Toward Ecosophy

Here's the initiation ritual for the Student Grade, the fourth level of initiation in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose. 

Preliminaries and Preparations

This ritual is the fourth step in your initiation into the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose.  It builds on the initiations you have already taken and the work you have already done.  Be sure to read the text of the ritual carefully before deciding whether or not to perform it. If you decide to proceed, certain preliminaries are necessary, and certain preparations need to be made.

The preliminaries are straightforward. Before you perform the ceremony, you should have completed all the work assigned to the 3° grade of Server: that is, you should have made and consecrated your book of Air, you should have practiced the exercise of entering into the elemental world of Air at least three times; you should have read the papers assigned to the Server grade, and in addition, at least three other books on occultism; you should have continued your weekly practice of the temple opening and closing ritual, and your daily practice of ritual, meditation, and divination.

The preparations are equally straightforward. You will need the chair, altar, pillars, Rider-Waite tarot deck, and the basic emblems of the elements (incense burner and incense, folding fan, cup of water, and bowl of salt) you have used already. You will need only one of the candles, the yellow candle of Air, and you will need your book of Air and a printout of the Tree of Life diagram.  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 an hour to an hour and a half of uninterrupted time.

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This is the first paper to be studied once members of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose have performed the 3° initiation, which was posted last week.  It summarizes the work ahead. I've also appended two additional papers -- the first chapter of the MOGD edition of The Kybalion, a basic text for this system, and an introduction to the work of the Order of Spiritual Alchemy, one of the other orders John Gilbert headed. (He always encouraged students of each of his orders to learn the basics of the others.) As before, don't worry if you aren't keeping up -- at this point, probably, nobody else is either. Make a copy for future reference and keep on working at whatever level you've reached. (Or simply read it as a resource for some other approach to occult training.) 

3° Overview

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The making and consecration of the Water Cup is one of the requirements for advancement to the next grade in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, the 3° grade of Server. Since it may take you some time to make or buy a suitable Cup, this paper is issued now so that it can be studied early on in your Sojourner work.

The Water Cup

The Cup of Water may be made from any substance suitable for holding liquids, such as glass or ceramic. (It should not, however, be made of metal)  It may be a cup, bowl, chalice, caldron or any container for liquids. It may be painted or otherwise decorated.  It is normally anywhere from four to eight inches in height.  Those are the suggestions of the Order.  What you choose for your own personal Cup is strictly a matter of personal taste.  After all, it is your Cup.

Most practitioners purchase a glass, chalice, or other drinking vessel and consecrate it as their Cup of Water. You may do the same or, if you have the necessary craft skills, you may make and decorate your Cup however you wish.

You will need to consecrate your Cup of Water before you complete the work of the Grade of Seeker and proceed to the next grade, the Grade of Server.

Consecrating the Cup

Once you’ve made your Cup of Water the next step is to consecrate it.  Your Cup is a magical container, and it may be used to contain, store, and work with any energy or influence from outside yourself, 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 Water.  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 Cup 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 Water 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 Cup of Water.  Let the Cup therefore be purified by the four elements.”  Pick up the Cup 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 Cup.  Say:  “I purify this Cup with the element of Air, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Air to bless this Cup and further its work.”

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

Circle back around the altar clockwise to the west of the altar, still holding the Cup, and stand there, facing east. Raise the Cup high in both hands.  In your own words, call on the Divine to bless the Cup, so that it will  serve you as a container for energies and influences from 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 Cup, until you are on the east side of the altar facing west. Using the Cup, trace the symbol of Water in the air above the center of the altar. (The symbol is shown on the right.) Start at the bottom of the triangle and proceed clockwise from there. Imagine the Cup drawing a line of blue light in the air, forming the symbol of Water.

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

Then lower the Cup and circle around to the west, facing east. Set the Cup 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 Cup. 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 Cup 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 Cup of Water

Your Cup of Water will receive and contain any energies you need to call down from any of the planes of existence. Any time you need to invoke an energy or influence into yourself, another person, or an object such as an amulet, use the cup to receive the energy or influence, and then pour it from the cup into yourself, the other person, or the object. You can also use the Cup as a means of making contact with the energies of the element of Water, and also with the elementals, nature spirits, and angels of Water, 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 Cup of Water 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.

*  *  *  *  *

Here follows the continuation of last week’s paper on developing the intuition.

 

3

 If you've been experimenting with this system for developing your intuition, here's a synopsis of your experiences:

BODY MIND - Your body didn't want to settle down in the beginning. It told you to scratch this itchhere or there, move this muscle or that, drink water or drain it, snack on something or do something else. Your body is used to being in command and it likes being the boss.

As you practiced, your body tended to quiet down and relax more quickly and willingly gave up thef ight to be in control. The more you practiced the more your body relaxed and let go. This is normal so don't worry about it.

SUBCONSCIOUS MIND - As you started to quiet your mind down from the cares and woes of yourlife, your subconscious mind became active. You remembered to do this or that. You started thinking about your past, things you did or didn't do.

As you practiced telling your subconscious mind you didn't want to remember anything from your past just now and asked it to help you tune into your intuitive mind, your subconscious mind complied. Memories from your past faded away. You didn't know it, but as this happens your subconscious does go to work opening channels to your intuition. This is normal, so don't worry about it.

IMAGINATIVE MIND - As your subconscious mind stopped bringing up past memories, your imagination started running wild. You started thinking about all the possibilities of this or that. You took flights of fantasy and had a wonderfully exciting time

.As you practiced telling your imagination you didn't want to think about the possibilities just now and asked it to tune into your intuitive mind, your imaginative mind complied. Future possibilities faded from your mind, not to be forgotten, but to be put on hold. Your imagination went to work helping you imagine yourself communicating with your own intuition. This is normal, so don't worry about it.

RATIONAL MIND - As your imagination stopped bringing up future possibilities, your thinking mind took over. This is probably when you started thinking you'd never become intuitive. Don't snicker. That's what we do to ourselves all the time. Nobody can criticize us as well as we can. When we temporarily stop remembering who and what we are, and when we temporarily stop fantasizing abou twhom and what we can become, we think we can't do it.

As you practiced ignoring your rational mind, you became calmer and more centered. I have an image of my rational mind becoming a small sulking boy hiding in the corner of my mind when I reached this stage in my intuitive development. Others have different experiences but the end resultis the same. We reach a point where our rational mind stops finding something wrong with us and it quiets down. This is normal, so don't worry about it.

WHAT'S NEXT: Practice is the next and most important step. It doesn't matter how long you practice in each session. What seems to matter most is regular practice. Two times a day is better than just once. Three times yields more results more quickly.

A few short sessions every day yields results more quickly than one long session a day. The process gets easier and easier with practice. Within a few weeks you will be able to completely relax your body and calm your mind. Now you know why we call your subconscious, imaginative and rational minds the Active Mind.

 

4

  If you've been practicing the techniques being discussed, you've probably already visited your Intuitive Mind. If not, why not review the previous lessons and give it a try?  Here are the steps involved:

·         Completely relax your body

·         Breathe deeply

·         Stop thinking about the past

·         Enlist the help of your subconscious mind

·         Stop thinking about future possibilitiesEnlist the help of your imagination

·         Stop thinking about here and now

·         Dismiss the thoughts that come to your mind

·         Enter the peace and quiet of your mind

If only it were that easy in the beginning!  If your mind works anything like mine, every practice session ended up with me writing a long To Do List. It's amazing how many things I'd forgotten to do and all the great ideas that popped into my mind. Some of them actually were quite good. Some of them were trash. Admittedly, most of them were not too good.

In other words, my memory and imagination got in the way. So did my personal critic, commonly known as my rational mind. But every once in a while my intuitive mind got through all this clatter and I really did have a good idea.  The problem was I didn't know which was which and what was intuitive and what wasn't.

That's normal, so if it happens to you, please don't worry about it. Just cut to the chase. Save the Best and Trash the Rest. Don't waste your time on a really bad idea.

It took me several weeks before I could recognize the difference between the "voices" of my different minds. Here's how it worked for me:

Subconscious Mind - My memories are stored with angry, happy or sad emotions. When my Subconscious Mind speaks to me, these same emotions are attached to the memories. Thus, whenever the emotions of anger, sadness or happiness accompany an idea, I know it's coming frommy Subconscious Mind.

Imaginative Mind - Whenever I start thinking about future possibilities, I get excited and/or anxious. It's this excitement or anxiety that tells me I'm operating in my Imaginative Mind at the moment. If it's really exciting or if I'm really anxious or fearful, it's really my Imagination.

Rational Mind - My Rational Mind is very good at pointing out all my real or potential faults. It tells me all the bad things about me and my ideas. So if any thought is critical of me in any way, or just a little bit cynical, I know that's my Rational Mind doing its thing. I usually feel the negative energy.

None of these minds or feelings is intuitive.

My Intuitive Mind is calm and peaceful. It never finds fault with me and it doesn't tell me what to do. It accepts me for who and what I am. It never volunteers any information about me unless I ask first. Then it encourages me to look at the things I like about me and enhance them. It asks me to look at the things I don't like about me and decide how to change them myself. It will give me suggestions when I ask but never unsolicited criticisms or analysis.

My Intuitive Mind is a master counselor who helps me identify what I want to do about me. It's a master teacher who leads me to opportunities for learning whenever I ask for help. It's a spiritual center for me where I can always find acceptance, peace and quiet anytime, anywhere.

My Intuitive Mind answers my questions calmly and unemotionally. It tells me I have the power to change my own life, to change who and what I am, to become a better and more loving individual. It never tells me I am unsatisfactory or "bad."

My Intuitive Mind tunes into the Subconscious Minds of others to share information with me they want to share. It never violates another person's right to share or not at their discretion. But it does warn me when negative energy is being directed toward me.

These things, I find, are also quite normal and to be expected as one opens his or her Third Eye which we also call our Intuitive Mind.

As you continue to experience this calm and peaceful place within, you'll begin to hear the small, silent voice that is your intuition. It happens just as naturally as all of your bodily functions. In the beginning, these fleeting intuitive moments may take a long time to manifest.

