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-ninth published book, and those readers who have been following this journal for more than a few years already know a fair amount about it. It's a practical manual of political and economic astrology or, to use the traditional term, mundane astrology. Its intention is to teach people how to cast and interpret charts to predict the future of any country they desire. It's only been out for a little while, but initial feedback suggests that it does the job tolerably well. Interested? You can get a copy here if you're in the United States and via your favorite online or brick-and-mortar bookshop elsewhere. 

(I'm almost out of books to summarize here -- I have one more book that's been published since this came out, and two more that might be out in time. I have some amusing ideas about what else to do once I've finished the whole sequence -- but all in good time.)

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 again when I return from hiatus in mid-June!***

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

What is the difference between the sub-natural realm and the lower astral?

[ecosophia]

That's a complex question. The astral is the plane where most of our human thoughts and emotions exist, and so the subnatural realm contacts us through the lower astral, just as the supernatural realm contacts us through the upper astral. The theory, though, is that the subnatural -- like the supernatural -- is entirely outside of those planes that human beings can experience directly. The subnatural is denser, more restricting, more limited than the world we experience with our senses, just as the supernatural world is less dense, less restricted, less limiting than the highest and least material things we human beings can perceive.

Sanity Saving Throw

[(Anonymous)]

When working with magic, one is typically working with forces which are unseen, difficult to concretely trace, and acknowledgement of their very existence offends the sensibilities of a good deal of the general public. If one were going to work with magic as a solitary practitioner, are there any broad steps one should take to ensure that one stays sane and grounded?

Re: Sanity Saving Throw

[ecosophia]

First, it's important to make sure that your mundane life is in good shape. Occultism is not a refuge for people who can't hack ordinary existence! If your bills aren't getting paid, you're neglecting your health, and so on, those are warning signs. Deal with them, using ordinary mundane methods, before busying yourself with magic. Adequate nutrition, enough sleep, and all the other basic rules apply.

Second, a background in occult philosophy is very helpful, since it gives the student a mental framework to go by. That helps avoid confusion and disorientation.

Finally, regular meditation is essential. The lack of meditation practice is one of the main sources of mental imbalance in magic. Mind you, it can be overdone, but 15-30 minutes of meditation a day, every day, never hurt anyone and helps maintain mental clarity.

[(Anonymous)]

(Not necessarily for publishing.) Did you skip a book about the Odd Fellows?

[ecosophia]

Okay, that's a valid point. I originally published that as a staplebound pamphlet; I should probably include the new edition in my list.

Love Your Book JMG & Thanks Robert M.

[realmscryer]

Hey JMG,

The Astrology of Nations arrived this last week. I've only just started going through the book but what a nice job of organizing the information and with great explanations.

Related, I am getting ready to offer natal readings to (gulp!) paying clients. I think mundane would make for a good little online business, as well. Learning such different ways of seeing or using a chart is also proving quite valuable. Very stretchy for my brain!

Also, a quick thank you to Robert Mathiesen. I know I am repeating myself but Robert your two magic books continue to be most helpful. Blurring the lines between mysticism, magic, and meditation is quite liberating.

Which brings up something else, Robert or JMG.

Words in my mind during some kinds of meditation can drop away but they can also feel oddly flexible or like clay. Not visible, not audible, with the very meaning taking on a non-physical drooping pizza dough quality. Not sure how to describe.

I am keeping going but thought this a curious development.

--Eric

Re: Love Your Book JMG & Thanks Robert M.

[ecosophia]

1) Thank you!

2) I'm trying to parse the thought of meanings drooping like pizza dough, and failing utterly. How fascinating!

[katylina]

When exactly saturn return begins and how long does it last?

[ecosophia]

That depends on your natal chart and on the details of Saturn's movement. When Saturn first gets within about 5 degrees of its position at your birth, the return is on, and when Saturn finally moves more than 5 degrees past that position, it's over.

