09-22-2022
Tags: Occult, Magic, Banishing, Article
Author: John Michael Greer
Sphere of Protection
Overview
A versatile ritual primarily designed for Banishing, one of the three fundamental arts of a
successful occult practice according to the author.
Content:
Phase 1
The Sphere of Protection (SoP) is the foundational ritual practice of an entire family of initiatory
orders, of which as far as I know the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA) is the only one
currently active. It was originally devised sometime in the 1950s by Dr. Juliet Ashley, a longtime
occultist who studied Jungian psychology in the 1930s and went on to become the leading
figure in AODA as well as the Universal Gnostic Church, the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn, the
Order of Spiritual Alchemy, and the Modern Essene Order. All these organizations taught and
practiced the SoP as part of their basic training.
Later, in the 1970s, Ashley’s student John Gilbert developed the SoP further as part of his
preparation for ordination at Universal Seminary, the distance-learning school operated by the
Universal Gnostic Church for its clergy. His version became standard in the orders just named.
John was my teacher and initiator in these traditions, and it was from him I learned the ritual. It’s
a very solid protective ritual, a little subtler in its effects than the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram
but equally effective in practice, and deserves more attention than it’s received. With any luck,
this post will help take care of that.
Learning the Sphere of Protection
One of the distinctive features of the SoP is that you don’t start doing it all at once. You begin
with the opening and closing sections, and add in the elemental invocations in the middle one
at a time. The process of learning the SoP thus functions as a basic initiation into the work of the
seven elements. Seven elements? Yep—in the SoP you work with Air, Water, Fire, Earth, Spirit
Above, Spirit Below, and Spirit Within. We’ll get to those one at a time as we proceed.
The opening and closing sections have evolved substantially over the years. The version
included in my book The Druid Magic Handbook and the forthcoming The Dolmen Arch
is essentially the one I learned from John Gilbert; it’s effective, but the opening section shows, a
little too clearly for my taste, its descent from the Christian Sign of the Cross (which was used as
the opening section in Juliet Ashley’s time); the closing section also has proven to be very
difficult for some students to learn. The versions presented here have been tested over several
years, and work well. If you want to try the older version instead, why, you know where to find it.
About Divine Names
One of the peculiarities of the Sphere of Protection is that it doesn’t specify which divine names,
if any, are to be vibrated in doing the ritual. (We’ll get to vibration later on; you don’t do it in the
opening or closing.) That’s a reflection of a core theme in the work of all the orders that use the
SoP, which is that the name or names by which you know the divine are your own business.
When I was ordained a priest of the Universal Gnosis, John Gilbert asked me in the name of
what deity I was prepared to take the ordination, and the name I gave was the one he used. That
was not merely standard but required.
For the SoP, you’re going to need to fill certain slots. For the Opening, you need three deities—
the standard approach for polytheists is to call on a father god or sky god, a mother goddess or
earth goddess, and a deity with whom you have a specific connection. Not a polytheist? Not a
problem; Christians using this rite call on the three persons of the Trinity, while animists and
others who prefer to work with impersonal forms of divinity can apply those as needed (an
example is included below). For the Closing, you don’t need any divine names at all. For the
elemental invocations—well, we’ll get to that as we reach those.
The Opening
1. Stand in the center of the space where you will be working, facing whichever direction is
sacred in the tradition in which you’re working. (For example, in the Universal Gnostic
Church and the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn, this was east, while in AODA it’s south,
where the sun stands at midday.) Take a few moments and a few breaths to focus your
attention and let your body and energy become stable. Then sweep your arms up to your
sides until your hands meet above your head. Draw your joined hands down to your
forehead, and touch with them the point between your eyebrows, at the location of your
third eye center; as you do this, imagine a beam of pure white light descending from
infinite space to a point in the center of your head, forming a small sphere of light there.
Say the name of the sky god or father god.
2. Now draw your joined hands down the front of your body to touch a point on your belly
just below your navel, at the location of the womb center. As you do this, imagine the
same beam of pure white light descending through your body to the heart of the Earth.
