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-fourth published book and sixteenth novel, and it's a sequel to my first novel, The Fires of Shalsha. Like that earlier novel, Journey Star is set on the second planet of Epsilon Eridani, which in the story was colonized two centuries back by a generation ship from Earth; like the earlier novel, it starts with a standard sort of conflict between seeming good and evil, but doesn't stay there. Having villains who are bad just because the heroes need someone to scorn and annihilate makes for dreary fiction; maybe, just maybe, even the most monstrous actions can be justified or even necessary in the eyes of those who do them...

And that's all I'm going to say about this strangest (so far) of my novels. All things considered, I think it worked fairly well. If you're interested, you can get copies here if you're in the United States and here if you're 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

[tunesmyth]

At this link is the full list of all of the requests for prayer that have recently appeared at ecosophia.net and ecosophia.dreamwidth.org, as well as in the comments of the prayer list posts. Please feel free to add any or all of the requests to your own prayers.

If I missed anybody, or if you would like to add a prayer request for yourself or anyone who has given you consent (or for whom a relevant person holds power of consent) to the list, please feel free to leave a comment below and/or in the comments at the current prayer list post.

* * *
This week I would like to bring special attention to the following prayer requests.

May Goats and Roses' son A, who had a serious concussion weeks ago and is still suffering from the effects, regain normal healthy brain function, and rebuild his physical strength back to normal, and regain his zest for life. And may Goats and Roses be granted strength and effectiveness in finding solutions to the medical and caregiving matters that need to be addressed, and the grief and strain of the situation.

May Karen who is in the hospital with RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) quickly recover and be restored to full health.

May Other Dave's father Michael Orwig, who has been in the hospital since 1/20 with almost complete liver failure and 20% kidney function, have found the strength to survive and thrive when he recently came off of his respirator, and may he be blessed with robust healing that allows him to regenerate his failing organs to the fullest extent that the universe allows; may his wife Allyn and the rest of his family be blessed and supported in this difficult time.

May Jennifer, who is now 36+ weeks into pregnancy with the baby still in breech position, have a safe and healthy pregnancy, may the delivery go smoothly, and may her baby be born healthy and blessed.

May Kevin’s sister Cynthia be cured of the hallucinations and delusions that have afflicted her, and freed from emotional distress. May she be safely healed of the physical condition that has provoked her emotions; and may she be healed of the spiritual condition that brings her to be so unsettled by it. May she come to feel calm and secure in her physical body, regardless of its level of health.

May Viktoria have a safe and healthy pregnancy, and may the baby be born safe, healthy and blessed. May Marko have the strength, wisdom and balance to face the challenges set before him. (picture)

May Linda from the Quest Bookshop of the Theosophical Society, who has developed a turbo cancer, be blessed and have a speedy and full recovery from cancer.

May Matt, who is currently struggling with MS related fatigue, be blessed and healed such that he returns to full energy; and may he be enlightened as to the best way to manage his own situation to best bring about this healing.

May NPM/Nick's 12-year-old Greyhound Vera, who passed away on 1/20, be blessed and comforted, and granted rest and a peaceful transition to the next life. (1/23)

May Frank R. Hartman, who lost his house in the Altadena fire, and all who have been affected by the larger conflagration be blessed and healed.

May Sub's Wife's major surgery last week have gone smoothly and successfully, and may she recover with ease back to full health.

May David/Trubrujah's 5 year old nephew Jayce, who is back home after chemotherapy for his leukemia, be healed quickly and fully, and may he, and mother Amanda, and their family find be aided with physical, mental, and emotional strength while they deal with this new life altering situation. (good news update!)

May Mindwinds's dad Clem, who in the midst of a struggle back to normal after a head injury has been told he shows signs of congestive heart failure, be blessed, healed, and encouraged.

May Corey Benton, who is currently in hospital and whose throat tumor has grown around an artery and won't be treated surgically, be healed of throat cancer. He is not doing well, and consents to any kind of distance healing offered. [Note: Healing Hands should be fine, but if offering energy work which could potentially conflict with another, please first leave a note in comments or write to randomactsofkarmasc to double check that it's safe] (1/7)

May Christian's cervical spine surgery on 1/14 have been successful, and may he heal completely and with speed; and may the bad feelings and headaches plaguing him be lifted.

May Open Space's friend's mother
Judith be blessed and healed for a complete recovery from cancer.

May Bill Rice (Will1000) in southern California, who suffered a painful back injury, be blessed and healed, and may he quickly recover full health and movement.

May Peter Van Erp's friend Kate Bowden's husband Russ Hobson and his family be enveloped with love as he follows his path forward with the glioblastoma (brain cancer) which has afflicted him.

