blown continuously one chapter after the next - you could say it was like a pulse of kundalini to my third eye! Energy work has become a focus in recent times and you answered so many of my nagging questions. I really appreciate the clarity, depth of research, as well as the the fun mystery thread that runs through the tale. Great work!

Best wishes

Albert

[ecosophia]

Thank you! I'm very glad to hear this. It was enormous fun to research and write, and also brought me into contact with traditions I hadn't encountered before; it's good to hear that some of this came across in the text.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG and community, I have a geomancy question. I'm pretty new to it and have been working through The Art and Practice. This week I asked what would happen if I chose a specific type of psychodynamic therapy as my specialization as a counselor (I have several years to decide on this, and it’s an evolving process, but I would like to dive into something more specific sooner if I can). I did this reading on the heels of a conversation with my director at work about the Law of Limits, and how having a narrower focus in therapy often gets better results.

The Right Witness was Populus, Left Witness was Carcer, and Judge was Carcer. Reconciler was Puella. Is Carcer is a favorable figure here, since I am seeking to embrace a limit that will make me more effective? On the other hand, I can’t tell if I would feel boxed in and frustrated working in this style, or miss out on something better for the time being.

Many thanks.
Andy T.

[ecosophia]

Nope -- Carcer is a negative figure, so two negative figures plus one neutral figure equals a hard "no." What this is saying is that you'll be stuck in a specialty that will leave you feeling hemmed in and restricted. It's also saying that you're not listening to your own perceptions in making this choice -- Populis as right witness is very often a sign that you're being swayed by other people or your environment, instead of paying attention to your own needs and perceptions.

Planetary Charity

[cs2]

I am learning a new skill to change careers and hopefully be able to afford some big life changes I want and need to make.

However, this skill is running up against a weak point of mine and I'm wondering if planetary charity might help. I had success with planetary charity to Celi last year.

This new career would be a lot of troubleshooting, problem solving and fixing. My issue is I get frustrated and overwhelmed due to neurological dysregulation from a stressful childhood.

I'm in therapy and I do daily self-work: journaling, a re-regulation technique, and my Dolmen Arch work as well as daily exercise.

Is there a planetary charity option to continue to be open to learning, calm, collected and confident in terms of troubleshooting any snags that come my way? It's in tech related to languages, so I was thinking Mercury/Esus. Thank you.

Re: Planetary Charity

[ecosophia]

That's a tall double Mercury with a shot of Mercury sauce. ;-) Mercury's the planet of quick thinking and nimble adaptation, of dealing easily with problems as they come up, and of tinkering and fixing things. He also rules languages, learning, and computer technology, so yes, Mercury/Esus is your best option.

[(Anonymous)]

I find the American form of Santa Claus repellent—repulsive even—and I would go so far to say, wicked and spiritually dangerous. He’s a Satanic consumerist Antichrist figure. I think you mostly agree with me, which is refreshing!

I love and revere St. Nicholas (I’m an Orthodox Christian) and have imparted this to my children. I’ve managed to keep Santa at bay overall.

However. My mother-in-law is a Santa Claus devotee who does her utmost to push him on my kids. My husband is ambivalent and rather passive about it, and maybe thinks my Santa-rejection is a little silly, but he is good about respecting my wishes. Because we rarely spend Christmas with his mother, it doesn’t usually come up. Our kids show no interest in Santa at all—my oldest actually described him as “scary” at age 2, before I even fully figured out my own unease about him.

But this year my mother-in-law insisted on buying very expensive, non-refundable tickets for a social media-y Santa event near our home. We tried every which way to say “no” politely—right up to being arguably rude—and she completely tuned us out and bought the tickets anyway. In hindsight I should have started with a rude, hard “no”, but I had no idea she would rebuff our polite declines so completely. I have learned my lesson. At this point there is no way out of it, because my husband kindly told me to get over it and back off (and it is his mother, and it is “just Santa”.)

For the record, our kids wanted to do something else entirely with their grandmother while she was briefly in town, and will be disappointed that the other holiday event is no longer really a possibility because she overrode that with this all-afternoon Santa event—so I don’t feel like I’m being a killjoy by objecting.