Kolinahr

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Everyone,
I had an interesting experience the other day. I had an emotional attachment to a younger family member that was causing me a lot of turbulent emotions. This person is not a bad person but we do not fit well together. She is a drama queen and enjoyed getting an emotional reaction from me. Some months ago, we stopped all contact but I was still very angry with her. It had to do with her being unsafe and stupid, in my opinion, with her little baby. I felt very protective of the baby.

A few days ago, I opened a grove and performed a ritual that I had devised. I gathered all my emotions for her in the centre of my chest and exhaled them. At first, I perceived the emotions as black smoke and then grey, lighter grey and the ninth and last breath was white. I felt immeasurably better at once and have not had any emotions for her since.

I have also used this technique to rid myself of fibromyalgia pain with great success. I have yet to make it work with a migraine. I have named this technique Kolinahr after the Star Trek Vulcan practice of ridding oneself of all emotions.

I hope some of you will try this to see how it will work for you.

I have also spent a bit over a year meditating on the lessons in the Occult Philosophy Workbook and I feel it has done me good. I plan to meditate on other things for a year and then do all the meditations again.
Maxine

Re: Kolinahr

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this -- a good clear visualization practice. I'll be interested to hear what other people experience with it.

[jenniferkobernik]

If your family/household egregor has developed a particular undesirable quality that seems to pull new members into a problematic pattern, what is the best way to go about changing it?

To give more context, I think this egregor was established in my birth family, and when my husband and I married and moved back to my natal home to take care of my father at the end of his life, I think I fell back into it and now my husband seems to have settled into it as well. We’ve noticed that family members and friends who have moved in with us for extended periods have also been caught by its gravity, and we would like to free ourselves from its inertia and prevent it from sucking in our children.

(This perhaps makes it sound pretty dire, but overall our family and household is very loving, stable, and fortunate—but I fear this one particular pattern has the potential to sour things if it’s not uprooted.)

[ecosophia]

Ah, the fine art of egregor repair! Though it doesn't actually feel like a fine art when you're in the middle of it -- it's more like pulling a wagon free of the mud...

It's entirely possible to fix a damaged egregor. What you need to do is discuss the matter with your husband and agree that you're going to change the habits in question, and then both apply conscious, sustained efforts to that task. Go to the opposite extreme if you have to. Every time the behavior comes up, catch it, stop it, and reverse it. Yes, it's a grueling experience, but it's the same thing we all have to do when we set out to improve our karma by changing our behavior. Do it, and you can neutralize the collective karma and push the egregor back in a constructive direction.

Banishing, exorcism for madness?

[(Anonymous)]

My sister, as mentioned hitherto, has gone out of her mind. Her core hallucinations have resolved into an array of consistent themes, notable among them the following. For years she was a member of a fundamentalist sect - one that may be fairly characterized as a cult - and eventually broke with them on bad terms. Now she believes that members of this sect are in the woodwork - not figuratively but literally - or in the next room or down the hall, and that they are influencing events to affect her adversely, and that they are tormenting her with various devices.

This theme has proven consistent enough that I have come to think that maybe it is not all pure delusion. I recall your once expressing the opinion that in some cases prayer by fundamentalist evangelists can constitute a form of malefic magic, specifically when intended to convert or otherwise manipulate other persons. I have begun to suspect that something of this nature may be going on with my sister, that she is being attacked by an egregore in a kind of magico-spiritual vengeance.

If that is the case, is there anything magically that I can do about it?

My magic background is Hellenic Golden Dawn; it’s at a modest level of attainment, but I do have what I believe to be a good Hellenic answer to the Rose Cross ritual. Might that perhaps prove useful in such a case? Or could some other form of magic help? Her condition is dire enough that it even seems to call for something in the nature of an exorcism. If a person experienced in that - Lon Duquette is the one I happen to know about - offered to help with this, I’d take him up on it.

I’m pretty sure my sister’s mind is still there. In those moments nearest lucidity, she knows and remembers all our common references, including literary ones. Though the situation appears hopeless, I do cherish some hope that if she could be freed from such ideations she just might be able to recover herself.

All the medical establishment chooses to do is give her psych meds. They calm her down somewhat, along with all the toxicity and side effects.

