Lesson 16

Lesson 16: Etheric & astral travel/Rituals of the pentagram and hexagram/Element of fire

Introduction: Lesson 16 is the final lesson in the outer court/Low Priesthood series of lessons. Traditionally, this lesson was received with a test for admission to the inner court/High Priesthood lessons. The completed test would be returned with the request/payment for lesson 17. If the applicant received a passing grade on the test, a small kit was sent to the student for use in the initiation ritual for the Grand Priesthood/inner court.

For this course, anyone wishing initiation should complete the testing materials on the testing page for all of the lessons including the one for lesson 16. These should be emailed to mystictekaa@gmail.com . Please be patient while waiting for a response. It takes some time and effort on my part to evaluate your responses. When you receive your response it will include feedback on your answers and, if you are ready, further instructions on the initiation ritual procedure.

Traditionally, initiations were performed in person. With the advent of distance education the Order developed a method for remote initiation. This involved the ready applicant receiving a piece of cloth, a cassette tape, and a certificate of initiation with the seals of the High Priesthood. The cloth was charged with the energy of initiation. Direct contact was used to transfer this energy which would be unlocked during the course of the ritual. The combination of the properly attuned energy in the cloth, the charged seals on the certificate, patchouli oil (provided by the student), and the contents on the tape made for a powerful initiation ceremony. I myself was skeptical about this kind of thing when I received by kit in the mail. I followed the directions and, much to my surprise, it worked.

The reason remote initiation works is because the power comes directly from the Creator. Distance is no issue here. One need only find the correct energy frequency. This is where our remote method differs from the previously described one. Rather than send you objects, we are able to use the teachings provided in this lesson to remotely charge an item with the correct frequency. What we have found is that this actually works better than the old method of remote initiation.

Why? Because it requires that the student has practiced the methods of the Order and has attained a certain proficiency with the techniques contained here in lesson 16. Under the old method it was possible (though rare) for the initiation to fail. This happened because the student simply had not developed the skills required or put in the work needed to develop to the point of being ready. Our method reduces the chance of this happening as the student is actively involved in starting the process of initiation.

To achieve success in this the student must first practice the methods given here. These methods build upon the energy work given in previous lessons. It gives you the skills to refine the method used to charge your tarot deck. Without some practice in these things, initiation simply won’t happen. With practice however, you can reach a level in your development where remote initiation by our method not only becomes possible, it becomes a powerful step into the next phase of your training.

Etheric and Astral Projection: This lesson is the bulk of the intermediate work. The lessons leading to this are designed to build your energetic perception, strengthen your energetic body/bodies, and develop concentration and relaxation. Before beginning any etheric or astral it is vital that you have deeply developed the skill of relaxation. Please review lesson 1’s section on relaxation. You should have been practicing this regularly. Now, you are going to go back to practicing it every night. The ability to completely relax the body is key to success in the training in this lesson. Failure to take the power of relaxation seriously will result in the effectiveness of these teachings being greatly reduced. In fact, one of the main reasons people fail at astral and etheric projection is that they simply do not know how to relax fully. We can say that full relaxation is the first secret to effective etheric and astral work.

The second secret is that you must have built up your energetic body/bodies to the point where you can do this. This is just common sense, but a bit of common sense that is overlooked in most astral projection books and sites. Trying to do this is like someone who has never ran trying to run a 5K. Oh sure, you might make the whole distance, but there is no way you are going to be able to make it running! You have to build up to it.

Now, people will argue that astral and etheric travel are a natural part of human existence. The Order teaches that these are where you go when you dream. But unless you have mastered lucid dreaming you don’t have any control over this do you? It is hard enough to remember our dreams. You have to work at this by keeping a dream journal and using a mantra like “I will remember my dreams.” Few people have these gifts naturally occurring. For those who do, they can still benefit greatly from learning how to control them.

Your training up to this point has placed down the groundwork needed for building up your energetic body. There are many ways of dividing up the bodymind. Ultimately, the separation of the body and mind into various parts is a major delusion and hindrance to spiritual development. For these purposes it is a useful tool. Use it during your training period then discard it when you no longer need it. For the sake of this training, we will indulge in this convenient, if inaccurate, tool.

