Ritual 17: Monday, April 23, 2007

Waxing Moon

Tonight's magic follows the ancient edict: "Know thyself." This guideline for spiritual development was inscribed first as "Gnothi se auton" on the Oracle of Delphi temple in Greece. Your own self-knowledge is power. The waxing moon contributes its power to your process of becoming aware of — and accepting — the truth of who you are.

For the night's ritual you will need seven 3x5 cards, paints in seven rainbow hues, a paintbrush and a pen, a hole punch and twine. Candles and incense make for a meditative space, but are not required for magic-making. Go ahead and enhance the ambience to your taste.

Begin by breathing in and out of the soles of your feet. Paint the first card red, while chanting, "I am, I am, I am."

Breathe deeply from your lower belly. Paint the second card orange and say, "I feel, I feel, I feel."

Breathe into your solar plexus, letting your ribcage expand. Paint the third card yellow, repeating: "I will, I will, I will."

Continue with this rhythm of breathing into a certain part of your body and painting your 3x5 cards. Follow this pattern:

Heart. Green. "I love, I love, I love."
Throat. Light blue. "I share, I share, I share."
Brow. Deep blue or indigo. "I see, I see, I see."
Crown, the very top of your head. Violet or purple. "I accept, I accept, I accept."

Sip a cup of calming tea while your cards dry. See if you can breathe the entire rainbow up and down your body, from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head. Take it easy, play it like a game. Self-discovery is important, but you don't need to be crusty about it.

Once they're dry, stack the cards in rainbow order with red on top. My eighth-grade science teacher taught us to remember the hue order as a boy's name: Roy G. Biv. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

Now ask yourself this question: "Who am I?" Accept the first response you get. Write that on your red card: "I am ______." Your discovery may surprise you. I'm doing the ritual right along with you and my first thought was "a man!" Just go with it.

Acknowledging this as one aspect of you — we are comprised of so many parts — allow it to "speak" for the rest of the ritual.

What does this "you" feel? First thought, write that on your orange card: "I feel ______."

Yellow: "I will ______." Green: "I love ______." Blue: "I share ______." Indigo: "I see ______." Violet: "I accept ______."

Punch holes in the cards and string them together like prayer flags. Repeat aloud what you have written on your cards. Give yourself ample time to journal about your discoveries. Close your ritual with words that recognize the voice that shared itself. A simple "I have heard you, thank you for sharing" will suffice.

You can repeat this ritual many times, allowing different aspects of your soul to speak.

After the ritual, share your experience in our community section.