Re: Banishing, exorcism for madness?

[jenniferkobernik]

Obviously this situation was vastly milder than yours, so may not be applicable, but in case it helps:

I believe that I was being influenced by my in-laws’ (undoubtedly very well-intentioned) prayers to turn to Jesus. They are very good people, also very filled with the Spirit (prophecy, speaking in tongues, etcetera). But what they see as a great gift to me I experienced as intrusive and wrong-feeling. I simply prayed to my own deities that they free my will from any coercive influences so that I would be able to engage with the Divine in the ways that were right for me. I haven’t had any problems or nagging/intrusive thoughts about it since. If you are authorized to pray on your sister’s behalf on this subject, or if she could pray, it might help.

Grounding

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG, what do you think of the practice of grounding? That is, entering a meditative state and focusing on your connection with the Earth below so as to disperse stray energies. I've heard some sources describe it as a must for following up magical workings and sometimes use during rituals so you don't get "contaminated" but I haven't seen you mention it. Thanks.

Re: Grounding

[ecosophia]

It's not something I practice but I know that some people get good results from it.

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what DRHM, DA, or CC mean, a list of abbreviations used on Ecopsophia. There's also a list of book capsules so far.

I'm enjoying these book summaries, thanks for writing them!

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this.

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.

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

May SLClaire's honorary daughter Beth, who is undergoing dialysis for kidney disease, be blessed, and may her kidneys be restored to full functioning.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

* * *
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]

And thank you for this as always!

Invitation: JMG Glastonbury present

[vitranc]

I would like to extend an invitation to all ecosophians.

In preparation for the upcoming Glastonbury event I have finally finished a long-standing woodworking project of mine, that started years ago with some stray comments here on this blog.
It was always my intention to send JMG a gift as a token of gratitude for all the positive insights and influence he has had to offer. Last year a wonderful opportunity presented itself to meet JMG in person this year. And in the same time I decided, that I was not the only one feeling grateful to JMG. The final project has letters “M M” burned into it. For all intents an purposes they can mean “Magic Monday”.

So, if it would please this community, I will be presenting a present to JMG on behalf of all of us.
I have fashioned a custom oak box as a container.

And inlayed the Ogham few Phagos and a branch of mistletoe, placed the present inside and spoke a prayer and blessing over it.

If anyone would like to join me please send your best wishes, positive energy, blessings or prayers, or a comment here. And it is considered full participation.

Best regards,
V

Re: Invitation: JMG Glastonbury present

[(Anonymous)]

May all those that see this beautiful work be blessed. Very nice.

[(Anonymous)]

what difference position one takes make in meditation?i recall the buddhist crosslegged position was suitable for mind emptying, both feet on the ground for western meditation. What effect would have meditation while laying down(if one deosnt fall asleep, obviously) or during walk?

[ecosophia]

Postures have a range of complex and subtle effects on the mind. I have no idea what lying down will do -- I was always taught not to do this, because you always end up falling asleep! -- but walking used to be quite common. Since the soles of the feet are in contact with the ground, it has the same effects as sitting on a chair with feet on the ground.

Druidism originating with Phoenicians?

[(Anonymous)]

The Rev. W. Phelps in his The History and Antiquities of Somersetshire mentions that "...Druidism...is supposed to have been introduced into this country....from the East, by the Phoenicians, who held a commercial intercourse with Cornwall.."

He mentioned the writings of Tacitus, Diodorus and Caesar as references but it isn't clear if they made the Phoenician claim or it was later conjectures. The Rev. Phelps then references Godfrey, Higgins and his The Celtic Druids in which "the philosophers of the Phoenicians were the same as the Druids.." along with manners, religion and even language.

Little do I know about Phoenician religion and classic Druidism so this prompts a question as the claim goes beyond a statement such as "Phoenicians traded with the British Isles in order to procure tin and there was some cultural exchange".

Do you think the claim that the Phoenicians were a direct influence in the birth and practices of Druidism in the British Isles plausible or is it a case of wishful thinking in trying to tie ancient history back to the "Holy Land" similar to the Romans and Troy? Do you find similarities between Phoenician religion and Druidism that would make this claim plausible?