May Daedalus/ARS receive guidance and finish his kundalini awakening, and overcome the neurological and qi and blood circulation problems that have kept him largely immobilised for several years; may the path toward achieving his life's work be cleared of obstacles.

May baby Gigi, continue to gain weight and strength, and continue to heal from a possible medication overdose which her mother Elena received during pregnancy, and may Elena be blessed and healed from the continuing random tremors which ensued; may Gigi's big brother Francis continue to be in excellent health and be blessed.

May Scotlyn's friend Fiona, who has been in hospital since early October with what is a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, be blessed and healed, and encouraged in ways that help her to maintain a positive mental and spiritual outlook.

May Peter Evans in California, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer, be completely healed with ease, and make a rapid and total recovery.

May Jennifer and Josiah, their daughter Joanna, and their unborn daughter be protected from all harmful and malicious influences, and may any connection to malign entities or hostile thought forms or projections be broken and their influence banished.

* * *
Guidelines for how long prayer requests stay on the list, how to word requests, how to be added to the weekly email list, how to improve the chances of your prayer being answered, and several other common questions and issues, are to be found at the Ecosophia Prayer List FAQ.

If there are any among you who might wish to join me in a bit of astrological timing, I pray each week for the health of all those with health problems on the list on the astrological hour of the Sun on Sundays, bearing in mind the Sun's rulerships of heart, brain, and vital energies. If this appeals to you, I invite you to join me.

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this as always.

The Astral Light?

[(Anonymous)]

So two years ago or a little less I had an experience that proved to me the existence of telepathy. I have written about this here before, but now I have some questions about it.

One day while driving to the mall I repeated aloud my heart’s desire. This desire could be expressed in as few as three words. I did this for no more than ten minutes, but with great intensity and conviction.

The very next day while walking across the parking lot of the very same mall, on my way to the grocery store, I was suddenly confronted by a man, a total stranger who stood directly in front of me, pointed right at me and said loudly: “Sir…” Then he spoke the three words, several times over: the same declarative statement about myself, only in the second person instead of in the first person.

This happened again shortly afterward, inside the store. At checkout the same man came up to me and repeated the same phrase in the same way.

Not for a millisecond do I believe that this happened by mere coincidence. Somehow my thought propagated by some immaterial means and was caught by the mind of this individual, who correctly perceived and repeated it back to me.

This suggests to me two things. First, it seems there must be some medium or field through which thoughts can propagate - especially, it seems, thoughts that generate some strong feeling. Second, it appears that our thoughts have the power to influence the minds of other persons, and hence - very importantly, I think - to influence the way they conduct themselves toward us.

So here follow my questions. First, what is the nature of this medium through which thoughts propagate from one mind to another? Does this kind of transmission of consciousness occur on the astral plane? Is it the astral light, orgone, Odic force, or something else? Or is consciousness as such the means of transmission?

Second, it seems to me that it would be most useful to be able to deliberately use this phenomenon to one’s advantage. Within the bounds of ethics, should it not be possible to affect the consciousness of others in ways that might make the difference between one’s own failure and success, between good and evil outcomes? If so, what means exactly are available to do that?

For the last few years I’ve been following the ideas of Neville Goddard and other New Thought authors. Goddard says that the world is a mirror that reflects back to you your own thoughts, feelings and assumptions; and in the case of the present incident, something like that principle does seem to have been at work. But this is my hypothesis; it’s not like I have a developed theory, with just one direct experience of this sort, albeit a to-me meaningful one.

Re: The Astral Light?

[ecosophia]

First of all, welcome to the real world. It's a lot more interesting than the fantasy world that materialists think they inhabit, isn't it?

Now, for your questions:

1) All these are labels applied by different people to aspects of the same complex reality. From the point of view of traditional occult philosophy, the model I find useful, the world of matter is the densest of seven planes of existence. Orgone, odic force, eloptic energy, animal magnetism, vril, qi, prana, voor, and so on are all the second densest, which occultists call the etheric plane. The astral light belongs to the next less dense, the astral plane, which is the plane of dreams and imagination, and the most common medium through which telepathy operates.

2) Of course it's possible to do this, and there's an ancient and very thoroughly developed body of knowledge about doing so. One common name for that body of knowledge is "magic." I've written some books on what the means are and how to learn them.

3) New Thought is a good starting place. Have you read The Kybalion, by any chance? That's a useful bridge between New Thought and the older occult traditions from which New Thought took all its basic ideas.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John,

When you say to do something during the "hour of Jupiter" (for example), what does that mean exactly?

From https://planetaryhours.net/, I take it that there are 3-4 "hours of Jupiter" every day?

