ecosophia | Magic Monday

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Magic Monday

Midnight is just a few minutes away, 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 then will not get an answer, and in fact will just be deleted. 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 1.1 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. The book above was my fiftieth published book and my eighth published novel. (Once I found a publisher that was willing to take a chance on my fiction, it came out in a rush, so we're going to be in tentacle land for a little while!) Miriam Akeley, a sixty-something college professor, was an important subsidiary character in the first two Haliverse novels, and took center stage in this one. As usual with these novels, I had no idea where it was going to end up and was astonished by some of the twists and turns.

One of the reviews this novel got finally succeeded in cluing me in about why my fiction leaves so many people baffled. The reviewer thought it was a good story, but was completely floored by the fact that Miriam was, you know, an ordinary person, without superpowers or anything else that made her unlike the rest of our species. That's when I realized that the reason so much of today's fiction sucks is that it's obsessed with the dreary fantasy of being the One Special Person around whom the whole world revolves. Me, I prefer stories about the rest of us. If you have similar tastes, you can order a copy here if you live in the US and here if you live elsewhere.

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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!~~

***This Magic Monday is now closed, and no further comments will be put through. See you next week!***

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Well, keep in mind that I haven't raised kids, so my ideas will be very theoretical! Children can be introduced to natural magic (magical herbs, protective amulets, healing teas, and so on) from infancy on. Meditation's best left until 7 or so, when they have enough control over impulses that they can start learning to concentrate, and basic banishing rituals are best left until after puberty is well under way -- with boys, wait for the voice to start breaking; with girls, wait for the breasts to start developing.

As for your second and third questions, natural magic is all but universal in human cultures to bless and protect children from before birth all the way through childhood. The details will depend on what kind of natural magic you work with -- European herbal magic has one set of practices, traditional Southern conjure has a different set, and so on -- but whatever method you choose, it's a good way to keep everyone safe and happy. If you're comfortable with some form of religion, of course, invoking divine powers through prayer and the like is also well worth doing.

I wish I did. Sara spent years looking for something she could do magically as part of her passion for spinning, weaving, crochet, knitting, and cross-stitch embroidery, and never found anything but hints and scraps. You may have better luck -- or you might consider starting from first principles and seeing what you can create.

For your first pass through the lessons, you can start with a list, though it's wise to pay attention if something that's not on the list forces its way into your attention as you proceed. You'll be going through the exercises more than once, remember, so you can make a new list when you begin your next exploration.

The Cabala is, if anything, even more unwilling to say anything about the Absolute than Hindu philosophy. The ten names of God assigned to the spheres of the Tree of Life are forms or manifestations of the divine, comparable to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu faith. Above them are the three veils of negative existence: Ain Soph Aur, which means "light without limit;" above that, Ain Soph, which means "without limit;" and above that, Ain, which means "Not." Above that, finally, is the Divine in its own essential nature. So if we look beyond the manifested forms of the Divine, we see limitless light; if we look beyond that, we see infinite space; if we look beyond that, we see nothing at all -- and beyond that, where we can't look at all, is the Divine.

More tentacles!

—Princess Cutekitten

Relax. The natural passions are meant to be outgrown, not repressed. For that matter, sex can take place on any of the planes; Swedenborg, among others, taught that sex was much better on the higher planes than it is on this one. If you don't find physical celibacy attractive, you're probably not suited for it in this lifetime -- your physical sexual responses will simply become less automatic and more a reflection of love.

I am offering healing hands this week to anyone who needs it. This is an at-a-distance spiritual healing modality in the Modern Order of Essenes tradition. If you would like to try it out, all you need to do is reply here or PM me to sign up. Those who requested healing hands last week have been serviced and can request again as many times as desired. Thanks!

I just consecrated my wand in the CGD and have begun to use it, and I noticed that during a Supreme Summoning Ritual of the Pentagram that I run into a problem when making the signs of the elements. I have the wand in hand from tracing the pentagrams and the sigils, but I have no easy place to set it down before making the signs. So far I just make them with my wand still in hand, and I can manipulate my fingers to make it work while still holding on and not touching myself with either end, but it's tricky. Is this the best solution, or should I provide myself with a spot to set it down in each quarter? The altar seems too far (even if just a few feet) to turn around and set it on.

What even is sex on the astral and mental planes?

Hello!

Thank you, JMG, for this forum.

