The 8th Sephirah Hod

HOD, THE EIGHTH SEPHIRAH

Title: Hod, Glory.

Magickal Image: A hermaphodite.

Situation on the Tree: At the foot of the Pillar of Severity.

Yetziratic Text: The Eighth Path is called the Absolute or Perfect Intelligence because it is the mean of the Primordial, which has no root by which it can cleave or rest, save in the hidden places of Gedulah, from which emanates it's proper essence.

God Name: Elohim Tzabauth, the God of Hosts.

Archangel: Michael.

Order of Angels: Beni Elohim, Sons of God.

Mundane Chakra: Kokab, Mercury.

Spiritual experience: Vision of Splendor.

Virtue: Truthfulness.

Vice: Falsehood, Dishonesty.

Correspondence in microcosm: Loins and legs.

Symbols: Names and Versicles and Apron.

Tarot Cards: The Four Eights.
Eight of Wands: Swiftness.
Eight of Cups: Abandoned success.
Eight of Swords: Shortened force.
Eight of Pentacles: Prudence.

Color in atziluth: Violet purple.
Color in briah: Orange.
Color in yetzirah: Russet red.
Color in assiah: Yellowish black, flecked with white.

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Why Use Circles

They say that the longest journey begins with a single step. So, too, the exploration of Magickal studies begins with a single step. Though the first step in a physical journey is often self-evident, the First Step on a Magickal journey is often not quite so clear. While formally organized groups often have a path of lessons to instruct newcomers, the solitary or isolated student is often left standing in perplexity on this broad plain of knowledge, wondering just where in the heck to begin. And wondering, too, if it's "okay" to start
just anywhere.

While it's true that studies can begin in any direction that attracts you, the necessary first step must be learning to make psychic shields. There are "Things of the Dark" out there. There are any number of explanations for what these things might be-- ghosts, demons, or simply uncontrolled urges of the subconscious mind. In truth, it doesn't matter what they are. What does matter is that their effect is very real and unless they are put under your control, they will drag you over the borders of sanity into psychosis. You are most
vulnerable to them while you're in an "open" trance or meditative state. That's why the wise practitioner always begins by taking steps to define exactly what will be permitted through the portals of their "psychic shields"-- no matter how simple the ritual. And this, in a nutshell, is what "protective magic" is about.

There are a number of ways to do this. The most common is to begin by drawing a circle (around a group or yourself) and invoking the one or more protective powers. Generally, this is done by candlelight, in front of an altar that holds certain magical objects. The circle may be further "secured" and "cleared" by using salt, salt water, rum, incense, or some other method. You may be wearing a special robe and will have taken a bath (or performed a cleansing ritual) earlier. The powers that protect you will be called on and THEN you will begin your ritual.

Is it psychological? Absolutely! Is there a reason why protection rituals always take this form? Positively! Let's take a step back and see what you're actually doing and how the process works-- from a psychological standpoint-- and how to use this knowledge to help you refine your circles to enhance your rituals.

Psychologists and psychics alike view the mind's structure as a three-part entity: The ego (that which you think of as yourself), the superego (the "higher self") and the Id (the child within). The Id is, in a sense, a computer. Like most computers, it operates on the "garbage in-garbage out" principle. There's an old superstition "as you name something, so will it become." Tell yourself that you're very unlucky and your id will obligingly give you bad days by enhancing any negatives in your environment. Tell yourself that you are clumsy, and your id-computer will obligingly arrange for you to break a leg while stepping off the sidewalk. The bad news is that the Id can't make a judgment as to whether or not this is a good idea. It only knows that it's received these "instructions" and must carry them out. The good news is that you can actually program/reprogram this portion of your mind.

You begin programming this Internal Servant of yours by first drawing its attention to what you want done and then explaining what you need done in a simple and clear manner. Repeating the instructions in a chant help fix the goals for the Id-- rhymed chants seem to be easier for it to process. Each time you perform the ritual and repeat the chant, the programming is strengthened. Never mind that your ego and superego understand that you're going to program the child-like Id. It works just the same.

