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.

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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: Protection against bad luck/magical attack

[ecosophia]

The reading indicates that it's not a magical attack, and also that it's a transitory thing -- Fortuna Minor generally indicates something that won't last long. That said, there's obviously a lot of difficult energy moving, and so the amplified version of the red bag -- a jar full of rock salt with several small bent nails buried in it -- would be worth doing as a test. If the salt discolors or the nails rust quickly, there are noxious energies involved. As for amulets, I'd suggest St. John's wort, angelica, and mugwort mixed together -- all three of those are powerful protective herbs.

I'd also recommend, if you're not already doing this, the Essene blessing walk might be a very good idea, as it puts out positive energy to counter the negative forces currently at work, and it also tends to bring those energies to bear on those who practice it.

Finally, a word of warning. It's possible that this is a sign that the collective karma of Germany or Europe is coming home to roost. Pay close attention to any event or rumor that seems more than usually archetypal. I'm thinking here of the wailing woman who was heard, but never seen, in Tenochtitlan before the Spaniards came; Aztecs heard her crying aloud, "Oh, my children! Oh, my children!" It was one of several omens noted at the time, and afterwards. Please note that I'm not making a prediction here, and many other things could be behind this cascade of collective bad luck...but if things start going sideways for Germany or Europe in a big way, amulets may not be enough. Just saying...

[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.

[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/

[ecosophia]

Yes, there's a huge amount of Druid material in French that has never been translated. Much of it has been published; alongside Ambelain's work, there are the writings of Paul and René Bouchet, which are quite good, and many other authors as well, Breton as well as French. Some French and Breton Druid groups are very secretive, but others are much less so.

Re: Synchronicty

[ecosophia]

His book on the subject, synchronistically enough, is titled Synchronicity.

;-)

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: Egregores

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, very useful - thanks to both of you!

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.

[kylec]

Thanks, this very helpful. Since I don't have a human polarity partner, this would likely be my only avenue for that type of working in the future, and that gives me quite a few good options if I ever attempt it.

Re: Would a group manifestation be appropriate now?

[geometria]

On that note, I wonder what you make of Jiddu Krishnamurti? He was born roughly around the beginning of the Age of Aquarius (in your dating), a lot of people wanted him to be the next World Teacher, and he clearly repudiated that role.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

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

[(Anonymous)]

Huh. I really need to hit the handbook and reread until I can remember the basics. Thank you for setting me straight on this. My gut told me my optimism was misplaced, but... jeez. This is just embarrassing.

Since I've been repeatedly wrong about this condition these past 20 years-- it's never what I (or any professional) thinks it is... so somehow I'm not surprised at your interpretation of the chart. At least it leaves me some light at the end of the tunnel that I might someday find relief.

Thank you.

Re: Protection against bad luck/magical attack

[bendithfawr]

Thank you very much for these recommendations, JMG!

Yes, I'm aware that things might get pretty dark here. We decided to set ourselves up as well as we can and ride it out. We'd rather be in the thick of it but part of a community than a - possibly unwelcome - foreigner.

I'll keep my senses peeled for archetypal happenings, however, and will report if I come across any. Another thanks for the heads-up!

Re: Lesser Polarity Magic

[(Anonymous)]

I am also reading _Polarity Magic_ and just read the section on assuming hero forms. Was struck by your commentary on the Arthurian legends. In 1995 Sean Connery and Richard Gere were in _First Knight_ a highly unsuccessful Arthurian film. _Braveheart_ came out the same year and a friend of mine wrote a conference paper on why one film was a great success, and the other was a flop. She concluded that First Knight failed because it was not true to the legend. Instead of Camelot falling, Arthur dies but gives his blessing to Lancelot and Guinevere and they inherit the kingdom. (My take was that terrible acting by Gere contributed as well). People complained that _Braveheart_ was not true to history--however my friend pointed out that it was true to the legend as related by the poet Blind Harry. So, the influence of a well-established legend can outweigh the publicity machine of Hollywood and even the star power of Connery and Gere.

Rita

Re: Amber, stones

[rhydlyd]

Thank you! I'll add some dust to the next red bag I make. Magical amplifier might be what I need to look into.
Say - does the Ogham have stone correspondences?

Re: Golden Section Fellowship

[(Anonymous)]

Not bragging (too much) but I picked up the hardcover edition around 1980 at the Huntington/Hartford museum in SoCal. The other book I bought around that time was "The Myths of Plato" by J.A. Stewart. I should go back and re-read both.

[(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?)

Re: Odd Goings On

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm. Similar character traits seem to exist among humans, too. To take myself as an example - if a relation is close enough, say co-workers, I don't value a "thank you" very much. All the "thank you"s in the world won't stop the other one from kicking your ass if it deems "appropriate" and you're vulnerable enough. I learnt that lesson a rather unpleasant way.

I don't know about the vulnerabilities of the spirit beings in question - but judging from what scraps of lore I've heard so far I would be surprised if close coexistence with human beings isn't a very mixed bag for them. Of what worth is a "thank you" if other things are far more important and he who utters those words just displays his ignorance by saying so? "Ah, one of those ignorant thank-you-sayers again. He doesn't know the customs. Better be off for good."

This is of course just a wild guess - and I admit a very embarrassing one as it reminds me of being a thank-you-sayer far too often, despite not wanting to be one.

So today, no thank you! ;-)

Greetings,
Nachtgurke

Re: Odd Goings On

[(Anonymous)]

I read once that in parts of the middle east when you receive a gift or favor you're generally expected to reciprocate. Saying "Thanks" instead signals that you won't or can't return the favor, and can be seen as rude in some contexts. I haven't been able to find any other source corroborating its rudeness, though, so take it with a grain of salt.

Re: MARS vs VENUS as goals for space travel

[not_gandalf]

We could tolerably well send most of the political class on a landing mission to Venus and it would be a mighty good job, if you asked me. Perhaps balance things out by sending half there and half to Mercury...

Re: Odd Goings On

[(Anonymous)]

Ah, but one little thing I have to offer - either to you or to anybody who might like it. I love Harp music but unfortunately many tracks you can find sound very much like taken directly from some kind of fantasy game. I'm listening to this one right now while reading and writing and it's pleasant enough. It's called "The Winter Quest of a Druid".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyBuDGdPz84

Nachtgurke

[(Anonymous)]

Are there any old Druid Revival correspondence course online? What about any old Druidry course that you would recommend?

Sorry for all of these questions. Thanks again.

Re: Would a group manifestation be appropriate now?

[(Anonymous)]

I hope the end of the Piscean age means that those hoping for a mass white racial awakening to happen in the United States do not get their wishes fulfilled.