Anyway, it seems unavoidable now so I’m wondering what you would do to counter Santa’s influence on a (natural) magical level. Our children are little so nothing heavy. My idea: prayer, banishing (SOP), maybe a ritual bath afterwards. And emphasizing St. Nicholas, Christ, Mary, and the saints in a big way, as we do already. Do you have any other suggestions? Thank you!

[ecosophia]

If you're a practicing Christian, your best bet is prayer -- to Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. Nicholas, and also to St. Michael the Archangel, who protects against evil. You can also talk to your kids after the event is over and help them process the experience; a lot of children think that Santa Claus is creepy, so this can be a learning experience for them. They're going to get exposed to the Spirit of Yuletide Greed sooner or later, after all.

Reference to you in the Times

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

I believe there was a reference to your Pepe the Frog analysis in the Times today: https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/pepes-part-in-trump-mastering-the-memes-6h98gwpxp

"What’s funny about the story of Pepe the Frog, as told in a BBC Storyville episode, is that the commentator best able to analyse the meme was an expert in the occult, who simply applied the framework of cultic religion".

Regards,
Boy

Re: Reference to you in the Times

[ecosophia]

All I can say is...

Cernunnos

[(Anonymous)]

Hello,

A question for you and the commentariat: is anyone aware of planetary correspondences for the god Cernunnos? My brother in law starting (fingers crossed) to gradually back out of atheism and into a type of paganism. He's shopping around for a Cernunnos statuette for a shrine and I'd like to give him an aligned planetary talisman if possible.

My sincerest thanks for this and your outstanding books, fiction and otherwise.

Best,
Andrew

Re: Cernunnos

[ecosophia]

Because he was in ancient times a god of commerce, wealth, and trade, he's usually identified with Mercury -- as I recall, there are Roman statues dedicated to "Mercurius Cernunnos" or the like.

[(Anonymous)]

last week on Magic Monday, someone (sorry i cant recall who) said they have a Trump Buddha statue.

I was thinking of getting one for myself, and so I looked it up.. but I cant find exactly where to buy one.
Would you please tell me where it was you got it?

Thankyou..

p.s- I am in Canada, if that matters.

[ecosophia]

Here's a Canadian source. You can also find them on Etsy and most other general online retailers.

If anyone's wondering what we're talking about...

They're wildly popular all over Asia; people get one and burn incense before it to make their business great again, their family great again, etc.

[denebalgedi777]

Hello, glad to be back for another round of Magic Monday today. I'll keep it brief for this week.

Question: I am considering doing the Golden Section work because it is a simple, effective program and it also fulfills the "learn a new divinatory system" requirement of the FHR work. However, I've been using the LBRP+MP as my rite of choice and the GS will require the learning of the sphere of protection. As I understand it the former ritual is part of an incompatible path. Do I have to wait a certain amount of time before learning the SOP after abandoning the former? I ask because, given the cruddy state of the astral right now, and the higher likelihood of psychic attacks also, it seems a poor time to be without protection.

And a comment: I've been using astrology to track transits against my birth chart as a new form of divination since the summertime. I did this anyway, but only monthly/yearly with return charts. Doing it daily to see what the possibilities are for the day adds another level of nuance and helps to see how specific influences really impact things on a daily basis. For example, I found that if transit Venus is in hard aspect with ASC or MC this can lead to some socially awkward or embarrassing events. Very momentous occasions often coincide with a fair amount of transit aspects, often several applying at the same time. A very interesting practice that I highly recommend!

Best,

Deneb

[ecosophia]

1) No, you don't have to wait. You can stop the LBRP and start work on the SoP on the same day. During the transition, you may want to use some natural magic for protection while your SoP gets up to speed; the amulet and protective bath described in the Magic Moday FAQ might be worth considering.

2) Excellent! That's been part of my daily routine for years now. I find that if I submit book proposals and manuscripts at astrologically auspicious times, my career benefits. I've got a book about half done on how to do that, for whatever that's worth.

