The Sphere of Protection: Phase 6

By now, I hope those of you who are following along have been practicing the Opening and Closing of the SoP daily for a couple of weeks and the Callings of Air, Fire, Water and Earth for a week. (If you're just joining us now, you can find those here, here, here, here., and here.) Now it's time to add in the fifth of the elemental phases, the Calling of Spirit Below. This comes after the four Callings you've learned already, and before the closing.

This and the next two callings differ from the ones you've done before in that you invoke and don't banish. Spirit integrates and harmonizes; you've invoked the four elements to chase off what you need to chase off, and now you invoke the three forms of spirit to bring everything else into balance. 

If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's associated with the element of earth. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard divine name to use is אגלא , AGLA; this is a notariqon (basically, an acronym) for the prayer Ateh Gebor Le'olam, Adonai, "Thou art mighty forever, Lord;" pronounce it "ah-geh-la."  In the Druid Revival traditions I work with, this element is associated with Cêd, the earth goddess of Druid Revival lore. If you work in a different theistic tradition, choose a relevant name from your tradition; if you don't, don't worry about it -- you can also invoke the element of spirit below as such. The Calling of Spirit Below is done as described below: 

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First, perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection, and then perform the complete Callings of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth including both the invoking and the banishing aspects. 

Now face the way you did at the opening. Using the first two fingers of your right hand, trace the symbol on the right horizontally, as though you were drawing it on the flat surface of a table or altar in front of you. Imagine that symbol drawn, just as shown here, in a line of orange flame or of blazing orange light. Then imagine it descending a short distance below your feet and moving directly under you.  This is the  symbol of spirit below. 

Point to the center of the symbol and say an appropriate invocation. Here's the one I use when I'm practicing this ritual in a Druid context: "By the orange gate of spirit below and the power of the telluric current, and in the great name CÊD, I invoke Spirit Below, its gods, its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Spirit Below bless and protect me this day and always, and further my work. May I be empowered by the telluric current." (Yes, you can use this one as written; you can also come up with one of your own. The SoP is flexible that way. The divine name, if you use one, should of course be vibrated; see the explanation in the post on the Calling of Air if you need a reminder of how this is done.)

As you finish the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible the deep places of the Earth and the immense powers that dwell there. Engage all your senses, so that you smell and feel and hear as well as see the imagery. Draw the energies of Spirit Below into yourself. Take a little while at this, and then say, "I thank the powers of Spirit Below for their gifts."

Finally, perform the Closing of the SoP. 

Do this sequence daily for the next week or so. Notice the change in the energetic balance between this phase and the previous ones.   

Magic Monday

It's a little past midnight, so here we go with a new Magic Monday. The picture is of the man who called himself Martinez de Pasqually -- and if that sounds evasive, yes, he was. He showed up in French occult circles around 1754, and set about initiating students into a remarkable system of Christian occult philosophy and magical practice. The order he founded, the Elus Coens ("Chosen Priests"), fell apart after his death in 1774, but his teachings were preserved by many of his students, including Louis-Claude de St.-Martin and Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, and ended up playing a central role in the rise of Martinism more than a century later. 

Ask me anything about occultism and I'll do my best to answer it. Any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer, though it may be Tuesday sometime before I get to them all. If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 143,916th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.0 of The Magic Monday FAQ here.

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With that said, have at it!

***This Magic Monday is now closed to new questions. See you next week!***

***Let's try this again. THIS MAGIC MONDAY IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW QUESTIONS. Please save anything requiring a response from me for next week; I do have to set aside some time for writing, you know...***