One of the most popular areas of mystical or esoteric studies is the subject of Chakras. A quick search and you will find a plethora of books, blog posts, websites, etc. all offering slightly different approaches mostly based on “Eastern” points of views. There are “Western” ways of activating the chakras, or energy centers, and this post will cover one way of doing so. Continue reading Western Chakras: Ascension of the Inner Holy Planets
Category: Qabalah
The Qabalistic Cross and Balancing Polarities
One of the first rituals taught in the different schools and traditions linked to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is the Qabalistic Cross. It has many uses that have evolved over the past century or so when it was first introduced in ritual form by the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and has been modified to suit individual schools of thought and practice. This post will explore an alternate way of looking at and using the Qabalistic Cross in individual work, thus serving to further help the reader explore and experiment with this ritual. Continue reading The Qabalistic Cross and Balancing Polarities
The Pentagram, Active, Passive and Reconciling Energies
Pentagrams are one of the most versatile symbols used in the Western Mystery Tradition. Today they can be seen in the various Pentagram rituals stemming from the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn including those found in Wicca and Thelema. Elemental, planetary and zodiacal workings may also employ the pentagram or when working with spirits. Their use as amulets of protection can be traced all the way back to Sumeria and Babylon. There are several interpretations of the use and meaning of the pentagram and hopefully the following will add a different perspective. Continue reading The Pentagram, Active, Passive and Reconciling Energies
The 4 Lettered name and the Elements
In the previous post, the Natural Order of the Elements, it was seen that there are reverberations regarding correspondences throughout a magical system of placing the elements in their natural order. It must be stressed that one set of correspondences should be consistent throughout a system. Magical systems throughout time have observed the natural world and what was within the magicians themselves. That being said, one of the first issues that comes to the forefront is the attributions of the 4 lettered name of Omneity, the Tetragrammaton, to the elements. Continue reading The 4 Lettered name and the Elements
Elemental Subtle Body Activation
Most systems of magical training usually begin with some type of subtle body work. It forms one of the foundations of magical work and training to prepare one to be an instrument for the Divine. In Western Esotericism this subtle body work is usually a simple version of the Middle Pillar Exercise or one of several variations of activating the Chakras. The different versions of the Middle Pillar Exercise can be found in sources related to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. An often neglected version, and one highly recommended to look at, is the Greater Middle Pillar Ritual found in John Michael Greer’s Circles of Power. Many systems employing the Middle Pillar follow a pattern of simple to complex, usually by visualizing different colors and adding different names and images to each sphere, depending on the “grade” within the system. Several different chakra activation exercises can also be found in some of the schools descended from Paul Foster Case following a pattern of the 7 Hebrew Double Letters and the planets of astrology. Some schools in the Western Mystery Tradition use the Eastern method of awakening the chakras as well. Each has an immense value on their own and in relation to the rest of the given magical system they are a part of. There are several other possibilities to work with in relation to the subtle body based on the Sepher Yetzirah and the Hermetic Qabalah. The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy is an invaluable resource to explore different systems that are used throughout the world.
Continue reading Elemental Subtle Body Activation
Harmony, Correspondences, and The Natural Order of the Elements
The principle of correspondences is one of the mainstays of any magical system. In the West this is one of the first points of magical philosophy to be learned in one’s magical training along with 6 other principles that have been summarized quite well in the Kybalion, a Neo Hermetic text. The Kybalion has had a great influence on the modern Western Mystery Tradition as it is practiced today. Most systems, in one way or another, teach about the 7 principles outlined in the Kybalion. The principle of correspondences summarized, states that things in the physical world are a reflection of the things in the spiritual worlds Continue reading Harmony, Correspondences, and The Natural Order of the Elements