Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's right on 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 meme? I've finished the sequence of my published books; while I decide what I want to do next, I have some memes to share.)

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.  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

Selling a Large Property

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG,

Blessings to you and my fellow commentators.

I have a background in Golden Dawn magic. What magical practice(s) would you recommend to a family trying to sell a large property in a touristy rural area?
I remember a recommendation you gave here in 2022. It involved advice from Israel Regardie’s “The Art of True Healing”. If I remember correctly, after the LBRP and MP, one would imagine a sphere around oneself, filled with the color of the planet, while vibrating the planet’s godname.
In this case, would that be orange (negative color) and Mercury?

Open to this and other suggestions.

Many thanks.

Re: Selling a Large Property

[ecosophia]

That would certainly be a good first step, and yes, that's how it's done. You might also consider, depending on your level of familiarity with GD magic, making and consecrating a talisman of Mercury using any of the standard methods.

Planetary days and nights

[michael_20]

I have a theoretical question about planetary hours.

I'll start with an example. June 9 is a Tuesday. That means that there is an Hour of Mars starting at sunrise (5:47 am-6:59 am, where I live). There's another in early afternoon (2:11 pm-3:23 pm). Those are both good times to do certain kinds of workings related to Mars.

There's another Hour of Mars after sunset, from 9:47 pm-10:35 pm; and yet another in the wee hours of the morning, from 3:23 am on June 10 to 4:11 am.

My question is about those hours after sunset. Yes they are Hours of Mars. But do they still count as occurring on the Day of Mars? According to the legal calendar, the time from 9:47-10:35 is still on Tuesday. But the night began with sundown, at 8:11 pm, with the Hour of Saturn. So do those nocturnal Hours of Mars count as occurring on Tuesday? Or do they, on the contrary, take place on "SATUR-NIGHT"?

Does dusk on Wednesday, June 10 really inaugurate "SUN-NIGHT"? And so on?

I have never tried to do anything with planetary hours after dark, but I hope you see my general question: Do they still belong to the preceding day, or does the night have an identity all its own -- one that we simply fail to track on our ordinary calendars?

Re: Planetary days and nights

[ecosophia]

The magical day begins and ends at dawn, irrespective of what legal calendars say. (Our legislatures have very few competent occultists on staff!) So, no, the hours of Mars after sunset are still hours of Mars.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG, I've been resolutely going through your prescribed series of geomantic meditations: the 12 correspondences of each figure. This has been a rewarding process, but something is giving me pause: as I meditate, the energies of the figures tend to manifest strongly in my own life. I'm on Conjunctio now, which has brought me some interesting new contacts.

The series of figures is kind of front-loaded with positive to neutral ones; Amissio wasn't much a problem because I focused on its ascetic, generous aspect. Populus brought a really wishy-washy, uncertain aura with it. But coming right up are Rubeus and later 24 days of Carcer and Tristia, then Cauda Draconis. I could do planetary charity to blunt some of the impact, but would this also dull the affinity with the figures I want to gain? Is it best to just go full speed ahead and accept the brunt of the more negative figures' energy? Thanks.

[ecosophia]

I hadn't had that happen when I wrote those meditations; since then, however, I've noticed that meditations on divinatory systems have begun to have that effect, and it seems to be increasing in strength over time. My experience, at least so far, is that it's best to go ahead and accept the experiences. Every time I've done this, awkward though the experiences were, they always turned out for the best. Remember that Rubeus can stand for passion, Carcer for solitude and concentration, Tristitia for grounding and stability, and Cauda Draconis for letting go things that have passed their time.

Roman magic at work

[nightsgate]

I wanted to share a story of possible occult and magical interest which I discovered while researching the history of my home town, a former steel town in the South.

About a hundred years ago, a former mayor, banker, and eccentric millionaire built an estate up on a ridge south of the city and named it Vestavia after the Roman goddess Vesta, complete with a temple-shaped house ringed with columns.

Today the area is a busy suburb and municipality in its own right which still bears the name Vestavia.

The estate itself long ago passed into the hands of a local Baptist church (which is a bit of historical irony in itself) and the rotting house-temple was demolished almost a decade before I was born.

