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.  Given the events scheduled tomorrow, I've pulled this one forward out of order; it's my 65th published book, the one that got me banned from science fiction conventions (despite 18 SF and fantasy novels currently in print) and dropped like a hot rock by most of the Neopagans I know. No, it's not a work of science fiction, nor does it have much to say about Neopaganism. It's a discussion of why the policies embraced by a bipartisan consensus of the elite classes in the US made the rise of Donald Trump or somebody like him inevitable. Yes, it also talks about magic -- the magical manipulations that were used for fifty years to silence any attempt to talk publicly about what the policies just mentioned did to the working classes in the United States, the magic wielded by a motley band of (mostly) young men living in their mothers' basements who marched off to the Meme Wars beneath the banner of a cartoon frog, and the magic attempted by the so-called Magic Resistance, whose attempts to cast death curses and other equally pleasant spells at the people they hate did a lot to bring about the events of last November and the days immediately before us.

That is to say, it's just a little controversial. ;-)  On the off chance you're interested anyway, you can order a copy here if you live in the US and at your favorite online shop or full service bookstore if you live 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 further comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Comments

Re: The Orange Monk

[ecosophia]

...and Trump has just taken the oath. The King in Orange is back.

Re: Akupressure / -puncture and Christians / source of Ch‘i

[ecosophia]

Unfortunately some Christians have convinced themselves of this. They're wrong -- the energy called chi or qi in East Asian healing systems is called pneuma in the New Testament and ruach in the Old Testament, and it's an essential part of healing through the laying on of hands, which Christians have been doing since the time of Jesus -- but you probably can't convince your client of that.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John,

Q1. I was raised as a Catholic but not in any very strict sense. I am Irish and I am interested in exploring Irish Druidry/spirituality. 

I feel really drawn to Irish mythology and Irish culture in general over the last few years. I spent many years looking at different forms of esotericism, but none of it ever felt right for me. I was mainly looking at esoteric Christian traditions and other Western stuff. I now feel that what I was looking for was right at home all along.

Would there be any karmic problems due to exploring spirituality that is different from esoteric forms of Christianity? (My current approach). My Catholic guilt is really flaring up.

Q2. Do you know of any good books that present optimistic viewpoints on experimenting with different spiritualities?

Thanks in advance.

Re: The Goat Foot God

[ecosophia]

It's a fine book and very deeply rooted in magic, as you'd expect! The point about sacrifice is true, but that doesn't mean it has to be a blood sacrifice. The gods of nature require material offerings: incense, pure water, and wheaten cakes were standard practice among the old Neoplatonists. (Compare that to traditional Shinto offerings, especially those made to the kunitsu no kami, the kami of earth, and you'll notice some very interesting similarities.)

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you for the recommendation and the food for thought.

[ecosophia]

Religion and occultism aren't the same thing. Most Western occultists down through the centuries have also been regular attendees of churches or synagogues -- the present situation, where most occultists aren't religious, is very unusual historically speaking. It's appropriate for churches and other religious organizations, as community institutions, to focus their energies on the community, just as it's appropriate for occult schools, as centers for the training and transformation of the individual, to focus their energies on the individual. In the same way, you don't go to the plumber's to get groceries and you don't expect the local grocer to fix your pipes!

Modern Order of Essenes Healing Hands

[kylec]

I am offering healing hands again this week to all comers who need a physical or emotional boost in their well-being. Those who signed up last week have been fulfilled, and can sign up for another round if they please. Thank yall for the opportunity to practice my healing modality.

Re: Time Travel Magic?

[ecosophia]

You can certainly shift your consciousness back through time to an earlier point in your own life, and work on yourself in that context. That may not change what happened back then but it can have a very large influence on how what happened back then affects you today!

[ecosophia]

You're welcome and thank you!

Re: Psychedelic Entities

[mr_nobody1967]

There is also the fact that if Rudyard Lynch's autobiographical account is mostly accurate (some people think the sexual abuse might be a drug-induced false memory), his probably-abusive mother was schizophrenic, and Lynch is at the age where schizophrenia, if it's nascently present, starts to fully manifest.

[ecosophia]

1) No. Human institutions like to guilt-trip people, and the Catholic church more than most. The gods -- and I include Christ in this -- are much less judgmental. Were you aware that for many centuries, quite a few Irish people combined Catholicism with reverence for the Tuatha Dé Danaan? So it's not even a new thing.

2) Not off hand. Anyone else?

Re: Psychedelic Entities

[ecosophia]

Oh, that's not good. I've seen heavy drug use trigger a psychotic break in a vulnerable person more than once.

Re: Time Travel Magic?

[brenainn]

That is very interesting, and I could certainly use it for some very bad experiences from my younger days. Can you recommend a book or other resource that can assist one in doing this kind of work?

Re: Esoteric causes of disease, books and recommendation.

[the_arcane_archivist]

I meditated a lot on these matters when I was young, and I thing that he physical and etheric sheet can be damaged without our own accord but the mental and karmic sheets cannot be harmed without our own accord and cooperation, when we damaged these sheets we leave ourselves seduced into it.


That's why I think physical and etheric plane need some curative and preventive measures in terms of personal and collective discipline and observances.

Thanks a lot for the response, I get from your message that John Gilbert might be a "biographical recommendation."

