1° Initiation
Apr. 7th, 2022 01:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ecosophia
Here's the initiation ritual for the Grade of Seeker, the first step on the ladder of the FHR. If you've made the preparations discussed last week and in the Prospectus, you should be prepared for this working. Please read the entire ritual before you perform it; you'll be expected to make certain promises during the ritual, and you should be fully informed before proceeding. Preliminaries and Preparations
This ritual is the first step in your initiation into the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose. It marks your formal entrance into the Fellowship and your acceptance of certain commitments and responsibilities as a member. Be sure to read the text of the ritual carefully before deciding whether or not to perform it. If you decide to proceed, certain preliminaries are necessary, and certain preparations need to be made.
The preliminaries are straightforward. Before you perform the ceremony, you should have begun daily practice of the three basic training disciplines discussed in the prospectus: a daily protective ritual (the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, the Sphere of Protection, or the Judson exercise); a daily session of discursive meditation; and a daily divination. You should also have studied all seven parts of the introductory essay on the Tree of Life by John Gilbert, and the papers on building astral forms and protecting yourself against discarnate beings. Finally, you should have learned and practiced the temple opening and closing ritual, as you will be performing it as part of the ceremony of initiation.
The preparations are equally straightforward. You will need the chair, altar, pillars, candles, Rider-Waite tarot deck, and the basic emblems of the elements (incense burner and incense, folding fan, cup of water, and bowl of salt) mentioned in the prospectus. You will also need a room or other space large enough that you can set up the altar in the middle and walk around it in a circle, and an hour to an hour and a half of uninterrupted time.
It was standard practice in Juliet Ashley’s Holy Order of the Golden Dawn to perform initiation rituals only on a solstice or equinox. Under John Gilbert’s leadership that was changed, and members were encouraged to perform the initiation rituals on the day immediately following the new moon. You may do either of these, or choose a day that numerologically adds to 1, when combined with your personal time number. Choose the day for your initiation using any of these methods.
You may wear a robe or other ceremonial clothing or not, as you prefer. White robes were standard wear in Juliet Ashley’s time, according to what I learned from John, but his rule was that each initiate got to make his or her own choice of ritual garments, or wear ordinary clothing, or nothing at all. (Some people apparently prefer to do ritual in the nude.) Choose which of these options is right for you.
Finally, you will need to decide how you will call on the Divine. You may use any divine name you choose, or simply say “Source of all that is” or some other abstract term. Settle on what you are going to say before the ceremony.
Before you Begin
Set up the altar in the center of the space with the chair on the western edge of the space, facing the altar. Set it up as shown in the diagram to the right. Put the emblems of the four elements on the four sides of the altar—the fan to the east, the incense burner to the south, the cup to the west, and the bowl of salt to the north. Put the four candles around the center, the yellow candle a little to the east, the red candle a little to the south, the blue candle a little to the west, and the green candle a little to the north. Leave the center empty. Do not put the pillars on the altar yet; instead, put them in a convenient place until the opening ceremony begins. Near the pillars, place Trump 0, The Fool; you will be putting this on the altar a little later.
Put water in the cup, light the incense, and then perform the complete Opening Ceremony, placing the pillars on the altar and lighting the candles where the ritual instructs you to do so. In the appropriate places, instead of “...on the Candidate Grade, say “...on the Grade of Seeker.”
When you have completed the opening ritual, take a few minutes to build the astral forms you will need for the initiation. There are five of these. In each of the four quarters there stands an initiate; the one in the east wears a yellow robe, the one in the south a red robe, the one in the west a blue robe, and the one in the north a green robe. You may fill in all the other details as you wish. Further to the east, beyond the initiate in the yellow robe, stands your guardian angel or guardian genius, who watches over the ceremony. Imagine your guardian as a tall winged angelic figure in a white robe. Remember that imagination is not the same as visualization. If you can visualize these forms, that’s good. If not, simply imagine that they are there.
