Category Archives: Lessons

Transmutation of Lead to Gold

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alchemy_bench

Having passed through the ordeals of the “Dark Night”, consciousness rises above the Saturnal state where the reflective nature is dominated by the Earth and arrives at the Lunar whitening Stage of the alchemical process. This stage corresponds to a certain specific charge and luminosity and corresponds to our metal Silver. It is here that our raw psychic energies are purified as the subtle is separated from the gross.

alchemy_gold_flask

The purified personality and consciousness experiences the whitening process of the purification and the raven is transformed into a white swan. This is our first order of the transmutation of our lead into our living silver. It is here that consciousness becomes conscious of consciousness as we realize that we truly have a very real inner nature. We perceive the light of the self as a rejuvenating and uplifting force that transports us above the ordinary human condition.

The purification of the cold, dark and raw psychic energies becomes the purified and exalted astral body of light. This experience is so profoundly beautiful that alchemists have exclaimed this experience as beholding the “most beautiful body of our Diana”. Meaning that it is a spiritual experience, beyond the physical levels, that is Metaphysical.

alchemy_redgold_flask

However beautiful this state is, it is not the end of the work. Most alchemists fail at this level believing that they have achieved the whole work. As Silver is purified it can also be easily contaminated due to its very reflective nature. Silver tarnishes because it has not the incorruptibility of Gold. The work on this state must continually be one of purification until we achieve the higher fire needed to continue on to the second order of the transmutation of our matter into the incorruptibility and endurance of Gold.

Daily Chabad

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child_delighted

The Ultimate Delight …

What is Creator’s ultimate delight?

That a human soul will build portals of light so that the Creator’s presence may shine into His creation.

That a breath from His essence will pull herself out from the mud and turn to Him in love.

That a child of His being, exiled to the shadows of a physical world, will discover that the darkness is nothing more than Father hiding, waiting for His child to discover Him there.

But none of these can reach to the essence of all delights, the origin of all things, the hidden pleasure beyond all pleasures: The delight that this breath, this soul, this child did it all on its own.

Completion

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glittering_sunset

At a certain point, each of us, through all our many journeys through life, will have found and redeemed all the divine sparks in our share of the world.

Then the darkness that holds such mastery, such cruelty, such irrational evil that it contains no redeeming value—all this will simply vanish like a puff of steam in the midday air.

All that we salvaged and used for good, on the other hand, will shine with a tremendous light beyond even the light of the G‑dly realm.

The world will have arrived.

Hermetics and The Kybalion

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gold_vortex

 

Let’s take a simple and brief philosophical approach to the following terms, ideas and concepts …

“Substance” means: “that which underlies all outward manifestations; the essence; the essential reality; the thing in itself,”

“Reality” means: “the state of being real; true, enduring; valid; fixed; permanent; actual,”

“Substantial” means: “actually existing; being the essential element; being real,”

“Under, and back of, the Universe of Time, Space and Change, is ever to be found The Substantial Reality — the Fundamental Truth.” — The Kybalion.

“While All is in THE ALL, it is equally true that THE ALL is in All. To him who truly understands this truth hath come great knowledge.” — The Kybalion

“Under and behind all outward appearances or manifestations, there must always be a Substantial Reality. This is the Law. Man considering the Universe, of which he is a unit, sees nothing but change in matter, forces, and mental states. He sees that nothing really IS, but that everything is BECOMING and CHANGING. Nothing stands still-everything is being born, growing, dying-the very instant a thing reaches its height, it begins to decline-the law of rhythm is in constant operation-there is no reality, enduring quality, fixity, or substantiality in anything – nothing is permanent but Change. He sees all things evolving from other things, and resolving into other things-a constant action and reaction; inflow and outflow; building up and tearing down; creation and destruction; birth, growth and death. Nothing endures but Change. And if he be a thinking man, he realizes that all of these changing things must be but outward appearances or manifestations of some Underlying Power-some Substantial Reality.” — The Kybalion

The Sign of the Initiate, by Jan van der Linden

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Capricorn-sign

The sign of Capricorn is the sign of the goat, climbing in search of food on rocky mountain peaks. As always, there are higher and lower meanings of symbols – material as well as spiritual expressions. So what does this symbol represent? In the lower sense the goat represents the ambitious person, the greedy seeker after the satisfaction of desire. In the spiritual sense it symbolizes the striving aspirant, seeking the satisfaction of their aspiration.

Another symbol associated with Capricorn is the unicorn. The unicorn is a mythical animal, having one long horn like a spear on its brow instead of the goat’s two horns. The two have become one, and thus the unicorn represents the initiate.

According to the legend of the battle between the unicorn and the lion, the unicorn uses its long horn to blind the lion by piercing its eyes, and then it kills the lion by piercing its heart. The lion, the king of beasts, stands for the personality. It is defeated by the emergence of the initiate consciousness, symbolized by the unicorn. This emergence of the initiate consciousness leads to the triumph of group consciousness, and of world consciousness, the victory of selflessness and illumination over self-consciousness and selfishness.  (EA:155)

Capricorn is an earth sign. This too has different meanings. On the one hand it can be considered as the most material and concrete of the three earth signs. And thus it confronts us with a supreme challenge and test. As we read in Esoteric Astrology, “Capricorn connotes density, firm foundations, concretization, the mountain of karma that holds down the struggling soul.” On the other hand, however, Capricorn symbolizes “the mountain of initiation that must eventually be climbed and surmounted.” In these two aspects Capricorn “signifies therefore the great force of liberation that both drives into experience and brings experience to an end.” (Id., at 435)

This is expressed in the old Commentary through the following beautiful and significantly symbolic affirmation, which can have deep meaning for every disciple on the Path of Ascent:

I am the densest point of all the concrete world. I am a tomb; I also am the womb. I am the rock that sinks itself into the deep matter. I am the mountaintop on which the [disciple] is born, on which the Sun is seen, and that which catches the first rays of light. (EA: 432-433)

Thus, the climbing of the mountain, the mountain of initiation, is the spiritual challenge of the sign Capricorn. The cyclic tide of Capricornian energies pouring in during this astrological month (December 21through January 19) is holding that challenge before us and assisting us in our climbing.

hd-wallpaper-capricorn

The first initiation, as we know and as we are reminded each year at Christmas, is the birth of the Christ consciousness, the spiritual self, born anew in the human heart. The cave in Bethlehem is actually the cave of the heart. It is within us.

