ecosophia | Magic Monday

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Magic Monday

Midnight is upon us 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 1.3 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 seventy-fifth published book, the sequel to The Witch of Criswell and thus the second Ariel Moravec occult mystery.  Once again, it's eighteen-year-old Ariel and her adept grandfather on the case, investigating the theft of a rare magical book and a trail of clues that might lead to a pirate treasure hidden somewhere in the odd old East Coast port town of Adocentyn. Ariel and Dr. Bernard Moravec aren't the only ones on the trail, though, and the others will stop at nothing to get there first...

In case you can't tell, yes, I'm having enormous fun with these. You can get a copy here if you're in the United States and here elsewhere.

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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 more comments will be put through. See you next week!***

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"Third, and crucially, always remember that what you hate, you imitate. Keep your attention firmly on the gods and virtues you want to uphold, not on who you blame for this or that bad thing in the world. Bless the wells by all means, in the name of every appropriate deity, but don't do it to squabble with the Christians; do it to bless the wells. That way lies power and peace." -Emphasis added.

I'm suddenly reminded of the old Roman habit of making offerings to the gods of their enemies. There's obviously a political element here (if you can win the gods over, or even just convince them to sit the fight out, you can weaken your enemies); but it's suddenly occurred to me that there might be another sound reason for it as well: viewing those other gods as enemies would mean that you would be fighting a god. Not just is this a very bad idea from a practical perspective, but it also makes it easier to fall into negativity and evil because the gods are always more virtuous than us in at least some sense.

How can one avoid that particular trap? Simple: all anyone needs to do is make a point of worshiping the gods that would otherwise be "enemies". This has all kinds of unusual implications, and I might have found a month worth of meditation themes, as soon as I clear the things already on my list! ;)

Whoops, that was me—somehow got signed out.

Jansenism? Good gods! I didn't happen to know that. What on earth happened to the central traditions of Catholic theology?

That's a very good point -- and, yes, a fine theme for meditations!

a) I know you're fond of Dion Fortune's definition of magic as "The art and science of causing changes in consciousness in accordance with will". Do you happen to remember where you got that from?

b) Do you know any good places to look for how will is understood in occult philosophy? I'm looking into Arthur Schopenhauer, planning to mediate on the topic, and looking through the bibliography of the occult books I have; but I'd like to know if you can think of any other good resources on the topic.

You might look for books on "active imagination," which is the Jungian term for exactly that practice. Those books have a psychological rather than a magical bias, but the practices are the same, and (whisper this) the psychology's not much more than a thin layer over the top of occultism.

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 Ron M’s friend Paul, who passed away on April 13, make his transition through the afterlife process with grace and peace.

May Corey Benton, whose throat tumor has grown around an artery and won't be treated surgically, and who is now able to be at home from the hospital, be healed of throat cancer. Healing work is also welcome. [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]

May David Spangler (the esoteric teacher), who has been responding well to chemotherapy for his bladder cancer, be blessed, healed, and filled with positive energy such that he makes a full recovery.

May Giulia (Julia) in the Eastern suburbs of Cleveland Ohio be quickly healed of recurring seizures and paralysis of her left side and other neurological problems associated with a cyst on the right side of her brain and with surgery and drugs to treat it, if providence would have it, and if not, may her soul move on from this world and find peace with a minimum of further suffering for her and her family and friends.

May JRuss's friend David Carruthers quickly find a job of any kind at all that allows him to avoid homelessness, first and foremost; preferably a full time job that makes at least 16 dollars an hour.

May Princess Cutekitten, who is sick of being sick, be healed of her ailments.

May Pierre in Minnesota be filled with the health, vitality, and fertility he needs to father a healthy baby with his wife.

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 Liz and her baby be blessed and healthy during pregnancy, and may her husband Jay (sdi) have the grace and good humor to support his family even through times of stress and ill health.

May 1 Wanderer's partner Cathy, who has bravely fought against cancer to the stage of remission, now be relieved of the unpleasant and painful side-effects from the follow-up hormonal treatment, together with the stress that this imposes on both parties, and may she quickly be able to resume a normal life.

