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jprussellThis offering is now closed for new questions, but if you have something pressing before I offer another, reach out by DM here on dreamwidth or through my email (linked at my webstead: https://jpowellrussell.com). Those of you who have already asked and not yet gotten an answer, I'm on it and will have those shared in the next couple of days. Otherwise, see you next time!
It's been a while since I've done this, so I figured I'd offer to do a divination reading on whatever questions you think I might be able to help with from now (Sunday, December 22nd) through the end of the year. Just post your question here or send me a dreamwidth message or an email if it's private. Just one question per person, please, but follow-ups should be fine, unless I get way more folks asking than I expect.
A few things on how I tend to approach this, though we can make adjustments on a case-by-case basis, if needed:
1) The two divination systems I'm comfortable with are the Runes and the Ogham. If you have a preference, let me know, but generally speaking, I prefer the Ogham for more magical/spiritual/psychological questions (unless they're specifically Heathen), and the Runes for most practical stuff or anything directly involving the Germanic Gods and Their worship. Not that they can't both answer a full range of questions, I just tend to find them easier to interpret that way in those situations.
2) For most questions, I find some variation of a three card/stave spread in the shape of (roughly) "Past/Present/Future" or "Situation/Action/Outcome" to be most helpful. Sometimes specific questions might call for something a bit different, but when in doubt, that's what I'll go with.
3) As a slight addition to the above, when cards or Runestaves draw attention to themselves in ways I didn't intend (popping out of the deck while shuffling, two cards drawn when I meant to get one, one of the lots bouncing out of the tray I drop them in, that kind of thing), I tend to interpret that as "you need this extra information, pay attention."
4) I'll do my best to convey both the specific cards/staves I got in what positions, and what their "generic" meanings are (at least to me), but then also to synthesize everything into a whole picture. This last bit is largely intuitive, and often is more precise at the risk of being less accurate (example of what I mean: "it will rain tomorrow" is less precise than "it will rain between noon and 1:00 pm tomorrow," but if it rains at 5:00 pm, the former was more accurate because it was less precise), which is why I give the choppier/less synthesized pieces as well as how I think they fit together.
5) I'll be doing family stuff for the holidays, including a bit of travel, so please allow at least 24 hours for me to respond with an estimate on when I'll answer your question. I anticipate being able to do the reading for most within 24-48 hours of posting, but again, if way more folks take me up on this than I expect, that might change.
At any rate, ask away, and a blessed (late) Solstice, merry (early) Christmas, and happy (early) New Year!
Jeff
It's been a while since I've done this, so I figured I'd offer to do a divination reading on whatever questions you think I might be able to help with from now (Sunday, December 22nd) through the end of the year. Just post your question here or send me a dreamwidth message or an email if it's private. Just one question per person, please, but follow-ups should be fine, unless I get way more folks asking than I expect.
A few things on how I tend to approach this, though we can make adjustments on a case-by-case basis, if needed:
1) The two divination systems I'm comfortable with are the Runes and the Ogham. If you have a preference, let me know, but generally speaking, I prefer the Ogham for more magical/spiritual/psychological questions (unless they're specifically Heathen), and the Runes for most practical stuff or anything directly involving the Germanic Gods and Their worship. Not that they can't both answer a full range of questions, I just tend to find them easier to interpret that way in those situations.
2) For most questions, I find some variation of a three card/stave spread in the shape of (roughly) "Past/Present/Future" or "Situation/Action/Outcome" to be most helpful. Sometimes specific questions might call for something a bit different, but when in doubt, that's what I'll go with.
3) As a slight addition to the above, when cards or Runestaves draw attention to themselves in ways I didn't intend (popping out of the deck while shuffling, two cards drawn when I meant to get one, one of the lots bouncing out of the tray I drop them in, that kind of thing), I tend to interpret that as "you need this extra information, pay attention."
4) I'll do my best to convey both the specific cards/staves I got in what positions, and what their "generic" meanings are (at least to me), but then also to synthesize everything into a whole picture. This last bit is largely intuitive, and often is more precise at the risk of being less accurate (example of what I mean: "it will rain tomorrow" is less precise than "it will rain between noon and 1:00 pm tomorrow," but if it rains at 5:00 pm, the former was more accurate because it was less precise), which is why I give the choppier/less synthesized pieces as well as how I think they fit together.
5) I'll be doing family stuff for the holidays, including a bit of travel, so please allow at least 24 hours for me to respond with an estimate on when I'll answer your question. I anticipate being able to do the reading for most within 24-48 hours of posting, but again, if way more folks take me up on this than I expect, that might change.
At any rate, ask away, and a blessed (late) Solstice, merry (early) Christmas, and happy (early) New Year!
Jeff
no subject
Date: 2024-12-29 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-30 09:30 pm (UTC)I've not yet worked out a good one-question way to handle either/or decisions, so I'd propose asking the Ogham (seems fitting, given the subject matter) the two following questions:
"What does anonymous most need to understand about joining the AODA and/or the GCC and sticking with the SOP?"
and
"What does anonymous most need to understand about building a spiritual practice based on the LBRP?"