To direct the Id's attention to the process, you first have to impress it. Using special tools and clothing alert it that something unusual is going on and that it must pay attention. Acquiring hard-to-obtain items, drawing symbols, performing a symbolic sacrifice (donating money, say, to a good cause) are all ways of reinforcing the Id's impression that this ceremony is very special and that the result will be very powerful. Organized, meaningful symbols speak to your subconscious mind in ways it understands, reinforcing the goals you have set.

Drawing the circle itself establishes boundaries within your environment ("The rest of the world can do what it likes Out There. All within this circle is in MY control!"). Purifying the circle and consecrating it (sprinkling water which has been blessed and salt added) further enforce your territory, defining the borders where you are "safe". Nothing can enter this area except what you invite inside. You further tighten these borders by calling on certain Powers.

You can call on any powers you like. Some use traditional Christian images. Others call up deities from the religion they are most comfortable with. And many people use the thought/image of a beam of light that represents either God/Goddess (whichever one they like) OR The power of light and life and goodness in the Universe.

The number of powers called as guardians varies. You may choose to invoke one powerful being to protect your circle. Or you might call on the Universal Being/Light AND four guardians (one for each quarter of the compass). A third approach is use a guardian for the four quarters of the compass and no higher being. There is no "absolutely correct" system; the correct system is the one that YOU are comfortable with.

Take time to choose the guardians of your circle carefully. You should select guardians (gods or animals or some form of life) which have a deeper meaning to you and whose qualities are in harmony with your goals. For the new student, it's best to have all your Powers and Guardians from the same belief system/religion/mythic universe so that the symbols will be consistent and not confuse the Id.

You CAN use people-- saints, movie actors, figures from favorite books as guardians. DO, however, pick someone who's dead or non-existent. The dead can't argue with your interpretation of them, whereas the living may be highly offended to be approached as gods/ guardians).

As your studies continue, you will find that your totems or guardians change. This is to be expected; as you explore new realms in your studies, you may find you need guardians who deal with very specific areas to strengthen and guide you in these new fields.

But don't make the mistake of assuming that you'll become so powerful that you will never need the protection of the psychic shielding circle in some form. And don't assume that you will not need a circle for "positive" magicks such as healing. Open is open-- and open is vulnerable. And circles strengthen and protect you by defining what psychological influences will be allowed to work with you.

By MEL WHITE

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Daily Invocation And Blessing

Thou art the King who reigns within,
The jester and the Friar,
The maiden child, innocent and bold,
The mother, crone and liar.

Thou art the meaning of success,
The flash that doeth inspire,
The holy beam of golden light,
The flickering of the fire.

Thou are the glory of the day,
The beautiful song of birds,
The light that glowest in the dark,
The poet, and the words.

And every single day I see,
In every star that shines,
With fear and wonder, joy and love,
That thee and me combines.

For in the end we are one,
The Lady and the Lord,
The spirit and the great God,
The truth I'm moving toward.

So in the day that lies ahead,
To every man and tree,
To members of the fairy lands
Bright blessing be to we.

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Gods And Goddess Names

Goddess Names:

(British) Ancasta, Belisma, Damara, Godiva, Latis, Morgause, Ratis, Tamesis (Egyptian) Athtor, Bast, Hathor, Isis, Maat, Mafdet, Mert, Tefnut
(Finnish) Annikki, Ilmatar, Kalma, Lyllikki, Vellamo
(Greek) Ahprodite, Ariadne, Artemis, Aspasia, Astra, Athena, Bendis, Chloris, Cytherea, Cybele, Delia, Elara, Hecate, Iris, Rhea, Selene (India) Anumati, Arani, Chanda, Raka, Surya, Tamra, Tara
(Phoenician) Astarte, Baalat, Ghe, Omicle, Re, Sapas, Tanit

