Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's getting on for midnight 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 not be put through.  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've finished the sequence of my published books; while I decide what I want to do next, I have some memes to share.)

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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!  

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Hello JMG, thanks for another Magic Monday!

• So last week I read here about developing the mental body through the use of Discursive Meditation. Would that be the equivalent of what other traditions describe as uniting the ego with the "immortal spark," getting one's current memories/continuity of being a "foothold" in the beyond? Where in your work is this kind of use for Discursive Meditation described, in the golden section book? Celtic Golden Dawn? The druidry ones?

Thanks!

[ecosophia]

1) In the system of occult philosophy I use and teach, we already have a foothold in the Beyond; we're just not conscious of it yet. The Individuality, the part of us that endures from life to life, is the real self of each of us; the personality is a mask. Here's how my teacher John Gilbert liked to explain it:

"Jack and Jill were called into the office one day. They were told that because of cutbacks they were being laid off. But if they wanted to wear an animal costume, they would not only stay on the payroll, they would receive an increase in salary and a big bonus in one year.

"They looked over the options. Jack decided to wear the bear costume and Jill decided to wear the eagle costume. Both costumes fit just fine. The only problem was that they were literally sewn into their costumes and had to wear them 24/7. They could attend to their daily chores, eat and drink, but they were unable to leave their costumes for the duration. Hence the large bonus they both looked forward to receiving.

"Neither Jack nor Jill was able to shave but they could brush their teeth and continue to kiss each other among other things. All in all, it turned out to be a pretty good arrangement for them except for one little problem. The problem was that after a couple of months Jack considered himself to be a bear and Jill thought she was an eagle. Their minds had shifted from being a human in a costume to being the costume.

"So it is with our soul. Our soul decides to incarnate in a physical body, and so it does. The next thing you know, our soul begins to believe it is our body. It forgets it is a soul in a body and it begins to believe it is the body.

"The great secret: We are our soul. Our soul is us. We have always been our soul and we still are. In our ignorance we came to believe we are our ego, our personas and our body. But we are still our soul. We're just wearing a costume with many faces.

"We are, all of us, a soul walking around in a three-layered costume. The outermost layer is our physical body, brain and our many personas. The next layer is our ego and the emotions and mind that comes with it. Our inner layer is our soul itself. But it turns out this is just a costume worn by our eternal spirit."

2) None of my books dwell on it because it's not something that benefits from conscious attention. Practice meditation regularly and things will unfold of themselves.

[rhydlyd]

Has anyone asked you about the mundane astrology of Iran, particularly - if or not there is any indication of the drubbing that nation's military is receiving in its stars?

Is there an astrological best day for routine legal work like wills and LLCs? (I'm guessing New Moon, Monday or Wednesday and bonus points for the Moon in Virgo.)

Also - I love the meme, and Heavy Horses is a favorite album... so... what's up with the Long Emergency lately?

Pink Senescent Owl

[ecosophia]

1) I haven't looked into it. These days I have a lot of other projects and I've had to scramble to keep up with my current mundane-chart commitments!

2) Thursday, because Jupiter rules law. Do it when the Moon is waning if you want to avoid being overly generous.

3) That's a topic for an entire blog post, or a book. The short form? The Long Descent is still unfolding at the usual pace.

Magical Gifts

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,
If you wanted to increase a magical ability, how would you go about it?

I would like to have a clearer perception of the spirit world in order to be able to better help people who are going there and to help spirits on the other side if they need help.

I thought of praying to Hecate for her assistance. I pray to her daily in any case. So many ghosts turn up at my house, I am puzzled to know what I should be doing for them.
Maxine

Re: Magical Gifts

[ecosophia]

If you already have a good relationship with an appropriate deity, that's a good choice. When you pray, listen for her advice, and then follow it.