This initiation of the birth has been prepared for during a long time of gestation, of building the “babe in Christ.” Then, “the first initiation marks the beginning of a totally new life and mode of living. It marks the commencement of a new manner of thinking and of conscious perception.” Quoting the Tibetan:

The life of the personality in the three worlds has for eons nurtured the germ of this new life and fostered the tiny spark of light within the relative darkness of the lower nature. This process is now being brought to a close [at the first initiation], though it is not at this stage entirely discontinued, for the newly emerging spiritual self has to learn to walk, to talk and to create; the consciousness is now, however, being focused elsewhere. This leads to much pain and suffering until the definite choice is made, a new dedication to service is vouchsafed, and the initiate is ready to undergo the Baptism Initiation.

Many thousands of individuals within humanity have already undergone this birth of the new spiritual self. It is an experience that, for all serious aspirants on the spiritual path – whether conscious of it or not, lies behind them, mostly in an earlier incarnation. “This is factually proved by the lives of those who are consciously and willingly oriented towards the light, who see a wider world than that of their own selfish interests, who are sensitive to the Christ life and to the spiritual consciousness in others and who see an horizon and vistas of contact unperceived by the average person; they realize a possible spiritual achievement, unknown and undesired by those whose lives are conditioned entirely by either the emotions or the lower concrete mind.”

Although the actual birth experience for many has taken place in a previous life, there usually is a reoccurrence and recapitulation of that earlier development in the present life cycle. This then means a strengthened realization of the point reached before, and of the Christ life within. And the true meaning of Christmas each year is that it calls attention to this realization, its significance and its responsibility.

We also rediscover that the task is not yet finished. For, as said, the new spiritual self must learn to walk, speak and create, i.e., the Christ child in us must grow and mature. This is done on the path of service, of living from the Soul. It is to this path that the keyword of Capricorn applies: “Lost Am I in light supernal, yet on that light I turn my back.” This was the supreme realization of the Christ entering on His mission on Earth. It is also typical of every world server. We are reminded that the Festival of the World Servers is related to this sign of Capricorn and its key motto.

capricorn_alpes_slovenia

There is another factor of importance in connection with the first initiation. We are told that the experience of the first initiation will become a mass event for large groups within humanity at this time. We can well imagine what it will mean for the future and for the Aquarian age, when the Christ consciousness will be realized on such a large scale. Think of the change in outlook and worldview that would prevail. But in preparation for that to happen, at present the whole of humanity is passing en masse through the fires that precede the first initiation.

It can be deeply revealing for us to look at the world and what is happening today from this inner perspective. What does this initiation of humanity mean for us in practical terms? We can draw our own conclusions from the words of the Tibetan in this urgent appeal:

There is the demand upon all disciples to participate in the effort of humanity, as a whole, to take the first initiation with all the physical relinquishments, and the agony that ever precedes the birth of the Christ in the heart of the individual – only this time it is the hearts of all humanity. Preparatory to this first initiation, there has always to be – individually and now collectively for the first time – the denial of the lower self and the fervid acceptance by the personality of the loss of all the material factors that have held the Soul a prisoner in the womb of time.

Hence, my coworkers, the wide extent of the material destruction to be seen on every hand, the depths of physical poverty into which all people have been and are being plunged, the detachment from the priority of things that is being enforced, and the necessity for rebuilding human life on sounder values than the physical. In all this disciples and initiates are today sharing and (when understanding is present and right orientation) the help that those can give who have already undergone the first initiation, is great.

To this you are called, and upon your understanding response to the collective need will depend the rapidity with which you will be enabled to achieve the next expansion of consciousness or initiation that may be, for you as an individual, possible. You have, therefore, to consider your individual response to the demands of your own soul and your collective response to the collective need. It is the initiate in you, the Christ in you, that is now called to this collective service, and the radiation today of the Christ spirit, actively present in the hearts of all disciples, is the one thing that can salvage humanity, enable humanity to move forward on to the Path of Discipleship and thus evoke that new spirit that can and will build the new world.

Let us now meditate on this call to service and on this injunction to let the Christ spirit within us radiate and express itself more fully.

Daily Chabad

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pilgrim

Stop Groping …

Turn on the light.

Fine, blunder around in the dark, carefully avoiding every pit. Grope through the murky haze for the exit, stumbling and falling in the mud, then struggling back to your feet to try again.

But why not just turn on the light?

Lift yourself up, plug yourself in, immerse yourself in the wisdom of the Sephir Yetzirah … the Zohar … the Tree of Life … and ignite the love within your heart.

Even if the light is ever so faint, that will be enough. For the smallest flame can push away the darkness of an enormous cavern.

Isis the Alchemist

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Isidora's avatarIsiopolis

Miriam, the Hebrew prophetess; from the Dormition Church in Jerusalem; photo by Deror Avi The Hebrew prophetess, Miriam; from the Dormition Church in Jerusalem; photo by Deror Avi

Like Her fellow Magician God, Hermes Trismegistos (aka Thoth), the Goddess Isis is associated with early alchemy. In an alchemical text with the lengthy title The True Book of Sophe the Egyptian and of the God of the Hebrews, Lord of the Powers, Sabaoth, we learn of a particular alchemical method called the Tincture of Isis. Why are Isis and Her tincture mentioned in a book “of the God of the Hebrews”?

