The Rite of Arrival went well last night. My dreams were a mixture of many things and I received some wisdom, but I have forgotten most of it. I will try again in the next couple of days. But I would like to go through the ritual that I did with you all and talk about Determined Ritual Action.
I take out all of my tools to my back yard and bring my Stang and my Lantern last to symbolically light my way to my makeshift Covenstead. The air is still, the heavens full of an urban star system. There is no sound as I make my way across my yard to the fence that is so perfectly there. I then set my Lamp down and place my Stang in both hands closing my hands and centering myself, preparing myself for the journey ahead. I face North as that is the preferred direction for such things.
I open my eyes and begin my statement into the Underworld. I state that I come in the names of the Devil and the Dame, away from hedges and the comfort of home and hearth, away from Church Bells and narrow streets full of people. I make my decent into the Underworld slowly after a few moments. My Stang drags behind me in the dirt make a light furrow in the ground. Three times I walk around, my statement of intent dripping from my lips as I plunge into the Unseen Places of the In-between.
I come back to my starting point and take a few deep breaths. My journey was long and already I beginning to feel the pressure that I have so associated with being in the process of magic. A certain fear grips me as well as now I can sense the spirits of the city in which I live. They are powerful and angry but curious as to what I am doing as well.
I look down into my cauldron and see the waters by the candle light. I place my left hand within and bless the water in the name of Azael, the Shining Goat. The water is now the medium of spirits and the track roads in which the come by. It circles me and becomes the River of Souls, a medium for Spells. I look down at the candle and light it remember that it is the Light within the Land, the Seat of Flame and the Portal to the Otherness. It is the Kindly Light, the Leading Light. I light it and bless it in the Herodias's name.
I center myself again, feeling out my awareness to the Underworld in which I am not apart of. I am now fully in a trance and it can only become deeper. I take out my implements, my focusing of Art and bring them to the River's Edge: My branching staff, the lamp of art, and the bountiful cup. The compass is defined and now I can do my work. I open up my hands and breath deeply, slipping deeper into a trance. My words, my statement that I have reversed myself and have come down into the Underplaces rumble out, much louder than before. My words carry through the Underworld and I know that I am a part of it now.
I kneel down and begin make calls to the Hidden Powers of the Land beneath my feet. I call to them in the Name of Fate and in the Name of the Master. I ask them to come before me and teach me wisdom, to come before my Kindly Light and to not be afraid. And come they do. I see them before me as a mass of dark power, they try to impress me and I am impressed. They stand right on the other side of the candle and I see them both in my minds eye and slightly with my physical eye. I greet them and introduce myself as my name and my mother's name. They grin at me slowly and gesture towards the meal.
I take up the goblet and pray inwardly to Her. The cup is then blessed in Her holy name to bring wisdom to us both. I set it down slowly. After a moment I lift up the bowl and pray inwardly to my Master. I bless the bread in His name to bring us strength and power. I set it down and take the cup to my lips slowly, staring determinedly at the spirit of the land beneath my feet. I take the cup in the Lady's name, and in your name, Hidden Powers for She shall gather me home again and you shall teach me wisdom. The Spirit smiles wickedly it seems as it watches me take a sip of the drink. As the wine touches my tongue my trance grows instantly deeper and my mind becomes sharper. There are many spirits around me now, hovering on the outside of the River. I take up the bread and I do the same, taking it in the Unknown name and the name of the Hidden Powers. As I do so I distinctly see the Hidden One bow his head as I almost orgasmically take the bread into my mouth. I savor the taste of this living bread; it feels as though I have not eaten in a long time.
I set the bread down and sit back for few moments, praying silently to myself. I allow the trance to deepen. Then I take up the cup of the remaining wine and pour it into the bread. I offer it up and begin to Hiss. I sway around as I hiss, offering up this sacrifice to the Hidden Powers. The spirits move around me and snakes rise up and hiss with me. It becomes I cacophony and I feel like shouting out but I do not. I continue my hissing to the very end and then I stand abruptly and bring the bowl of sacrifice, the Grail, over to the Stang. I pray inwardly to the powers below and then I pour the sacrifice onto the Stang. I give it the Devil and his Dame. I give it to the ground. I give it to the Hidden Powers that I may grow in wisdom and receive dreams of wisdom. We are one by the Mystery. So Shall it Be.