Say the name of the earth goddess or mother goddess.
3. Now raise your elbows and draw your hands back up, separating them in a sweeping,
blossoming motion. End with your arms out to your sides, palms up. As you do this,
imagine the light rising up again from the heart of the Earth, filling your body. Say the
name of the third deity you’ve chosen.
4. Now cross your arms, right over left, the fingertips of each hand resting against the
opposite shoulder. As you do this, imagine the light shining out through your body and
filling the space around you, cleansing and blessing all things. Say something appropriate
to finish. That concludes the Opening.
Here are some sample words that can be used with the Opening:
(1) “Hu the Mighty, great Druid god;” (2) “Ced the Earth-mother, source of all life;” (3) “Hesus of
the Oaks, chief of tree-spirits;” (4) “May all the holy powers bless and protect me now and
always.”
(1) “Osiris!” (2) “Isis!” (3) “Horus!” (4) “Powers of the Ennead, mighty in magic!”
(1) “In the name of the Father,” (2) “and of the Son,” (3) “and of the Holy Spirit,” (4) “Amen.”
(1) “By the sky above me,” (2) “by the earth beneath me,” (3) “by the life force within me,” (4)
“may I be blessed and renewed now and always.”
Or come up with your own. Back in the day, it was rare to find any two initiates who did the SoP
with the same words.
The Closing
The earlier version of the closing, the actual establishment of the Sphere of Protection, involved
some fairly complicated visualizations. Those work, but a lot of people have had trouble with
them. The following visualization will be found less challenging. Fair warning, though: it needs
regular practice to become really effective.
At the conclusion of the Opening—or, later on, at the conclusion of the elemental invocations—
turn your attention to your solar plexus, the area just below where the two sides of your ribcage
part company. Imagine the equivalent point in the middle of your body, where the beam of pure
white light passes through you. Imagine the beam of light forming a small sphere of light there.
Feel this as the meeting place of the current of light descending from the sky and the current
rising back up from the heart of the Earth.
Now imagine the sphere of light expanding, fed by the two currents flowing into it. It grows
until it surrounds your entire body, and as much further as you need to make it to encompass
the area you wish to place within its protection. Concentrate, as it expands, on the sense that the
space inside it is lighter, cleaner, and brighter than the space outside it. (The more effort you put
into this sense, the more effective the ritual will become.)
Pause, once you have expanded the sphere to the size you need it, and feel the space around
you as cleansed, lightened, and illuminated. Then cross your arms as you did at the end of the
Opening, and say something appropriate, e.g., “May the holy powers bless and protect me now
and always,” or a suitable prayer—for example, the Lord’s Prayer if you are a Christian. That
concludes the closing, and the Sphere of Protection.
If you’re interested in learning this, try doing it at least once a day for the next week. A week
from now I’ll post instructions for the first of the elemental invocations — the Calling of Air.
Phase 2
I'd meant to get to this a little sooner, but with any luck you've all taken the extra time to
practice the opening and closing as set out in the first essay in this series. With that said, let's
proceed to the next phase: the Calling of Air.
These seven elemental phases are learned one at a time. For the next week or so, in other words,
you'll be doing the Opening, the Calling of Air, and then the Closing. Then you'll learn the
Calling of Water, and practice the Opening, the Calling of Air, the Calling of Water, and the
closing. Rinse and repeat until you've gotten all seven down and the Sphere of Protection is
complete. Why? First, because it's much easier to take it a step at a time; second, because it
turns the process of learning the SoP into a process of initiation.
Okay, one more thing, If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's
associated with the element of air. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard
divine name to use is יהוה, YHVH, which Christians usually pronounce "Jehovah" and Jews don't
generally pronounce at all. (The most common practice among mages is to repeat the letter
names, "Yod, Heh, Vau, Heh," though there are other ways of vocalizing it.) In the Druid Revival
traditions I work with, this element is associated with Hu the Mighty, the great Druid god. If you
work in a theistic tradition, choose a relevant name from your tradition; if you don't, don't worry
about it -- you can also invoke the element of air as is. The Calling of Air is done as described
below:
1. Perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection.
2. Then face east. Using the first two fingers of your right hand, trace the figure on the right
in front of you -- first the circle, starting from the top and going clockwise from there, and
then the vertical line, from the point where it joins the circle up to the top. Imagine that
symbol drawn, just as shown here, in a line of yellow flame or of blazing yellow light. This
is the invoking form of the symbol of air.
