Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The Work of Invocation - Seeking Audience with the Gods

This an excerpt from the short instruction on invocation in the second month of the Initiate's work book. I have lost the citation for the lovely art at left - if you know of it lemme know, please...

One of the key skills of spiritual ritual is invocation. Invocation is the work of effectively calling the attention of the Gods and Spirits to our rituals and temples, and also of drawing their blessing and power into our personal and community spirits. In the respectful religious approach of our rituals we do not ‘summon’ the Powers, the Kindreds except in rare cases in which we have authority. When we light a good Fire, and arrange the proper symbols, when we make fit offerings and recite fair hymns of praise we know the Gods can hear us, and give blessings.
This mythic perspective is our starting place, the outward form that we bring to our public and personal rites. Like all pagan work there are layers within layers of symbolism and practice within the basic public outline of the work. These layers are what might be referred to as the ‘esoteric’ (for the few) or ‘occult’ (hidden) aspects of the rites. While we hope to encourage all our members to learn the basics of these skills, it is a key part of the work that leads to initiation. In the work of Invocation, for instance, focused vision work, proper use of natural symbols, and consecrated images can add greatly to the clarity and power of our contacts with the Gods.
By using focused spiritual practices we seek to move outward from our normal awareness toward a spiritual world that can be understood as outside of our common minds. Invocation brings the boundary closer and opens the door for that journey. Invocation is also used to bring the divine and spiritual powers into closer attunement with our individual spiritual natures. By bringing the Gods who exist in the greater cosmos near to us, we intend to awaken their reflections in the little cosmos of our Grove and our hearts.
Basics of Invocation
First, of course, you must attend to the common skills of ritual. Be prepared, have your text or outline firmly in hand and mind, approach the work with poise and a focused mind. From there we find several specialized techniques that are useful.
1: Natural CorrespondencesMost rites require the proper sorts of natural things to be used as offerings. In order to choose the proper offerings it is important to spend time in study of the Deity you intend to invoke. By that study you will discover symbols and reflections of the deities that will suggest proper offerings.
By bringing the right symbols and objects into your Grove you can make the place more fitting for a God’s presence. The right wood for the Fire, the right silver for the Well, the right herbs for offerings all make an environment that allows a full manifestation of the power of a Deity. It can be made like a well-shaped lens that, perhaps, allows the Gods to see us more clearly.
2: Visualized ImagesThe deliberate use of imagination to create mental environments and symbols is central to effective spiritual ritual. Just as we prepare a material temple we can create interior spaces and visualized images that are designed for our work, and attuned to individual deities and spirits. These spaces become a Threshold for our mental and spiritual access to the Otherworld itself.
Invocation can be greatly enhanced by the use of clear and detailed visualizations of the deities. Such shapes may not be their ‘true forms’, but it may be that they have no single true form at all. As we approach each of the invocations in this work we will offer suggested elements that could be included in a visualized image. These are only suggestions, and should ideally be only a supplement to your own research. It is your task to devise personal forms and visions of the powers, based on your own understanding aided by this advice.
This work is, in essence, the creation of an Inner Idol, an image of the sort that the ancients made for their temples. Where the ancients made images of oak and gold and silver we can craft in vision, color and light, in every hue and substance, even in flesh and motion and voice. It is simple enough to ‘make’ such an image move and speak, but less simple to use that ability wisely.
3: Material Images
In a polytheist and nature-positive spiritual path like ours there is little room for the idea that the divine disdains to dwell in forms made by mortal hands. History shows us that from the dawn of human material culture we have used our power of shaping to create depictions, dwellings and even bodies for the Gods and Spirits. Images, marker stones, spirit houses, anthropomorphic eidola, and fetishes all have their proper place in traditional pagan worship and spirituality.
Most Druidic Pagans may wish to use small images, idols or tokens of the God that is worked with in any given rite. We will begin by opening awareness to the Earth Mother and the Gatekeeper. You may wish to begin by finding shrine images that speak to you for a regular place on your shrine.