God Names:

(British) Arthur, Balin, Gareth, Gawain, Herne, Launfal, Myrddin, Tannus, Uther, Wayland (Egyptian) Aker, Amun-Ra, Anubis, Apis, Babi, Bes, Horus, Min, Nu, Osiris, Ra, Thoth (Finnish) Ilma, Jumala, Nakki, Paiva, Surma, Tapio, Ukko
(Greek) Achelous, Adonis, Ajax, Anteros, Apollo, Ares, Cadmus, Centaur, Eros, Hades, Minos, Morpheus, Orion, Pan, Paris (India) Bhrigus, Brahma, Ganesha, Hanuman, Indra, Kama, Varuna
(Phoenician) Adad, Adoni, Aleyin, Baal, Dagon, Eliun, Genos, Hey-Tau, Kolpia, Pontus, Salem

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Casting A Circle

A basic but formal, circle casting would involve a few simple practices. First, a candle is lit at each of the cardinal points and often two candles are placed on the altar. As you walk around the circle, east, south, west, and finally north, face the direction and invoke its power.

As you do this at each quarter, visualize any aspect that corresponds with that direction such as: East – Wind, South – Flame, West – Rain, and North – Bull of Strength.

As you go round, you can sprinkle salt water and smoke with incense each of the quarters saying:

With Salt and Water I purify the "With Fire and Air, I charge the "You may also want to trace the outline of the circle with your Athame as you move from point to point. After the North quarter has been called, continue facing north and say:

This circle is cast!

I am between the worlds, where balance is maintained and the cycle continues eternally before me. All things here meet as one, and there is no time.

Then light the altar candles with the candle from the south and say:

The fire is lit, In perfect love and perfect trust, this ritual is begun!

After the circle is cast, you may want to do purification, and a banishing in order to put all the every day worries behind you. These are simple meditations. For a purification, meditated on being cleansed as you sprinkle yourself with salt water. For a banishing chant, forcefully, something along these lines:

“Unfriendly beings, unwanted guests, Begone! Go, or be destroyed by the powers of Earth, Fire, Air and Sea, and by the powers of Life and Death and Rebirth. I banish you!

During the circle, magical workings can be done with a sense of security and inner peace. Typically, I will draw on my power by chanting, others may dance or practice breathing, and once my power is peeked, I will perform my spell. After, I will relax and treat myself to some quiet time, a reward and break from my usual stressed out mode. Once I feel recuperated, I give thanks to each of the cardinal point powers and I grounded the energy. This involves meditating on my connection with the earth. I let the residual power in the circle drain deep down into the core of the body of the Goddess. I declare the circle to be open.

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Solitary Esbat Ritual

Here is the Moon Ritual I use when working solitary. It's a smorgasborg of parts from various trads, with a small amount of original material, but it works for me. If your just starting out, I hope you find it helpful. If some part is unfamiliar, check out the books on the suggested reading list.

Quarter Candle Invocation

Tools: Quarter candles

East: I call upon light and Air at the East to illuminate and enliven the circle.

South: I call upon light and Fire at the South to illuminate and warm the circle.

West: I call upon light and Water at the West to illuminate and cleanse the circle.

North: I call upon light and Earth at the North to illuminate and strengthen the circle.

Casting Circle

Tools: bell, athame or sword, water, salt, circle incense.

Sound the bell three times.

Holding athame, say

'Mighty Mother
Strike this blade with light
That I may cast the magick circle!'

Cast the circle with the athame, saying

'I conjure thee, o circle of art,
to be a temple between the worlds;
to be a crucible of change for the powers of the ancient ones.
Wherefore do I bless and consecrate thee.
So mote it be!'

Touch the salt with the athame and say

'Mighty Mother, bless this creature of earth in thy service. As salt is pure, so may it purify us in all ways we may use it.'