For both, I'll use the spread "Setting (what's going on around you and in your life relevant to the question), Work (what to expect from actually doing the set of practices involved), and Outcome(s) (what is most likely to come about from picking this option)."
If that works for you, I'll ask in the next couple of days and share the interpretation soon thereafter.
For what it's worth, before doing the reading, I'd share that I faced a similar conundrum when getting started in spiritual work: I have a very strong affinity for the Heathen Gods and it seemed clear that was the direction my religious life should go, but when looking for magical training, nothing seemed "just right." Through prayer and meditation, I ended up deciding that it was important to follow JMG's advice to follow a defined course "by the book" for my first foray, and given the worth I found in his advice, I wanted it to be one of his. Due both to its flexibility in which Gods are called upon and the feeling that I needed a better balance of Solar and Telluric energies in my life, I ended up going with his Druid Magic Handbook, and then branching out into the Dolmen Arch when I had to put advanced rituals on hold for my second daughter. I would not have expected to walk the Druid path when first starting out, but it's been greatly valuable to me.
At any rate, as I said, I'll do the reading and let you know what comes up for you, as your mileage will almost certainly vary!
Cheers,
Jeff
no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 02:17 am (UTC)I tried to think of how best to ask this, and thought it might come down to the ritual. AODA isn't a perfect fit for me, but it might be the best I can do right now, the GCC looks appealing and it's a spiritual framework I can begin with and go from there. But joining would require the SoP, which I like on paper, flexibility, balance of energies, etc. In practice though, I have never been able to get it to stick for very long, no matter how often I try, it always ends the same way. A while back, I experimented by trying the Heathen LBRP, to see what would happen; the experience was completely different, it immediately slotted itself into my routine and I didn't miss it for eight months. There are many reasons it fell apart, personal spiritual problems I wasn't ready to accept then, etc., but it's gotten somewhat better, so I'm back to looking for a spiritual framework, thus the GCC, but then the ritual...
I do think there is something about the SoP itself that doesn't play nice with me, or it's too weak and I really need the industrial strength cleaner that is the LBRP. If so though, that would mean no AODA, and needing to take the old GCC manual, JMG's Druid books and trying to piece together a spiritual framework and practice on my own. I'm not currently interested in the full on ceremonial magic path, not in a position to commit to that right now even if I was.
The question around AODA is fine, the SoP is not the only reason to maybe not join after all. The second part, I'd focus more on the LBRP itself, the long term benefits of sticking with that, is it so great it's worth making other stuff harder?
no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 03:06 am (UTC)Hmm, a few thoughts, before proposing a new set of questions. First off, I first tried the Heathen LBRP when getting serious about religion/magic, and I had some very strong-feeling reactions. For the reasons I mentioned above, I ended up switching into the SOP for the Druid Magic Handbook (if Isaac Hill's Heathen Golden Dawn had been available at the time, I very well might have gone with that, but it wasn't, and here I am - likely all to some end). I found the SOP lacked much in the way of "feeling" when I started, and even 2-3 years of practice later, it's not as much as I felt with the LBRP+MP, but my other spiritual work is proceeding well, so I assume it's doing its job.
Secondly, after doing the DMH work for a while, I considered joining the AODA for some community/support, but after talking to some other folks in JMG's community, I decided against it. I've heard mixed things, with the negatives mostly being potential infection by too much of the politics of the day. On the plus side, the newly ordained Bishop in the UGC, Claire, is one of AODA's Archdruids and a (the?) Bishop of the GCC, and she's lovely. All of which is to say that you can quite readily do almost all of the spiritual work the AODA offers solo, if that turns out to be a better path.
Thirdly, though you might already be familiar, just in case not, I figured I'd float a couple of other options. First, if you find the LBRP congenial, have no particular bond with the Heathen Gods, and feel called to Druidry in some shape, there's always the Celtic Golden Dawn. I gave the book a read through when trying to work out what to do for myself and decided it was less amenable to bringing in Heathen Gods than the DMH, along with the thought I needed to be careful bringing too much more solar energy into my life. Also, if you find the GCC attractive, but are not sure about it as an organization, there is also the UGC, which has a different set of benefits and downsides that might fit you better. Lastly, the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose work can be done with either the SOP or the LBRP. Just to say that you might not have to pick between AODA or totally building from scratch.
Now, with all that said, would these two questions (with the same answer spreads as above) work better?
"What does anonymous most need to understand about joining the AODA and/or the GCC?" (cut out the bit about the SOP)
"What does anonymous most need to understand about using the LBRP as his/her banishing ritual?"
Once again, let me know if you think these need any tweaks, and once we have it nailed down, I'll do the reading in the next couple of days.
Cheers,
Jeff
no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 05:30 am (UTC)I'm not great at sensing energy, or knowing when things are working. When I feel something with the SoP it's hazy, sometimes with a certain brightness to it, but also sometimes grey. The impression I get is like, with me it can shine a light on problems, imbalances but can't actually do anything to help with it. The LBRP brought mental clarity, focus and some degree of energy, things that kept the process going rather than running out of steam.