For those interested:

Link to The Celtic Druids .

https://archive.org/details/b22010294

I just discovered this, this morning so have not read it yet but it's on the list.


The History and Antiquities of Somersetshire
https://ia601608.us.archive.org/14/items/historyandantiq00phelgoog/historyandantiq00phelgoog.pdf

Re: Druidism originating with Phoenicians?

[ecosophia]

It's speculation -- interesting speculation, but speculation. Since none of the teachings of the ancient Druids survive, and next to none of the religious traditions of the Phoenicians have survived either, it's hard to go any further than "Well, I suppose it's possible."

Golden Dawn

[white_bear_chronicles]

Thank you for hosting MM yet again this week. Your work has been incredibly helpful.
You've said there are serious imbalances in the GD system on a few occasions. Did your books Learning Ritual Magic, CoP, or others attempt to address any of these problems?
You've also suggested that GD is an outer court to the Rosecrucian order and I'd ask if those defects are repaired in that system?
Gawain

Re: Golden Dawn

[ecosophia]

1) No, I wrote those books while still working entirely within the classic GD system. It was after I'd begun to explore other things that I began to trace out the problems with the GD system. My book The Celtic Golden Dawn makes use of one of the standard ways to avoid the imbalance, while the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose material makes use of another.

2) There are many Rosicrucian orders. (I belong to five of them.) The Golden Dawn Rosicrucian material belongs to the Inner Order, which is in fact where the imbalances are strongest. Other Rosicrucian approaches, however, don't share those problems.

[betwixttheworlds]

Hi JMG,

When doing the LBRP I realized that the complementary colors of each archangel was based on the idea of the flashing tablets. That was fascinating.

But now I'm a little worried because the color violet I've been using is close to indigo, but the complementary color of yellow is purple, which has red in it. People often say violet when they mean purple.

When you practiced the LBRP, which color did you use with Rafael? Hopefully that color difference doesn't make a big difference.

Tangerine Tangential Cactus

[ecosophia]

The color difference doesn't make any real difference. One problem is that people use words such as "purple" and "violet" very loosely! Don't worry about it.

Questions

[geoffg]

Good morning JMG and everyone. Thank you for doing MM.

I had a few questions I hoped you might know something about.

1. Is there a generally accepted occult view on fate/destiny vs. epigenesis/free will? It seems like both are real things even though they are contradictory to each other. Magic supports the idea that we can affect the course of our lives, but I realized in meditation that even the Logos is bound by the fate of the Cosmos in the sense that it must work with the cosmic matter that happened to be along its path toward the 7th plane. Is it as simple as there being certains fates that we are bound to no matter what, while other aspects of existence aren't as critical to the overall pattern and can therefore be altered? Are fate and free will in some sense actually a yin-yang type unity rather than opposing polarized?

2. I have come to realize that one of the things I would like to alter about this incarnation is the persistent and often overwhelming self-doubt that seems like a constant life companion sometimes. I was wondering what planets/zodiac signs/deities would be the best to work with to reduce this self doubt. I know the Sun is an obvious answer here, but I would rather not switch to arrogance, rather just reduce the insecurity, but maybe that is a distinction without a difference.

3. What is the resolution to the differences in correspondences between the 4 triplicities and the 12 houses? Something like how spouses fall under the seventh house when looking at the 12, but they correspond to the 4th daughter when looking at the triplicities. Does one of these supercede the other, or is it just a matter of keeping these different interpretive methods separate from each other?