May Jennifer’s newborn daughter Eleanor be blessed with optimal growth and development; may her tongue tie revision surgery on Wednesday March 12th have been smooth and successful, and be followed by a full recovery.

May Mike Greco, who had a court date on the 14th of March, enjoy a prompt, just, and equitable settlement of the case.

May Cliff's friend Jessica be blessed and soothed; may she discover the path out of her postpartum depression, and be supported in any of her efforts to progress along it; may the love between her and her child grow ever more profound, and may each day take her closer to an outlook of glad participation in the world, that she may deeply enjoy parenthood.

May Other Dave's father Michael Orwig, who passed away on 2/24, make his transition to his soul's next destination with comfort and grace; may his wife Allyn and the rest of his family be blessed and supported in this difficult time.

May Peter Evans in California, whose colon cancer has been responding well to treatment, be completely healed with ease, and make a rapid and total recovery.

May Debra Roberts, who has just been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, be blessed and healed to the extent that providence allows. Healing work is also welcome.

May Jack H's father John, whose aortic dissection is considered inoperable and likely fatal by his current doctors, be healed, and make a physical recovery to the full extent that providence allows, and be able to enjoy more time together with his loved ones.

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

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 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 Jennifer and Josiah and their daughters Joanna and Eleanor 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.

They'd deny it but the shoe fits. At minimum, "culturally Calvinist" is a term Europeans use for for American Catholics and it's completely accurate.

Thank you for this.

A.E. Waite also taught his own revision of the Pentagram ritual in his Christian version of the Golden Dawn, which uses most of the same words as the standard version but traces a cross instead of the pentagram in each quarter, and ends with "And above me the Holy Shekinah, the glory of God in His temple." It appears to work quite well. So Christianizing the ritual is certainly an option.

It really varies from person to person. I've known people who started getting good clear readings practically as soon as they picked up the deck, and people who had to spend years getting to that point. Your learning process is faster than average, but not out of the range of normal variation -- and what that means, of course, is that from here on, your abilities will be limited only by how much work you're willing to put into the tarot.

If you strengthen the afflicted planet, you strengthen the character flaw. The other two tend to work well, especially in combination: do some planetary charity for the afflicted and afflicting planets, and other than that, ignore them and build on your strengths.

Thank you!

1) I just happened to cite that in an article, so you're in luck. Here's the footnote:

Fortune, Dion, “The Rationale of Magic,” The London Forum 60:3 (September 1934), p. 179.

2) Eliphas Lévi's Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic has a lot to say about it. I haven't seen anything more recent that I'd recommend, though.

Thank you for this as always.

I'm offering healing hands this week to anyone who would like to receive them. This is a free spiritual healing modality conducted at a distance. All you need to do is leave your name and your request in a reply, or PM me. Thanks for helping me practice.

Hello, and thank you all for your prayers!

Eleanor seems to be recovering well from her surgery and is healthy and happy. Continued prayers for her optimal health, development, and oral function are most appreciated.

We also received welcome news that she is not in fact affected by some issues we were worried about based on prenatal indications (hip dysplasia and possible short-limb dwarfism). Wonderful news!

Unfortunately my postpartum bleeding is continuing for an abnormally long time, and I am going in for an ultrasound. Depending on what it shows, they say I might need a D&C. If our family can take up yet more room on the prayer list, I would appreciate prayers for myself:

“May whatever is causing Jennifer Kobernik’s postpartum bleeding be resolved with the best possible outcome, and may she be completely healed.”

Thank you!

I'm a big fan too! I just finished the Book of Hataan. Please keep them coming...

When I do my daily blessings I imagine something similar to the Circulation of Light around the person (all with permission). However, for a family who has recently lost a pet or loved one, I'm wondering whether I should imagine separate spheres around the newly departed. I don't want my lumping them together to result in them struggling to move on. My instinct has been to do separate spheres.

Is there anything in Western esotericism about this or do you have any advice? Thanks.