The densest body for our purposes will be designated as the physical body. This is the flesh and bones you inhabit. This is the primary vehicle of your consciousness and this has been where you have performed the majority of your work. The vital life force which you have worked to cultivate to this point is what we work with in magic. The energetic bodies described here interface with you through a combination of this energy, imagination, and will. Imagination is where your sensation (physical body) and your perception (awareness/mind) meet. This is why visualization skills are so important. Imagination is the tool that we use when we apply visualization. It is what directs your energy. A trained imagination is the core of these practices. The following techniques build that imagination, those visualization skills to a new level.

This new level allows you to control your interaction with the energetic bodies. The first energetic body is the etheric body. This is by far the most practical of the energetic bodies as it is the closest to the physical. There are many levels to the practice of magic. Learning to work with the etheric body is one of the highest. It allows you to work with no physical tools. You simply relax, enter your etheric body, enter your ritual space on the etheric plane, and do your work.

Next is the astral body, which is divided up into two levels. The lower astral body and the higher astral body. The distinction between the two is really a matter of opinion, and one we will leave up to you to discover if you choose to spend time on this. The astral plane, where the astral body works, is similar to the physical plane on the lower levels. Unlike the physical world, both the lower and etheric planes are directly malleable to the will of the observer.

The higher astral tends to be more abstract. It is often perceived as colors, sounds, or other sensations. These may be like what you experience on the physical plane only more intense. These may also be like nothing you experience here. The perception of this plane is directly influenced by emotion. Magical work done here can manifest in surprising and unexpected ways. Some teaching can be done on this, but it must be done in person as it is something that requires direct experience.

Beyond the higher astral there is what is known as the mental body and the causal body. These and any other division people like to make are beyond the scope of this course. This is because they simply are not practical or useful division. Often these additional division serve only to confuse the student. If you perceive them directly you can understand them. Any instruction on them only serve as a waste of time. The only reason they are even mentioned in the teachings is so the student will be aware of them.

Etheric Training: The aura is a perceptible emanation of where these various levels of energy interface with the physical body. It is an energetic manifestation of your bodymind. When your body is relaxed you find that you can move your awareness, your consciousness to various locations in your body. Sending your mind to various parts of your relaxed body is the best way to learn to control your attention.

The ability to enter the etheric and astral bodies for practical purposes requires that you be able to shift your attention and move your awareness/consciousness at will and sustain this movement. The degree to which you have mastered this skill will directly influence the degree to which you can utilize your etheric or astral body.

In order to use the etheric, and later the astral, body you must be able to relax completely and shift your conscious awareness into the energetic body. Your consciousness requires a body. This is where the teachings finally admit that the physical body is subject to physical laws and isn’t able to live forever. The belief of physical immortality was a tool used to motivate students to progress and take care of their physical bodies. The work of building your energetic bodies and learning how to use them is made very difficult by a sick physical body. Hopefully now you are starting to understand why health is so important in these teachings.

To fully use the advanced training provided later in the course (NHJV and Ishmahti) the level of etheric training must be mastered. You can start working on NHJV once you have the basics of etheric training down, but you won’t master it. Ishmahti’s foundational training is in relaxation that builds upon the relaxation you must be proficient in to use the training offered here. Each lesson builds upon the skills of previous lessons. We hope you realize this and understand that proceeding past lesson 16 without proficiency in the lessons in the outer court is just a waste of time!

Now that you know how important the basics are, on to the meat of etheric training.

When you first start, you want conditions to be right. No distractions or noises. Time your first attempts around the time of the full moon, 3 days before, the day of, and 3 days after. These are the times when etheric and astral projection are the easiest for beginners. The week before and after the new moon/dark of the moon are not suited for this kind of practice for beginners. We are not saying that you cannot do this at those times. Just that it is more difficult. You should stick to simple or basic exercises at these times until you have mastered the practice.

The time between the winter solstice and the spring equinox is also a time of difficulty for many students new to etheric or astral travel.

When you first start trying out of body experiences, which is what etheric and astral travels are, you will want to stick close to your physical body. Start by charging your self with energy. You can use the power chants and Star Position for this. Lay down and relax completely. Practice moving your awareness around your body for a few minutes.