3. Point to the center of the symbol and say an appropriate invocation. Here's the one I use
when I'm practicing this ritual in a Druid context: "By the yellow gate of the rushing winds
and the hawk of May in the heights of morning, and in the great name HU, I invoke the
Air, its gods, its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Air bless and protect me this day
and always, and further my work. May my mind be inspired by the ways of nature." (Yes,
you can use this one as written; you can also come up with one of your own. The SoP is
flexible that way.)
4. As you finished the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible a wind blowing out of the
east toward you, crisp and fresh. See a morning scene in which the sunrise and the sky
dominates all. Make it look like spring in the place where you live. Engage all your senses,
so that you smell and feel and hear as well as see the imagery. Breathe the energies of air
into yourself. Take a little while at this, and then say, "I thank the powers of air for their
gifts."
5. Then trace the same symbol in the same place, but this time draw the circle
counterclockwise. This is the banishing form of the symbol of air. It doesn't banish air -- it
banishes other things with the help of air. Point at the center of the circle and say words
such as the following: "And with the help of the powers of air, I banish from within me and
around me and from all my doings all harmful influences and hostile magic, and every
imbalance of the nature of air. I banish these far from me." Spend a little while imagining
every imbalance and unwanted influence being swept away by the winds and being lost in
the vastness of air.
6. Finally, perform the closing of the SoP. Do this sequence daily for the next week or so.
Note 1: the name HU (or any other divine name you use) is vibrated. Vibrated? That's a way of
pronouncing words used by ceremonial magicians. To learn how to do it, try chanting a simple
vowel sound like "aaaah," changing the way you hold your mouth and throat until you feel a
buzzing or tingling feeling somewhere in your body. With practice, you can focus the vibration
wherever you want, inside your body or outside of it, and it becomes a potent magical method.
For now, do your best, and see how steady you can get the buzzing or tingling sensation.
Note 2: yes, I know this isn't the standard emblem of the element of air. It's the one we use in
the SoP, and in the assortment of spiritual and magical traditions that share the SoP. If you've
taken up the practice of daily meditation, why this emblem is used for air is a good theme for
that practice.
Phase 3
By now, I hope those of you who are following along have been practicing the Opening and
Closing of the SoP daily for a couple of weeks and the Calling of Air for a week. (If you're just
joining us now, you can find those here and here.) Now it's time to add in the second of the
elemental phases, the Calling of Water. For the next week, you'll be practicing the Opening, the
Calling of Air, the Calling of Water, and the Closing; then we go on to the remaining five
elemental Callings. Why? First, because it's much easier to take it a step at a time; second,
because it turns the process of learning the SoP into a process of initiation.
If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's associated with the element
of water. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard divine name to use is אל , AL,
which is pronounced "Ell." In the Druid Revival traditions I work with, this element is associated
with Hesus the chief of tree-spirits. If you work in a different theistic tradition, choose a relevant
name from your tradition; if you don't, don't worry about it -- you can also invoke the element
of water as is. The Calling of Water is done as described below:
1. Perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection, and then perform the complete
Calling of Air, including both the invoking and the banishing aspects.
2. Then face west. Using the first two fingers of your right hand, trace the triangle on the
right, starting from the bottom point and going clockwise. Imagine that symbol drawn, just
as shown here, in a line of blue flame or of blazing blue light. This is the invoking form of
the symbol of water.
3. Point to the center of the symbol and say an appropriate invocation. Here's the one I use
when I'm practicing this ritual in a Druid context: "By the blue gate of the mighty waters
and the salmon of wisdom in the sacred pool, and in the great name HESUS, I invoke the
Water, its gods, its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Water bless and protect me
this day and always, and further my work. May my heart be instructed by the ways of
nature." (Yes, you can use this one as written; you can also come up with one of your own.
