Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

Midnight is breathing down our necks 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 is my sixth-third published book, and you'll have a little trouble finding it right now, because its former publisher let it go out of print last year. The upsides are, first, that this gave me the chance to revise, expand, and improve it considerably; second, that I was able to give it the title I originally assigned it, Merlin's Wheel -- did you know that authors have no control over the titles and cover art of their books? -- and third, that I had it placed with a second publisher less than 24 hours after the old one let go of it.

The book -- well, it's a sequel of sorts to my earlier book The Celtic Golden Dawn, providing a set of eight seasonal ceremonies inspired by ancient mystery rites, celebrating the legendary life of Merlin around the cycle of the year as a system of spiritual self-initiation. The new version has been expanded so that it can also be practiced within the ritual system of the Golden Section Fellowship and its related traditions, including the Dolmen Arch system and the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose. It'll be out later this year, and I'll make an announcement here and on my blog once it's available for preorder.

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

[threerays]

Here I was, impulse buying copies of “Merlin” out of fear. Glad to hear you’re adding the other systems in the new release too. Though I’m partial to the DOGD, Merlin’s Wheel is just too good not to share !

The cover art for Merlin, CGD & Litany are all very beautiful. The subtle designs, color schemes & fonts have a powerful effect, too. I’ll be excited to see the art for Merlin’s Wheel. Do you have one artist you use ? Or is it different for every book or publisher?

Happy Calan Myri !
Jon

[ecosophia]

I have no influence over the cover art -- that's something the publisher gets to choose! It's usually a different artist each time.

saturn returns

[(Anonymous)]

They've been on my mind, for obvious reasons - number 2 happening... And I've noticed a few questions the last weeks but not quite answering what I'm interested in.

My question is about what are good things to do(in a general sense) during this time? For myself, Neptune has trundled over my Saturn and now Saturn will trundle over then back then over again over the coming year. And how many degrees does it need to be past to consider it over once it does that last pass? Would it be a good time to do the OSA work during this time?

Bonus question - when the 0 degree conjunction takes place early next year - what is the orb for that? and does it have just a general effect or does it get up close and personal if it's hitting a sensitive spot in a personal chart? Fun fun fun >;)

parion in the uk

Re: saturn returns

[ecosophia]

1) I've been through two of them now. In my experience, it really doesn't matter what you do or don't do, you're going to get put through the ringer. It's probably best to avoid anything new or risky, but that's not going to keep you from having to deal with your unfinished business. The one thing that helped me both times was daily meditation, which made it easier for me to deal with each challenge as it emerged.

2) In my experience, once the return perfects for the last time, if you've dealt with your stuff, its effects fade out very quickly -- say, within a month or two.

3) Yes, or at any other time.

4) The orb for a great conjunction is hard to gauge. I'd give it 5°, which means it's going to start applying in April of this year. Yes, if it aspects any planet in your natal chart, expect it to influence whatever house that planet rules. Remember that what we're discussing is the beginning of a new age of the world, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Amber, stones

[rhydlyd]

Does amber have any particular significance to druids? I found a handful of unpolished amber chunks in my ancestral manse. It is a relative’s unfinished craft project that sat for years until I looked in an old paper bag sitting on a shelf along with the sandpaper to shine it up. I think my staves said relax and enjoy shining them up, but I’d like to know a little more about the stone.

Re: Amber, stones

[ecosophia]

As with most things Druidical, it depends on the Druid! Amber corresponds to the Sun, fire, and the zodiacal sign Leo, and it serves as a magical amplifier; if you cut or sand it, save the dust and add that to amulets, and they'll be more powerful.

Protection against bad luck/magical attack

[bendithfawr]

Hi JMG,

thank you for your reply to my question about affirmations earlier, that was very helpful. I have another question today that is rather pressing: we're usually blessed with pretty good luck but in the last two weeks my family has been plagued by a string of serious accidents. My son had a bad snowboarding accident and had to be helicoptered out, my daughter cut herself in shop class so deep that the teacher had to call an ambulance for the first time in his decades-long career and our toddler fell very hard on the edge of our bed and looks it.

