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 that point will not get an answer, and in fact will just be deleted.  If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 267,446th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.2 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-third published book, and we're back in The Weird of Hali. This book had the longest and most roundabout genesis of all my tentacle novels. I'd originally planned for the sixth book in the sequence to be set in Greenland, and I wrote six drafts of that novel before realizing that there was too much story to fit into the limits I'd defined for the Weird. So I set the Greenland story aside -- it appeared later, much amended and with different characters, as A Voyage to Hyperborea -- and wrote this one, drawing heavily on the handful of stories Lovecraft set in New York City.

Justin Martense, the central figure in The Weird of Hali: Chorazin, became the viewpoint character in this story, and gave me the chance to explore a heroic fantasy with a very unheroic main character; I later did the same thing to an even greater extent with Toby Gilman, the main character of A Voyage to Hyperborea, who's even more of a dweeb than Justin but rises to the challenges before him in his inimitably awkward way. If you're wondering why I put dorky characters into these two books, why, it's the same reason I made an utterly unheroic sixty-year-old college professor coping with terminal cancer the main character of The Weird of Hali: Dreamlands; I'm bored to tears by the specially special protagonists -- and did I mention that they're special? -- who infest so much fiction these days, and wanted to explore the much more interesting (to me) situation of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations. If that turns your crank, why, you can get a copy here if you're 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.

***This Magic Monday is now closed, and no more comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Comments

Candles

[ysabetwordsmith]

What are your thoughts on shaped candles (e.g. 7-knob, spiral, cat, happy couple) in magic?

Re: Candles

[ecosophia]

You can certainly use them if you wish; some people do, and get good results. How you anchor the symbolism you wish to use in your workings is entiely up to you.

Thoughts on Comparative Mythology and Question on "Doing" Things in a Watery or Earthy Way

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

Now that the moon is waning, may whatever you'd have less of wane in your life.

To Share: For any interested in comparative Indo-European mythology, you might find my thoughts on Jaan Puhvel's imaginatively named Comparative Mythology of interest: https://jpowellrussell.com/#book_thoughts_on_comparative_mythology

To Ask: As I've likely mentioned before, by nature I lean pretty heavily to the warmer end of the elements (Fire and Air), but besides my general efforts to better balance myself, I've had some indications that I'm not handling the watery and earthy sides of things as I should, and ineffectively trying to use my more comfortable tools instead (including a hit-me-over-the-head obviously symbolic dream, where my books were ruined by rain and a sprinkler!). Specifically, while I feel like I've gotten better at paying attention to watery and earthy stuff (like how I'm feeling or what's going on with my body), I'm still somewhat at a loss about how to "do" things in a watery or earthy way. Maybe that's the whole point (these are the two more passive/receptive elements, after all), but it seems like my attempts to take (intellectual or will-based, and thus Air or Fire) action in response to what I'm learning from paying attention to my feelings and body (Water and Earth) are falling flatter than I'd like. So, besides daily SOPs, meditation, and divination, to cultivate balance, any tips on how to handle things in a more watery or earthy way?

Thank you again, JMG and everyone here!

My blessings to all who welcome them,
Jeff

Re: Thoughts on Comparative Mythology and Question on "Doing" Things in a Watery or Earthy Way

[ecosophia]

The fact that you're worrying about "doing" is another aspect of the imbalance you're talking about. Water and earth are receptive, not active, so attuning to them involves less action and more reception.

A relevant dream?

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe I've been reading the covid threads too much, but this one from last night shook me up a bit. It felt much clearer and more 'dense,' in a way, than the dreams I typically have.

I was with a group of close friends, a kind of 'found family,' who were all practicing goetia. I was afraid to practice with them, so I was just observing. Some of them thought they were doing proper magic, others didn't, but didn't mind because they were getting away with it and getting their way. Then the demons decided they wanted something in exchange for their efforts, and started taking things from the group. Some got very ill, some went catatonic, but one started having body parts taken from him, little by little. I saw that it was Yuval Noah Harari, and he had only his index fingers and half of his ring fingers left on each hand; the rest were bloody stumps, still raw. He was shaking and laughing slightly, going mad from regret. He turned to me with a wild look in his eyes and said, "I hate it."

