ecosophia | Magic Monday

Current Mood: cheerful

Entry tags:

Magic Monday

It's getting on for midnight, so we can proceed with a new Magic Monday. Ask me anything about occultism and I'll do my best to answer it. With certain exceptions, any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer. Please note: Any question received after then will not get an answer, and in fact will just be deleted. I've been getting an increasing number of people trying to post after these are closed, so will have to draw a harder line than before.) If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 143,916th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.0 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.

The image? I've decided to do another pass through magical personalities, and I figured I'd start with one of my own teachers. This is John Gilbert, with whom I studied the teachings of the Universal Gnostic Church, the Order of Spiritual Alchemy, the Modern Order of Essenes, and the Magickal Order of the Golden Dawn -- this last, of course, is the parent body of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose. This photo was taken in 2008 in eastern Tennessee at a Druid event there; it was the last time John and I met in person, though we corresponded via email and talked on the phone quite a bit after that.

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 the button above to access my online tip jar. 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 now 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, ask me anything!~~

**This Magic Monday is now closed. See you next week!***

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Urgent update

I just finished my morning meditation, choosing this problem as a theme, and I likely answer came to me.

It seems to relate to the Tetragrammaton, but with numbers and geometric shapes instead of letters. 3-4-5-4 is the triangle, the square, the pyramid and the tetrahedron. The first 2 are 2-D, and the others 3-D. The pyramid consists of 5 dots, the square and tetrahedron are both made of 4 dots.

Hello JMG,
Thank you for MM.
I am not an original poster, but I have a follow-up question. I did a planetary charity for Mars and Jupiter because they are in detriment in my natal chart. When do I need to repeat the charities?

Kirsten

2) Something that's often worked for me is simply learning to prepare and cook the food item myself. (Even more so if I can first grow it or catch it myself, where possible.) You can learn to taste when something is properly cooked even if you don't think you like that taste, and then it's only a short path from "tastes properly cooked" to "tastes delicious!"

I think this could work particularly well in combination with JMG's advice.

Bingo!

2) Does that imply any success I've had with mental techniques for abbreviating physical pain is coming at a cost to my karma account?

His Vice President was inaugurated a few minutes after him, thus Jupiter is still conjunct the nadir, but from the 3rd house. I truly wonder what is the deal with the sword regalia, if there is an assumption that the inauguration was incomplete until it was brought forth.

The frustrating thing was that there were good elections between 1:00pm to 2:50pm local time, which would have left him politically weakened, but would have been in line with his stated political goals, with the political classes enacting his reforms out of spite just to steal the credit.

PS: I might have posted an incomplete version of this reply.

JMG,

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking about the program but couldn't recall the name. I hope he will give it a try.

Rita

Dear JMG,

Will you ever publish a Magic Monday best of book, or series of books? There is a host of wisdom contained in this weekly ritual and it would be wonderful to have a curated selection of q&a's, in a curated format. I for one would buy it. Just a thought.

108

Dear JMG,

I wanted to ask you about divination. I've found it (primariy horary) very useful in my life; a few times, it's predicted things far into the future (nearly 1-2 years), which was absolutely unbelievable to me.

There are times when the answers haven't stood up (changing circumstances perhaps?), and i have gone back and forth on what exactly is happening. Sometimes, I feel that some of the answers are just reflecting back to me what I already think/know.

This makes me fear some sort of confirmation bias/mirroring of delusions/seeing want you want to see (something you'd mentioned happens with astral light, happened to even Steiner in his clairvoyance) in what divination shows.

What could you share about divination that you've learnt, and how to protect against this type of thing? How to keep things sharp? (I still think through things and have an active spiritual life so I hope that helps).

I recently bought an antique cabinet, described as "Nineteenth century French Renaissance Revival." It is quite beautiful, and some of the carvings strike me as possibly alchemical in nature.

The back wall of the cabinet features a man's face with an acorn cap and oak branches growing out of his mouth.

The bottom doors of the cabinet feature three dragons, one emerging from a cauldron.

The drawer of the cabinet features more faces with oak branches growing from their mouths.

The side supports each have a rather classic looking wizard with beard and tall hat.

