The Student Grade: The Wand of Fire

[ecosophia]

This post covers the last of the four elemental working tools of the FHR system, along with more of the Kybalion and another installment of the Modern Order of Essenes healing teachings. 

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The making and consecration of the Wand of Fire is one of the requirements for advancement to the next grade in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, the 5° grade of Teacher. Since it may take you some time to make or buy a suitable Wand, this paper is issued now so that it can be studied early on in your Seeker work.

The Fire Wand

The Wand is best made of wood, and it should not be made of metal or have any metal in or on it.  It may be painted or otherwise decorated.  It may be any convenient size.  What you choose for your own personal Wand is strictly a matter of personal taste.  After all, it is your Wand.

You may use a purchased wand, or make a wand from a length of wood doweling using whatever craft skills you may possess, or you may find a suitable wooden stick, dry it thoroughly, and use that. It really is up to you.

You will need to consecrate your Wand of Fire before you complete the work of the Grade of Student and proceed to the next grade, the Grade of Teacher.

Consecrating the Wand

Once you’ve purchased or made your Wand of Fire the next step is to consecrate it.  Your Wand is an instrument for directing energy, and it may be used to shape, gather, disperse, or channel any occult force, 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 Fire.  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 eastern edge of the space, facing west 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 Wand 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 Student.”

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 Wand of Fire.  Let the Wand therefore be purified by the four elements.”  Pick up the Wand 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 Wand.  Say:  “I purify this Wand with the element of Air, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Air to bless this Wand and further its work.”

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

Circle back around the altar clockwise to the west of the altar, still holding the Wand, and stand there, facing east. Raise the Wand high in both hands.  In your own words, call on the Divine to bless the Wand, so that it will direct occult energies 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 Wand, until you are on the north side of the altar facing south. Using the Wand, trace the symbol of Fire in the air above the center of the altar: start at the top of the triangle and proceed clockwise from there. Imagine the Wand drawing a line of red light in the air, forming the symbol of Fire.

Point with the Wand at the symbol of Fire and say:  “Spirits and powers of Fire, behold this Wand of Fire, purified by the elements and blessed by the Divine. I ask you to fill this Wand with the strength and vitality of Fire, so that it will serve as an instrument for directing energies on all the planes of existence.” Imagine currents of energy flowing from the south into the Wand, giving it the capacity to channel and direct magical energies. Maintain this imagination as clearly as you can for several minutes.

Then lower the Wand and circle around to the west, facing east. Set the Wand 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 Wand. 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 Wand as a symbol. When you are finished, rise and perform the complete closing ceremony in the grade of Student. This completes your ritual of consecration.

Using Your Wand of Fire

You now have a Wand of Fire which you may use at any time to channel, direct, concentrate, and disperse magical energies. You may use your Wand of Fire to draw the symbols for your Sphere of Protection or other rituals.  You may use it any time you want to banish or invoke the Fire Element for any reason.  You may use it for working with Fire Elementals, Fire  Spirits, Fire  Angels and Fire  Archangels. You may use it in conjunction with your Earth Pentacle, Cup of Water, and Book of Air.

Your Wand of Fire will serve as an instrument for working with magical energies of every kind. To use it, simply point toward the place where you want to channel, direct, concentrate, or disperse energy, and focus your concentrated will on your intention. You can also use the Wand as a means of making contact with the energies of the element of Fire , and also with the elementals, nature spirits, and angels of Fire , 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 Wand of Fire  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.

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

CHAPTER V: The Mental Universe

Symbolism:

Grade:  5°, Teacher

Emerald Table: “The Wind carried it in his belly; the nurse thereof is the Earth.”

Cabala:  Yesod to Netzach, the Path of Intuition

Tarot: Arcanum V, the Hierophant

Geomancy: Albus—Mercury in Gemini

 

Text:

“The Universe is Mental–held in the Mind of THE ALL.”–The Kybalion.

THE ALL is SPIRIT! But what is Spirit? This question cannot be answered, for the reason that its definition is practically that of THE ALL, which cannot be explained or defined. Spirit is simply a name that men give to the highest conception of Infinite Living Mind–it means “the Real Essence”–it means Living Mind, as much superior to Life and Mind as we know them, as the latter are superior to mechanical Energy and Matter. Spirit transcends our understanding, and we use the term merely that we may think or speak of THE ALL. For the purposes of thought and understanding, we are justified in thinking of Spirit as Infinite Living Mind, at the same time acknowledging that we cannot fully understand it. We must either do this or stop thinking of the matter at all.