The more you practice, the sooner you reach your intuitive mind and the longer you're able to remain there. As you continue to practice, you'll be able to move into your intuition in seconds. You'll be able to function there while doing other things such as talking, sleeping, working or playing. You can stay tuned in and listen to your own small silent voice anytime, anywhere.

This too is quite normal.

(To be completed next week) 

Here's the initiation ritual for the Sojourner Grade, the second step on the ladder of the FHR.  If you've followed the instructions in the Seeker Grade prospectus, studied the instructional papers, made and consecrated your pentacle, and done last week's scrying exercise at least three times, you're qualified to receive this initiation. (And yes, I know that all this is coming out at fire-hose rates and few if any of my readers have had time to do this much work. Don't worry about it -- you can make a copy of the ritual, and all the other FHR material, and do it as you get to it.) 

Preliminaries and Preparations

This ritual is the second step in your initiation into the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose.  It builds on the initiation you have already taken and the work you have already done.  Be sure to read the text of the ritual carefully before deciding whether or not to perform it. If you decide to proceed, certain preliminaries are necessary, and certain preparations need to be made.

The preliminaries are straightforward. Before you perform the ceremony, you should have completed all the work assigned to the 1° grade of Seeker: that is, you should have made and consecrated your pentacle of Earth, you should have practiced the exercise of entering into the elemental world of Earth at least three times; you should have read the papers assigned to the Seeker grade, and in addition, at least one other book on occultism; you should have continued your weekly practice of the temple opening and closing ritual, and your daily practice of ritual, meditation, and divination.

The preparations are equally straightforward. You will need the chair, altar, pillars, Rider-Waite tarot deck, and the basic emblems of the elements (incense burner and incense, folding fan, cup of water, and bowl of salt) you have used already. You will need only one of the candles, the green candle of Earth, and you will also need your pentacle of Earth and a printout of the Tree of Life diagram.  (The one included in this ritual is suitable; cut and paste it into a Word file and print that out, on a color printer if you can.) 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 an hour to an hour and a half of uninterrupted time.

It was standard practice in Juliet Ashley’s Holy Order of the Golden Dawn to perform initiation rituals only on a solstice or equinox. Under John Gilbert’s leadership that was changed, and members were encouraged to perform the initiation rituals on the day immediately following the new moon. You may do either of these, or choose a day that numerologically adds to 1, when combined with your personal time number. Choose the day for your initiation using any of these methods.

You may wear a robe or other ceremonial clothing or not, as you prefer. White robes were standard wear in Juliet Ashley’s time, according to what I learned from John, but his rule was that each initiate got to make his or her own choice of ritual garments, or wear ordinary clothing, or nothing at all. (Some people apparently prefer to do ritual in the nude.) Choose which of these options is right for you.

Finally, you will need to decide how you will call on the Divine. You may use any divine name you choose, or simply say “Source of all that is” or some other abstract term. Settle on what you are going to say before the ceremony. You need not use the same name you used in the 1° initiation.

Before you Begin

Set up the altar in the center of the space. 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. All this is the same as in the 1° initiation.

For this initiation, however, you do not use all four candles. Instead, put the green candle of Earth on the northern side of the altar, near the bowl of salt. Place your pentacle of Earth in the center, as shown in the diagram. Also put the chair in the north rather than in the west, facing the altar, and place your printed copy of the diagram of the Tree of Life in the north of the room, near the chair.

Do not put the pillars on the altar yet; instead, put them in a convenient place until the opening ceremony begins. Near the pillars, place Trump XV, The Devil; you will be putting this on the altar a little later.

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.”

When you have completed the opening ritual, take a few minutes to build the astral forms you will need for the initiation. There are five of these. In each of the four quarters there stands an initiate; the one in the east wears a yellow robe, the one in the south a red robe, the one in the west a blue robe, and the one in the north a green robe. You may fill in all the other details as you wish.

Further to the north, beyond the initiate in the green robe, stands Auriel, the archangel of Earth. Imagine him as a tall winged being in a green robe edged with earth colors.  His hair is dark and his face solemn and earnest. He holds a round shield in front of him, and on the shield is the same symbol you put on your pentacle of Earth

Remember that imagination is not the same as visualization. If you can visualize these forms, that’s good. If not, simply imagine that they are there.

Once you have done this, leave the space. Close the door behind you if there is one. Sit or stand, wait for a little while, and then go to the door and knock three times. (If there is no door, knock on a wall or some other surface.)  Imagine a voice responding, saying, “Who are you, that dares to approach this temple?”

You reply aloud:  “I am a Seeker of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose who has completed all the requirements for advancement to the grade of Sojourner, and I ask permission to enter and be received into the second grade of the Fellowship.”

The voice replies: “Seeker, you may enter.” Go into the temple space.

First Point

Go to the west of the altar, facing east. Say aloud:  “I, (say your full name), an initiate of the Seeker grade, present myself for advancement into the grade of Sojourner. I have performed the required practices and studied the required texts assigned to the Seeker Grade, and I know of no reason why I should not advance to the Sojourner Grade. I therefore purify myself with the four elements to prepare for my initiation.”

Circle around clockwise to the east of the altar, pick up the fan, and wave it to send a stream of air against your face.  Say:  “I purify myself with the element of Air, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Air. May they bless me and further my work.”

Put down the fan, go to the south of the altar, pick up the incense burner, and use one hand to waft incense smoke over your face and head.  Say:  “I purify myself with the element of Fire, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Fire. May they bless me and further my 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 your head and face.  Say:  “I purify myself with the element of Water, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Water. May they bless me and further my work.”

Go to the north of the altar, take a pinch of the salt between thumb and forefinger, open your mouth, and place it on your tongue.  Say:  “I purify myself with the element of Earth, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Earth. May they bless me and further my work.”

Go around clockwise to the west, facing east across the altar. If you are able to do so, kneel on both your knees. Place both your hands, palms down, on the pentacle of Earth you have placed on the altar. Bow your head. Say:  “Having placed myself in due form, I now take on myself the obligation of the Grade of Sojourner.

“I, (say your full name), in the presence of the Divine and of my guardian angel (or guardian genius) and in this temple of Sojourners do solemnly promise that I will take up the studies and practices of the Grade of Sojourner so long as I may do so with a clean conscience, and will persevere in them while I remain a Sojourner and a member of this Fellowship.

"I further promise that I will that I will practice the rituals, meditations and studies of a Seeker and a Sojourner to gain further knowledge and assist myself on my own spiritual path.

"I further promise that I will always hereafter treat the element of Earth with due respect, both in my ordinary life and in my occult studies and practices; that I will offer proper reverence to the archangel and angels of Earth; and that I will always treat the nature spirits and elementals of Earth with courtesy and compassion.

"To all this I solemnly and sincerely promise in the name of (speak the name of the Divine you have chosen).”

Imagine that you hear the sound of a bell somewhere in the north, ringing two chimes.  Then imagine a voice speaking out of the east, saying:  “Arise, Initiate, and be received into the Grade of Sojourner. Long have you dwelt in darkness.  Quit the darkness and seek the light.”

You rise to your feet and behold the altar, with the candle, the pentacle, the four elemental emblems, and two pillars. Say:  “Having passed from darkness to light, I present myself to receive instruction in the sign, grip and word of the Grade of Sojourner.”

Read the following passages aloud, and make each of the motions as it is described.

“The sign of this grade is made by standing with your feet together, extending your right hand upward at an angle , pointing at the sky with your right index finger, and extending your left hand downward at an angle, pointing at the earth with our left index finger.  These are the positions of the two arms of the Magician in Trump I of the tarot deck used by the Fellowship.

“The grip of this grade is made in the same way as the grip of the Seeker grade, with your right foot next to the right foot of the person you are greeting, and your right hand palm down on their left shoulder, but pointing down at the earth with your left hand instead of holding the left hand up in the position of the Seeker sign. This grip should only be given to another member of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose.

“The word of this grade is ‘Awakening.’  It is divided in half when used for working purposes.  The member giving the grip shall speak the first half, ‘Awak-,’ and the one receiving the grip shall respond with the second half, ‘-Ening.’”

Now imagine the voice in the east saying:  “Go to the northern quarter, where the Master of Earth will instruct you on how you may continue your journey from darkness to light.”

Second Point

You go to the north and face north. Imagine an initiate standing there, dressed in a green robe. Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word.  Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passages below, imagining that the figure in green is speaking to you.

"Welcome.  I congratulate you on attaining the rank of Sojourner.  My station and duty you already know.  You will now take up your pentacle of Earth and return to this station, so that I may instruct you in the use of the pentacle and invest you with the rank of Master of Earth.”

You go to the altar, take the pentacle, and return with it to the station of the Master of Earth.

“Your Earth pentacle is one of the four great elemental working tools you will make as you advance through the grades of our Fellowship. The pentacle is a magical expression of the Element of Earth designed to draw the powers of all the Elements into this physical reality in order to banish the effects of disease and poverty by using the Unlimited Compassion of the Divine to help us maintain good health and abundance.  May it serve as a constant reminder of your commitment to help yourself and serve others by quitting the darkness and seeking the light. Your Pentacle of Earth will serve you well if you take it in your hand during any working involving the element of Earth and it is recommended that you try that for yourself.

“The pentacle of Earth bears whatever symbol you have chosen to represent the sacred powers of the cosmos. Let this remind you that the sacred powers of the cosmos are always present even in the most material aspects of existence.

“I now present you with this representation of the Tree of Life.”  You look at the diagram.  “I bring your attention to the bottom sphere on the Tree of Life. In Ancient Hebrew this sphere was named ‘Malkuth’ which literally means ‘The Kingdom.’ The Kingdom is under the rulership of the King and Queen of the Tree. The King and the Queen represent your own feminine and masculine natures. The Kingdom is also under the rulership of the Divine, which has a triune nature of neutral, masculine and feminine. The Kingdom is also under the rulership of your own higher self, which is called the King and which makes Malkuth ‘the bride of the King.’  The Kingdom is the final manifestation. Compared to the brilliant light at the top of the Tree, Malkuth resides in darkness. Darkness is a symbol for Ignorance.

