Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

Midnight is almost here, 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 341,928th 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.  This was my sixtieth published book, the second volume of the sprawling study course in Druidical occultism I assembled from fragments, scraps, and a lot of William Walker Atkinson's more obscure writings, as chronicled in the intro to last week's Magic Monday. The Lesser Mysteries comprise four grades, the Greater Mysteries three more, finishing up with the grade of Gwyddon Rhydd or Free Loremaster, which brings with it the right to teach the system. There's a modest but significant number of Free Loremasters running around these days, and some of them do in fact teach; most students of the Dolmen Arch, however, simply learn it from the two books. One way or another, if you're interested, you can find copies for sale here in the US and at your favorite online or brick-and-mortar bookseller 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.

With that said, have at it!

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

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

a) Do you see any problems with wearing the red bag amulet almost continuously for an extended period of time while making arrangements to move somewhere less toxic? I currently live with someone who is having a borderline psychotic breakdown over the election, and while I am making plans to get somewhere else, right now I think it will be at least a few months before I can accomplish this.

b) Part of the way I wound up in the nasty situation I’m in right now is an odd one. Any divination done about how to deal with issues which involve my parents will always suggest that I go along with whatever they happen to want, no matter how destructive to my interests and my values. If I listen, then I always lose, while when I ignore the divination, things usually turn out better.

It’s also interesting that this is true whether I do the divination or someone else does it. These effects have also occurred with multiple systems of divination, including ogham, geomancy, tarot, and horary astrology.

These odd results occur even where my parents have not fully explained what they want to me; and in the most recent case where this happened, it involved a reading where neither I nor the person doing the reading realized my parents had a vested interest in a given result. As far as I know, they do not use any kind of magic, but it is reliable enough it’s getting spooky.

Do you have any ideas what might be going on here, and how to protect my divination?

[kylec]

Last night I moved into a new apartment, and today less than 24 hours later, I was burglarized. Despite it being a very safe area (residents say they can never remember any thefts happening here in all their years), a thief came in through the window and made off with over $5,000 worth of cash, a gun, backpacks, etc. The dagger was that one of the backpacks, my one and only travel bag for the past 15 years or so with much sentimental value, also contained nearly all of my Druidical paraphernalia.

I am wondering if there is anything I can do magically to recover the Druid stuff, at least. I’ll let the cash, the backpacks, and the gun go. I am in the Druid grade of the CGD, but the kicker is I now can’t open a temple. I lost all of my altar supplies, even the tablecloth, a consecrated wand and sickle, the raw material egg for my serpent’s egg, all of my incense, a bracelet I’d made for use during Merlin’s Wheel, my tarot deck, and a bunch of other things. Literally all I have left is my geomantic wands and the rosary to Ceridwen that I made. Based on the first go round, it would take me months to reacquire and consecrate all this stuff, so I’m pretty dejected, and trying hard not to take this as an omen that the Druid Grade is not meant for me. It feels like such an unusual thing to happen. The apartment is way in the back of a complex with one entry, in a small town, where there is no foot traffic, so it seems like it was a targeted attack by someone watching me moving stuff in.

Of course I’ve filed a police report and there is security footage from a neighbor’s camera of a young woman in her 20’s or early 30’s walking out my patio with an armload of my stuff, but the neighbors don’t recognize her. It doesn’t look good for recovering my things without some kind of divine intervention. Any suggestions? I can still cast a shield chart to find out any further information I might need.

End of Year Lookback and Anything Learned/Excited about for Past/New Year?

[jprussell]

Good Evening,

For any I missed last week, a happy New Year!

To Share: I've done a lookback on the year just ended, the main highlight of which is that I (mostly) met my goal to write a book (I was 22 minutes late and the rough draft is only ~40k words, which is a bit short, but I'm still counting it. More details in the post): https://jpowellrussell.com/#looking_back_on_2024_and_forward_to_2025

To Ask: With the turn of the year, I thought it'd be fitting to ask: occult-wise, that you're willing to share, what in 2024 did you learn, try out, begin, or change your mind on that you think is interesting? Alternatively, if nothing much comes to mind, anything you're excited to try, begin, or look into for 2025?

As always, thanks very much to JMG and those who read and comment.

My blessings to all who welcome them,
Jeff

Planetary Debilities

[(Anonymous)]

Good evening!

