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.

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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

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.

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

[jprussell]

I was afraid that might be the answer :) Thank you nonetheless, I'll keep working on it (or rather, keep trying to let myself be worked on, as it were).

Cheers,
Jeff

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

[ecosophia]

That's exactly it. Don't work on it. Stop trying to make it happen, and instead just let it happen. Relax -- that's a water thing -- and wait -- that's an earth thing.

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

[jenniferkobernik]

Being pregnant for the second time, I’ve been thinking about this lately. I used to get a little uncomfortable about femininity being associated with receptivity, as it seemed sort of “second class” to me, as if the receptive side of things isn’t actually doing anything and therefore doesn’t really count or get any credit. Being pregnant and giving birth has made it very obvious that I can play a vital role in an incredible act of magic and creation without needing or even being able to consciously direct the process. Of course you can do things to tweak conditions favorably, but ultimately you don’t make any of the specifics happen. You’re not using your will to make them grow their ears or heart valves or whatever. And it’s also pretty clear that “relax and wait” in the case of gestation is neither a negligible contribution nor in any way less important than the, ahem, seminal contribution of the active principle. I don’t know if this example will help you, Jeff, but it has really helped me to internalize that not every important development that I am trying to foster in my life is dependent on or even aided by active striving.

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

[jprussell]

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks very much, this does help, and is a welcome perspective quite different from my own. Due to my own arrangement of bodies in this incarnation, I've largely been able to sidestep having to confront/embrace such an obviously passive/receptive, but also so obviously important and worthwhile, role in my life. I'm used to waiting or receiving being things to be, at best, accepted as "rules of the game" to be worked within, but not the "focus." So, again, this is a nice, concrete example of what such an attitude leaves out (albeit not one I can go give a try to experience myself!).

Thank you again, and I hope the pregnancy is going well and you've been able to deal with the energetic/spiritual unpleasantness you've been faced with lately,
Jeff

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

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for saying this! "Passive" and "receptive" so often seem like negative (undesirable) terms. But it occurs to me that learning is a receptive process. We can't learn if we're not listening and receiving ideas and information. And learning is such a major part of what we're doing here.

I've also noticed that I get much more out of a massage when I consciously relax and decide to receive that energy. I've had so-so massages and wonderful massages, and the difference might be more in me than in the therapist. Healing works the same way. You have to be open, willing, to receive it.

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

[jprussell]

Oof, thought I was being clever and walked right into that one. Thank you for the reminder - relaxing and waiting more it is.

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

[slclaire]

How about spending more time outside sitting on the ground, relaxing into it and absorbing the energies? Not reading, just being. And spending more time near a river, lake, or ocean just being, absorbing the energies.

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

[jprussell]

Thank you, those are great suggestions! I've been trying to spend more time outside, touching the ground directly, at least for a few minutes at a time, and on shutting up my verbal mind, but maybe I can try to "open up" more when doing so, and find some time to be near bodies of water as well.

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

[(Anonymous)]

It occurs to me that gardening is an activity that develops both of these capacities in equal measure (patience and receptivity). It seems that if one is looking for a teacher, they can do worse than working with the very elements themselves.

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

[jprussell]

Thank you for this, that's a great recommendation - gardening has been on my "I need to get to this" list since before I took up druidry, so the reminder is appreciated.

Thanks again,
Jeff

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

[(Anonymous)]

Wow. I resonate with the benefits of gardening in cultivating waiting and receptivity. I associate waiting with patience. Although I am female this time around, receptivity and waiting have been challenging and I am just now in my later years beginning to enjoy those journeys. In particular, I'm enjoying being regularly surprised by what I experience when I wait and receive.

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

[(Anonymous)]

Here's another unsettling dream. I visited an island called Laiti, a remnant of the British Empire somewhere in the Pacific. It was set up as an adventure tourism place with lots of international visitors. At some point, most of the visitors left but some of us couldn't get a boat out of there for some reason. We hung out on the beach and partied with the staff of the island, who chose some of us (the ones they most liked) to come to a party in a dance hall. I was dancing with one and felt it was overwhelmingly nice and wanted to just let go into the moment, but I also perceived that it was going to steal away my good memories. I was a bit freaked out and got a bit lucid. I asked my higher self for guidance on how to get out of there. I could see that the staff were vampires now. Soon after I woke up.

I felt gross smothering vibes and did some praying, got a little bowl of vinegar and they dissipated after a while, but I've felt a bit lower on vitality than usual for the past few days after. An upgrade of my magical protections is in order, apparently.

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

[jprussell]

Yikes, that sounds pretty troubling. I hope through increased protections and/or journaling you're able to find out what you might learn from it and avoid any future similar unpleasantness.

Cheers,
Jeff

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

[(Anonymous)]

In regards to you wanting to “do” something with your feelings and your body, in a watery or earthly way, have you considered dance? Arguably doing something with your feelings and your body could be the very definition of dance. You don’t necessarily need to take a class or anything (although that might be highly effective); you could instead just wait until you are home alone, put in some earbuds and blast some good dance tracks that are heavy on the feminine energy, dance away, and let the music work it’s magic on you. Literally. I’ll be bold enough to even recommend a group for you- Canadian female dance rockers The Beaches. You can’t use metal for this one. Good luck!

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

[jprussell]

Thank you, that's likely a very helpful suggestion, not least because I'm deeply uncomfortable with dancing. I do it occasionally in private, but I hate doing it publicly, and my antipathy carries over to just plain not doing it much, even while listening to music alone. Maybe I ought to try more of it.

Thanks again!
Jeff

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

[(Anonymous)]

"You can’t use metal for this one."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsSTZ63q3F8

(not meant as a suggestion to Jeff, though.)

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

[(Anonymous)]

Jeff, perhaps you'd enjoy my article on my website, called "Earth, Water, Wind and Fire: Elemental Modes for Relating to the Deities." I use the classical four elements, subdivided into flowing and still water, air and wind, and fire and wode, as analogies for modes of relationship with the Deities. Of course such relationships are only one aspect of life-experience, and a specialized and unusual aspect, to boot. But perhaps experimentation in this area of relationships could offer some patterns of experience to try in other areas of life.

Best wishes to you!
Winifred Hodge Rose
HeathenSoulLore.net

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

[jprussell]

Thanks very much for reminding me of this! I think I read that article a ways back, but it sounds like it's time to get back to it, both with what I have going on in my life and that I finally have given Heathen Soul Lore Foundations a first read-through (with much revisiting down the line, I'm sure).

Thanks again!
Jeff