Purification, Consecration, And Opening Of The Temple By The Elements (With Commentary)
Ritual written 6-9-24.
Purpose: To purify (see commentary) and consecrate (see commentary) the mage and the ritual space in preparation for magick. This ritual would be done first, before other opening rituals (see commentary) and serves as a general “Opening Of The Temple”.
Required:
An altar facing East
A small cup of water (preferably the magickal tool of Water: the Cup)
A small container of salt (and ideally the magickal tool of Earth: the Pentacle)
An incense brazier with appropriate incense for the magickal operation at hand (and ideally the magickal tool of Air: the Dagger).
Note: I like a mix of 1 part frankincense, 1 part myrrh, and 2 parts hyssop for a basic temple blend.
A lighter (and ideally the magickal tool of fire: the Wand).
A magickal tool representing Spirit. Some traditions use another dagger (sometimes called the “athame”), others use an oil lamp. I use a prayer rope that I wrap around my right wrist and then use my right hand/fingers to trace pentagrams, draw circles, etc.
Preparation:
Arrange tools of the elements on the altar according to their associated directions in your tradition, with your tool of Spirit in the center.
Prepare incense and brazier in an appropriate way so that you can light the incense in it at the appropriate time. This may require a charcoal if your incense requires this.
Ritual:
Stand before the altar facing East.
Take a moment and ground and center according to your tradition.
If it is your will and in accordance with your values, do a land acknowledgment (please see this link for more information https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/informational/land-acknowledgment ).
Invoke Water:
Raise your Cup and hold it in both hands reverently before you and above the altar.
Visualize or otherwise internally represent elemental Water as blue, cool energy flowing through you, coming into you from the universe around you, focusing into the Cup, circulating through you, and then coming out again into through the Cup and back out into the universe, as if you were a conduit in a giant system of waterworks.
Verbally enunciate the properties of elemental Water as best you know them, ending with the phrase “Water is sacred.”
EXAMPLE: “Water. Water flows. Water is cool and water is moist. Water purifies. Water cleanses. Water cools. Water is the water in our oceans, our rivers, our lakes, our ponds. Water is the water in our homes, in our pipes, in our water bottles. Water is the blood within our veins. Water is our emotions, ever flowing. And Water is sacred.”
Place tool of Water back down in the appropriate location on altar.
Invoke Earth:
Raise your dish of salt and Pentacle and hold them in both hands reverently before you and above the altar.
Visualize or otherwise internally represent elemental Earth flowing through you as green, heavy energy coming into you from the universe around you via the dish of salt and tool of Earth, circulating through you, and then coming out again back into the universe via the dish of salt and tool of Earth, as if you were a conduit in a giant system of circulating stone, moss, and soil.
Verbally enunciate the properties of elemental Earth as best you know them, ending with the phrase “Earth is sacred.”
EXAMPLE: “Earth. Earth is a disk and the disk is a wheel, ever-turning, ever-changing. Earth is cool and Earth is dry. Earth solidifies. Earth manifests. Earth supports. Earth grounds. Earth is the ground beneath our feet, upon which we walk and live. Earth is the rich soil that brings forth life. Earth is the physical plane. Earth is our bodies. And Earth is sacred.”
Place the dish of salt and tool of Earth back in the appropriate place on altar.
Mix Earth and Water, both within yourself and within the Cup, by mixing three pinches of salt into the water in the Cup while saying:
“Let the salt of Earth admonish the Water to bear the virtue of the great sea”.
Hold up the Cup with mixed water and salt in your left hand and hold your right hand cupped over it facing down and say:
“Water and Earth, be thou adored!”
Anoint yourself with the mixed Water and Earth according to your tradition (such as a Rosy Cross/Celtic Cross on the forehead, a pentagram on the forehead, etc) and say softly to yourself:
“So therefore first the priest/exx/ess who governeth the works of Fire must sprinkle with the Water of the loud-resounding sea.”
Circumambulate clockwise starting in the East and sprinkle the mixed salt and water in a circle as you go (or dip your index finger in the mixed salt and water and trace crosses or Rosy Crosses/Celtic Crosses at the cardinal points) while saying authoritatively:
“So therefore first the priest/exx/ess who governeth the works of Fire, must sprinkle with the Water of the loud-resounding sea.”
Note: Make sure to say this so that you are finishing it as you finish the circle at the altar in the East.
Returning to the altar facing East, hold the Cup with the mixed salt and water in both hands reverently in front of you and above the altar and say:
“Thus purified, thou mayest approach the temple of the wise”.