The Sibyl Temple on the grounds, however, was later sold to the newly-formed namesake town, which uses the temple as its icon. To this day that temple is perched in a highly visible spot over one of the main highways through the area. I used to drive by it all the time back when I lived there, though at the time I had no idea that it was an eccentric millionaire's monument to a Roman goddess.

I haven't found anything so far suggesting an intentional connection to anything occult or pagan, which wouldn't have flown well in a Southern city in the 1920s regardless, but, well:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/50245058@N03/8516253430

By the by, this same city's most obvious landmark is an iron statue of Vulcan at his forge, positioned on a high ridge so that it towers over the downtown area and the suburbs immediately south of town. So far as I can tell, there's no connection between this statue and the estate, but isn't that a strange coincidence.

It's an odd story with odd details, and it made me wonder if there was anything of greater significance to the heavy Roman influence.

This article has more background and some pictures of the grounds for anyone interested:

https://www.vestaviahillsmagazine.com/features/the-legendary-lore-of-the-vestavia-temple-2322/

Re: Roman magic at work

[ecosophia]

The South has long had an interesting relationship with classical Paganism. Have you been to the Nashville Parthenon, a fine reconstruction of the Parthenon of Athens, complete with a huge statue of Athena? Vestavia is another great example of the same thing -- thank you for the story.

[(Anonymous)]

What relationship, if any, exist between fractals and sacred geometry?

[ecosophia]

None...yet. The sacred geometry we have at present was created in classical times and refined in the Renaissance, and its recovery is still ongoing. Fractals were discovered much more recently, of course. Future sacred geometers may find connections between them, but that hasn't happened yet; we're still busy rebuilding a mostly lost tradition from its surviving scraps.

Ecosophia Prayer List

[ecoprayer]

At this page is the full list of all of the non-faith-specific 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 (printable version here, current to 6/8). 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.

* * *
This week I would like to bring special attention to the following prayer requests, selected from the fuller list.

May a safe and happy home environment be enjoyed by Laurelmirror, her daughter, and her mother, as well as protection from evil influences. May their family situation be resolved in such a way that Laurelmirror's mother will get a chance to recover physically and mentally from the stresses it has caused.

May Kallianeira come to understand or face the entity or issue that seems to have trapped them, causing problems in her material circumstances, causing expensive troubles that threaten to force them out of home and mind, and leaving her burnt out and overwhelmed despite every attempt to find real help. May she quickly find out what to do and how to act to overcome these hardships.

May Patricia Ormsby's journey to Shikoku for a religious retreat and training course on June 12-17 go successfully and safely.

May Geoff G's sister Lindsay, who suffered a stroke at the end of May, recover to the fullest extent possible, and be blessed and supported in her mental wellbeing throughout.

May Mathew Damon Gallowglass, who has been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, be treated successfully for his condition and make a full recovery.

May Lisa C be blessed and healed for a complete recovery from breast cancer.

May 6 year old Max be blessed and protected during his parents' contentious divorce; may events work out in a manner most conducive to Max's healthy development over the long term.

May Bob W of Lake County, Ohio's treatment for cancer go well so that he may heal and recover as quickly as possible.

May Princess Cutekitten, who has made no comments on any of the Ecosophia blogs for a year now, and hasn't responded to attempts at contact, be blessed wherever she is and in whatever form she may exist.

May 1Wanderers's partner Cathy, whose cancer has returned, be given the physical and mental strength to fight it, and tolerate the treatment, and may she enjoy a full and permanent recovery.

May Jule from Iserlohn, Germany, who is experiencing complications in her pregnancy due to an influenza infection, recover and have a pleasant pregnancy and birth.

May Larry Mulford, who has entered hospice after a year battling with pancreatic cancer, pass in the smoothest possible manner, and may his wife be enveloped in our love.

May Pierre's young daughter, Athena, be healed from her fatigue and its root causes in ways that are easy, natural, and as holistic as possible.

May Lydia G. of Geauga County, Ohio heal and recover from prolonged health issues.