I return to my starting place and sit back. Instantly I am told to drink more wine so that the Hidden Powers may have some to. I respond obediently. The trance sharpens once more and he tells me to spill it upon the Stang. I do so. I am told a prayer that I call out to the Master. But I no longer remember it. It was, I believe, a Prayer to find a place of working far removed from my simple back yard, which was indeed a secondary objective. I am told to hiss, lower than I usually do and the power perfects the Hiss. I respond well to the lower sounds and the lower hiss that he has me focus upon strengthens the trance. I lay back in a daze and stare up into the heavens and feel the power of the Land beneath me, the Hollowness of it.
And then I exit. I leap out of the East back into the Land of the Living. And then I remove my self from my makeshift covenstead. The place where I offered my sacrifice has become a place of contact. I will not have to do a full compass round anymore, I was told. On Wednesday and then on Saturday I shall make contact again.
I went upstairs and quickly undressed before getting into bed. I could see energy pathways and I was truly aware. But I was also tired, but not bodily so. It felt as though I had come back from a long journey, which I had. Time did not exist and an entire hour passed in the space of what felt like nothing. I still wonder how long I sat there staring up at the heavens listening to the Hidden Powers but not at the moment making sense of the words. Just sitting there and feeling everything. It was wonderful.
As I lay in my comforting bed I pictured a door upon a hill. I knew that this would probably not work as I had had problems with it before, but perhaps. I pictured myself standing next to that door and kneeling next to it. But before I could knock three times and open the door I slipped into unconsciousness. Perhaps next time. The dreams I had were interesting. I indeed received knowledge but whenever I awoke I forgot to write it down in the journal next to my bed. It is understandable.
Maybe next time.
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There we go. So, Determined Ritual Action, what does this mean. This means taking your time with your ritual. Every action should be determined, every action should have purpose. From the moment you step up to your working area to the moment you leave it everything that you do should have a meaning, whether symbolically or mundanely (such as lightly a candle). Your words should be focused and not droning. Try not to let your mind wander.
This is the turning point of magic. This is what makes results or not. If you are unfocused and stray thoughts are coming in such as "This is stupid." or "What are those words again?" If you get the first, refocus yourself and try again. I remember I was lighting the candle in Her name and I said I light this flame in the name of Fate, Queen Elfen, and so on. And on one name a little voice said in my head "No you don't." So I changed the name to Herodias "There you go." said the voice. I can't remember what name it was that I used....but obviously my Self did not agree and wanted me to use a different name. I didn't really have problems after that. At one point on my slowness when I was walking around a voice said "Go faster, dammit!" but I did not listen. I took my time and focused my intent on going down into the Underworld.
Just stay focused and know that what you are doing has purpose. It should tire you out whether physically or mentally. But do not let that worry you or anything. If you follow the way that I do things you will feel hungry whilst you are in the Underworld, not like a gnawing hunger, but just...well when you eat the bread it will feel amazing lets say that. Because you are eating the bread and taking the wine for the person with whom you are sharing the Housle. And for some, like the Hidden Power here where I doubt there are any practitioners like me for miles, have not had anyone talking to them for a while. I sensed that there were some that had, but not like me. I was completely new. As I predicted the Power was wary of me and stayed beyond the candle light at first. That was okay, I didn't force it. But after I let the sacrifice out it surrounded me and became brighter as it were. At least it was no longer a condensed mass of darkness.
But remember this: Ever action echos in both worlds. The gods will hear you when you speak with heart and with mind. If you are just droning a speech without really paying attention most likely nothing will happen. Say it with emotion, it doesn't have to be said loudly. A whisper has as much power as a shout if you say it with conviction.
Wassail and Frith,
Angus.
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