Blessedly - so far at least - none of the injuries seem to be life-changing, serious but able to heal gently.

This is very uncommon for us. It might just be coincidence but my wife is on the board of our Waldorf school and currently involved in a longer dispute with another mother that my wife described on first meeting her as a witch (not knowing anything about occultism and not in a positive way).

My divination ("Is our string of accidents due to magical influence of someone outside the family?", result below) gave no mode of perfection for the 1st and 12th house so maybe it's just the current astral climate in Germany earthing out (there's a freakishly dysfunctional election coming up, even for our standards). Friends are telling me that they also noticed an uncommonly high number of accidents in their environment.

I have done the SOP/meditation/divination for a few years and a few grove workings when we had no kids in the sensitive age. Now with our toddler I'm out of practice. I guess that only allows natural magic. Do you think it would be effective to have every member of the family wear a red bag amulet or do you have another idea? (It's amazing to me that I've been reading pretty much every Magic Monday for a few years now but as soon as I'm personally concerned, I'm blanking. The search function didn't help much. Sorry in advance if the answer is obvious.)

Re: Protection against bad luck/magical attack

[bendithfawr]

PS: I checked your "Encyclopedia of Natural Magic" for "Protection" and the list is really quite long. Maybe hanging up St. John's Wort would be helpful?

[(Anonymous)]

Looking for help interpreting a geomancy reading.
The question was "Will [supplement] help with my [chronic condition]?" -- I thought the reading positive and ordered the supplement.
LW: Puer
RW: Cauda Draconis
Judge: Fortuna Major

Puer is good for change, I take Cauda Draconis as an affirmative that I'm ready to be over my condition, and fortuna major as a big happy as the judge. Some people with similar conditions have seen this supplement treatment as life changing, and after this chart I've hope I may be one of them!

I worried that I'm reading this too optimistically, though. (Reading bigger things into a divination than actually happen-- good or bad-- seems to be a common theme for me.)

So I take a look over at the house chart, where (in order) we have:
Puella, Puer, Carcer, Tristatia, Cauda Drac, Rubeus, Laetitia, Via, Conjunctio, Laetitia, Amissio, and Caput Draconis.

In a medical question, treatment is a 10th house matter, I believe, and there we see... laetitia! That sounds favourable. But the first house is Puella, which is weak there, and I'm not sure how to interpret the rest of the shield chart.

I both feel like there's more information in this chart that I am missing AND that I'm probably trying to read too much into it. (ie, Seeing laetitia repeated in the seventh house makes me think this will either be good for my marriage and/or make my doctor happy... but thinking "tristatia is in the fourth house, the house of endings, so if I think this is the end of things I'll be sadly disappointed." feels like a reach. .)) Can you provide any additional insight into this chart and how to read it, John?

Many thanks.

[ecosophia]

As I've had occasion to say many times before, the best way to misinterpret a geomantic chart is to overthink it. That's what's going on here.

1) In terms of your judge and witnesses, you have two negative figures and one positive figure. That's a "no." Fortuna Major indicates that something else will help, but you haven't gotten to it yet.

2) In terms of the house charts, a yes or no question is settled by the presence or absence of a mode of perfection. Illness is a 6th house matter, and no mode of perfection connects Puella in the 1st to Rubeus in the 6th. The 1st doesn't connect to anything else in the chart, btw. Here again, the answer is no, the supplement will not help.

Rubeus in the 6th, btw, indicates that you may not be right about the nature of the condition, but you'll need to do more readings to sort that out.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there it is -- I recommend getting a second opinion on the condition, which may not be what you think it is, and looking for other remedies.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John,

1) I started doing the SOP 7-8 weeks ago taking about 2 weeks per element. I was doing some pore breathing/chi ball/yoga posture type exercises later in the day and had total big time energy overload. What happens to the subtle body when starting the SOP? I started doing it because I’m extremely sensitive to “energy” and have done just about every wrong thing a person could do regarding energetic hygiene. When things get dialed up I get a lot of fear and negativity (Moon conjunct Ketu in birth chart). What kind of practices have you seen work for people who are better “receivers” over the years? I stopped the other stuff and just do SOP and things have come back down but those couple of days....

