The Sphere of Protection: Phase 2

[ecosophia]

I'd meant to get to this a little sooner, but with any luck you've all taken the extra time to practice the opening and closing as set out in the first essay in this series. With that said, let's proceed to the next phase: the Calling of Air. 

These seven elemental phases are learned one at a time. For the next week or so, in other words, you'll be doing the Opening, the Calling of Air, and then the Closing. Then you'll learn the Calling of Water, and practice the Opening, the Calling of Air, the Calling of Water, and the closing. Rinse and repeat until you've gotten all seven down and the Sphere of Protection is complete. Why? First, because it's much easier to take it a step at a time; second, because it turns the process of learning the SoP into a process of initiation. 

Okay, one more thing, If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's associated with the element of air. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard divine name to use is יהוה, YHVH, which Christians usually pronounce "Jehovah" and Jews don't generally pronounce at all. (The most common practice among mages is to repeat the letter names, "Yod, Heh, Vau, Heh," though there are other ways of vocalizing it.) In the Druid Revival traditions I work with, this element is associated with Hu the Mighty, the great Druid god. If you work in a 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 air as is. The Calling of Air is done as described below: 

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First, perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection. 

Then face east. Using the first two fingers of your right hand, trace the figure on the right in front of you -- first the circle, starting from the top and going clockwise from there, and then the vertical line, from the point where it joins the circle up to the top. Imagine that symbol drawn, just as shown here, in a line of yellow flame or of blazing yellow light. This is the invoking form of the symbol of air. 

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 yellow gate of the rushing winds and the hawk of May in the heights of morning, and in the great name HU, I invoke the Air, its gods, its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Air bless and protect me this day and always, and further my work. May my mind be inspired by the ways of nature." (Yes, you can use this one as written; you can also come up with one of your own. The SoP is flexible that way.)

As you finished the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible a wind blowing out of the east toward you, crisp and fresh. See a morning scene in which the sunrise and the sky dominates all. Make it look like spring in the place where you live. Engage all your senses, so that you smell and feel and hear as well as see the imagery. Breathe the energies of air into yourself. Take a little while at this, and then say, "I thank the powers of air for their gifts."

Then trace the same symbol in the same place, but this time draw the circle counterclockwise. This is the banishing form of the symbol of air. It doesn't banish air -- it banishes other things with the help of air. Point at the center of the circle and say words such as the following: "And with the help of the powers of air, I banish from within me and around me and from all my doings all harmful influences and hostile magic, and every imbalance of the nature of air. I banish these far from me." Spend a little while imagining every imbalance and unwanted influence being swept away by the winds and being lost in the vastness of air. 

Finally, perform the closing of the SoP. Do this sequence daily for the next week or so. 

Note 1: the name HU (or any other divine name you use) is vibrated. Vibrated? That's a way of pronouncing words used by ceremonial magicians. To learn how to do it, try chanting a simple vowel sound like "aaaah," changing the way you hold your mouth and throat until you feel a buzzing or tingling feeling somewhere in your body. With practice, you can focus the vibration wherever you want, inside your body or outside of it, and it becomes a potent magical method. For now, do your best, and see how steady you can get the buzzing or tingling sensation. 

Note 2: yes, I know this isn't the standard emblem of the element of air. It's the one we use in the SoP, and in the assortment of spiritual and magical traditions that share the SoP. If you've taken up the practice of daily meditation, why this emblem is used for air is a good theme for that practice. 

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

How is anyone supposed to learn one system of magic fully if you keep throwing so many cool things to practice at us? ;)

[ecosophia]

Trust me, I get that. I've had to pick and choose ruthlessly over the years -- which of the gallimaufry of systems that have been handed to me am I going to practice at any given time? So I'm sharing the joy, I suppose. ;-)

gallimaufry of systems

[(Anonymous)]

Hey hey JMG,

Would you mind posting notes as to which you liked and disliked, what is a comprehensive system, which is well balanced or unbalanced in a certain way, which is straight forward and well explained, etc.

Thanks,
Tim

Divine name associated with Air

[(Anonymous)]

Double-checking - is it ok if the divine name used in the Calling of Air is the same as the sky god used in the opening of the SOP? Or should we attempt to find a different divinity from the pantheon we're using? Thanks.

Re: Divine name associated with Air

[ecosophia]

It can be the same one. I invoke Hu the Mighty in both places.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for this. I was going to invoke Celtic deities - how about Brigid for air, Danu for water, Lugh for fire and who would represent earth?