The SoP is flexible that way. The divine name, if you use one, should of course be vibrated;
see the explanation in the post on the Calling of Air if you need a reminder of how this is
done.)
4. As you finished the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible an ocean or a mighty lake
reaching out west of you into the distance. See an evening scene in which the sunset
shines above the waters. Make it look like autumn in the place where you live. Engage all
your senses, so that you smell and feel and hear as well as see the imagery. Draw the
energies of water into yourself. Take a little while at this, and then say, "I thank the powers
of Water for their gifts."
5. Then trace the same symbol in the same place, but this time draw the triangle
counterclockwise from the bottom. This is the banishing form of the symbol of water. It
doesn't banish water -- it banishes other things with the help of water. Point at the center
of the triangle and say words such as the following: "And with the help of the powers of
Water, I banish from within me and around me and from all my doings all harmful
influences and hostile magic, and every imbalance of the nature of Water. I banish these
far from me." Spend a little while imagining every imbalance and unwanted influence
being washed away by the waves and dissolved forever in the vastmess of the water.
6. Finally, face the same way you faced in the Opening, and perform the Closing of the SoP.
Do this sequence daily for the next week or so. Notice the change in the energetic balance
between this phase and the one you completed over the last week.
Phase 4
By now, I hope those of you who are following along have been practicing the Opening and
Closing of the SoP daily for a couple of weeks and the Callings of Air and Water for a week. (If
you're just joining us now, you can find those here, here, and here.) Now it's time to add in the
third of the elemental phases, the Calling of Fire.
There's a bit of a twist here. You learn the Calling of Water second, but it's not done second
once you learn the Calling of Fire. For the next week, you'll be practicing the Opening, the
Calling of Air, the Calling of Fire, the Calling of Water, and the Closing, in that order. You'll keep
that order, too, when we go on to the remaining four elemental Callings. Why? You need water
and air to balance fire, but fire goes in the south, so you do it after air in the east and before
water in the west.
If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's associated with the element
of fire. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard divine name to use is אלהים ,
ALHIM, which is pronounced "Elohim." In the Druid Revival traditions I work with, this element is
associated with Sul, the healing goddess of hot springs and the sun . If you work in a different
theistic tradition, choose a relevant name from your tradition; if you don't, don't worry about it,
you can also invoke the element of fire as is. The Calling of Fire is done as described below:
1. Perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection, and then perform the complete
Calling of Air, including both the invoking and the banishing aspects.
2. Then face south. Using the first two fingers of your right hand, trace the triangle on the
right, starting from the top point and going clockwise. Imagine that symbol drawn, just as
shown here, in a line of red flame or of blazing red light. This is the invoking form of the
symbol of fire.
3. Point to the center of the symbol and say an appropriate invocation. Here's the one I use
when I'm practicing this ritual in a Druid context: "By the red gate of the bright flames and
the white stag of the summer greenwood, and in the great name SUL, I invoke the Fire, its
gods, its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Fire bless and protect me this day and
always, and further my work. May my will be in harmony with the ways of nature." (Yes,
you can use this one as written; you can also come up with one of your own. The SoP is
flexible that way. The divine name, if you use one, should of course be vibrated; see the
explanation in the post on the Calling of Air if you need a reminder of how this is done.)
4. As you finish the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible the sun blazing high in the
southern heavens. See an noonday scene in which heat shimmers in the air. Make it look
like summer in the place where you live. Engage all your senses, so that you smell and feel
and hear as well as see the imagery. Draw the energies of fire into yourself. Take a little
while at this, and then say, "I thank the powers of Fire for their gifts."
5. Then trace the same symbol in the same place, but this time draw the triangle
counterclockwise from the top. This is the banishing form of the symbol of fire. It doesn't
banish fire -- it banishes other things with the help of fire. Point at the center of the
triangle and say words such as the following: "And with the help of the powers of Fire, I
banish from within me and around me and from all my doings all harmful influences and
hostile magic, and every imbalance of the nature of Fire. I banish these far from me."