Also, on a totally different tangent, when you write a book, is there a typical part (beginning, climax, end, etc.) that is "more fun" to write or that almost always comes easier than others? And is that part in hindsight the part that you most enjoy re-reading/thinking about?

[ecosophia]

1) Wikipedia has a decent explanation of what the planetary hours are and how they work. When I say "do this during the hour of Jupiter," I mean look up the hours of Jupiter during the day in question, and do the act during one of those periods.

2) It varies from book to book, and no, not really -- it's very often something I wasn't expecting at all that turns into the highlight of the book

Do you know my dream location?

[revert2mean]

Hi JMG,

I just have to ask this.

A bit of background:

I had kind of a rough 2022 and 2023 for reasons we can all guess, including, I believe, being cursed by one of those natural witches who was my boss.

I was pretty isolated for about eighteen months. I wasn't very happy, but I believe I learned to control my energy during that time.

In 2024 a series of strangely miraculous events turned my life around. I feel I'm in a particularly fortunate situation now. I don't quite know what to make of it, but I try to be grateful.

I have this dream, quite often, where I go to this place that's just oneness and harmony and bliss. It's hard to describe. Sometimes people I don't know greet me like I'm a hero. Sometimes I just float by myself. I can see our current world from there but nothing about this world ever worries me while I'm there. Sometimes I tell the people there that I have to go back instead of staying with them, and I come back alone. Sometimes I just wake up and I'm back. I'm not unhappy about coming back or anything, though I'd much rather stay in the oneness and bliss. I'm always insanely happy after one of those dreams. All the plants talk to me, the rain is alive. I'm a grinning idiot for days. I'm not quite so blissed-out that I can't function, but there is a bit of that.

Do you have some highly-technical view about where it is that I go?

Re: Do you know my dream location?

[ecosophia]

Sure. It's someplace high up on the astral plane. When you come back, do you feel any particular creative inspiration?

Angels

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning, JMG.

I have a few questions concerning angels and other entities.

1. How does one go about formally introducing themselves to archangels and angels and developing a working relationship with them in a manner that is respectful, reciprocal, and discourages impostor spirits or 'dialing the wrong number' (eg seeking Samael as the Martian archangel but getting the qlippoth of Hod instead)? I figure that prayer and scrying (preceded by a banishing ritual and followed by meditation) are good options. Any suggestions or recommended resources, or is what I proposed sufficient?

2. I assume that the elemental and planetary archangels (eg Raphael and Cassiel) correspond to the mental plane and that angels (eg Chassan for air) and angelic choirs operate in the astral plane as reflections of the archangels' powers. What about the elemental rulers (Ariel, Cherub, Tharshis, and Seraph)? Based on the names, I assume these are angels, but where do they fit in? What can they do that the other angels can't?

3. If the Elemental Kings are the consciousness of the elements, I figure that these are astral beings in the Anima Mundi. Consequently, I see an overlap with astral-level elemental angels (eg again Chassan). Is this a case of talking about the same entities using different terminology, or are these traditionally seen as separate entities with different offices and functions? I suppose a similar question could be asked about the planetary intelligences vs the planetary angelic choirs.

4. And finally, have you ever heard of anyone successfully interacting or working with angels on a no-name basis, calling on them only by their office/function (eg Archangel of Water)? If not, this might be an interesting source of experimentation for polytheists or non-Abrahamic monotheists who like the idea of angels as messengers of the Divine yet wish to avoid the Judeo-Christian filter/interface of traditional angel lore.

As always, thank you for hosting Magic Monday!

Re: Angels

[ecosophia]

1) Angels and archangels already know all about you, so it's a little absurd to try to introduce yourself to them. Remember that they are far more intelligent than we are; they also have a mental capacity we don't have, a kind of intuitive access to the truth about things. (It's one of the ironies of history that medieval philosophers called this capacity intellectus, as it's almost completely unlike what we call "intellect." Prayer and scrying are good ways to open yourself to contact with them, yes.

2 & 3) Nah, archangels belong to the spiritual plane, angels to the mental plane, elemental rulers to the astral plane, and the elemental kings (Djin, Paralda, Nichsa, and Ghob) to the etheric plane.

4) Yes, this is certainly an option. Some old text, as I recall, advise doing this until the angels communicate their own names to the scryer.

Paths of Wisdom editions

[hwistle]

Dear John,

Are there any substantial differences between the 1st and 3rd editions of Paths of Wisdom? I know you mentioned that the first edition of Circles of Power had some errors regarding the Hebrew alphabet that were subsequently corrected on the latest edition. Is this the same with Paths?

Many thanks as always!

Re: Paths of Wisdom editions

[ecosophia]

Yes, there were some corrections needed, though not so many as in Circles of Power.