MOE Apprentice Attunement; Blessing offer

[milkyway1]

Hi there,

Hope you had a good weekend, and thanks a lot for hosting MM again! :-)

1. For MOE practitioners:

I‘m going to perform an Apprentice attunement on Sunday, November 24th, if at least one person signs up (here, via PM or over on my website):

https://thehiddenthings.com/moe-apprentice-attunement-2024-11

2. For everybody:

I‘ll perform a formal blessing again this Wednesday, and would be grateful if people sign up, as that helps me to practice:

https://thehiddenthings.com/weekly-blessings-45

Thanks,

Milkyway

[xcalibur_djs]

Given the election shenanigans of recent years, and the long-running jokes about the dead rising not on Halloween, but on Election Day a week later, I was wondering... for fraudsters who use the names of the deceased to vote, wouldn't they get into spiritual/magical trouble? If those souls haven't reincarnated yet, I'd imagine they'd be offended, especially if they voted in a way contrary to that person's will. But even if they're in another human life (which I'd expect for Civil War veterans and the like), wouldn't there be blowback from doing political necromancy? That's essentially what it is, and it can't be a good idea.

Following from last week, you'll recall my story about basically petting a dog through astral magic, and his reaction: startled, and then not really happy or mad, but just staring at me. It occurred to me that the dog looked at me in much the same way as I might look at it if it spoke in plain English, or communicated telepathically. So I was wondering, even though cats/dogs are sensitive to the non-physical, are they unused to it? Or is it something they don't expect from humans? I just can't help reading the dog's reaction as me doing something it knew of, but totally didn't expect from me. Or does it vary by animal?
Anyway, I won't experiment like that again unless I have good reason to, and at the very least its yet another proof of magic to help me get over my rationalist conditioning. I just wanted to elaborate a bit.

[ecosophia]

1) Good question. The graveyard vote has been so persistent a feature in American elections all along -- despite the recent yelling, vote fraud is as American as apple pie, and both parties do it constantly -- that I'm not sure there's any evidence for any sort of serious blowback.

2) Oh, it doubtless varies from animal to animal, just as human reactions to a dog saying "Good morning!" would vary from person to person.

[(Anonymous)]

HI JMG and all,

First, just wanted to share a simple method of changing consciousness that worked very well and probably saved me a lot. I was having classic feelings of desire towards an ex - we're still in contact and I knew there was an opportunity to get close to her if I wanted to. I was consumed with thoughts about her to the exclusion of all else, making plans to get in touch. I also noticed that i was holding off, and resisting it, though no reasons for this were conscious to me at that time. I ended up sitting down and writing down all the reasons that I'd already come up with for why it was not a good idea to have a relationship or even much ongoing contact with her. Good reasons, like bad emotional problems and a track record of failing to master them, bit of a victim attitude. Immediately upon writing this stuff down, all lust vanished and my thoughts and physical state returned to normal. I breathed a sigh of relief about dodging fate and got on with my day. I count this as an even bigger win for my will because I know that she masturbates about me to some degree and probably wants something to happen now.

Second, JMG, what issues and limitations do you see with attempting cabalistic pathworkings like those in the CGD without any ritual framework, e.g., just sit down on a chair and do the inner parts of the work?

[ecosophia]

1) Nicely done. That's one of the benefits of journaling!

2) Some people find this very effective, but more find the ritual framework helpful. If the simpler form works for you, by all means use it.

7 year cycles

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Do you have any thoughts on Steiner's theory of the 7 year cycles, in regards to human development?
I encountered it recently and was startled to realize that throughout my life I have indeed experienced repeating circumstances occurring at exact 7 year intervals. Specifically, abrupt crises followed by a change in the direction of life, then pressure building until the next rupture.
Is this something to pay more attention to? It seems to hum along well enough without my meddling but if there's a chance I can learn to move with the forces of these cycles in a more conscious way, shouldn't I try?

Thanks to you and the lovely guests in this space

Re: 7 year cycles

[ecosophia]

How exact it is seems to vary from person to person, but the basic rule seems to work tolerably well for most people. You can certainly experiment with it, and see how it works for you.

LRP with the Irish pantheon

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

First of all, thank you dearly for hosting these spaces and imparting so much knowledge to your readers. Your time and effort are much appreciated.

A few weeks ago, while answering a question on a previous Magic Monday, you posted links to banishing rituals. I found the LRP for polytheists very interesting and I would like to take it up. I have a few (very basic, sorry!) questions, though:

1) I'd like to do this with the Irish pantheon. Since this works better with 4-letter names, so far I've identified Lugh, Ogma, Áine, Dana, and Bríg as possible deities. Assigning one of them to a specific direction/element has been complicated, though. For example, Áine is a sovereignty goddess, but also associated with Summer/South, not North. Do you have any suggestions?