Let us now proceed to a consideration of the nature of the Universe, as a whole and in its parts. What is the Universe? We have seen that there can be nothing outside of THE ALL. Then is the Universe THE ALL? No, this cannot be, because the Universe seems to be made up of MANY, and is constantly changing, and in other ways it does not measure up to the ideas that we are compelled to accept regarding THE ALL, as stated in our last lesson. Then if the Universe be not THE ALL, then it must be Nothing–such is the inevitable conclusion of the mind at first thought. But this will not satisfy the question, for we are sensible of the existence of the Universe. Then if the Universe is neither THE ALL, nor Nothing, what can it be! Let us examine this question.

If the Universe exists at all, or seems to exist, it must proceed in some way from THE ALL–It must be a creation of THE ALL. But as something can never come from nothing, from what could THE ALL have created it? Some philosophers have answered this question by saying that THE ALL created the Universe from ITSELF–that is, from the being and substance of THE ALL. But this will not do, for THE ALL cannot be subtracted from, nor divided, as we have seen, and then again if this be so, would not each particle in the Universe be aware of its being THE ALL -THE ALL could not lose its knowledge of itself, nor actually BECOME an atom, or blind force, or lowly living thing. Some men, indeed, realizing that THE ALL is indeed ALL, and also recognizing that they, the men, existed, have jumped to the conclusion that they and THE ALL were identical, and they have filled the air with shouts of “I AM GOD,” to the amusement of the multitude and the sorrow of sages. The claim of the corpuscle that: “I am Man!” would be modest in comparison.

But, what indeed is the Universe, if it be not THE ALL, not yet created by THE ALL having separated itself into fragments? What else can it be–of what else can it be made? This is the great question. Let us examine it carefully. We find here that the “Principle of Correspondence” (see Lesson I.) comes to our aid here. The old Hermetic axiom, “As above so below,” may be pressed into service at this point. Let us endeavor to get a glimpse of the workings on higher planes by examining those on our own. The Principle of Correspondence must apply to this as well as to other problems.

Let us see! On his own plane of being, how does Man create? Well, first, he may create by making something out of outside materials. But this will not do, for there are no materials outside of THE ALL with which it may create. Well, then, secondly, Man pro-creates or reproduces his kind by the process of begetting, which is self-multiplication accomplished by transferring a portion of his substance to his offspring. But this will not do, because THE ALL cannot transfer or subtract a portion of itself, nor can it reproduce or multiply itself–in the first place there would be a taking away, and in the second case a multiplication or addition to THE ALL, both thoughts being an absurdity. Is there no third way in which MAN creates!

Yes, there is–he CREATES MENTALLY! And in so doing he uses no outside materials, nor does he reproduce himself, and yet his Spirit pervades the Mental Creation. Following the Principle of Correspondence, we are justified in considering that THE ALL creates the Universe MENTALLY, in a manner akin to the process whereby Man creates Mental Images. And, here is where the report of Reason tallies precisely with the report of the Illumined, as shown by their teachings and writings. Such are the teachings of the Wise Men. Such was the Teaching of Hermes.

THE ALL can create in no other way except mentally, without either using material (and there is none to use), or else reproducing itself (which is also impossible). There is no escape from this conclusion of the Reason, which, as we have said, agrees with the highest teachings of the Illumined. Just as you, student, may create a Universe of your own in your mentality, so does THE ALL create Universes in its own Mentality. But your Universe is the mental creation of a Finite Mind, whereas that of THE ALL is the creation of an Infinite. The two are similar in kind, but infinitely different in degree. We shall examine more closely into the process of creation and manifestation, as we proceed. But this is the point to fix in your minds at this stage: THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL IT CONTAINS, IS A MENTAL CREATION OF THE ALL. Verily, indeed, ALL IS MIND!

“THE ALL creates in its Infinite Mind countless Universes, which exist for aeons of Time–and yet, to THE ALL, the creation, development, decline and death of a million Universes is as the time of the twinkling of an eye.”–The Kybalion.'

“The Infinite Mind of THE ALL is the womb of Universes.”–The Kybalion.