I’ve been working my way through your Natural Magic book (thank you). I work a job where I’m exposed to grubby energies on a daily basis. In addition to a daily banishing, I was thinking carrying an amulet would be a good idea to keep the unsavory stuff from sticking. I follow Druidry and have a lot of dried vervain sitting around. Would putting some in a red pouch do the job? Or should I opt for St John’s wort (or mix of the two)? Ideally something small that I can carry in my pocket.

Thank you for helping us rookies out every week. You are always so patient and kind. If you’ll have a blessing - may you be blessed in the light of the divine

This one: https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/st-patricks-breastplate.html

We really shouldn't've been surprised at the invisibility: that's what the prayer was first known for, but . . well, moderns, right?

BoysMom

For those who want to support Britain's astral pyramid, Kimberly Steele is currently singing the former British national anthem "God Save the Queen" every day, and you are welcome to join her:

https://kimberlysteele.dreamwidth.org/144376.html

For those who want to instead support America's astral pyramid, you can sing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" every day. "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" has the same melody as "God Save the Queen" and was one of many de facto American national anthems back before the United States adopted their current official national anthem in 1931.

So, I have spent twenty plus years following a tradition that is based in classical and ancient theurgy, so what could be called "pagan", but before that I was deeply involved in more Christian paths, including ordination in the Gnostic clergy, and lately, for a couple of reasons, I've been wrestling with the presence in my background of the gnostic approach to spiritual developement. I chalk this up in part as well to the current swing in western consciousness to the Christian resurgence as discussed here previously.

Here is what I keep coming back to: The Christian approach is based on the beginning assumption that the World (the universe, all creation) is bad. It's fallen. In the Christian Literalist approach it fell because of Man's disobedience to God's will. In the Gnostic approach it was ALWAYS fallen because it was built by a demiurge who was essentially drunk and stupid.

The pagan approach, on the other hand at least as Proclus and Iamblichus enunciated it, is that God is immanent in EVERYTHING. That's why, for instance, you use Heliotrope to invoke the Sun, because Helios,in a way, is incarnate in the plant. The universe ISN'T loused up, it's doing just what it is supposed to be doing. It's a school, not a prison. You aren't SUPPOSED to want to be in school forever, the purpose of a school is to learn the lessons and graduate.

So forgive me for the ramble, but I've been losing sleep because I keep having an urge to pick up the chalice and the paten again, and I wanted to think it through here. Please feel free to poke at what I've written. I'm grateful for any other points of view. Or just scroll past this long blather.

Well it is 2025 and that is a 9 year. A year of endings and consequences, and that seems very on the nose for this year.

My question is there a difference between years like 2025 that add up to a 9 in one go, vs a year like 1989 that adds up to 9 in two steps (27 then 9)?

Thanks for that, the meditation on the Hexagram seems such a good idea. Hopefully I will able to see the symbol for what it is.
I have recently re-read the Magical Battle of Britain and also Paul Weston's similarly titled book. All my rituals are aimed to "build up" Rather than "tear down".
Pre my meditation. What would a local provincial priest in 1860's England understanding of the Hexagram/Star be? Is the star of Bethlehem historically shown as six pointed?.
As to worshiping "enemy" Gods that seems alien to me. Respect maybe, but Worship no not for me.
Cealin
Cealin

Thank you -- I've bookmarked that version so I can recommend it to Christian readers. It's a good solid incantation.

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Magic Monday

Re: The Well and the Ancestors

no subject

Re: Curses and priests

Re: The Well and the Ancestors

no subject

Re: Meeting dead people in dreams

Ecosophia Prayer List

Re: Curses and priests

Re: Christian Banishing Ritual

Re: Divination Aptitude

no subject

no subject

no subject

Re: Ecosophia Prayer List

Modern Order of Essenes Healing Hands

Re: Ecosophia Prayer List

Re: Great series.

Blessing Spheres

Herbal amulet

Re: Curses and priests

no subject

Apropos of nothing again (sorry for the ramble...)

numerology question

Re: The Well and the Ancestors

Re: Curses and priests