[charlieobert]

"Having villains who are bad just because the heroes need someone to scorn and annihilate makes for dreary fiction"

It also makes for dreary and dysfunctional politics, and I don't think the parallel is accidental given the state of both fiction and politics in our culture.

[ecosophia]

Oh, granted -- it's not accidental at all, and the causation may go in more than one direction. I'll be very interested to hear if it comes out that USAID was pouring money (through a patchwork of NGOs to hide the trail of breadcrumbs, of course) into the big corporate publishers to encourage certain narratives and erase others.

MOE online course; blessing offer; egregors

[milkyway1]

Good morning! :-)

If I may, I've got two offers for everybody, and then a question about egregors:

1. I'm offering a free Modern Order of Essenes online course. The course starts this upcoming Sunday, Feb 16th, and is suitable for everybody who wants to participate, whether you've done any MOE work before or not. Quite a few people have already expressed their interest, and I hope we'll have a good time together! The details are here:

https://thehiddenthings.com/modern-order-of-essenes-online-course

I also perform a formal blessing each Wednesday for which everybody is welcome to sign up. Signup and more infos here:

https://thehiddenthings.com/categories/weekly-blessings


2. JMG, this isn't a political question, but an occult one about egregors... I assume that behind a vast bureaucracy, there is also a potent egregor (or probably a set or hierarchy of egregors). And Trump's strategy seems to be a full-blown frontal attack on the bureaucratic egregor(s) with a flamethrower. ;-)

a. In general, if somebody wanted to weaken or massively change such a powerful egregor, what other strategies would there be? This is assuming the person has the practical means to do so, e.g. as boss of the group which supports the egregor. You've mentioned a "tai chi" approach in countering magic before, so maybe use the egregor's own force to counter it? And/Or are there any other viable approaches to effect such massive changes on egregors?

b. And in this specific instance, if Trump had decided to use the another approach (e.g. tai chi) instead of the frontal assault on this egregor, how could this have looked like in practical terms? (I have to admit I have a hard time imagining how tai chi would handle such a powerful and blown-up egregor.)


Thanks for your thoughts, and for hosting MM again in the first place. My blessings to you, too, if you'll have them,

Milkyway

Re: MOE online course; blessing offer; egregors

[ecosophia]

2a) There are dozens of different ways to mess with an egregor. Trump's approach -- take control of the organization from the top and then go in with a chainsaw in one hand and a flamethrower in the other -- is certainly one of them. If you don't mind a slower approach, you can take it over and starve it, or take it over and get its components so busy fighting each other that they have no time for anything else, or take it over and then disconnect it from any real access to power while building a countervailing structure outside it, and so on. You can also stay far from the egregor, be nimble and evasive, and exhaust it from a distance, but that's more a strategy for those outside the system.

2b) The t'ai chi approach is yet another option. If Trump had been a t'ai chi master rather than the hero of a Sharknado sequel, he'd have moved his own people into positions of actual control, spun off those elements of the government that actually do something useful into a separate organization under his own control (say, assigned them to the Office of the President), and then crippled the system by removing critical components. The t'ai chi swordsman, along the same lines, doesn't chop heads off or run people through; one classic move in this style is to step past the other guy as he lunges, while the tip of your sword goes snick across the back of his knee, severing the tendon and causing him to collapse helplessly to the ground. Trump could have done that -- but he seems to have settled for the Sharknado approach...

SOP

[emily07]

Dear JMG,
1) currently I´m doing the SOP Dolmen Arch newyddian style and the index shows me - as suspected - that there is a part two. I´m doing part one for - gasp- 5 years (with breaks due to hormones) and a kind of spiritual healer I consulted recently suggested I stop working with the Dolmen Arch for the time being but the SOP would be ok. Still I´m wondering: if I do that SOP as a standalone, without the second part as I am nowhere near the chapter where that comes into play, should I switch to another one? And if yes, which one? I have several different book from you, including The Earth Mysteries Workbook, which apparently according to said healer would also be ok. I wouldn´t mind buying an extra book or two for the "right" SOP. Thank you for your work and if you wanted to be blessed by me: be blessed (otherwise not, of course!).
2) oh, and: regarding Thank you´s and invisible househelpers - would you happen to know or guess if a blessing as a "thank you" work in the same way as a thank you i.e. drive them away? Just curious, no cases (as of yet:)
Best wishes
Emily07

Re: SOP

[ecosophia]

1) You can do that version indefinitely as a standalone if you like. Alternatively, if you want to learn the rest of it and do it in a slightly simpler version, The Way of the Golden Section has the details.

2) I don't know whether that would have the same effect or not. You might consider divination as a way to find out.