Perhaps it has to do with another famous alchemical text in which Isis plays the leading role and which seems to have a particularly Old Testament ring to it. The text is called Isis the Prophetess to Her Son Horos. We have only two fragmentary versions of the text. One comes from the 11th-century-CE Codex Marcianus, which was a collection of ancient texts and bits of…

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The Riddle of the Tattvas, by Frater Yechideh

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The Tattvas have long appeared to be the most unorthodox aspect of the Golden Dawn system, clashing quite obviously (at least on the surface) with the rest of the Order’s Western-leaning teachings. The shapes and colours don’t seem to fit, and it seems readily apparent to many that there are other, perhaps better, alternatives.

And here is where we need to be careful, because it is this kind of reasoning that can hold us back, can hinder us from actually learning something new. Not all is clean-cut on the esoteric path, and we are frequently forced to reconcile opposing ideas and balance seemingly contradictory thoughts.

First, let us explore the tattvas from a historical perspective. Many Golden Dawn members were also members of the early school of Theosophy when it was more Western focused. They were also exposed to Eastern teachings, some of which were mentioned in passing in various Golden Dawn documents, often as ways to help better explain Western material.

But why did the Golden Dawn use the tattvas and not other Eastern material? If it was simply an issue of them being new and intriguing, it begs the question why so many other new and intriguing ideas from across the globe were not embraced. Surely their introduction was less because of their general appeal and more because they actually fit into the system.

tattvas

But how do they fit? Prithivi is a yellow square and relates to Earth. The square aspect matches Western associations, thanks to the Platonic solid of the cube, but the colour yellow would suggest, in the Golden Dawn, the element of Air. Likewise, the blue circle of Vayu would suggest Water, but is actually Air, and the black egg would suggest Earth, but is actually Spirit. Only the red triangle of Tejas appears to match other Golden Dawn associations, while the silver crescent of Apas does bring to mind the lunar connection of Water.

So then we have incongruence, and here is part of the beauty of this system within the carefully ordered material of the Golden Dawn. When these are skryed, the magician is instantly faced with, in most cases, preconceptions based on the colour and shape of the objects, which could easily provide a false vision. Yet because their real associations are often starkly different, it is generally easier to notice these illusions. For example, if the magician were to skry Prithivi and be greeted with Air-related imagery, then he or she immediately knows that the vision is not reliable. So, in a sense, the Tattvas provide an additional testing mechanism by the pure fact that they do not so easily match the correspondences Golden Dawn magicians have previously learned.

However, there is more to these than that. My personal experience suggests the Tattvas are tamer in nature than many other symbols, despite their elemental associations. They appear to cause less astral strain, and the energy involved is gentler than, for example, the four alchemical triangles that magicians in the West are more familiar with. The colours match more closely the Queen Scale, and thus work on a lower level than the King Scale colours we are perhaps more familiar with. Therefore, the Tattvas present a good introduction to the art of skrying that is less likely to result in dangerous situations for those new to the technique.

That raises the question why Mathers never advocated skrying the four elemental triangles. The Neophyte learns of these triangles, and they become an essential part of magical teaching and tradition. I agreed for many years with others who suggested these symbols were more appropriate, but I have come to learn differently over time. It was not like Mathers was not aware of them. They appear to be the most logical symbols to use, and yet he chose not to. There must be a reason for this apparent oversight.

The reason for this can be better understood when we look at the following passage in the original paper on the Hexagram Ritual:

“Remember also that the triangle if apex downward is an extremely evil and hurtful symbol and it is for this reason that these symbols of the elements [fire triangle, water triangle, air triangle, earth triangle] are not usually traced as Sigils, but are replaced with the Cherubic emblems of Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus.”

One will note that in the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram the inverted triangle is only employed in conjunction with an upright triangle, unless in very rare circumstances as a double inverted triangle for use in workings with evil forces, largely beyond the scope of the Zelator Adeptus Minor.

What this reveals, however, is that the inverted triangle, employed as the symbol of Water, is considered evil, and thus also we may consider the inverted triangle with line employed as the symbol of Earth. Thus, if we were to skry these, we would be working with evil symbols. This would go a long way to explaining the harsher energy and more straining nature I have personally experienced with these symbols. It would also explain why these familiar symbols were not employed for skrying, with the Tattvas taking their place.

It is not difficult to see why Mathers advised against using an inverted triangle. The upright triangle is, after all, one of the primary symbols of the Order and that which we aspire to, the Supernal Triad. When inverted it is similar to the pentagram, putting Kether below Chokmah and Binah, and, in effect, marking the Fall. The symbols on the altar also relate to this, for while the inverted triangle is employed, the Cross is never placed below it, for that would be the symbol of the Order entirely overturned.

Of course, the Vault walls do employ the inverted Water triangle, but note that it is balanced by the upright Fire triangle, and between them is the reconciling symbol of Air. Note also the absence of the Earth Triangle, the very emblem of that which has Fallen.

There is much in this worth careful study, but this is sufficient for understanding the place of the Tattvas in the Golden Dawn system, and why also we should look deeper into why the pieces of the system were designed in this way.

The Zodiac Colour Wheel, by Frater Yechidah

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While going through some of my Golden Dawn papers I came across a diagram of two interlaced hexagrams, which show how the colours of the Zodiac signs are obtained. I have reproduced this here so that others wondering why, for example, Scorpio is “green-blue” can see the pattern.

