End of an Era

Alas, dear followers, the time for this blog is up.

However, please update your favourites with my new blog:

http://journeywithinferi.blogspot.com/

Brightest blessings!!

Invocation for Summer Solstice

Sorry this is a bit late!

"The Sun, so filled with light and heat, pours upon us his abundant strength, falling like honey from the sky, bringing to us this time of fullness. We are joyful, rejoicing in the high time of the Sun's journey; yet we are also mournful as the Sun begins to wane, such is the fate of all things.

The Divine Twins have reached the apex of their strength. Krom and his twin Tyr, the Red One and the Green One are intertwined as brothers and lovers, celebrating the beauty of each other's bodies. Their joy becomes as the light of the Sun and we feel their caress touching our skin. Yet at the moment of their two-fold orgasm, they begin to wane. Thus is the Paradox born - we celebrate life and recognise the journey towards death. Blessed be."

Ritual Planning Using the Tree of Life

Using the Lightning Path, we bring Divine energy to manifest in our material plane (although the Divine and the Material are one and the same, this analogy can be useful). Using the Tree of Life as an analogy for our magic, I propose below a method of ritual planning that considers the messages of each Sephirah to help us clarify what we want from our magic and to understand our deepest motivations.

1. Crown – What is your clear, clarified intention?
2. Wisdom – How will the ritual affect all the areas of your life?
3. Understanding – What are the limitations of the magic?
4. Knowledge – What are the underlying, secret motivations for the ritual?
5. Mercy – Have you done Kala before working the magic?
6. Strength – Have you considered any martial aspects to the ritual?
7. Beauty – How will the Sacred be manifest in the ritual?
8. Victory – What offerings and sacrifices will you bring to the ritual?
9. Splendour – What are the correspondences you will use for the working?
10. Foundation – What has trance and divination told you about the ritual?
11. Kingdom – What is the (elemental) structure/pattern/form for the ritual?

Happy Planning.

A Spell to Balance the Points

One of the main tools in the Feri treasure chest is the running of Pentacles, the two most famous being the Iron and Pearl Pentacles. Each of these Pentacles contains points of energy that are important to a healthy life and healthy magic. A Point can reach a state of imbalance in two ways - either through an excess or absence of that energy. For example, an excess of Sex could result in a string of meaningless one-night stands, whereas the absence would be an unhealthily enforced celibacy (including no masturbation!). By running the Pentacles diligently, preferably daily, it becomes easier for the Witch to realise when one or more of the Points are imbalanced. The Diagnostic Pentacles (which show the shadows of Absence or Excess) can further clarify your relationship with the Points.

While the best way to bring a Point into balance is the running of the Pentacles and self-examination (including divination and trance), I have devised a rite to solidify the commitment of bring a specific Point into right relationship with the others. This rite rests on the theory that each Point is supported by two others; the Points that form a triangle. You can use the balanced energy of the supporting Points to help you with any problematic energy. Here is a quick list of the supporting points:

Sex – Supported by Passion and Pride

Self – Supported by Pride and Power

Passion – Supported by Sex and Power

Pride – Supported by Sex and Self

Power – Supported by Self and Passion

For the rite, you will need:

• Three candles (any colours you deem appropriate)
• Three small pieces of paper
• Two quartz crystals (with points)

Place the three candles in a triangle, with the imbalanced Point at the apex. If you like, you could carve the name of the Points into the candle and anoint them with saliva. On two pieces of paper, write what the two supporting points mean to you and try to connect with their energies. Place them underneath their corresponding candles.

Place the two crystals pointing from the supporting Points to the apex of the triangle and visualise a flow of energy hitting the apex. Say: “I call forth the energies of _______, supported by the Points of _______ and _______.”

Light the three candles in whatever order you feel is right and then say they following:

“From apex point of sex doth flow,
The gifts of love that we would know,

That lures us ever toward our pride,
Which shines as law and does provide

Awareness of our self’s domain;
And knowledge of all things arcane. 


A move toward power stirs within
Liberty shared with other kin.


As waves of passion fill our souls,
We grow with wisdom; life’s true goal.


By the Iron and by the Pearl,
I claim my being;
I claim my world.

So mote it be.”

Bind the spell in your usual manner and let the candles burn down.

Note, the beautiful poem above was written by Storm Faerywolf. Please check his site out, it is chock full of amazing stuff. He has also written a book that I would highly recommend.

A Feri Lightning Path Exercise

Here is a Feri-ed version of the Lightning Path.

