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 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

Affirmation for worst-case thinking

[bendithfawr]

Hi JMG,

a friend suffers a form of worst-case thinking, in an unfamiliar situation expecting the worst possible outcome and thinking (subconsciously) that by expecting the worst she can keep it from happening. Consciously she knows that she does this and it makes no sense but she still doesn't dare change it, every time the worst not happening reinforcing the "success" of the strategy.

I talked to her about affirmations and she's open to trying it but we're a little stumped about what actually the issue is. "I'm small and insignificant" (to change the future by her expectations) doesn't work as she's neither and doesn't want to be. "My thoughts can't change the future" is also not quite right since they often do (but by other mechanisms) and is negative, as is "the worst generally doesn't happen".

Have you heard of this type of thinking and do you see an affirmation that points in the right direction? Or just another way of approaching the matter?

Thank you for your help!

Re: Affirmation for worst-case thinking

[ecosophia]

Yes, I'm quite familiar with that sort of thinking -- it's a common habit. It's infectious, in an odd way -- notice how all three of the "affirmations" you've given here are actually negations! (Yes, even the first; it's phrased positively but expresses a negation, i.e., not large, not significant.)

The affirmation I'd suggest for your friend is "the best can also happen." Warn her that that's probably going to stir up all kinds of bad memories from childhood, which she should journal about; when she remembers disappointments and miseries, or simply finds herself getting angry or depressed after reciting the affirmation, she can write out what she's feeling. Suggest that she just let it flow onto the page, being careful not to censor or edit anything; that's a good way to release the bitter emotions from those experiences and free up the emotional energy locked in them.

Affirmations can't overcome that kind of knotted emotions from the past, but they can stir them up, so that journaling (and conscious reflection generally) can release them. It's a useful pairing of tools.

Re: Affirmation for worst-case thinking

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds a lot like my mother. If this is any help, she is very lucky in her adult life. The negative thinking seems to reflect early and ancestral experiences, but to have no influence over the current events in her life.