The September 11 event:

In relationship to the soul, there is a place, a time which it is said national, global karma is primary to that of an individual soul, so there are circumstances in the world throughout time in which the global aspect of a particular level of karma overrules the individual karma. In regards to those who made their transition at that time, this transition was very purposeful, and there are no lost souls. There was a movement that was anticipated and very complete at the time. The implication from that standpoint on a monadic level for an individual soul to move through what we would see on the human level as catastrophic can actually catapult a group soul to a different place of evolution. For those of you who joined us this year, we receive communication concerning the work we move into each year. The work we are doing now came in in December of last year, and the same happened the year before.

The work we did last year was specifically working with the energies of World War II from a magical standpoint. Specifically we were working with the relationship of the magical implication of that war. For those of you who have not studied that, there is a tremendous amount of documentation where much of that war, including very consciously of those who were in leadership positions, was fought magically on the inner levels on both sides, the light and the dark side. We were directed by spirit to move into a relationship of a study with that. Along with that, we were called upon to explore our concept of what evil is and what is the use and misuse of energies. Most of us were at times uncomfortable with this subject matter because of the implications behind it. Yet it was very clear we were to pursue which we did.

It was of interest to me that someone outside of the circle of people that I work with commented to me about their feelings and sharing their thoughts, and they used this as a metaphor for their experience. They said consider that the people of Afghanistan are not unlike the Jews and the homosexuals the gypsies, all three of which were persecuted, during the rise of Nazism. And I cannot help but think of Bin Laden as the front guy as Hitler was, and the Taliban like the SS. I sort of set back because of the framework of our studies last year and what I had been experiencing on the inner levels. What I had been experiencing on the inner levels has been those energies that we would associate with light and dark. I need to say this about the left hand path. We must be aware there are cosmic forces at work, cosmic movements of great proportions that are all very purposeful, and we must remember we have free will. So there has to be choice. Part of what is being played out is the choice of how we act and react to these energies. I am also very aware. We have what is happening on this plane and what will happen in years to come, but how this is resolved will be on the inner levels.

It is not that we don’t take action because we are in Malkuth, and the nature of Malkuth is that there will be action. Even no action is a form of action, so there will be action with Malkuth. The next step resolving these energies is associated with what is happening on the inner levels and what is happening now magically, very consciously, very purposefully, both by those in body and out of embodiment. I can also share with you that in going back when we explored this. Many of us were children of people who were in the war, and many of us have had experiences that involved people who were in the war. There is enough distance that there was a reading of that from the standpoint from the understanding of what seemed to be catastrophic loss resulted in great good and great healing and great clearing on the astral level of energies and thought forms that had built up. Having said that, that in no way can result in a lack of compassion and a lack of empathy, but it is also awareness. With the sixth ray of idealism, one of the distortions is fanaticism, an extreme misuse of that ray energy. She said this energy has assaulted us. Now the hierarchy is taking the opportunity to use this energy to take all of us up to a higher level as we use this Aquarian energy.

So on one level we can be reassured that all is well and in hand. On another level we have to be aware that we are in a position of responsibility. Responsibility means the ability to respond, and from whatever tradition you come from, whatever tools you have gathered up to this point, we are responsible for the conscious use of these tools, and for the maturing and the widening of our understandings to meet what is coming, that we have as humanity because of our outcry have called forward to support us in the next stage of evolution. So in this way we are learning magical protocol so we can take energy. You create a very specific energy structure that spirit can move through, but you don’t leave those lines open. It is like a wormhole. You may use it but don’t forget everyone else has access to that wormhole, too. When you are in ritual and are creating a form in which lines of force are used, afterwards you go through your closing to disengage those energies. You don’t leave that door open. You close that wormhole so other energies cannot come through. You are responsible for that wormhole. So you are responsible for using it consciously and for disassembling it.

This image kept coming through. When we stand in the middle balancing the two pillars, we are that and we are not. It is the great paradox. We are going to be working with the hermetic laws this month. That is the paradox. You hold both energies. What tends to happen to us, particularly in a charged situation like that, we can get pulled into the astral influence and it becomes quite tumultuous or we can avoid any feeling and go over to some sort of intellectual place. Any place we are out of balance means ultimately we feel drained. If we can stand and be aware of our feelings, and yet the feelings that we experience do not pull us completely over to that place, and yet at the same time be aware of our thoughts and the thoughts of what is going on around us, and yet not completely identify because the reality of it is I would be the height of arrogance to even pretend that we know what is going on. That is what we do. We like to make these absolute statements. It is a level of our desire to take control but it is also a reflection of our immaturity. We have to stand knowing we only have a tiny piece of the whole picture.

