Originally Conceived as an Equinox Ritual Celebration, Balancing the Light Upon the Wheel of the Year
BECOMING A STEWARD OF THE LAND: The Charge of the Pendragon
“Who Shall be Pendragon in the Time when Saturn descends from his sphere?”
(NOTES: Earth-stewardship, “the land is the King and the King is the land” of the movie Excaliber, is the focus of our working. What does it mean to own our responsibility to the earth? Who will take the path of the Pendragon? Particularly in this age of change and transition, when we must make magic simply in order to survive. The task is awesome, even to conceive of…
(Penta-dragon, the five-fold magick of the el-ements of the land: air and water, fire and earth, and the lightening flash of spirit that transforms them all. Here be dragons, the earth currents, the old ebb and flow of life on a planetary scale. Understand also that to travel through dimensions you must ride the five-fold wave front of dancing light — a merkabah is also a throne, a chariot that travels everywhere but never moves. On the north magnetic pole of Saturn, there is a standing cloud formation composed of a pentagram, an Egyptian Nuit star, enclosed within a hexagon; the union of pi and phi, or macrocosm and microcosm.
(In C.S. Lewis’ “That Hideous Strength” Merlin asks the question of Ransom, the hero: “Who shall be Pendragon in the time when Saturn descends from his sphere? In what world did he learn war?” Ransopm replies, as we all must if the world is to survive, “I am the Pendragon.” And he states that he learned war in the sphere of Venus, meaning the power of love over violence. We must learn to nourish the earth with the coherent emotion of our love. We must be the Pendragon.)
THE FIVE L-EMENTS
El, the letter L, which is lamed in Hebrew, is simply the graphic description of the phase shift. The L-ements are invoked by the five-fold process of the pentagram, which is simply: Love Law Life Liberty Light and then back to Love. Whenever we consciously draw a pentagram and invoke these concepts, we bring into manifestation the focus of the operation. Each L-ement has within it the process of all the elements, because the pentagonal channel contains the whole pattern. To bring Air into our circle, we must first Love the air, then understand its laws and nature, then delight in its life and lively-ness as you celebrate the liberty and freewill of the spirit of Air, even as you transform the air into light as it resolves back into love, bringing the element into focus on this level. Then just repeat it for each element.
The archangels are activating programs that makes the forces of the elements a little more user-friendly. Hebrew is geometrically and mathematically precise (Beyond that no priority of value is claimed for any patriarchal content within the Jewish/Christian tradition). They all end in el, eldils a s Lewis called them, and they do have distinct personalities. Rapha-el, Gabri-el, Micha-el and Uri-el, along with Shekinah-el. Creating this pentagonal pyramid of light opens you to the higher programming, the meta-programming of the earth and the galactic beam.
(Cast Circle)
THE CROSS
We have un-folded our elements from mind-space, now we must move these elemental qualities through another spatial dimension into a plane. In two dimensions, the way to resolve four qualities in by pairs of opposites. Both pairs are resolved by the center point where all polarities merge, or spirit. Pull those elements from the boundaries of mind and circle and let those qualities in you respond as the elements pair, air and earth, fire and water, above and below, right and left. (Do the cross: “Between the Heights and the Depths, Between Justice and Mercy,” Balance the elements in heart and feel it: “I am Centered.”
MOVING THE L-EMENTS THROUGH THE BODY WITH SOUND
We now move our qualities into a three-dimensional space. Feel the earth beneath the feet with breath. Vibrate “Aaaaaaaa” Feel water at the level of the pelvis with breath. Vibrate “Ooooooo.” Feel fire in the heart and solar plexus with breath. Vibrate “Yuuuuuuuu” Feel Air in the throat and head with breath. Vibrate, “Iiiiiii” Feel spirit above the head with breath and vibrate, “Eeeeee.” Let the sound flow: Om, Aa, Oo, You, Ii, Ee, and then hummmmm in a cascade back down through the body. See/feel the flow of the caduceus as sound resonates up the body.
RAISING THE FLOW/DANCING THE CIRCLE
Movement into the next dimension: the creation of group consciousness. Simple drum beat and movement deosil. Focus on earth center by leader. Vibrates “Aaaa.” then sends the energy to the next person who also vibrates the sound, then sends the energy to the next person, and so on back to leader. The Leader starts the next level, “Oooo,” which goes around, and so on up to, “Eee.” Visualize colors, as appropriate and allow energy to build, as drum beat slowly gets faster. As “Eee” is returned to Leader. Leader signals group to do one “Eeee” together, that ends with a drop.
THE CHARGE OF THE PENDRAGON
While the Group is resting upon the ground, the Leader starts to speak: “Let this energy that we have raised, let it stay with us as a reservoir for the process of understanding. Let your awareness sink deep into the earth, allow the sound of heart beating and breath whispering to settle gently into the earth. Let the earth support you as you go deep inside, very deep inside.
“Imagine that you are standing at the top of a gentle rise looking out toward the shape of a great Hill. It feels as if it is night, but you have no difficulty seeing what follows.
“The great Hill rises from a lake or body of water, upon which many small craft with bright sails are gliding out to the Hill. Mist begins to rise from the earth around you, and soon you feel that you are an island in another sense, an island of self.