2) Your suggestion to include the Four Treasures of the Tuatha de Dannann immediately resonated with me. But this gives way to further association problems: the Dagda's cauldron and Nuada's sword (both 5-letter names) would be assigned to directions along with a different deity from the original wielder. How can I resolve this?

3) Being a true left-handed person, drawing anything, on paper or in the air, with my right hand feels empty. I can't put the same focus or intent into it. Would this be a problem?

4) Have I understood correctly that the protective version of this ritual is the banishing?

Sorry for the long post and thanks again for all your work.

Re: LRP with the Irish pantheon

[ecosophia]

1) The deities don't have to match the directions or the elements. It's usually good to put the most powerful deity in the east, irrespective of elemental affiliation; other than that, it generally works best to put gods along one axis (N-S or E-W) and goddesses along the other, and it's good.

2) Here again, you're constructing a symbolic pattern, not telling a myth. The archangels in the standard GD LRP have no particular relationship with the divine names assigned to their quarters.

3) You'll have to experiment and find out.

4) Yes. Work with the summoning and banishing in alternation to get a sense of what they feel like, and then go to the banishing every day once you add the Central Ray/Middle Pillar exercise.

Regarding astrologers certified to do natal charts

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

If my memory is correct, you mentioned in a long-ago Magic Monday that astrologers competent to do natal charts will have been certified by a particular organization/association/body. What is the name?

I can't recall the name, and I have difficulty performing successful word searches on either ecosophia.net or this site, but especially this site for specific Magic Monday posts.

Thanks,
Eugene

Re: Regarding astrologers certified to do natal charts

[ecosophia]

It's not the only source of good astrologers, but those who've been certified by the American Federation of Astrologers will be competent. You can find them at https://www.astrologers.com/ .

[(Anonymous)]

I recently decided to try an old Greek form of divination: ask a question, walk to the market with ears plugged, and the first conversation you overhear once there contains the answer to the question. The question I asked was a simple one: I am being pushed by a deity to move somewhere very expensive to live by the end of 2025, and I asked "How will I be able to afford to live there?" I walked over to the mall (the closest to a public market I could find), and the first thing I overheard was someone say "Well, we know Covid wasn't the Black Death because rents are still too high," followed a moment later by the extremely dark joke from the conversation partner, "I still have hope for the vaccines."

I very much hope that I'm wrong, but it seems to me the answer is "Enough people will be dead rents will become reasonable." Everyone in my family, and almost all of my friends, took the vaccine. Over 90% of the population of my country took it, and the government pushed it hard enough I find it easy to believe those numbers.

I wrote this out planning to ask if you saw a flaw in this, but that would be a good case of motivated reasoning, wouldn't it? I asked a question, followed the procedure, and got a clear answer...

[ecosophia]

Ouch.

Yes, that's how I would interpret it too. I hope we're both wrong.

The boundaries between religion and magic

[borealbear]

Hey, JMG, hope you're well and thanks for hosting this space as always. For a while now I've been wondering about how ceremonial magic and polytheist religion feed into each other when you're trying to practice both, which is a bit of a challenge for this "recovering atheist". I especially wanted to ask after some discussion with fellow reader Jeff Russell about his excellent Heathen Rosary project and whether it would be advisable to recite those prayers inside an open Heathen GD Temple/Ve.

Or to put it in more general terms: am I on the right track in thinking that it can be worthwhile to do more structured religious rituals, like reciting a Rosary or offering sacrifices, after establishing a sacred space with ceremonial magic first? If I understand it right, that's basically what you suggest with many of the rituals in Merlin's Wheel and the Druidry Handbook. Is it easier to connect with the Gods in space that's already attuned to the higher than mundane?

Or a bit further down the line for me, how about using GD ceremonies to consecrate primarily religious tools like prayer beads or God statues? Instinctively, those kinds of ritual objects feel like they might be better left to religion alone to me, but I'd be interested to hear your view.