Last Magic Monday you linked an article on calculating planetary dignities and debilities using William Lilly's numerical factor tables. I went over my natal chart using the tables and found all planets relatively decently dignified (about 10-20 range), except for Jupiter, which is debilitated to the score of -11 and placed in a rather consequential house. If I understand it correctly, in Lilly's system an ill dignified planet can be a significant source of negative influence. Is there a protocol for rectifying this kind of influence?

If I may ask a few questions about the circumstances in which you stopped watching television ...

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

It's my understanding that you used to watch TV, then stopped cold turkey.

If I may ask, did you stop around the time you began magical training? Also, was there a particular commercial or TV show (if you remember) that struck you to the point that you decided, "I have better things to do with my life than watching moving pixels for hours on end"?

Perhaps a commercial that depicts world peace and a happy life by drinking fizzy brown sugar water from the right beverage company? Or a 10-years-running TV sitcom portraying a 3-year war as allegory for a 20-year war?

Thanks,
-E.

Essenes and Octagon

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,
I have a magical request to make of you. Please think of publishing the Essenes and Octagon Society material. I find a book much better to read than a computer. Also, I am not great with a computer but can reliably operate a book.
Maxine

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 Viktoria have a safe and healthy pregnancy, and may the baby be born safe, healthy and blessed. May Marko have the strength, wisdom and balance to face the challenges set before him. (picture)

May Open Space's friend's mother
Judith be blessed and healed for a complete recovery from cancer.

May Linda from the Quest Bookshop of the Theosophical Society, who has developed a turbo cancer, be blessed with a successful surgery under a steady hand when she goes into the operating room in mid January, and with well-being and a speedy recovery.

May Bill Rice (Will1000) in southern California, who suffered a painful back injury, be blessed and healed, and may he quickly recover full health and movement.

May David/Trubrujah's 5 year old nephew Jayce, who is back home after chemotherapy for his leukemia, be healed quickly and fully, and may he, and mother Amanda, and their family find be aided with physical, mental, and emotional strength while they deal with this new life altering situation.

May Peter Van Erp's friend Kate Bowden's husband Russ Hobson and his family be enveloped with love as he follows his path forward with the glioblastoma (brain cancer) which has afflicted him.

May Daedalus/ARS receive guidance and finish his kundalini awakening, and overcome the neurological and qi and blood circulation problems that have kept him largely immobilised for several years; may the path toward achieving his life's work be cleared of obstacles.

May baby Gigi, continue to gain weight and strength, and continue to heal from a possible medication overdose which her mother Elena received during pregnancy, and may Elena be blessed and healed from the continuing random tremors which ensued; may Gigi's big brother Francis continue to be in excellent health and be blessed.

May Jennifer, whose pregnancy has entered its third trimester, have a safe and healthy pregnancy, may the delivery go smoothly, and may her baby be born healthy and blessed.

May Scotlyn's friend Fiona, who has been in hospital since early October with what is a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, be blessed and healed, and encouraged in ways that help her to maintain a positive mental and spiritual outlook.

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

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.

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.

[manodhlasen1]

Hello Sir,

Just have a question about daily lbrp and lirp. I will be going into surgery to have my cervical spine fixed. One of the stipulations is once it happens I cannot get out of a recliner for a minimum of two weeks while the spine is healing.


I do CGD and my altar is in the garage. Would it be feasible to close my eyes and do my rituals in my mind or should I take those two weeks off and catch up on reading?

Thank you

Christian

Hermes/Thoth

[(Anonymous)]

I have a strong intuitive sense that Hermes has chosen to offer me guidance and patronage. I have a few questions about that:

1. Has a deity ever approached you like this?

2. What’s with Hermes’ vast attributes of overseeing magic and alchemy and learning and writing etc etc (all noble and civilizing enterprises) but then he’s also the god of trickery? What do you make of the reputation for trickery?

3. Do you believe Thoth and Hermes are the same being? Is the planet mercury associated with Thoth and Hermes?

Thanks John!

Human Design

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Sir!

Last week I asked you about your opinion on Human Design and you wanted me to refer you to a source: https://www.jovianarchive.com

(you could also check your own chart (same hp) and see that way how well it fits)

Thanks in advance!

