The Seeker Grade: The Pentacle of Earth
Apr. 21st, 2022 04:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
The making and consecration of the Earth pentacle is one of the requirements for advancement to the next grade in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, the 2° grade of Sojourner, which corresponds to the element of Earth and the tenth sphere of the Tree of Life. Since it may take you some time to make or buy a suitable pentacle, this paper is issued now so that it can be studied early on in your Seeker work.
The Earth Pentacle
The pentacle of Earth may be constructed from nearly any substance including wood, ceramic, stone, reinforced fabric, reinforced cardboard, leather, hide, glass or plastics that can be colored or painted. (It should not, however, be made of metal) It is normally circular in form and anywhere from four to eight inches in diameter. Those are the suggestions of the Order. How you make your own personal pentacle is strictly a matter of personal taste. After all, it is your pentacle.
The front of the pentacle should have on it a symbol that is holy to you. The most traditional symbol is a pentagram, which is a holy symbol in the Hermetic tradition and in some other traditions as well. In the classic form, the uppermost point should be white, the upper left point yellow, the upper right point blue, the lower left point green, the lower right point red, and the center black. These colors are used for the elements in the FHR.
However, since this is your pentagram, you may use any symbol on the pentacle you consider holy. If you are Christian, you may certainly use a cross or a crucifix. If you are Jewish, a Star of David would be entirely appropriate. If you are Buddhist, the Wheel of the Law, and so on. Choose a symbol that is sacred to you, and put it on the pentagram using any means you wish, from painting or carving to cutting something out in paper, gluing it onto a wooden disk, and covering the pentacle with a layer of varnish.
You may also buy a pentacle of Earth if you find one that is suitable to your needs. Not everyone has the craft skills needed to make a satisfactory pentagram. (That said, a very, very simple pentagram will work as well as a fancy one. A plain wooden disk with symbols cut out of colored paper and glued to the surface will be entirely satisfactory.)
You will need to consecrate your pentacle of Earth before you complete the work of the Grade of Seeker and proceed to the next grade, the Grade of Sojourner.
Consecrating the Pentacle
Once you’ve made your pentacle of earth the next step is to consecrate it. Your pentacle is a magical shield, and it will protect you from harm on all the planes of existence once you have consecrated it. To prepare for this ceremony you will need the chair, altar, pillars, candles, and the basic emblems of the elements (incense burner and incense, folding fan, cup of water, and bowl of salt) you have already provided for yourself. 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 half an hour to an hour of uninterrupted time. You may wear a robe or other ceremonial clothing or not, as you prefer.
You will also need a name for the divine appropriate for this ritual. If you are a monotheist, the name of the deity you worship is always appropriate. If you are a polytheist, choose the name of a god or goddess associated with the earth. If you have no particular religious belief, a term such as “Source of all that is” may be used. You will be calling on this name during the ritual. Choose the divine name you want to invoke before the ritual.
You may perform this ritual on any day that is convenient for you. Before you begin, set up the altar in the center of the space with the chair on the western edge of the space, facing east across the altar. 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 to the east of center, the red candle to the south, the blue candle to the west, and the green candle to the north. Place your pentacle in the center. Do not put the pillars on the altar yet; instead, put them in a convenient place until the opening ceremony begins.
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.”
Sit in the chair and meditate briefly on the element of earth and the work you are about to do. Then go to the west of the altar, facing east. Say aloud: “I proclaim a ceremony of consecration for my pentacle of earth. Let the pentacle therefore be purified by the four elements.” Pick up the pentacle and take it with you.
Circle around clockwise to the east of the altar, pick up the fan, and wave it to send a stream of air against the pentacle. Say: “I purify this pentacle with the element of Air, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Air to bless this pentacle and further its work.”
Put down the fan, go to the south of the altar, pick up the incense burner, and hold the pentacle over it, turning the pentacle so that it receives incense smoke on both sides. Say: “I purify this pentacle with the element of Fire, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Fire to bless this pentacle and further its 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 the pentacle. Say: “I purify this pentacle with the element of Water, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Water to bless this pentacle and further its work.”
Go to the north of the altar, take a pinch of the salt between thumb and forefinger, and sprinkle it on the pentacle. Say: “I purify this pentacle with the element of Earth, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Earth to bless this pentacle and further its work.”
Circle back around the altar clockwise to the west of the altar, still holding the pentacle, and stand there, facing east. Raise the pentacle high in both hands. In your own words, call on the Divine to bless the pentacle, so that it will protect you from harm on all the planes of existence. You may make this prayer as long or as short as you choose.
Then circle around the altar clockwise, still holding the pentacle, until you are on the south side of the altar facing north. Using the pentacle, trace the symbol of Earth (as shown on the left) in the air above the center of the altar: start where the line joins the circle, trace the circle clockwise until the pentacle returns to its starting point, and then trace the line down. Imagine the pentacle drawing a line of green light in the air, forming the symbol of Earth.
Point with the pentagram at the symbol of earth and say: “Spirits and powers of earth, behold this pentacle of Earth, purified by the elements and blessed by the Divine. I ask you to fill this pentacle with the strength and stability of Earth, so that it will protect me from harm on all the planes of existence.” Imagine currents of energy flowing from the north into the pentacle, giving it protective power. Maintain this imagination as clearly as you can for several minutes.
Then lower the pentacle and circle around to the west, facing east. Set the pentacle on the center of the altar, surrounded by the four candles. Now call on the Divine again in your own words, offering your thanks and gratitude for the help you have received in consecrating your pentacle. You may make this prayer as long or as short as you choose.
Finally, sit on the chair in the west and meditate for at least a few minutes on the ritual you have performed and the pentacle as a symbol. When you are finished, rise and perform the complete closing ceremony in the grade of Seeker. This completes your ritual of consecration.
Using Your Pentacle of Earth
Your pentacle of Earth will protect you from harm on any of the planes of existence. Most of the time it will simply block any harm that might otherwise come your way. If you feel you need more protection than usual, take the pentacle in both hands and turn clockwise in a circle, imagining that you are wrapping yourself in a veil of green light. You can also use it as a means of making contact with the energies of the element of Earth, and also with the elementals, nature spirits, and angels of Earth, in ways that will be explained in later papers.
If you have a permanent altar or another place you keep spiritual or magical gear, your pentacle of Earth can be kept there. It need not be wrapped in silk or otherwise protected against other magical energies, since its consecration is primarily on the spiritual and mental planes, which are not affected by banishing rituals or other sources of magical interference.