This diagram needs some explanation. The colours of the planets do not entirely match the Golden Dawn’s system, either for the King or Queen Scales of either the planets themselves or the Sephiroth to which they are attributed. The problematic ones are Saturn (typically indigo, or if we take the colour of its Sephirah, black), Jupiter (typically violet, though blue is applicable to its Sephirah), Mercury (typically yellow, though orange is applicable to its Sephirah), and Sol (typically orange, though yellow is applicable to its Sephirah). These planetary colours appear largely drawn from the Greater Key of Solomon.
Once we appoint six signs to the planets (Mercury to Gemini, for example), we then have the basic colours in place. The remaining six signs are simply combinations of the two colours on either side. For example, Taurus is between Aries (red) and Gemini (orange), and thus its colour is red-orange.
There are some other names used for some of these combinations, such as indigo for Capricorn, but this is a combination of violet and blue. Likewise, crimson (or ultra-violet crimson) for Pisces is a combination of red and violet, while amber for Cancer is a combination of orange and yellow.
While the Golden Dawn has not done so, we could arguably call all the mixed colours by another name. For example, the red-orange of Taurus is peach. The yellow-green of Virgo is lime. The green-blue of Scorpio is aquamarine. However, it is easier to remember the colours as combinations of the two colours on either side than a more fancy name.
Most of these match very nicely, but not all appear to match the Golden Dawn’s colour scales. Unless the colour scales in Regardie’s book contain errors (which is certainly a possibility, and I have not had time to compare them to original documents yet), there is one sign that doesn’t add up. Leo is yellow on this colour wheel, but greening-yellow in the King Scale. Everything else appears to largely match.
Please note that the colours displayed in the diagram may differ on your monitor or might not match your definition of the colour. It is provided for illustration only.

Pathworking – Healing Through The Planetary Grid

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1today

Listen to the audio!

This guided meditation grounds you to the earth, and links you to all peoples and places on earth through filaments of light that are energizing and healing. It is a reconnecting guided meditation for anyone who may experience feelings of separation and disconnection from the earth and others. It is a guided meditation to fill you with peace, joy, and love and a knowing that you have a part to play in this great Universe.

 

Preparation and Posture

This guided meditation is preferably done outdoors in a standing position with your bare feet on the earth, or grass, on sand at the beach, or perhaps a forest floor. Wherever you can have direct contact with nature would be the best. Also choose a place that is quiet.

 

 

Let us begin …

In a standing position, place your feet firmly on the ground. Spread your toes as much as you can so you create a broad base for your feet. When you have done that, bend your knees very slightly. Keep your back and neck straight, with your chin slightly tucked in. Let your shoulders gently slope downwards in a way that releases any tension. Softly close your eyes.

 

Standing strongly on the ground but also relaxed, become conscious of the temperature where you are standing and just notice the touch of the air on your face, hands and feet.

 

Now, take in a long slow deep breath through your nose, breathing the breath all the way down into your belly. And as you slowly breathe out, visualize roots going down through your body … down through your legs … into your feet … and reconnecting as a single root going down deeper and deeper into the earth … moving down through soils and sterns … and grounding you to the earth.

 

When you are ready, take in another deep breath and this time raise your arms and say to yourself, “I intend that the Light of Creation fills my whole being.”

 

As you breathe out, lower your arms to your sides … and visualize golden light coursing through your body in a golden column of energy.

 

Now, imagine this luminous light, like threads or filaments, moving out from the central core of your body … from your heart center … and passing through you in all directions … and enveloping you in a huge web of interconnecting filaments that connect with all other threads of light all over the earth.

 

And now, with intention, visualize the golden light moving through these filaments and going to places and people to clear them and to illuminate them … to release human beings from negativity, struggle and misery.

 

Imagine that everywhere the golden light touches is filled with peace, joy and love.

 

Now, visualize the threads all interconnected in one huge web … like a great grid around the earth … and imagine the earth now glowing with light … the whole earth glowing with light … a golden light that protects this Great Mother and heals her.

 

Take in another deep breath and breathe the breath all the way down into your belly. And as you slowly breathe out this time, gently release the light all around you … knowing that you are contributing to the healing work on this planet.

 

Breathing to your own rhythm again, just begin to move your body … shaking your arms … your hands … your legs … and your feet. And bring yourself back once more to being aware of the temperature around you, and the touch of the air on your face, hands and feet.

 

Making Your Temple Robe

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robe-cicero

What follows are the instructions from Chic and Sandra Cicero’s, Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple: Book 1, Creating Magical Tools, pages 105 – 109.

Materials Needed:

  • Black material (such as cotton, silk, doeskin, or crepe) 48″ wide
  • Black thread

Tools Needed:

  • Measuring tape
  • Scissors and pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Iron and ironing board

Construction: Preparation of the Material

  1. Measure yourself from your neck to the floor. This will be known as measurement” A.” The material you buy should be twice the length of measurement” A,” plus one yard.
  2. Wash and dry the material in accordance with the manufacturer ‘s directions. Iron the material if needed.

Preliminary Cutting

  1. Lay the material out lengthwise with the right side up (the side which is to be the outside of the robe).
  2. Fold a section over so that you have a doubled surface equal to “A,” plus 4″. (Note: there will be a single layer of fabric left over at the bottom.)
  3. Cut off the single layer and put it aside for the time being.
  4. Make a second fold lengthwise.

Marking the Material

  1. With the tape measure, mark the fabric as follows:
  • 2″ down from the top right-hand comer.
  • From the top right-hand comer, mark 4″ across the top of the fabric.
  • 14″ down from the top right-hand corner. (For a broad person, increase the measurement to 16″.)
  • From the last mark, draw a straight line across to the selvage edges.
  • hand fold, measure along the marked line a length equal to 1/2 of your chest circumference.
  • Connect the marks to make the following lines:
    – A semi-circular curve connecting the two marks at the top of the right-hand comer.
    – A diagonal line from the lower left-hand corner of the material to the 1/2 chest measurement mark.
    – A line that curves up 2″ from the 1/2 chest measurement mark and connects with the chest measurement line at the selvage edge.

Cutting the Material

  1. Cut through all layers of material, cutting lines 1 and 2 of the diagram. Unfold the material so that it looks more like the finished robe.
  2. Take the single layer of material that was put aside earlier. Fold it widthwise with the inside out so that the doubled length is 18″. (For broad persons, this measurement will be 20″.) Cut off the single layer that remains at the bottom and put it aside.
  3. Cut the remaining doubled portion in half.