[(Anonymous)]

I think I might have found a new "saint", to borrow a term from Christianity. I'm in some training to work with electrical systems, and recently one of the instructors has passed away. He was one of the kindest souls I've ever met, and the man genuinely loved teaching the material in a way I've never seen from anyone else. He found his calling decades ago, and spent the last few years of his life continuing to teach despite serious health problems, and although his health problems did limit him, I never once heard him actually complain about them. However, last year his heart gave out completely.

I did a brief pray for his soul, and had a very odd feeling that he was aware of this, a sense I don't normally get when I pray for the deceased. When I went back to do some studying a little later, I found that the material was a little easier to understand. After this happened a couple times, I started praying to him before I study, and I get the sense that he is there, helping me. I've also felt his presence when reviewing notes he wrote, or any of the videos he recorded.

a) Does it sound plausible that he might have become a saint looking over the students in the electrical program he taught in?

b) Aside from the practice of prayer, and the material plane work that I need to do to do well in the program, are there steps I should take to honor someone who appears to have decided to continue to mentor me even after his death?

[ecosophia]

1) Yes, it seems quite plausible.

2) If you have access to a picture of him, make a little shrine with the picture in a frame and consider burning a little incense when you pray to him. If you know anybody else who might be receptive to these ideas, also, let them know. In Pagan societies, this is how souls become guardian spirits, and sometimes over time rise to the status of gods -- and I think electrical engineering could use a kami these days.

Solar Energy

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG-
At the beginning of January, I took a bath with ingredients designed to help me with aspects of my personality that are affected by the sun. The bath worked; for several days afterwards, I was more energetic and confident. It was a positive change, but after several days, I reverted back to my old self again.
How do I integrate these solar energies in a more permanent fashion?
Thanks!

Re: Solar Energy

[ecosophia]

That's the problem with any form of natural magic -- it's skin deep, and wears off after a while. You have at least three choices:

1) Take a similar bath once a week during the hour and day of the Sun. Over time, this will gradually pull you in a more solar direction.

2) Use solar herbs and stones to make an amulet and wear it as often as possible.

3) Pay close attention to the differences you notice from the bath -- that capacity for being energetic and confident is always there within you, you just need to activate it consciously. Meditation and journaling will help you get past the barriers you've put in place to keep yourself from accessing that capacity.

You can do all three of these things at once, by the way.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I have been experiencing an eruption of synchronicities related to the story of Lleu Llaw Gyffes from the Mabinogion, with myself in the role of Lleu.

Do you have any advice on how to harness the transformative and healing potential of this archetype without succumbing to egoic inflation, or just losing control of my life completely?

One of the things that concerns me is that, while Lleu comes out well in the end, it's never specified as far as I can tell whether Aranrhod's curse is lifted, and he is able to remarry after Blodeuwedd's betrayal. As someone who would like to get married and start a family one day, this ambiguity is a little perturbing.

[ecosophia]

I recommend divination. You might also consider, if you can handle a little practical polytheism, setting up a shrine to Aranrhod -- get an image of her and burn incense to her on Mondays. She is Lleu's mother and guardian spirit as well as the source of his challenges -- not an uncommon pattern in myth -- and acknowledging her will help you navigate the process.

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what AS, TADR or QC mean, a list of abbreviations used on Ecosophia. I've also made a list of the sixty five books discussed on Magic Monday so far.

[ecosophia]

Thanks for this as always.

Earth Mysteries Workbook and size of the study area

[borealbear]

My copy of the Earth Mysteries Workbook recently arrived, and I like the concept a lot. It'll be a little while before I can actually work through it, since I need to finish some other commitments first, but I do intend to go through it properly when I have more wiggle room with daily meditation topics. In addition to the earth mystery work itself, psychometry seems really intriguing. Would have been handy to know about back when I was studying archaeology...even if I suppose the professors who taught me back then would have been horrified to hear me say that. ;) Also fun to see you mention the ages of myth-legend-history triad in the latest Wagner post after reading about it in the EWM so recently.

In any case, I have one question after reading it: do you have any advice for deciding on the right size of the area to study? I know this is probably a preference thing, but I wanted to ask anyway. To take my own situation, I live in a traditional district of southeastern Norway that's around 1000km2, or one quarter of Rhode Island. That's probably too small, right? One level up, my area is part of one of three regions that together make up the country of Hedmark, which is about the size of Massachusetts. I suppose that would be the most logical level to work at here?

It should also be said that there's an area about an hour's drive to the east of me known as the Forest of the Finns, due to extensive immigration by Finns from Sweden back in the 17th century. They had a distinct culture and a reputation for sorcery and strangeness that's left a rich legacy of folklore to this day. (compare how Finns tended to be equated to the magical in Norse times). I suspect the fact that it straddles the Norway/Sweden border also contributes to the liminal quality. In other words, this area is one of the richest and most famous in the whole country in terms of weirdness and mystery, so I'd probably be remiss if I didn't make sure to cover it in my study area.