“The Kingdom is called many things including, Kingdom, Manifestation, Bride, Place of Darkness and Place of Ignorance. This four-colored sphere represents the four Elements of Earth, Fire, Water and Air. It is the only place where the Element of Earth exists on the Tree of Life. The other nine spheres are identified as three Fire, three Water and three Air worlds.

“As you look at this bottom sphere you notice the bottom part is black and that refers to the Element of Earth expressed in the Place of Ignorance, the place of Earth. The Element of Earth in the Place of Earth is a symbol for all material things including your body and every other physical thing in the Manifestation. The quarter circle on your right refers to the Element of Fire in the Place of Earth and is a symbol for all of our passions, wants, needs, desires, cravings and addictions for the physical things in the Manifestation.

“The quarter circle above refers to the Element of Water in the Place of Earth and is a symbol for all of our emotions of greed, anger, fear, sorrow, resentments and relationships with the physical things in the Manifestation. The quarter circle on your left refers to the Element of Air in the Place of Earth and is a symbol for all of our thoughts, ideas, beliefs, intentions and attitudes toward the physical things in the Manifestation.

“The is is Kingdom, the Manifestation, the Place of Ignorance, the Place of Darkness, the Place of the Element of Earth in which we reside while in physical incarnation. This is the place where you became a Sojourner in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, a comrade on the road in the quest for knowledge.

“Since you have received a part of the knowledge you seek, you are qualified to fill the role of Master of Earth in a temple of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose.  Stand before this chair, which represents the station of the Master of Earth.”  You do so. .  “Imagine the emblem of Earth in front of you, and enlarge it, just as you did when passing into the elemental realm of Earth.”  You do so. (The emblem of Earth is shown to the left.) “Now, holding your pentacle of Earth as regalia of your office, step through it and seat yourself in your station as Master of Earth.”

You do this. Stay in the chair for a little while, feeling the energies of the element of Earth around you.

You then hear a voice from the east saying, “Arise, Master of Earth, and return to the altar.”

Step out through the emblem of Earth and imagine it dwindling to a small point in your aura, as you have done before. Place your pentacle somewhere near the chair. Then go around clockwise to the west of the altar and face east. Say:  “Having presented myself to the Master of Earth and received his/her instructions and blessings, and having been installed as Master of Earth, I ask for further instruction in the secrets of this Grade.”

Third Point

At this point, take Trump XV, the Devil, from the place where you left it and set it on the altar in the center. Regard it for a few moments, and then imagine that you hear a voice from the east, saying the following.

“Go to the left of the altar and take four steps toward the east. These symbolize the four elements in their material forms: physical earth, physical water, physical air, and physical fire, the expressions of the elemental powers in the realm of Malkuth, the World of Ignorance.”

Go to the left of the altar and take four steps east, ending in the northeast corner of the temple.

“Now turn to your right and take four steps toward the south. These symbolize the four elements in their etheric forms, the subtle templates of life energy that guide and structure the physical elements. They are the expressions of the elemental powers in the realm of Yesod, the World of Awakening.”

Turn right and take four steps south, ending in the southeast corner of the temple.

“Now turn to your right and take four steps toward the west. These symbolize the four elements in their astral forms as you understand them in the sphere of Mind. They are the expressions of the elemental powers in the realm of Hod, the World of Expanding Mind.”

Turn right and take four steps west, ending in the southwest corner of the temple.

“Now turn to your right again and take four steps toward the north. These symbolize the four elements as you feel them in the sphere of the Emotions.  They are the expressioins of the elemental powers in the realm of Netzach, the World of Passion.”

Turn right and take four steps north, ending in the northwest corner of the temple.

“In taking these four times four steps you have enacted in advance the whole course of your journey through the elemental degrees of our Fellowship. As you proceed through the degrees to come, you will learn more about the Worlds of Awakening, Expanding Mind, and Passion. Proceed now to your seat in the North to hear the Sojourner Lecture.”

Go to the chair in the north of the temple and be seated.  Read the following lecture carefully.

The Sojourner Lecture

You are once again before the altar of the Temple of Sojourners.  Before you is the burning taper representing the Element of Earth which lighted your way to the place where you now are.  The Earth Pentacle has been replaced by a placard representing Ignorance.

The main figure in this placard is the Devil standing on a half-cubical altar.  The Devil carries a flaming torch pointing downward and makes the sign of ignorance with his right hand.  This card of Ignorance represents the physical world into which you became incarnated as a Seeker.  It represents the world in which all of us labor to find the light.

Ignorance is the lack of awareness, and it is the greatest barrier we face in our quest for light and knowledge.  We cannot create anything in our lives until we become aware that we can. This lack of awareness limits what we can do with our lives. This lack of awareness limits our ability to accept, forgive and love ourselves and others. It limits what we can accomplish in life on every level of our being—physical, emotional, psychologically, mentally and spiritually. The first lesson of a Sojourner is to become aware of everything in your life.

The second lesson of the Sojourner is that we cannot create anything on any level of our lives until we intend to do so. Until we intend to do something we cannot and will not do it. Until we intend to create something in our lives, we cannot and will not create it. Until we intend to become something, we cannot and will not become anything.

It is said that Intention is the Father of Invention. This has many levels of interpretation. The masculine polarity is one of thinking while the feminine polarity is one of feeling. Intentions are thoughts and ideas. We make a mental decision to intend to do anything. Intentions are not feelings. They are decisions. They are thoughts and ideas about accomplishing something.

It is not enough to become aware that we can do or be something, we must also intend to do or be that something. We can become anything we intend to become. We can be anything we intend to be. And, we can do anything we intend to do. The Angel of Intention teaches us to pay attention to the things that come into our awareness and decide what we want to do about those things.

Become aware. Then  create your own intentions based on your awareness. Decide what you want to do, what you want to be, what you want to become. Your decisions become your intentions. You cannot accomplish anything until you intend to accomplish it.

Look into this card of Ignorance often.  Study it well and learn more about how you have suffered in ignorance for the vast majority of your life.  It is in this place of ignorance the majority of humanity continues to reside.  Few of them will take the time and trouble to do the things you have done to quit the darkness and seek the light.

Those who have gone this way before you will tell you that in the vast array of the Universe even our geniuses know very little.  Yes, you have worked very hard to gain a little knowledge, but that knowledge is far greater than it was before you began.  This is to teach you that as a Seeker it is progress we seek.  This is also to teach you that as a Sojourner we continue to seek progress

By completing the work of a Seeker you have gained a little light and it is easier for you to see your own spiritual path.  If you continue to seek more light as a Sojourner, you will discover more light and it will become even easier to see your path.  I challenge you to continue moving back the darkness of ignorance and seeking more light.

This completes the Sojourner Lecture. 

Closing the Ceremony

After you have finished reading the Seeker Lecture, spend at least a few minutes meditating on the ceremony you have performed and the symbols and teachings embodied in it.  Then rise, thank the archangel of Earth, thank all the other spiritual beings that have assisted in the ritual, and dissolve the astral forms you created for the archangel and the four initiates.  (You do this simply by imagining the forms disappearing.) Once you have done so, perform the complete closing ceremony to close the temple in the Grade of Sojourner. This completes your initiation into the Sojourner Grade.

It is highly recommended that you devote time in the days and weeks ahead to meditating on the ceremony you have just passed through. Every detail of that ceremony has something to teach you. The more attention you give to the ceremony, the more meaningful it will be for you and the more you will gain from it.  

Here's the initiation ritual for the Grade of Seeker, the first step on the ladder of the FHR. If you've made the preparations discussed last week and in the Prospectus, you should be prepared for this working. Please read the entire ritual before you perform it; you'll be expected to make certain promises during the ritual, and you should be fully informed before proceeding. 

Preliminaries and Preparations

This ritual is the first step in your initiation into the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose.  It marks your formal entrance into the Fellowship and your acceptance of certain commitments and responsibilities as a member. Be sure to read the text of the ritual carefully before deciding whether or not to perform it. If you decide to proceed, certain preliminaries are necessary, and certain preparations need to be made.

The preliminaries are straightforward. Before you perform the ceremony, you should have begun daily practice of the three basic training disciplines discussed in the prospectus: a daily protective ritual (the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, the Sphere of Protection, or the Judson exercise); a daily session of discursive meditation; and a daily divination. You should also have studied all seven parts of the introductory essay on the Tree of Life by John Gilbert, and the papers on building astral forms and protecting yourself against discarnate beings. Finally, you should have learned and practiced the temple opening and closing ritual, as you will be performing it as part of the ceremony of initiation.

The preparations are equally straightforward. You will need the chair, altar, pillars, candles, Rider-Waite tarot deck, and the basic emblems of the elements (incense burner and incense, folding fan, cup of water, and bowl of salt) mentioned in the prospectus. 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 an hour to an hour and a half of uninterrupted time.

It was standard practice in Juliet Ashley’s Holy Order of the Golden Dawn to perform initiation rituals only on a solstice or equinox. Under John Gilbert’s leadership that was changed, and members were encouraged to perform the initiation rituals on the day immediately following the new moon. You may do either of these, or choose a day that numerologically adds to 1, when combined with your personal time number. Choose the day for your initiation using any of these methods.

You may wear a robe or other ceremonial clothing or not, as you prefer. White robes were standard wear in Juliet Ashley’s time, according to what I learned from John, but his rule was that each initiate got to make his or her own choice of ritual garments, or wear ordinary clothing, or nothing at all. (Some people apparently prefer to do ritual in the nude.) Choose which of these options is right for you.

Finally, you will need to decide how you will call on the Divine. You may use any divine name you choose, or simply say “Source of all that is” or some other abstract term. Settle on what you are going to say before the ceremony.