[ecosophia]

I'd juggle the names a little, since you also need Spirit Below and Spirit Above. I'd suggest Aengus for air, Manannan for water, Brigid the smith-goddess and poetry-goddess for fire, Aine the sovereignty-goddess for earth, Danu the mother goddess for Spirit Below, and the Dagda for Spirit Above. That way you have a good gender balance and the correspondences work nicely.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks. That works nicely.

Is Spirit Within your Higher Self?

[ecosophia]

That's one interpretation. The SoP, like the tradition it comes from, is not very dogmatic about such things.

[fringewood]

Thanks for the next step.

[ecosophia]

You're most welcome.

[temporaryreality]

Thank you for this. It seemed to match my solstice day - I made a sunlight and shadowfall map for my garden and it was a clear and windy day and air was lively. I did the SOP outside at the first light.

As I mentioned earlier and just for context, I'll meditate my way through the SOP as I've learned it from the DMH and then maybe I'll be skillful enough to know what can be changed, or just go with the version here - but this is the point I'm trying to get to: I really like the way you word the verbal portion here, the "yellow gate of the rushing wind" and "and further my work. May my mind be inspired by the ways of nature" !!

I would be (as a newbie) so hesitant to change wording myself that it's nice to see ways you modify it to fit your purposes.

Regarding the meditation, in counterpoint to TSW, I feel like I mostly experience MSU (making stuff up) - I tend to want to have done some reading or light research on a topic or theme otherwise I feel like I'm pulling stuff out of my hat and there's no guarantee my thought trajectories have any basis in reality. Am I not giving myself enough credit (SHOULD an ignoramus have a clue why the symbol for air is what it is here? It's only barest of "luck" I even know what the symbol looks like in any other tradition). Is a "cold" start a good idea (teacup unfilled, so to speak) or do I risk just convincing myself of my own cleverness over what amounts to just reinventing basics at best or going really off track at worst?

I did follow the theme today, and came up with a plausible notion - but I noticed too that once that'd happened, my mind was pleased with itself and didn't really want to continue looking for other options/notions/trains but just kept circling (haha, punny) that one "answer" it had come up with. Is the trick just to keep rolling the theme around in the meditation space and eventually the thoughtful part of the mind joins back in?

(Ain't it great gettin' a daily dose of all the ways one's faculties are... less than superb? my fingers are crossed I'll see improvement someday!)

[(Anonymous)]

On the last post about the SoP, you said it's not a good idea to do both the SoP and BRP. I'm part of a spiritual order which requires all members who wish to remain in good standing to do the SoP daily. Current circumstances prevent me from moving forward in the order, but I expect that'll change in a year or two.

I was thinking of taking the time I need to wait to learn some Cabalistic magic, so I'm wondering what the risks are around mixing the SoP and BRP.

[ecosophia]

You progress less than half as quickly as you would if you just did one at a time. Have you considered instead doing some of the work out of The Druid Magic Handbook? That uses the SoP rather than the Pentagram rituals.

[(Anonymous)]

Whould there be a difference between invoking the elements directly and invoking the elemental kings (Paralda, Niksa, Djinn, Ghob) by name?

Whom could one invoke in this case for spirit above, below, within?

[ecosophia]

You'd get a different effect. In classic ceremonial magic, though, you don't invoke the elemental kings without first invoking angelic or divine names; the elemental kings are blind forces, and can produce a lot of imbalance if invoked all by themselves.

[(Anonymous)]

I have the quite permanent feeling I am not doing vibration properly.

The buzzing never went out of my throat.

I also read this text: http://www.jwmt.org/v1n5/vibratoryform.html
Your explanation is mentioned as a part of it.

Not having direct access to a lodge where I live, I'm at a loss of what to do to calibrate vibration. I am hoping the voice spoken has at least a stronger effect than imagination alone.

[ecosophia]

Well, how long have you been working at it?

[(Anonymous)]

Just for your records. In the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 verse 31, Krsna says to Arjuna: "pavanah pavatam asmi" or "of purifiers I am the wind." The Sanskrit for wind being "pavanah," for those who are of that leaning.

[ecosophia]

Hmm! Fair enough; you could then quite reasonably invoke Krsna in the east. Are there other avataras corresponding to the other three material elements (water, fire, and earth, or if you prefer, tejas, apas, and prithivi) and to two forms of akasa?

[(Anonymous)]

In fact there are. Even better there is an ancient book of the names called the Vishnu Sahasranama here is the wiki of the 1000 most frequent. Searching the page yields many different names. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu_Sahasranama

[ecosophia]

Excellent. Anybody who wants to do a Hindu version of the SoP ought to be able to find something suitable there!