Thank you again for hosting MM

Geoff

Re: Questions

[ecosophia]

1) Good! They are in fact in a yin-yang relationship. As I understand the occult teaching, we are all born with the capacity for free will, but most of us never use it -- we lurch through life doing exactly what we've been programmed to do by our heredity, our culture, and our childhood experiences. Some of us begin to awaken the capacity to will in life. At first it's little more than a bit of wiggle room, but if we keep working at it we can get to the point of being able to exercise genuine choice in at least a few situations. Those choices, in turn, become part of our karmic inheritance in future lives. Thus free will is never absolute -- it's always in a balance with fate (the Western term for karma) and destiny (the pull of the soul toward its ultimate purpose) -- but it can become very, very powerful.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

1) In your experience as a writer, is it worthwhile to attempt writing a book about a topic that you're not an expert in? I have an idea for a book on a topic related to occultism, and some experience in it, and I was thinking of writing it partly as a way to force myself to really learn it well.

2) This next question about astrology has nothing to do with the topic I mentioned above, in this area I'm a beginner. I was thinking of starting one of Chris Warnock's courses in Renaissance astrology, and I recall that you've also taken one. I think you've said before that Renaissance astrology in particular is helpful for making predictions as compared to modern astrology; but are there other good reasons to learn it?

Many thanks in advance!

[ecosophia]

1) Only if you plunge into learning and practicing the topic as part of writing the book. There are plenty of books on occult subjects written by people who very clearly have never done a working and don't know which end of a lotus wand to grab, and I'd prefer you not add to their number.

2) Yes, I've taken one of Chris's courses, and I recommend them highly. The system he teaches is very good for making predictions; more generally, it's much less fuzzy and what-do-you-want-it-to-mean than the modern stuff, and focuses attention where it belongs, on the fundamental factors and their relation to one another.

[jdecandia]

I want to ask others about my experience, as I am not sure exactly what to make of it...it also seems that my rate of experiences has increased as I have been making meditation a more daily part of my routine for longer intervals (I find myself routinely doing 27-38 minute long sessions now).


I was lying down foe this session and simply doing visualizations ad I was exhausted that day after working my 12 hour shift and actually feeling I might fall asleep. While I was forming the sphere of protection around me, I lost my sense of time so much to then point that I felt the pauses between narration to be so long I could fall asleep. I suppose I fell into the hypnagogic state. Then I saw an extremely bright light. It turned brilliant green...a color I don't believe I've ever actually seen before with my own eyes. I felt as if I was going to fall at first but then I felt myself get pulled upwards as the light turned into a tunnel where the walls somewhat "bubbled" out in texture. I have attached an AI generated image but it does not capture close to the impossible geometric shifting ovoid shapes that constructed the "walls" of the tunnel.

This continued until the narration began and then I felt like I "fell" back into my body and the tunnel zapped out of my visual field.

I've never seen something like this before. I've never felt something like this before. What do you make of this as a community?

[ecosophia]

Sounds like an early stage of out-of-body experience. If it happens again, relax and see where it takes you.

Anyone else getting Trump dreams?

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, JMG and commentariat.

Last night, Trump showed up in a dream. I was with a few people talking about something (can't remember what). Trump suddenly walked in, his air casual, confident, and good-natured. He said something mildly humorous (can't remember that either). I huffed out a little "ha!" and then he walked back out. The dream meandered off in another direction. Apparently I'd been accepted into some kind of university program. I was excited but worried about affording housing. I ended up wasting huge amounts of time on the phone with bureaucrats trying to get help. Not sure what any of that meant.

I've had a couple other dreams since Trump got elected. Maybe he's showing up to make my life great again? I could certainly use the help. Anyway, it is very unusual for celebrity type people to show up in my dreams so I'm wondering: is anybody else experiencing unusual Trump dreams?

Chickadee VT

Re: Anyone else getting Trump dreams?

[ecosophia]

Hmm! No, I haven't had him show up to make my dreams great again. ;-) (To be fair, my dreams are pretty great already.) Anyone else?

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning JMG.

1) How is the G.D. angel HRU's name pronounced? Hroo? Heh-roo?

2) How does one visualize the elemental kings? Are we meant to transliterate the names into Hebrew and then build up telesmatic images as per CoP

Have a great Monday.

[ecosophia]

1) I have no idea if there's an official pronunciation; I always pronounced it "Hroo."

2) You can certainly do that! Alternatively, crowned figures in the elemental flashing colors will do very well.

church energy gone bad?