Spend a little while imagining every imbalance and unwanted influence being shriveled up
and burnt away by the blazing heat of the sun.
6. Turn to the west, and do the Calling of Water. Finally, face the same way you faced in the
Opening, and perform the Closing of the SoP.
Do this sequence daily for the next week or so. Notice the change in the energetic balance
between this phase and the previous ones.
Phase 5
By now, I hope those of you who are following along have been practicing the Opening and
Closing of the SoP daily for a couple of weeks and the Callings of Air, Fire, and Water for a week.
(If you're just joining us now, you can find those here, here, here, and here.) Now it's time to add
in the fourth of the elemental phases, the Calling of Earth. This comes after the three Callings
you've learned already, and before the closing.
If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's associated with the element
of earth. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard divine name to use is אדני ,
ADNI which is pronounced "Adonai." In the Druid Revival traditions I work with, this element is
associated with Elen, the goddess of dawn and dusk and of the old straight tracks. If you work in
a different theistic tradition, choose a relevant name from your tradition; if you don't, don't
worry about it -- you can also invoke the element of earth as is. The Calling of Earth is done as
described below:
1. Perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection, and then perform the complete
Callings of Air, Fire, and Water, including both the invoking and the banishing aspects.
2. Then face north. Using the first two fingers of your right hand, trace the symbol on the
right, starting from the point where the circle and line join and going clockwise around the
circle, then down the line. Imagine that symbol drawn, just as shown here, in a line of
green flame or of blazing green light. This is the invoking form of the symbol of earth.
3. Point to the center of the symbol and say an appropriate invocation. Here's the one I use
when I'm practicing this ritual in a Druid context: "By the green gate of the tall stones and
the great bear of the starry heavens, and in the great name ELEN, I invoke the Earth, its
gods, its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Earth bless and protect me this day and
always, and further my work. May my body thrive according to the ways of nature." (Yes,
you can use this one as written; you can also come up with one of your own. The SoP is
flexible that way. The divine name, if you use one, should of course be vibrated; see the
explanation in the post on the Calling of Air if you need a reminder of how this is done.)
4. As you finish the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible a night scene lit only by the
midnight stars. See the great dim shapes of mountains in the distance. Make it look like
winter in the place where you live. Engage all your senses, so that you smell and feel and
hear as well as see the imagery. Draw the energies of earth into yourself. Take a little while
at this, and then say, "I thank the powers of Earth for their gifts."
5. Then trace the same symbol in the same place, but this time draw the circle
counterclockwise. This is the banishing form of the symbol of earth. It doesn't banish earth
-- it banishes other things with the help of earth. Point at the center of the symbol and say
words such as the following: "And with the help of the powers of Earth, I banish from
within me and around me and from all my doings all harmful influences and hostile magic,
and every imbalance of the nature of Earth. I banish these far from me." Spend a little
while imagining every imbalance and unwanted influence being buried, crushed, and
absorbed by the immense quiet weight of earth.
6. Finally, face the same way you faced in the Opening, and perform the Closing of the SoP.
Do this sequence daily for the next week or so. Notice the change in the energetic balance
between this phase and the previous ones.
Phase 6
By now, I hope those of you who are following along have been practicing the Opening and
Closing of the SoP daily for a couple of weeks and the Callings of Air, Fire, Water and Earth for a
week. (If you're just joining us now, you can find those here, here, here, here., and here.) Now it's
time to add in the fifth of the elemental phases, the Calling of Spirit Below. This comes after the
four Callings you've learned already, and before the closing.
This and the next two callings differ from the ones you've done before in that you invoke and
don't banish. Spirit integrates and harmonizes; you've invoked the four elements to chase off
what you need to chase off, and now you invoke the three forms of spirit to bring everything
else into balance.
