This week has been interesting. I generally bless places people frequent (train stations, elevators, etc.) and people I find irritating. So far, the I-H-V-H breathing method seems to be working worse for me than regular breathing counting.
But hey, thanks to me being extremely annoyed at my rose cross design, I've spent the weekend making a new one. This one definitely works better for the focal meditation. I think my art style improved greatly during this week!
It's been a couple of years since I performed the priesthood oath. If you are interested in knowing what this oath is about, check out my older post: https://akenu.blogspot.com/2012/11/oath-breaker-priesthood.html. This year, I chose November, as used to be the case in the past. Since I am currently studying the Golden Dawn system, this oath will be heavily inspired by it.
First of all, I used to bless with the sign of a pentagram. Instead, I will use the rose cross. I am also going to replace the usual counting for the fourfold breath with the letters of the Tetragrammaton (Yod for inhale, Vav for exhale, and Heh for the pauses). The big idea there is that the very breathing pattern should become the utterance of the mantra (just as is the case for the HAMSA breathing method).
I will also do the holy ground exercise daily (as described in Regardie's notes), and the invocation of the 72 angels of the SheM HaMePhORaSH (also daily). I've also prepared a new symbol for the trataka. My own rendition of the rose cross I am going to use for the entire month.
Damn, I keep forgetting to post updates. Let this be a testament to how lazy I've become over the years.
I've recently obtained a copy of Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic by Israel Regardie. This means I am currently studying/practicing the system. It also invariably led me to study Biblical Hebrew again. It also led to a very interesting finding. The banishing ritual of the hexagram with the lunar hexagrams is very useful when you have an autistic child at home when the Full Moon is coming; autistic children tend to be very "active" during that time, and this ritual can greatly dampen the effect.
Also, since I've started going to the office again, I am going to reinstate the oath of priesthood for November. I will post more information before November begins, but this month will be Golden-Dawn-themed.
It's already 9 days since I finished the oath of priesthood so I guess I should sum up the experience.
As every year, keeping the oath of nobility, blessings and helping others was a very difficult task. During last year I received one ritual (Sacred Chamber Ritual) and one symbol (the symbol of balance).
This year I have received the same symbol, but this time it is complete, plus a concept of an initiation ritual based on the symbol and a Kabbalistic Tree of Life, but I still have to build the ritual from it. Hard to say whether this is a standalone ritual or a continuation of Sacred Chamber Ritual.
As every year I am truly happy that the oath is already behind me, keeping myself in control for a whole month is always a troublesome, but as my dear master, Papus, always said, one has to put himself into priesthood service for a month each year so for the rest of the year he can do the Great Work. People who never tried this oath before can't understand this, but basically 1/12 of the year you train your willpower, your persistence and you also attain great spiritual authority for finishing the month long greater oath.
This week has been interesting. I generally bless places people frequent (train stations, elevators, etc.) and people I find irritating. So ...