Here is a link if you'd like to see the pictures yourself: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/130200039_french-renaissance-revival-carved-oak-cabinet

My question is, do you think these symbols may have alchemical or occult meanings? The cabinet is from the same era as Levi. Were occult ideas fashionable enough at the time to make it into furniture?

Hi JMG,

So, I've been trying to figure out my new boss for several months now. I am now on a work trip with him for a couple of weeks and I think I've pegged it. He suffers from narcissistic personality disorder and is a pathological liar.

Unfortunately, at least for now, I'm stuck in this job and have to deal with it. Do you have any magical suggestions (or otherwise) to deal with having to work in close near constant proximity to this individual? I'm already doing the lbrp.

Thanks,
HV

A serious question for those of the commentariat who work Roman...

Since the Romans had a god for everything, and I'm working with the classical planets plus Minerva but not the religio Romano per se - who was the Roman god of foul-ups, SNAFUs, and FUBARs? I badly need to placate him or her.

Dear John Michael Greer,

Another question about a rowan tree, above, prompts me to ask you about something that has been bothering me for a while. When I moved house a few years ago, I hired a gardener to clean up the garden and, while I was distracted and overwhelmed by other tasks, I didn't supervise as I should have, and to my horror, I found that he had removed a beautiful 30 yr old monstera plant that I had always loved. I don't blame the gardner; it was a misunderstanding, but I felt so bad about it because had I been paying attention, I would have prevented it from happening. Do you have any suggestions for how one might atone for such a thing?

Azure Radiant Pufferfish

I think it is not so easy for a body to be completely destroyed, even in an aircraft accident. A funeral cremation takes more than a few minutes, and that's under ideal contrived circumstances. An aircraft explosion is very brief, and most likely when the aircraft is already hitting the ground. So, there is no room for the ghost to fall.

Lathechuck

From an occult perspective, what happens when people develop dementia? It seems to me, based on what little I know, that it could be viewed as the higher self progressively withdrawing from the lower self, leaving the astral body and lower running on autopilot, so to speak, but I'm curious if you have anything else to add on this topic.

The book "Caveman Chemistry" traces the evolution of modern chemistry, starting with the selection of the right kind of stone for arrowheads, and is narrated by four alchemical voices.

Lathechuck

2. How do you deal with underlying emotional components behind any compulsion? For example, say like something that is bad for you because you feel like you don’t deserve better. Would it be a good approach to use some affirmations to improve your feelings of self-worth?

Thank you

I’ve dwelled on this subject quite a bit over the years. I’ve never made an attempt at a formal analysis but some impressions—whatever sign Pluto is in, that area will be “out of whack” and intensified.

Pluto in Libra— justice and law were out of whack. These were the years of intense political violence in the US and many parts of Europe. (2,500 bombings in the early 1970s in the US alone— https://time.com/4501670/bombings-of-america-burrough/) Crime also exploded in the US, and the justice system got out of whack, leading to very lenient sentences for violent crime (which fed the 80s/90s backlash). Divorce also skyrocketed.

Pluto in Scorpio— to me the Pluto-influence of this era is defined by AIDS (sexuality + death—what could be more Plutonically Scorpio?) and the end of the post 1960s sexual free-for-all.

Pluto in Sagittarius— religion (Sagittarius’s domain) out of whack and extreme. This was when evangelical Christianity had its peak cultural and political influence in the US. Simultaneously, Islamic fundamentalism increased in presence and influence (and perceived/actual menace).

Pluto in Capricorn— the banking and monetary systems (Capricorn terrain) out of whack. 2008 crash, followed by massive corporate consolidation and overreach, and threats to fiat currency from the bizarre crypto boom. Crypto is very much “Capricorn in bizarre mode” to me.

I expect Pluto in Aquarius to be an era of “technology out of whack.” Sinister possibilities there—I see a lot more intrusion of tech/AI/surveillance into daily life during the upcoming era. Though JMG’s book made me hopeful Pluto’s influence is waning, and perhaps the more Saturnian side of Aquarius will come through, rather than the Uranian/Promethean. Though perhaps that isn’t much better...thinking of totalitarian Saturnian-type systems wedded to tech, with a shudder...