The Principle of Gender (see Lesson I. and other lessons to follow) is manifested on all planes of life, material, mental and spiritual. But, as we have said before, “Gender” does not mean “Sex”–sex is merely a material manifestation of gender. “Gender” means “relating to generation or creation.” And wherever anything is generated or created, on any plane, the Principle of Gender must be manifested. And this is true even in the creation of Universes. Now do not jump to the conclusion that we are teaching that there is a male and female God, or Creator. That idea is merely a distortion of the ancient teachings on the subject. The true teaching is that THE ALL, in itself, is above Gender, as it is above every other Law, including those of Time and Space. It is the Law, from which the Laws proceed, and it is not subject to them. But when THE ALL manifests on the plane of generation or creation, then it acts according to Law and Principle, for it is moving on a lower plane of Being. And consequently it manifests the Principle of Gender, in its Masculine and Feminine aspects, on the Mental Plane, of course.

This idea may seem startling to some of you who hear it for the first time, but you have all really passively accepted it in your everyday conceptions. You speak of the Fatherhood of God, and the Motherhood of Nature–of God, the Divine Father, and Nature the Universal Mother–and have thus instinctively acknowledged the Principle of Gender in the Universe. Is this not so?

But, the Hermetic teaching does not imply a real duality–THE ALL is ONE–the Two Aspects are merely aspects of manifestation. The teaching is that The Masculine Principle manifested by THE ALL stands, in a way, apart from the actual mental creation of the Universe. It projects its Will toward the Feminine Principle (which may be called “Nature”) whereupon the latter begins the actual work of the evolution of the Universe, from simple “centres of activity” on to man, and then on and on still higher, all according to well-established and firmly enforced Laws of Nature. If you prefer the old figures of thought, you may think of the Masculine Principle as GOD, the Father, and of the Feminine Principle as NATURE, the Universal Mother, from whose womb all things have been born. This is more than a mere poetic figure of speech–it is an idea of the actual process of the creation of the Universe. But always remember, that THE ALL is but One, and that in its Infinite Mind the Universe is generated, created and exists.

It may help you to get the proper idea, if you will apply the Law of Correspondence to yourself, and your own mind. You know that the part of You which you call “I,” in a sense, stands apart and witnesses the creation of Mental Images in your own mind. The part of your mind in which the mental generation is accomplished may be called the “Me” in distinction from the “I” which stands apart and witnesses and examines the thoughts, ideas and images of the “Me.” “As above, so below,” remember, and the phenomena of one plane may be employed to solve the riddles of higher or lower planes.

Is it any wonder that You, the child, feel that instinctive reverence for THE ALL, which feeling we call “religion”–that respect, and reverence for THE FATHER MIND? Is it any wonder that, when you consider the works and wonders of Nature, you are overcome with a mighty feeling which has its roots away down in your inmost being? It is the MOTHER MIND that you are pressing close up to, like a babe to the breast.

Do not make the mistake of supposing that the little world you see around you–the Earth, which is a mere grain of dust in the Universe–is the Universe itself. There are millions upon millions of such worlds, and greater. And there are millions of millions of such Universes in existence within the Infinite Mind of THE ALL. And even in our own little solar system there are regions and planes of life far higher than ours, and beings compared to which we earthbound mortals are as the slimy life-forms that dwell on the ocean's bed when compared to Man. There are beings with powers and attributes higher than Man has ever dreamed of the gods' possessing. And yet these beings were once as you, and still lower–and you will be even as they, and still higher, in time, for such is the Destiny of Man as reported by the Illumined.

And Death is not real, even in the Relative sense–it is but Birth to a new life–and You shall go on, and on, and on, to higher and still higher planes of life, for aeons upon aeons of time. The Universe is your home, and you shall explore its farthest recesses before the end of Time. You are dwelling in the Infinite Mind of THE ALL, and your possibilities and opportunities are infinite, both in time and space. And at the end of the Grand Cycle of Aeons, when THE ALL shall draw back into itself all of its creations–you will go gladly, for you will then be able to know the Whole Truth of being At One with THE ALL. Such is the report of the Illumined–those who have advanced well along The Path.

And, in the meantime, rest calm and, serene–you are safe and protected by the Infinite Power of the FATHER-MOTHER MIND.

“Within the Father-Mother Mind, mortal children are at home.”–The Kybalion.

“There is not one who is Fatherless, nor Motherless in the Universe”–The Kybalion.

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The following lecture on the healing philosophy of the Essenes should be studied, in order to lay the foundations for the practical work of spiritual healing in the following lessons.

 

Healing Philosophy of the Modern Essenes

The healing philosophy of the Modern Essenes can be summed up in one simple statement: All healing is spiritual healing. 

In our experience, all healing is spiritual healing.  In our intuitive insights, all healing is spiritual healing.  In our hearts, all healing is spiritual healing.  In our belief, all healing is spiritual healing.  In our opinion, all healing is spiritual healing.  Everything we can imagine that can be wrong with a human being appears to be healed by Divine intervention; and without this Divine intervention it appears nothing is ever healed.