The Sleeves

  1. Take one of the two pieces just cut, and place it, with the fold on top, even with the fold at the top of the robe. Overlap the edges by 1″ under the existing sleeve.
  2. Measure from where your neck joins your shoulder, down the arm, to the tip of the middle finger. This is measurement “B.”
  3. Measure across the top of the robe from the right edge of the neck hole and mark off point “1” at a distance of measurement “B.”
  4. Draw a straight line down from the marked paint “1” to point “2” in the diagram. From the corner of the robe sleeve draw an angled line to point “2.”
  5. Cut both lines which lead to point “2.”
  6. Do the other sleeve in the same manner.

Cutting the Facing

  1. From the excess fabric, fold a piece of 10″ x 14″ material in half. Center the material under the neck hole of the robe. Trace the neck opening onto the fabric underneath.
  2. Remove the marked piece of material and, using a tape measure, mark 3″ away from the traced line in several places until you have a second curved line. Cut along both lines.
  3. You should now have four pieces of fabric cut and ready to sew: the main part of the robe, two sleeves, and the neck facing.

Sewing the Neck Facing

  1. Hem the outer edge of the neck facing 1/2″ all around.
  2. Lay the robe out flat, with the right side up. Pin the facing material around the robe’s neck, placing the right sides of the fabric together. (Note: The hem of the fabric should be up.) Point the pins toward the center of the neck to make sewing over them easier.
  3. Sew all around the neck, leaving a 5/8″ seam. Clip all around the neck toward the seam, but take care not to cut the seam thread.
  4. Turn the robe inside out. Pull the facing through the neck opening. Lay the robe out on its wrong side and tack.

Sewing the Sleeves and Sides

  1. Lay the fabric out, wrong side up. Pin the right sides together (where sleeve extension meets the robe’s sleeve. See the diagram). Sew along the dotted line, leaving 5/8″ seam allowance. Iron the seams open.
  2. Do the other arm the same way.

Sewing the Sides of the Robe

  1. Fold the material over at the shoulders with the wrong side out. Pin under the arms and along the sides. Sew, leaving a 5/8″  seam allowance. (See diagram.) Clip under the arm seam, toward the seam, but be careful not to cut the seam thread.

Finishing Steps

  1. Hemming the sleeves: turn under 1/2″ of the sleeve edge. Iron, pin, and sew. Try the robe on and turn the sleeve under so that the robe meets the first knuckle. Iron, pin, and sew.
  2. Hemming the bottom: Tum the robe up 1/2″. Iron, pin and sew. Try the robe on and tum up the bottom, so that the edge of the robe does not touch the floor. Pin, iron and sew.
  3. Turn the robe right side out, try it on and check to make sure that it fits. Iron.”

 

Tarot Meditation: The Empress

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EmpressYou have chosen The Empress, the third card of the major arcana of the Tarot. This guided visualization enables you to focus on your creativity, and to express that creativity with greater abundance and prosperity in the world.

The Fool’s earthly mother, The Empress, represents the matriarchal figure. She is serene and confident, sensuous and beautiful. She is powerful and creative, nurturing and compassionate. She is the feminine counterpart of The Emperor.

The Empress symbolizes the archetypes of abundance, creativity, compassion, sensual awareness, and pleasure. The Empress signifies being in harmony with the natural world as well as enjoying the pleasures of life, and feeling good about life.

Look closely at the imagery of The Empress before you begin the guided meditation.

This guided visualization begins again with creating your own Peaceful Sanctuary. This is a place you can always come to, to find peace and calm in your life. You are welcomed into the embrace of The Empress as you relax and enter the world of the feminine archetype.

The Empress is a soft breeze issuing from the calm of the High Priestess. She is the light of the sun vitalizing growing things. She is the dance of inspiration; her touch is the life of the world. When pain burns and fear threatens, the Mother Empress balms and protects.

Look at the picture on the Empress card. Let your eyes see the bright sky of the morning. Listen to the sound of falling water. Feel the softness of the wind that stirs tall trees in rustling imitation of a waterfall. Feel the solid coolness of stone beneath you. Enjoy the warm garden of the Empress.

Close your eyes but hold the images and feelings of the Empress card close about you. Your are in a great forest of ancient trees. It’s the kind of place people sometimes fear to enter, yet you are at home. The air is refreshing. There are sounds of leaves brushing leaves, of water flowing, of branches moving at the caress of the cool and fragrant air. A great Tree is close to you. From the Tree a presence seems to grow. There is a vast invisible being dwelling in the tree. A breeze moves past the Tree to stir your hair. Mother blesses you.

 

In your preferred meditation posture, gently close your eyes and become aware of your body on the seat or the cushion. We will begin by bringing some life force energy into your body through your eyes. To do this, put the palms of your hands together and rub them briskly. Keep on doing this now until you feel the warmth circulating in your hands. When you feel warmth or tingling in your hands, gently place your palms over your eyes and keeping your eyes shut, feel that warmth and life force energy flowing from your hands into your eyes.

And, with your eyes still gently closed, place your hands in your lap in line with your abdomen at the level of your navel. Hold your hands together, with the back of the right hand resting in the palm of the left hand, and your thumbs gently touching. Have the hint of a smile on your face. Just being aware of the breath … being aware of the breath: the inflowing breath and the outflowing breath … breathing freely and easily, being aware of the breath as it flows through your nostrils. Just being aware of the breath, as it comes and as it goes, entering and leaving your body.

And still with your eyes gently closed, visualize yourself now walking down a path leading to your peaceful sanctuary. Imagine yourself looking down at the path as you imagine yourself walking along it … what sort of path is it? Is it a rough path, or a smooth path? What is the path made out of? As you continue to walk, look into the distance and see before you your peaceful sanctuary. Imagine what this peaceful sanctuary is like for you … it could be a warm cozy room … it could be some special place in nature that you love, like the beach, the forest, a lake or some other place. Hold that image of what you’d really like to be in in your mind. This is the place that you can always come to, this peaceful sanctuary … it’s a place where you can relax … where you can experience peace and calm, a place where you are always safe and protected.

As you enter your own special haven, look about you and acquaint yourself with your surroundings. What do you see here? Touch the things that you feel attracted to and that you love about this place. What scents and aromas can you smell that are uplifting to your senses in this special place. Listen to the sounds that are unique to your wonderous peaceful sanctuary. What are they?

