The Qabalistic Cross Ritual

The Qabalistic Cross

The Qabalistic Cross is a ceremonial practice that’s basic purpose is to help the magician reach “ritual consciousness” before a magickal working. The Qabalistic Cross (QC) centers the magician in the middle of his/her cosmic universe and aligns the magician with the energy of the cosmos as well as the Tree of Life, an occult reality map that explains the spiritual nature of the universe.  The ritual that I have adapted into my own practice is the one set down by Christopher Penczak in “The Temple of High Witchcraft” (pg.96 ch.4) more info on the performance, symbolism and tools of the ritual will follow:

1)      Stand in center of room, or in West of altar facing the East. Clear and release, still the mind.

2)      Visualize yourself growing to gigantic size, up past the sky into the solar system and even farther from the galaxy. The Earth below is tiny but your feet are anchored to it so you don’t have to worry about “flying away”. Visualize that you are in the far reaches of the cosmos, a star descends to your crown then transforms to a ball of brilliant white light, know that this ball is a piece of the Great Spirit (the androgynous and all pervasive spirit of the Universe, The Source, i.e. The Unknown God/dess), it burns brighter than a thousand suns. Take blade/ index and middle fingers (of the predominant hand or what is called your “Power Hand”, ambidextrous persons should use the hand they feel most comfortable with) and pierce the ball, move blade/fingers to forehead and touch the Third Eye (middle of brow at penile gland), visualizing a stream of white light moving with the blade/fingers. Vibrate: AH-tah.

3)      Move blade/fingers downwards vertically across the body, guiding with it the stream of white light, point blade/fingers towards the Earth and visualize the light moving downwards to the Earth and past it into infinity, focus on this beam of light and vibrate: Mahl-KOOT.

4)      Bring blade/fingers up to right shoulder, touch shoulder with blade/fingers. Visualize a star at the right shoulder. Visualize the vertical beam in the center of your body extend another beam of white light from the heart area to the star at the right shoulder and then out through infinity to the right. Focus on the beam of light and vibrate: Vih-G’boo-RAAH.

5)      Move blade/fingers across to the left shoulder, touch shoulder with blade/fingers, visualize a star at the left shoulder. Visualize the white beam of light in the center of your body extending another beam of white light from the heart area to the star at the left shoulder and out through infinity to the left. Focus on the beam of light and vibrate: Vih-G’doo-LAH.

6)      Now clasp hands together over your chest in a prayer position. With blade (if using one) hold it point up between the knuckles. Visualize beneath your hands at heart area a golden glowing light within the middle of your chest at the point of intersection between the four points of the cross within your body. Focuse on this golden light and the cross as a whole, vibrate: Lih-Oh-LAHM, Ah-MEN. Feel yourself in a cross of light stretching infinitely through the universe.

7)      When done and not continuing on to other rituals or magickal workings, bring your awareness back to the material world, resuming (slowly) back to normal proportions and letting the visualization of the cross of light fade. Clear and release all excess energy if needed.

The words that are vibrated within this ritual basically translate to: “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.” This prayer is a type of code that grounds the Tree of Life through four main centers of your body. The sephira at the top is the godhead, the “thine” of the prayer. The one at the bottom where your feet are translates to “kingdom”, the one to your right translates to “power” and the one to your left translates to “glory”, or “mercy”.

The Words of Power

Perhaps one of the most common road blocks to beginners of this ritual are the concerns of the vibration, or toning, of the scared sounds. A lot of books and writers from the ceremonial traditions have inspired some fear in “mispronouncing” the words of power. To be completely honest the pronunciation of the words has less to do with the proper performance of the ritual than the intention of the words when they are said. As long as you are focused and you say the words with confidence and meaning then you are doing the ritual right, regardless if you mispronounce the words or not. As Christopher Penczak put it in “The Temple of High Witchcraft” (TOHW), “It’s better to do it, holding a strong intention, and let the practice evolve rather than not to do it because you are afraid to do it wrong.”