2) My hyper-drive brain is always chattering away, so when doing visualizations its always running commentary, describing the imagery etc... Are there other ways besides meditation to quiet this down? The thing I love about visualizing is that its non-verbal and gets me away from the habit over-thinking to some degree. The pore breathing exercises kind of freaked me out, it made me realize how powerful the imagination actually is, I did not take it seriously enough at all.

3) Do you think the SOP could help a negative biased thinker due to karmic reasons? I’ve heard people call magic the art of horoscope repair (Regardie maybe?) Do you know ways that could mitigate habitual negative thinking after recognizing the problem?

Thank you so much for these Mondays

[ecosophia]

1) I don't recommend combining the SoP with any form of qigong -- I had trouble with this, and so have other people. The SoP should help insulate you from outside energies, but you'll need to do it daily and even so it'll take a while. For now, ordinary rhythmic breathing is about as much as you should be doing.

2) That's quite common, of course. If there's a way other than meditation to get the mind to behave, I don't know of it.

3) Yes, but slowly. I recommend the Octagon Society lessons, which are free of charge, as another important tool for this work; karmic patterns usually repeat themselves in childhood, resulting in difficult childhood emotions that remain unprocessed. Work through them and release the emotional energy caught up in them, and everything else is easier to deal with.

Would a group manifestation be appropriate now?

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John,

Two of my favorite words:

Zeitgeist: "is the way of thinking and feeling (mentality) of an age or certain time-frame. In occult terms a Zeitgeist is an etheric storm, to use Dion Fortune’s definition, with a very strong morphogenetic force that afflicts most people psychologically and can lead to both a period of prosperity and/or enlightenment or collective insanity and decay, such as is the case with a period of war, religious, political or economic hysteria, witch-hunts (old or modern) or crisis, which are all mass-psychoses." https://vamzzz.com/blog/zeitgeist/

Egregore: "In magical and other occult traditions, it is typically seen as having an independent existence, but in other kinds of esotericism, it is merely the collective mind of a religious community, either esoteric or exoteric. In the latter sense, as a collective mind, the term collective entity, preferred by René Guénon, is synonymous with egregore.[1] See the usage overview below. In the apocryphal Book of Enoch, the term had referred to angelic beings known as watchers,[4][5] and it was also used by associated (Enochian) traditions to refer to the specific rituals and practices associated with these entities.[6]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egregore

A lifetime's worth of things have actualized in the last year, certainly the last five, and arguably a decades's worth in the last 14 days. Are we far enough past the storm center, yet, that we can relax a bit and maybe turn more positive? (Speaking for myself, I did a lot of praying last year -- half of it that the world somehow, miraculously, escape the worst of the darkness -- and half that I, and those I cared most about, would get to "Noah's Ark" before it left dock.

Is it safe to come out yet? And, if so, would you consider doing a post, or series of posts, on how to view where we are (in broad strokes, and considering that descent is a long path) and, perhaps, lead a group "manifest" to a brighter future from here?

I know there is a thing about not talking too much about what we are about. But I would imagine something could be woven together, in a broader sense, for those who would like to participate? I like to think I did my small part with https://www.ecosophia.net/a-primer-of-magical-combat/

Re: Would a group manifestation be appropriate now?

[ecosophia]

No, not at all. One of the most important lessons we have to learn is that the age of Pisces, the age of mass consciousness, of prophets leading crowds toward this or that mirage of imminent salvation, is over. The age we are in now, the age of Aquarius, is the age of the individual, in which the spirit is being poured out over everyone and each of us gets to find our own way up the mountain -- if it's even the same mountain we're all on. (My guess is that it's not.)

There is no Noah's Ark, no escape hatch from history, no grand march toward the one true shining tomorrow. We are all wandering in the forest of time, and as the braying of trumpets and the bellowing of leaders fades out behind us, a hush is beginning to gather. In that hush, the thing that can lead each of us, or all of us, or all of us who want to, toward something better than we've got now is to learn to think our own thoughts -- not to copy anyone else's, no matter how impressively the latter may be presented or how good the cause seems.