I made an error in my previous post I wanted to kindly ask for a bibliographical recommendation but somehow typed biographical recommendation, but then my non-Native English is starting to annoy me, as sometime a find it rather dissatisfactory.

[(Anonymous)]

From this I get the impression that people with less developed mental sheaths are governed to a greater extent by collective archetypes that substitute for an individualized mental body. Am I on the right track?

Re: Zen

[(Anonymous)]

Interesting. If ceremonial magic is on the "other power" side, is there a "self power" side to Western occultism?

Relaxing muscles before meditation

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, JMG! I have a limited awareness of which muscles I am keeping unneccessarily tense when sitting down to meditate and which I am relaxing,and I feel that when I try to relax from the head down I am probably doing it wrong.

Re: The Orange Monk

[tamanous2020]

Was there a big enough time change on when he was actually sworn in (vs his expected time) to affect your mundane astrology prediction in any way?

Geomantic Supplements?

[saturns_pet]

John Michael Greer:

I'm resuming my regular practice of divinatory geomancy after a severe hiatus and I have a question about practicing geomancy to divine as described in your valuable book The Art And Practice of Geomancy. (The fore edge of my copy is darkened by use.)

Would I err in my interpretations of shield charts and house charts by beginning to customarily supplement the divinatory meanings of figures in Chapter Three: The Geomantic Figures with the favorable activities for geomantic hours in Chapter Nine: Principles Of Geomantic Magic?

Saturns_Pet

PS: lol @ your proper answer to that question about a Zen Sphere of Protection. Whack! :)

Planetary charity

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG

1.I'm currently based in a job profession which I wish to leave behind and find a much more positive community or colleagues for health and wellbeing purposes. My current profession requires people to be constantly questioning and doubting the accounts of others and this unfortunately appears to then leak out among the staff and the higher ups, which then leads to cliques and ostracization . This causes a lot of stress and burnout among people in the office an I no longer wish to be in an atmosphere like this to paraphrase Dion fortune said the atmosphere of the place eventually starts clouding even your outlook over time. Would you advise I make a planetary charity donations and ask for some guidance or assistance in my quest to get to a better profession (I'm thinking Venus or Mercury). In addition should I consider an affirmation such as "I will attain my perfect job and community".
2. In regards to your natural magic book you assign planetary rulers to set elements and the like, has there been any update in regards to outermost planets in terms of what they are assigned to in the natural sphere.

May you be well

Involution

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

The topic of the nadir and involution has often come up. In an absolute sense the nadir might be the point at which souls are embodied in mineral life. But your past comments on this seem to suggest the nadir occurs during human incarnation and we may have passed this point as a species already or are close to it. This seems to suggest to me that humans go through a subjective/involutionary period during a series of human incarnations (as well as a similar period culminating in mineral life). So possibly the involutionary Kether of human life would be when our species was Animistic (total enchantment/constant experience of meaning) and the evolutionary Kether would be when we graduate human existence (or alternatively, enlightenment) . I haven't attempted mapping the other spheres yet. Does this make sense? Can you say anything more about this theory (strictly human involutionary period) and/or correct me if I've got something wrong? I think I've read a comment from Dion Fortune somewhere confirming this, and I've heard a comment from Mark Stavish doing the same. Both were passing comments. This has been in my mind for years now and it's always been kind of a jumble.

Thanks,
Luke Z

Re: The Stranger Side of Ketamine

[(Anonymous)]

But there are also "depressed" people who suffer from food allergies and can transform their emotional state dramatically by using an elimination diet to figure out what's triggering them
A little off topic, but food allergies seem to be behind the causes of a diverse number of problems. My partner suffered from depression years ago and a change in diet was one of the things that helped. Recently, I discovered that minor food allergies were behind the problems I was having with high blood pressure. The doctor who put me on a pharmaceutical never even bothered to investigate this possibility. A naturopath pointed it out about 15 years later.

Caldathras

Re: The Stranger Side of Ketamine

[ecosophia]

A friend of mine suffered from severe asthma for years -- the kind of thing where she got rushed to the hospital once or twice every year so that she didn't stop breathing. Her doctor had her on the usual drugs, which didn't help much. Then she read about wheat sensitivities as an asthma trigger and dropped wheat from her diet...and her asthma went away. She went to the doctor, all excited about this, and the doctor said, "Yes, I know. We prefer to medicate for that condition."

That is to say, the doctor kept my friend sick and at risk of sudden death for years, when a single piece of advice could have cured her. If you wonder why I generally think so little of the medical profession, that's one of many reasons why.

Re: Zen

[ecosophia]

Yes. That's the great difference, in fact, between ceremonial magic and occultism proper -- the mage gets power from outside himself (from the divine if he's a practitioner of the magic of light, from nature if he's a practitioner of natural magic, from demons if he's into the sleazy end of magic, and so on) while the occultist develops the powers in himself by concentration, meditation, and exercises that awaken the subtle dimensions of the human microcosm.

Re: Ecosophia Prayer List

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, Quin- I'd like to add a prayer request to the list, please, for my dog who passed away yesterday. Maybe something like
"May Nick's 12-year-old Greyhound Vera be blessed and comforted, and granted rest and a peaceful transition to the next life"
And thank you!
-Nick, who has posted here in the past as NPM