Consecrate the water by adding three pinches of salt and saying

'Mighty Mother, bless this creature of water in thy service. As water gives us life, so may we be reborn in these rites.'

Consecrate the fire by holding aloft and saying

'Great Father, bless this creature of fire in thy service. May it spark the sacred flame the burns within our hearts.'

Consecrate the incense by adding three pinches of incense to the fire and saying

'Great Father, bless this creature of air in thy service. May it carry our will out upon the winds of change.'

Spurge the circle with the holy water, saying

'I consecrate this circle in the names of Cernunnos and Aradia.

Cense the circle with incense, saying

'The circle is conjured a circle of power that is purified and sealed. So mote it be!'

Calling the Quarters

Tools: athame

After the circle is cast, facing east, draw the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the athame, saying

'I call the Lords of the Watchtowers of the East,
Lords of Air
New beginning, new life,
From the gates of Dawn,
From the realms of Spring,
as we here possess breath and wit
we are thy kith and kin!
Come join us
to attend our rite and guard the circle'

facing south, draw the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the athame, saying

'I call the Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, Lords of Fire
From the stroke of the lightning
To the blaze upon the hearth
From the gates of Noontide
From the realms of Summer
as we here consume life to live
we are thy kith and kin!
Come join us
to attend our rite and guard the circle'

facing west, draw the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the athame, saying

'I call the Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, Lords of Water
Lengthening shadow across the mountain,
gathering coolness of the evening glen,
first star of the twilight.
From the gates of Evening
From the realms of Autumn
as we here feel and our hearts beat
we are thy kith and kin!
Come join us
to attend our rite and guard the circle'

facing north, draw the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the athame, saying

'I call the Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, Lords of Earth
brilliant darkness, sun at midnight,
gossamer flicker of aurora's light.
From the gates of Midnight
From the realms of Winter
as we here have bodies and strength
we are thy kith and kin!
Come join us
to attend our rite and guard the circle'

Solitary Invocation of the Goddess

Tools: Goddess candle

With arms raised in the Crescent Goddess salute, say

'I invoke thee and call upon thee
Mighty Mother of us all
bringer of all fruitfulness
by seed and root, by stem and bud,
by leaf and flower and fruit do I invoke thee
to descend and join me in my circle!'

light Goddess candle

Solitary Invocation of the God

Tools: God candle

With arms raised in the Horned God salute, say

'Deep calls on height, the Goddess on the God,
On him who is the flame that quickens her;
That he and she may seize the silver reins
And ride as one the twin-horsed chariot.
Let the hammer strike the anvil!
Let the lightning touch the earth!
Let the Lance ensoul the Grail!
Let the magic come to birth!'

light God candle

'The Temple is erected, and I am between the worlds;
beyond the bounds of time and space,
where day and night,
sorrow and joy,
birth and death,
meet as one!
Hail and welcome! Blessed be'

Raising Power for the Work

Tools: Cords, candles, tools of divination, poppets, whatever tool is needed for the work

Here is the place for dancing, chanting, drumming, or what is used to raise power.

Then, when the power is raised, focus it with visualization and chant.

When all is ready, let the power go.

Solitary Rite of Cakes and Ale

Tools: athame, chalice, wine or fruit juice, plate of crescent cakes

Fill chalice in left hand, pour from right hand. Holding chalice in left hand and athame in right hand, lower athame into chalice, saying

'As the athame is to the male,
so the cup is to the female,
and conjoined, they become one in truth.'

Hold aloft the chalice and say

'Gracious Goddess of abundance
bless this drink and infuse it with your love
In your names, Goddess and God
I bless this wine!'

take a sip of the wine

Hold aloft the plate of cakes. Draw the Invoking Pentagram of Earth over the cakes with the athame, saying

'Powerful God of the harvest
Bless these cakes and infuse them with your love
In your names, God and Goddess,
I bless these cakes!'

take a bite of the cakes

Now pour a bit of the wine and set aside some of the cakes as a libation to the Mighty Ones. After ritual, put the libation outside, where the Old Ones may send some of their other children to share...