THINK FOR YOURSELF, SCHMUCK! is the inscription written in fire on the mountain cliff ahead. And with that, I'll wind up this little sermon, and suggest that praying all by yourself, to whatever aspect of the divine calls most to you, is also a good idea just now.

Affirmation

[denebalgedi777]

Hello,

Well, plenty to talk about no doubt, but owing to time constraints I'll leave most of it for another MM.

However:

After some meditation, I realized that, while I have made slow but sure progress in occult studies over the past few years [1], I still waste too much time that could be put to better use, particularly in "keeping up with the news". I could instead be improving skills or taking more productive actions. This is most likely to happen in the morning, when I have a lot of energy that could be better used in something less passive.

I think an affirmation might help with that. How about this: "I accomplish the day's essential tasks first thing."

What do you think?

Best,

Deneb

[1] - Mainly in performing regular divinations, protections and meditations - I haven't had time for more dedicated practices, but perhaps I can *make* time

Re: Affirmation

[ecosophia]

That's a nice crisp affirmation. Give it a year of steady work and I think you'll be pleased with the results.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Are you aware of anybody having successfully generated natural phenomena using the Golden Dawn Z-2 formula?

[ecosophia]

Yes. I've seen rainstorms and snowstorms generated that way.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, JMG! Last October, within days of starting CGD, before I had learned the basics of meditatiom or had memorized the steps in the LRP, my life modestly improved and I started getting out of the rut I had been stuck in for two years (I found a used car that I could afford and wasn't complete junk, and I started searching for a job, and got one a few weeks later, and so far I'm doing ok with it). Is it a coincidence, or are they related? (Maybe my Individuality or something else wants me to practice cermonial magic?)

[ecosophia]

I'm glad to hear this. Starting serious spiritual work generally stirs up whatever unfinished business you have in your karma; in most cases that means a flurry of difficulties, but it can also mean that things finally start going right, if that's what your karma has waiting for you.

Niagara Falls

[(Anonymous)]

Is there any particular occult lore or traditions around Niagara Falls? Have been reading about all the daredevils and people who went over the falls in barrels...etc and at least one of them was some kind of occultist/mystic. He went over with his pet turtle (who survived, but he did not). A lot of them seemed to have this incredible and irresistible draw to the falls. Anything in particular going on in the spirit world there do you think, or just a magnificent natural wonder and human beings seeking fame and fortune?

Re: Niagara Falls

[ecosophia]

I don't happen to know. Anyone else?

[ellendegenerate]

Good afternoon JMG,

I'm a total noob, I know, but I've been learning about the concept of glamour magic lately, and that got me wondering whether/how I could protect myself from glamours cast by other people, and I would be grateful for your insight into this.

Thank you for your magic Mondays, I've learned a lot from you over the years!

[ecosophia]

The first step is one you've already taken: becoming aware of the issue. Any time you react to someone in a way that doesn't seem reasonable, you can teach yourself to stop and say, "Okay, is this real or is it just glamour?" As that becomes a habit, it will develop the mental clarity that dispells glamour.

You can also help that in two ways. The first is to take up a daily protective ritual such as the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram or the Sphere of Protection. The second is to take up daily meditation of some kind. Yes, you can certainly do both!

Affirmations?

[(Anonymous)]

I fear that I am one of those people who are always imagining "the worst" happening to me: repairs to my house that I can't afford, etc. Dying isn't really the worst, as I'm in my 70s. Rather becoming disabled and dependent seems worse than death. Being a burden on others. Are there ways to change this mental habit? I came up with two affirmations quite quickly:
1. "Good things are coming my way."
2. " I expect good things to happen to me." This one focuses on my expectations, rather than on actual events, which may actually be preferable.

Re: Affirmations?

[ecosophia]

Those are both well formed; I'd suggest the first, but the choice is yours. I also recommend journaling so that you can get to the roots of the negative thoughts. Just ask yourself, "Why am I thinking like this?" and let the words spill out unedited and uncensored. See what you find.

