The Sphere of Protection: Phase 4

[ecosophia]

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 and Water for a week. (If you're just joining us now, you can find those here, here, and here.) Now it's time to add in the third of the elemental phases, the Calling of Fire.

There's a bit of a twist here. You learn the Calling of Water second, but it's not done second once you learn the Calling of Fire. For the next week, you'll be practicing the Opening, the Calling of Air, the Calling of Fire, the Calling of Water, and the Closing, in that order. You'll keep that order, too, when we go on to the remaining four elemental Callings. Why? You need water and air to balance fire, but fire goes in the south, so you do it after air in the east and before water in the west. 

If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's associated with the element of fire. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard divine name to use is אלהים , ALHIM, which is pronounced "Elohim." In the Druid Revival traditions I work with, this element is associated with Sul, the healing goddess of hot springs and the sun . 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 fire as is. The Calling of Fire is done as described below: 

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First, perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection, and then perform the complete Calling of Air, including both the invoking and the banishing aspects. 

Then face south. Using the first two fingers of your right hand, trace the triangle on the right, starting from the top point and going clockwise. Imagine that symbol drawn, just as shown here, in a line of red flame or of blazing red light. This is the invoking form of the symbol of fire. 

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 red gate of the bright flames and the white stag of the summer greenwood, and in the great name SUL, I invoke the Fire, its gods, its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Fire bless and protect me this day and always, and further my work. May my will be in harmony with 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. 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 sun blazing high in the southern heavens. See an noonday scene in which heat shimmers in the air. Make it look like summer in the place where you live. Engage all your senses, so that you smell and feel and hear as well as see the imagery. Draw the energies of fire into yourself. Take a little while at this, and then say, "I thank the powers of Fire for their gifts."

Then trace the same symbol in the same place, but this time draw the triangle counterclockwise from the top. This is the banishing form of the symbol of fire. It doesn't banish fire -- it banishes other things with the help of fire. Point at the center of the triangle and say words such as the following: "And with the help of the powers of Fire, 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 Fire. I banish these far from me." Spend a little while imagining every imbalance and unwanted influence being shriveled up and burnt away by the blazing heat of the sun. 

Turn to the west, and do the Calling of Water. Finally, face the same way you faced in the Opening, and 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. 

Comments

[fringewood]

Thanks so much. The SOP is making a heartfelt difference in my practice. Blessings to you and all you love.

[(Anonymous)]

If you miss a day or two of doing the SoP does it make you totally unprotected or is there some residual influence?

[ecosophia]

Depends on how long you've been doing it. Over time it builds up a residual effect, and that can become very powerful, but if you've just been practicing it for a few weeks there isn't much effect after a day or so.

[(Anonymous)]

As you finish the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible the sun blazing high in the southern heavens.

What would you recommend for those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, where the sun blazes high in the northern heavens?

[ecosophia]

Good question. You may want to experiment and see what works for you.

what imbalances belong to what elements?

[(Anonymous)]

Hey hey JMG,

I'm curious if imbalances are associated with certain elements. Are mental states like narcissism the province of certain elements? If so, how does one figure out what is associated with what? Or does one just trust the elements to know on their own what problems to take care of?

Thanks,
Tim

Re: what imbalances belong to what elements?

[ecosophia]

You can certainly trust the elements, but figuring out which imbalance goes with which element is also a common meditation exercise used in occult schools. Start with the simple ones -- anger is fire, sloth is earth -- and go from there; you'll enrich your understanding of the elements in the process!

Re: what imbalances belong to what elements?

[(Anonymous)]

Hey hey JMG,

Follow up. I might be over thinking this, but I would rather ask than get it wrong. So if anger belongs to fire and I imagine some problem or imbalance related to anger being burnt and shrivelled up then fire is taking care of a fire problem? I'm not adding any fuel to the fire by imagining a person in my life with anger issues having their anger burned by fire?

I just want to be sure. I imagine that focus and the right intentions will take care of this, but I want to be sure.

Thanks,
Tim

Norse/Heathen pantheon

[(Anonymous)]

Would you mind giving a suggested listing of divinities to use from the Norse pantheon/suitable for Heathens. I can think of a number of elemental entities who might be invoked, but their suitability for such things is an open question in Heathenry (Loki, jotunns). Who would you recommend invoking throughout the SOP? Thanks! I'm just now feeling ready to move on from the opening and closing.