Next, take a moment to practice abdominal breathing. When ready, inhale without expanding your chest. Pull your navel in as you do this. This is the first step in what is part of a breathing technique known as reverse breathing. You contract your abdomen while inhaling deeply (the second step is to push your abdomen out while exhaling. This a is method of breathing for martial arts and should not be used here.). As you exhale pull your navel in as far as you can. Try to bring it to your spine. This may make a grunting noise. That is normal. Repeat this breathing cycle, inhale as you contract your abdomen and exhale as you squeeze it to your spine, for a total of three times. As you do so visualize your energetic body as your consciousness transfers out of your physical body into it.

This breathing method helps awaken the solar plexus chakra which helps open up these kinds of practice for you. After some practice you should begin to get the sense that you are succeeding in getting your awareness into your energetic body. Now is when you start to develop your energetic senses.

Take time to study the area you will be doing this work in in detail. Set up stations for each sense of perception you wish to develop. The course recommends using a bar magnet for these purposes. You start by physically trying to sense the magnet with your five senses while in your physical body. Then practice it while in your etheric body. Visualize the magnet and try to hear it with your energetic ears. Repeat with your sense of smell, taste, and touch. You will be working on sight while doing the other four.

This method works well for some. If you find it is less than effective or you would like further practice, set up stations in your home using more conventional items. You can dab a favorite essential oil on some cotton balls and leave them in one place to practice smelling. Put some brightly colored items in another location to work on your sight. Items of differing textures can be used for touch. Sound is a little harder to work with in this respect. You may try to leave out a bell and practice hearing it ring. If there is something in your home that regularly makes noise, like the hum of an appliance, you can use this too. A kitchen timer or clock that ticks work well. Just be sure that if they have a bell it will not disturb your concentration when it sounds.

Charging of the Centers: This is a common practice in many systems. It is a variation on the chakra work you learned about earlier. While the chakra work of the Order uses more, the typical number worked with is seven. The exercise we are about to share is a little simpler in that it only uses six. After the six version you will be given a version that works with only five. There is another version, used in qigong and other Chinese practices, which only uses three.

These methods are often taught to beginners of other systems. So why are they included in the intermediate work here?

The methods taught previously are foundational exercises for building your spiritual energy. These methods will build it to some degree on their own but are no where near as effective. In order to gain full benefits from any of the following three methods the student must be able to sense their own energy, visualise effectively, and understand the basics of breathing and meditation.

With proficiency in the lessons preceding this one, these three methods are able to go beyond what most people learn them for. They work to enhance your basic visualization skills. They allow you to work with your energy instead of just moving it or building it. Learning these methods first won’t cause any harm, but the student will simply not reap the full benefits of the exercises without the foundational knowledge and experience provided in the earlier lessons of this course.

Six Center Method: The six center method is based in qabalistic practices, and is used by some adherents in the Golden Dawn. It will be left up to the student to decide if they would like to do more research into this practice. A simplified version is given here.

Start by standing tall, arms at your sides. Relax and feel as if suspended by a string from the crown of your head. Begin 8-4-8-4 rhythmic breathing for a few minutes. Bring your attention to the the area just above the top of your head and visualize a bright white sphere several inches in diameter. As you breathe deeply, see the sphere glow brighter and brighter.

When ready, draw the light down to your third eye as you inhale. As you exhale you become aware of another sphere filling your head. Keeping these two spheres in your mind’s eye, draw the brilliant white light down into your upper chest. The sphere here will fill encompassing from your neck to your heart. When this one is full, keep all three in your mind’s eye as you inhale the light down to your solar plexus. Fill this sphere.

Keeping these four spheres in your mind’s eye, bring the light down to your groin/pelvis. Fill the sphere that is in your pelvis. Keeping all of these spheres in your mind’s eye, inhale the light down to a few inches below your feet. Let the earth sphere fill with white light. It should be the same size as the other spheres.

Hold this flow of energy, letting it move with your breath from the crown center to the earth center. Then let it go.

