Toward Ecosophy

Here's the second paper on working with the element of water, including the series of scryings of elemental Water you're assigned before proceeding to the 3° initiation, which will be posted next week. We're close to the halfway point in this data dump!

Ritual for Working with the Element of Water

To prepare for the following ritual, place a chair in the West or stand to the east of a chair in your room.  Make a list of questions you want to ask about the Elemental World of Water.  Face the West and trace the blue triangular symbol for Water in front of you as you would in creating a Sphere of Protection.

Invoke the Water Element in your usual manner.  Expand that blue Water symbol to be as large as a triangular door.  Stand there and ask for permission to enter the World of Water for instruction about the Element of Water and the Elemental World of Water.  Wait for permission.  It may take a minute, just relax, breathe deeply and listen.  Soon you’ll hear or feel the message to enter.

Stepping through the blue doorway is like stepping through an invisible barrier into another world.  It is. Accept the invitation and step through the blue doorway, turn around and sit down in your chair.  Your physical body will be sitting down in this physical world, but your astral body will remain standing and alert in the Elemental World of Water.

Attend to your physical body by breathing deeply, relaxing and setting your intention to travel in the Elemental World of Water in your astral body.  Use the Essene Healing Breath Meditation or any similar form of active meditation.  Place your attention in your astral body in the Elemental World of Water and ask your questions one-at-a-time.

In the beginning we suggest asking only one or two questions.  The problem is not in receiving the answers, but in our ability to remember our questions and the answers as we move through this portal.  It’s not at all unusual for those entering the Elemental Worlds to forget their questions and not ask anything.  In time, asking questions gets easier and easier.

Sometimes the answer you receive is: “I don’t know,” and that’s a valid answer.  If you have the presence of mind, you might then ask: “Who does know the answer to my question?”

Once you have answers to your questions, thank the beings who have been working with you and ask for permission to depart.  That permission is always given but sometimes a short message is communicated first.  Keep in mind that you’ve entered a world where your desire is their command to perform acting under their own laws and regulations.  Your request for permission to leave will always be granted and the request is always appreciated.  So is a simple: “Thank you.”

As you return your attention to this physical reality you realize the blue doorway is in front of you and your astral body is on the other side of that doorway.  Just will your astral body to come through the doorway and return to your body.  It will.  Now by an act of will, diminish the size of the blue Water symbol to a dot and bring it into your aura so it becomes a part of you.  It is no longer a doorway to the Elemental World of Water.  It is a part of you as is the knowledge you learned while visiting there.

It’s a good idea to perform this ritual several times before taking your 2 = 9 initiation.  The knowledge you learn will serve you well.  Here are some typical questions for which you can receive answers (but these are only a few  suggestions and are not intended to limit your questioning in any way):

   1.      What can Water Elementals teach me about myself?

   2.      What can Water Nature Spirits (Water nymphs) teach me about myself?

   3.      Is there a Water Nymph willing to be one of my Spirit Guides?

   4.      If so, what is that Nymph’s name?

   5.      What will you teach me (name of Nymph)?

   6.      What’s the name of the Water Angel in charge of my body?

   7.      What will you teach me (name of Angel)?

Elementals and Nature Spirits do not have egos.  Elementals have spirits.  Nature Spirits have spirits and souls.  Both are very genuine and unencumbered by egos and ego wars.  But they do appreciate common courtesy and they appreciate our gratitude and our prayers.

Angels do not have puffed-up egos like humans, but they do appreciate our gratitude.  They not only appreciate our prayers for them, they appreciate our acknowledgement of their existence and value.  So does the Archangel Gabriel who is the Grand Commander of the Elemental World of Water.

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The following essay by John Gilbert covers methods you can use to cleanse material objects of negative energies. It was originally written to provide instructions for clearing negative energies from divination decks, but the methods given in the essay can be used for any object small enough for you to pick up in your hand.

Clearing Negative Energies From Objects

It is important to clear negative energy from objects before you use them for spiritual purposes, and there are several ways of doing this. These techniques can be used for removing negative energy from divination decks, other divination tools, crystals, amulets, talisman, bracelets, brooches, necklaces, magical working tools, ceremonial implements and other personal or spiritual articles. The instructions given will usually work with one application of the technique

The first method I want to discuss here is elemental clearing or cleansing  This is accomplished using symbols chosen to represent the elements of Earth, Water, Fire and Air. The usual symbols are given in this paper but readers are encouraged to use any similar materials in their own clearing rituals. Clearing with Spirit is called consecration and will be covered later in this paper. Clearing with elemental working tools is also a form of consecration.

As a rule, you'll find that you can generally clear and cleanse the object of unwanted negative energies all at once. If extreme cleansing is needed, you can repeat the process. As a rule only one form of elemental clearing is used. However, readers are encouraged to be creative and use as many elements as desired.

When the allotted period of time expires, check the object to see if it still exudes any negative energy. If in does, or if in doubt about the outcome, repeat the process as many times as required to clear the object of all negative energy. When you're done with the cleansing, dispose of the materials used for the cleansing.

Earth Elemental Clearing  

1. Bury the object in sand, salt or dirt for twenty-four hours.

2. Leave on a tablecloth and sprinkle it with salt and/or sand, and leave it for one to two minutes.

3. Leave the object as above but instead of salt and/or sand, use any combination of any of the following herbs: Basil, Lavender, Rosemary, Sage, or Thyme. 

