Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

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-eighth published book and nineteenth novel, a stand-alone (so far) tale set in 2095 or so. You could call it cli-fi (the current cute label for climate change fiction) if you like, or deindustrial SF; I'd call it a deindustrial noir Shinto science fiction spy thriller with Gnostic overtones. Jerry Shimizu, the two-fisted, gun-toting, half-Japanese tough guy who narrates the story, and the world in which he lives are interesting enough, at least to me, that he may get a sequel...but we'll see.  If you're interested, you can get copies here in the US and here 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 more comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Comments

[liamq]

JMG,

Many thanks for another Magic Monday!

I’ve been wanting to offer incense to the gods of the Druid Revival, either on an individual basis and / or to several of them at once. I have a couple kinda dumb questions about that.

(1) I know that you happen to have experience with Shoyeido incense, which is one of the brands I purchase. Would all of their incense mixtures work more or less equally well as an offering to the Druid gods? Is there one mixture you would recommend over the others?

(2) Is plain old frankincense something that would be appropriate for those particular gods?

[ecosophia]

1) Every Shoyeido incense I've burned as an offering to gods has been very well received. The "daily incenses" are among my favorites, but the gemstone incenses are also good.

2) You can always burn frankincense to gods and goddesses. In Roman times that was the standard offering, and the deities don't seem to have gotten tired of it!

Investments and geomancy

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

1. Could you please clarify what forms of investment you mean when you assign speculative investments to the fifth house and all others to the second? For example, picking stocks seems like fifth house, but bonds seem like second house.

2. How do you approach readings where you've asked whether something you'd like to do would be good for you and the chart perfects but with significators that are generally negative or with negative results indicated (e.g. 4th house having a negative figure), or vice versa? Or for that matter, a great judge and witnesses and a negative but perfecting house chart, or vice versa?

Thanks for magic Mondays.

Re: Investments and geomancy

[ecosophia]

1) The difference between an investment and a speculation is quite simple, though a lot of effort has gone into obscuring it. Did you buy it in order to receive a share of profits at regular intervals, without selling it -- for example, income stocks yielding dividends, or real estate yielding rents? That's an investment. Or did you buy it because you thought that down the road you could sell it for more than it cost you? That's a speculation.

2) A house chart that perfects with negative significators says, "Yes, you can do this, but you won't like the results." If that chart has favorable judge and witnesses, you'll come out all right anyway; if the chart has a positive mode of perfection but negative judge and witnesses, that's good in the short term but bad in the longer term or the larger picture.

[katylina]

Aside from Max Heindel(and Steiner i think?), which occultists wrote about upcoming russian civilization?

[ecosophia]

If I recall correctly, HP Blavatsky also discussed that.

Reincarnation

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG! You wrote that "Reincarnation has been a standard part of occult teaching for a very long time, and a large part of the reason is that many people remember glimpses of previous lives, especially once they practice meditation for a while."

I recently had a dream in which a voice said "You died in ____" (place name), or maybe it said "I died in _____. I googled it when I woke up, and there really is such a place. (It's in another country, where there was a genocide a century ago.) I wish I could ask it more details.

Anyway, this makes me wonder things. Like, what precisely is my connection to the person who died? It is easy to say that I am him / her reincarnated, but on the other hand, the situation could just as easily be described by saying that I am only receiving messages from the dead. Either way, there is a sort of spiritual connection--it doesn't necessarily have to be a soul that hops from body to body. Or maybe my whole idea is a kind of psychological symbol, like in Jung or Corbin, and not to be taken literally. Maybe I "resonate" with this time period, without literally having been there. That might better explain all those people who had past lives as biblical characters, or other famous people. I know that you recall some aspects of your past lives. How did you make sense of the experience? Or did you just know?