Now, reverse the process starting with the bright white light emanating from the earth sphere. Draw the light up with each inhalation through each center. Root then solar plexus, then upper chest, then third eye, then above your head. Hold this flow for a few moments.

With practice you will be able to fill the spheres faster and spend more time focused on the energy flow.

An important note of practice is that with these kinds of exercises you should allow the energy to flow rather than trying to collect or absorb it. The flow of energy will naturally increase your ability to move more energy. Attempting to cling to the energy will slow or even prevent the flow from happening. The flow is actually what recharges your spiritual batteries as it were. The only case where this is different is when you are gathering energy into your dantian as explained below in the three center method.

Five Center Method: This method is a variation on the above method. It is my variation on the methods used in Chaos magick. If you are not familiar with Chaos magick theory you should spend some time looking into it. It isn’t for everyone, and we certainly do not agree with everything they say. However, their magical practices are typically very simple and effective.

Start as before, arms down to the side, relaxed, suspended by a string. Breath deeply using abdominal breathing. When ready, focus on the area of your crown chakra, inhale deeply to fill it with light and intone the vowel “iiiiiiiiiiiii” to vibrate the energy center. Inhale the energy down to your throat and fill this sphere. intone “eeeeeeee” to vibrate this center. Bring the energy down to your heart and intone “aaaaaaaaye” to vibrate this center. Bring the energy down to your abdomen, just below the navel, and intone “ooooooooo” to vibrate this sphere. Bring the energy down to your root/groin and intone “uuuuuuuuuur” to vibrate this sphere.

As you intone the vowel for each sphere you should try to feel the area or region of your body vibrate. You may repeat the top to bottom process two more times or proceed to the reverse direction. Start at the root/groin sphere and work your way back up in reverse order vibrating “uuuuur, ooooo, aaaaye, eeee, iiiiii”. You can do this repeatedly or proceed to the next part.

With all five spheres worked, bring your attention to your aura. Surround yourself with the light as you intone “ommmmmmm” to vibrate your whole body and your aura. Finally, bring your attention to the flow from top to bottom and intone “nnggggggg” as the energy pierces through you. This is a very nasal sound and should start vibrating in your sinuses and spread from there.

The last two are optional, but effective. Intoning for the crown/head should be a high pitch. Work your way down slowly to a low pitch for the root/groin. So, “iiii” should be as high of a pitch as you can manage and “uurrr” should be as low or deep as you can manage. The aura can be done in your natural speaking pitch, and the flow “nnggg” should be a slightly higher pitch.

You can add color to this practice if you like. Here are the associations:

Three Center Method: The three center method is the simplest of these practices. It is based in the traditional Chinese concept of the dantian. Traditionally, there were three dantian levels. The highest, at the crown/head, was associated with heaven. The middle, at the heart/chest, was associated with man. The bottom, lower dantian in your abdomen, is associated with earth.

Used here, heaven doesn’t mean some place you go when you die. Rather it indicates the celestial aspect of our plane of existence. It can be seen as the sky, but that is a gross oversimplification. The position of man refers to humankind. Earth refers to the earth. These three in their proper positions, with heaven on top, man in the middle, and earth on bottom, is considered to be the natural order of the universe. We will leave it to the student to explore Chinese/Daoist philosophy further on these matters.

Start this method as you did the other two. Then, step out so that your feet are shoulder width apart and bend your knees slightly. Breathing deeply from the abdomen, draw light into your top center. Then, bring it down to your heart center. Finally, fill your lower dantian. End by closing the top, then middle, then concentrating the energy into your lower dantian.

A variation on this starts with you drawing energy up from the earth. Bring it into your lower dantian as you inhale and release it back into the earth as you exhale. After a few minutes, draw down energy from above you into your lower dantian and release it back as you exhale. After a few minutes, combine the two and draw energy in from both above and below on as you inhale and release it back as you exhale.

You can include hand motions with any of the above. It is common to use the hands to guide the energy and attention. Experiment with this and explore other sources until you find movements that work well for you. Qigong (chi kung) is a great place to start looking.

Astral Projection: When you have been working with etheric travel and charging your centers for a while, astral travel will not be difficult for you to learn. Many people find the transition over to astral travel to be much easier than the transition to etheric travel was.

