The magician begins in a safe, undisturbed place, in whatever clothing is comfortable and appropriate for the work. Pen and paper should be on hand. THE PERFECTED SELF
0) Banishing - There are many types of banishing. A traditional one making use of elemental quarters, such as the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or the Star Ruby (see Appendix 1), is recommended. Attributions of the quarters as given below match those of the Star Ruby. If you choose to use another banishing, the quarters in The Perfected Self can easily be re- arranged to match that system.
1) Choose five terms for the Perfected Self (for instance, Holy Guardian Angel, Tao, God, Goddess, Adonai, IAO, etc.).
Say: "I invoke Thee:" Vibrate each of the chosen words.
2) Recall three (3) times when you were acting with what you believe was purposeful Will, times when you were effective, free of distractions and secure in what you were doing. If you can't remember three of these times, it is fine to either imagine what such a time would be like, or borrow someone else's experience (i.e. someone you know or respect, or a character in a book or movie). Choose a word that sums up this state (for instance, Will, Thelema, Effective, Strong, Congruent, etc.). Access each state by recalling (or imagining) what you saw, what you felt, and what you heard at that time. When the experience is strong in your mind, then vibrate the word. Repeat for each of the three experiences.
3) Face East, think of 5 terms for (or that relate to) Earth (for instance, Soil, Ground, Rock, Mineral, Ore, etc.). Recall or imagine a personal experience that relates to each term. One by one, for each of the five terms, remember or imagine what you saw, what you felt, what you heard. When the experience is strong in your mind, vibrate the term. It is okay if some of the experiences you remember or imagine for each term overlap somewhat (for instance, Rock and Mineral may have some things in common). Repeat for each of the 5 terms.
4) Face North, think of 5 terms for Air. Repeat as you did for Earth the experience (visual, auditory and physical) of each of the 5 terms and the vibration of words at the peak of each experience.
5) Face West, think of 5 terms for Water. Repeat as above.
6) Face South, think of 5 terms for Fire. Repeat as above.
7) Face East, but concentrate above head, directly up. Think of 5 terms for Spirit. Repeat as above. (You may need to use more imagination than recall for this one.)
8) Take one step backward. Reflect on yourself. Decide on some qualities that make you distinctly you, for better or worse. Reflect on some assets and disadvantages, such as the way you relate to other people, the kind of work you do, or whatever comes immediately to mind. It is okay if it is not complete -- you may decide on different aspects each time you use the ritual. Visualize/feel/hear these things as something separate from you, but occupying the same space.
9) Slowly take a step forward, leaving that representation of yourself behind. Feel/see/hear yourself slowly coming forth from that, as if you are being born into the world.
10) Turn around to face that representation of yourself. Hold your hands out to it and imagine it being condensed into something you can hold in your hands, drawing into itself. Concentrate it down into something the size of a pea. Take that pea and place it on the floor, between your feet, for safe keeping.
11) Turn around to the East. Face each quarter in turn, and vibrate each of the 5 words for each of the 5 elements (inc. spirit), placing the energy of the vibration outside the circle, allowing it to rush back into circle, flooding it, at the end of each set of 5 words. There is no need to concentrate on the experiences you used to charge these words, just concentrating on the sound, sight and feel of the word itself is enough.
12) Still facing East, take the pea from between your feet. Hold it up over your head and give it away, allowing it to dissipate into the universe.
13) Vibrate the word that you generated in step (2). Vibrate the 5 terms for perfected self. Locate the sound/feeling/vision of the vibration in your heart, experience it welling out from there and filling you.
Say: "The universe. The universe. The universe." (Or some other expression of the macrocosm.)
14) Take a deep breath. Turn your attention toward your heart. Decide what the experience of the words you have vibrated looks like, sounds like, or feels like. It may be a symbol, or a sigil, a word, or a feeling, or a tone, or something else entirely. It may be nothing at all. Get this in your mind as fully as possible, then sit down, take your pen and paper and describe or draw this as best as you are able. It may be something complex, or it may be simple... let your intuition guide you. It may make sense immediately, or not. Record it without judgment.
15) Gaze at your record and meditate for a few minutes (see Appendix.2).
© 1998 Philip H. Farber. All rights reserved.