See before you a special place a seat that you can sink into and feel cozy and relaxed. This can be any kind of seat in which you can sit with comfort and safety. Go now to your special seat and make yourself comfortable there.

Counting backwards now into an even deeper state of relaxation … knowing that you are in control at all times … hearing these words and letting them drift by …

 

TEN … going deeper … NINE, EIGHT … deeper and deeper … SEVEN, SIX … relaxing and deepening … FIVE, FOUR … very very deep … THREE, TWO … relaxing, deepening … relaxing, deepening … and ONE … feeling so relaxed, so very very relaxed in your peaceful sanctuary.

 

Now, let your thoughts float back in time, or to a time in your life when you were imbued with creative self-expression. It may be the recent past, or it may have been a time in your childhood. It could be something that you were making or doing that gave you a feeling of well-being and joy. Take yourself now back to that time when your being was filled with that excitement as you immersed yourself in that creativity. Keep on recording what you were doing creatively.

Let the memories and the feelings be there in your body again. Remember your aliveness, your exuberance and your delight in your creative pursuit.

Use all your senses to create that time … your sight, your hearing … how you touched, smelled or tasted what you were creating. There may be good feelings in your body and, if so, hold those good feelings in your body now. If there are not, the memories themselves will be exciting your aliveness from a very deep cellular memory.

Keep on allowing the wonder and awe of your creativity to be with you again.

Take in a long, slow deep breath, breathing the breath all the way down through your body, breathing in the excitement of creativity. And, as you breathe out, hold and embrace those good feelings in your body, and continue to breathe naturally.

 

Recall now the vision of the Empress, for she has entered your life as a symbol of creation. Visualize her in the tarot card sitting resplendent on a throne, her gown of pomegranates flowing down to the ground. In her hand, she holds a scepter symbolizing her power. Upon her head is a starry crown representing the twelve months of the year over which she presides.

The Empress is the symbol of the Great Mother who is pecunious and abundant.  She is the Creator and Nurturer of life, whether it is in pregnancy or as she is depicted in the tarot card, surrounded by earthly gifts of crops, and trees, and water. Not only does The Empress symbolize procreative power, she is also a potent psychic bond to your own creative process.

Visualize now something that you would like to be engaged in creating. It could well be a child, the creation of life … or it may be a yearning to create something that you have wanted to do for a long, long time. Perhaps you have a desire to build something … perhaps you have the desire to make something … it could be to paint, to dance, to make music, to have a relationship, or something else. You may well be very clear about what you want to do, but then again, it may not be so easy for you because your creativity may have been stifled years ago. It may not have been given the fertile ground in which to grow and flourish and blossom … and deep within you lies boundless creativity waiting to awaken.

Whatever it is that you feel drawn to do, that your soul cries out to be fulfilled in some way … allow that image to come alive within you now.

 

Now, take in a long slow deep breath drawing in creative inspiration … and as you slowly breathe out, retain that inspiration within your whole being … and continue to breathe naturally.

 

When The Empress appears, she may be triggering in you a response to begin to realize your dreams, to no longer allow them to lie dormant. With her energy and her presence in your life, you can channel your creativity, explore its diversity and breadth.

Allow yourself now to make a commitment to your creative self-expression so that you can bring that into fruition.

Bathe in your creative dream and set into motion your intention to bring your ideas to living reality and manifestation now. Give yourself a little time to let your creation to unfold within you now.

 

Taking in a deep breath, breathing in the awe and wonder of your creativity … and as you breathe out, relax into a space of fulfillment and accomplishment … and continue to breathe naturally. Breathing naturally, see your creation unfolding before you, as if it has already happened.

As you awaken to your creativity more and more, create beauty, delight and joy in your surroundings and environment. Love, honor and respect the Great Mother by loving, honoring and respecting the Earth. Take time to be in nature, absorbing the peacefulness and tranquility that nature offers you.

Taking in another long, slow deep breath, breathing in the fullness of creation and you a part of it … and as you breathe out, deepen more and more into your own creative fullness … and continue to breathe naturally.

The presence of The Empress in your life may bring greater prosperity. This welcomed tarot card indicates creation, or birth of a creative project; domestic bliss; romance, and success in business.

Holding the image of The Empress in your mind, breathe in the archetypal qualities of this powerful woman … and as you breathe out, hold those qualities of prosperity, abundance and creativity as you go about your daily life … and continue to breathe naturally.

 

It is now time to leave your peaceful sanctuary. Visualize yourself now standing and exiting your safe place, and being back on the path once more. And walking back along the path, knowing you can come back here any time that you wish …

And counting from one to five …

 

ONE … becoming aware of yourself sitting on the chair or on the cushion on the floor … TWO … gently wiggling your fingers … THREE … slowly moving your head from side to side … FOUR … becoming aware of your feet and wiggling your toes … and FIVE … very slowly, very slowly, opening your eyes.

 

Take a deep and clearing breath and stretch your whole body, if that feels good for you.

Tarot Meditation: The Magician

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You have chosen The Magician, the first card in the major arcana of the Tarot. This visualization guides you in deepening your connection to your creativity, and your ability to manifest in this world.

The first person that The Fool encounters on his journey is the Magician. The Magician is the archetype of manifesting in the material world. The Magician has the power to initiate The Fool. Through undergoing this initiation The Fool awakens to his creativity. His creativity flourishes, and with skill and determination he is led to new opportunities that help him to flourish and prosper.

Absorb the image of The Magician before you begin this visualization.

 

Before becoming the Magician, the Fool is a breeze blowing in light gusts everywhere in space. When the Fool becomes the Magician, the breeze becomes a whirlwind of concentrated force. When glazed, absent-minded eyes become suddenly bright and hawk-like, the Magician wakens.