Follow a similar method as used in etheric travel to develop your astral senses. The only difference is that you will be shifting your conscious awareness past your etheric body and into your astral. The process is different for everyone and is difficult to explain. However, once you feel comfortable in your etheric body, finding your way into your astral body will be a fairly easy task.

As mentioned above, the astral realm is much more pliable than the etheric or physical. The etheric realm does bend to your will to some degree. Thought formations and strong emotional experiences can leave their mark on the etheric plane as well. These are manifest with even greater ease on the astral plane. This is one way of knowing which plane you are working on. The astral is more like a dream state.

Another way to tell is by how you move. When you first start off on the etheric plane most students find that they have the sensation of walking. They must learn to move in other ways if they desire to do so. It is the opposite on the astral. Students often find that the simple task of walking is difficult but gliding or flying is easy and natural.

The relative malleability of these two realms presents a few challenges, especially for the beginner. First of all is fear. You must remain in a calm and peaceful state while on these planes. Strong emotions can have any number of effects. You may manifest or attract entities attracted to the strong emotion. You will certainly alter what you perceive on these planes if you experience strong emotions. The desires or emotions of others can influence the appearance of these planes. Learning to distinguish between what is “really there” and what “isn’t” is a difficult task. There is no easy way to do it either. You simply need to gain a great deal of experience. Even experienced etheric and astral travelers may have trouble distinguishing a strong manifestation with something that is “actually” there.

I have placed these words in quotes because the truth is whatever you perceive IS what is there. You will be perceiving etheric and astral components of what exists on the physical plane along with manifestations of emotions and desires. This is one of the drawbacks to this kind of travel. Not everything you experience on the etheric plane will have a direct physical manifestation. The more you transition over to the astral the more truth this statement has. Time is also much more flexible on these planes. People travel back through time and find out things that are later confirmed through more physical means. Of course people also travel back through time or travel across great distances and find themselves believing they are interacting or observing astral or etheric events that have a direct relationship with physical reality when in fact they do not.

Exploration trips can be a lot of fun. They can give you great practice. Just be careful to keep in mind the incredible influence the mind has on these realms.

For these reasons, it is always best to have a plan or purpose before setting out on the astral or etheric planes. One of the best uses is for working magic. Once you have good proficiency and focus you can begin to work rituals, magic, or healing from the etheric and/or astral plane. To do so you simply follow the above steps for entering your etheric body. From here you do what you would normally do in your physical body. You may well find some other ways of working, but for now just do it like you would in your physical body.

If you work with any magical tools you can use their etheric counterparts with this kind of practice. Simply visualize the tool and feel it in your etheric hand and you will find you are wielding it. From here it is easy to bridge over into shamanic work, but that is a complete study unto itself!

Safety: On occasion you may encounter an entity (either created by you or attracted to you) who you find to be menacing or threatening. It would be very difficult for anything to harm you on these planes, even if you were willing for it to do so. It is almost impossible if it is against your will. If you have performed any form of protection spell or practiced the cross of power and protection to any degree, then you are perfectly safe from astral and etheric entities.

However, you may find that some of them harass you or hinder your journey. While this poses no danger to you, you may find it annoying. It may even upset you or make you afraid. This will certainly alter your perception and thereby alter what is present on these planes. For this reason you should know that if you draw a banishing pentagram, visualizing the pentagram as you do, that whatever entity stands before you will be banished from you.

As we have said before, if you ever feel you are in danger (you won’t be of course!) or you feel like you need to return to your body, you need only think of your feet. You will be immediately returned to your physical body. There is a lot of misinformation out there about demons trying to get you or the occasional urban legend about someone’s silver cord being cut while traveling. These are nonsense. Anyone having encounters with demonic entities while doing this work is either creating these entities through their own perceptions or attracting them through negative or harmful work. The silver cord is something you have to visualize to have. It is a representation of your conscious connection to your physical body. It is NOT the literal connection! I have never bothered with this cord. We have spoken to many people who do this practice who have never bothered traveling with a silver cord. There is no purpose to visualizing a silver cord. It can only serve to distract you and draw concentration from the task at hand.