I also wonder what kind of karma is going on. The whole idea of karma assumes a certain set of ethical values, that in turn assume human biology (life and death and so on). Maybe genocide is wrong even if death is not the end, because of these values. But if we are all bound within a single karmic system, and are subject to the same rules / values, this is kind of like the traditional God who judges people. And if "you create your own reality," then that would apply to karma too, no? I know you're a polytheist--what's your take on this?

It occurs to me that my ideas are molded by certain 19th-20th century occult traditions about reincarnation. If I had gravitated towards other ones--Shinto ones, perhaps--I would have very different preconceptions. Can we ever really transcend our milieu? (Except by dying, I mean!)

Thank you very much for whatever insight you can offer.

Re: Reincarnation

[ecosophia]

Okay, we'll have to start by covering some basics.

1) It's possible to come up with an infinite number of theories to explain any set of data. On that basis, it's possible to come up with almost any explanation you like to account for apparent past life memories. Keep in mind, though, that all the things you've suggested could be used just as well to account for your memories of last month. Do you really know for sure that you had those experiences? Maybe you're a brain in a bottle, after all, and got programmed to remember those things!

The most straightforward explanation for past life memories is that people have past lives. This doesn't mean that everybody who claims to remember a past life memory is right, or for that matter honest; there are plenty of things that can cause confabulated memories -- hypnosis of the "past life regression" type being the most common these days. It does mean that if coherent, consistent recollections that seem to come from a past life begin to surface, it's not unreasonable to take them as such -- especially if they explain quirks in your present life.

2) No, karma does not assume a system of ethics. Karma has nothing to do with ethics. It's not a scheme of rewards and punishments. Karma is simply the law of cause and effect. I've written a blog post about that, which you can read here:

https://www.ecosophia.net/the-law-of-consequences/

3) No, you can't transcend your milieu. More precisely, your personality -- the temporary identity you've taken on in this life -- can't transcend its milieu, because its milieu is an essential part of its experience of incarnation. When you die or become enlightened, and the personality dissolves back into your individuality -- the real you, the face you had before your mother and father were born -- you incorporate the lessons of that life and milieu and learn from them. Then you go on to the next one.

Ecosophia Prayer List

[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.

* * *
May 1Wanderer'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; may she quickly be able to resume a normal life, and the cancer not return.

May Kallianeira's partner Patrick, who passed away on May 7th, be blessed and aided in his soul's onward journey. And may Kallianeira be soothed and strengthened to successfully cope in the face of this sudden loss.

May Pygmycory find relief from her tendonitis and emotional exhaustion, and receive wise guidance in choosing which matters to address and which to let go. (If you choose to pray for her, she requests that this prayer go only to God as understood from the Christian perspective).

May slclaire's honorary daughter Beth, who is in the hospital undergoing dialysis due to impaired kidney function, be blessed and experience a full recovery to her kidneys.

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 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 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 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 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.

Re: Ecosophia Prayer List

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this as always.

[nightsgate]

To share this week, I wanted to mention a recent experience with geomancy, which I use as the divination part of my daily practice.

A few weeks ago I cast a chart for a question which I won't repeat, but concerns a part of life I'm feeling stuck in.

The result was illuminating and in a way unsurprising: Carcer as both Witnesses and Populus as Judge.

After chewing on this question and result through journaling and meditation in the weeks since, today I had a breakthrough that added a whole new dimension to my original interpretation.

Without getting into too much detail, this process has shown me that not only am I stuck in my own "inner prison", which alone isn't much of a surprise, but there's a powerful part of me that *wants* to be stuck.

That part identifies with the prison, and fears what might be outside. There's a deep need within me to stay stuck in that neediness, and this works against any attempt at changing. Leaving the prison means a trip to the executioner for that part of my identity, so it fights like a cornered animal.

I thought this was worth sharing as a minor "TSW" success story. Besides the personal breakthrough, it's a little eerie (and exciting) how dialed in the geomantic chart was...