Once you have done this, leave the space. Close the door behind you if there is one. Sit or stand, wait for a little while, and then go to the door and knock three times. (If there is no door, knock on a wall or some other surface.) Imagine a voice responding, saying, “Who are you, that dares to approach this temple?”
You reply aloud: “I am a child of Earth, but my heritage is that of the starry heavens.”
The voice replies: “Child of Earth, you may enter.” Go into the temple space.
First Point
Go to the west of the altar, facing east. Say aloud: “I, (say your full name), a child of Earth, present myself for initiation into the grade of Seeker. I have taken up the required practices and studied the required texts assigned to the Candidate Grade, and I know of no reason why I should not advance to the Seeker Grade. I therefore purify myself with the four elements to prepare for my initiation.”
Circle around clockwise to the east of the altar, pick up the fan, and wave it to send a stream of air against your face. Say: “I purify myself with the element of Air, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Air. May they bless me and further my work.”
Put down the fan, go to the south of the altar, pick up the incense burner, and use one hand to waft incense smoke over your face and head. Say: “I purify myself with the element of Fire, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Fire. May they bless me and further my work.”
Put down the incense burner, go to the west of the altar, dip your fingers into the water, and flick droplets of water onto your head and face. Say: “I purify myself with the element of Water, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Water. May they bless me and further my work.”
Go to the north of the altar, take a pinch of the salt between thumb and forefinger, open your mouth, and place it on your tongue. Say: “I purify myself with the element of Earth, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Earth. May they bless me and further my work.”
Go around clockwise to the west, facing east across the altar. If you are able to do so, kneel on both your knees. Place the fingers of your right hand on the altar. Raise your left hand, palm forward, fingers together. Say: “Having placed myself in due form, I now take on myself the obligation of the Grade of Seeker.
“I, (say your full name), in the presence of the Divine and of my guardian angel (or guardian genius) and in this temple of Seekers do solemnly promise that I will take up the studies and practices of the Grade of Seeker so long as I may do so with a clean conscience, and will persevere in them while I remain a Seeker and a member of this Fellowship.
"I further promise that I will act as befits a friend and companion to every member of this Fellowship who acts in a similar manner toward me.
"I further promise that I will never use any magical knowledge or ability I may now have or may gain hereafter for selfish or destructive purposes, and should I do so, may my powers depart from me until by proper restitution I have earned their return.
"To all this I solemnly and sincerely promise in the name of (speak the name of the Divine you have chosen).”
Imagine that you hear the sound of a bell somewhere in the east, ringing a single chime. Then imagine a voice speaking out of the east, saying: “Arise, child of Earth, and be received into the Grade of Seeker. Long have you dwelt in darkness. Quit the darkness and seek the light.”
You rise to your feet and behold the altar, with the four candles, the four elemental emblems, and two pillars. Say: “Having passed from darkness to light, I present myself to receive instruction in the step, sign, grip and word of the Grade of Seeker.”
Read the following passages aloud, and make each of the motions as it is described.
“The step of this grade is made by taking a half-step forward with your right foot.
“The sign of this grade is made by raising your left hand to the level of your left shoulder, one to two feet out to the side from your shoulder, with the elbow bent and the palm facing upward. The tips of the thumb and index finger of the left hand are touching, as though you held the stem of a flower between them, and the other fingers are gently spread. This is the position of the left hand of the Fool in Trump 0 of the tarot deck used by the Fellowship.
“The grip of this grade is made by making the step and sign, with your right foot next to the right foot of the person you are greeting. Then place your right hand palm down on their left shoulder. This grip should only be given to another member of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose.
“The word of this grade is ‘Wayfarer.’ It is divided in half when used for working purposes. The member giving the grip shall speak the first half, ‘Way,’ and the one receiving the grip shall respond with the second half, ‘Farer.’”