In relationship to choice, one of the assumptions we make with choice is that a person is thinking. Most of what we think has nothing to do with thoughts. It has to do with mass consciousness. What we perceive ourselves to be is thinking beings, but most of humanity is reactive beings. There was a time when we operated purely from a biological instinctual nature; then we have a place where most of humanity operates from the solar plexus which is an emotional place that has not even developed the mental body. And so it is not a question of just being indoctrinated with someone else’s thoughts. It is simply that there is not the capacity to think, so where is the capacity to make choice? That is a little tied in with what we talked about this morning about the esoteric, which is the hidden energy behind Aquarius, which is the energy of Leo. The energy of Leo is the implication of an integrated personality that can then, as an integrated personality of the feeling world of the thought world of the physical world, can then as an integrated being look up and say, "I choose." But if you are operating from a fragmented state where you are operating out of your emotional body, and that is all you know, or out of an instinctual nature, then there is not a thought there that is about choice. You are reactive. There is not enough sense there of individuality in an integrative way. If we look at it in that context, it gives a different perspective of the idea of choice.

The path of the mystic and the path of the magician: The path of the mystic is very much the devotional energy. It is the energy that is of the heart; it is the energy that reaches up from the place of the absolute heart. The path of the magician is associated with the path of the intellect, the left side of the brain, which is having command, authority, having the rules, the structure, etc. That is the magical path, which to be effective has to be very clear and precise in its formulas.

The new paradigm of the work we have found ourselves in at Light Haven is that we are being called to bring in both. We are being asked to make the connection between the heart and the head, to weave them together so that the higher will may be made manifest. It you have one or the other, it has served its purpose, but now we are in the time of the bringing together of opposites and the reconciliation of those opposites through the use of the will so you can manifest both. You have to have the heart and the head. You have to manifest both the mystical and the magical. It is your recognition that if you just walk the devotional path at this point in time (it did not use to be that way.) without the magical way and the intertwining of them both, then you are out of balance again. That is what you trust, the point of being the mediator, the point of the middle pillar of balance.

The fragmentation is in the story of Osiris who was killed and chopped into fourteen pieces. Isis went and reassembled those pieces so Osiris could be resurrected. It is through the fragmentation that that which has been held and solidified in the illusion of your identity has, by the grace, been freed that you might be resurrected. Give thanks.

What we are really speaking of magically is not that of which you know as America. It is about the great plan that is unfolding, and it is about the energy of that which you now call America which in another time and another place will be known a different way. It is about the unfoldment, the unfoldment. It is no accident that this which you call your home, you chose as your birthplace or your place of residence. It was founded in magic, and it is fulfilling its role in magic despite its seeming immaturity and distortion. It is on course. It is on course. It is purposeful that that of what took place in the place you know as New York most purposeful, most purposeful. You are –many are called; few respond, and even fewer stay at the feet of the Master. People have called, asked, for growth, for change. The avatar will fulfill its mission.

Eushahn: What we are going to go into now is creating sacred space. The first thing you want to do when you are creating your sacred space is to have the desire to create it. What you are looking for is a space that is quiet, receptive, so that when you go into your meditative state, your ritual time, you are in a clean open space that will be most receptive to what you want to bring in at that time. Now as you desire this space and as you set it up, it will come to you. Some of us live in smaller places than others. Wherever you choose to set it up, whenever you get ready to do your meditation if the space you have chosen is cluttered, you will find that your meditations will be cluttered. So it is a good idea that if it is a space that is not exclusively used for meditation, that you straighten it up, get it in some order. It will affect the way you work in the space. The space can be any place that you choose.

While you are setting that space up, you want to determine where east is. Now in this sanctuary east happens to be where the altar is because that is how we built the building. The reason you want to use east is in the mystical traditions, whether it is through the Masons, the Rosicrucians, the Catholic Church, or anyone else who uses the semblance, east is where the sun rises. What we are looking for is to bring in the energy of what we call the sun behind the sun. It is that dynamic, creative spark of the Creator itself coming through to this planet and to each of us here. That is where we begin what we are going to work on. If you altar is not set up in the east, that is fine; it does not have to be there; however, for your opening, when you do it, you open the four quarters (as we did last month in the presentation). When you open, you start in the east. What we are going to do is get your space set up, clear it, clean it; follow your directions from last time.