 

Look at the picture on the Magician card. Imagine yourself as the magician. Your right hand rises to receive a ray of warm and brilliant light. The light travels through you, influenced by your mind. Power issues from your left hand and the world is molded in the image of your thoughts.

 

Imagine yourself alone in a vast place. You cannot see the walls or the ceiling. Air stirs about you in soft, random touches. Inside your body, near the navel, a great force dwells. Your mind is clear, with a golden light about your head. The light reaches down and sends out a wave of force, like a great curved and shapeless arm from the center near your navel. The arm of force catches the air about you. Winds begin to blow about you in circular motion. Feel the whirling vortex of power strong about you. Below you a light dimly shines. It brightens. Beneath you in the light is a great hall lined with many doors. The doors open and close at your bidding. One door attracts your attention more than the others. Let the door open. See what is beyond it.

 

Seated in your preferred meditation posture, allow your eyes to close gently. And place your hands in your lap in line with your lower abdomen. Hold your hands together, with the back of your right hand resting in the plam of your left hand, with your thumbs gently touching. Have just the hint of a smile on your face.

 

Now, draw in a long deep breath through your nose, breathing a breath all the way into your belly. And, as you breath out of your mouth, allow yourself to really sigh … AAAHHH. Continue to breathe in your own way.

 

Breathing to your own rhythm, remaining with your eyes gently closed … visualize yourself walking along a path. Look down and see the path as you imagine yourself walking along it. What sort of path is it? Feel the texture of what is under your feet on this path … it could be a smooth or rough path, or the sort of path you have always loved that is leading you to your special place of beauty, harmony and peace.

Walking along this path, see before you now your peaceful sanctuary. It could be in a warm cozy room … it could be some special place in nature that you love, like the beach, the forest, a lake or some other place. This is a place that you can always come to, where you can relax and experience peace and calm. A place where you are always safe and protected.

 

Enter now into your own special haven and look about you to acquaint yourself with your surroundings. Touch the things that await you here and that you love. Smell the special scents and aromas wafting through the air. Listen to the sounds that are unique to your wondrous place.

 

See before you now a special seat that you can sink into and feel cozy and relaxed. This can be any kind of seat in which you can sit in comfort and safety. Go now to your special seat and make yourself comfortable there.

 

Counting backwards to an even deeper state of relaxation, knowing that you are in control at all times … hearing these words and letting them drift by …

TEN … going deeper … NINE, EIGHT … deeper and deeper … SEVEN, SIX … relaxing and deepening … FIVE, FOUR … very very deep … THREE, TWO … relaxing, deepening … relaxing, deepening … and ONE … feeling so relaxed, so very very relaxed in your peaceful sanctuary.

 

Continue to breathe naturally, just being aware of the breath … the inward breath and the outward breath … allow yourself to hear these words and allow them to fade away.

 

Inside your peaceful sanctuary, visualize yourself now as The Magician. See yourself surrounded by beautiful flowers … red roses and white lilies. Imagine yourself bending forward and inhaling the delicious fragrant perfume of the roses. Smell the fragrance as it moves through the air and fills the air with wondrous delight.

Look down at your clothes, at the clothes of The Magician … you could be wearing a white robe, a red cloak and a blue belt around your waist symbolizing a snake that represents your creative powers. You could be dressed in some other way that is right for you as The Magician. Hold an image of how you would be dressed.

 

Imagine now running your hands over the textures of the fabrics you are wearing. What do these textures feel under your hands and fingers?

 

Now, imagine a table and on it, a Golden cup … a wand … a Pantacle that has the five-pointed star embossed on a round disc … and a sword that symbolizes power, strength and courage. Within these four objects, there is a totality of the Four Elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Air.

 

Now, visualize yourself moving to the table, picking up the Golden cup and drinking the pure liquid from the cup. Visualize the sweet taste of this golden nectar filling your whole being with magical powers that unfold your creativity and abilities to manifest in the world.

 

Now, placing the cup back on the table, feel in your right hand feel a wand raised toward Heaven, while your left hand is pointing to the Earth. As the archetype of the Magician, feel the strength and power that flows through your whole being as you connect with Heaven and Earth. Visualize yourself as the master of your life and destiny.

 

Now, take in a long slow deep breath through your nose as you absorb the Magician’s qualities. And, as you slowly breathe out through your nose, deepen into the Silence and stillness within you that is the way of the Magician. Continue to breathe naturally, being aware once again of the inward breath and the outward breath merging you into deeper silence and stillness.

 

Imagine now above your head the sign of eternity, the figure 8, that symbolizes that you are of Spirit and also able to bring about things in the world. Being at one with the Magician, now is the time to incorporate the lesson of “as above, so below”, the lesson being that mastery in one aspect of life brings about mastery in another.

 

Feeling the qualities of the Magician enveloping you and within you, visualize now being surrounded by bright golden light representing solar consciousness that allows you to explore the world and to master it.

 

What in your life do you want to master, right now?

 

What do you need to bring forward to master your goal, aspiration or ambition?

 

Within your own inner silence and stillness, answers may come to you intuitively and spontaneously. If not immediately, that is okay for you will discover these answers as you go about your daily life by your intention to manifest for your highest good what you most desire.

 

The Magician is the archetypal achiever. As you reflect on what you want to achieve, use your ability to be flexible, to communicate your ideas, for you have the skills. But also, listen to your inner voice. When the Magician appears within you, it symbolizes your creativity, action, initiative and self-assertiveness. You can create new opportunities that give you courage, driving power, skill and determination to enable these to flourish and blossom.

 

With the powers of the Magician, how would you like your creativity and originality to expand?

 

Imbued in the archetype of the Magician there is great power.

 

Now, take in a deep breath, breathing power and strength into your body. And as you breathe out, breathe your empowerment through every cell in your body. And, when you’ve done this, continue to breathe naturally once again.

 

Power can always be used for good or bad. Misuse of power abounds on our planet. Whether you are male or female, you carry with you certain aspects of power.

 

What does power mean to you?

 

How does it appear in your life?

 

How wisely do you use your power?