[(Anonymous)]

Good Evening,
Thank you for MM! I'm going through my second Saturn return. The question on my mind for the last 2 years has been, "Where is the bottom?". What can I do to pacify my Saturn in Pisces in the 6th house?

[ecosophia]

That depends on what's going on in your entire chart and in your annual progressed chart. I recommend getting a proper reading from a professional astrologer, who can walk you through the details.

Spirits feeding on positive energy?

[jruss]

Just a random thought, I’ve often read about bottom feeding spirits that feed on and thrive on negative energy. Even causing situations where lots of negative energy abounds.

Wouldn’t the opposite be true as well? Spirits that feed on positivity?

Re: Spirits feeding on positive energy?

[ecosophia]

That's usually called an angel, and the positive energy that nourishes them comes from the divine, not from other created entities. Like the negative spirits, they also radiate the energy that nourishes them.

Q

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

I've just parked myself on a tropical island for the next month, to recover and speed up my kundalini integration.

I know you said that meditation on the tree of life could help integrate emotional issues and personality imbalances. I have a copy of your paths of wisdom with me.

Do you have any suggestions on how to go about these meditations? Just dive right in, or read the full book?

Re: Q

[ecosophia]

That's all covered in Part 3 of Paths of Wisdom -- go ahead and read chapter 10, then chapter 12, which gives instructions for meditation. Read Part 1, chapters 1-6, while you're getting up to speed on discursive meditation, and then plunge right in.

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,
For a few weeks now, I have been regularly praying everyday over the Ecosophian Prayer List that Quin manages and as I do so, I keep wondering if I have the proper effective attitude, etc. So today, I went over some of your various responses to Qs about prayer here on MM or Open Post that I have copied over the years and put together the following for use with Quin's prayer list:

Prayer is not about making one feel powerful. Prayer is about acknowledging that there are beings in the cosmos far greater than us.

Settle into a stable position, turn attention toward the deity or deities to pray to, and talk. Do it as though I have the chance to talk to a wise and powerful elder. Explain why I want to pray to the deity/deities, ask for the outcome.

Imagine energies of blessing, healing, and peace streaming out from me for the people of each prayer request.

At the end, acknowledge "Thy will be done" and thank the deity/deities for listening. (Don't grovel, don't flatter, don't whine.)

Then, at the end of the prayer session, and this is crucial, be silent for a while. Listen for any answers. We may not get any; an answer may be felt -- an emotional tone, say -- or words may surface in the mind; but it's at least as important to listen to deities as it is to speak to them.

Does this seem like an appropriate approach for the prayer list or prayer in general? Any modifications?

Thank you,

WILL1000

[ecosophia]

That's a very good way to do it. It's fairly close to the way I pray, if that's anything to go by.

Magic & Myth

[cs2]

Last week I had a specific fear hanging onto me. Mentally I noted that I had already released the personal hangups that had originally attached me to this fear. It thus didn't make sense that it was still hanging around.

The day before, I'd visited a statue of Apollo and told him about my transformation last year, promising another transformation this year.

Just as I had the thought that I wanted the fear gone, and I'd already released my own attachments to it, the idea popped into my mind that I could slay it like Apollo did the python.

Immediately in my mind's eye the python was right next to me, its huge maw open about to eat me. In the physical world I pantomimed drawing the bow and arrow. In my imagination I had a Studio Ghibli-style moment where my hair floated and I let out a silent scream. I let the arrow loose and the python exploded, imaginary blood all over the room.

The scene dissolved and I was baffled to realize the fear was gone. It hasn't returned since. I thanked Apollo and made sure to not summon the fear again.

1. This sounds like the very definition of magic! Right?

2. Is this a common way that mages use myth for magic, and I just didn't know? Thanks for your time.

Re: Magic & Myth

[ecosophia]

1) Yes, but it's a specific kind of magic, one that worked the way it did because you'd made the contact with Apollo. You might consider getting a small statue of Apollo and burning a little incense to it now and again, partly as a thank you, partly to strengthen the contact.

2) Some do, some don't. It depends on one's relationship with the gods.