Now imagine the voice in the east saying: “Go around the temple to the four quarters, beginning with the north, communicate what you have just learned to the officers of the temple, and learn how you may quit the darkness and seek the light.”
Second Point
You go to the north and face north. Imagine an initiate standing there, dressed in a green robe. Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word. Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passage below, imagining that the figure in green is speaking to you.
"Welcome. I congratulate you on attaining the Grade of Seeker. I am the Master of Earth; my station is in the North, the place of darkness, because of all the elements Earth is the most resistant to the penetration of light. Thus the direction of North is assigned to the element of Earth. My station is also assigned to Malkuth, the tenth sephirah of the Tree of Life, the sphere of manifestation and our material world. The symbol of my office is the pentacle. As you prepare for your initiation into the first grade before you, the grade of Sojourner, you will be asked to make and consecrate a pentacle to be used in your rituals and placed upon your altar as an emblem of the element of Earth.
"My primary duty is to care for the needs of the Temple building and all the things within it. This is a reminder that all of us need to first take care of our own Temple and all of the things within it. Then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. The secondary duty of my office is to purify the Temple with the Element of Earth. For this purpose I am entrusted with the bowl of salt, of which you have already tasted and which was used to purify you and invoke the powers of Earth on your behalf. I bless you again in the name of Earth. May the Divine guide you on your journey."
You go around the temple clockwise to the west and face west. Imagine an initiate standing there, dressed in a blue robe. Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word. Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passage below, imagining that the figure in blue is speaking to you.
"Welcome. I congratulate you on attaining the Grade of Seeker. I am the Master of Water; my station is in the West, the place of twilight and the setting sun, because water seeks its own level as the sun at twilight seeks the darkness. Thus the direction of West is assigned to the element of Water. My station is also assigned to Yesod, the ninth sephirah of the Tree of Life, the sphere of the emotions and our astral world. The symbol of my office is the cup. As you prepare for your initiation into the second grade before you, the grade of Server, you will be asked to create a cup to be used in your rituals and placed upon your altar as an emblem of the element of Water.
"My primary duty is to care for the needs of the members of this Temple. This is a reminder that all of us need to first take care of those people who are dependent on us. Then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. The secondary duty of my office is to purify the Temple with the Element of Water. For this purpose I am entrusted with the cup of water which you have already experienced and which was used to purify you and invoke the powers of Water on your behalf. I bless you again in the name of Water. May the Divine guide you on your journey."
You go around the temple clockwise to the east and face east. Imagine an initiate standing there, dressed in a yellow robe. Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word. Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passage below, imagining that the figure in yellow is speaking to you.
"Welcome. I congratulate you on attaining the Grade of Seeker. I am the Master of Air; my station is in the East, the place of the dawning light, because of all the Elements, Air is the first to see the light. The direction of East is therefore assigned to the Element of Air. My station is also assigned to Hod, the eighth sephirah of the Tree of Life, the sphere of the mind and our mental world. The symbol of my office is the book. As you prepare for your initiation into the third grade before you, the grade of Student, you will be asked to create a book to be used in your rituals and placed upon your altar as an emblem of the element of Air.
"My primary duty is to see to the instructional and educational work of this Temple. This is a reminder that all of us need to see to our own instruction and education. Then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. The secondary duty of my office is to purify the Temple with the Element of Air. For this purpose I am entrusted with the fan of air which you have already experienced and which was used to purify you and invoke the powers of Air on your behalf. I bless you again in the name of Air. May the Divine guide you on your journey."
You go around the temple clockwise to the south and face south. Imagine an initiate standing there, dressed in a red robe. Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word. Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passage below, imagining that the figure in red is speaking to you.
"Welcome. I congratulate you on attaining the Grade of Seeker. I am the Master of Fire; my station is in the South, the place of the noonday sun, because in the element of Fire, the light is most clearly shown. The direction of South is therefore assigned to the Element of Fire. My station is also assigned to Netzach, the seventh sephirah of the Tree of Life, the sphere of energy and the will that shapes all our worlds. The symbol of my office is the wand. As you prepare for your initiation into the third grade before you, the grade of Teacher, you will be asked to create a wand to be used in your rituals and placed upon your altar as an emblem of the element of Fire.