What we are going to talk about now is tools that you want to use or things you want to have on your altar. The key here is whatever it is you decide to use you need to ask its permission for the use you intend, whether it be a candle, a statue, a bell, or a sacrificial bowl, or whatever it is you intend to use. As you ask it, just be receptive that it wants to be used for that purpose. You want to clear it and present it, and from that point on you will be utilizing it on your altar and through the different ceremonies and things that you do.

With the tools and we are going over a number of those you can use and ways that they can be used. The key is to have something that when you see it, hear it, taste it, smell it, feel it, it signifies to you a deeper part of the spirit from within. As it tends to grow stronger through use, what will happen when you go into your sacred altar and move into that space, it becomes a matter of just a breath in and a breath out and you are there. All of these tools are simply aids to help you get there. As you get there and hold the space in your own sanctuary, the next step as you move along is to begin to hold that same sacred space within your own self at any place at any time.

There are several ways to do that. One way is if you are out in a different setting, and you need to have that spiritual insight and calmness that you have in meditation, put yourself in a place that is quiet long enough to visualize and imagine yourself back in your own sacred place, and center yourself. If you are out in a public place, and you don’t have any place else to go, go to a restroom, close the door, close your eyes, take in a breath, and get centered. Put yourself in your meditation place. You can always bring yourself to this sanctuary. It is open to you, and when you bring yourself here, you will tune in to the energies of this sacred space. You can utilize east and west, south and north, direction-wise, and the beings will be there to support you in whatever endeavor you seek to bring forth as long as it is in harmony with what Light Haven represents.

The different tools you can have: as you find them, you want to find the best quality you can find. You are saying, "This is what I have for you, Spirit." It symbolizes the altar I am setting up. At the same time, it is not a matter of accumulating a lot of things. A few simple things are just as powerful as a hundred glamorous things. Yet it still needs to be the right thing for you. As we talk about and explain the basics to setting up an altar, you will get a feel for what you want on your altar, and they may not be everything we talked about, and they may be. It is OK either way. The important thing is that you set up a sanctuary and a space that helps you go to a deeper space each time you go in. Yet at the same time, I would say that there are points in time because of our own astrological make-up, our own samskaras, our own personalities, that we find that we may go deeper and deeper and higher and higher, and then we hit a plateau, and we even have some dips. That is all part of the process. It is not a constant going up the mountain. Remember when you ascend and go up the mountain, you need to bring what you attained on the top of the mountain down into the world that you reside in. That is part of the process, too.

One of the things we talk about is an altar cloth. You can see the one here. From being in service, you know we change altar cloths depending on what we are called to do. Sometimes you may find things as you travel; you may find them here; you may find them already in your home. Ideally, it is easier to clear something new and easier to present. If you have something that came from an ancestor or has been in your lineage for a long time, and you want to utilize that, it is fine. Remember to clear it first, present it, and ask spirit to come in, but only after you have asked the item itself if that is what it wants to be used for. Whenever we take something that has belonged to another individual or individuals, part of who and what they were is still a part of that object. That is why you can take that object and hold it in your hand and do psychometry reading. You can tell about the person or persons who have owned it before. Their signature is still on there. They do have a certain say about that object. If you ask and get a "no," I would suggest you not use it.

For a candle, we represent a white candle. White is all colors coming together so it is the full spectrum coming through. It also tends to indicate purity. The other thing you can use is blue. Blue holds a very high vibratory frequency. In the Eastern traditions it is what is in line with the Buddhic energy, and it brings in its own quality of energy. It is up to you what you want to use.

Incense is the next thing we will talk about. There are several ways to use incense. Our sense of smell is the most primitive sense we have. When you inhale certain aromas, it automatically takes you back to the time and space in which you may have been in contact with that smell. It is the fastest way to go to a deeper state of consciousness as well as an emotional state as well as another lifetime if you happen to clue into a certain odor. You can use stick incense. That is an easy way. You light it, let it burn a little bit, and then let it do its thing. The other thing is you can light a chalice. If you are going to use charcoal, put some sand in the container because that charcoal gets extremely hot, and when it does, it will make the container hot unless you have something in it for insulation. Most charcoal is self-lighting. It may start to spark and then will go. After it starts to work, sprinkle on top whatever you are going to use—sage, ambergris, etc. In our tradition, we light either a candle or incense, we use a lighter, not matches. The reason is that over time the sulfur that is in matches has been used for various magical acts that we would consider to be of a darker nature. Because of that, we do not choose to bring that into whatever it is we are using.