Thanks as always for these spaces and discussions.

Andy T.

Re: A relevant dream?

[ecosophia]

A very unsettling dream. Have you considered journaling to see what it means to you?

Druid equivalent of middle pillar

[(Anonymous)]

Is there a compatible version of the middle pillar exercise that sits with the Sphere of Protection, i.e. is not based off the GD system.

Or an upgraded form of the Sphere of Protection that undertakes the equivalent energy circulation?

Re: Druid equivalent of middle pillar

[ecosophia]

The SoP uses different energies in a different way, and so the Middle Pillar really isn't appropriate to use with it. There are exercises compatible with the SoP that work with subtle energy centers in the body; the Grail Working given in The Druid Magic Handbook and The Dolmen Arch is one of them, the Bridge of Light method taught in the Modern Order of Essenes is another, and I have a third which will be published in The Way of the Secret Temple and at least one other book.

Blessings; MOE Apprentice Attunement

[milkyway1]

Hi there,

Thanks for hosting MM again, and I hope your weekend has been good to you! :-) No question today, just two offers to others, if I may:

1. I am still practicing my blessing skills and would very much appreciate sign-ups for this week's formal blessing:

https://thehiddenthings.com/weekly-blessings-46

Thanks to everybody who has helped me with this!

2. For MOE practitioners, last call: I'm offering an Apprentice attunement this upcoming Sunday (Nov 24th).

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

Two things to note:

a. I will only perform the attunement if at least one person RSVPs by Saturday.

b. I might have to cancel the Sunday date at very short notice, due to personal issues outside my control. If this should be the case, I'll add a note to the post on my website, so please check back there before you sit down for the attunement. In this case, I'll set a new date(s) with everybody who left a comment (and thus their email address) on my website post. I.e. your attunement will be covered! My apologies for the uncertainty.

JMG, thanks a lot for letting me post these anouncements, and I'm looking forward to MM very much,

Milkyway

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 Annette have a successful resolution for her kidney stones, and a safe and easy surgery to remove the big one blocking her left kidney.

May Peter Evans in California, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer, be completely healed with ease, and make a rapid and total recovery.

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.

[executedbygandhi]

Hello JMG,
do first names have a deeper meaning for the name bearer and can they say something about the name bearer or are they completely random? I ask this because you wrote on Ecosophia that Mars stands for anger. My first name is Marco, which is derived from Mars, and I used to throw tantrums as a child.

Thank you very much!

[ecosophia]

Not that I know of -- and, er, there may be somebody out there who didn't throw tantrums as a child, but I've never met such a paragon!

[(Anonymous)]

Great current music—Steve Hackett is underrated.

I tend to think of Tiphareth as the sphere of practical magic, but in Paths of Wisdom you note that in many ways the most important sphere for the practicing magician is Netzach—why is that?

[ecosophia]

I happened to spot a copy of his album Voyage of the Acolyte at a thrift store, noted that its songs are all based on the tarot, bought it on the strength of that, brought it home -- and loved it. I'll be getting anything else by him that comes my way.

As for Netzach, remember that practical magic is a manifestation of desire. As the sphere of desire, Netzach contains the motive force that makes practical magic powerful. I'd call Tiphareth the sphere of theurgic and spiritual magic, not practical magic.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Mr Greer and commentariat,

I was wondering if you have heard of the belief that holding onto an object that someone came into contact with increases the chance of that person returning to you?

A friend who told me this mention a love interest that came over for a cup of tea, and he didn’t wash the cup they used for a few days. The love interest returned a week later for another date.

i was curious if anyone has heard of something like this before and if so if they knew where it originated?

Thanks as always.

[ecosophia]

I'm not familiar with that tradition, but it sounds worth experimenting with.

Energy

[spiritual_seeker]

Hey JMG,

I'd love to your advice for an energy work question.

Despite dabbling with magic and spiritual practices for some years now, I am still not advanced in any techniques, but that's okay for me.

One of the techniques I use from time to time is "sending supporting energy" to different causes, often connected with a prayer to a deity or a saint. And quite often when I do this I feel like a tingling on the skin of my forehead and my scalp. I came to identify this tingling as a sign that my "magic" works, or at least that some kind of energy is working.