Return the Cup to its place on the altar.
Invoke Fire:
Raise the lighter and Wand and hold them in both hands reverently before you and above the altar.
Visualize or otherwise internally represent elemental Fire as red, warm energy flowing through you, coming into you from the universe around you, focusing into the lighter and Wand, circulating through you, and then coming out again into through the lighter and Wand and back out into the universe, as if you were a conduit in a giant system of circulating flame.
Verbally enunciate the properties of elemental Fire as best you know them, ending with the phrase “Fire is sacred.”
EXAMPLE: “Fire. Fire burns. Fire is warm and Fire is dry. Fire sparks. Fire smolders. Fire spreads. Fire warms. Fire comforts. Fire destroys. Fire is the fire in our homes, in our hearths, in the electricity in our wires. Fire is the fire in our factories, in our forges, in our foundries. Fire is the fire in the core of the Earth, boiling and churning. Fire is the fire in the cores of the stars, burning forth to give us light. Fire is our will, our passion, our drive. And Fire is sacred.”
Place lighter and Wand back down in the appropriate location on altar.
Invoke Air:
Raise your incense brazier and Dagger and hold them in both hands reverently before you and above the altar.
Visualize or otherwise internally represent elemental Air as yellow, buoyant energy flowing through you, coming into you from the universe around you, focusing into the brazier and Dagger, circulating through you, and then coming out again into through the brazier and Dagger and back out into the universe, as if you were a conduit in a giant system of circulating, expansive wind.
Verbally enunciate the properties of elemental Air as best you know them, ending with the phrase “Air is sacred.”
EXAMPLE: “Air. Air is a blade, and the blade is a bridge. Air is warm and Air is moist. Air surrounds us. Air connects us. Air separates us. Air allows for sound to travel, allowing us to hear and be heard. Air gives us breath and life. Air is the the stick and the rope, dividing and connecting. Air is our speech, our communication, our thought. And Air is sacred.”
Place brazier and Dagger back down in appropriate place on altar.
Mix Fire and Air, both within yourself and within the brazier, by lighting the incense (or the charcoal and then putting the incense on it) with the lighter while saying:
“Let the Fire and Air make sweet the world!”
Hold up brazier with incense burning in left hand and hold right hand cupped over it facing down (be careful not to burn yourself!) and say:
“Fire and Air, be thou adored!”
Cense yourself with the smoke from the burning incense in the brazier according to your tradition (such as a Rosy Cross/Celtic Cross across the body, a pentagram across the body, etc) and say softly to yourself:
“And when, after all the Phantoms are banished, thou shalt see that holy and formless Fire, that Fire which darts and flashes through the hidden depths of the Universe; hear thou the Voice of Fire.”
Circumambulate clockwise starting in the East and cense the circle as you go, saying authoritatively:
“And when, after all the Phantoms are banished, thou shalt see that Holy and Formless Fire, that Fire which darts and flashes through the hidden depths of the Universe, hear thou the Voice of Fire.”
Note: Make sure to say this so that you are finishing it as you finish the circle at the Altar in the East.
Returning to the altar facing East, hold the brazier with the burning incense in both hands reverently in front of you and above the altar and say: “Thus consecrated, thou mayest approach the temple of the wise”.
Return brazier to proper location on the Altar.
Invoke Spirit:
Raise your tool of Spirit and hold it in both hands reverently before you and above the altar. Visualize or otherwise internally represent elemental Spirit as an oscillating mixture of white and black, scintillating, and tingling energy flowing through you, coming into you from the universe around you, focusing into the tool of Spirit, circulating through you, and then coming out again into through the tool of Spirit and back out into the universe, as if you were a conduit in a giant system of light and shadow.
Verbally enunciate the properties of elemental Spirit as best you know them, ending with the phrase “Spirit is sacred.”
EXAMPLE: “Spirit. Spirit is above and Spirit is below. Spirit is light and Spirit is dark. Spirit is within and Spirit is without. Spirit is projective and Spirit is receptive. Spirit is ouranic and Spirit is cthonic. Spirit is beyond and between all of these things, transcending all dualities. And Spirit is sacred.”
Taking the tool of Spirit in your right hand, symbolically attune yourself with the tool and with Spirit as a whole in whatever way best suits you and your tradition (such as crossing yourself with a Rosy Cross, making a pentagram across your body, etc) while saying:
“Holy art Thou, Sovereign of the Universe! Holy art Thou, who nature hath not formed! Holy art Thou, the vast and mighty One! Sovereign of the Light and of the Darkness!”