Before you Begin

Set up the altar in the center of the space with the chair on the western edge of the space, facing the altar. Set it up as shown in the diagram to the right. 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 a little to the east, the red candle a little to the south, the blue candle a little to the west, and the green candle a little to the north. Leave the center empty. Do not put the pillars on the altar yet; instead, put them in a convenient place until the opening ceremony begins. Near the pillars, place Trump 0, The Fool; you will be putting this on the altar a little later.

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 Seeker.”

When you have completed the opening ritual, take a few minutes to build the astral forms you will need for the initiation. There are five of these. In each of the four quarters there stands an initiate; the one in the east wears a yellow robe, the one in the south a red robe, the one in the west a blue robe, and the one in the north a green robe. You may fill in all the other details as you wish. Further to the east, beyond the initiate in the yellow robe, stands your guardian angel or guardian genius, who watches over the ceremony.  Imagine your guardian as a tall winged angelic figure in a white robe. Remember that imagination is not the same as visualization. If you can visualize these forms, that’s good. If not, simply imagine that they are there.

Once you have done this, leave the space. Close the door behind you if there is one. Sit or stand, wait for a little while, and then go to the door and knock three times. (If there is no door, knock on a wall or some other surface.)  Imagine a voice responding, saying, “Who are you, that dares to approach this temple?”

You reply aloud:  “I am a child of Earth, but my heritage is that of the starry heavens.”

The voice replies: “Child of Earth, you may enter.” Go into the temple space.

First Point

Go to the west of the altar, facing east. Say aloud:  “I, (say your full name), a child of Earth, present myself for initiation into the grade of Seeker. I have taken up the required practices and studied the required texts assigned to the Candidate Grade, and I know of no reason why I should not advance to the Seeker Grade. I therefore purify myself with the four elements to prepare for my initiation.”

Circle around clockwise to the east of the altar, pick up the fan, and wave it to send a stream of air against your face.  Say:  “I purify myself with the element of Air, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Air. May they bless me and further my work.”

Put down the fan, go to the south of the altar, pick up the incense burner, and use one hand to waft incense smoke over your face and head.  Say:  “I purify myself with the element of Fire, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Fire. May they bless me and further my 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 your head and face.  Say:  “I purify myself with the element of Water, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Water. May they bless me and further my work.”

Go to the north of the altar, take a pinch of the salt between thumb and forefinger, open your mouth, and place it on your tongue.  Say:  “I purify myself with the element of Earth, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Earth. May they bless me and further my work.”

Go around clockwise to the west, facing east across the altar. If you are able to do so, kneel on both your knees. Place the fingers of your right hand on the altar. Raise your left hand, palm forward, fingers together. Say:  “Having placed myself in due form, I now take on myself the obligation of the Grade of Seeker.

“I, (say your full name), in the presence of the Divine and of my guardian angel (or guardian genius) and in this temple of Seekers do solemnly promise that I will take up the studies and practices of the Grade of Seeker so long as I may do so with a clean conscience, and will persevere in them while I remain a Seeker and a member of this Fellowship.

"I further promise that I will act as befits a friend and companion to every member of this Fellowship who acts in a similar manner toward me.

"I further promise that I will never use any magical knowledge or ability I may now have or may gain hereafter for selfish or destructive purposes, and should I do so, may my powers depart from me until by proper restitution I have earned their return.

"To all this I solemnly and sincerely promise in the name of (speak the name of the Divine you have chosen).”

Imagine that you hear the sound of a bell somewhere in the east, ringing a single chime.  Then imagine a voice speaking out of the east, saying:  “Arise, child of Earth, and be received into the Grade of Seeker. Long have you dwelt in darkness.  Quit the darkness and seek the light.”

You rise to your feet and behold the altar, with the four candles, the four elemental emblems, and two pillars. Say:  “Having passed from darkness to light, I present myself to receive instruction in the step, sign, grip and word of the Grade of Seeker.”

Read the following passages aloud, and make each of the motions as it is described.

“The step of this grade is made by taking a half-step forward with your right foot.

“The sign of this grade is made by raising your left hand to the level of your left shoulder, one to two feet out to the side from your shoulder, with the elbow bent and the palm facing upward. The tips of the thumb and index finger of the left hand are touching, as though you held the stem of a flower between them, and the other fingers are gently spread.  This is the position of the left hand of the Fool in Trump 0 of the tarot deck used by the Fellowship.

“The grip of this grade is made by making the step and sign, with your right foot next to the right foot of the person you are greeting. Then place your right hand palm down on their left shoulder. This grip should only be given to another member of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose.

“The word of this grade is ‘Wayfarer.’  It is divided in half when used for working purposes.  The member giving the grip shall speak the first half, ‘Way,’ and the one receiving the grip shall respond with the second half, ‘Farer.’”

Now imagine the voice in the east saying:  “Go around the temple to the four quarters, beginning with the north, communicate what you have just learned to the officers of the temple, and learn how you may quit the darkness and seek the light.”

Second Point

You go to the north and face north. Imagine an initiate standing there, dressed in a green robe. Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word.  Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passage below, imagining that the figure in green is speaking to you.

"Welcome.  I congratulate you on attaining the Grade of Seeker.  I am the Master of Earth; my station is in the North, the place of darkness, because of all the elements Earth is the most resistant to the penetration of light.  Thus the direction of North is assigned to the element of Earth. My station is also assigned to Malkuth, the tenth sephirah of the Tree of Life, the sphere of manifestation and our material world. The symbol of my office is the pentacle.  As you prepare for your initiation into the first grade before you, the grade of Sojourner, you will be asked to make and consecrate a pentacle to be used in your rituals and placed upon your altar as an emblem of the element of Earth.

"My primary duty is to care for the needs of the Temple building and all the things within it.  This is a reminder that all of us need to first take care of our own Temple and all of the things within it.  Then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. The secondary duty of my office is to purify the Temple with the Element of Earth.  For this purpose I am entrusted with the bowl of salt, of which you have already tasted and which was used to purify you and invoke the powers of Earth on your behalf.  I bless you again in the name of Earth.  May the Divine guide you on your journey."

You go around the temple clockwise to the west and face west.  Imagine an initiate  standing there, dressed in a blue robe.   Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word.  Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passage below, imagining that the figure in blue is speaking to you.

"Welcome.  I congratulate you on attaining the Grade of Seeker.  I am the Master of Water; my station is in the West, the place of twilight and the setting sun, because water seeks its own level as the sun at twilight seeks the darkness.  Thus the direction of West is assigned to the element of Water. My station is also assigned to Yesod, the ninth sephirah of the Tree of Life, the sphere of the emotions and our astral world. The symbol of my office is the cup.  As you prepare for your initiation into the second grade before you, the grade of Server, you will be asked to create a cup to be used in your rituals and placed upon your altar as an emblem of the element of Water.

"My primary duty is to care for the needs of the members of this Temple.  This is a reminder that all of us need to first take care of those people who are dependent on us.  Then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. The secondary duty of my office is to purify the Temple with the Element of Water.  For this purpose I am entrusted with the cup of water which you have already experienced and which was used to purify you and invoke the powers of Water on your behalf. I bless you again in the name of Water.  May the Divine guide you on your journey."

You go around the temple clockwise to the east and face east.  Imagine an initiate standing there, dressed in a yellow robe.   Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word.  Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passage below, imagining that the figure in yellow is speaking to you.

"Welcome.  I congratulate you on attaining the Grade of Seeker.  I am the Master of Air; my station is in the East, the place of the dawning light, because of all the Elements, Air is the first to see the light.  The direction of East is therefore assigned to the Element of Air.  My station is also assigned to Hod, the eighth sephirah of the Tree of Life, the sphere of the mind and our mental world. The symbol of my office is the book.  As you prepare for your initiation into the third grade before you, the grade of Student, you will be asked to create a book to be used in your rituals and placed upon your altar as an emblem of the element of Air.

"My primary duty is to see to the instructional and educational work of this Temple.  This is a reminder that all of us need to see to our own instruction and education.  Then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. The secondary duty of my office is to purify the Temple with the Element of Air.  For this purpose I am entrusted with the fan of air which you have already experienced and which was used to purify you and invoke the powers of Air on your behalf. I bless you again in the name of Air.  May the Divine guide you on your journey."

You go around the temple clockwise to the south and face south.  Imagine an initiate standing there, dressed in a red robe.   Make the step and sign, then place your hand on his imagined shoulder in the grip, and communicate the word.  Release the step, sign and grip, and then read aloud the passage below, imagining that the figure in red is speaking to you.

"Welcome.  I congratulate you on attaining the Grade of Seeker.  I am the Master of Fire; my station is in the South, the place of the noonday sun, because in the element of Fire, the light is most clearly shown.  The direction of South is therefore assigned to the Element of Fire.  My station is also assigned to Netzach, the seventh sephirah of the Tree of Life, the sphere of energy and the will that shapes all our worlds. The symbol of my office is the wand.  As you prepare for your initiation into the third grade before you, the grade of Teacher, you will be asked to create a wand to be used in your rituals and placed upon your altar as an emblem of the element of Fire.

"My primary duty is to maintain discipline and good order in this Temple.  This is a reminder that all of us need to maintain discipline and good order in our own lives.  Then we may apply ourselves to our other duties. The secondary duty of my office is to purify the Temple with the Element of Fire.  For this purpose I am entrusted with the incense burner which you have already experienced and which was used to purify you and invoke the powers of Fire on your behalf. I bless you again in the name of Fire.  May the Divine guide you on your journey."

Go around clockwise to the west of the altar and face east. Say:  “Having presented myself to the four quarters and the four officers of the temple and received their instructions and blessings, I ask for further instruction in the secrets of this Grade.”

Third Point

At this point, take Trump 0, the Fool, from the place where you left it and set it in the middle of the altar, so that it forms the center of the equal-armed elemental cross made by the four candles and the four elemental emblems. Regard it for a few moments, and then imagine that you hear a voice from the east, saying the following.

“To the left of the altar you behold three steps rising upwards.  They refer to the three pillars of the Tree of Life, to the three basic practices of ritual, meditation, and divination you have been assigned, and to the three divinatory methods you must learn and practice in your studies. Advance up those steps, in token of your willingness to perform the work of the grade ahead.”