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[ecosophia]

I would use the following Norse deities in the SoP:

Air/East: Thor the thunder and storm god
Water/West: Njord the god of fertility and the sea
Fire/South: Freyja the queen of the Valkyries and warrior goddess
Earth/North: Frigga the queen of the Aesir and spinner of fates
Spirit Above: Odin, seated on Hlidskjalf at the summit of the worlds
Spirit Below: Fjorgyn the earth goddess, wife of Odin and mother of Thor

You could swap out Heimdall for Njord if you prefer, or have Tyr in place of Thor, but these are the ones I would use -- mind you, I'd pour each of them a horn of ale first, and ask their permission to invoke them in the ritual!

The thing to keep in mind is that the elemental symbolism doesn't have to be exact. The seven stations of the SoP -- the Seven Cantrefs, as they're called in a certain tradition of Druid lore -- are more than just the elements, and there's some room for flexibility when assigning them to deities.

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[ecosophia]

One other note. I don't recommend invoking Loki or the jotunar in any magical setting, whatever your religious feelings about them may be. You invoke the names of deities you know are more or less well-disposed to humans -- you're asking them to protect you against hostile forces, after all.

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[(Anonymous)]

As a worshipper of the Greek gods, does this then imply that the Chthonic gods should be off limits as well?

Invoking Loki in a protective working seems fairly risky, but I'm not skilled enough to know for sure what sort of risks it involves. Knowing Loki, I'd imagine he'd throw some monkey wrench into the process, but is it just a matter of it not working or is there a worse risk?

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[ecosophia]

It would be appropriate to use a Chthonic deity for Spirit Below, because that's what Spirit Below is -- the chthonic or telluric side of spirit, balanced by the solar and celestial side. For example Apollo as Spirit Above and Dionysos as Spirit Below would be a really strong and appropriate pairing. I wouldn't put a Chthonic deity in any other position, though.

With regard to Loki, his thing is that he messes people over. He's always getting the gods in trouble and then having to bail them out, and of course finally he goes too far and there is no more forgiveness. In Ragnarok he's on the side of the powers of chaos who destroy the world. Invoke him in a protective ritual and odds are he'd let hostile magic get at you just because he thought it was funny or something. (Also -- and this is a matter of personal experience on my part, so your mileage may vary -- everybody I've ever known personally who worshiped Loki turned out to be a sniveling little boy who thought that being a jackass would make people think he was grown up, and that's not an energy I want in my rituals!)

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[(Anonymous)]

Do you think Loki worshippers are naturally like that, or is that a result of his energies, or is a bit of both?

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[ecosophia]

I have no idea. It's just been a very consistent experience.

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[(Anonymous)]

What would be your thoughts on invoking Hades for the SoP for Spirit Below?

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[ecosophia]

If you did that you'd want Zeus for Spirit Above, and you'd have to find someone else for the east. Zeus and Hades form a symbolic polarity in Greek myth, parallel to but more primal than Apollo and Dionysos.

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[(Anonymous)]

Not previous poster. Greek mythology also shows a certain amount of messing about and inconsistency from its gods. What or who would you say to be careful with on that count? Is there more that modern women need to be careful about, because some of the tales of Greek gods sexual behaviour with mortal woman?

Which pantheons seem most well-disposed towards humans?

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[ecosophia]

1) You'd want to ask someone who worships the Greek gods for advice about that. I haven't heard of any particular problems along those lines.

2) It really depends on the individual worshiper, and which pantheons you find most congenial. Magic is emphatically not one size fits all!

Re: Norse/Heathen pantheon

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you so much - this is incredibly helpful!

[(Anonymous)]

Is there an ideal time of day to do the SoP?

[ecosophia]

I usually do it first thing in the morning, but that's been my time for magical practices for the last thirty years. I know people who practice it at all hours.

[goatgodschild]

Is imagining the imbalances being burnt up in the sunshine specific, as Sol is a star, and so is bigger than even the biggest fire could be?

I am used to the summer wildfires in our area as a necessary part of the local ecosystem -- many of the plants do not even reproduce without the fires. For this reason, I associate wildfires with the cleansing and aligning of the will, but I am curious if there is any further analysis to be made here.