[(Anonymous)]

Not JMG, but you may wish to look into Internal Family Systems (IFS) as a modality to deal with that part of you. It's a school of therapy that can be self-performed that is centered around dealing with our various parts and seems tailor-made for this sort of thing.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I hope you can get some rest and tackle that tiredness. I have a practical herbalism matter - I've ground and am macerating my herbs for the CGD Bardic grade exam. I diluted the alcohol with a little water to make it go further, but didn't use distilled water (despite a nagging voice telling me that would be a good idea). Should I throw everything out and start again? (sigh)

My thanks for your valuable time and this incredible space.

[ecosophia]

Oh, I'm doing fine now. I was up in Salem on the weekend just past, teaching a class, and didn't sleep very well the night afterwards -- that happens to me tolerably often. Once back home, I got in a good seven hours of sleep and am feeling much better.

As for your herbalism question, no, you don't have to throw everything out -- it shouldn't matter. Unless the alcohol you used was over 190 proof, it'll have water in it that probably wasn't distilled either!

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what DH, DOGD or HOGD mean, a list of abbreviations used on Ecosophia. There's also a list of book capsules so far.

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this as always.

CoP cont.

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning JMG.

I'm the one who asked a few questions last week about CoP, and if you would indulge me further, I have a few more today.

1) GRH for planets vs Spheres? A GIRH for Venus or for Netzach would presumably use the same hexagram tracing, hexagram color, and vibrated Divine Names. Aside from being fueled by different intentions from the operator, what difference would there be between the two rituals?

2. This one concerns the QC ritual as a framing around other rituals.
a) As I understand, every pentagram ritual begins and ends with its own QC, so LBRP-GIRP would look like QC-LBRP-QC-QC-GIRP-QC. Is this correct?
b) CoP states that during a LBRP-LBRH combo, the QC prior to the LBRH is replaced with the IAO signs. Is there a similar change when the LBRH is followed by the LBRP (as during a closing ceremony)? For example, QC-LBRH-IAO signs-QC-LBRP-QC.

3. The MP ritual and GIRP/H largely seem to take care of the invocatory side of ritual magic, leaving me to wonder what purpose is served by the LIRP/H rituals. Most books seem to only have students practice these two rituals to familiarize them with variants of the pentagram/hexagram formula and to learn the 'feel' of their energies (a valuable learning experience to be sure), only for the rituals to later be shelved as the MP and Greater rituals are introduced. My question; do intermediate and advanced ceremonial magicians ever have a reason to use the LIRP/H?

4. One of the preliminary chapters of CoP states that the symbolic planets are typically used in ritual to affect the astral level and that the symbolic elements are typically used to affect reality below the astral. Am I correct, then, in assuming that the difference between the LBRH and the LBRP is that the first is an astral banisher and the second is an etheric banisher (as opposed to the macrocosmic/microcosmic banishing distinction that I've heard some claim)?

As always, thank you for your time and for hosting Magic Monday.

JR

Re: CoP cont.

[ecosophia]

1) Only your intention.

2) Yes, and you can do that if you like.

3) They exist solely for training purposes. I haven't done either of them in decades.

4) Nope. Both function on the astral plane. I'm going to suggest that you meditate on this and see what you learn from it!

Moon the Transformer - Ballard, Mythology of Puget Sound

[emmanuelg]

Hi all,
The story of Moon the Transformer is now on the Internet Archive, for those who want to read it. Here's a link:

https://archive.org/details/puget-sound-mythology-ballard-19290003/page/68/mode/2up

I've been reading Aboriginal stories of the Transformer to get an idea of the character of the Transformer Archetype, currently at work in the US political system.
In this one, Transformer/Moon goes through the land asking, "What are you doing?" He takes away the weapons of large and dangerous creatures who oppose him, and transforms them into things that will be helpful to humans, when the humans come.
Thus, I'm hoping that the Transformer is using the unwitting and highly suggestible Don T to bring about changes that will someday result in an environment where humans can live.
Is this possibly what the Transformer is about?