Song for the Elemental Cross

[kimberlysteele]

As usual, I'm about 2 posts late to the game and at least a dollar short.

This is a recording of how I sing the Elemental Cross every day:

http://kimberlysteelemusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Song_ElementalCross.mp3

I made a lead sheet for it as well (yeah I'm a nerd), but I left it at work and forgot to email it to myself... I'll post it later here as a reply if that's OK.

I don't actually play keyboard strings and guitar while I sing the Elemental Cross of course, those are just the harmonies I hear in my head when I do it.

I hope this helps. I don't sing the entire SoP, just the Elemental Cross part. Vibrating the names is much like singing them -- you can hear it especially in the intonation of "Awen" at the end in this recording.

Re: Song for the Elemental Cross

[ecosophia]

No, you may be a little late but you're rather more than a dollar ahead of the game. This is very solid. I knew a guy with operatic voice training who sang the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram -- and very powerful it was! -- but this is my first encounter with a sung SoP.

Re: Song for the Elemental Cross

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks so much! Below is the lead sheet for it. I won't be offended in the least if people adapt it and change whatever they need to do to make it their own. I'm also happy to answer questions about the chords and notation. I always found jazz chord symbols confusing and had to take private lessons with a jazz master long after my college music theory education to truly understand them.

http://kimberlysteelemusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Elemental_Cross.pdf.zip

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not sure if you are still accepting comments on this post, but as the questions are about Air, I thought the answers may be most useful to future readers here.

1) In tracing the banishing form of the symbol, does it begin with tracing the top "tail" downwards, as tracing it upwards was the final part of the invoking form?

2) I am calling the Greek pantheon in the opening of the SoP, but so far I have simply been calling the element Air here.
In the UK and Europe, there is a budget courier company called Hermes. I have been dealing with them for years as both sender and recipient, and they are my strongest association with the name Hermes. I don't want this mixed up in the ritual. Is there anything wrong with using element names for some points and deities for others? Do you have any other recommendations?

[ecosophia]

1) No, in all cases you begin at the point where the circle and line meet, trace the circle, and then trace the line outwards from there.

2) If you do that you'll have an unbalanced ritual, with less power in the elements where you don't invoke a deity. Why not invoke a different Greek air deity? There are plenty of them, you know -- Aeolus, the god of air, would be an obvious choice; you could also put Zeus in the east, if you put Apollo as Spirit Above and Dionysos as Spirit below. Other deities associated with air include Hera the queen of the gods, Aura the goddess of breezes, and Iris the (other) messenger of the gods; you could also make a good case for Artemis as a suitable goddess for the east, as a wielder of the bow and the sister of luminous Apollo.

[(Anonymous)]

How is the name HU pronounced? in the Celtic Golden Dawn Book, you mention it should be pronounced "HE" .... is that a long"ee" as in HEEE or a short "e" as in "HEH" ?? or something else entirely?

Deity for non-theists

[abrahamjpalma]

Hello, Mr Greer.

I want to follow your advice to not invoke directly the elemental forces, but instead the gods/angels that rule over them. I've been working on the opening and closing for an atheist version. After several failures, these are the entities that seems to 'ring' with me: 'Nature', 'Tree of Life' and 'Gaia'. Though I call them by these names, I imagine them as entities, beings which I can interact with, just for the ritual purposes.
Nature rules what is posible and what not. By forbiding some things from existence, it is allowing the existence of the rest. It represents the 'form' of the universe.
The Tree of Life is a way of saying Evolution. It's the 'force' that moves everything forward. And the DNA is it's token.
Then Gaia is the biggest life being we know of, made of 'flesh'. It cares about us the same we care about our body cells. It provides a safe environment for us to exist, which in turn allow It to exist and evolve. But it doesn't really care about us as individuals or about our personal struggles.

Since Gaianism is based on science, there's not a tradition filled with mithological entities, but we rather drop on Philosophy for that stuff, a topic I've been insufficiently taught. I kind of understand what Air stands for: the intelligence, reasoning, knowledge, understanding, but also illusion, confusion, self-rightfulness.
However, I can't find proper 'Masters' of the elements. I could, in a fashion, replicate the tactic of the Christian Church with the saints, and use some famous people that where known for excelling with the associated elements; human genies. For example, Einstein seems a proper match for Air. I would not be calling Einstein himself, but the symbol he was turned to. Or his spirit if you prefer this term. Einstein the man could not grant me any powers, but the inspiration of his deeds might help me rule that element.
Is this approach valid?

PS. Please, could you fix the description of the banishing symbol? It is not clear that we should start at the crossing, then drawing counterclock-wise.