Take three steps toward the east on the left side of the altar, imagining that you are climbing three steps of a stair. (This will take you to the northeast corner of the temple; see the diagram.)  The voice then goes on as follows:

“To your right you now behold four more steps rising upwards.  They refer to the four worlds of the Cabala, to the four officers of a temple of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, and to the four magical virtues—to know, to dare, to will, and to be silent.  Advance up those steps, in token of your willingness to study the teachings of the grade ahead.”

Turn to the right and take four steps toward the south, imagining that you are climbing four steps of a stair. (This will take you to the southeast corner of the temple.) The voice then goes on as follows:

“To your right again, you now behold five more steps rising upwards. They refer to the five elements, earth, water, air, fire, and spirit; to the five points of the pentagram, and to the five initiations of our Fellowship you may receive before you approach the Veil of the Sanctuary. Advance up those steps, in token of your willingness to face the challenges of the grade ahead.”

Turn to the right and take five steps toward the west, imagining that you are climbing five steps of a stair. (This will take you to the southwest corner of the temple.) Turn to face the altar, and then go to the chair in the west of the temple and be seated.  Read the following lecture carefully.

The Seeker Lecture

You have been welcomed into the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose by a form of initiation that has much to teach.  As you sit here in this Temple of the Grade of Seeker, you behold the altar with its two pillars and four burning tapers.  The two columns on the altar represent the right and left-hand pillars of the Tree of Life.  The black column standing on the upper left-hand corner of the altar represents the Pillar of Power, the left-hand pillar on the Tree of Life.  This pillar is also called the Pillar of Severity, Pillar of Water the Pillar of Cloud.  The white column standing on  the upper right-hand corner of the altar represents the Pillar of Compassion.  It is also called the Pillar of Mercy or the Pillar of Fire.

“The four burning tapers on the altar are representatives of the four mundane elements.  The colors of the taper identifying the elements, for yellow symbolizes Air, blue Water, red Fire and green Earth.  These tapers burn on the altar during all ceremonies in the Seeker Grade to remind us that we are still children of earth, in need of light and guidance, as we seek to attain our birthright as heirs of the starry heavens. These tapers and the elements they represent are the lights which which lighted your way to the place where you now are. They also light the emblem of this grade, Trump 0, the Fool.

This trump is the most significant of the emblems assigned to this grade.  It shows a Seeker high up in the mountains.  The Seeker carries all his possessions in a sack tied to a staff.  The Seeker stands on a precipice with one foot raised as if to step off into the abyss below.  A small dog jumps beside the Seeker.  The Seeker is a Child of the Divine.

The Seeker represents you before you decided to incarnate in this world of ignorance, before you descended into manifestation in the realm of the four elements.  It represents all of us as we prepare to enter this world of suffering and pain to learn what we will learn.  The Seeker represents all of us as we prepare to jump off the cliff in the rarified World of Air at the top of the Tree of Life, through the Veil of Truth into the World of Water, through the Veil of Illusion into the World of Fire, and through the Veil of Ignorance into the World of Earth.  The Seeker jumps and plunges down through the worlds to become a child of Earth.

The Seeker is born in this physical universe and spends a lifetime traveling back up the Tree of Life from the World of Earth through the Veil of Ignorance to the World of Fire, from the World of Fire up through the Veil of Illusion to the World of Water, and from the World of Water through the Veil of Truth and back into the World of Air. There the Seeker will remain until and unless destiny calls him to descend through the Tree of Life again to this world of ignorance.

To the ignorant, it appears foolish to work one's way up the Tree of Life, to sacrifice time and energy to do internal work, to build better relationships and seek a closer communion with the Divine.  To the ignorant it appears foolish to value love more than money, the Divine more than things and true friendship more than accomplishments.  To the ignorant it appears foolish to travel a path of acceptance, forgiveness and love rather than join in the greed, envy, and avarice of the world.   It appears foolish to value truth over salesmanship, happiness over income at any price, and peace of mind over winning at all costs.

In the tarot, the Seeker is called the Fool.  The Seeker and the Fool are the same person seen from different perspectives.  Here in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose we value truth, happiness, peace of mind, acceptance, forgiveness, love and communion with the Divine above all the glitter, fame and fortune of the World of Ignorance.  While the world may see us as foolish we see ourselves as seekers of the things we value.  While the world may call us Fools, we call ourselves Seekers and we seek the truth of the creation, the truth of the Divine and the truth about ourselves.  As you study the tarot, remember that the Seeker is the Fool.

This completes the Seeker Lecture. 

Closing the Ceremony

After you have finished reading the Seeker Lecture, spend at least a few minutes meditating on the ceremony you have performed and the symbols and teachings embodied in it.  Then rise, thank your guardian angel or guardian genius, thank all the other spiritual beings that have assisted in the ritual, and dissolve the astral forms you created for the guardian angel or genius and the four initiates.  (You do this simply by imagining the forms disappearing.) Once you have done so, perform the complete closing ceremony to close the temple in the Grade of Seeker. This completes your initiation into the Seeker Grade.

It is highly recommended that you devote time in the days and weeks ahead to meditating on the ceremony you have just passed through. Every detail of that ceremony has something to teach you. The more attention you give to the ceremony, the more meaningful it will be for you and the more you will gain from it.

The essays below are the sixth and seventh of a series of seven instructional papers on the Tree of Life, the basic glyph of Cosmic structure and process in the traditions inherited by the FHR. They were written by John Gilbert and are presented here with only minor editing. As I noted in introducing the earlier sections, it is irrelevant whether you believe or disbelieve in what follows. What matters is that you read these texts, think about them, understand them, and come to your own conclusions about the material covered in them.

Next week I'll be posting one more essay that belongs to the Candidate grade, and the following week I'll put up the self-initiation ritual for the Grade of Seeker, the first step up the ladder of initiations in the FHR. In order to prepare for that, you'll need to have provided yourself with all the basic equipment mentioned in the prospectus I posted earlier -- altar, pillars, basic emblems of the four elements (folding fan, incense burner, cup of water, bowl of salt), yellow, red, blue, and green candles (one each), and a copy of the Rider-Waite deck (or at least a printout of Trump 0, the Fool). You'll also need to have read and studied these essays on the Tree of Life, and begun daily practice of your protective ritual, discursive meditation, and divination. Those practices are the requirements of initiation, and when you take the initiation you will be committing yourself to keep going with them. 

THE TREE OF LIFE

By John Gilbert

Part Six - Desire, Mind and The Matrix

Once we descend through the Veil of Illusion, also known as Paroketh, we enter the World of Fire, the Astral World. In this world we build the foundation for our physical body. In this world the Universe builds the foundation for the suns and planets of the universe. This is the astral world which is the foundation for the physical.

According to the Universal Gnostic Church and the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose, this is the World of Ego. It's the world of our ego. The first sphere in this world and the seventh sphere on the Tree of Life is called Desire. Its Hebrew name is Netzatch which is usually translated as Victory. A better translation is probably "Firmness," meaning the firmness of our intentions and dreams. Hence, the name of "Desire."  Other names like Passion, Drive, Devotion, Intention and Ambition are also appropriate names as is Intuition. Our Desire center is the root of our intuition.

Desire is the manifestation of Fire in the Astral World. Desire is based in our original intentions before we started the final stage leading to our incarnation (incarceration) here on Earth. It's the closest thing we have in the Astral World to our Soul which resides in the World of Water. It's our spiritual center in the Astral World.

In our opinion, the Element of Fire is the most difficult of the four Elements to interpret in the Tarot. Astrologically we understand the drive, passion, desire and energy of Fire fairly well.  But in the Tarot we attribute it to things like a person's career, their intuition or their spirit.

Our Passion is more than just our career, it's all of our consuming interests and all of the energy we have in our life. Yes, Fire is intuitive. Yes, Fire is closer to Spirit than the other three Elements but it's really not the Element of Spirit in my opinion.

Our Fire is a place we can go in meditation to learn about our life's purpose, our mission in this lifetime. When we made the decision to incarnate, we determined what we really wanted to accomplish in this lifetime. That's our purpose, our reason for incarnating. We can find that reason in the World of Fire.

We've descended the Tree of Life from the World of Air, through the World of Water, through the Second Veil and now find ourselves in the World of Fire. We've passed from the World of Reality into the World of Illusion. We've received our "Baptism by Fire" as we crossed through the Curtain of Fire. This is our third baptism by the way. We received a Baptism by Air into the World of Air when we became manifest in our Spirit. We received a Baptism by Water into the World of Water when we descended into our Soul. Now we receive a Baptism by Fire as we descend into our Ego.

Our Ego is clothed in the World of Fire by the Elements of Fire, Air and Water. Fire is sphere seven, which we discussed last week and in the question above. Water is the ninth sphere to be discussed next. Air is assigned to sphere eight, which in Hebrew is called Hod, and that's our subject here. before we get there though, it's interesting to note that our Spirit, Soul and Ego are each composed of denser and denser Air, Fire and Water as we descend from the Unmanifest down the Tree of Life to physical manifestation.

Sphere eight is the Air Element expressed in the World of Fire. It's our thoughts, ideas and attitudes filtered through our emotions. These are not the Archetypes we find in the World of Air (sphere one) nor the intentionally balanced emotions we find in the World of Water (sphere six). These are the raw, vibrant, energy-filled thoughts we have in our every-day mind. That's why we call sphere eight Intellect or Mind and it refers to our day-to-day intelligence.

Our Mind operates on three distinct levels: 1) Memory (Past), 2) Cognition (Present), and 3) Imagination (Future). Our complete memory contains both our subconscious and unconscious minds. Our subconscious mind is where we store memories we can normally access. Our unconscious mind stores all other memories. Our Cognitive Mind is our rational mind also known as our thinking mind. This is our logical and deductive mind with which we think and deduce. Our Imagination is our Imaginative Mind and this is where we plan our future and imagine the possibilities for our life.