Grounding and Centering

Let the power raised that is still within return to the earth to heal it's wounds, remembering to keep a little for one's self. This is important! Skip this and you may find your self with anything from a spacey mindset to insomnia to a splitting headache. Let the excess energy return to the Mother.

Thanking the Gods

'Queen of the Starry Night
Horned One of the Wild Wood
I thank thee for attending my rites.
Go if you must,
stay if you will,
and know that you are always welcome!
Blessed be!'

extinguish God and Goddess candles

Releasing the Quarters

Tools: athame

Facing east, make the Banishing Pentagram of Earth, saying

'Lords of the Watchtowers of the East
Lords of Air
I thank thee for attending my rites,
Go if you must,
stay if you will,
and know that you are always welcome!
I bid you Hail and Farewell!'

Facing south, make the Banishing Pentagram of Earth, saying

'Lords of the Watchtowers of the South
Lords of Fire
I thank thee for attending my rites,
Go if you must,
stay if you will,
and know that you are always welcome!
I bid you Hail and Farewell!'

Facing west, make the Banishing Pentagram of Earth, saying

'Lords of the Watchtowers of the West
Lords of Water,
I thank thee for attending my rites,
Go if you must,
stay if you will,
and know that you are always welcome!
I bid you Hail and Farewell!'

Facing north, make the Banishing Pentagram of Earth, saying

'Lords of the Watchtowers of the North
Lords of Earth
I thank thee for attending my rites,
Go if you must,
stay if you will,
and know that you are always welcome!
I bid you Hail and Farewell!'

Closing the Circle

Tools: athame

Walk the circle deosil with the athame in the receptive hand, pulling in the energy into the athame. When done, hold athame aloft, facing north and say

'Beings and powers of the visible and invisible,
Depart in peace!
You aid in my work,
whisper in my mind,
bless me from the Otherworld,
and there is harmony between us.
My blessings are with you.
The circle is closed
but never broken!
So mote it be!'

The ritual is done!

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Bring Back Those Good Old Days

I think that most people give little or no thought of the meaning of the days of the week. Monday is the blue day, tuesday seems to be very popular for meetings, Wednesday is "hump" day, Thursday is anticipation of Friday, Friday the Eagle flies, Saturday is party day, and Sunday the time to recover hopefully but usually not so the next day is Blue Monday and on and on.

Most people in the United States not only have English as their primary language, but have no other second language and in my estimation are impoverished by that fact. The languages of Greek, Latin, the Romance languages and the Germanic languages are very descriptive. often the spirit of the word explains the meaning of the word. The Greek word for word is loyo; (logos) from which we get the word "Logo". Logos indicates not only the word that we read, but also indicated a quality. We need to examine the quality of words as well as
the meaning. With that in mind let us look at the days of the week.

In the romance languages we can see the quality of the day. The planet that is indicative of the day. A couple of examples in Spanish are: Monday is Lunes, the Moon, Tuesday is Martes, Mars, Wednesday is miercoles, Mercury, etc.

English is based on the Germanic language that the Saxons brought over with them. So let us look at the old Teutonic words to see if we can discover the quality of the days of the week.

Sunday in Teutonic is Sonnes Doeg and the meaning is readily seen and can also be seen in English. Sonnes is Sun and doeg is day. The day of the Sun. This is considered the first day of the week to Christians and relates to the qualities of a Sun God. If the mythologies of the various Sun Gods are compared to the "Light of the World", the "Son of God", the reason for this being His day are evident.

Saturday in Old English is Sadorns Doeg. This again can be easily seen in English as well. Saturday is the day of Saturn. Astrologically Saturn is a teacher and a taskmaster : Saturn put limits on people, institutes laws sets boundaries. He is seen pictorially as Old Father Time. The qualities of Saturn are very similar to that of the Hebrew God, Jehovah, which is why Saturday is the day that the Jews go to temple, their "first day".