"My primary duty is to maintain discipline and good order in this Temple. This is a reminder that all of us need to maintain discipline and good order in our own lives. Then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. The secondary duty of my office is to purify the Temple with the Element of Fire. For this purpose I am entrusted with the incense burner which you have already experienced and which was used to purify you and invoke the powers of Fire on your behalf. I bless you again in the name of Fire. May the Divine guide you on your journey."
Go around clockwise to the west of the altar and face east. Say: “Having presented myself to the four quarters and the four officers of the temple and received their instructions and blessings, I ask for further instruction in the secrets of this Grade.”
Third Point
At this point, take Trump 0, the Fool, from the place where you left it and set it in the middle of the altar, so that it forms the center of the equal-armed elemental cross made by the four candles and the four elemental emblems. Regard it for a few moments, and then imagine that you hear a voice from the east, saying the following.
“To the left of the altar you behold three steps rising upwards. They refer to the three pillars of the Tree of Life, to the three basic practices of ritual, meditation, and divination you have been assigned, and to the three divinatory methods you must learn and practice in your studies. Advance up those steps, in token of your willingness to perform the work of the grade ahead.”
Take three steps toward the east on the left side of the altar, imagining that you are climbing three steps of a stair. (This will take you to the northeast corner of the temple; see the diagram.) The voice then goes on as follows:
“To your right you now behold four more steps rising upwards. They refer to the four worlds of the Cabala, to the four officers of a temple of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, and to the four magical virtues—to know, to dare, to will, and to be silent. Advance up those steps, in token of your willingness to study the teachings of the grade ahead.”
Turn to the right and take four steps toward the south, imagining that you are climbing four steps of a stair. (This will take you to the southeast corner of the temple.) The voice then goes on as follows:
“To your right again, you now behold five more steps rising upwards. They refer to the five elements, earth, water, air, fire, and spirit; to the five points of the pentagram, and to the five initiations of our Fellowship you may receive before you approach the Veil of the Sanctuary. Advance up those steps, in token of your willingness to face the challenges of the grade ahead.”
Turn to the right and take five steps toward the west, imagining that you are climbing five steps of a stair. (This will take you to the southwest corner of the temple.) Turn to face the altar, and then go to the chair in the west of the temple and be seated. Read the following lecture carefully.
The Seeker Lecture
You have been welcomed into the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose by a form of initiation that has much to teach. As you sit here in this Temple of the Grade of Seeker, you behold the altar with its two pillars and four burning tapers. The two columns on the altar represent the right and left-hand pillars of the Tree of Life. The black column standing on the upper left-hand corner of the altar represents the Pillar of Power, the left-hand pillar on the Tree of Life. This pillar is also called the Pillar of Severity, Pillar of Water the Pillar of Cloud. The white column standing on the upper right-hand corner of the altar represents the Pillar of Compassion. It is also called the Pillar of Mercy or the Pillar of Fire.
“The four burning tapers on the altar are representatives of the four mundane elements. The colors of the taper identifying the elements, for yellow symbolizes Air, blue Water, red Fire and green Earth. These tapers burn on the altar during all ceremonies in the Seeker Grade to remind us that we are still children of earth, in need of light and guidance, as we seek to attain our birthright as heirs of the starry heavens. These tapers and the elements they represent are the lights which which lighted your way to the place where you now are. They also light the emblem of this grade, Trump 0, the Fool.
This trump is the most significant of the emblems assigned to this grade. It shows a Seeker high up in the mountains. The Seeker carries all his possessions in a sack tied to a staff. The Seeker stands on a precipice with one foot raised as if to step off into the abyss below. A small dog jumps beside the Seeker. The Seeker is a Child of the Divine.