[diletpoly]

Good evening JMG and commentariat,

I've had a busy day, and am running out of time, so I just thought I'd thank whoever asked the question last week about using both charts for Geomantic divination. I had been doing that and getting mixed results. Since reading the answer, I've switched to using mostly the House chart with "how will my day go?" or similar as the question, though there's the occasional "will the kids and I end up going out for sushi tonight?" thrown in (the sushi place is expensive), and it has two effects that I'm quite liking:

1. For the yes/no questions, the answers have been straightforward and right, so far.
2. It's forcing me to become more comfortable with the meanings of all the houses. Up until now, I'd known the meaning of a couple of them (around relationships and work, because they're what I've asked about) but now I'm digging in more.

More observation than question. As I work my way through OPH, I'm at the section on the value of occult training as it relates to where one is on the evolutionary scale. First, I found myself thinking quite a bit during my meditations about the possibility that I'm not actually getting anything out of it, because I'm not as evolved as one should be to work on occult topics. Or, alternatively, am I just at the cusp, which is why I've been interested in these topics my whole life, but the practice has only just "stuck" in my middle-years. Also, there was a line that occult training is "a narrow path set apart for a few" which really got me thinking, on the one hand, do I really want to be associated with the people who first thought up such an elitist idea, and then, well, is it really elitist? To use an analogy, "there are very few people who can solve differential equations in their head" is, I assume (not being such a person), simply true, though reading it the right way certainly sounds just as elitist.

I'll be going through and reading the questions and answers tomorrow.

Happy Monday, and thanks again for hosting,

The Dilettante Polymath

[ecosophia]

What sets occultism apart, and makes it for the few, is simply that most of us have other interests -- and that's wholly appropriate. For most of the lives we spend as human beings, it's far more useful for us to plunge into the various dimensions of human life, to learn from our successes and failures, and to come to know ourselves in this way. Only those who are wrapping up their time in human incarnation will be drawn to occultism, and so by definition they're odd ducks. The crucial point here is that it's a waste of time to proselytize for occultism; it's not for everyone, nor should it be, but anyone who feels called to it and is willing to accept the necessary requirements and put in the hard work that's needed is welcome on the Path.

magic to make yourself more lovable

[(Anonymous)]

in one of your really old posts you mentioned a way of using magic to make yourself more lovable, how do I do this? I've been reading your rituals of high magic series, I hope the answer you give me is specific and actionable

Re: magic to make yourself more lovable

[ecosophia]

It's quite simple, but it does require you to have a good working knowledge of some system of ceremonial magic -- for example, the Golden Dawn system, which I'll use as an example. (If you practice some other system of magic, adapt the following to that.) First, you'll need to do a series of meditations and Pathworkings focusing on Venus and its corresponding sphere on the Tree of Life, Netzach, to activate those influences in your sphere of sensation. Meanwhile you can begin practical work by adding to your daily Middle Pillar exercise the work Israel Regardie included in the last section of his book The Art of True Healing, charging your sphere of sensation with the energies of Netzach. All this is preparation, though it can have a considerable effect.

When you've finished the meditations and pathworkings -- let's say, seven weeks of those (7 x 7, 7 being the number of Netzach), you create and consecrate a talisman of Netzach for the purpose of removing the unlovable aspects from your personality, and therefore making you more lovable. Then you let the talisman work. That'll likely involve some emotional upset as it forces you to confront and let go of the unlovable aspects of your personality, but on the far side of it you'll have become much more lovable and people will treat you accordingly -- for example, by falling in love with you.

How's that for specific and actionable? If you need the details of the Golden Dawn approach, you can look up all of this in my books Paths of Wisdom and Circles of Power. If you're not to that level yet in Golden Dawn studies, any standard introductory volume of GD magic, such as my book Learning Ritual Magic, will teach you everything you need to know.

The Devil Himself

[xcalibur_djs]

Satan is usually depicted as a red, satyr-like being, with horns, hoofs, and tail. There seems to be a connection with fauns/satyrs and Dionysus, particularly the excesses of Bacchanalian pagan festivals. This also fits a larger pattern, in which the pagan elements that couldn't be synthesized ended up demonized (sometimes literally).
However, I'm wondering if there's more to the story -- are there occult reasons/history for this portrayal? I recall reading a book on occultism as a kid, which had an illustration of an entity with a goat head & legs, with women's breasts -- I'm sure you know what I mean. I assume there's a connection there?