Re: Moon the Transformer - Ballard, Mythology of Puget Sound

[ecosophia]

I'm delighted to hear that it's available! As for what the Changer is up to this time, that's a good question and we'll know the answer when we get there.

Sphere of Protection in German

[bendithfawr]

Hi JMG and everyone,

since it's been a while, I'd like to post my version of the SOP in German again: https://bendithfawr.dreamwidth.org/

Maybe it helps putting tracks in space if us German-speaking folk are using similar words. I'm currently translating the seasonal rituals from the Druidry Handbook and will put them up as soon as I finish typing them out.

I'll be at Glastonbury in June, would love to meet some German-speaking ecosophians and learn how you are all dealing with the mess that is currently happening here.

Re: Sphere of Protection in German

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this.

Astral weather update

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG, and other readers

I was wondering how you, and others are finding the astral/etheric weather at the moment. For me, I'm still oddly removed from it, perhaps on account of the SoP, but I am certainly finding that anything resembling logical thought in my workplace is met with howls of resistance, a lot of baboonery, and outright ostracism. It's as if there is something blocking the connection between basic physical behaviours and the higher aspects of thought. It would be funny if the deadlines and the requirement for serious work stopped as well. Again, it seems to be affecting PMC types more than most.

Re: Astral weather update

[ecosophia]

I'm tolerably well removed from that world, so the astral weather I'm encountering is pretty good. I'm not at all surprised that the meltdowns are accelerating, however; the reasons for that are political, so I won't get into them here, but the more the tide of events turns against the managerial class, the more often even highly intelligent people are sinking back into baboonery in response. Social hierarchy is older than rational thought -- we share the same patterns of dominance and submission with all social mammals -- and the rising tide of status panic besetting the managerial class these days is a vast and wholly nonrational factor in our collective lives.

timed chart for Pope Leo XIV

[charlieobert]

I am following up on a question last week about time of the chart for the start of the new Pope Leo XIV's office.

It is traditional to time that from the Habemus Papam moment, when white smoke comes out of the Vatican. We have that timed to the minute, acc. to NY Times - May 8, 6:07 pm Daylight Time, CEDT. The Ascendant is 12 Libra 24 with Solar Fire.

It is usual to compare that to the Pope's natal chart, but with Prevost we have a birthdate with no time - Sep 14 1955, Chicago IL. Online I've seen a chart for the time the Sun is on the MC - 12:46:20 pm Central Daylight Time, Asc. 3 Sag 50. (That puts the Asc ruler Jupiter in... Leo.) How much weight you give to that is your call.

Re: timed chart for Pope Leo XIV

[(Anonymous)]

Okay, cool. I posted another chart below, because I also saw the papacy is supposed to start during the inaugural mass... but I'm not a catholic. Just someone who went to catholic school and has some catholic relatives.

Mauve Oscillating Lobster Flaneur

[(Anonymous)]

Apologies if this question has already been asked, but I was reading about Japanese tea ceremonies, and started wondering if maybe they are a form of magical ritual. Are they? And if so, what do they do, magically?

[ecosophia]

Nope. Not every ritual is a magical ritual!

[jdecandia]

JMG,

This is a rather sensitive topic so I am unsure if you will even be willing to post this. Yet, I still find it a productive question to ask.

In light of recent events in my extended family I wanted to ask you what the occult tradition you come from says about suicide? I have a catholic upbringing and yet I find it really hard to agree with the maxim that it is a sin. Granted, there are more nuanced takes on this in the modern form of Catholicism; the idea that suicide is not love of thy neighbor as the suicidially depressed individual forgets their larger context/import in their community. However, there still remains the idea od eternal damnation.

In the cinematic potrayal of Dracula: Vlad the Impaler showed his first wife killing herself. Vlad’s realization that the woman cannot be buried in consecrated ground and that eternal damnation is her punishment drives him into darkness and evil.