With that, is also how to extinguish. Because the breath is a way to build prana or energy, we choose not to use that power to extinguish the flame. For one, there is a psychological effect when you blow out a flame. You are using a lot of energy directed toward something that needs only a small amount. Our recommendation is to pinch it out with your fingers. You can wet them if you need to. Or put something over the top of your candle that lets it put the smoke out. You can buy candlesnuffers if you want to. We use them here because we use a lot of candles.

Music is the next think we will talk about. It works the same way. If you are going to have background music, use something that takes you into a spiritual place that does not have an emotional hook to it. If you choose to be in a meditation that is going to take you to an individual person, event, that you need to go back to, and that music will take you back there and hold you in a positive place, then I would go ahead with it. If it is going to put you in an emotional place, remember that you are trying to reach spirit, not an emotion. You will go through the emotions in the process, but you don’t want to stay there. When you choose your music, choose something that is inspiring. What you like is different for all of us. Find what works for you.

Flowers and fruit are things of personal choice. One of things to look at the different elements, anything of nature will bring that it. Different flowers hold different frequencies, and it will make a difference in the meditation that you have. As you are looking for what you want on the altar that may be live, whether it is fruits, flowers, parts of a tree, or whatever, you will be gravitated or drawn to it, if that is what you need. It isn’t necessary that you have it any time or every time. For some, it will bring a deeper connection than for others. Also, as you are outside, one of the things to keep in mind is that the plant kingdom itself is here to help cleanse us. One of the things that we can do is to go to nature, a tree in particular, stand against it and do some deep breathing. You can remove a lot of emotions or other parts that may be stuck in you. The tree will actually take it on and deposit it down in the earth, so it is a good cleansing tool.

When you have food or fruit or anything on your altar that is an offering, as for your ancestors, that is to be taken out and returned to nature after you have finished with it. If it is on your altar for another purpose and has been blessed, then it may be eaten with that blessing.

The next thing we are going to talk about is imagery or statues. Again, this is what you are drawn to. You may find the beings you work with or the lineage you follow may shift or may stay the same. For me, Kwan Yin and Buddha, which is an Eastern line, tend to stay strong with me. For others, Jesus, Mother Mary, any one saint, great being, or individual. It can be a picture, a statue, whatever you choose. As it comes to you and you find it, you want to ask it, clear it, present it, and give it its place of honor.

We talk next about the elements: earth, air, water, and fire. You may find you want to represent those four elements on your altar at times, and at times you may find you don’t. That is a personal choice. Remember the elements themselves, although we take them in their physical form, represent the planes of creation: air being that part where thoughts are very fluid; fire where you have all possibilities, total expansion, everything is possible; water where you have the contraction where whatever you are seeking to bring down in manifestation is taking on that form; earth that form in the etheric level and on this level as it tends to take its place down here on this plane. Keep in mind once anything exists on this plane, it exists on all of the other planes at the same time. Then as it reaches its completion, it moves back up the planes. Even if it no longer exists on the earth plane, it continues to move up and may exist on another plane until it finally reaches its place where it turns back into the ether itself. A fire bowl can actually have fire in it. There are times when you may want to do certain rituals and use Florida water, for example. The key is that the fire bowl is used only for that. Be sure to have a hot pad underneath so it will not set your entire altar on fire.

Energy is built through use. The key is that any time you use your space, just like with your meditations here, any time you use your space you are bringing in a vibration, and as you use it exclusively for that function, it builds up an energy of its own, and there are beings that will begin to be attracted to that altar. When you light your altar candle, they will come. You are now actively calling them in with your opening prayer. After a while, when you light your candle, they will already be there. You will feel them standing there. The next stage after you reach that is you will be out in other places, and as you need them, you will feel that same sense. You can mentally call you in, and they will be there to support you and be with you in whatever you are moving through.

Moving on, it talks about the use of bath, similar to the oil. Next time when we do ritual, we will be making magical bath, and you will be given some of that bath to take home with you for your own personal use. Magical bath holds a specific vibration. It allows you to open yourself to a higher spiritual level. It can be used in a variety of ways. You can anoint your chakras with it. You can actually put it all over. For those who have their own baths, we make it in gallons. You use it after your bath in the evening or the morning to open certain centers. It has an aroma to it, and it’s made to attract various spirits. One of the things that attracts spirits is aroma. The sweet smells tend to bring in the higher angelic beings. It is a very powerful way to do that.