Possibly related: I follow one nature-based magical course, that you are acquainted with as well afaik. In the material one is asked to do the light-body exercise regularly. The material says it doesn't have to be light, any kind of "energizing" is fine. And indeed - for me the exercise feels like an energizing tingling of my body parts - very similar to the tingling on my forehead described above. (Although I must admit that I don't do the light body exercise very often.)

Now the reason I ask for your advice: In the last weeks and months the tingling on my forehead and my scalp became much more frequent. It happens also in situations where I don't consciously try to do some energy work. I feel something happened and happens on the energy level of my body.

I don't know what to make of this and where to look for answers - is some chakra opening up? Is the kundalini snake moving? (I don't know much about these things...) Should I just observe what happens and wait?

I don't expect you to give me an clear answer like "you must do the following technique..."*, but I would love to point me to a direction on where you feel I could find answers. (* Okay, perhaps this specific question: I guess I should do the light-body exercise more regularly?)

Re: Energy

[ecosophia]

I'd encourage you just to observe what happens and wait. More regular practice of the Light-Body exercise might not be a bad idea, but the important thing is to let the changes happen naturally, at their own pace.

TSW

[(Anonymous)]

Every morning I have a devotional where I draw a card for guidance from an oracle/tarot deck called the Tree of Life. I usually draw only a single card. This morning my question was guidance on losing weight. Typically I think about the question, shuffle the deck, then splitting the deck, I take the card that's on top. This morning when I split the deck two cards were kind of loose in the middle of my hands. They didn't go either way and I thought that's strange, should I just ignore them or should I consider them as part of the reading? So I took them out to consider them and I also took the top card that I would have taken normally.
All three cards are connected in a way that I would never have expected. The one was Geburah, the Sephira. The next was the Pillar of Severity and the third one was the 18th Path, the Chariot. Geburah deals with might, discipline, karma and asking me to take that step forward to be determined in my actions. Then the Pillar of Severity deals with severity, courage, form and cutting ties to limiting energies and just starting. Then the 18th Path is actually the path between Geburah and Binah and it deals with determination, discipline, concentration. I was amazed how these elements were aligned and reinforcing the same message. I think I got the message loud and clear. I just wanted to share my own little TSW experience.

Re: TSW

[ecosophia]

TSW indeed! Thanks for this.

[(Anonymous)]

I worked in what could best be described as a large open shed. A few moments after I had left the spot where I was working, I turned around to take a look at the result and I saw what I would best describe as a misty something floating from right to left, just were I stood moments ago - only to dissolve after one meter or so. A brief moment later, it appeared again moving from right to left and disappeared again after a moment. It was very much like somebody moving to fetch something, then turn around and go back.

A few weeks ago, I had a similar visual experience, here the mist was "riding" a gust of wind in the open. The visual appearance was similar, although the movement in the first case was much more "ghost-like". Both were not at all "tricks of the eye" but came along very casual and authentic.

What came to my mind was that maybe I had seen an actual ghost in the shed and maybe a sylph on the street? Or something else? I didn't use to have such sightings and they are still rare, but I wonder if it might be related to my continuous practice of the SOP and meditation? Is there anything I need to know regarding this newly developing sense?

Thank you very much, as always!
Nachtgurke

[ecosophia]

The awakening of visual clairvoyance is a fairly common result of regular esoteric practice. It's perfectly natural and normal, and there's nothing to worry about; pay attention to what you sense, record these experiences for future reference, and just wait and see how it develops.

General questions from a GSF initiate

[(Anonymous)]

Are there any ritual workings you know of for finding out an occupation that would be proper to one's self? Or is this simply something that comes with further work on the path?

I'm wondering how the energies worked with in The Golden Section Fellowship rituals are different to those in The Golden Dawn. The obvious one being that the GD uses mostly the solar current whereas the SOP utilizes the telluric current also.

Thankyou for your time and work.

Re: General questions from a GSF initiate

[ecosophia]

1) That's work for divination, not ritual.

2) The GSF work functions primarily on the upper astral plane and the lower edge of the mental plane -- as far into the mental plane, in fact, as each individual practitioner can reach. The GD work functions primarily on the middle and lower astral. Neither of these is better than the other -- it's purely a matter of what results you want. The GSF focus won't help you much if you want to do lots of practical magic; it's aimed at the goals of wisdom, revelation, and enlightenment.