Thank you for hosting this space, as always.

Re: Earth Mysteries Workbook and size of the study area

[ecosophia]

That's entirely up to you, and to the density of phenomena in the area you live. A district a quarter the size of Rhode Island that's full of ancient ruins and paranormal phenomena can be more than enough to keep an investigator busy, where a much larger area with fewer traces of the Unseen can be insufficient. Your own interests are also a factor -- choose an area that will provide you with plenty of things that fascinate you. In your place, I'd certainly study the Forest of the Finns, but I'd also check out my own little area for ghost stories, troll stories, unknown aerial phenomena, and the rest of it.

[jdecandia]

I have been exploring this question myself, but I wanted to ask about your viewpoint on this in addition to any of the views of the commentariat as I hope I am not deluding myself in this matter simply due to wishful thinking or due to the fact that I do not have years of benefit of practice.

In my limited spiritual experience, I had an expanded sense of self. As in, I looked around as I was hiking outside and realized that plants/my dog think in much the same way I do. I had an experience of the interiority of other living beings. When I looked out into the ocean, I had a sense that "I am also that!" and a sense that as far as my vision expanded, I was somehow also that. I was ecstatic and felt somehow at home. There was a deeply felt sense of this being something I forgot, and somehow more real. As in- how could I have forgotten this?

The reason I am bringing this up is because I have been reading a lot to help me understand what this experience was. I find the concept of a "witness" consciousness to map most closely to my experience. I have also read Bernardo Katsrup books, and your writings have previously led me to Schopenhauer which gives me an intellectual framework to understand this interiority that I felt I experience in other beings.

That being said, I have also come upon the idea of "emptiness" in Buddhism. This was not my experience at all. I felt MORE myself, although myself was not connected to my body. It appeared that whatever I turned my attention to, I was also that (somehow...it's a hard thing to diminish into words). When I have engaged with other Buddhists, there is so much talk about annihilation, emptiness, void, and our experiences as an illusion.

I understand this idea in principle, but I experienced myself as a void only in the sense that I was a "no-THING". But I somehow felt more real in this state. Am I deluding myself? It is hard for me to doubt my own experience, but a lot of what I am reading from the Buddhist perspective is that "you are not that", you are "also not that". I feel that I definitely understand more on what you write as in "you are not your personality", but I felt hat I was going into a vaster version of myself.

I hope that I am not deluding myself by just wanting to go to my preferred version of spirituality. The idea of the void as emptiness, the talks of annihilation in Buddhism scare me. I understand the void as being something that I came out of to exist here today, it is a generative force. But the texts I am reading point to "zero" in an absolute way that feels nihilistic. I am sure that this is because I have just begun my practice and have a distorted view of what is being talked about; however, I am hoping that by posting here I can at least get a better intellectual grasp of what is being said.

[ecosophia]

That's an aspect of Western presentations of Buddhism I also find distasteful and inaccurate in terms of my own experience. I've had Buddhists of considerable experience, however, inform me that the whole emptiness-and-annihilation business is what you get when you try to translate certain very subtle and complex concepts out of the cultures that created them into a culture that has no good way to talk about them.

The experience you've had is quite common among Western mystics and occultists, for what it's worth. The idea is that the personality we each have is a temporary narrowing and concentration of focus of a consciousness that, ultimately speaking, is not separate from the Infinite.

It's also well documented in Hinduism, in which one classic phrasing is Tat Tvam Asi, literally, "that also art Thou" -- whatever you look at is also you. It's one of the four Mahāvākyas or "great sayings" from the Upanishads; the others are Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, Prajñānaṁ Brahma, and Ayam Ātmā Brahma, which mean respectively "I am the Absolute," "The Absolute is the highest level of consciousness," and "This very self is the Absolute." If these make sense to you, why, there are plenty of good English translations of the principal Upanishads; you might consider reading one.

Astrology?

[rhydlyd]

In your astrology, was there any indication of the way DOGE is using cybertech to cut through the nonsense that they-the-entrenched mistook for an impregnable fortress? The reports reaching my distant ears sound like a combination of William Gibson's visions and the inventions of Warhammer's Orkish Mechboyz (The Boss said it works, so it works!). Further, I'm still baffled by the left's failure to recognize a freefall while they are in one, so I'm looking for tell-tales and harbingers of events in DC as they unfold, both mundane and supernatural. If you and the commentariat have a pointer, mundane or supernatural, or two for my amateur political sleuthing, I'd welcome them.