1. See a bright white light above your crown. Inhale white light and intone the Divine name: Ma.
2. A white ray of light travels to your left cheek and activates a grey sphere. Breathe in grey light and intone the Divine name: Arddhu
3. A white ray of light travels to your right cheek and activates a black sphere. Breathe in black light and intone the Divine name: Ana
4. A white ray of light travels to your throat and activates a hollow sphere. Breathe in clear light and intone the Divine name: Melek Ta’us
5. A white ray of light travels to your left shoulder and activates a blue sphere. Breathe in blue light and intone the Divine name: Krom
6. A white ray of light travels to your right shoulder and activates a red sphere. Breathe in red light and intone the Divine name: Mari
7. A white ray of light travels to your heart and activates a yellow sphere. Breathe in yellow light and intone the Divine name: Aah.
8. A white ray of light travels to your left hip and activates a green sphere. Breathe in green light and intone the Divine name: Dian y Glas
9. A white ray of light travels to your right hip and activates an orange sphere. Breathe in orange light and intone the Divine name: Nimue
10. A white ray of light travels to your sex and activates a purple sphere. Breathe in purple light and intone the Divine name: Miria
11. A white ray of light travels to your beneath your feet and activates a brown sphere. Breathe in brown light and intone the Divine name: Aum.
12. Hold your palms up with fingers spread and feel the lightning path within you. Say: I hold within me the Tree of Life, and I myself do live within it. May all the spheres be strong within me. Blessed be.

A Feri Middle Pillar Exercise

The Middle Pillar Exercise, one of the foundational exercises from the Golden Dawn, is a fantastic rite. Here I present a Feri version, with different God names at the Sephiroth to better reflect my tradition.

1. Visualise yourself stood with a black pillar on your right and a white pillar on your left.
2. Visualise a sphere of white light just above your head. Inhale white light and intone the Divine name: Ma.
3. The ray of light descends to your throat and a hollow sphere appears. Inhale hollow light and intone the Divine name: Melek Ta’us.
4. The ray of light descends to your heart and a yellow sphere appears. Inhale yellow light and intone the Divine name: Aah.
5. The ray of light descends to your sex and a purple sphere appears. Inhale purple light and intone the Divine name: Miria.
6. The ray of light descends to below your feet and a brown sphere appears. Inhale brown light and intone the Divine name: Aum.
7. See the white ray rise up either side of you and down through your crown, running the circuit several times.
8. Let the energy gather into your heart and it shines brightly. Place your hands over your heart and say: Ha! My feet are on the Earth! Ha! My sex is in the moon! Ha! My heart is in the Sun! Ha! My crown is in the stars!

Thanks to Veedub for the last lines, I think they're amazing!!

My Revised Qabala-Feri Daily Practice

I have been quite diligent in my daily practice for a good while now, and I am proud of my achievement on this front. However, I would like my practice to better reflect my increasing interest in Qabala. I think it's a good sign that I want to do something practical rather than merely assimilating knowledge (would not like to get trapped in Da'ath...) so I present here my Qabala-Feri daily practice. What do you think?

1. Star Goddess Prayer
2. Prayers to the Ancestors, Gods and Guardians
3. Feri Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
4. Kala Rite
5. Ha Prayer and Affirmation of Middle Pillar Sephiroth
6. Feri Middle Pillar Exercise
7. Sitting Practice
8. Feri Affirmation (from Cora)
9. Running the Pentacles and Aligning the Hearts
10. Dedication of Merit (prayer for somebody's healing)
11. Tree of Life Prayer (see previous post)

Enjoy!

A Feri Qabalistic Prayer

"Manifest Star Goddess, grant me the experience of your Kingdom, and provide me with the Foundation of your wondrous reflection. Let your Splendour shine Victoriously through me, and may my Beauty reflect your infinite Beauty. May your Strength and Mercy be ever present within me and my I speak with Knowledge. May I Understand and hold within me the Wisdom of your loving ever-presence. Transcendent Star Goddess, Crown me with your circle of Stars, that I may realise the oneness of All and achieve the consciousness of Nothing. Blessed be, YHVH."

Feri Pantheon on the Tree of Life

The Qabalistic Tree of Life is a glyph that contains all and nothing. But, it is not my intention to explain the Tree of Life. Rather, I would like to share how I have placed the Feri Gods on the glyph and, perhaps more importantly, how I have explored the paths between them. This is a work in progress, so the path names are likely to shift and change and evolve along with my understanding. It would be great to have some feedback - please, look at the glyph and sit with the connections. Do any resonate with you? Why or why not?

Oh, if you click the image you should be able to view a bigger and clearer glyph. If you stretch your imagination, this glyph is not dissimilar to the lemniscate representation of the Pantheon.

Happy Qabala-ing.

5th Annual Brigid Poetry Festival

This meme has been circulating the Blogosphere for five years now - way before I even had a blog! However, I've decided I want in. Here is my offering to Brigid; although I don't work with the Goddess regularly, I know this time of year belongs to Her. Thanks to Reya and Anne Hill for this. Enjoy!

A Simple Rhyme for Brigid

The candles flicker, brightly round

Her head of lights, so gaily crowned,

To greet the year, we sing the sound,

As hand to hand we tread the ground.

As fire warms the heart and mind,

The growing year shall now unwind,

Good health and happiness we'll find,

Beneath every poem, Her name is signed.

So make the pledge, a bell to chime,

That seals the promise for all of time,

We seek connection, pure, sublime;

And honour Her, whose gift is Rhyme.

(Throw coin into the wishing well,

Whisper softly, speak the spell,

Give some milk and ring a bell.

Who knows what Fey around here dwell?)