4. Rub the object for a minute or two with any of these materials.

5. Place the object under your pillow or mattress and sleep on it overnight.

Water Elemental Clearing

1. Sprinkle the object lightly with water. Wipe immediately.

2. Sprinkle the object with salt water (1 tablespoon salt to 1 cup water). Wipe immediately.

3. Sprinkle the object with consecrated water. Wipe immediately.

4. Sprinkle the object with any herbal tea or plant infusion. Wipe immediately.

5. Expose the object to moonlight in a protected area for half the night.

Fire Elemental Clearing

1. Pass the object quickly through a candle flame. Don't burn yourself.

2. Place the object on a table with a candle holder and lighted candle on it for five minutes.

3. Place the object on a table with a candle and aromatic oil diffuser for five minutes.

4. Expose the object to sunlight in a protected area for half a day.

Air Elemental Clearing

1. Pass the object five to seven times over burning incense.

2. Smudge the object with sage or any similar smudge.

3. Take a deep breath and breathe deeply and slowly into the object three times.

4. Place the object on a device playing good music for one hour.

Cleansing By Consecration

Consecration is an intention to make a person, place or thing holy. By making it holy all negativity is completely and instantly removed from the person, place or thing. Intention is the most important ingredient in any consecration. If you intend to bless, clear, cleanse and consecrate a person, place or thing, and your intention is sincere, then the consecration occurs just as you intend it.

Consecration is usually done in a reverent manner, preceded by prayers of invocation, thanksgiving and petition. Invocation is a prayer asking Deity, by whatever name you wish to use, to assist in the intended ceremony. Thanksgiving is a prayer thanking Deity for one's life, blessings, gifts, health, family, friends and happiness. Petition is a prayer asking for something. Be careful, prayers of petition are not begging for fame and fortune. They're prayers asking for forgiveness, assistance, knowledge and blessing.

To consecrate an object, first decide what purpose the object is to serve. Prepare yourself and your spiritual altar for the ceremony. Invoke the Deity of your choice and inform this Deity of your intention in regards to the tarot deck. Ask Deity to assist you in performing the ceremony and accomplishing your intention.

The next step is to recite whatever prayers of petition and thanksgiving you want to use. Following these prayers is the consecration ceremony. This can be as simple as: "In the name of (name of Deity) I hereby bless, clear, cleanse, charge and consecrate you to be (blank) for the purpose of (blank)." Fill in the blanks according to your intention and purpose for this object.

Cleansing With Elemental Working Tools

Elemental working tools are special implements consecrated to be the representative for a particular element. The elemental working tools used in the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose are as follows:

Air - Book

Water - Cup

Fire - Wand

Earth – Pentacle

Cleansing with an elemental working tool is usually done in a formal ritual but this is not required. The opening and closing ritual you have already learned is suitable for this purpose if you choose to use formal ritual. The form used is entirely up to the practitioner and may include invocation of Deity, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of cleansing and consecration, and closing prayers. The ritual may include representatives of any or all of the elements—the fan, incense, water, and salt used in FHR temple rituals are entirely suitable for this purpose. During the ceremony the object is normally touched by one or more of the elemental working tools accompanied with words of blessing, clearing, cleansing, charging and consecration.

Other Cleansing Methods

Using a spiritual space:  Placing the object on your spiritual altar for a day or two can achieve the same purpose. This may sound strange, but readers who use this approach say it helps to inform your altar of the purpose for placing the object there. By simply saying: "I'm placing this” (name the object) “in this holy space for the purpose of removing all negativity from it," the process seems to work better.

My personal feeling about this is that holy space is closely aligned with Deity. Whatever you say to Deity or this holy space will be heard by the elementals, nature spirits and angels assigned to that space. Since these beings all want to work with humanity, it's just natural for them to clear and cleanse any object you place on your altar. By stating your purpose in doing so you remove all ambiguity and give the elementals, nature spirits and angels some guidance according to your desires. Ask and it shall be given unto you.

If you regularly clear and cleanse yourself from all negativity or place a sphere of protection around yourself, you're a walking spiritual space yourself. You can keep objects in your aura for a period of time in order to cleanse and clear it of all negativity. You can accomplish the same goal by placing a personal amulet on top of the object. A personal amulet is a pocket object or totem you carry with yourself for some purpose such as protection.

You can create a spiritual space anywhere you want by consecrating that space. You could use a drawer, a table or furniture top, a room or a space outside in the yard or garden. Consecrate this space and place the object there for a day. Again, it helps to let this space know the purpose of leaving the object there. I also like to announce for how long the object will remain in this place. Usually it's one day but, if the object is really negatively charged, I'll leave it there for a week or even longer.

Using a spiritual object:  You can rest the object on a table or in a drawer with any spiritual object of your choice. If you don't already have a few spiritual objects on your altar, you can consecrate one and use it with the item you want to clear. Telling your spiritual object the purpose for leaving it with the other object really seems to speed up the process.

I usually have one or more amulets of protection, love and peace available for this purpose. I also use spiritual objects from my spiritual altar from time to time. It doesn't matter what the object is. Wha tmatters is the purpose for which that object was consecrated. For example, an abundance wand may not be the best object to use for removing negative energies. Objects used for blessing, protection, clearing, cleansing and consecration generally work the best in my opinion.

In Closing...

As with most things spiritual, your intention is the most important part of the ritual or ceremony. Be very clear about your intention in regards to any objects you wish to clear and cleanse. Voice these intentions out loud so angels, nature spirits and elementals know your intentions regarding the object to be cleared. Expect good things to happen and they will.