ecosophia | 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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~~With that said, have at it!~~

***This Magic Monday is now closed, and no more comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

JMG Thanks for all you do. I have a question about symbolism, but first a pre-amble.
I am 60 this year a late convert to a magical view. The first magic book I read was " The Druid Magic Handbook" I am a practicing Folkish Odinist running a small hearth in Glastonbury,but I also follow many aspects of your type of Druidism. A particular focus for me is ancestor veneration.
I live in a beautiful part of England the Cotswolds. Locally in and around the surrounding villages and towns, it's still a high trust society and still mainly unspoiled.
I have been protecting the local area with enchantment rituals for 8 years or so, things like being against housing developments and keeping natural areas natural. recently thought I would go to the head springs of the local rivers and streams and drop into them talismanic Crystals to aid this purpose.
My main ritual site is in some woods overlooking an ancient lake, both my parents ashes were scattered here and also of other relatives and faithful pets. Across the valley is the local church the site of my Grandparents resting place.
I should have realised that the springs feeding this lake are the Bisley Wells. The wells were reconstructed in the 1860's and every year since they have held a procession to the well by the school and locals on ascension day. A fine looking traditional event of which i approve, loads of picture online, google "Bisley Gloucestershire dressing of the wells".
My world view is Zionism in all it's forms causes many of the world's ills .Looking at last years photos, the female priest wearing a rainbow sash/scarf thing well I'm not Christian so.. But the children make floral symbols and letters as they always have, the words ascension the letters AD and two Stars of Davids, as far as I am concerned Zionism's symbol. So the questions I have are 1. How is this Star symbol affecting the unaware people. It's obviously affecting me.
How can I transmute my perceived negative feeling that I feel are flowing into "my" ancestral lake. Should I just bless the Wells beforehand and afterwards? maybe on behalf of Aqua Solus or Nerthus or a counter symbol of some sort either something unobtrusive at the wells, or closer to the lake. Any thoughts?
Cealin.

Okay, first of all, remember that the hexagram was an ancient holy symbol long before it was picked up by the Zionists as their emblem, and it's been revered in many lands; it's one of the ways that Chinese Taoists, for example, symbolize the interplay of yin and yang. You might meditate on it until you can see it, not as an emblem of a political movement you dislike, but as a geometrical symbol with its own rich heritage of meaning unrelated to politics.

Second, Dion Fortune makes a crucial point in her book The Magical Battle of Britain -- you overcome evil magic by invoking a stronger good, not by descending to its level to fight it. That was the basis of her successful magical defense of Britain during the Second World War. (Notice that the other side, despite having a much more robust and government-funded occult branch, failed; that happened because they got mired in fighting what they hated instead of supporting what they loved.)

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.

"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! ;)

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

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

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