May both Monika and the child she is pregnant with both be blessed with good health and a safe delivery.

May Mary's sister have her auto-immune conditions sent into remission, may her eyes remain healthy, and may she heal in body, mind, and spirit.

May Trubujah's best friend Pat's teenage daughter Devin, who has a mysterious condition which doctors are so far baffled by necessitating that she remain in a wheelchair, be healed of her condition; may the underlying cause come to light so that treatment may begin.

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.

* * *
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.

Re: Ecosophia Prayer List

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this as always.

Astrology question

[(Anonymous)]

I have been passively studying general Astrology for some years now. I have enjoyed mostly the odder ends as in talismans, financial etc. but always tropical. Although I was at one of the big Astro conferences recently and talked with someone doing sidereal. We talked about the general concept and it really got me thinking.

As a professional astrologer yourself, do you have a elevator pitch on why you work with tropical.
I won’t respond with screaming or arguments I promise ;)

Best wishes
A friend

Re: Astrology question

[ecosophia]

Because it works.

It's always possible to come up with clever-sounding arguments to back the claim that all the great astrologers of the past were clueless and everything they taught should be thrown out in favor of some other system. The fact remains that they made accurate predictions and effective elections, and if you use their methods, you can do the same thing. Since my interest in astrology is practical -- I want to be able to make accurate predictions and effective elections -- this is more than enough for me.

[booklover1973]

JMG, if I may ask (because it may be too personal): To which degree are you still active in the druidry scene?

Thanks and best wishes!

[ecosophia]

I'm not especially active in any scene right now. I do a lot of personal practice, and am considering getting involved in a couple of magical lodges in the DC area, but I haven't been involved in Druid organizations since I stepped down as head of AODA.

Geomancy Question

[(Anonymous)]

How much wieght do you give a translation between the first and eleventh houses? There will always be a figure between them (in the twelfth house), meaning that same figure will be neighboring both houses in every chart. Surely you can't say that a chart perfects every time the first house is the querent and the eleventh house is the quesited because of this translation, right? I recently cast a chart and the only way it perfected was through this single figure in the twelfth houe, so I just interpreted it as not perfecting.

Re: Geomancy Question

[ecosophia]

The rule that I use is that any translation must involve repeated figures. That means that the figure in the 12th doesn't make a translation between the 1st and 11th unless that same figure also appears in either the 2nd or the 10th.

Lore on the White well

[vitranc]

Good evening JMG,

1.) I find myself revisiting our visit to Glastonbury last year and find myself mulling over the White well. Revisiting it, so to speak. I must admit I was unprepared the first time last year. Is there any lore on the White well that you know of.

Best regards,
V

Re: Lore on the White well

[ecosophia]

The only lore I know concerning it is that the waters of the White Well are supposed to pass through hidden caverns underneath the Tor, which are associated with Gwyn ap Nudd, a king of the Otherworld and leader of the Wild Hunt.

[lukedodson]

Hi JMG,

An update on my question from last week: I passed on your advice, and suggested lighting a green candle to Venus during her day and hour. My friend has asked me to pass on his gratitude, as almost immediately a potential dating partner got in touch with him. So yeah, TSW once again!

Blessings to all those who will have them,
Luke

[ecosophia]

Delighted to hear it!

[(Anonymous)]

Good morning, JMG and fellow commenters,

Wishing everyone an excellent week!

JMG, could you please comment on the importance of the altar candle (the devotional candle, not an ordinary candle) and incense on the altar, both as magical instruments and as elements of worship directed toward the Divine?

Is it true that incense and its fragrance strengthen the astral body?

Thank you!

[ecosophia]

1) It really depends on the system and the person. Some use it, some don't, some give it this meaning and some that.

2) No, it has an effect on the etheric body, not the astral body.

The First House in Geomancy

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG, a question about geomancy house charts. The first house represents the querent; do you interpret this more as a "this is your current situation" reading or a "this is what will happen to you" reading? The "your situation" reading is often used in three-card drawings for tarot and other forms of cartomancy, where instead of a past/present/future spread you read a "your situation," "the event that occurs" and "the outcome" triad. I've taken to reading it that way sometimes but I'm curious as to what's typically done with the first house. Thanks.

