The Server Grade: The Book of Air

[ecosophia]

The making and consecration of the Air Book is one of the requirements for advancement to the next grade in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, the 4° grade of Student. Since it may take you some time to make or buy a suitable Book, this paper is issued now so that it can be studied early on in your Seeker work.

The Air Book

The Book of Air may be a blank book of any kind, bound in any material you prefer.  It may be painted or otherwise decorated.  It may be any convenient size.  What you choose for your own personal Book is strictly a matter of personal taste.  After all, it is your Book.

Most practitioners purchase a blank book and consecrate it as their Book of Air. You may do the same or, if you have the necessary craft skills, you may make a Book yourself and decorate it however you wish.

You will need to consecrate your Book of Air before you complete the work of the Grade of Server and proceed to the next grade, the Grade of Student.

Consecrating the Book

Once you’ve purchased or made your Book of Air the next step is to consecrate it.  Your Book is a magical record, and it may be used to contain any knowledge, whether by writing on the pages or in a purely magical, non-material sense, once it has been consecrated.  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 Air.  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 Book 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 Sojourner.”

Sit in the chair and meditate briefly on the element of Air 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 Book of Air.  Let the Book therefore be purified by the four elements.”  Pick up the Book 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 Book.  Say:  “I purify this Book with the element of Air, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Air to bless this Book and further its work.”

Put down the fan, go to the south of the altar, pick up the incense burner, and hold the Book over it, turning the Book so that it receives incense smoke on both sides.  Say:  “I purify this Book with the element of Fire, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Fire to bless this Book 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 Book.  Say:  “I purify this Book with the element of Water, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Water to bless this Book 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 Book.  Say:  “I purify this Book with the element of Earth, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Earth to bless this Book and further its work.”

Circle back around the altar clockwise to the west of the altar, still holding the Book, and stand there, facing east. Raise the Book high in both hands.  In your own words, call on the Divine to bless the Book, so that it will be a focus for knowledge and insight from all the planes of existence. You may make this prayer as long or as short as you choose.

Stay on the east side of the altar facing west. Using the Book, trace the symbol of Air (shown on the right) in the air above the center of the altar: start at the point where the circle and line join, proceed clockwise from there around the circle, and then draw the line up. Imagine the Book drawing a line of blue light in the air, forming the symbol of Air.

Point with the Book at the symbol and Air and say:  “Spirits and powers of Air, behold this Book of Air, purified by the elements and blessed by the Divine. I ask you to fill this Book with the strength and stability of Air, so that it will serve as a focus for knowledge and insight from all the planes of existence.” Imagine currents of energy flowing from the west into the Book, giving it the capacity to receive and transmit intuitive knowledge and insight. Maintain this imagination as clearly as you can for several minutes.

Then lower the Book. Set the Book 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 Book. 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 Book as a symbol. When you are finished, rise and perform the complete closing ceremony in the grade of Sojourner. This completes your ritual of consecration.

Using Your Book of Air

You now have a Book of Air which you may use at any time to protect you from personal attacks of negative attitudes, restricting beliefs, impure thoughts and worthless ideas.  You may also use it to banish these things and invoke any positive attitudes, freeing beliefs, pure thoughts and ideas of great value.

You may use your Book of Air to draw the symbols for your Sphere of Protection or other rituals.  You may use it any time you want to banish or invoke any Air Element for any reason.  You may use it for healing negative attitudes, restricting beliefs, impure thoughts and worthless ideas.  You may also use it to banish these things and invoke any positive attitudes, freeing beliefs, pure thoughts and ideas of great value.  You may use it for working with Air Elementals, Air Spirits, Air Angels and Air Archangels. You may use it in conjunction with your Earth Pentacle and Cup of Water.

Your Book of Air will serve as a vehicle for intuitive knowledge and insight from any of the planes of being. Any time you need to invoke knowledge and insight for yourself or another person, use the Book to draw in the knowledge, and then let it pass from the Book into yourself or the other person; touching it to your forehead, or the forehead of the other person, is a good way to do this. You can also use the Book as a means of making contact with the energies of the element of Air, and also with the elementals, nature spirits, and angels of Air, 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 Book of Air 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.