In the original course material the Ritual of the Pentagram was laid out in detail. We are not going to include that material here as it is readily available online. Simply search Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, or Ritual of the Pentagram, and you could spend a whole day reading about it. There are even videos available of people performing it.

What we are going to include here is a little information so you know what you are looking at. We are also going to include the version I use personally, which is based on the Gnostic Ritual of the Pentagram (developed by Peter Carrol, proponent of Chaos magick theory).

Ritual of the Pentagram: When using the pentagram you should know what you are planning to do with it. If you are banishing something or cleansing the area for spiritual work then you need to use the banishing pentagram. This is a five point star. Begin tracing the start from the bottom left hand corner to the top, from the top go down to the right, from the bottom right go up to the left, from top left go across to the right, from right top go down to the left where you started. You may encircle the pentagram with a counterclockwise circle or leave it as it is. Both are effective, so it is a matter of preference.

The invoking pentagram begins at the top. Sweep down to the left, from bottom left go up to the right, from top right go across to the left, from top left go down to the right, from bottom right go up to the center where you began. Again, you may encircle the invoking pentagram but this time with a clockwise circle.

When I perform this ritual, I start with the five center method above. When I have finished with the banishing pentagram ritual, I usually perform the five center method again. When I work with the banishing pentagram I visualize a red line while I intone “uuurrr”. I then proceed in the same order as listed above for bringing the energy up: red uuurr; orange oooo; green aaaye; blue eeee; yellow iiiii. I then circle with an indigo ommm and pierce with a violet nngggg. I then turn counterclockwise (to the left) and repeat the star. I do this once to each of the four direction. Typically I begin facing north, but this is more out of habit as once you progress past a certain point directions are not as important. You should begin facing east, unless north feels right to you too.

For the invoking pentagram I simply trace the invoking pentagram in the same order as the Five Centers method for drawing the energy down. So: yellow iiiii; blue eeeee; green aaaaye; orange ooooo; red uurrrr. Then I circle clockwise with an indigo ommm and pierce with a violet nnggg.

The colors add to the experience for me. If visualizing colored lines is a bit too much to start off with, simply stick with white light. This ritual is good practice for visualization skills and can be used before any ritual or other practice. The banishing ritual should be used to cleanse the area and provide some protection. The invoking ritual can be used to invoke the elements or to invite other aspects into your life. I have used it to invoke power, peace, and protection as part of a regular morning ritual with good success.   

The procedure really isn’t as difficult as it sounds. If you have any questions or confusion about it, please email us at mystictekaa@gmail.com for assistance. There are plenty of illustrations online of both the banishing and invoking pentagrams. Find one that feels right to you and work with it. You may want to print it out and practice tracing it.

When using either of these pentagrams you do want to make them large. Tracing a small pentagram simply isn’t as impressive to the mind. Larger pentagrams will hold your attention better and provide you with a better effect. Just don’t try to make it so large that you have difficulty tracing it. You should be able to remain stationary as you trace the pentagram in the air before you.

When you are using them to purify a space, you want to draw them at the edge of the area. You can press them outwards with your mind to some degree, but this takes practice to maintain their integrity. It is much easier to simply walk to the four directions of the area you are using when you perform this ritual. If you are casting a circle, you need only go as far as the edge of where you are casting your circle. If you are purifying a room, then you should move closer to the walls.

Some practitioners prefer to perform the banishing ritual before casting their circle, then perform the invoking ritual after the circle is cast. We have seen some of our fellow seekers cast the circle first and then perform the banishing ritual. Some claim that this will remove or weaken the circle, but we have never found this to be the case. Circles are cast with positive or neutral energy. The banishing ritual removes negative energy. So, go with which ever order feels best for you. The only way the banishing ritual is going to remove the circle is if you believe it is going to or if you intend for it to.

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram: This is a more traditional version of the one I use. In fact, I have not performed this version of it in many years. The reason is that this version requires you to have a basic understanding of Hebrew and Qabbalistic methods. It is commonly used by practitioners of traditions which draw heavily upon this element, such as the Golden Dawn or its offshoots. While there is nothing wrong with this, using this more complicated method doesn’t give any added benefit. In fact if you simply don’t believe in the Abrahamic religions, it will actually be less effective.

