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 sixty-first published book and my third anthology of short pieces, including all my best essays from my post-Hermetic period (the Hermetic essays were released earlier in my 2019 book The City of Hermes). It's probably the best one-volume introduction to the whole range of my ideas and interests, for anyone who wants to risk plunging down that N-dimensional rabbit hole.  It also includes my most widely cited essay, "How Civilizations Fall: A Theory of Catabolic Collapse." On the off chance you're interested, copies can be purchased here if you're in the United States 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.

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

[(Anonymous)]

I like Galina Krasskova's writing, so I personally would recommend "A Modern Guide to Heathenry" and "The Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner." I remember being disappointed by Diana Paxson's Essential Asatru because it didn't have any rituals in it (Krasskova is very focused on the religious aspects of Heathenry, so she gives plenty of information on how to get started with honoring the Gods). "We are Our Deeds" by Eric Wodening is an interesting meditation on Heathen ethics and well worth reading. The Troth's "Our Troth" has a lot of good information, but 1) it's a compilation of several authors so the essays vary in quality, some being rather dry, 2) it slants progressive politically, which may or may not be an issue, and 3) the most recent edition is a set of 3 thick volumes, therefore pricey. I got my copies by being very, very patient at Half Price Books. If you are drawn to a particular God or Goddess, look for devotionals to that deity. Some are available on Amazon or Lulu, others through small presses like Asphodel Press. Galina Krasskova also sells polytheist prayer cards on her Etsy shop "Wyrd Curiosities"; I found these very helpful, especially when honoring lesser-known deities.

I would also say, ignore anyone who tells you to "Just read the Eddas." The Eddas are our source for most of the myths so you will want to read them eventually, but honestly a beginner is better off with retellings, unless he or she already is a reader of medieval literature. There are lots of retellings, and it's not a bad idea to pick a few and compare information and tone (one that, for instance, treats Thor as a musclebound idiot will lead you astray in your relationship with the Thunderer, Who once tricked an evil dwarf into remaining aboveground until the sun turned him to stone). The Eddas also will not tell you anything about the contemporary practice of Heathenry, which is kind of important if you're going to be a contemporary Heathen.

--Sister Crow