*  *  *  *  *

The next chapter of The Kybalion may be studied at this point.

CHAPTER ONE: The Hermetic Philosophy




Symbolism:

Grade:  3°, Server

Emerald Table: “True, without error, certain and most true.”

Cabala:  Malkuth to Yesod, the Path of Attention   

Tarot:  Arcanum I, the Magician

Geomancy: Caput Draconis—North Node of the Moon in Gemini

Text: 

“The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding.”–The Kybalion.

From old Egypt have come the fundamental esoteric and occult teachings which have so strongly influenced the philosophies of all races, nations and peoples, for several thousand years. Egypt, the home of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, was the birthplace of the Hidden Wisdom and Mystic Teachings. From her Secret Doctrine all nations have borrowed. India, Persia, Chaldea, Medea, China, Japan, Assyria, ancient Greece and Rome, and other ancient countries partook liberally at the feast of knowledge which the Hierophants and Masters of the Land of Isis so freely provided for those who came prepared to partake of the great store of Mystic and Occult Lore which the master-minds of that ancient land had gathered together.

In ancient Egypt dwelt the great Adepts and Masters who have never been surpassed, and who seldom have been equaled, during the centuries that have taken their processional flight since the days of the Great Hermes. In Egypt was located the Great Lodge of Lodges of the Mystics. At the doors of her Temples entered the Neophytes who afterward, as Hierophants, Adepts, and Masters, traveled to the four corners of the earth, carrying with them the precious knowledge which they were ready, anxious, and willing to pass on to those who were ready to receive the same. All students of the Occult recognize the debt that they owe to these venerable Masters of that ancient land.

But among these great Masters of Ancient Egypt there once dwelt one of whom Masters hailed as “The Master of Masters.” This man, if “man” indeed he was, dwelt in Egypt in the earliest days. He was known as Hermes Trismegistus. He was the father of the Occult Wisdom; the founder of Astrology; the discoverer of Alchemy. The details of his life story are lost to history, owing to the lapse of the years, though several of the ancient countries disputed with each other in their claims to the honor of having furnished his birthplace–and this thousands of years ago. The date of his sojourn in Egypt, in that his last incarnation on this planet, is not now known, but it has been fixed at the early days of the oldest dynasties of Egypt–long before the days of Moses. The best authorities regard him as a contemporary of Abraham, and some of the Jewish traditions go so far as to claim that Abraham acquired a portion of his mystic knowledge from Hermes himself.

As the years rolled by after his passing from this plane of life (tradition recording that he lived three hundred years in the flesh), the Egyptians deified Hermes, and made him one of their gods, under the name of Thoth. Years after, the people of Ancient Greece also made him one of their many gods–calling him “Hermes, the god of Wisdom.” The Egyptians revered his memory for many centuries–yes, tens of centuries–calling him “the Scribe of the Gods,” and bestowing upon him, distinctively, his ancient title, “Trismegistus,” which means ‘’the thrice-great”; “the great-great”; “the greatest-great”; etc. In all the ancient lands, the name of Hermes Trismegistus was revered, the name being synonymous with the “Fount of Wisdom.”

Even to this day, we use the term “hermetic” in the sense of “secret”; “sealed so that nothing can escape”; etc., and this by reason of the fact that the followers of Hermes always observed the principle of secrecy in their teachings. They did not believe in “casting pearls before swine,” but rather held to the teaching “milk for babes; meat for strong men,” both of which maxims are familiar to readers of the Christian scriptures, but both of which had been used by the Egyptians for centuries before the  Christian era.

And this policy of careful dissemination of the truth has always characterized the Hermetics, even unto the present day. The Hermetic Teachings are to be found in all lands, among all religions, but never identified with any particular country, nor with any particular religious sect. This because of the warning of the ancient teachers against allowing the Secret Doctrine to become crystallized into a creed. The wisdom of this caution is apparent to all students of history. The ancient occultism of India and Persia degenerated, and was largely lost, owing to the fact that the teachers became priests, and so mixed theology with the philosophy, the result being that the occultism of India and Persia has been gradually lost amidst the mass of religious superstition, cults, creeds and “gods.” So it was with Ancient Greece and Rome. So it was with the Hermetic Teachings of the Gnostics and Early Christians, which were lost at the time of Constantine, whose iron hand smothered philosophy with the blanket of theology, losing to the Christian Church that which was its very essence and spirit, and causing it to grope throughout several centuries before it found the way back to its ancient faith, the indications apparent to all careful observers in this Twentieth Century being that the Church is now struggling to get back to its ancient mystic teachings.