Raising the tool of Spirit above your head with your right hand, circumambulate the circle clockwise saying authoritatively:
“Holy art Thou, Sovereign of the Universe! Holy art Thou, who nature hath not formed! Holy art Thou, the vast and mighty One! Sovereign of the Light and of the Darkness!”
Note: Make sure to say this so that you are finishing it as you finish the circle at the altar in the East.
Returning to the altar facing East, hold the tool of Spirit in both hands reverently in front of you and above the altar and say: “Thus led by Spirit, thou mayest approach the temple of the wise”.
Return the tool of Spirit to the center of the Altar.
Raise hands grandly and say:
“Thus purified, thus consecrated, and thus led by Spirit, the temple is opened!”
Ring bell, stomp foot, or knock the appropriate number of times in an appropriate pattern for the working at hand according to your tradition. Common patterns are 3-3-3 for lunar workings, 2-2-2 for solar workings, and 3-5-3 for general magick.
Proceed to the rest of your opening rituals as appropriate to your tradition.
Do your magick.
When done with closing rituals, return to the altar facing East, raise your hands grandly, and say:
“These rites being duly concluded, the temple is closed.”
Ring bell, stomp foot, or knock the same number of times in the same pattern that you used when opening the temple.
COMMENTARY:
Some readers will recognize various elements of this ritual from the “Watchtower Ritual” of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (which in turn quotes liberally from “The Chaldaean Oracles of Zoroaster”) and “Liber XV” (The Gnostic Mass) by Aleister Crowley, which in turn quotes from “Liber AL vel Legis”. Other elements, such as the ritual affirmation of “[element] is sacred”, are taken from rituals common among the Reclaiming Tradition of witchcraft. I make no apologies and ask no forgiveness. In the words of Sir Isaac Newton: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
All quotes from other texts have been amended for sexism and gender essentialism. Gendered words for the Divine have been rendered gender-neutral and terms for the mage performing the ritual have been amended to include inclusive terms for other genders.
I have chosen to modify and simplify certain aspects of this ritual for accessibility.
Purification is defined as “removal of elements extraneous to the working at hand”, and is not in any sense related to any moral or religious code. That said, feeling guilty because you have done wrong by your own value system is definitely an extraneous element to just about any working. Similarly, consecration is defined as “dedication to the purpose or purposes of the working at hand”. As “Liber AL 1:44” says: “For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.”
All Enochian elements present in material taken from the “Watchtower Ritual” have been removed for the sake of both simplicity and accessibility. I believe Enochian magick and the Enochian language (which are inseparable) are best worked with on their own terms and that mixing them into other systems without proper training in the Enochian system and language proper can invite unfortunate errors with unfortunate consequences.
I have moved this ritual to the beginning of my opening rituals, before my other opening rituals such as the Lesser Pentagram and Hexagram rituals. This is contrary to the order practiced by many of my contemporaries. My reasons for this are as follows:
It is my opinion that someone who has not been properly purified and consecrated probably shouldn’t be creating sacred space or calling in external spiritual forces such as the archangels in the LRP or the various ally spirits in other traditions. At best, one is diluting and diverting one’s energies and attention at a time when one should be most focused. At worst, the rest of the opening rituals will lack effect entirely or misfire because the mage is so distracted and disturbed. Neither case is desirable.
It is my further opinion that a space that has not been properly purified and consecrated probably shouldn’t be used for any other magick. While rituals like the LRP, LRH, and other rituals that create sacred space define a sacred space, situate that sacred space through directionality, and connect that sacred space to the Divine through asserting relations, they do not explicitly purify and consecrate the mage or the space. While I am sure that some mages will assume that purification and consecration of the mage are automatically accomplished during grounding and centering and that purification and consecration of the space are automatically accomplished by the creation of sacred space, I must regretfully disagree. These are different magickal acts, and I think it is wise to differentiate them.
The “temple” mentioned in the ritual is conceptual and astral as much as (or more than) the physical space wherein which the mage does their magick. The temple one is approaching to more and more closely until the temple is declared open is an ideal temple, a conceptual space the mage is approaching by stages over the course of the ritual until the mage can finally declare truly that “the temple is opened” because the physical space has taken on the necessary magickal characteristics of the conceptual and astral space.
Art: Jan Brueghel the Elder, “Abundance And The Four Elements”, (~1615)