Re: The Devil Himself

[ecosophia]

Presumably this is the image you have in mind:

That's Eliphas Lévi's drawing of Baphomet, the supposed idol of the Templars. Lévi had very specific things in mind when he drew that, about which the people using the image these days have less than no clue.

The conventional image of Satan is borrowed very nearly lock, stock, and barrel from the Greek Pagan image of Pan. There's a reason for that, of course, which is that Pan sums up all the aspects of the Divine that couldn't be included in the Christian understanding of divinity, and so became the Shadow (in the full Jungian sense) of the Christian image of God. Jung had a lot to say about that, and about the psychological cost of the Christian castration of the Divine Image -- you'll find it, if you're interested, in his book Aion and elsewhere. The Fisher King in the Grail legend is another symbolic expression of the same insight, associated with fish, wounded in the "thighs," and unable either to fully live or fully die until someone asks the right question...

Radionics cleansing

[(Anonymous)]

I read an account of you and Joseph Max using a Hieronymus machine in a group ritual before to progressively cleanse the chakras.

Would it be advisable to adapt this to the equivalent of a daily ritual? So doing the same thing, but with a sample of myself in the well, and going through the chakras? Or do you think another ritual would be better.

Thanks

Re: Radionics cleansing

[ecosophia]

Yes, you can certainly do that. Here's what I'd suggest.

First, use the basic white light rate, 12-22.

Then work through the chakras, starting with the root chakra and going up one at a time to the crown. Make sure each one is clear before going onto the next.

Then -- I presume you have the Hieronymus rate book -- check each of the D.F. ("dark forces") rates listed on page G-31 of the rate book. Make sure all of them are below 50; treat any of them that are above that intensity.

Then finish with another round of 12-22.

That will do the same things as a daily banishing ritual and invocation of positive energies.

[(Anonymous)]

Good evening, JMG! I hope this message finds everyone well.

1) How are you?

2) How does the OSA egregore stay in such good shape? Every time I work with any Octagon Society materials I always have such a good feeling. How does the egregore and the Order stay energetically so clean even though the work involves a lot of emotional unloading?

Thank you!
J

[ecosophia]

1) Mixed. It's coming up on the one-year anniversary of my late wife's death, and that's stirring a lot of harsh memories. Still, I'll be okay.

2) It's precisely the unloading that keeps it clear. Anyone who wants to cling to their negative emotions leaves the OSA work very quickly, and so the "tracks in space" laid down by those who remain are entirely in the direction of healing and liberation from negative emotional states. That's a very good way to charge an egregor with positive energies.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm wondering what the definition of an initiate is in the context of the three levels of initiate, adept, and master? I saw an old comment defining the latter two but not the first.

[ecosophia]

The word "initiate" literally means "to begin." An initiate is someone who has begun the process of making contact between the lower and higher self.

R.J. Stewart Books

[mole_end]

No question, just something to pass along.

If anyone is looking for books by R.J. Stewart, do *not* buy them from the slimy South American river or any of the other usual suspects online. Evidently most or all his books are out of print, so naturally they're being sold as the rarities they now are for the typical 2, 3 or 4 times the original price. I was about to shell out 46 bucks (plus shipping) for a used copy of The Underworld Initiation when on a whim I went over to rjstewart.net and was able to buy it for 20 dollars, shipping included, and it arrived promptly 4 days later. I'm guessing maybe Robert and his people have a small stash of copies stockpiled are are still making them available for the original price. Whatever the explanation, I would heartily suggest that if you're interested in any of his books, head over to his website and take advantage of his offering--no telling how much longer it will last! (I did have to create a PayPal account, so take that into consideration.)

Re: R.J. Stewart Books

[ecosophia]

That's a good point. I gather from scuttlebutt in the occult scene that he's had even worse experiences with publishers than the rest of us, which is saying something, and he now self-publishes his own works. I've learned a lot from his writings and would recommend them heartily.