If you are still worried about whether or not you are pronouncing the words of power correctly and if this is negatively affecting your ritual then listen to the wise words of modern mystic and Qabalist, Lon Milo Duquette, author of  “The Chicken Qabalah”, from which he writes:

“The first liberating secret Chicken Qabalists learn is that (as far as the Qabalah is concerned) there is no such thing as correct Hebrew Pronunciation. Yep. That’s right. No matter how you pronounce the various words in the system, some snob is sure to pop up (especially in public) and correct you….I repeat, nobody knows for sure what the sacred language of the ancient Hebrews sounded like, or even if it was spoken at all! Pronunciation has less than nothing to do with the study and practice of the spiritual applications of the Qabalah.”

The Blade

In this ritual there is a common tool used to direct the energy of the cross of light and that tool is the ritual blade. Also known as an athame (pronounced Ah-THA-May), the ritual blade is an extension of the magician and is used to direct and absorb the energy in a ritual. Traditionally, athames are plain, dull double-edge daggers with a black hilt, but modern magickal practitioners have access to a large variety of athames and daggers some as simple as a sharp piece of wood and others are elegant pieces of jeweled art. The  ritual blade is not necessary to perform this or any ritual, it is just a tool to help focus and direct energy which could just as easily be done with one’s own fingers.



Discovering Wicca

Pentacle collage Pin Photo Sculpture by johnpryor2000

 Discovering Wicca

By: Tytus Lionheart

 It is more likely that the title should read “Discovering Myself in Wicca”, because since my first steps on the path of the wise that is what I have been challenged with, discovering who I am and what is my purpose in this life. Wicca has changed my perspective on life and living in so many beautiful ways it is hard to think I can even begin to place them here in this article. I will do my best as my words and my ability in writing can allow. Wicca is more than magic, more than philosophy, more than a religion. It is a lifestyle and a commitment to self betterment through harmony with nature and the divine. It is a blend of all spiritual pursuits both ancient and modern. I will begin to explain my life before Wicca, then my life as I dedicated myself to learning and studying Wicca, how I kept to the Wiccan path all these years and years to come, my evolution and rebirth as a Wiccan, My present studies to become a Correllian First degree initiate and my future goals within the Correllian Natavist Tradition.

  In my early years before Wicca was a part of my life, I was a bit of an outcast even among friends. I always felt there was something missing from myself that I was being called to something greater than what was in my life at the time. I was struggling with roles presented by society and the supposed morals of the Christian religion I thought were missing within me. Even as a young boy in elementary school I was a recluse, preferring the company of few friends and more often than not I was alone at recess in a field of grass playing with my imagination. I can remember befriending abstract companions such as the wind, which I imagined to be a female entity I so cleverly named “Windy.” I would imagine with my brother and friends that we were warriors of great magical prowess, having the power to manipulate energy to my will. Back then I was sure it was all pretend, but now I know these qualities and aspects are what lead me to Wicca.

  In high school I shook off my reclusiveness as I embraced my inner self and accepted my homosexuality. Doing so challenged the societal roles and Christian morals that had limited my perspective of life. I began exploring different paths of living; different roles that I never knew existed. I explored other religions and spiritual concepts. After my sophomore year I learned about Wicca. At first I thought it was all smoke and mirrors until I came across some books and authors that would shape my understanding of not only Wicca, but also me and my role in life. “Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner” by Scott Cunningham and “Sons of the Goddess” by Christopher Penzack  were the first true teachings of Wicca that I had at the time. Both showed me basic principles of Wicca and magick, which fully absorbed me and my need for spiritual growth. After some time studying each book, I performed a self-dedication ritual, my first act of magick. I dedicated myself to the teachings of Wicca, to the study and application of magick, to discovering the Goddess and the God within me.