“But you can see that people are moving on the side of the hill that is closest to you. They are dressed in long robes of bright colors and they carry torches which smoke and flare in the damp air, adding to the cloudy miasmic quality of the scene. You look up to the top of the hill and see a great stone circle as you look, a glow begins to shine out from within the circle. it grows brighter and brighter until the whole scene is bathed in light. A great ball of fire rises from the center of the circle on the Hill and climbs up into the heavens where it hovers, casting its brilliant glow over everything.
“Rays of light flash out from the sphere to kindle great fires on the tops of the surrounding hills, running along vast lines, off into the distance. You feel, suddenly, that you are part of a great host of people gathering on all sides, even if you cannot see them. All Await, hushed, the event upon the hill.
“The figure of a King can be seen climbing the last round of the vast maze that covers the hillside, bearing in his outstretched arms a great sword in a sheath joy red and gold. At the summit, just inside the circle of stones, stands a figure clad in shimmering robes of blue and gold. This is the Lady, and though she is no taller than the King, she seems somehow more titanic in stature and majesty. Behind her stands a white horse, its coat flashing as it tosses its head.”
“The King advances, and offers his sword in a gesture of symbolic greeting. The Lady smiles and offers him the horse. He mounts in one smooth motion and raises the great sword above his head. As it glints in the un-natural light, you feel a shift. You feel that we are now in this temple of earth mysteries. The lady is here and the King had just mounted his white steed. The sword of knowing glints in the light of your mind’s eye.”
“From the wall of seemingly impenetrable darkness that surrounds the outer circle of stones, the King calls forth the twelve treasures, the twelve faces of the cosmic dodecahedron, linked with the inner life of the land. They bear symbols in their hands and upon their brow is the sign of their constellation and they speak forth the mysteries.”
“They form a circle around us here in the temple. They raise their symbols to the Line and Lady in the center. Then they turn to face outward and begin to move slowly clockwise, moving faster and faster until they form a bright ring of light, which spins faster and faster, glowing so bright that the scene is hard to see. The wheel of light begins to lift us up from the circle and we feel our bodies of light rising to meet the brilliance floating above us.”
“We touch. We meld with the Light. We explode toward the stars, carrying the seeds of light…”
(…pause, a long one, then three faint tones on the Tibetan bell.)
“Let us slowly awaken to our place in this circle. Move stretch, whatever. And then, let’s very slowly stand up.”
“Taliesin was the last great shaman of the British Celts, a real person who lived in the sixth century, and a mythic force which is the personification of the soul of the poet. I chose Taliesan because he seems to be our last connection to our own true traditions, the traditions of the fairy folk who lived in the mounds and built those circle of stones. We catch a glimpse through Taliesan of the land as One a Body, the earth as a living being.”
“Let me speak now the words of Taliesin the bard before the Throne of Arthur at the turning of the year”:
“I am a wiseman of the primal knowledge,
I continue to behold God!
I know the law of fertile inspiration
when it is skillfully tuned,
to those happy days, those quiet lives,
to the defense of the Times,
to the Kings of whom long is the consolations
of their reigns to the things which are on
the face of the earth.
It is difficult to perform such a task
on a new instrument. Why?
Is the Harp lamenting?
Does a cuckoo lament?
Does it sing?
I know it as I know many pleasant things.
I know whrn the spark of hardmness works
from the stones, I know why honeysuckle smells good,
and why crows are the color of silence.
I know the cup
from which the wave
overflowed.
I know the end
of the Dawn.
The inspiration of which I speak,
I have brought up from the depths.
When the great knowledge of the stars is imparted
then will be understood every high thing.
I know the spirit is working
when the most high is exalted.
I know why a hill resounds,
and why the valley is radiant.
I know who made the great pole
which connects heaven and earth.
I am Taliesin
and I defend the true lineage
until the end of time
for the profit of Elphin.
Answer three questions,
and a great boon will I give:
“Who is Sulva and where does she walk?”
Venus steps forward and answers:
(“Sulva is the moon and she walks the lower boundary between the worlds”).
“Who wears Arthur’s ring and where does such a treasure reside?”
Saturn steps forward and answers:
(“The Ring of the King is upon Arthur’s finger as he sits in the great Hall of the West, the Hall of Melchizedek beyond the seas of Lur.”)
(Saturn and Venus are acknowledged by Taliesin. All face the group and repeat: “Who shall be Pendragon when Saturn descends from his sphere?”)
First person steps out and says, “I am the Pendragon.” This person is escorted by Venus and Saturn to the Seige Perilous. After this person is seated, Venus presents a sack of grain and Saturn anoints him/her with oil. Taleisin gives them an apple bough and says:
“Repeat after me:
I and the Land are One;
in the name of the Star Mother
And the Earth Father,
The True Taker
and the Great Giver,
Let us be one Being of Light!
I am the Pendragon!”
(Person rises from throne, is hugged, and then returned to their place within the circle. Repeat procedure until all have been in the chair who want the empowerment.)
CLOSING:
“We have become the Body of Spirit
In its most perfect form —
the breath of life is upon us
the star fire lives within us
like Light unto the Void…
We come in the power of the Light
We come in the Light of wisdom
We come in the mercy of the Light,
For the Light Hath Healing in its Wings.”
Give license to depart.