Re: The boundaries between religion and magic

[ecosophia]

I like to keep some space between religion and magic. It's useful to banish a space before it becomes a permanent or semi-permanent shrine or temple, but I don't recommend banishing once the divine has been invoked into the space; from then on, prayer, contemplation, and offerings are the appropriate activities there. I don't recommend using GD methods to consecrate religious objects -- much simpler methods are more appropriate there, since again, it's prayer and the presence of the gods that do the work there.

[tamanous2020]

Hi JMG, hope you're well.

I look forward to your mundane analysis of the upcoming inauguration chart for January 20, 2025 (especially that interpretation of the Sun/Pluto Conjunction which will occur that day)

1. Not a question, more of an interesting factoid for you. Steve Dillon, a long time practicing polytheist (whose book
The Case for Polytheism I read alongside your A World Full of Gods) recently had a mystical conversion experience to Christ. I'm curious to see if the Second Religiosity will actually contain mystical/religious encounters with Christ/Mary/Etc. instead of simply being a civilizational bulwark against decline. This would be one towards the affirmative IMO.

[ecosophia]

Interesting. Well, we'll see what happens.

Civil War battlefield haunting or something else?

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,
My wife and I recently moved into a house, that was built in the 1980’s on the edge of a Civil War battlefield. A few weeks ago I woke upon hearing a loud explosion and feeling the house shake. My wife had already left for work, and as I looked around the room my two dogs were still asleep. Loud noises usually startle them. It was a sunny morning, and I did not hear any sirens, so I figured that I’d dreamed the whole thing. Besides, I was wearing earplugs, which help me sleep, and they are so effective that I am no longer awaked by thunderstorms.

I suffer PTSD from an incident which happened to me last winter (cardioversion of my heart to treat extreme tachycardia). Since then, I have had dreams of explosions. These always wake me up, so I figured that this was just another one of those dreams.

However, I am away from my new home right now, and my wife, who is still at our new house, informed me that recently she woke up after hearing an explosion. Again, this was on a sunny day, there were no emergency vehicle sirens afterwards, and there was nothing stirring in the neighborhood, either. And she does not suffer from PTSD. She did mention that she has been sleeping on my side of the bed, while I have been out of town.

So I am wondering, have we been picking up on ghostly Civil War cannon sounds from the battle that took place near our house, or is my wife picking up on energy I have left in my sleeping spot from my PTSD nightmares?

By the way I wrote you before about a phenomenon I experience called street light interference, so maybe this ties in somehow.

Re: Civil War battlefield haunting or something else?

[ecosophia]

It could be a haunting, it could be something else. It's hard to tell. Over time, if you both keep hearing it and nobody else does, and if your wife hears it when not sleeping on your side of the bed, you'll know it's probably a haunting. Unfortunately there are no faster tests, unless you know a good clairvoyant.

election

[(Anonymous)]

Here's an interesting remote viewing session report on the elections: https://www.intuitiveunderground.com/the-next-us-president

Predicts Trump would win, and pass away due to illness at some point (either during or after the term, but they suggest it is during).

Anyway, I have to report that the morning of the assassination attempt, I had a dream about America have a completely different political and economic system which was much more local, almost at a county level, and different corporations were competing to be elected (the bureaucracy and executive was merged into one active corporation that would contest elections).

Re: election

[ecosophia]

The Democrats had better hope he doesn't die in office. A transformative president who dies in office -- think Lincoln and FDR -- becomes the center of a posthumous personality cult that can define the political landscape for decades after his time.

[(Anonymous)]

One thing I've never come across in years of reading about the Qabalah is how to pronounce the word 'Qabalah'.

Is there an answer to this question, or is it going to be something along the lines of 'it depends...'?

Thanks,

[ecosophia]

You should talk to somebody who speaks Hebrew, as it's a Hebrew word. Maybe one of my Jewish readers would like to comment?

Thank you for LRM

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings JMG,

Just wanted to say a big thank you for the Learning Ritual Magic book/course. It's really funny to me because I never in a million years would've guessed I'd get into ceremonial magic (I originally came here for your Peak Oil books), but it turned out to be exactly what I've been looking for for most of my life: a system to help me develop willpower, awareness, imagination, spiritual connection, etc.