Planetary charity for finding new place

[(Anonymous)]

Hey JMG

I am currently trying to find a new rental to live in, and I wanted to know what planet would be most appropriate to appease in order to make my search easier and fortunate. My assumption is that either Jupiter or the moon is the answer but I thought it would be best to check.

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what APG, TSW or DA mean, a list of abbreviations used on Ecopsophia.

I offer my best wishes for the new year to our host and all fellow readers.

To ask, I kept track of the books you discuss. I wonder about the order, for example, your fifth published book Encyclopedia of Natural Magic is listed on Goodreads as published in 2005. Your sixth published work Monsters is listed as published in 2001. This is true for more books. What explains the difference between your numbering and the publication date?

The failure of spirituality

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

This a bit of a follow up to my question about astrology last week. In this week alone I heard two people with an online presence and following make quite remarkable statements that at least to my understanding seems a bit deluded. Both of them do channeling of various ascended beings and one of them actually claims to read the Akashic Records like an open book. What is remarkable about this is that it seems like the mainstream media and the liberal/left side of the political spectrum must be channeling the same ascended beings and reading the same books in the Akashic library.
During the last five years I repeatedly found myself being disappointed with various spiritually inclined people, some whom I know and some that I dont. Whether its yogic practicioners, astrologers or spiritual channelers most of them seem to be almost completely subsumed by the popular narratives. Why is this? Why does their respective spiritual practices fail to inspire to wisdom, or at least critical thinking? That is at least what I used to think was part of the goal with these various traditions. I am not myself involved in any of the aforementioned practices, but in another magical/spiritual tradition native to where I am from, a tradition that focuses a lot on personal empowerment and responsibility.
I am not an occultist but I get the feeling that people within the broader occult traditions have generally faired better during the last few years and have not to the same degree been consumed by the mainstream madness. Is that your feeling also? If so, what do you think the reason for this is? And what would be the most important component of a spiritual system of practice that inspires to wisdom and an ability to not get swept away by the narratives?

/Fredrik

Planetary alignments

[(Anonymous)]

Dear all,
This month six planets will be in alignment, notably, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.
Does this has any astrological bearing?
Regards
Thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

First, happy New Year, JMG, and thank you for Magic Mondays. May 2025 bring you rich blessings.

On New Year's Eve, I started to do my usual Tarot spread for the new year. I decided to try a new Marseilles deck rather than the standard Rider Waite deck I've been using for years. But I was confused when I realized some of that new deck's minor arcana cards don't appear to distinguish between up and reversed orientatione. Cerrtain cards looked the same when turned either way. Or at least I couldn't see a difference. So I simply went back to my regular deck for that reading.

Was I missing something? Or is this a deliberate design choice? And if so, which cards don't get a "polarity" in the Marseilles deck and why?

Thanks.

*Ochre Harebrained Curmudgeon*

Amulet follow up

[(Anonymous)]

This isn't a question, more an anecdote to share - I haven't got anyone who would appreciate it the way folks here might. And it seems the red amulets are coming up a lot at the moment...

About 5 weeks ago I asked a question about a nail becoming tarnished within a day of having it in the salt-filled red amulet. It freaked me out that it happened so quickly - JMG said tarnish was OK but not rust. Well within a few days it was definitely rusty and even starting to corrode. So I changed the nail (& salt), and changed it again when it rusted just as fast a week or so later...
On NYE I swapped them out again for the fourth nail in a month, aware that I would be spending time in the presence of the person I suspected of sending the bad energy. But I felt something shifted with that person that night... and over a week later the nail is still bright and shiny! So bizarre having the salt and nail out of the same packets on the same person under the same physical conditions but it reacting so differently...
I was skeptical at first but now fully convinced TSW!
Thanks again for the red amulet suggestion, JMG.

SGO and the icosahedron

[(Anonymous)]

Hello!
Currently, I am going through the SGO book, slowly. I have reached the icosahedron chapter and meditating upon that shape.
I must admit I have not found why the icosahedron should be in anyway linked with the water element.
All I did come up with is that water is life, so related to the life force. Thus if the icosahedron is linked with water so is it to the life force also.
That could mean the life force has geometric structure, it has form and shape, its not just a formless fluid.
So my questions are (1) does the above make sense to some of you and (2) has anyone come up with a reason why the icosahedron is linked with water?
Many thanks for any answers and regards

”Wulmnath” in 2025

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Archdruid,

I thought long about how to ask this, and have finally decided to form this question in a general way since there might be several people in the commentariat that might profit from a question like this.
2025 is shaping up to be an interesting year. In the Chinese proverb kind of way. And independent of our material situation burning out, stressing out or similar could be detrimental to oneself.
- have you gotten any new insight as to the “wulmnath”
- could you give some occult recommendations on how to strengthen oneself in 2025?