I am familiar with the Celtic Golden Dawn, but Celtic gods have always been a closed book to me. I'm not Heathen but I like the gods and mythology, the symbolism all makes sense and has meaning to me, so it works, and it's the best of the three currently available options. I had forgotten about the UGC and its monastery (as well as the FHR), if it's up and running again it might be something to keep in mind, so thanks for that!
no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 07:52 pm (UTC)Even if I ultimately ended up with the Heathen GD, I'm also unsure and ambivalent in some ways the whole religion aspect of it, but I figured I'd give it a honest try and see where it takes me. I also asked JMG on one of his MM posts way back, and IIRC he said that you don't necessarily need to have a super close and devoted relationship with individual Gods to do a course of magic like this, as long as you approach it with the proper respect and open-mindedness (obviously I'm paraphrasing here).
In any case, I can definitely relate to the struggle to choose. If you do end up on the Heathen GD path, I'm also looking for people who might be interested in helping form a loose group around it that could hopefully blossom into a full Order in time (along the lines of the Druidical GD), so I thought I'd mention that this door is open if you do go this way.
Hope you find a good and fulfilling path that suits your needs!
no subject
Date: 2025-01-06 11:05 pm (UTC)Asking - "What does anonymous most need to understand about joining the AODA and/or the GCC?" (cut out the bit about the SOP)
Draw
Setting: Onn
Work: Mor
Outcome(s): Coll
Asking 2 - "What does anonymous most need to understand about using the LBRP as his/her banishing ritual?"
Draw
Setting: Onn
Work: Ailm
Outcome(s): Coll (Reversed)
My Take on It
Alrighty, to do this reading, I opened a sacred space, called upon the Wyrds (Norns) and concentrated on each of your questions while shuffling the Ogham Cards. For each question, I then drew three cards, using the spread "Setting (what's going on around you and in your life relevant to the question), Work (what to expect from actually doing the set of practices involved), and Outcome(s) (what is most likely to come about from picking this option)." I then said a prayer to the Gods who help me with divination, before looking at the cards. If I drew the card right side up, it is "upright," and if I drew it upside-down it is "reversed." For interpretation, I use my own intuition based on the Upright and Reversed meanings given by JMG in his Druidry Handbook.
Question 1 - "What does anonymous most need to understand about joining the AODA and/or the GCC?" (cut out the bit about the SOP)
For the first question, for "Setting" we have Onn, which means "Gorse," and stands for attraction, creative power, and passion. For "Work," we got Mor, which means "Sea" and stands for beginning, endings, and the changes that come from the deeper forces of the cosmos. For "Outcome," Coll, which means "Hazel" and stands for knowledge, creativity, and inspiration.
Putting these together, it seems clear that there's something in your context attractive and powerful about AODA and/or the GCC, but Onn also carries connotations of "opportunities with potential problems or challenges," so it's no surprise that it sound good, but you have your doubts. Mor for work is interesting, as it implies there might be something deeper at work here than just you and your preferences/strengths, but I read as generally favorable. Coll implies learning and skill, to the point of a new phase in life. So, all together, this sounds fairly promising.
Question 2 - "What does anonymous most need to understand about using the LBRP as his/her banishing ritual?"
Now, isn't that striking? Two of the same cards, in the same steads, but one reversed. I swear I shuffled thoroughly in between! At any rate, for thoroughness, for this second question, for "Setting" we have Onn, which means "Gorse," and stands for attraction, creative power, and passion. For "Work," Ailm, which means "Elm" and stands for vision, understanding, and eminence. For "Outcome," Coll (Reversed), which means "Hazel" and stands for knowledge, creativity, and inspiration.
For this question, it again seems like you see the appeal, but also the potential problems, with going this way (no surprise, I'm sure). Ailm for work is interesting, as I tend to associate this few with "seeing the forest, not only the trees" - in other words, this work would help in some ways to gain a wider or higher perspective - one thought that comes to mind is the great body of work available for GD-derived systems, arguably the most developed ceremonial magical system in Western traditions, if not the whole world. On the other hand, Coll (Reversed) speaks to creative blockages and falling back on the familiar, often out of a fear of the failure that might come from trying something new. This implies to me that while the LBRP would open up certain spiritual perspectives for a while, you'd end up missing out on some of the places spiritual work might take you.
Putting Them Together
The fact that these two came up so similar seems so striking that it has to be significant, especially with the directly opposed upright/reversed Coll for outcomes. To me, this looks pretty clearly like it's saying that despite your lack of feeling for the AODA/GCC related work, that might be the better path. Perhaps this is a case of needing to push through what's difficult. As I mentioned in one of my earlier replies, there are other SOP-based systems that might work out better for you than the AODO/GCC, so maybe that would be worth exploring more.
You'll have to settle all of this yourself, of course, and if other things point against something based on the SOP, then my reading might be off. It might also be that the key difference is in "joining an organization" versus "going your own way/rolling your own," in which case the specific ritual basis might have less bearing.
Please let me know if you have any follow up questions, and if you're willing, I'd very much appreciate hearing whether this struck a chord or felt off, and if so, in what ways.
Cheers,
Jeff