 

With the power of the Magician within you, you are urged to bring all aspects of your life together. These include love, emotions, money and morality. If one or some of these are out of balance, just allow these aspects of your life to be acknowledged, and to intend that your deeper inner knowing can bring about the changes that will help you manifest your great potential.

 

Embracing the archetype of the Magician, you are open to opportunities or the importance of a new enterprise … and you will have the willpower, the initiative and the skills to succeed in whatever you do.

 

Now, take in a long slow deep breath … and as you do, embrace the qualities of the Magician in yourself. And breathing out … know that in drawing this tarot card, you have the ability to manifest your creativity and potential.

 

Continue to breathe naturally.

 

And now, visualize the clothing of the Magician fading away.

 

Leaving your sanctuary, step now back onto the path … knowing that you can return to this safe and peaceful place any time you wish.

 

And counting from one to five …

ONE … becoming aware of yourself sitting on the chair or on your cushion …

 

TWO … gently wiggling your fingers …

 

THREE … slowly moving your head from side to side …

 

FOUR … being aware of your feet on the floor, or your knees on the floor sitting on the cushion …

 

And FIVE, very very slowly, wiggling your toes and moving your feet.

 

Take a deep and clearing breath and slowly open your eyes, stretching your whole body if that feels good for you.

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“Magus of Power”

1 ~ Beth ~ MAGICIAN

Magician with Altar and Z-A-M lesser implements before him – invoking.

Truth Is Authenticity: Your Magical Motto

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There are situations in daily living that demand your participation in the moment. More often than not, and especially if you are dealing with uncertainties, you are not inclined to deal with a challenge to your pattern of thinking, of reasoning. Actually, a surprising number of individuals entertain passionate emotional responses to another’s different opinions or values. The body knows when it experiences energies emanating from another energy source, directly — that is, the body experiences a situation truthfully, authentically.

It is not the person that you want to get into a battle with, rather, it is the person’s behavior. Macrocosmically, you are examining and defining your spirit’s behavior. Microcosmically, you are examining and defining your magical self, and the methodology of your examination, if you will, is your magical motto.

Your magical motto is the energetic seed at the center of your Kether-In-Malkuth. Every time you utilize your motto in magical work, you unlock behaviors that become keys that open further doors on your magical journey. Your magical motto is your tool of personal (Netzach) reflection (Hod). See and perceive your Self and others through your personal reflection embodied in your motto to properly discern another’s behavior from spiritual nature.

If we truly see ourselves as spiritual beings having a human experience, then wouldn’t it make sense to give to the body that which is physical, and acknowledge to the spirit that which is eternal?

And lastly, you maintain control over your magical motto by maintaining its secrecy because it is your spiritual name and the key to your magical Self. You do not give away your personal power, embodied in your name, to other people outside our Order because “it is by names and images that all powers are awakened and reawakened in your sphere of sensation.” If you want to be successful on your spiritual path, flow like the natural Tao of life and let be, let live and let move.

Learn to effectively detach from the mundane by using your magical motto and practice the art of separating the pure ideals of spirit from the temporal rational ways of the flesh. Empower your motto. The magical motto is not just a phrase to be meditated upon, but is a powerful symbolism of one’s personal microcosm that can, over time, induce an altered state of consciousness, more spiritually centered and upraised — more connected with one’s Higher Genius (of which the motto is a gift!). Try imagining the ball’s golden light permeating your entire body … and, as that sphere elevates upward, it is transforming them into golden bodies. And so … as it passes your feet, your feet are left glowing golden light. Once it reaches your head, your entire body is made of golden light. While doing the Four-Fold Breath feel as if you have become more than human — you become the identity or consciousness of your Magical Self (referred to by your Magical Motto). I suspect this also helps tap into and strengthen the current of our Order, being that it is the names we all traditionally are to know each other by.

On Words and Silence of the Mind: the Relaxation Ritual

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I’d like to stir some attention to the Relaxation Meditation, which is recommended to be performed preceding any ritual work. I think that with consistent practice of this meditation, it eventually evolves into a lot more than just relaxing the body and quieting the mind. It could become a blessing in its own right, and even an invocation.

Consider the warming Golden Dawn sun that starts at your feet — the center of Malkuth. This meditation in a way begins as an invocation of the Light of Tiphareth unto the Neophyte in Malkuth, or Assiah. Letting the Sun bathe your entire being as it moves up your Middle Pillar is a blessing from the Higher Genius unto the Lower Self — an empowerment of the work about to be performed.

I speak of a calm mind but that is actually contradictory. When you are truly calm, not just keeping quiet, the mind does not exist. It merges into its Source — Consciousness. This depth of calm I call great silence. I cannot speak of silent mind — silent mind is no mind … like that feeling I felt in Saturn.

Words … words … origin of thought … silence … center … the voice of the silence … life-giving or death-dealing vibrations that form into words. How can I continue? How can I maintain a calm mind? I feel like a pitcher on the mound, winding up for the pitch … I’ve got butterflies in my tummy. Breathe.

For example, if I am not speaking, there is no speech. It cannot be called quiet speech. We use this language in normal speech, like saying peace of mind. Ultimate silence, or transcendence, is nothing else than the mind merging into its Source.

An example is waves.

When waves subside, they merge into the ocean. They are not kept aside somewhere. In the same way, I cannot get away from my mind. I have to solve it, purify it and let it subside. It simply means getting to the Source of my mind: the reality, or truth, beyond it … beyond its horizon.

I cannot transcend my mind unless it is purified. An impure mind holds me back. Even if my mind is positive, I am impure because I am too much of one thing over its opposite.

But, so what? The mind should not be allowed to be a block to my Higher Genius, or a part of me to be shunned.

My mind, my intellect, my thinking self … is a child that has to be pacified and quieted, not by forceful control or threat of pressure, but by the sweet will of merging. Again, with the unity felt when I let go and allow my body to fall into a state of total relaxation.

This Relaxation Ritual is an effective way to prepare to meet your Higher Genius in transcendence.