The Work of InvocationSo we find in these methods a formula for the practice of invocation. We begin with the conception of the deity, drawn from our understanding of the lore. From that conception we create or choose both a poetic hymn of praise and calling, and a visualized Threshold Eidolon of the deity. The rite is prepared with the proper offerings and natural things, used to create an atmosphere attractive to the spirit. If you have found the proper image or idol you might complete the calling down by grounding the presence of the spirit in the image.
In the ritual performance itself you will begin, perhaps, by offering a bit of the proper incense or oil or herb onto your Fire. Deepen your trance and compose an Inner Eidolon of the Deity. See it as though it were a perfect statue or image in your Inner Grove, though you need not rise into the Inner to do so. You can envision the image in the light of the Gate, as it were, above and within your material nemeton. As you complete the invocation you can see the Inner Eidolon wake to life. This is the first moment of audience with the Power. You behold the God and the God beholds you.
The receiving and drinking of the Blessing offers the opportunity for a special moment of union with the Deity. There are many ways to envision the power and presence of the Deity entering the Blessing. You might see the Blessing as a color, perhaps chosen by the omen. That color might flow from the Inner Image into your Vessel and from there into your body, suffusing your form. You might see the Image
reflected in the waters of the Vessel, then taken within physically, to be present in the body itself.
This is the second, and greater, moment of ‘audience’ with the deity. In a solitary ritual, perhaps focused on meeting and knowing a specific God, you should then take as much time as you wish to in contemplation of the presence. If you find yourself leading group High Day rituals it becomes your task to help this communion happen for the whole group. When you recite a final blessing in such a case the folk will truly be blessed.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Off to Wellspring

I'm nearly out the door to the Wellspring Gathering, Stone Creed Grove's annual Druid-fest at Brushwood. I know things have been slow here and, now it's summer, I don't know how much faster they'll get. I'll try to do that celtic book review before end of month, and maybe an exceprt from the article on invocation...

Here's the art for the Wellspring Bardic Chair, our song, poetry and story competition at this year's event. Have a lovely wekend...

Friday, May 15, 2009

Consecrating A Talisman

I continue to make progress in the ongoing effort (now over 30,000 words for the first 3 moons) to create a systematic approach to Druidic occult training. The first three Moons are, of course concerned with very basics. As I did when I re-outlined the Dedicant material a couple of years ago, I am attempting to begin at the beginning, writing for students who don't have years of familiarity with Pagan, Wiccan or occult ideas. The good news is that nearly everything we think of as 'occult' has solid basis in ancient Pagan ideas. The bad news is that expressing them without recourse top 20th century occult jargon doesn't speed up the process any.
Here's a spell for blessing an object and charging it with the power of (especially spiritual) protection. Later in the system I'll introduce my Wand and Cauldron practical magical formula (see sacred Fire Holy Well), but at the stage where I introduce this practice neither tool has been made or consecrated yet. I needed a simpler form that a new student could simply do. Have a look...

• The Shielding – A Spell to Bless a Talisman of Protection.
Preparation: The Hallows are set as usual, with simple offerings for the Kindreds. In addition to your Hallows, make a circle upon the ground and around it mark the three sigils of the work, thus:


Upon each of the sigils place a small bowl or glass of water, and in the center of the circle draw the Feasting Hall of Lugh, thus:
On this symbol you will prepare a small vessel for fire, in which you will kindle charcoal at the right moment, or scoop a few coals from your main fire into the vessel.
In addition you will need to obtain Three Spell Ingredients:
• Three Rowan twigs or berries
• An iron nail
• A hematite or bloodstone

Outline of the Spell:
1: Hallow the Grove.
2: When you cleanse the Grove with Fire and Water, also cleanse the object to be blessed, passing it through the water and fire, saying:


By the Might of the Waters
Be you cleansed of every impurity, whole and holy for the work.
By the Light of the Fire
Be you blessed in Land and Sea and Sky, fit for the work of the wise.