But there were always a few faithful souls who kept alive the Flame, tending it carefully, and not allowing its light to become extinguished. And thanks to these staunch hearts, and fearless minds, we have the truth still with us. But it is not found in books, to any great extent. It has been passed along from Master to Student; from Initiate to Hierophant; from lip to ear. When it was written down at all, its meaning was veiled in terms of alchemy and astrology, so that only those possessing the key could read it aright. This was made necessary in order to avoid the persecutions of the theologians of the Middle Ages, who fought the Secret Doctrine with fire and sword; stake, gibbet and cross. Even to this day there will be found but few reliable books on the Hermetic Philosophy, although there are countless references to it in many books written on various phases of Occultism. And yet, the Hermetic Philosophy is the only Master Key which will open all the doors of the Occult Teachings!

In the early days, there was a compilation of certain Basic Hermetic Doctrines, passed on from teacher to student, which was known as “THE KYBALION,” the exact significance and meaning of the term having been lost for several centuries. This teaching, however, is known to many to whom it has descended, from mouth to ear, on and on throughout the centuries. Its precepts have never been written down, or printed, so far as we know. It was merely a collection of maxims, axioms, and precepts, which were non-understandable to outsiders, but which were readily understood by students, after the axioms, maxims, and precepts had been explained and exemplified by the Hermetic Initiates to their Neophytes. These teachings really constituted the basic principles of “The Art of Hermetic Alchemy,” which, contrary to the general belief, dealt in the mastery of Mental Forces, rather than Material Elements–the Transmutation of one kind of Mental Vibrations into others. instead of the changing of one kind of metal into another. The legends of the “Philosopher’s Stone” which would turn base metal into Gold, was an allegory relating to Hermetic Philosophy, readily understood by all students of true Hermeticism.

In this little book, of which this is the First Lesson, we invite our students to examine into the Hermetic Teachings, as set forth in THE KYBALION, and as explained by ourselves, humble students of the Teachings, who, while bearing the title of Initiates, are still students at the feet of HERMES, the Master. We herein give you many of the maxims, axioms and precepts of THE KYBALION, accompanied by explanations and illustrations which we deem likely to render the teachings more easily comprehended by the modern student, particularly as the original text is purposely veiled in obscure terms.

The original maxims, axioms, and precepts of “THE KYBALION” are printed herein, in quotation marks, the proper credit being given. Our own work is printed in the regular way, in the body of the work. We trust that the many students to whom we now offer this little work will derive as much benefit from the study of its pages as have the many who have gone on before, treading the same Path to Mastery throughout the centuries that have passed since the times of HERMES TRISMEGISTUS–the Master of Masters–the Great-Great. In the words of “THE KYBALION”:

“Where fall the footsteps of the Master, the ears of those ready for his Teaching open wide.”–The Kybalion.

“When the ears of the student are ready to hear, then cometh the lips to fill them with Wisdom.”–The Kybalion.

So that according to the Teachings, the passage of this book to those ready for the instruction will attract the attention of such as are prepared to receive the Teaching. And, likewise, when the pupil is ready to receive the truth, then will this little book come to him, or her. Such is The Law. The Hermetic Principle of Cause and Effect, in its aspect of The Law of Attraction, will bring lips and ear together–pupil and book in company. So mote it be!

*  *  *  *  *

Here follows the first preliminary lesson of the Order of Spiritual Alchemy:

Preliminary Lesson One—The Law of Blame

When we blame others for the things that happen to us, we are mistaken. Most of us don't believe that for a minute. But it is the truth.