Our Intellect is connected to our Emotional World at both Harmony and Power. This gives us the ability to draw upon our Inner Strength and our Inner Harmony (also called our Soul). Our Intellect is also connected to our Desire Center and this gives us some direction in focusing our thoughts. What we desire colors what we think. Lest you haven't figured it out already, both our Desire and our Intellect are masculine qualities.

The first two worlds, the side spheres, which lie on the right and left pillars of the Tree, were balanced in that one was feminine and one was masculine. Now, in this second reflection of the Divine, we see an imbalance right-to-left. This imbalance will become important as we complete our study of the Tree of Life. For now, it's fun to think about these things.

The Tree of Life is a three-phase descent from the Unmanifest through the Three Worlds of Air, Fire and Water resulting in Manifestation in the World of Earth. The first world is the World of Air. It's composed of the three Elements Air in sphere one, Fire in sphere two and Water in sphere three. These are the Creator, Masculine and Female Archetypes.  The Creator is the center of balance between the Masculine and Feminine.

The second world is the World of Water. It's composed of the same three elements. Sphere four is Water. Sphere five is Fire and sphere six is Air. Remember, the Abyss separates the Second World from the First World and that the Second World is a reflection of the First. Notice also that the masculine has moved from the right-side of the Tree of Life to the left as you move down from the World of Air to the World of Water as you face the Tree. The feminine moves from the left side of the Tree to the right as you move down the Tree from the First World to the Second.

The third world is the World of Fire. It's also composed of the same three elements of Fire in sphere seven, Air in sphere eight and Water in sphere nine. All of this leads to the fact that sphere seven is the Element of Fire in the World of Fire. Our intentions and beliefs in the World of Air have been energized with emotional power in the World of Water. The result is our intentions have become emotionally charged when we reach sphere seven. Emotionally charged intentions are our passion, our drive and our desires.

Harmony, Desire and Intellect all send energy to the third sphere in the third triangle, in the Third World of the Tree of Life. This third sphere is the ninth sphere on the Tree of Life. Its Hebrew name is Yesod and this means "Foundation." This is the foundation of the physical universe.

Physical matter is built upon a Matrix of Energy.  Physical matter is itself spinning energy. Modern physics has proven what Einstein postulated half a century ago, that energy = mass times the speed of light squared. Matter is energy. Our ancient brothers and sisters who understood the Qabalah centuries and millennia ago knew this. Modern science has only proven this fact in the last twenty-five years.

The Matrix of Energy upon which the physical universe is built is the Element Water. This element flows into all the forms that exist on Earth. So there you have it. In the World of Fire we have the same three elements of Air, Water and Fire that we've seen in the World of Water and the World of Air. The masculine and the feminine have switched polarities as we move down the Tree of Life from world to world. In the last world, the World of Fire, the feminine has moved from the Left Pillar to the Middle Pillar. Balance is maintained by the third sphere representing the third element in each world. Thus in the World of Fire, Water is the balancing point.

As our consciousness crosses the Abyss we experience a change in  polarity and the right side of our body changes from feminine to masculine as we cross the Abyss.  When our consciousness passes through the Veil of Illusion we experience another change in polarity.  This time, however, our polarity is scrambled.  Feminine Water  changes to Masculine Fire, but Masculine Fire changes to Neutral Air and Neutral Air becomes Feminine Water.  Thus it is in the World of Illusion, the Astral World.

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THE TREE OF LIFE

by John Gilbert

Part Seven – Manifestation: The Four Worlds & Three Pillars

The final sphere on the Tree of life is called Malkut or Malkuth in Hebrew. This is translated as "Kingdom" or "Manifestation." The three spheres in the World of Fire, Desire, Intellect and Foundation, all send energy to Manifestation.

Manifestation receives energy from the higher spheres only through the three spheres in the World of Fire. Thus it is completely isolated from the higher worlds.

Manifestation is the Earth element and it stands alone as the only sphere in the World of Earth. It receives energy directly from the Elements of Air (Intellect), Fire (Desire) and Water (Foundation).  Harmony, which represents the Element of Spirit in the physical world, sends energy to Manifestation through the other three Elements.

The World of Air which is also the World of Archetypes is composed of Awareness (1 = Air), Intention (2 = Fire) and Focus (3 = Water). The World of Air is the home for our Spirit. Just as the World of Air is the first creation of the Unmanifest Creator, so is our Spirit our first body and it resides in the World of Air. Our Spirit resides in the World of Archetypes, thoughts and ideas. Our Spirit is our original Archetype and the ultimate source of all our thoughts and ideas.

The World of Water, which is the Reflection of the First World, is composed of Love (4 = Water), Power (5 = Fire) and Harmony (6 = Air).  Notice two things. One, the Elements of Fire and Water have switched places as we move from the World of Air to the World of Water. Two, the Element of Air remains in the middle. The World of Water is the home for our Soul. Just as the World of Water is a reflection of the World of Air across the Abyss, so is our Soul a reflection of our Spirit reflected across the Abyss. Our Spirit resides above the Abyss and does not cross over it to our Soul. Our Soul resides below the Abyss and does not cross over the Abyss.  

The World of Fire, the second reflection of the First World over the Abyss and through the Veil of Fire, is composed of Desire (7 = Fire), Intellect (8 = Air) and Foundation (9 = Water). The World of Fire is the home of our Ego which is the reflection of our Soul. Just as our Soul doesn't cross the Abyss, our Ego doesn't cross the Veil of Water.  Remember, the Veil of Ignorance seen from above is the Veil of Fire and seen from below is the Veil of Water. The Veil of Ignorance separates the Worlds of Water and Fire just as the Abyss separates the Worlds of Water and Air.

The World of Earth, the third and final reflection of the First World, is composed of only the tenth sphere Manifestation (10 = Earth) and is the sole representative of that Element. Our body resides in the World of Earth and within it is our three Elemental Bodies: Astral (Foundation = Water), Mental (Intellect = Air) and Intuitive (Desire = Fire). It also contains our Etheric, the energy field created by our physical body. Our body is home to our Ego, Soul and Spirit. It's also home to our higher subtle bodies, which various traditions name in various ways.  Let it suffice that we have one subtle body for each sphere from six on up to number one.

Notice that as we move down into the World of Fire, the Element of Fire switches from the left side to the right side of the Tree. This switching back and forth is the result of a change in polarity as we cross the Abyss and again as we cross the Veil of Paroketh.  Thus the Right Pillar (as we're looking at the Tree) has Fire (Intention = 2) at the top, Water (Love = 4) in the middle and Fire (Desire = 7) at the bottom.

The Right Pillar has several names. Among them are the Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Wisdom, Pillar of Knowledge, Pillar of Intention, Pillar of Desire, Pillar of Light, Jachin (which some call Joachim), the White Pillar, and the Left-hand of God. The Left Hand of God alludes to the fact that we turn around and step backwards into the Tree of Life.  The Right Pillar is the left side of our body.

Taken to another level, our left brain is associated with Intention; our left shoulder, arm and hand is associated with Love = Compassion; and our left hip and thigh with Desire.  The left side of our body is the Right Pillar.

The Left Pillar has Water (Belief) at the top, Fire (Power) in the middle and Air (Mind or Intellect) at the bottom.  Notice that Air is at the bottom of the Tree instead of Water as would be expected.  This is one indication we have that the second reflection of the Archetypal World is more corrupt than the first reflection.

The Left Pillar has several names.  Among them are Pillar of Water, Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Understanding, Pillar of Faith, Pillar of Power, Pillar of Darkness, Pillar of Fear and Anger, Pillar of Anxiety, Boaz, the Black Pillar and the Right Hand of God.  The Pillar of Cloud is the pillar the Jews followed during the day on their forty-year journey through the desert on their way to the promised land.  During the evening they followed the Pillar of Fire.

Taken to another level, our right brain, right shoulder and arm and right hip and thigh are the Left Pillar of our body and they're associated with Belief, Power and Mind in that order.  In the Jewish Kabbalah the Left Pillar is the Right Hand of God, the Hand of Power.

Between these two pillars is the Middle Pillar which includes the spheres of Awareness, Harmony, Foundation and Manifestation.  Some Qabalists hold the middle pillar also includes the sphere that is not a sphere, the Sephirah that is not a Sephirah, the hole in the middle of  te Abyss.  This sphere that is not a sphere is called by many names. Among them is the Hebrew word Daath which means Knowledge or Learning.  Other names for this Sphere are Emptiness, The Void, Enlightenment and Consciousness.

The Middle Pillar has many names but it is most commonly referred to as the Middle Pillar.  Other names include the Pillar of Harmony, the Pillar of Balance, the Pillar of Awareness, the Pillar of Consciousness, and the Pillar of Equilibrium.  The Middle Pillar by any name becomes more important as you advance in rank in the Fellowship. 

The essays below are the second and third of a series of seven instructional papers on the Tree of Life, the basic glyph of Cosmic structure and process in the traditions inherited by the FHR. They were written by John Gilbert and is presented here with only minor editing. As I noted in introducing the first of these, it is irrelevant whether you believe or disbelieve in what follows. What matters is that you read these texts, think about them, understand them, and come to your own conclusions about the material covered in them.

One comment may be worth making here. Whenever John wrote of Gnosticism he meant the teachings of the Universal Gnostic Church, the specific and rather idiosyncratic tradition of Gnostic spirituality he taught and lived. Other Gnostic traditions and teachings went in different directions, as you’d expect from a movement that focuses on personal experience of spiritual realities.

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THE TREE OF LIFE

by John Gilbert

Part Two - Intention and Belief

"In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" according to the Book of Genesis.  Several creation stories start out in the same vein.  The words  are different, but the concept is the same.  Some say God first created the light and the dark.  Others say the first creation was male and female, masculine and feminine energies.  

The Heavens are boundless, endless.  They go on forever.  Earth is bounded, finite.  It's a definite thing and well-defined. The more we study the early creation stories, the more we become convinced the first creation was to create matter and energy.  