This is something I simply cannot wholeheartedly sign off on. Suicide seems to me to take place in the larger context of reincarnation: of larger lifecycles (as in cycles not only within your current incarnation but also tracing the outlines of cycles across lives). Reincarnation, in fact, seems to be the only way to put a sense of justice/meaning that does not pander to empty platitudes. Many friends and families coming from a Christian background have tried to help me by saying it was this person's "destiny" to do so, but I can't help but feel that is very fatalistic.

To circle back to my question:

1. How does your magical training contextualize suicide?
2. Is there anything your magical tradition says can be practiced to help the soul of the individual who suffered?
3. Does your magical tradition speak to how suicide can affect the individual's growth in later incarnations?

I understand the heavy nature of the subject and thank you for your time.

[ecosophia]

This is a question that's come up tolerably often, and I have no trouble answering it.

1) If you deliberately and forcibly terminate your life before it's time for you to die, you basically have to wait on the other side of things until the time's up. Since you haven't gone through the usual processing of experiences before and during death, you arrive on the other side with your personality and emotional state unchanged...and there you sit. When your time to die finally rolls around, you go through the usual process.

2) Yes. Prayer for the dead is always beneficial, if you have (or are willing to establish) a relationship with the god or goddess to whom you pray. Deities can do things we can't, and helping a soul in that intermediate state is one of those things.

3) When the soul of the suicide reincarnates, it'll be faced with the same challenge it failed to meet in the previous life. As with any serious karmic issue, this will repeat over and over again until the soul finally gets it right.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,


I came across an interesting video below:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd9bXWs1xec


The man in the video says that pagan Gods won't intervene in your life and help you directly. He says several things in the video, but his basic position is that the Gods won't make any big, concrete difference in your life. He states that the pagan myths are basically stories to help you cope with life.



I've seen a lot of people on here recounting stories about Gods/Goddesses making significant changes in their lives. Some people seem to have had extraordinary encounters with deities of different kinds.


I am interested in any comments people would be willing to make on this topic.


Many thanks to you JMG and to anyone else who responds.

[ecosophia]

He's wrong. I didn't watch the video -- I don't do visual media -- but I've had pagan deities help me in significant ways, and I know other people who've had similar experiences. Mind you, the gods won't do things for you that you can perfectly well do for yourself, and they have no patience with the overinflated sense of entitlement that's so common today, but if you're willing to work, they'll help you, sometimes in dramatic ways, sometimes in subtle but potent ways.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,
I've been using the tarot for a while, but always in a more therapeutic than predictive way, and I'm having a hard time using it for prediction. Any book recommendations for predictive readings?

Also, any book recommendations for Crystal works? I have your encyclopedia of natural magic, but wanted something that goes deeper in the subject. I found the book by Hildegard von Bengen interesting, but unfortunately incomplete (there are quite a few stones that we aren't sure of what they correspond to), and mostly everything else I find is too new-age for me.

Can you or the commentariat help?
Thanks!

[ecosophia]

Eden Gray's books on the tarot were standard when I was first learning, and they helped me pick up the trick of divination. As for crystals, I don't know of anything that isn't New Age. Anyone else?

Pope Leo XIV Inaugural Mass Chart

[(Anonymous)]

As per last weeks note, the new pope assumes his papacy during the inaugural mass, which was held yesterday in Rome, at 10 AM, Rome time. Here is a chart for the event and an attempt to sus a few things. A very minor attempt. Haven't practiced political astrology at all besides reading JMGs posts!

astro-charts.com/chart/6154e2ef4

What I note is there are no placements between the 2nd house and 6th house. Everything is clustered between the 7th house through the 1st house.

If the pope can be considered as the Sun as ruler of the Catholic Church, then he is Sun in Taurus in the 11th house. The sun is conjunct Uranus, though Uranus is in the 10th house. I'm not sure if the Sun is dignified or not here, based on the aspects. But I would say with the Pope will have power to bring through reforms, especially with regard to Uranus being conjunct.