I have been practicing the SOP as frequently as I am able for nearly two years now, and nearly every time I invoke the element of Water a sensation rises from my heart center up to my head and I begin to cry— that is, my eyes begin watering and one or two tears will fall down. Usually I am also smiling, and the sensation feels as though I am being held or cradled.

I usually let the feeling run its course and then continue on with the banishment of undesirable water energies.

I guess what I am wondering is: what’s going on here? Anyone else have similar experiences? Probably a fine theme for meditation.

I am also wondering if the person who was compiling titles for Mary for the SOP ever created a complete list.

I was raised Catholic, and haven’t felt comfortable utilizing most parts of the faith in my adult life, but when considering calling upon Mary my body and intuition feels comfortable and nearly compelled.

Thanks again.

J

1) This is why, when I can't get formal consent, I prefer phrasing such as "I offer you a blessing." If the person doesn't want the energy you offer them, that affirms their right to turn it down. You can't know what another being needs; you can at best say, "I offer you this energy with my positive intention," and let them take or leave it as they choose.

2) This is why it's helpful to work with deities and spirits whose interests and intentions you already know. If you invoke the oyarsa of Venus for help learning to love, say, you're going to get a favorable response because that's what she wants and likes and constantly tries to do -- you're saying to her, "Hi, I know this is your gig, if you'd like to work through me I'd be grateful." If you want to be more balanced, conscious, and active, choose those entities that rejoice and delight in those things and work with them, offering yourself as a vehicle for which they can accomplish their work.

That can be awkward! The method I used was a little simpler; I tucked into the cord belt of my robe when I wasn't using it. If that doesn't work for you, yes, having a place to set it down is convenient.

Not what you are looking for but years ago when I dabbled in weaving, I read that weavers often wove a "flaw" in the pattern as a "door" for any anger or bad feelings that may have gotten "woven into" the article to escape.

It sounds to me as though you need, and are very grateful for, Water energies. There may be past life issues involved, or some other factor. By all means let it happen.

I haven't heard back from the person who wanted to work with Mary. If nobody answers, you might consider doing the research yourself.

Hi Hearthculture,

Some thoughts from personal experience - take whatever is helpful to you and discard the rest! :-)

1. Do you need to have a name for the divine in order to bless? Or could this, maybe, just be a way to make things so complex and convoluted that you'll stop doing the work? ;-)

> When I think of blessing as "good" intent, who am I to know another's good?

In my experience, you don't need to know what is good for them. The Divine will know this much better than you, so why interfere? Simply offer a blessing, and leave the rest to somebody else.

> If it is the good known to the divine rather than my conception, then what is the purpose of injecting myself in the process?

This is just a model, but maybe it helps: In my understanding, when I bless others, I'm a combination of conduit and pointer - I point the divine blessing energies to where they might be welcome or desirable, and I help bring them into the material world by allowing them to flow through me.

Could the divine do this in a different way? Sure, but this way seems to work, and who am I to question this?

(Besides, all the blessing energy is flowing through me, too - and to me this is a major point in the MOE work.)

2. Does it have to be either-or? I.e. could you ask for general blessings for yourself on some occasions, and for specific ones on other occasions? Also, there is a wide range of "specific" - you could e.g. ask for "health" in general, or for some very specific health outcome through a certain treatment, or for various things in between. Maybe there is a sweet spot for you somewhere in this range?

In general, my impression is that it's ok to ask for something - although asking doesn't necessarily mean you'll get it. You're simply pointing something out to the Divine.

As to the vending machine question: Well, do you only ever ask for blessings for yourself? Or do you mainly bring blessings on other beings, and then also to you as an aside? :-) The Divine isn't a vending machine either way, but I feel there is a difference between only ever wanting things for yourself vs. wanting good things for everybody (or, well, almost everybody - we're all just human!), and thus also for yourself.

Hope this helps! Btw, your pet-owner daydream is hilarious! :D

Milkyway

I feel a bit confused but hope my question is still understandable.

I´m not the least sensitive to any subtle dimensions of this world. I did SOP for a year and gave up after that. I have done blessings walk now and then and twice it has seemed like people I've offered blessings to have reacted to it.

Once a woman stopped in her tracts and looked at me. We just said hello when we passed each other.

Second time a man I see in the neighborhood now and then, I think he is addict of some sort, I thought he needed blessings if anybody does, and he stopped and put his hand on his heart, and I got scared I had caused a heart attack. When I asked if he was Ok, he said it was just his stomach hurting a bit, and thanked me for stopping and asking.