According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, matter and energy are two different expressions of the same thing.  Matter and energy can each be converted into the other.  More than that, everything in the whole known Universe is either matter or energy and the sum total of all the matter and all the energy is the Universe.  

This sounds like: "In the beginning was God, and God thought about matter and energy and God was matter and energy."  All the matter and energy that ever was or ever will be is here now, and all that matter and energy is The Creator.  The Creator is more than all the matter and energy, but all that matter and energy are The Creator.  

There's nothing in this story to tell us which came first, matter or energy.  Consequently every religion has a theory based on the major culture of that religion.  Christianity teaches man came first.  So do all the major Western religions.  Most Pagans believe the All-Mother, or Great Mother came first.  

Gnostics are not in agreement about this either. Some are in the "Man-came-first" camp while others stand firm knowing "Woman-came-first."  Science says they came together, one cannot exist without the other.  

The Big Bang started out as a point of combined mass and energy and the energy of that primal explosion is still propelling that matter through space.  Matter and energy work together.  You can't have one without the other.  They both live and act together within The Creator and they are The Creator.  

Energy is boundless force and it expands forever.  This is the "Heaven" of the first creation.  This is the masculine principle called "Force."

Matter is form.  It restricts and confines energy. This is the "Earth" of the first creation.  This is the feminine principle called "Form."

The Creator is both form and force, matter and energy, masculine and feminine.  All the matter and energy, force and form, are The Creator but the Creator is more than just that.

Most of the ancient writings about the creation allude to the male and female archetypes rather than explicitly naming them.  For example, Genesis refers to this phase of creation as "God created the heavens and the earth."  The Jerusalem Talmud explains this as a process of the one Creator God dividing Itself into two things of opposite polarity.  Usually this is explained as being the Void which is of negative polarity and the Substance.  Christian theologians consider the Angelic World to be the Heavens and Manifestation to be the Earth.

Eastern philosophers look at creation in very much the same way.  Brahman, the one Creator God, became the Male and the Female principle without diminishing Brahman.  In this philosophy the One became Three in One.  That's pretty close to the Western concept of the Trinity.  The Two, male and female, cannot exist without the One, but the One is self-existent with or without the Two.

The other interesting thing about the Two is that one cannot exist without the other.  The Male Archetype cannot exist without both the Creator Archetype and the Female Archetype.  The Female Archetype cannot exist without both the Creator Archetype and the Male Archetype.  The Creator Archetype can exist with or without the Male and Female Archetypes.

In many religions, the Great Mother gave birth to her husband and together they gave birth to all that exists.  In others, the male came first as in the story of Adam and Eve.  In the Qabalah, the Creator (which may be called the Great Mother or the Great Father) came first.  The Creator separated Itself into two parts while retaining the whole of Itself.  These two parts are the Mother of All Things and the Father of All Things.  They are the Light and the Darkness, the Positive and the Negative, the Male and the Female Principles, the Male and Female Archetypes.

There really is no discussion about which came first, the man or the woman.  The answer, according to the Qabalah, is they came together.  One Archetype cannot exist without the other.  They are opposites, and when they come together they are The Creator.  But the mystery is that even if they don't come together, the Creator exists in Its fullness and is not diminished in any way.

The Great Mystery has a very simple explanation.  If the Male and Female Archetypes exist in the Mind of the Creator, then it makes sense that the Creator is not diminished.  If the Mind of the Creator is that which gets divided, then it makes sense that neither the Male or Female Archetype can exist without the other.  These Archetypes are opposites and to think of the attributes of one is to define the attributes of the other.

The Creator is The One Mind and creation is in the Mind of the Creator.

That's the great secret of all the Western and Eastern Mysteries.  Everything is Mind.  Everything is The Creator.  Nothing exists outside the Mind of the Creator.  Everything exists within the Mind of the Creator.  We are all brothers and sisters in the creation of all that exists.  We're all in this same Mind together.  We're all interconnected not only to our friends but to our enemies.  We're connected to all the plants, animals and minerals in this world.  Everything is The Creator.

The Creator is unconditional love, all knowing, all powerful, present everywhere and in all things.  This is the archetype that is The Creator.  It's the root of the Air Element.

The Father archetype is outgoing energy that moves away from the source.  It expands in all directions as it moves.  This energy is a force that moves things.  Because it moves, we call it positive.  The Father archetype is all about intention, the desire to do something, the ability to conceive it, the resolve to do it and the energy to finish what is started.  It's the root of the Fire Element.

The Mother Archetype is ingoing and does not move.  It is inert but collects energy inside itself.  It's a form that contains things, and because of this we call it negative.  The Mother Archetype is all about receptivity, the capacity to feel it, the inertia to contain it, the ability to remember it and the ability to love it forever.  Mother is the root of the Water Element.

On the Tree of Life, the Creator occupies the top-most sphere.  All energy moving down through the Tree of Life originates in this top-most sphere.  The Father Archetype occupies sphere  number two on the right-hand side of the Tree of Life as you're looking at the Tree.  The Mother Archetype occupies sphere number three on the left-hand side of the Tree of Life as you're  looking at the Tree.  These two spheres are located below the first sphere.  All three are interconnected so as to form a triangle with The Creator Archetype at the top.  The sphere for Father is called Intention (Chokmah) and the one for Mother is called Belief (Binah).

This triangle is called the Triangle of Air.  It's also called the World of Air because everything in this world is thoughts and ideas.  Nothing else exists in this world except thoughts and ideas. It's the Archetypal World or  the World of Archetypes.  It's also called the Spiritual Triangle among several dozen other names.

Some authors consider the Archetypal World to be the Trinity of God the Creator, Father God and Mother God.  In Christian Gnosticism this trinity is often called Father-Mother-Creator God or Creator-Father-Mother  God.  It's also called Creator-Mother-Father God.  The three spheres in this triad can therefore be labeled Creator God, Father God and Mother God in that order.  The Creator Archetype, Father Archetype and Mother Archetype is another way of saying the same thing as is Creator-Male-Female Archetypes.  Awareness, Intention and Belief are the definitions of these three concepts.

Several authors assign different Judeo-Christian God names to these spheres.  The most common assignment  of Divine Names is Eheieh to Kether (Creator), Yah to Chokmah (Father) and Yod Hey Vav Hey Elohim to Binah (Mother).  Eheieh is often translated as "I am That I am" or as "I am What I am."  Yah is Father God, Yod Hey Vav Hey is the Tetragrammaton normally rendered as Jehovah or Yahweh, and Elohim is Father and Mother God.  Some claim Elohim is a singular male God and plural female Goddesses.

Your assignment, should you decide to experiment with the World of Archetypes, is to assign one God or Goddess from the pantheon of your choice to each of the spheres in this trinity.  It's important to preserve the sequence of Creator-Male-Female Archetype for these first three spheres.  But the name of the Deity assigned to each is entirely up to you.

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THE TREE OF LIFE

Part Three - The Abyss

The Archetypal World, the World of Air is separated from the rest of the Tree of Life by an Abyss "of endless breadth, depth and width." It's so deep you can't see the bottom of the pit, you can't see anything as you look down except endless space. It's so wide it appears to go in either direction forever. The other side is so far away you can't see it.  You're not even sure there is another side. Standing on the edge of this abyss, it feels like you're standing on the edge of the world looking out into nothingness.  At least, that's what most of the mystics who've been there have to say.

Yet, when we look at the Tree of Life, we see paths connecting each of the three top-most spheres to each other. We also see five paths from these three crossing the Abyss; one from The Creator and two from both the Father and Mother Archetypes.

These five paths are called The Impassible Paths because crossing the Abyss is impossible until and unless you've completed all the requirements to do so. We'll discuss those requirements over the next couple of months, But in short, they can all be summed up in the admonition to love your Creator and your neighbor as yourself.

The Abyss not only separates the World of Air from the rest of the Tree of Life, it reflects the first three Sephira into the next level of the Tree. As a result of this reflection, the second triangle is upside down relative to the first. It is a reflection like a pool of water might reflect that which is above it.  If the second triangle on the Tree is a reflection of the first, then the second triangle isn't real at all. It's just a reflection. Reflections aren't real.

Some of the modern theories about the birth of the universe would agree with this point of view. The modern concept accepted by most physicists is the universe is a hologram within the mind of some vast intelligence.  It doesn't take much of a leap of faith to believe that Intelligence is the Creator as expressed through the Father and Mother Archetypes.

Science continues to prove the Gnostic viewpoint in all things.

The Sepher Yetzirah, which is the first written document we know as the Qabala, teaches that Spirit breathed (Air) and from this breath came the "The Great Waters." Air came first and Water second. The Sepher Yetzirah continues explaining that Water carried Fire in Her belly. Desire (Fire) comes from the belly and is a combination of Air and Water but desire (Fire) is born of Water. Desire is born from our emotions.

Here's a little exercise to help you understand the Abyss a little better:  Stand in front of a mirror.  Point both your index fingers like guns.  Point these "guns" at the mirror and slowly move them forward until they touch the mirror.  In this example, your shoulders are the Father and Mother Archetypes above the Abyss.  The reflection of your shoulders are Daughter and Son on the other side of the Abyss.  The mirror represents the Abyss.  Both your arms and the reflection of your arms are the connecting path between these spheres.  They connect at the mirror but each remains in its own world and does not encroach into the world of the other.

This is actually a fairly good analogy.  The spheres above the Abyss are in a different world than those below.  The spheres below are a reflection of the spheres above.  The spheres above are connected to the spheres below through the Abyss.  But since that which is above and that which is below the Abyss do not cross the Abyss, this connection is between two different kinds of things.  The two kinds of things do not mix, they connect.  They touch each other at the Abyss.

The only thing that crosses the Abyss is our consciousness. Our bodies never cross the Abyss nor does our personality.  Our thoughts, ideas, memories, and attitudes cross the Abyss but our emotions and our desires do not.  When we cross over the Abyss from above all we bring with us is our thoughts, ideas, and attitudes.  We leave our memories behind in the World of Air, the World of Archetypes.