Rhydlyd

PS: I did a working to get some Hawkwind albums to your favorite used record store in a manner amicable to everyone involved - hopefully, that will cut out stolen goods, begrudged pawns and apex-price collectables.

Re: Astrology?

[ecosophia]

The comet I interpreted last year indicated that there would be a vast slaughter of the aristocracy, and we do seem to be seeing that just now. Other than that, no, but that's not surprising. Astrology predicts the natural order of events, and as I noted in The King in Orange, what's happening now is quite precisely supernatural: a divine power has intervened (or an archetype has been activated, if you want to use Jungian language) and thrown everything into confusion. The Changer is among us, the Left is behaving exactly as I predicted all those years ago, and nothing will ever be the same again...

Resistance?

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

Here is (to me) a strange question: I sought Saturn's favor a while ago and did rituals, chanting, etc. and I think I got some results--I say "I think" because a couple of events last week have me second-guessing myself.

In any case, I have been trying the same thing with Mercury lately, but there seems to be this strange "friction" of sorts. Like every time I want to chant at the time of Mercury, something delays it, or when I want to light an orange candle, the lighter goes out a few times first, etc. There is nothing "permanent" in that eventually I can get it done, but there just seems to be an extra unnecessary degree of effort required. A first I thought it was in my head, but these events seem to be a bit more persistent than what random chance would suggest is possible.

So my questions:
1. Has this ever happened to you?
2. Do you have any insights as to what could be going on?
3. Is there anything I can do to make for a smoother experience? Does it even matter, since eventually I get the task done anyway?

Thanks!

Re: Resistance?

[rhymeswithshoggoth]

I had something like this with Venus! Everything would go wrong. She is in fall and badly aspected in my chart.

Sphere of Protection, affirmations

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, I have two questions. First, I've been doing the SOP for a couple of years, faithfully, but I have trouble visualizing: there are too many things to visualize all at once. The symbol, the season and time of day, the elemental, the deity etc. I tend to circulate between them until I've at least touched on each of them briefly. Is there a better way, or an element to prioritize over the rest?
Second, I'm on a second pass through the OPW, now on lesson 33. I find there is something a little odd about the affirmation, "I welcome new souls to the human level--as I prepare to rise above it." It's as though I were saying, "Greetings & welcome--and now if you'll excuse me I must be going." Know what I'm saying?

Re: Sphere of Protection, affirmations

[ecosophia]

1) Focus on the symbol above everything else. Circulate among the others.

2) Yes, but that's the situation you're in. As a student of occultism you're in the process of leaving this level, and there's not a lot you can say that will be of use to those who are arriving at it, other than, "Hi, I was just going, but have a great time here."

Female astral body and Male arousal

[(Anonymous)]

DearJMG,

I know you said in the past you have a female astral body. I suspect I might be the same, and lately I came to realize I usually require a female to first show desire towards me before I feel aroused, even if I am initially attracted to her. My question is, if you are ok sharing of course, if it's the same for you?

Sorry if this question is too personal, but I came to this conclusion while journaling about why wasn't I interested in persuing many women I knew in the past, and wanted to test my hypothesis.

I hope your day goes well.

Re: Female astral body and Male arousal

[ecosophia]

Good heavens. Yes, that's very much my experience; just as what attracts me most to a woman is her attraction to me, what arouses me most is her arousal. It hadn't occurred to me that this was a function of my inverted upper bodies, but it makes perfect sense once pointed out.

OSA work

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning,

I've worked my way through most of the third preliminary lesson of the Order of Spiritual Alchemy, the one about guilt. To my surprise I've found that many of the things I feel guilty about are things that are actually not my fault.

After a few sessions of writing about genuine mistakes I've made, what started to come up was guilt about things like having enough money, a good apartment, living in a relatively prosperous and peaceful country- things that frequently go under the heading 'privilege'. Conversely, I also discovered a lot of guilt about my tendency toward depression and melancholy- things that could similarly go under the heading of 'temperament'. Finally I found myself confessing that I often feel guilty just for existing!

While all this was a bit of a surprise, I consider it useful information. My question is, since the OSA writing prompts specifically have to do with guilt about mistakes one has made, how do I handle these other varieties of guilt in my writing? Or will they be dealt with from a different angle in a future lesson?

With gratitude for Magic Monday

Re: OSA work

[ecosophia]

That's uncommon but it certainly does happen. I'd encourage using the writing process to explore the feelings further: for example, you might write "why does X make me feel guilty?" and see what surfaces. Keep on asking questions and eliciting responses; you may be surprised by what surfaces.

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings JMG & assembled Magic Monday community.