Monday can also be seen easily in English. In Teutonic, Monday is Monas Doeg, the day of the Moon.

Tuesday in Teutonic is Tiews Doeg. Tiew, Teu, Tiw, Tig are all variations of the same God. This is Mars, God of War, God of Battle and He rules Tuesday.

Wednesday is Wodens Doeg, the day of Woden. This may answer questions you have had since first learning to spell Wednesday. We pronounce it Wens day, so why the "d"? For Woden! If you look at the mythology of-Woden, you may think that Wednesday should represent the Sun or maybe Tuesday, since Woden was the King of the Gods and a fierce fighter, but Woden had another side. He is described as having a patch over one of his eyes, having surrendered it up to be able to drink of the Skaldic Mead. After drinking the mead, he invented the alphabet, writing, poetry. He had two ravens on his shoulder that he sent out daily to learn all that was going on in the world. This is a God that was more than just a tribal Kingpin, this was a God of Wisdom, of learning, of letters, of communications. The Romans equated Woden with Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, the God of thought.

Thursday is Thors Doeg. Thor the thunder God, the God that bellows, the God that does things in a big way. The Romans saw Thor as a version of Jupiter, the planet of expansion.

Many dictionaries attribute Friday to the day of Frigg. Frigg was the wife of Woden. She spun straw into Gold and had a great wealth of knowledge but was very secretive. No one learned from her. I puts me in mind of the proverb, "it is wiser to keep ones mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt." It seems to me that most people that keep great secrets, when found out have no secret at all. So how does this ersatz Wise Woman rate a day of the week?

Lets look a little further. It makes more sense that the Goddess that fits better, both similar in sound and quality is Freya. In Rome, Friday was the day of Venus, the Goddess of Love. Freya was the Northern European Venus, so it is more fitting that Freya gave her name to Friday.

So what does this all man, now that we know the Planets or Gods or qualities of the days of the week. It means that we have a magical tool that is used in spell crafting. If you want to effectively do a working, you should use all of the tools at your disposal. You use the proper color candle, the proper incense, the right frame of mind, so why not do your spell on the right day.

Spells for money, "gold", for things that are represented by the Sun are done on Sunday.

Spells dealing with travel, with changes, moving and other things represented by the Moon are done on Monday.

Spells of a fiery nature, of dealing with blood, fire, action, battles and incidentally healing (surgery is blood) are done on Tuesday.

Spells in which the mind is important, in which knowledge is desired are done on Wednesday. This would also include divination and of psychic" communication.

Spells in which a great increase is desired, or spells in which you are dealing with "great" objects, such as the legal system, large companies or institutions are done on Thursday.

Love spells are done on Friday. Friday is the day of romance and pleasure. This is the day that you work for things that are pleasing to you, for things that bring about harmony and cooperation.

Saturday is for learning lessons or teaching lessons. This is the day for doing binding rituals, rituals to keep someone away from you or to keep them from hurting you. This is also the day to work magic for vengeance, to attack another, but please be mindful of the "law of three-fold return". What ever you send out, you also will receive, three times greater. The short version of Wiccan Rede states, "Lest in self-defense it be, Ever mind the rule of three." I had a friend that told me that it was easier to think of bombarding an
enemy with hearts, than with arrows, and the results is more gratifying.

Use the qualities of the days to plan meetings, to plan gatherings, etc. is your gathering to be something that is to flow easily, to "move to the beat", to deal with things ethereal? If so, plan on a Monday meeting. Are you going to hammer out policy? Are you expecting a lot of activity? Do it on a Tuesday? Do you want to learn, to explore things that make you think? Wednesday. And so on....

Tune into the meaning of the days. Look further into the mythologies. For centuries, this has been the way of magic and by virtue of constantly using these correlations, a certain amount of the specific energies are built up on these traditional days. The wise person uses all tools available.

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