Meanwhile the Moon, representing the laity, are in the sign of Aquarius, in the seventh house, conjunct Pluto, during the years of his waning influence. Moon in the 10th house may suggest a favorable time between the average catholic and the institution. With Pluto in the seventh house, this may mean that over the next ten years, as the influence of Pluto fades, the radical policies that some parts of the church were caught up in will wane influence. I'm just spitballing there... but

Saturn is in the 9th house, which, if dignified according to JMG: "It also brings success to conservative religious movements." So some of the excesses of liberation theology may wane, while tradtional catholicism may wax.

Again, just bull shaling at a glance. I need a lot more practice.

Mauve Oscillating Lobster Flaneur

Re: Pope Leo XIV Inaugural Mass Chart

[ecosophia]

Hmm! Interesting. Thank you for this.

[(Anonymous)]

just for fun..

captain kirk wants president trump to make pluto great again!

Legendary actor shockingly comes out in support of Donald Trump with space plea

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14717495/Legendary-actor-shockingly-comes-support-Donald-Trump.html

[ecosophia]

The weird fixation on insisting that that tiny little snowball, 1/400th the size of Earth, is a real planet is one of the oddest superstitions in modern science.

q

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG, wanted to ask more about your vision from last week.

1) Does this suggest that the creation myth and the abrahamic religions are related to this group of souls?
I read someone recently say they did a remote viewing and it suggested to them that all the abrahamic religions are not from this earth, and are externally implanted, whereas the religions natural to this earth are those that are more incongruence with nature and the seasons (that seems to imply more of the nature based pagan religions?)

I didn't really take this seriously but based on your vision it seems to match.

2) There are a lot of folk myths floating around on the internet that are pseudo-gnostic in nature, and believe the world is prison etc. Perhaps they are all being influenced by this strain?

3) If you are comfortable sharing, what implications did you see in this vision from how these souls have interfered or affected human evolution or human life? (It seems like it would be negative?)

4) Similarly, annunaki myths, giants etc, genetic engineering of humans all seem related to this idea. Your comments are welcome.

5) Judaism seems most life-affirming but Christianity seems closest to this dislike of earthy life /flesh. Is it possible that christianity was hijacked by these souls?

Re: q

[ecosophia]

Hmm. All of these are interesting speculations, but again, I don't know if there's some shred of truth in the vision, or if it's purely symbolic, or if it's complete hooey. That being the case, I don't propose to take things further.

[(Anonymous)]

Two and a half questions this week, and thank you as always for your time.

1) I'm thinking of getting the "Astrology of Nations" when my book budget refills. Orignially this was because it looked interesting, but then I noticed a couple weeks ago on Frugal Friday you suggested political astrology as a potential side hustle. I feel some pull to that idea. Is your book suitable as a sole text to learn from, or are there other texts on astrology one would need to consult as well?
(I'm vaguely familiar with how to cast a chart, using a computer at least, but never really learned how to interpret it for natal or electional purposes, if that helps frame your answer.)

1.b) Followup to the first question, once I get your book I was thinking of casting a series of historical charts in order to get a feel for the patterns involved-- post-dicting events that have occured, if you will. I can't think of any other way to learn the technique. Do you have any suggestions to refine that, something different to try, or is it covered in the book?

2) Completely unrelated, but how do you decide what book to write next? Communing with your muse, market research, some kind of divination, a combination or something completely different? I do shortform freelance writing and at that scale it's easy to just arbitrarily pick a topic. To write a book is more daunting, and I find myself feeling like Buridan's ass, paralyzed by choice.

[ecosophia]

1a) It's a good general textbook. You'll want to read other books on mundane astrology, if only so you don't sound like a parrot, and some reading in astrology in general is also a good idea -- I don't think I'd recommend trying to make a living as any kind of astrologer, for example, if you can't at least interpret your own natal chart.