Underlying every physical ailment known to humanity is an emotional issue.  Resolve the emotional issue and you heal the physical ailment.  Typical emotional issues include anger, anxiety, grief or sorrow, resentments, blame, shame or guilt.

Underlying every emotional issue known to humanity is a mental block.  Resolve this mental block and you heal the emotional issue.  This mental block is usually associated with denial and not accepting life, self and others, not forgiving self and others, and not being lovingly kind to self and others. 

Underlying every mental block known to humanity is an intuitive (psychological) error.  Resolve this intuitive error and you heal the mental block.  Most intuitive errors have to do with ignoring our intuitive insights or doing the opposite. 

Underlying every intuitive error known to humanity is a spiritual disconnection.  Resolve this spiritual disconnection and you heal the intuitive error.  Spiritual disconnections happen when we separate ourselves from the Divine.  All spiritual disconnections are real.  Everything else is a symptom.  Physical ailments, emotional issues, mental blocks and intuitive or psychological errors are all symptoms.  These symptoms tell us we are distancing ourselves from the Divine.  We are separating ourselves from the Divine.  The teachings of the Modern Essenes are designed to help us reconnect with the Divine.

All healing is spiritual healing.  When we distance ourselves from the Divine, we cut ourselves off from the spiritual energy we need to survive as vibrantly healthy, mentally alert, emotionally stable, psychologically sound, intuitive human beings.  This lack of spiritual energy is the cause of all our psychological (intuitive), mental, emotional and physical ills.  Once we restore our connection to the Divine and start replenishing our spiritual energy, we heal.  We heal on every level of our being.  This healing is called spiritual healing.  The end product of all spiritual healing is spiritual health.  Abundant spiritual health is our goal.

 

The Essene Healing Paradigm

Rule One: The Law of Earth - Underlying and supporting every physical ailment is an emotional issue.  Find and resolve this emotional issue and the physical ailment is healed.  Emotional issues include all forms of anger, anxiety or fear, sorrow or depression, resentments, blaming others, seeking revenge, guilt, shame and any other obstructive emotion.

Rule Two: The Law of Water - Underlying and supporting every emotional issue is a mental block.  Find and remove this mental block and the emotional issue is healed. Mental blocks are generally hidden because we deny them.  Denial is a way of avoiding our issues and the reality of our life.  We think that if we don’t see it or pay attention to it, we don’t have a problem.  The problem is we don’t see it and we don’t pay attention to it.

Rule Three: The Law of Air - Underlying and supporting every mental block is an intuitive error.  Find and reverse this intuitive error and the mental block is healed. We are all intuitive all the time.  When we don’t listen to our intuitive insights or pay any attention to them, we are committing an intuitive error.  When we do any thing contrary to our intuitive insights, we are making an intuitive error.

Rule Four: The Law of Fire - Underlying and supporting every intuitive error is a spiritual disconnection.  When you find this conflict and connect once again to the Divine, the whole person is healed on every level of being. Any time we’re not in communion with the Divine, we are disconnected from the Divine.  This is our choice and we can return to Divine any time.  The choice is ours and ours alone.

Rule Five: The Law of Spirit - All healing of every kind is spiritual healing. We are spiritual beings and we can heal ourselves anyway we decide.  But no matter what we decide, all healing is spiritual healing.  We can choose to heal ourselves on any level, or any group of levels, of our being.  What we choose is what will be healed. 

Comments

[howiemac]

Thank you JMG for the great materials you keep posting on divine alchemy and the like. I posted once years ago on your Archdruid Report blog asking why you didn't write more online about magic, and you indicated that you would like to, and boy have you delivered on that in recent years. I am finding much of the wealth of materials you are posting on your 2 sites very interesting and helpful. The Healing Philosophy of the Modern Essenes struck such a uplifting chord with me today that I just had to write and thank you for sharing all these John Gilbert related materials - Hermetic Rose and OSA. Your posts have regularly been pulling me away from everyday matters into much more rewarding studies and practices for self realisation. I am sure many others are benefiting similarly.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you very much for sharing this.
ML

The Geomancy Connection

[(Anonymous)]

I have been reading through The Art and Practice of Geomancy, and I noticed that you have included one geomantic figure in each of the various chapters in the FOTHR. I am trying to understand how the tarot connects to geomancy. For example, how does Albus relate to the Hierophant?