I’ve been noticing a common sentiment among the younger generations that sees all work and all transactions as morally tainted, exploitative, and grifty. Hearing it expressed with pure teenage bile helped me recognize subtler versions of the same tendency in myself. So I thought I would ask for advice from you, and the commenters here, on practices that encourage one to recognize positive moral or spiritual value in transactions involving money?

Thanks,
-Rusty

[(Anonymous)]

Not sure if I have any ideas for practices per se, but I find it helpful to remember that there’s nothing wrong with value-for-value thinking, and that exchange on the basis of mutual self interest is an inherently peaceful and beneficial dynamic that often promotes good relations between those who might otherwise conflict. Money merely lubricates the process.

In high finance where money becomes more and more abstracted from concrete value, you can start to see some real problems—but the more day to day stuff is generally benign and healthy.

Debilitated planets

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Archdruid, an astrology question if I may. I've been reading your lessons on Patreon for a while but AFAIK this wasn't addressed at the time:

If the ruler (ascendant ruler) of a chart is in the 10th house (thus "strong" or influential), but otherwise debilitated to a max (as in: in his fall, retrograde and conjunct Saturn), what counts more?

Does it mean: in a bad condition, and able to do a lot of harm because in 10th house - or rather: Important but will encounter obstacles that have to be mastered?

Thank you as always.

Re: Debilitated planets

[ecosophia]

Treat each major dignity and debility as being roughly equal in force, and do the math. If you have a chart ruler with one dignity (+1) and three debilities (-3), the result is -2, which is seriously debilitated, and his bad influence will be exercised on 10th house matters.

Hinduism and Western Occultism

[(Anonymous)]

JMG,

I have recently been doing some very basic reading on Hinduism and specifically Vedanta philosophy and I am astonished by how closely it aligns with a lot of the Western occult philosophy you talk about a lot.

Everything from

a) the different kinds of material and subtle bodies and their functions
b) the nature of karma and how it functions
c) the cycle of births and rebirths and the way in which the cycle ends

And quite a few other things - except for the Sanskrit words, it's very very close. There are probably more similarities that I am not aware of.

Is this an unusual similarity between Hinduism/Vedanta and Western occultism or is it common to have this level of agreement between religious philosophies worldwide when you go deep enough?

In general I think it is very strong evidence that something is true when widely divergent accounts from different regions and historic periods agree on a phenomenen (I think you made this argument about the Old Hag experience in Monsters too).

Re: Hinduism and Western Occultism

[ecosophia]

There's some direct influence between the two -- a lot of Western occultists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries eagerly read translations of Hindu writings -- but that only became an option because the basic assumptions and worldviews of the two teachings were so similar from ancient times on. Thus, like you, I treat the similarities as evidence for the truth of those common teachings -- not least because Western occultism had to survive for so many centuries in an environment in which being caught thinking like a Hindu was grounds for a very painful death. If there hadn't been some very real reason to hold to those beliefs, I doubt they'd have kept springing up over and over again...

Dolmen arch enchantments

[autpaxautbellum]

I’m currently studying and practicing the introductory enchantment methods in Dolmen Arch grade 5. Understanding that this is the very beginning steps, I was wondering if it will eventually (in future grades) be possible to enchant a musical instrument. My thinking was that an appropriate enchantment could reinforce some of the virtues I’m cultivating through musical practice.

Re: Dolmen arch enchantments

[ecosophia]

As you reach the higher grades, you'll find that "go ahead and experiment" becomes the core theme of the teaching. Musical instruments can certainly be enchanted -- in fact, if they're played often and cared for, they tend to pick up certain levels of enchantment in the ordinary way of things.

Music and etheric perception

[(Anonymous)]

A question to our generous host and the other musicians in this forum:

I work as a music therapist, which often includes singing popular songs together with patients. I am not a trained singer and my vocal success is rather mixed. Oftentimes, I rely on suggesting a melody along with my guitar or piano accompaniment, rather than singing it in full voice (I hope suggesting is the right english word - in German musical language I would say "andeuten" or "markieren", like a singer who spares his voice in a rehearsal).

Nevertheless, I frequently encounter a phenomenon in these sessions: a wave of energy flowing towards me and giving me shivers - even if the group or individual is sitting with rounded backs and crossed legs, mumbling the lyrics with eyes fixed on their songsheets.

My impression is that this happens when people are touched by the music on the astral level, even if the performance doesn't stir up an unusual amount of etheric energy. It often happens at very emotional lines of text in a song - but hardly ever when I make music alone.

Anyone familiar with this? Could it be an outpour of etheric energy triggered by an astral process?

Re: Music and etheric perception

[ecosophia]

Are there any other situations where you tend to function as an empath? That seems to be what you're describing here.