Yes, I know eastern Europe is in the middle of a war right now, politicians are flailing, the price of oil is spiking, and stock markets are doing power dives. That's all the more reason to get serious about spiritual development, since it's our inner resources that matter most in tough times. With that in mind, here's the next installment of the FHR material. 

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As mentioned in the prospectus posted last week, the basic practices of the FHR are a protective ritual, discursive meditation, and some form of divination. These are to be done every day. The half an hour or so it will take you to perform these practices are the single most important investment you can make in your own spiritual development and occult training. They form the threefold foundation for attainment on the occult path.

The protective ritual may be the Sphere of Protection, the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram and Middle Pillar exercise, or the Judson exercise. (Links to all these are included in last week’s paper.) If you haven’t yet made one of these part of your daily routine, it’s fine to experiment with all three in order to decide which one suits you best, before you proceed to the initiation of the grade of Seeker. Whichever one you decide to use should be committed to memory, so you can begin to concentrate on making it effective.

Discursive meditation follows the method set out in the series of posts linked in last week’s paper. You may draw themes for meditation from any book on occultism that interests you—for example, if you are following along with the book club posts on Eliphas Lévi’s The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic, you can certainly use that as a source of themes for your meditations in the FHR. (If you can’t get a month’s worth of themes for meditation from each one of Lévi’s chapters, you aren’t even trying.) Other sources of themes for meditation that are very well suited  to the work of the FHR are Dion Fortune’s books of essays, such as Applied Magic and Sane Occultism, and the writings of Manly P. Hall—his monthly letters, which you can find here, are especially rich in themes. You needn’t limit yourself to these, however. You get to choose the themes of your meditations, now and in the future.

Divination may use any method you choose. In order to complete the training program of the FHR you will have to master at least three methods of divination, of which no more than two can be divination decks (and those have to be different types of deck—for example, you can’t just do two different tarot decks). There are hundreds of divination decks currently in use, ranging from classic decks such as tarot and the ordinary playing card deck through less common decks such as the Lenormand deck and the Kipper deck to newly minted and rather exotic decks such as my Sacred Geometry Oracle. You may use any of them you like.

Outside the realm of divination decks, however, the range of divination methods available is nearly as great, and you  may use any of them—in fact, you may do three methods that don’t used decks. (You just can’t use more than two decks, if you use decks at all.) Numerology, which was covered in a set of earlier papers here, is certainly an option. So are astrology, geomancy, palmistry, metoscopy (face reading), runes, Ogham, the Coelbren, domino divination, dice divination, tea leaf reading, dowsing, radionics, dream interpretation, and the list goes on. If you already know one or more forms of divination, you can include those, but consider learning at least one form of divination that is completely new to you as part of your FHR work.

These three practices are the first steps to take as you prepare for your initiation. While you work on them, you will also need to learn how to open and close a temple of the FHR. The ceremony for doing that is given below.

Temple Opening and Closing

This basic ceremony is used to begin and end the self-initiation, equinox, and solstice rituals of the FHR, and can be used for other purposes as needed. Like all ceremonial workings, it should be practiced regularly until it can be done from memory. (Many people find that once a week is a good rhythm for practicing this ceremony.)  You will need to be able to perform this ceremony smoothly and effectively before you can perform the Seeker initiation, the first of the FHR initiation ceremonies, so getting started on it now will be helpful.

The physical requirements of the temple are simple. You will need a room or other space where you can be assured of reasonable privacy while you work.  (It can be used for other purposes when you aren’t practicing ritual there.)  You will need an altar with an altar cloth; as mentioned in an earlier paper, this can be any small table or folding tray. You will need your symbols of the four elements—a folding fan, incense, a cup, and a bowl of salt—and you will need the black and white pillars to set on the altar. You will also need a chair. (When you perform the Seeker initiation, you will also need the four candles, but until then, leave them out.)

Set the altar in the center of the space with the chair in the west, facing it. The four elemental symbols are on the altar, the fan to the east, the incense to the south, the cup to the west, and the stone to the north. The pillars are in some convenient place close to the altar. When they go on the altar, the white pillar will go on the southeast corner and the black pillar on the northeast corner, but they are not placed on the altar until the lodge is opened and they are taken off again when the lodge is closed.

Opening Ceremony

Before you begin, sit in the chair facing the altar, and take a few moments to clear and center your mind. Then rise and go to the altar, standing on the west side, facing east. Say:

“I prepare to open this temple of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose on the Candidate Grade.” (You will replace the word “Candidate” with the title of another grade when you have achieved it.)  “I invoke the presence and protection of my guardian angel/genius.”

The phrase “guardian angel” is used by believers in monotheist faiths, while “guardian genius” is a term for the same concept in classical Paganism. You may use either phrase as you wish. Imagine the guardian angel/genius as a tall, winged, luminous figure in the east, facing you. Be aware of its protective influence.

Once you have done this, place the black and white pillars on the altar, the black pillar on the northeast corner and the white pillar on the southeast corner. (This is when you will light the candles, once you are ready to enter the grade of Seeker.) Then say one of the following, depending on which of the three protective workings you are using.

If you use the Sphere of Protection, say: “Let this temple be set apart by a Sphere of Protection.”

If you use the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, say:  “Let this temple be set apart by the sign of the Pentagram.”

If you use the Judson exercise, say:  “Let this temple be set apart by the Magnetic Forces.”

Perform the Sphere of Protection, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, or the Judson etheric cleansing to banish all unwanted energies from the space. Then say:

“I now clear and cleanse this temple according to the ancient ways.”

Take the folding fan to the east, raise it up in front of you, and open it. Imagine the wind blowing toward you from the east, and imagine it swirling around the fan.  Now walk clockwise around the temple with the fan, and say the following words as you do so: 

“I purify this temple and all within it with the element of Air, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Air. May they bless this temple and further its work.”

When you have returned to the east, put the fan back on the altar, and go around to the south. Pick up the incense and face south. Imagine heat streaming toward you from the south, and imagine it gathering around the incense. Now walk clockwise around the temple with the incense, and say the following words as you do so: 

“I purify this temple and all within it with the element of Fire, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Fire. May they bless this temple and further its work.”

When you have returned to the south, put the incense back on the altar, and go around to the west. Pick up the cup and face west. Imagine cold spray drifting toward you from the west, as though you stood near a waterfall, and imagine the spray gathering around the cup. Now walk clockwise around the temple with the cup, and say the following words as you do so: 

“I purify this temple and all within it with the element of Water, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Water. May they bless this temple and further its work.”

When you have returned to the west, put the cup back on the altar, and go around to the north. Pick up the stone and face north. Imagine the rich dark scent of freshly turned soil coming toward you from the north, and imagine it gathering around the stone. Now walk clockwise around the temple with the stone, and say the following words as you do so: 

“I purify this temple and all within it with the element of Earth, and I invoke the spirits and powers of Earth. May they bless this temple and further its work.”

When you have returned to the north, put the stone back on the altar, and circle around past the east and south to the west of the altar.  Face east and say:

“I invoke the Divine Presence. May (use the name of a deity, or simply say “God” or “the gods and goddesses”) be with me and grant his/her/their presence and protection while this temple is open.”

You may say a prayer at this point, either aloud or silently, or simply attend to the divine presence. When you are ready to go on, say: 

“I now declare this temple of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose open on the Candidate Grade.  The Sun has arisen, and the shadows flee away.”

At this point, proceed with the working you have planned, or simply sit in the chair and meditate. When you are finished, proceed to the closing ceremony.  

Closing Ceremony

Before you start the closing, sit in the chair facing the altar, and take a few moments to clear and center your mind. Then rise and go to the altar, standing on the west side, facing east. Say:

“I prepare to close this temple and return to my duties in the outer  world. I now clear and cleanse the temple according to the ancient ways.”

Now clear and cleanse the temple with the symbols of the four elements, using exactly the same actions and words you used in the opening.  When you have finished, return to the west of the altar, facing east, and say:

“I thank (name of deity, or simply “God” or “the gods and goddesses”) for his/her/their presence and protection while this temple was open.”

You may say a prayer at this point, either aloud or silently, or simply attend to the divine presence. When you are ready to go on, say one of the following, depending on which working you did to prepare the space.

If you used the Sphere of Protection, say:  “I now release the Sphere of Protection I placed about this temple, and send its influence to benefit those who need protection at this time.”

If you used the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, say: “I now release the banishing I placed about this temple, and send its influence to benefit those who need protection at this time.”

If you used the Judson exercise, say: “I now release the Magnetic Forces I placed about this temple, and send their influence to benefit those who need protection at this time.”

Imagine the protective energies dissolving and going elsewhere to protect others. Then remove the white and black pillars from the altar and set them somewhere else. (When you are using altar candles, this is when you will extinguish them.) When this is done, say:

“I now declare this temple of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose closed on the Candidate Grade.” This concludes the ceremony.

The first of two volumes of my collected essays is now out from Aeon Books! The City of Hermes includes all my published essays from 1993 to 2000, the years when my involvement in Hermetic occultism was at its peak and I was afire with a vision of a renewed Hermeticism based on the Golden Dawn tradition but enriched with the additional tools and practices of Renaissance Hermeticism. The essays in this volume are: 

• The Fifty Gates of Understanding 
• Meditation in Magical Practice 
• The Magical Lodge 
• Ars Memorativa: an Introduction to the Hermetic Art of Memory 
• The Hall of Thmaa: Sources of the Golden Dawn lodge system 
• The method of judging questions according to Peter de Abano of Padua: a medieval handbook of geomancy 
• Geometries of the Sword 
• Hermeticism and the Utopian Imagination 
• Pythagoras and Western Magic 
• The Forgotten Oracle 
• Osiris and Christ: Powers of Transformation in Golden Dawn Ritual
• Magic, Politics, and the Origins of the “mind-body problem” 
• The G.D. Elemental Grades: a new version 
• Swordsmanship and Esoteric Spirituality: an introduction to Gerard Thibault’s Academie de l’Espee