Planet charity

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Archdruid,
What planet does rule a charity aimed to help blind people?
Many thanks,
Edu

Re: Planet charity

[ecosophia]

None of the tables I have include that, but on first principles you could donate to it as an offering for the Sun, who rules light and eyesight.

[(Anonymous)]

I've been thinking a lot about religions which are oriented around love, and all the subtle variations of what these religions mean by that term. Then I came across Empedocles' idea of love and strife as the two forces at work in the cosmos; one which unifies and another force which divides. Now I'm wondering whether there are religions which value strife as much as these other religions value love?

I can't think of any, and it has me imagining what one would look like that focused on strife or discord as a divisive force underlying reality, and what imbalances exist as a result of this focus. But then, maybe such a religion could never establish itself because there would be nothing to unify around.

[ecosophia]

Exactly. It's hard enough to get a new religious group off the ground, with all the quarrels and bickering that always attracts; put strife as its central principle and you guarantee that it would blow itself apart promptly!

Tarot, Sloth

[(Anonymous)]

Question 1:

I bought your book The Doors of Tarot. I found it really interesting -- I found tarot much tougher to use than geomancy because it just seemed very arbitrary to me but the Easy Tarot method seems very useful in narrowing down the possibilities. I bought a new Tarot De Marseilles deck to use alongside the book.

I reread the book a few times and a few ideas popped into my head about how to apply tarot to financial divination:

1. To modify the "where" method and assign numbers to the location. In this case the numbers would be how far the price of e.g. gold would go, reverse cards could indicate how far it goes down.

2. Elemental spread, keep drawing cards until I draw one from the Coins suit. The card would then indicate where the price goes.

I am thinking of starting my tarot daily practice with a one card reading for my life in general, then another reading to read the gold price for the day, and see how it goes.

If I get a good indication for gold I might actually buy some gold.

What do you think about this?

---

Question 2:

On the main blog there's some discussion about the 7 deadly sins and the planets.

Saturn is strongly aspected in my natal chart.

I have had periods in my life where the positive sides of Saturn manifested strongly -- I woke up early, was disciplined, frugal, studied and exercised and meditated very regularly.

Right now I have been kinda tending towards the negative sides of Saturn, Sloth is a very apt word.

Would you advise trying to work with other planets to balance it out, or maybe something to return my Saturn to balance would be more appropriate? I am mostly thinking of planetary charity.

Re: Tarot, Sloth

[ecosophia]

1) I'd encourage you to give it a try and see what results you get!

2) Look at your natal chart and see what other planets are relatively strong and well dignified. Rely on those when your Saturn is weak.

The Demonic Hypothesis and Trump's victory

[(Anonymous)]

I know you put to rest the demonic hypothesis, but wouldn't a Trump victory work in a maximal way for the suppossed the demonic feeding of the people desperate of the Trump victory?

Re: The Demonic Hypothesis and Trump's victory

[ecosophia]

Yes, but this outcome would be equally likely if some divine influence -- say, Kek the frog god -- was involved in the situation. The reason I dismissed the demonic hypothesis is that no significant number of people in the "Magic Resistance" dropped dead seven years after the likely date of the pact.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I'm completely baffled by my geomancy reading. I asked if my soul would be happy doing X. I got:
First Witness (past) - Laetitia
Second Witness (future) - Caput Draconus
Judge - Via

I can't figure out Via as a Judge. Using the Way of the Points leads to Laetitia as one of the four Mothers. Via mystifies me.

Thanks, JMG
tangerine tangential cactus

[ecosophia]

You're overthinking it. The answer to a yes-no question on a shield chart is given by the good or bad character of the judge and witnesses; you've got two good figures and one neutral one, so the answer is yes, your soul will be happy doing X.

My guess, for what it's worth, is that X will turn out to be a stepping stone to something else, but it's a good thing to do for now.