It was an excellent introduction and I think my life is already much better because of it. I'm extremely grateful for the way you've made these tools of self-transformation so accessible, and I'm hopeful for all the good things they will enable me to bring into this world. Thank you so much for your work on the GD books and for hosting this space. Onto Paths and Circles!

Best wishes,
Telesto

Re: Thank you for LRM

[ecosophia]

You're most welcome and thank you! Magic transformed my life for the better to an almost indescribable degree, so I'm glad to hear I was able to pay it forward.

Poltergeist activity

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John Michael Greer. I would like your opinion on this video that shows poltergeist activity upon a deployed American soldier in Iraq in 2010. I can clearly mark as it as a poltergeist attack, but an incredibly powerful one as it yanks both doors open of the iron closet. In the comments, the soldier explains why he looked back, what he saw and why he ran. The video's titled 'Ghost in Iraq' and is quite old.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OMtBze0ynoU&t=0s

If you believe it's true, how would one go about expelling that evil entity out of their vicinity?

Re: Poltergeist activity

[ecosophia]

Okay, first, I don't do videos. I mean that quite seriously -- I haven't owned a television in my adult life, and avoid online videos. Second, I recommend that you take that question to an experienced parapsychologist. I'm not one of those, and I also don't have the technical knowledge to spot fakery.

[(Anonymous)]

Good evening!

1) I believe you've mentioned it before that suicide (among other things) causes soul to develop certain negative behavior patterns. How do those patterns manifest? I tend to get an urge to quit and start over again out of the blue when working on something, even when the results are so far satisfactory. This, and some weird incidents in my childhood, including a suicide attempt I can't explain, make me suspect I might have done it in my past life. If this makes sense, what can I do to break this pattern, other than resisting the aforementioned urge?

2) What is the proper way of dealing with negative experiences in scrying? Often I get a scary and/or violent imagery, at which point I usually use active imagination, rather than letting images arise spontaneously, to get things under control long enough for me to leave the way I came (I already do daily banishing ritual, usually right before scrying attempt).

[ecosophia]

1) The crucial thing is to make a habit of facing and dealing with your problems. Suicide is a way of running away from them. Also, given the urge you mention, make it a rule to always finish any project you begin.

2) That's exactly the right way to handle it.

[(Anonymous)]

I have recently observed a rise in racially charged paganism online. It seems to be mostly Norse/Germanic paganism or something similar. Angry young men, for the most part, who blame Judaism and Christianity for the weakness of modern European culture. They say that Judaism and its prodigal son Christianity are desert religions for Semitic peoples, but that Europeans need to return to their pagan roots. There is also some chatter about what is a "real" European. Do you need to be blond with blue eyes, or will we allow some of the "corrupted" whites to join the new/old order?

In your opinion, do you think actual gods/goddesses/spiritual forces are fighting against Christianity and this is one manifestation of the struggle, or is it mostly disaffected young men finding a religious justification for their racism?

I think one point in Christianity's favor is everyone is welcome/encouraged/threatened with Hell to join, regardless of ethnic background. A racially-specific religion is always going to be limited.

Thank you.

Christopher Kinyon

[ecosophia]

This is interesting, because I'd had the impression that racialist Paganism was on the decline, having peaked close to twenty years ago. Still, it may be going through another resurgence in some circles. I recommend, if you haven't read it already, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke's book Black Sun, which does a fine job of setting out the history of the movement from a well-informed academic standpoint.

My take is that, no, the gods are not fighting against Christianity. Gods are eternal, and the temporal vagaries of human religion are of little if any concern to them. Too many young men these days turn to racialist beliefs because of the Pygmalion effect -- having been told over and over again that they're privileged racists who are personally responsible for everything bad their ancestors ever did, it's hardly surprising that they should end up acting out the role that's been projected so stridently onto them.

Nor, by the way, is Christianity as welcoming as all that. It doesn't exclude ethnicities, granted, but like most prophetic religions it excludes anyone who can't agree with a long list of doctrinal claims and behavioral demands. Pagan religions, interestingly, didn't and don't have that problem; every person in attendance at a Roman ceremony in 200 BC or a Shinto ceremony today may have a different notion concerning just what the numina or kami are, and other theological questions, but that didn't/doesn't prevent them from worshipping together in perfect amity.