There are sufficiently detailed descriptions of this procedure online, so we are not going to make this long lesson any longer by repeating this material here.

What we are going to do is give you a little bit of information to make it more effective. Not all who practice this ritual know the entire thing. For a long time, several blinds were placed on it to prevent the uninitiated from using it. These existence of these blinds is now well know, but in case you run into a version with the blinds intact we do want you to know what you are looking at.

The first step is performing a version of the six center method above. To this method, practitioners often add words of power taken from the Qabbalistic Tree of Life. Each of the spheres of the tree has a name of God in Hebrew associated with it. A detailed discussion of this is well beyond the scope of this course. If you perform the six center method using the Qabalistic method you will intone these names as they associate with the tree as projected on you. It projects with the Pillar of Mercy (and the associated spheres) on your left hand side. The Pillar of Severity (and its spheres) are your right hand side. What the six center method does is to draw down power through the Middle Pillar by bringing it through the six spheres associated with this pillar.

The top or crown sphere is Kether and the bottom or earth sphere is Malkuth. The first blind exists as you are drawing power from the crown/Kether to Daath(knowledge), the sphere in your upper chest. This is the one third eye sphere. It is often left out of illustrations of the Tree and may be left out of this method, making it a five center method. However, this hidden sphere is vital to the proper success of working with either the Qabalistic version or the six center version.

You see, this hidden sphere is the Void which must be crossed to attain to Wisdom. You may draw whatever associations of sound to it you like, but silence is by far the most effective. Simply breathe through this one quietly. Go ahead and intone for the others, but keep silent on this one if you want to experience the full power of the using the Qabbalistic method of charging your energy centers.

When I was studying this material in earnest, there were a few differing version on the Names of power for Malkuth/earth. Just try out any you find and go with the one that works for you.

The Qabalistic cross is fairly straight forward. If you see a version that ends in Amen, know that this is the second blind. Amen, or more correctly AMN, is an abbreviation for Adonai Melekh Ne’eman (or Nehehmon) which means Lord King Faithful, or Lord o’faithful King.

As you perform the pentagram portion of the ritual, either the banishing or invoking, you will use various names of God, or words of power at each of the four directions. To the East is YHVH, or “Jehovah” or “Yahweh”. No one really knows how to pronounce this, so go with one that feels powerful t you. To the South is ADNI, “Adonai”, Lord. To the West is EHYH, or “Ehyeh”, existence. This is the I am of scripture. The third blind is found in the North. AGLA is not a word of power! It represents AThH GBOR LAOLM ADNI  “Atah Gibor Le-olam Adonai” and means “You o’Lord are mighty forever” or Thou are the power forever o’Lord.

The names of the archangels of each of the four directions are then used in the final part of the ritual. Each of these names has meaning in Hebrew and describes the angel. The Qabalistic cross should then be repeated.

How to use the Pentagram Rituals: Which ever version you choose, be sure to practice it regularly so that you can master it. When you have fully committed the procedure to memory, it is time to take the method to the next level. The reason this information is included here is that these rituals have a secondary purpose. The primary purpose of the banishing ritual is to remove negative energy and provide some protection to your work. It is a cleansing ritual. The invoking ritual puts you in contact with higher frequencies of energy which elevate and assist you in your spiritual progression. It can also be used to invoke specific qualities into your life.

The secondary function of these rituals is to build your ability to function on the etheric and astral planes. That is the main focus of this lesson and we have not forgotten that on what must have felt like a long tangent off course!

Once memorized, you should charge yourself, relax, and enter your etheric body. Perform the banishing ritual then return to your body. Practice doing this several times. When you are comfortable doing this, you can perform the invoking ritual while in your etheric body as well. After a some time of practicing you will have gained the basic skills needed to begin working magic and performing rituals on the etheric plane. You can follow the same procedures as you would on the physical plane, but you will likely find more effective methods if you spend enough time practicing.

The next section will finish the basic elemental training for the outer court. Once you have learned the material for fire and have some experience with both the banishing and invoking pentagram rituals on the etheric plane, you can begin to practice elemental meditations and eventually begin to work elemental magic on the etheric plane.