And my question is, can it be effective, when I don't feel anything myself?

Hello, I was the person who asked about Mary's alternate names for the SOP. I meant to create a list of such names, but I never got around to actually doing it because I got distracted by other things in life. So best to follow JMG's advice and do your own research and construct your own list of Mary's names.

Many people have experienced astral sex. Have you ever been cuddled up with someone you love, not talking, not doing much of anything, just blissing out in the experience of being with that person? (Supertramp's song "Downstream" has always encapsulated that feeling for me.) That's the form of astral sex we can manage while we've still got material bodies; by all accounts it's much more intense for the disembodied.

We can't even begin to imagine mental sex, because we don't have organs on the mental plane yet. Remember that what passes for mental and intellectual activity among incarnate human beings is a set of dim reflections of the mental plane into the upper astral, the world of emotions, imagination, and dream. The mental plane on its own terms is far richer and more powerful than we can know; direct contact with it is what gets called "enlightenment" in some traditions. Since sex improves as you go up the planes, I expect mental plane sex to be really something -- but I'll find out when I get there.

Can confirm the eunning connection, I remember making the connection between the four elements in my body while running. It got me a better flow if I may express myself as such.

Just a quick addition because my comment might sound as if I'd happily bless people without their consent, because "the Divine knows what they need anyway" - just wanted to stress that consent is important, of course, and my earlier comment assumes you either have consent, or you offer your blessings strictly optional in a way which people can refuse (as it's taught in the MOE).

Milkyway

I'm working on it. ;-)

Hi Kylec,

My cataract bothered me much less than usual last time, please work your Healing Hands again. Bless you!

—Princess Cutekitten

There's no necessary connection between what you can do and what you can feel. It's quite common, in fact, for a student's ability to affect things to pick up much more quickly than their ability to perceive things; I've quite often had students tell me that it doesn't feel as though they're doing anything, when their Essene healing or some other kind of work was intense enough to rock me back on my heels.

If you want to develop your sensitivity, meditation is crucial. The Essene healing breath meditation is especially good for that, but any form of meditation will help.

As for your encounters, yep -- this stuff really does work. Especially these days, when there's so much negativity in the world, when somebody goes by radiating the positive energy of blessings, a lot of people notice, and some will stop and stare.

Hey Kyle,

I’ve actually worked out a set of pretty easy ways to hold the wand over the years when making each sign that works well and isn’t awkward (at least for me) and have been using them for some years now. I don’t even think about it anymore. If you’re interested post the same question to the DOGD DW and I’ll make a video of what to do and post it on the YouTube channel for ease of use.

Dean

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 Hal Freeman's daughter Marina recover from walking pneumonia.

May Leonardo Johann from Bremen in Germany, who was
born prematurely two months early, come home safe and sound.

May all living things who have suffered as a consequence of Hurricanes Helene and Milton be blessed, comforted, and healed.

May Kevin, his sister Cynthia, and their elderly mother Dianne have a positive change in their fortunes which allows them to find affordable housing and a better life.

May Tyler's partner Monika and newborn baby Isabella both be blessed with good health.

May The Dilettante Polymath's eye heal and vision return quickly and permanantly, and may both his retinas stay attached.

May Giulia (Julia) in the Eastern suburbs of Cleveland Ohio be 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 to treat it.

May Corey Benton, whose throat tumor has grown around an artery and won't be treated surgically, be healed of throat cancer.

May Kyle's friend Amanda, who though in her early thirties is undergoing various difficult treatments for brain cancer, make a full recovery; and may her body and spirit heal with grace.

Lp9's hometown, East Palestine, Ohio, for the safety and welfare of their people, animals and all living beings in and around East Palestine, and to improve the natural environment there to the benefit of all.

* * *
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.

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Magic Monday

Re: Raising kids

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Re: Notion of God/Ultimate Source in Qabalah

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Re: Q

MOE Healing Hands

Wand and Signs of the Elements

Re: Q

SOP Sensations

Re: What's in a blessing?

Re: Wand and Signs of the Elements

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Re: SOP Sensations

Re: What's in a blessing?

blessings walk

Re: SOP Sensations

Re: Q

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Re: What's in a blessing?

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Re: MOE Healing Hands

Re: blessings walk

Re: Wand and Signs of the Elements

Ecosophia Prayer List