Re: The First House in Geomancy

[ecosophia]

In classic geomancy, the 1st house is you, not your situation. The other eleven houses describe your situation!

Great Meme

[(Anonymous)]

Noticed on the main blog some comments calling out Tucker Carlson as going 'woke right.' I think this week's meme could be instructive on where he might go in his journeys. He had on Jimmy Dore at the end of last week. Jimmy brought up Carl Jung, quoting the very same quote you had posted a few weeks ago, making the subconscious conscious.

Jimmy dropped this truth bomb.

Well, people think they need a priest or they need a preacher or a church, which is all good. The community is good, but you don't need them because you already have a connection to the divine within you. And that's where you need to go. And once you realize that, then you don't need them. That's why they don't tell you about that. And Jesus said that, where did He say the kingdom of heaven is, Tucker? The kingdom of Heaven is in you. You are the light of the world. And what I do, you will do and greater.

Tucker took in stride and who knows, maybe he could make his way from reactionary fear yet.

Re: Great Meme

[ecosophia]

Here's hoping! Thanks for this.

[thinking_turtle]

To share, for those who wonder what AODA, J, or WOG mean, a list of abbreviations used on Ecopsophia. And here is a list of the books our host published so far.

[ecosophia]

Thanks for this as always.

[(Anonymous)]

This is a comment that may be of interest to the readers here, rather than a question. And if JMG doesn't put it through, he's being entirely too humble.

On Saturday I was pleased to see JMG receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute for Hermetic Studies, an organization that's been teaching and preserving occult knowledge for some decades now. And after 80+ books and decades of free teaching through his blogs, I'd say it's well deserved. Congratulations and huzzah!

[yogaandthetarot]

So glad you posted this Anon though I just asked JMG what the name of his award was in another post of mine as I hadn’t caught the name.
Wasn’t it a terrific conference? And just heartwarming to see JMG get that award.
Lovely to see Yury too with his interesting presentation. Very impressive.

DMH and planetary energies

[(Anonymous)]

Dear JMG and everyone,
1) How does the SoP systems (eg DMH) fit together with astrology, especially planetary charity, symbolism of the planets, planetary forces?

I have understood they are rather incommensurable, like parallel systems? But may be practiced in parallel?

2) Furthermore, should I take my (very preliminary) understanding of my natal chart into consideration when doing planetary charity (unspecified)? Or when doing planetary charity for a specific wish/request?

Best wishes, Mauve Curmudgeonly Unicorn

Re: DMH and planetary energies

[ecosophia]

1) They can be done in parallel -- I've made and consecrated planetary talismans while my main magical practice was a SoP-based system, as it is now.

2) Planetary charity can be done irrespective of your horoscope -- it's one of the very few branches of astrological magic in which that's true. You can have a planet in horrible debility and still get good results from planetary charity to that planet; in fact, you can use planetary charity to help lessen the impact of the debility.

A Brief Glimpse

[cs2]

I had some brief experiences over the weekend where it felt like I'd achieved the goal of the Dolmen Arch curriculum, real enough that I suppose I should observe the fourth magical virtue about it.

My question is whether it's normal to get wiggly after. It feels like my consciousness is not coasting in its normal sub-plane of the astral but rather fluctuating and going further down than usual, with bizarre thoughts flitting by sometimes. Not my normal self but so far not scary or intrusive.

Is this a call for lots of rest and Beef: It's What's for Dinner? I appreciate what you think might be going on and what I should do. Thanks for your time.

Re: A Brief Glimpse

[ecosophia]

Rest and bacon cheeseburgers are called for. This happens tolerably often after sudden spiritual awakenings; it's nothing to worry about, but some simple steps to get you well grounded in your material body again are helpful. Massage, by the way, is also good.

Geomancy: Source for ‘External’ Element?

[(Anonymous)]

Great meme, JMG. Given the quickening of the Second Religiosity, I suspect that it will have added poignancy in coming years and decades.