Dinjy Waggish Jackalope

[threerays]

Good morning,

Can you recommend any good occult book stores / gift shops in Rhode Island?

Thanks!
Jonathan

Cauldron exercise in DA

[autpaxautbellum]

I have long been curious about the cauldron locations in the DA cauldrons exercise. Naively, if man is viewed as a microcosm, it seems as though the solar cauldron would be up high in the head (closer to spirit above) and the lunar cauldron in the chest (corresponding to sprit within). I have had thoughts on the reason for the given locations, but nothing I’ve found entirely satisfying. Though I strongly expect advice to meditate on this further, might you have any hints on the significance and meaning of the cauldron locations?

[kayr]

This may be a trivial question, but I thought I would ask anyway. In the first chapter of The Way of the Golden Section, Nwyfre is described as having golden light then when you open your lodge and you inscribe a circle, which I assume is Nwyfre, with the cauldron of incense, the color of light is bright white. Is this an important distinction? Should I visualize white light when I open the lodge or golden? Thanks much for your time in responding.

Radionics

[(Anonymous)]

I've been reading about radionics for quite a few years, but haven't gotten around to starting it. Recently, Kelly Research, which builds radionics devices targeting the agricultural market, launched a new personal device at an okay price. I pre-ordered it, it seems the most like the classic Hieronymus device.

Some questions:

You were into radionics for a long time, but it's not one of your core practices. What do you think of its strengths and weaknesses?

Have you found radionics remedies as useful as the other healing modalities you know?

What about radionics divinations?

I've been practising geomancy following your book since 2012, I've seen that actually that 13th century Arab geomantic device, which can arguably is also one of the oldest known radionics devices, from what I've read about the "stick reaction", it's pretty similar to how when you're making geomantic markings the traditional way, you stop, if I understand correctly.

Thanks

[lukedodson]

Hi JMG,

1. I've just been through a severely wounding break-up. The phrase "I dodged a bullet there" has been bringing me some solace, and I just repeated it to myself 100 times. Does this sound like a good affirmation?

2. Do you have any natural magic recommendations? I will take a hoodoo bath when I recover from my flu. I'm not sure if a cut-and-clear is quite needed yet, but something to move on and strengthen my sense of self-worth and value independent of her esteem (or lack of thereof) would be very useful.

Modern Order of Essenes Healings

[kylec]

Back at it in the new year, I'm offering healing hands to anyone who needs a little boost in their physical or emotional health. Please reply here with your name and details, or PM me. Thanks in advance, and happy new year.

[(Anonymous)]

1. The Wikipedia article on Aeons in Gnosticism reads under the “Modern Interpretations” section: “According to Myther, ‘The total number of Aeons, being 32, reflects the similarity of the mechanism to the Tree of Life, which, as suggested in the Zohar, incorporates 10 Sephiroth and 22 paths interconnecting these 10 Sephiroth; while 10 Aeons are created during the first five generations from which come the other 22 Aeons later during the sixth generation.’ “ I have searched this quote, which is parroted on several websites, but I haven’t found who this Myther person is. Do you know?

2. I believe you mentioned that Aleister Crowley’s soul may have emanated from Autophuês, which is striking to me as the name isn’t so dissimilar from “Aiwass.” Would you be willing to share According to Myther, "The total number of Aeons, being 32, reflects the similarity of the mechanism to the Tree of Life, which, as suggested in the Zohar, incorporates 10 Sephiroth and 22 paths interconnecting these 10 Sephiroth; while 10 Aeons are created during the first five generations from which come the other 22 Aeons later during the sixth generation." Would you be willing to share why you believe this, whether the above similarity is part of that or not, notwithstanding the obvious themes of pleasure and freedom in Crowley’s work?

3. Can you recommend any (other) reading on the connection between the Aeons of Valentinian Gnosticism and more recent Western Esotericism, especially as it relates to the Cabala?