1b) That's a very good way to learn it.

2) Don't obsess about it -- just decide, and do it. Flip a coin if you have to. That you choose is more important than what you choose. Me? I decide on a mixture of what interests me at the moment, what publishers seem to want, and sheer random whim.

[kylec]

1. I realized that when I consecrated my sickle, it was sitting on the altar during the closing of the temple which includes banishing. This made me think maybe I messed up an need to reconsecrate it since it wasn't in a linen bag or box. But I saw the instructions specifically said to close the temple, then after that it says place the sickle in a box. So the ceremony seems to suggest that putting it in a lined item should be done after the banishing to close.

Do I need to re-consecrate?

2. I'm thinking of starting a small patio herb garden in pots to grow herbs useful in natural magic. I'd like to pick a few that are very commonly useful, and can't just be easily purchased when needed. I have no interest in love magic, but a range of things like healing, protection, blessing, personal transformation, etc. would be good to cover.

What five or seven herbs would you recommend as generally good to have?

For starters, I'm considering angelica and cinquefoil. For the latter, I can't seem to find the exact species listed in your Encyclopedia of Natural Magic, but fruticosa seems common. Does that species work the same?

[milkyway1]

Not JMG (and not pretending to be him... ;-) ), but if I may add my practical two cents: Some plants won't work well in pots, Angelica included. Angelicas can grow to a surprisingly large size, and usually have long taproots. They wouldn't be happy in a pot.

Milkyway

Modern Order of Essenes Healing Hands

[kylec]

Hello! I'm offering healing hands again this week for all takers, new and frequent. This distance healing modality is compatible with every other practice as far as I'm aware, and it requires only that you reply or PM me your name and request, and that you are willing to heal. Have a great week.

Re: Modern Order of Essenes Healing Hands

[(Anonymous)]

In need of healing for my toothgums. Thank you really much!

Denis Tezza

New Tarot

[hwistle]

Hi John,

I hope it's ok to share this, if not just send this email back to the Unmanifest!

Italian painter and tarotist Valentina de Luca is crowdfunding a beautifully crafted new Marseille-style deck. Every card has been meticulously hand-painted in a beautiful Italian masters style, no AI or collage here.

If folk are interested, here's the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matronuatarot/the-matronua-tarot?ref=user_menu

Manuel

[(Anonymous)]

An interesting experience to report with toddler. This happened right before her third birthday. She was sitting on my lap, facing away from me, deeply absorbed in drawing at a table. Since she was so quiet and absorbed, I decided to silently pray a bit. I didn’t verbalize this in any way. Within 30 seconds of me starting to pray, she whipped around, stared at me, and said, “Mama, what are you praying about?”

She had observed me praying at our family altar many times during formal prayers, and I suppose she could have noticed a subtle change in my breathing, but I didn’t consciously change my breathing or practice meditative breathing.

Would you agree that this ability to notice silent prayer suggests my daughter likely has a more than usually developed mental body or mental sheath? She’s also indicated she can see ghosts (though this has since stopped) and she saw Christ appear in the eucharist at a Latin mass just after turning 2. (That has not been repeated.)

She’s also a normal toddler, with normal toddler meltdowns and goofiness and such. Physically she is extremely robust and “in her body” (more so than my older child, who is very petite and dreamy). But also very attuned to the unseen. She can also read her grandmother’s mind and will ask her about things my mother has only been thinking about, but hadn’t verbalized.

We’re Waldorf homeschoolers, so I’m confident we can give her a good, safe environment to grow in, but I’m wondering if you have any insights or thoughts, specifically about helping with developing the mental body in children? (Not forcing it, of course!)

Thanks!

[ecosophia]

Plenty of love and a willingness to accept normal childhood psychism as just that -- normal -- will do more than anything else. Over the next few years those perceptions will likely fade out, but they'll return with considerable power if, as an adult, she takes up any form of spiritual practice.