[charlieobert]

I have been reading your book on polarity magic, especially the section on group working. I'd like to run a situation by you.

For a year I attended a trad Latin Rite parish, and have since moved on. When I was a member they had a small convent community living in a house next door, and the Sisters, mostly quite young, regularly attended the services. After I left, that convent moved to another state.

A few months ago I visited that parish again on a Sunday and had a very eerie and negative experience. It felt like there was light up in the altar area, but the congregation area felt dry, dead, hollowed-out black like ashes, and the people around me felt like grey shells. I have had an aversion to going back there since then.

Note that one of the main reasons I left that parish was the lack of any community, bonding or warmth from the people around me there.

Now this could be my hallucinating my own reactions onto the church, but your polarity book makes me wonder if something has gone sour with the polarity energies there. I suspect it is related to the convent sisters having left, but it feels like the place has dried up and is now sucking energy.

Does my reaction make sense? If it does, then choosing a local church (or any sort of worship community) is a step that takes a lot of care and discernment.

Re: church energy gone bad?

[ecosophia]

Good. I was hoping that people would take that section of the book seriously.

It was almost certainly the departure of the convent that soured things. If you have a celibate male priest and a group of relatively young, celibate women in a church service, that can polarize very strongly and make the service work. You can get the same effect if you've got a group of sexually frustrated middle-aged women in the congregation and an attractive male priest. Lacking the sexual polarity, though, at best it's as though you unplugged the machine and are still trying to get it to work; at worst, it becomes vampiric. (Think of the kind of congregation where everyone feels old and tired, the big push is to bring young people in...and they start feeling old and tired after a few months.)

So, yes, choosing a worship community is a serious issue, especially now that few if any seminarians get taken aside by elderly priests and taught how to work the energy.

Barddas

[(Anonymous)]

I've been studying Druidry for a while, mostly your books and some others. Thank you for all you shared on that topic.

I recently got into studying the Barddas. I know a lot of neopagan folks dislike the Christian influence in the Druid Revival.

I think I would be remiss to skip or dismiss it all together, especially how Iolo seems to have some Hermetic understanding about the trinity, Father and Son relationship, and esoteric side of Christian thought. I don't think it would be right to cherry pick the parts we like about the teachings, and then throw the rest away?

I'm curious, since the Barddas has been influential in your work, how you interpret all the Jesus stuff in there? Just take it for what it is?

One could definitely skip it and say, "Well it's just reflective of the era they lived." I've been reading it as, Jesus is the symbol for perfect union for the divine. From there I can apply it on a personal level as something to strive for. Not that I have anything against Christianity, but there's a reason I'm reading the Barddas, and not the Bible...

Thanks !!

Re: Barddas

[ecosophia]

No two Druids understand Druidry in the same way -- nor should they. I take Barddas as a compendium of the ways that one very creative and influential Druid, Iolo Morganwg, understood Druidry in his time and place. I don't embrace it but I don't dismiss it; since Barddas isn't a sacred scripture -- our only scripture as Druids is what used to be called the Book of Nature! -- I don't feel compelled to do either one. I study the text, note the places where Iolo's vision differs from mine, and think, "Okay, that's interesting."

Astrology

[(Anonymous)]

This article crossed my feed this morning

Is astrology part of Gen Z’s spiritual revival?

https://archive.ph/Ro0MJ

Raymond R

Re: Astrology

[ecosophia]

That's very promising indeed. One of the other things about astrology is that if you want to cock a snook at the materialist-rationalist dogma of the mainstream, astrology is one of the best ways to do it. Scientific materialists can very easily be goaded into Donald Duck splutterfests by mentioning it, and of course watching them is so very entertaining!

German crystal book

[(Anonymous)]

Firstly, their JMG for your answer regarding the tarot last week, and emily07 and one anonymous for their references regarding crystals.

For emily07, last week you talked about a German book of crystals, here: https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/327728.html?thread=55569200#cmt55569200.

Did you manage to find the author? My German is non-existing, but there are some fancy translation tools nowadays, I'll see if I can manage.

Thanks in advance!