Hi JMG,

1. Have you ever researched spontaneous human combustion? From a spiritual point, what might cause that?

2. I've practiced the pythagorean numerology on people I've known and noticed a correlation between the resulting birth/name number and the special prominence of the corresponding planet(s) in their natal chart. Is that something you've observed similarly? (Personally Saturn and Jupiter are my 2 strongest and what do you know, there's my bdate snd name number accordingly).

Wishing a Happy Magic Monday to all;

I'm working through the Way of the Golden Section, performing the SOP daily and meditating. In this process, I had a rather significant "tap" from the Greek pantheon; which was somewhat strange as I have been pursuing relationship with the Norse pantheon for some time. One of the benefits of this mirrors the benefit I saw with learning a second language: as I've delved deeper into Greek myth and communication with that pantheon, my understanding of the Norse myth and gods has deepened and my understanding of both are benefiting from the connections and the contrasts. That work is bringing up new questions about my practice in general...

In the opening of the SOP, you recommend using divine names to represent the 3 principals of Nwyfre, Calas, and Gwyar; I notice that most of the suggested names are from the younger parts of the various pantheons (meaning the olympians and Aesir, rather than the Titans and the Giants.) Is there a reason behind not suggesting the original creative forces of each pantheon/mythology? I.e. Uranus, Gaia, and Zeus or Hestia; or Ymir and the Cow, Audhumla, and Buri. I recognize that in each mythology those older forces were overthrown and so may be less effectual being invoked for protection; but they seem to be a more direct fit to 3 principals than the stronger personalities of the younger pantheons... Thoughts?

Also, in the Way of the Golden Section book, the second image for the hands for the SOP appears to have the left hand over the right. My understanding is that whenever the hands or arms cross, it is right over left. Is that correct?

Finally, is it common or at least familiar to you or anybody for a significant moment of divine connection to be followed by radio silence? I'm continuing to explore slowly and to incorporate honoring of the deities into my current practices; I'm supplementing rather than supplanting; yet my previous interactions were more consistent. I'm theorizing that the strong connection between the astrological bodies and the greek and roman pantheons may lead to cycles of connection and disconnection... but perhaps that's a rabbit that's been chased already by you or someone else here?

Thank you for this space and for your time.

It may depend on the rituals quite a bit? I think some cultures see menses as a special time for woman so they may be mimicing this, the rituals usually contain protections to keep the connection between the woman and earth/moon etc clean.

I have to wonder how much this thought can apply to populations and nations as a whole. There's a whole lot of anger in the ole USA these days.

Does make me wonder, though. How do ghosts travel around? I recall that when my father died a few years ago, within minutes of his passing, my youngest niece (then 6 years old) felt someone tap her on the shoulder, but no one (visible) was near enough to have tapped her. My family mostly thinks this was my father's spirit because of the timing, and also some later experiences where he briefly appeared to my mother, and later she heard his voice call to her from the vicinity of his favorite chair in the living room. Do we know much about how those without the mortal coil travel or move about? From my family's experience, as well as some other stories, they seem to be able to transport themselves from one location to another with little or no travel time.

Hmm, Wyoming is a tiny state with a very small higher education footprint. The only college that fits the description of this is Wyo Tech, a small for-profit automotive technology school (not a university--Wyoming only has one and it is still going strong and has tenure). They used to be owned by Corinthian schools with Wyomng Technical College campuses in many states. The government went after Corinthian for gainful employment infractions, forcing them to close or sell all their higher education holdings. The original Wyoming Technical College in Laramie was purchased by a different company, and reopened as WyoTech. This may very well have disenfranchised the old established faculty/staff, but that was not the driving force behind it--the federal government forced this because it felt students were getting charged too much and were not given the outcomes they were promised. Students at the Corinthian colleges are among those that will most likely get student loan debt forgiven.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 6 of 8

Magic Monday

Re: Geomancy

no subject

no subject

Re: Another question about cats

Re: Karma

no subject

Re: mental health

Magic Monday the Book

question

Antique cabinet

no subject

no subject

A question about a monstera plant

"completely destroyed"?

no subject

Re: Just Wondering

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Re: mental health

no subject

Wyoming College Shut Down and Reopened