The Seeker represents you before you decided to incarnate in this world of ignorance, before you descended into manifestation in the realm of the four elements. It represents all of us as we prepare to enter this world of suffering and pain to learn what we will learn. The Seeker represents all of us as we prepare to jump off the cliff in the rarified World of Air at the top of the Tree of Life, through the Veil of Truth into the World of Water, through the Veil of Illusion into the World of Fire, and through the Veil of Ignorance into the World of Earth. The Seeker jumps and plunges down through the worlds to become a child of Earth.
The Seeker is born in this physical universe and spends a lifetime traveling back up the Tree of Life from the World of Earth through the Veil of Ignorance to the World of Fire, from the World of Fire up through the Veil of Illusion to the World of Water, and from the World of Water through the Veil of Truth and back into the World of Air. There the Seeker will remain until and unless destiny calls him to descend through the Tree of Life again to this world of ignorance.
To the ignorant, it appears foolish to work one's way up the Tree of Life, to sacrifice time and energy to do internal work, to build better relationships and seek a closer communion with the Divine. To the ignorant it appears foolish to value love more than money, the Divine more than things and true friendship more than accomplishments. To the ignorant it appears foolish to travel a path of acceptance, forgiveness and love rather than join in the greed, envy, and avarice of the world. It appears foolish to value truth over salesmanship, happiness over income at any price, and peace of mind over winning at all costs.
In the tarot, the Seeker is called the Fool. The Seeker and the Fool are the same person seen from different perspectives. Here in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose we value truth, happiness, peace of mind, acceptance, forgiveness, love and communion with the Divine above all the glitter, fame and fortune of the World of Ignorance. While the world may see us as foolish we see ourselves as seekers of the things we value. While the world may call us Fools, we call ourselves Seekers and we seek the truth of the creation, the truth of the Divine and the truth about ourselves. As you study the tarot, remember that the Seeker is the Fool.
This completes the Seeker Lecture.
Closing the Ceremony
After you have finished reading the Seeker Lecture, spend at least a few minutes meditating on the ceremony you have performed and the symbols and teachings embodied in it. Then rise, thank your guardian angel or guardian genius, thank all the other spiritual beings that have assisted in the ritual, and dissolve the astral forms you created for the guardian angel or genius and the four initiates. (You do this simply by imagining the forms disappearing.) Once you have done so, perform the complete closing ceremony to close the temple in the Grade of Seeker. This completes your initiation into the Seeker Grade.
It is highly recommended that you devote time in the days and weeks ahead to meditating on the ceremony you have just passed through. Every detail of that ceremony has something to teach you. The more attention you give to the ceremony, the more meaningful it will be for you and the more you will gain from it.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-07 06:16 pm (UTC)can you expand on that a little more? What is the difference
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-07 08:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-07 06:27 pm (UTC)Could you explain what you mean by selfish? I once had a friend who was initiated into a neo-shamantic type thing that taught healing and a little magic. They had to take an oath not to use what they learned for selfish reasons, but the tradition explicitly defined "selfish" as anything which benefited yourself, your family, or your close friends. So of course they couldn't heal themselves, but even doing healing work for a family member was enough to get them expelled from the group as "using powers for selfish reasons," not to mention whatever consequences they agreed to in the oath. Basically they could only do healing for strangers, and only if the strangers didn't pay, and they would have to stop if they accidentally became friends with the person they were working on.
I assume that's an extreme and probably not what you mean, but can you clarify just what someone is promising here?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-07 09:00 pm (UTC)Psychic Protection SOP question
Date: 2022-04-07 06:29 pm (UTC)Re: Psychic Protection SOP question
Date: 2022-04-07 09:02 pm (UTC)Re: Psychic Protection SOP question
Date: 2022-04-09 05:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-08 01:28 pm (UTC)Is it "placed," or ought it to be "purified"?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-08 09:44 pm (UTC)