Things happen. Some of them are accidents. Some of them are designed by the Divine to help us learn something about ourselves and others. Some of the are actually designed by us to help us learn something we want to learn. Some are caused by people in the grip of pain, wild emotions, drugs, mental problems or psychological disorders. Some are random acts of cruelty and evil.

What's important to our spiritual health is not what happens to us but how we react to what happens. The event that happened did hurt us. Our reactions to that event continue to hurt us every day of our lives. This is the Law of Blame:  Carrying the weight of blame causes more harm than the things for which we blame others ever did.

We can't change what happened. We can change our reactions to what happened. We begin to do that through the simple process of understanding why we blame somebody or something else for our pain. We write down a list of what happened and then write down our current understanding of why we blame somebody or something for what happened. We can learn to understand the evil deed they did was not "them" and the evil deed we did was not "us."

The Law of Blame has eight separate steps, which are part of the work that needs to be done in order to qualify for membership in the Octagon Society. We do not need to master these steps in a perfect manner to become a member. What we need to do is work through these eight steps to the best of our ability at this time. Healing always follows such an effort. Those steps are:

1.      List and understand what you blame your father for doing to you.

2.      List and understand what you blame your mother for doing to you.

3.      List and understand what you blame your child or children, brother or brothers, sister or sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins for doing to you.

4.      List and understand what you blame your aunts, uncles, grandparents, great uncles, great aunts, and all your ancestors for doing to you.

5.      List and understand what you blame your spouse, lovers, friends, fellow students and fellow employees for doing to you.

6.      List and understand what you blame your enemies and antagonists for doing to you.

7.      List and understand what you blame all other persons whatsoever for doing to you.

8.      List and understand what you blame yourself, your mind, body, attitudes, beliefs, intentions, health and actions for doing to you.

1. List and understand what you blame your father for doing to you.

For our purposes the term “father” refers to the male person who contributed most to your childhood. This may be your biological father, a stepfather or other male figure. It may include other men or be a combination of several men. If this is the case, you may want to do this task for each of them.

Your father, whether he is currently dead or alive, is a human being complete with the strengths and weaknesses that human beings have. He is a product of his environment and his heredity, of the family and society in which he grew up, and of his own good and bad choices and experiences.  He was and still is imperfect and he made and may still be making many mistakes.

Your father may or may not have loved you.  He may or may not have done his best for you. He may or may not have meant well. He was and is a human soul in the midst of the give and take of existence, and the way he behaved toward you was part of his own journey through life.  His choices and his mistakes were all products of who he was at the time.

Your task is to sit quietly, become comfortable, take a few deep breaths and write down in your notebook everything you remember you blame your father for. List the things he said and did that make you feel that he was or is to blame.

Make certain your list is as complete as it can be for now. This may take you several days. Keep writing as long as thoughts and ideas arise and as long as you're comfortable. Take a break when you need to take a break.  The intent of this part of the task is to recall as many details as you can comfortably recall about the things for which you blame your father. Write them all down together with a description of your feelings at the time.

When you’re done, try to understand what mental, emotional, psychological or spiritual forces caused him to act in this way. At this stage you’re not called upon to forgive or even to accept what happened, just to make an effort to understand it. You don’t even have to let go of the blame.  Be aware of it, and try to understand what caused the events for which you blame him. When you have gotten as far with this as you can, go to step two.

2. List and understand what you blame your mother for doing to you.

For our purposes the term "mother" refers to the woman who contributed most to your childhood.  This may be your biological mother, a stepmother or other female figure. It may include other women or be a combination of several women. If this is the case, you may want to do this task for each of them.

Your mother, whether she is currently dead or alive, is a human being complete with strengths and weaknesses. She is a product of her environment and her heredity, of the family and society in which she grew up, and of her own good and bad choices and experiences. She was and still is imperfect and she made and may still be making many mistakes.

Your mother may or may not have loved you.  She may or may not have done her best for you. She may or may not have meant well. She was and is a human soul in the midst of the give and take of existence, and the way she behaved toward you was part of her own journey through life.  Her choices and her mistakes were all products of who she was at the time.

Your task is to sit quietly, become comfortable, take a few deep breaths, and write down in your notebook everything you remember you blame your mother for. List the things she said and did that make you feel that she was or is to blame.