In your book “The Art and Practice of Geomancy” you identify an “external” element of each of the 16 figures. I have read most of the geomancy “classics” (Cattan, Fludd, Heydon, Agrippa, Cremonensis, Abano) and most of them identify an “inner” element, but I don’t recall finding an “external” element in their works. Do you recall where you found this? Or is it something that you developed yourself?

Thanks for all that you do!

Ron M

Re: Geomancy: Source for ‘External’ Element?

[ecosophia]

I'm sorry to say that I don't recall where I found it; in my defense, it was twenty years ago. It wasn't labeled "outer element" in the sources -- I coined that name to contrast it with the inner element.

[yogaandthetarot]

GM JMG
Just wanted to note here that you, Yury and all the speakers were just wonderful at the Institute for Hermetic Studies conference this past weekend. (I attended remotely and they certainly did a nice job accommodating.)
So funny you mentioned how cheap and abundant paperbacks helped spread occult topics to greater audiences in the 70’s…on a personal note, my first exposure to Yoga was from a paperback my mom picked up at the supermarket during that time period and passed on to me. The rest is history, as they say😉

Thanks again for all you do and here’s my “magic” question a bit off topic: What was the award you were presented? (I couldn’t catch the title).
And congratulations on receiving it!
Jill C

[ecosophia]

Thank you. As noted above, it was the Louis-Claude de St.-Martin Lifetime Achievement Award. As for paperbacks, I get the impression that happened to a lot of people in our generation!

‘Lessons learned’ my ego assures me

[(Anonymous)]

Whether this has any use for other methods of exploring emotions and patterns through the various practices I do not know – but wanted to share this in case anyone can find a use for themselves.

From my journal this morning:

The extract above from Hall could be used in the drawing exercise but also gives scope to practising death (the gathering, condensing and rising out) – also, can the desire object be traced to an actual source or is it simply a cycle of habitual action that is triggered and then acted on without any ‘thought’ in the process at all? In some ways it is certain things acting as trigger where smoking has been used alongside contemplation of a point/thought – like a ritual of meditation that involves smoke – no problem in itself until it becomes a pattern of habit rather than a specific action of choice and Will in a particular case/instance. It is like the use of a pattern/choice has habituated itself as an unthinking repetition that, over time is disconnected from conscious thought but left active as a subconscious pattern that repeats itself. And basically, if that is what has happened, then it is a complete non-starter as far as being allowed to continue is concerned.

When I finished writing the last sentence above [ending with ‘is concerned.], I said to Bacon: ‘Right I need to go out and do some work now’ – immediately there was a sudden surge of feeling about having a smoke before doing that.
Like when learning to drive, everything seems complex but eventually, it gets done and if not paying attention, the act of driving is almost completely automatic - the ego likes patterns because it ‘simplifies’ things to work in the background. Unfortunately, it is so efficient at doing this that all sorts of things that shouldn’t be processed automatically without consideration do so because that is what the vehicle of personality does, and does very well – it tries to organise things but does so with things that should not be processed in such a way.

The ego is a vehicle used to interpret and process, it is critical to use it correctly and not let it run away with itself… no wonder things are such a state – I’m in my 66th year here and am only just realising my approach may have been missing the forest for the trees!
It occurs to me that all the different common and esoteric systems of looking at emotions, psychology, thought etc, do so, not from an independent position, but as a game where the ego/personality ‘pretends’ to be looking at itself objectively, which of course it cannot do in it’s default mode of operation. It is like the police investigating themselves for something they’ve done, and then coming to the conclusion and announcing that they did nothing wrong and everything is fine… lessons have been learned… blah blah blah. Well, the ego would do that wouldn’t it.

For anyone who is working with the three cauldrons or the tree of light or similar, it seems the meditative art of practising death can be a useful adjunct to working with habitual patterns of personality by adjusting the method as a tool of observation.

[earthworm]

Re: ‘Lessons learned’ my ego assures me

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this -- a useful reflection.

blessing walk returns the favor

[charlieobert]

I want to share an interesting effect of the blessing walk practice.