To forewarn you, this is very powerful magic. Working with the elements on the etheric plane can bring about some very drastic changes in your life, so be sure to take your time and gain as much understanding through meditation as you can before you apply what you have learned to making changes in your life using elemental magic on the etheric plane.

As before, when you are comfortable working with these things on the etheric plane, feel free to progress to the astral at your own pace. Just keep in mind that the manifestations of magic performed on the astral plane are not always predictable to the experienced seeker. It is even more so difficult for the novice to these practices. Be sure to be very, very clear and specific about what you are doing and what outcome you desire before attempting any magic on the astral plane. It would be a good idea to consult with whatever spirit guide you work with about what you want to do before attempting to work any magic on the astral.

Elemental magic

Fire:  Please see the Fire Star picture in the photo section of this site.

Fire is weightless. It deals with the motivation of movement, power, force, force in motion. It is a carrier, it radiates, and it is considered masculine. Some cultures, notably the Celts have attributed fire to a Goddess. These are worth meditating upon when working with fire.

Fire is the will, the life force, it moves forward. It is red on the physical plane. It is sunshine yellow on the spiritual planes

Fire is also anger, hatred, jealousy, and uncontrolled lust. Quenching the fires of these emotions can help quell them.

Air acts on fire to make a very logical use of power and energy. This is logical creativeness. Air feeds the flame, feeds the new idea. Air provides the inspiration, fire the drive to accomplish the idea.

Earth acts on fire to add willpower to energy. It is a very practical and materialistic force. Earth can be used to fuel fire to bring the will into manifestation.

NOTE: Air acting on fire (air of fire) can be used both to drive a brainstorming process and to make the connection between the idea process and the manifestation process. Earth acting on fire (earth of fire) can sustain the manifestation process and bring it to fruition.

Fire acts on fire to maximize the energetic output. It builds the will. This must be used with caution as it can lead to an excess of pride and self reliance. Taken to an extreme it can promote anger, rage, aggression, or destruction. Fire of fire can provide a great burst of energy but be careful not to burn out using it.

Water acts on fire to allow the manipulation of life force. Here, emotions will have a pronounced effect on creativity and energy level. This allows psychic abilities to combine with will to influence the world. Water helps to calm fire down. As in the kitchen, the combination of fire and water is great grounds for creativity. However, too much water will drown the fire out. One manifestation of this is how unchecked emotions can sap your energy.

Water on fire can be used to release a project once it is complete. On occasion, a project may be so important to you that you invest so much of yourself and your identity in it that you feel lost or sad when it ends (or manifests). Water of fire can help you to purify yourself of this or any other unhealthy attachment. In the right balance, it can help with the emotional cleansing process following a loss or breakup.

Spirit acts on fire to direct the creative process to causing spiritual changes. It can be used to raise the frequency of vibrations to bring about spiritual development or evolution.

Spirit of fire brings about the dark night of the soul or trials of some spiritual traditions. In many traditions a period of suffering precedes a sort of spiritual initiation. This may be characterized by a burst of spirit of fire which leaves the seeker temporarily “burnt” or disconnected from the effects of their practice. Those who make it through this time find that their practice gains much more meaning when it does start working again. This is the spiritual equivalent of turning turning it off and turning it on again. Some abandon their practice during this time because they do know know of this kind of occurrence.

In some traditions, the spirit of fire lasts longer. This may come as a health or personal crisis which tries the strength of your practice or faith. It may take you down a road of questioning or doubt. It may even come as the form of a near death experience. In some societies, this may indicate that the person is called to shamanic or spiritual work.

Endnote: Lesson 16 has been a long and difficult lesson to write. It is by no means comprehensive of what could have been put here. This subject matter could easily be its own book. In fact, many books have been written on this subject. We encourage you to find supplemental materials on these topics. Etheric and astral travel are skills you can spend the rest of your life honing. Some traditions believe this to be the key to immortality or life after death.

This is by far the most important and difficult lesson of the outer court. Please do practice diligently. It is recommended that you work on this material for at least one month before moving on to lesson 17. All of the material of the inner court is dependent upon your skills with the basics provided in the outer court material of lessons 1 through 16.