For Maxine -- women by the bed

[mskrieger]

Dear Maxine,

I was unable to respond to your question in time last Magic Monday, but here is a potential explantion for your appearance by the bed of your friend’s wife:

When a woman’s husband (or a man’s wife, though this phenomenon is reported more frequently by women) is strongly sexually attracted/involved with another woman, a female personage can appear to the wife during sleep. Typically it looks like the woman is standing by the bed. It can seem as though the woman is taunting the wife. Sometimes wives arise (in their waking dream—not physically) and pursue the other woman around the house, or even beat her. I am not sure if this is an etheric or astral phenomenon, so I cannot explain how this happens exactly, only that it appears to be in the actual room or space where the wife is sleeping.

But crucially—the woman the wife perceives standing by the bed during sleep does not intend to haunt the wife. And the face that appears on the woman by the bed is not necessarily the face of the woman the man is in lust with—typically the face the wife perceives is that of a woman of the same age as the woman the husband is involved with, but whom the wife dislikes.

The phenomenon was a common reason women were accused of hexery in Pennsylvania Dutch society. I suspect it’s pretty common, even today.

Best wishes,

—Ms. Krieger

[(Anonymous)]

here are 3 things I saved for MM.
they feature women who are upset with Trump winning, and also elon

some are doing magic against them..

Women furious about Trump’s win start ‘MATGA’ movement — which glorifies poisoning men: ‘They asked for it’

Some of the women have dubbed the videos part of a “Make Aqua Tofana Great Again” (“MATGA”) movement, a nod both to President-elect Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” (MAGA), and ancient killer Giulia Tofana, who has been adopted as the disturbed group’s heroine.

Tofana was a 17th-century Italian woman who sold poison to wives who wished to dispatch their abusive husbands — resulting in the deaths of more than 600 men.

Tofana’s signature brew was a mishmash of deadly ingredients such as arsenic and belladonna known as “Aqua Tofana,” a concoction that was so effective, she is considered by many today one of the most prolific serial killers of all time.

more at link:

https://www.aol.com/news/women-furious-trump-win-start-001240922.html

and this one got a tattoo..:

Permanently putting someone’s name on your body is not the act of defiance you think it is.

https://nitter.poast.org/HarmfulOpinion/status/1857035935143113213#m


and this one payed an online 'etsy witch' to make elon's life a 'living hell':

White liberal woman paid $7.99 to cast a spell on Elon Musk…

https://nitter.poast.org/iAnonPatriot/status/1857092573237493899#m


it seems to me, that the things they are doing would likely backfire on themselves, wouldnt they..?

[ecosophia]

Since nothing on the internet is ever private, these women who talk so enthusiastically about aqua tofana had better hope that nobody they know dies of apparent poisoning, since every one of them is now on a police watch list and will be the obvious suspect in such a case. It's by no means impossible that some of them could end up on death row for murders they didn't commit, because they talked about aqua tofana and don't happen to have an alibi for the date in question. Such miscarriages of justice do happen, of course.

From another perspective, I'm grateful to the women who are shaving their heads, getting themselves tattooed, and so on. I expect to start dating sometime next year and it will be very convenient for me if all the angry, nastily political liberal women have marked themselves out, so I know who to avoid.

That is to say, yes, there'll be blowback. Not all of it will be magical, either.

Marriage on the rocks.

[(Anonymous)]

JMG, My marriage is currently very troubled. We are separated but talking. A lot of the issues are on me and some negative attitudes I have picked up towards life and marriage. I am hurting as I love my wife dearly and I know she loves me but there is a chasm between. Do you have a prayer or affirmation for such a situation? Any prayers or blessings from you or any of the readers is greatly appreciated. Thank you-Croatoan In the past month a whole lot of karma has come crashing down on me. I don’t practice magic. Is there something that causes a karmic storm to come all at once?

Re: Marriage on the rocks.

[ecosophia]

1) An affirmation that has helped me is "I embrace change and growth."

2) It really varies depending on personal factors. The one thing that seems to be fairly common -- though it's not the only option by any means -- is that when someone begins to take their spiritual development seriously, a lot of unfinished business surfaces and has to be dealt with all at once. Whether or not that's what's going on in your case, of course, only you can say.

[jenniferkobernik]

Hi JMG,

What are the symptoms or tell-tale signs of etheric congestion? My understanding is that it is indicated in cases where individuals with male etheric bodies lack creative or nurturing outlets, but how can you tell if someone is experiencing it?