3: Open the Gate.
4: Make the Offerings to the Three Kindreds, saying:


Now to my Sacred Fire I call the Threefold Kindreds, spirits all
All my allies among the Dead
Mighty and Beloved Ones, stand strong with me in my work,
And receive this offering. (make the offering)
All my allies among the Sidhe,
Red blood, green sap or Spirit Folk, join me on my work’s journey,
And receive this offering. (make the offering)
All my allies among the Gods
Wisest and Mightiest Ones, I pray that your power burn and flow in me
So, receive this offering. (make the offering)
Hold up the object to be hallowed and display it to the four airts. Say:
Hear me, my kin, my allies, my elders, I pray, and make your wisdom open to me, your love flow with mine, your power strong in me, that I may do the work of the Wise. Be beside me, Mighty, Noble and Shining Ones, and give your blessing to this (object), that it may be a shield of protection for me in my magic and my life, for I am (your name and lineage), your true worshipper!
In the Mother’s Love be welcome.
In the Joys of Life be welcome.
In this Sacred Grove be welcome.
And accept my sacrifices!


3: Take an omen to be certain the work is proper.
4: If the omen is favorable, then take up the three spell items and open yourself to the return flow of power from the Kindreds, as you say:


I call now to the Holy Ones to give to me as I have given to you,
As a gift calls for a gift.
Let your power be with me in this work
And let this be a work of Blessing.
That will flow and shine in this talisman.
I open my heart to the flow of your blessing, I, your child and worshipper.
Let the spell be worked true!

5: Take the three spell ingredients and place each one in one of the three bowls of water, so that each bowl has one token. As you place each one, intone one of the conjuring words, thus:

Faire (ward) “FAHRyuh”; Cosaint (Defend) “COsahnt”; Conoi (preserve) COHNee

6: Light the charcoal or incense in the censer or bring out the coals from the main Fire. As you kindle or prep this fire, you place three good pinches of consecration incense on the coals, again repeating the three conjuring words.
7: Hold the object to be consecrated in the smoke of the incense, and anoint it with water from the three bowls, intoning the conjuring words one more time. Take the object in both hands, concealing it if possible, and hold your hands in the smoke, as you recite the charm, thus:

I make this shield to turn aside all ill,
from east or south or west, or from the north,
Above or from below, by word and will,

by Fire and Shadow bring the Warding forth!
By Spear and Cloak, by sun and water bright,

let strength and light and shadow join as one.
By Sun and Moon and by the Fire’s might,

make now my shield, my warding, be it done.

Open your hands and display the object in the light and smoke of the Fire, and recite to it the charge. If you feel moved the charge can always be from the heart, simply speaking to the talisman about its task and meaning. You may also speak words such as:

I call to you, O being of (substance or form) and bid you to be welcome at this Fire of the Wise. By this blessing I bless you, make you sacred, set you to serve at the Fire of the Gods. Be you fit by this blessing for your work, to protect my body and my being from danger and ill, whether by land or sea or sky, whether by day or night, in summer or winter. Let no sprite or spirit, goblin or troll, and no ill-wish of mortal or spirit harm me, and let all beings open my way with favor. Let the Waters be deep in you and the Fire be bright, that you may serve in the work of the Wise.
Biodh Se Amhlaidh!

8: Hold the talisman high in both hands in both hands and know that it has received the blessing, as you say:

By Land, Sky and Sea, by Gods, Dead and Sidhe
Let this by my shielding, and so let it be!


9: Recenter, find you peace, and end the rite in the usual way, thanking all beings and closing the Gate.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

The Coolest Thing I've Seen This Week


Me Waaaant!
Thanks to the HPLHS for pointing this out. The Mrs thought it was a Zoidberg mask...
Also, here, for more of this sort.