Make certain your list is as complete as it can be for now. This may take you several days. Keep writing as long as thoughts and ideas arise and as long as you're comfortable. Take a break when you need to take a break. The intent of this part of the task is to recall as many details as you can comfortably recall about the things for which you blame your mother. Write them all down together with a description of your feelings at the time.

When you’re done, try to understand what mental, emotional, psychological or spiritual forces caused her to act in this way. At this stage you’re not called upon to forgive or even to accept what happened, just to make an effort to understand it. You don’t even have to let go of the blame.  Be aware of it, and try to understand what caused the events for which you blame her. When you have gotten as far with this as you can, go to step three.

3. List and understand what you blame any of your children, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins for doing to you.

Use the same technique you used for your mother and father and consider as many of these people as possible. Write down everything for which you blame them, in as much detail as seems helpful, and then try to understand what caused those things. When finished, go to step four.

4. List and understand what you blame your aunts, uncles, grandparents, great uncles, great aunts, and all your other ancestors for doing to you.

Use the same technique you used for your mother and father and consider as many of these people as possible. Write down everything for which you blame them, in as much detail as seems helpful, and then try to understand what caused those things. When finished, go to step five.

5. List and understand what you blame your friends, fellow students and fellow employees for doing to you.

Use the same technique you used for your mother and father and consider as many of these people as possible. Write down everything for which you blame them, in as much detail as seems helpful, and then try to understand what caused those things. When finished, go to step six.

6: List and understand what you blame your enemies and antagonists for doing to you.

Use the same technique you used for your mother and father and consider as many of these people as possible. Write down everything for which you blame them, in as much detail as seems helpful, and then try to understand what caused those things. When finished, go to step seven.

7. List and understand what you blame all other persons whatsoever for doing to you.

Use the same technique you used for your mother and father and consider as many of these people as possible. Write down everything for which you blame them, in as much detail as seems helpful, and then try to understand what caused those things. When finished, go to step eight.

8. List and understand what you blame yourself, your mind, body, attitudes, beliefs, intentions, health and actions for doing to you.

We’ve intentionally saved the most difficult task for last.  By the time you reach this stage you know what to do. Do it, and work through all the reasons you blame yourself. 

You are, after all, a human being complete with strengths and weaknesses. You are a product of your environment and your heredity, of the family and society in which you grew up, and of your own good and bad choices and experiences. You were and still are imperfect and you have made and may still be making many mistakes.

In the events you are recalling, you may or may not have acted out of love.  You may or may not have done your best. You may or may not have meant well. You were and are a human soul in the midst of the give and take of existence, and the way you behaved was part of your journey through life.  Your choices and your mistakes were all products of who you were at the time.

When you’re done, try to understand what mental, emotional, psychological or spiritual forces caused you to act in this way. At this stage you’re not called upon to forgive or even to accept what happened, just to make an effort to understand it. You don’t even have to let go of the blame.  Be aware of it, and try to understand what caused the events for which you blame yourself. When you have gotten as far with this as you can, you have finished the work of this preliminary lesson.

Having gone through this process for others makes it easier for us to go through it for ourselves. “Easier” is not the same thing as easy!  But go through it we must if we really intend to become the person we want to become. Go through it we must if we wish to advance spiritually in this lifetime. Go through it we must to continue our advancement in the Octagon Society.

Take at least eight sessions on eight different days to finish this work, and add as many more as you find helpful.  For most people, between one and two weeks is a good amount of time to spend on this stage of the work.  There are no prizes for hurrying.  Take it a little at a time, step by step, and you’ll accomplish the work that will begin transmuting your life.

Comments

[autpaxautbellum]

This is awesome!

I read the Kybalion a year or two ago. And while a couple of the ideas there-in (particularly the notion of stopping the pendulum) stuck with me and continue to inspire, I feel there was much that I missed on first reading… so am really looking forward to this series of essays.

You really have a treasure trove of information in Mr. Gilbert’s papers. I never know what to expect next! Thank you for sharing this information 😁

[ecosophia]

You're welcome. I hope you're making a copy!

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you so much for sharing this.

MILLICENTLY LURKING