Witchvox Article

Author: Garrison
Posted: October 25th. 2009
Times Viewed: 1,155

This solitary rite is to be performed at twilight, preferably during a favorable Mercury or Lunar aspect. Use your own best judgment.

Prepare yourself, as is your usual practice. Personal purification is important. Taking a ritual bath, smudging, doing the LBRP or Rite of Balance are good ideas. Whether you choose to practice naked or costumed is up to you. I don’t much care.

Prepare a clear space with a small mirror on the floor at the center. Cover the mirror with a veil or cloth of some sort. The mirror should be at the center of the space before you as you take up a position in the South facing North. You will need very few tools in addition: a Wand and/or an athame or other such Will-oriented tool of your Craft.

Do not place candles in the usual Quarters, but rather set them in the Cross-Quarters and do not light them yet. Do set up some safe and sensible incense holders at the Crossquarters with either sticks or crumbled bits of resinous Myrrh and light the charcoal/incense and let the smoke cleanse the space and yourself, but don’t let it get too smoky. You do have to breathe. Don’t step on the mirror.

You can set up a sacrament or eucharist if you like, but it should be properly consecrated and charged beforehand. Place it directly at the North of the mirror. If you need to learn how to do that, or can’t decide what to use for a sacrament, stop now. Consider doing something else.

Please.

Once the space is prepared take a few moments to relax and prepare yourself a bit. Sitting in the South, either in your regular asana or an otherwise comfortable position, meditate upon the mirror behind the veil. When you’re ready to proceed, either clap your hands together or ring a bell; whatever you do to signal that you are beginning the Rite. If necessary, light a small candle if you need more light so as not to trip over anything.

In your manner, pray or otherwise reach out to your gods, the ancestors, or whomever you travel with or work with and ask for their protection and blessing as you undertake this particular journey. If you are feeling the need, and by no means should you ignore it if you do get a nudge to better prepare yourself, consider doing some sort of personal protection. It doesn’t hurt to cover your bases. Listen to your intuition, guides, etc. otherwise there’s no point in proceeding.

Then read the following or something similar (or recite it from memory) either aloud or to yourself:

“In this place and in this time, I come before the Gods and Ancestors, the Elements, Angels and all Who Stand Watching over me and mine. I abandon all Pretenses and shed my titles and claims. Words fail, yet all I have are words to offer unto the smoke, the dust, and the shadows that surround me now. In Silence have I waited, quiet and empty, cold and alone. In Silence do I proceed.”

Go to the North. Bow if you wish. Salute if you know how and begin to silently scribe a Circle with your hand, wand or athame, as you Will. Take care to visualize this outer perimeter as being made up of black light or flames.

As you go around the circumference of your working space, feel yourself moving down, down, down unto the Underworld, each step taking you farther into the Depths and closer to roots of your soul. You decide whether you wish to go widdershins of not. I would, but I leave that choice up to you.

To yourself echo these words in a silent, inwards chant:

“I will listen,
I will feel,
I will hear,
I will Know because I Dare.”

When you return to the North, bow once more, and pause. Listen. Feel. Hear what you can. When you are ready and as you so Dare, go once more around the Circle, this time evoking white light or flames for the middle layer. As you go, echo to yourself, or recite the following (or something similar) :

“My past is ashes, my future smoke, only the Now echoes within my blood and carries me forwards through fire and tears.”

As you return to the North, bow once more, and pause. Listen. Feel. Taste and Know that it is about Will, it is about letting go, it is about moving onwards. When you are ready, and as you so Will, go once more around the Circle, this time bringing forth vivid red light or flames for the inner layer. As you go, echo to yourself or recite the following (or something similar) :

“The past is gone. The future is a lie. I embrace the unknown and stand revealed unto the Heights, Depths and All-In-Between.”

Stand in Silence for a time unmeasured, unhurried and Open.

When you are so moved, attend to whatever purification or callings you deem appropriate before the Cross-Quarters, as you will. Do not call the quarters. You are in unfamiliar territory. You are entering a new zone of awareness. You are leaving the bounds of what is Known and opening the Way unto unforeseen possibilities, raw potentials and new directions.

Light the candles. Greet those who stand watching, if you wish. Return to your place in the South, facing North and meditate upon the veiled mirror for a time of your own choosing. When you are ready recite the following or something similar in intent:

“In this place, in this time, I come before the Gods, Spirits, Ancestors and Powers that lie within me, around me and beyond me. I abandon the path that does not serve my Will and seek guidance to go onwards on the right road, that my heart be aflame with love and my head alight with the flames of Imbas. Let me know my path that I might pursue it, realize it, manifest it and lend me strength that I might do so with grace and style, dignity and honor. Be with me. Guide me through this perilous desert, send me a Light that I might find my Way.”

Or you can use the following script. If you want to, you can use both, or just wing it or write your own. As you will.

“In this place and in this time I ask for the guidance of my Allies and those who watch over me that I might do right, and by doing the right thing, make manifest the fruits of my labors that I should bring forth good things into this world and serve Spirit to the best of my ability. Help me to learn from my mistakes and my successes as well. Teach me, test me, challenge me as you will; but throughout all this, I ask for your guidance, some sign that I am still treading where I belong and doing the Work I was born to do.”

Shut up. Sit back. Open yourself up to impressions. Listen to the drumbeat of your heart.

When you’ve had enough sitting still, or you’ve returned from your trip outwards/inwards, or whatever, this is a good point to do some divination through scrying upon the mirror. Remove the veil, slowly, and stare deeply into the mirror without focusing your eyes. Answers will begin to form in due time, but do not struggle with them. Relax. Let the images come.

If you want to, you could do some Tarot work here, but you’d have had to bring your Tarot deck into the Circle with you. You did read the script before performing this rite, didn’t you?

Once you’ve had enough, offer your thanks. This is where you could deal with your sacrament if you brought anything with you. Ground the energies of the three-layered Circle by going around opposite of how you erected the temple and disperse the flames into the void. You may wish to further cleanse the space either through use of the Rite of Balance or LBRP or whatever else turns your crank.

Your Dream-time following this rite should be interesting.

I highly recommend learning how to relax: life is about to embrace you back and it's time to learn how to dance. Good luck and good hunting.

Copyright: Copyright 2009 James Garrison

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