From then on I was studying magick and Wicca every day, reading lots of books on both subjects and on other traditions of the occult including Ceremonial magick, Chaos magick, reconstructive pagan religions and the different paths of Wicca. I became a solitary eclectic Wiccan, creating my own Book of Shadows and putting in it all the material I would use in creating my own personal Wiccan tradition. I would practice magick, exercise my psychic abilities with meditations, ritual and daily prayer. All I read were books on Wicca, the Occult and magick. I kept to the path by making Wicca apart of my every day, I prayed every day, studied ritual and practiced spell craft whenever the need arose. Wicca had become a part of my life. I learned a lot about myself as a person, as a magician I learned my strengths and weaknesses, I built my power of Will to change the world within me and without. I became happier, clearer in thinking, more broad in my perspective of life and living. Family and friends noticed a change in me, more vigor for life, more understanding of myself and the world around me. I was finally coming into my own, discovering myself. I learned that I’m more powerful than I had believed for many years. Things were and have been conforming to my Will, in positive constructive ways.

After about two years of study (overkill I know) I fully embraced Wicca as my way of life and performed a self-initiation. I honored Lord Hermes as my patron, the god of magick, healing, communication, and merchants. I felt such a strong connection to Him; I performed a ritual of dedication to His teachings not only in ancient Greece and Rome, but His Egyptian counterpart, Thoth, and the legendary Hermes Trismegistus. Hermes to this day is my patron God. I grew also to adore the stories of the goddesses Diana, Aradia, and Heckate. I felt connected to the Great Horned One aswell, an archetype and spirit of masculinity and male mystery. From these Gods and Goddesses I gained strength and wisdom. I feel their energy when I pray to them, when I call them in ritual and in my everyday life, I have felt their presence. I have had many answered prayers and blessings from the Goddess and the God and the forms they assume. It was to the full moon, Diana that I prayed and asked to find true love, to meet my soul mate. I asked Her to send me an angel, and shortly after I met my fiancé Mitch Mcknight, it was love at first sight. I have been truly blessed by the divine powers of the universe and for that I am thankful, for I have felt the Love of the Lord and Lady and it is beautiful.

After about 5 years of personal, solitary study I felt there was a need to expand on the spiritual foundation I had built for myself. I began researching traditions of Wicca, seeking training into priesthood. I wanted a tradition where I can keep to my eclectic nature yet have a strong base to grow from. Many paths caught my interest including Faery Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, and some other neo-pagan traditions, but it was when I came across the Correllian Natavist Tradition that I found the path that resonated with the Wiccan philosophy and theology I already subscribed to in my personal tradition as a solitary. I am now currently studying the First Degree courses of the Correllian tradition, to become a Reverend of Wicca. I hope to take my training in the tradition all the way to my third degree and from there I want to open a Temple for the tradition here in California. I hope to join the Order of Herbal Studies, the Order of Reiki and the Order of Spiritual Advisors that are set up within the Correllian Tradition. I hope to one day meet and possibly work with Rev. Don Lewis of the High-Correllians, and many other legends of the Natavist Tradition and of the Wiccan community as a whole. I have found a purpose within my religion and I am working towards my initiation. From here I will continue to grow and study, to apply my spirituality into my every day and to be able to help others find their way in the Craft as well.

In conclusion, my discovery of Wicca has been a life changing experience and to this day I am inspired by my religion and its endless source of power, love and harmony. Wicca has changed me in many positive and progressive ways, making my life happier, my lifestyle more meaningful. I am thankful for all Wicca has taught me and for all the blessings the Lord and Lady have bestowed upon me and mine. It is because of Wicca that I have gained so much strength, wisdom and joy. My journey into Wicca continues to evolve and move forward each day, I have found my calling in this life and hopefully more lives to come will be benefitted from the teachings I have received in this life. May all that read this article come to understand that Wicca is a religion of personal power and a lifestyle of love in all its beautiful, glorious forms. I am a Wiccan, and I am blessed.