Cleanliness: Before I would go into ritual or meditation, it is better if you can shower first. That doesn’t always work for us when we are doing it on a daily basis. If that doesn’t happen to work for you, at least wash your hands. You are not just doing it as a cleanliness factor; you want to wash them as a spiritual act. Think of yourself of cleansing and washing off the mundane world you may have touched up to that point through the day or whatever time period it may be. You are making yourself cleansed and pure so that you can make the connection with your own soul that you want to make.

Once you are in your space and have said your prayers, you want to move ahead in a purposeful fashion. The more purposeful you are and the more directed you are, the higher the connection will be with the intent you go in with. If you go in with no intent at all and you go in and meditate, you will still be able to meditate, and you will still have some experience, but if you go in with a definite intent, you are going to draw certain beings to work with you, and there will be a certain purpose set up that will give you a stronger connection and let things move forward in a positive way. It doesn’t mean that you want to narrow it or constrict it to the point that you can’t have an open communication with spirit or an open experience with spirit. What it means is you want to dedicate in such a way that it will help your growth on the way to the next step forward.

The next thing we are talking about are temporary spaces when we travel, staying in someone else’s home, going to temporary housing yourself, etc. You may want to set up a temporary altar. You can do this in as detailed a way as you want. If you travel a lot the way Aeptha and I do, we have traveling altars, and certain things we take with us. They have all been consecrated; they have all been wrapped in a special cloth (silk or cotton), and they are dedicated totally for that purpose. When we come back home, they all go in a special drawer. The only thing that goes in that drawer are those sacred items. It gives us a way when we are on the road and out, after we have cleared the space where we are, we can set up an altar space that works for us. Because we use it, it holds our vibration and makes it that much easier to work in that particular space.

Next, it talks about a rug or a rope. You can also use a towel. This is a way to put a ring-pass-not around your space to hold it, to clear an energy place when you are away from home. You can take a rug or a rope with you. You can even take a hotel towel and
clear it and use it. Set it up, put your chair on it. That ‘s another way to clear a space when you are away from home. Again, a lot of it depends on how often you are away as to how elaborate you want to work with all of this.

A mirror and a television screen and a computer are all doorways, where you view images. If you are in a strange place, you may want to cover them so energies or beings that you would choose not to have come in and out will not.

The last thing before we close this portion and take a break is there will be times when the items you are using as sacred tools have reached the point where you are no longer going to use them for that purpose. When that happens, you want to thank whatever it is for the service it has provided spirit and release it in an appropriate manner. The appropriate manner depends on what you are releasing. A material object that is more solid may go to another place in your home. If it is fruit or flowers, you may release it outside, also water. Remember when an item has given its service to you to let it have its freedom to do what it needs to do next when it has completed the task you assigned to it. It doesn’t mean that happens quickly. Some items stay on altars for years; some come and go more quickly.

Aeptha: For those who feel called, you can stand.  Earth my body; water my blood; air my breath; and fire my spirit (Sung by group)

We are going to be doing some work with mantras. Mantras are a way of altering consciousness. There are mantras we use that have been used for multiple levels of years, and there are also mantras that come through spirit that are, from our perspective, new. Mantras carry a frequency, a movement of consciousness. We move them in ritual as well as in our own private ceremonies and work to support and to shift energies. It is like building a matrix, building scaffolding. You use the mantras for that intention. You can use mantras as a word of power that becomes second nature to you. It becomes something that in any given situation, you start to say your mantra, and it will shift your mood and bring in whatever energy is needed.

And we raised our voices up, and we have been heard. We have entered into the halls and we have been blessed. We will take this blessing forth from this place, for we have taken that of the touch of spirit. We have breathed it in, and it has become the fire, the fire, the fire that consumes, the fire that expands, and the fire that lights the way. And we give thanks.

We call to Spirit and we will sing to thee our song of love.
Veni Santu Spiritu (Chanted by group)

The spirits above and the spirits below and the spirits all around—there is healing for the sacred four and the sacred three, and we are healed, and we are blessed. And all life is uplifted, and it is done. I would ask that we would take hands and form a circle of light, a circle of love, alpha and omega, that which has no end, that which has no beginning. We are a reflection of it. Let is embody it. So mote it be. Thank you all for a blessed time together. My heart is overflowing. Blessings. Let it be done on earth as it is in heaven (Lord’s Prayer continued). And so we come to this harvest full moon counting our blessings in all ways, even those things we don’t recognize as blessings. And we give thanks.