I have been doing it regularly during my daily neighborhood walks since last October. I started with plants since they are the easiest to sense and to bless, added large rocks and stone walls - not manmade bricks but intact stones - then added people, animals, and whatever caught my eye.

If you'd asked me six months ago I would have said that my neighborhood is past peak, and is looking in decline, ragged and worn down.

A few days ago I had a dramatic shift in perception, something like - wow, what was I thinking, this is a wonderful neighborhood! I was blown away by how rich, alive and beautiful it is - lawns, trees, gardens, houses, people - everything included except cars, which I mostly avoided looking at.

I now wonder how long it took with my cursing the neighborhood with a jaded critical eye for it to look so ragged.

After some months of blessing the neighborhood I now live in a blessed neighborhood. The blessing walk now feels more like an acknowledgement.

Re: blessing walk returns the favor

[ecosophia]

Excellent! Yes, that's another of the effects of this very powerful practice.

[swedenisnotacirty]

Last week, I asked you about the third eye pressure that I've been feeling. Happy to report that it's making an appearance less and less as my daily practices continue.

I started doing the full SoP about a week ago. Every time I say "May they establish about me a Sphere of Protection!" during the last invocation, I feel something vibrating in my solar-plexus very strongly. I feel it so strongly that it distracts me from doing the visualizations of the closing!

Every time I do the SoP now, it makes me go "woah".
I assume this is positive, but I want to know: what is that?

Ps. You should attach one of those pamphlets called "What is happening to my changing body?" -- but for Occultists -- with your instruction manuals.

[ecosophia]

One of the real challenges in this is that effects of that intensity seem to be becoming more common over time. I recall only a few people getting the kind of effect you're describing back when I was studying with John Gilbert, and then only after years of intense work. Now people are getting the same effects much more quickly, and more people are getting them. I have several hypotheses about why that may be happening, but haven't yet figured out a way to test any of them.

The short form is that it's the turn of your solar plexus center to activate. That's also a good sign -- an indication that the ritual is doing what it's supposed to do. Just keep on with the practice and that, too, will settle down. If you start getting other centers activating after that, you'll want to make sure to get adequate rest and eat a grounding diet with a significant amount of meat -- again, that's natural, but it didn't use to happen quite so quickly.

[pointwithinacircle]

Good Morning. I think we are lucky to live in a time when there is so much information available on the internet. I am grateful for the ability to sample a wide variety of thoughts and perspectives on magic and other occult topics. However, to be honest, I still prefer reading an actual book to reading on a device of some kind, if for no other reason than that I can make notes in the margin. In the past week I have been enjoying a digital copy of “The Great Work” by Paul Foster Case. While many of his titles are in the public domain and are being reprinted, my digital search has not turned up a physical copy of this book. I am wondering if there is a source for this type of somewhat obscure material of which I am not aware.

[ecosophia]

The Great Work isn't a published book. It's a private course he issued to students in his esoteric order, the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA). You can get it in lesson form from the order, but only if you work through all nine of the previous courses first.

Gnosticism

[lukeszy]

Hi JMG,

Is there any version of Gnostic theology that is sane? By "sane", I mean a Gnostic philosophy that isn't paranoid of the demiurge, archons, and material universe. I am feeling a call to switch up my SoP to invoke the Valentinian Aeons (I found an example on an old answer) but not sure I want to take on paranoid philosophical baggage. I think they will give me more emotional "juice" compared to the Druid deities, which I view as congenial coworkers who I do a good job with, but we don't have much personal connection. I know the UGC is an example of a sane Gnostic philosophy, but it doesn't give much framework in terms of deities/aeons. I did some research and I'm thinking Valentinian Gnosticism is the least paranoid but haven't fully concluded that yet. Thanks in advance.

Re: Gnosticism

[ecosophia]

My take, for what it's worth, is that the Aeons are much saner than some of their followers were! The Valentinian Gnosis in its historical expressions was calmer and less wrapped up in cosmic paranoia than some of the others; if I ever expand the UGC material to include an aeonology (presented as an example, of course, rather than a dogma) I'll be using Valentinus's system. But theology should be an afterthought to a true Gnostic, since the whole point of the Gnostic path is finding out for yourself.