[ecosophia]

I haven't encountered many detailed discussions; what little's been written in the Western traditions about etheric pathologies has generally been from a male (material body) perspective, and so focuses on etheric depletion rather than etheric congestion. Women I know who've talked with me about it have described a vague sort of clogged, congested, irritable feeling that can be improved through sexual release with a partner, or through getting very active in creative or nurturing activities.

Dementiaand end of life...

[(Anonymous)]

Hello,
As I get older, and watching the previous generations go, I have a big question about the phenomenon of dementia, in the many forms it takes. Some may have entirely functional bodies, only the brain is rotten, some are entirely incapable of anything. I notice I tend to perceive dementia a form of punishment. I do not know what they are being punished for. This theory may be wrong, as my cat reached 18 years, she started having all kinds of weird symptoms, that I only afterwards realized matched pretty well with dementia. I can't think a cat would be getting a punishment for some wrongdoing, but what do I know of cat ethics? But I would like to find a better perspective on the phenomenon, as there is a lot of different levels of forgetfulness, confusion and anxiety going around now. What is the inner significance, or is there any? Of course, dementia forces you to be passive - although some people in care homes are extremely actively trying to get out to go "home", often a childhood home that does not even exist.

There are instructions for the dying we know from many cultures, books of the dead, which require some capacity to consciously direct attention. The soul will be feeling lost, I assume, if the consciousness is gone. Would you have anything to say about this?
Kristiina, today taking the shape of Écru Funicular Flea

Re: Dementiaand end of life...

[ecosophia]

I don't think dementia, or any other illness, is punishment. It's simply a breakdown in the body's ability to serve the purposes of the soul. Back before I got into print, I used to work in nursing homes, and tended a lot of demented patients. My take is that what happened in their case is that the astral body broke down, so that there was an interruption between the soul and the lower bodies -- intermittent or partial in the case of those who are confused and forgetful, complete in the case of those who go into a vegetative state.

As for the dying process, most people die without the chance to focus their attention; it's very common for people to be asleep or unconscious at the time of death. The instructions in the various Books of the Dead or artes moriendi (that's the medieval Latin term for them) are for those fortunate cases where the dying person remains conscious -- though it's wise to read the instructions aloud to the dying person even if he or she seems unconscious, because hearing is the last sense to go and sometimes the message will get through anyway.

In the Dreamlands

[(Anonymous)]

How have your journeys in the dreamlands been going lately? Here is one of mine from this weekend.

In one my wife and I are looking at a large very tall and steep hill with a gravel path and steps ascending to the top. There are Shinto shrines and those Japanese stone lamps in places on either side of the path, and we are planning to walk up this path together.

Eagle Fang Warrior 5000

Re: In the Dreamlands

[tunesmyth]

Eagle Fang, I'm not sure whether this is worth even sharing, but I'll just mention the synchronicity that as I read this, I just finished an email to someone who had just dreamed of me and my family, in which I mentioned taking my daughters to their 7-5-3 ceremonies (they are 7 and 3) at a Shinto shrine this past weekend. The shrine happens to be a shrine on a hill with a couple of smaller sub shrines on the path up; overall it is much more modest than the hill your dream describes, although the main sub shrine is an outlet of Kompira, whose main shrine Kotohiragu in Shikoku would be one contender for a grand shrine more in the mold of what your dream described, and happens to be the site where I and another regular on this site received training toward our licenses as Shinto priests. All of this may have nothing at all to do with you and your dream, of course... (And is your name a Karate Kid reference?)

[jenniferkobernik]

JMG,

A couple nights ago on the last night of the full moon, I had a dream that you published a post here on dreamwidth about some sort of esoteric work that concluded with a paragraph saying that your old teacher, John Gilbert, would assist any Druids who called on him with their work, and included a short invocation (which I don’t remember) for that purpose. It might be just a random artifact of my subconscious, but thought I’d share it with you in case it has significance for you.

[(Anonymous)]

When I read your post, I had a sudden sensation that I had seen that, too, it was very familiar, but not really a concrete memory. Whether that's my own memory of something posted here or a barely-remembered dream of my own, I'm not sure.