Imbibing Fire: A Self-Advancement Ritual
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’ve owned a crystal ball for several years with the goal of “scrying in the astral vision” but I’ve despaired of ever getting the light-to-dark ratio in the room just right so I can see something other than reflections or, alternatively, utter darkness in the sphere. However, I think I’ve found a different use for it as a lens through which to view a candle flame while doing ritual exercises. The ball is one of “reconstituted” quartz, in the making of which imperfect natural crystals were melted at high temperature and reformed into a crystal-clear globe. It’s as close as I could come to a completely transparent vessel without spending hundreds of dollars.
In her book, I Ching, the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes, Benebell Wen presents a candle ritual for invoking the spirit of Fire as a way to receive illuminated insight and purification: the “Nine Day Fire Ritual for Clarity and Advancement.” It involves burning a red candle for nine minutes a day for nine consecutive days while stating one’s intentions as a way to gain empowerment for social and professional enhancement. This puts the seeker in touch with the qi (vital energy or life-force) of Fire.
Although it is part of the following “Thunder” ritual and not this one, she also notes that “Clear quartz crystals are a qi conductor,” which ties in nicely with my proposed use of the crystal ball. When viewing an object on the other side of the ball, the image becomes inverted, which strikes me as an internalizing factor in the delivery of its influence. In other words, it “comes in under the radar” much like the energy of a reversed tarot card or a retrograde planet in astrology. The downward-pointing flame would thus create a “channel” for subconsciously tapping into the potential of Fire in the matter being explored.
At this point I will digress briefly into the subject of ritual. I’ve come to see it as a form of auto-suggestion (or, if you will, self-hypnosis) that has the goal of opening up one’s individual consciousness to conversation with the “greater assembly” of Universal Spirit that can be enlisted (if we phrase our petition properly) to instruct and aid us. (Whether we are found worthy will be up to the inquisitor; all we can do is ask politely. One thing I’ve learned from exploration of the Astral Plane is that not all such entities have our best interests at heart, so we must tread carefully.)
To further the objective, I will select a tarot card to symbolize my intention and place it standing up in front of the crystal ball’s wooden pedestal. This line-of-sight icon then becomes an active part of my meditation. The ritual is to be performed in the late evening, so in a darkened room with a single flame burning in the background the card may be hard to see and would have to be summoned in the “mind’s eye.” This is very similar to using the mental visualization of an archetypal trump card in astral “pathworking.” With appropriate verbal exhortations, this syncretic ritual could take on the potency of a magic spell rather than simply being a vehicle for insight and inspiration.
Here is my best shot at taking a picture of the set-up (the candle-light shines through the card a bit). The crystal ball looks like it’s conveying a “mystical infusion” from the flame to the Ace of Wands, something that wasn’t obvious when viewing it directly. Fire energy is scarce in my horoscope, and what little I have is locked into social channels via a Jupiter-Saturn trine, making it less available to personal initiative. I decided to use the Ace of Wands for this purpose because it is the most fundamental expression of that energy. To simplify the process even though it’s not traditional, I’m beginning with the image on my phone as the focus of my 9-minute concentration rather than the physical arrangement since 9:00 o’clock is late for me to be messing with fire. It looks somewhat like an old-fashioned keyhole.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on July 21, 2024.