If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's associated with the element
of earth. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard divine name to use is אגלא ,
AGLA; this is a notariqon (basically, an acronym) for the prayer Ateh Gebor Le'olam,
Adonai, "Thou art mighty forever, Lord;" pronounce it "ah-geh-la." In the Druid Revival
traditions I work with, this element is associated with Cêd, the earth goddess of Druid Revival
lore. If you work in a different theistic tradition, choose a relevant name from your tradition; if
you don't, don't worry about it -- you can also invoke the element of spirit below as such. The
Calling of Spirit Below is done as described below:
1. Perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection, and then perform the complete
Callings of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth including both the invoking and the banishing
aspects.
2. Now face the way you did at the opening. Using the first two fingers of your right hand,
trace the symbol on the right horizontally, as though you were drawing it on the flat
surface of a table or altar in front of you. Imagine that symbol drawn, just as shown here,
in a line of orange flame or of blazing orange light. Then imagine it descending a short
distance below your feet and moving directly under you. This is the symbol of spirit
below.
3. Point to the center of the symbol and say an appropriate invocation. Here's the one I use
when I'm practicing this ritual in a Druid context: "By the orange gate of spirit below and
the power of the telluric current, and in the great name CÊD, I invoke Spirit Below, its gods,
its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Spirit Below bless and protect me this day
and always, and further my work. May I be empowered by the telluric current." (Yes, you
can use this one as written; you can also come up with one of your own. The SoP is flexible
that way. The divine name, if you use one, should of course be vibrated; see the
explanation in the post on the Calling of Air if you need a reminder of how this is done.)
4. As you finish the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible the deep places of the Earth
and the immense powers that dwell there. Engage all your senses, so that you smell and
feel and hear as well as see the imagery. Draw the energies of Spirit Below into yourself.
Take a little while at this, and then say, "I thank the powers of Spirit Below for their gifts."
5. Finally, perform the Closing of the SoP.
Do this sequence daily for the next week or so. Notice the change in the energetic balance
between this phase and the previous ones.
Phase 7
By now, I hope those of you who are following along have been practicing the Opening and
Closing of the SoP and the Callings of Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit Below, the last for a week
and the others for longer. (If you're just joining us now, you can find those here, here, here, here,
here, and here.) Now it's time to add in the sixth of the elemental phases, the Calling of Spirit
Above. This comes after the five Callings you've learned already, and before the Closing.
If you're using divine names in this practice, you'll need one that's associated with the element
of spirit. If you're using Judeo-Christian symbolism, the standard divine name to use is אהיה ,
AHIH, which is pronounced "Eheieh;" this is traditionally the name of God first revealed to
Moses, and means "I Am." In the Druid Revival traditions I work with, this element is associated
with Celi, the Hidden One of Druid Revival lore. If you work in a different theistic tradition,
choose a relevant name from your tradition; if you don't, don't worry about it -- you can also
invoke the element of spirit above as such. The Calling of Spirit Above is done as described
below:
1. Perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection, and then perform the complete
Callings of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth including both the invoking and the banishing
aspects, followed by the Calling of Spirit Below, which is only invoking.
2. Keep facing the same way you did at the opening. Using the first two fingers of your right
hand, trace the symbol on the right horizontally above you, as though you were drawing it
on a low ceiling over you. Imagine that symbol drawn, just as shown here, in a line of
purple flame or of blazing purple light. Then imagine it ascending a short distance above
your head and moving directly over you. This is the symbol of spirit above.
3. Point up to the center of the symbol and say an appropriate invocation. Here's the one I
use when I'm practicing this ritual in a Druid context: "By the purple gate of spirit above
and the power of the solar current, and in the great name CELI (pronounced KEH-lee), I
invoke Spirit Above, its gods, its spirits, and its powers. May the powers of Spirit Above
bless and protect me this day and always, and further my work. May I be empowered by
the solar current." (Yes, you can use this one as written; you can also come up with one of
your own. The SoP is flexible that way. The divine name, if you use one, should of course
be vibrated; see the explanation in the post on the Calling of Air if you need a reminder of
how this is done.)
4. As you finish the invocation, imagine as intensely as possible the realms of outer space far
above you and the immense powers that dwell there. Engage all your senses, so that you
smell and feel and hear as well as see the imagery. (What does space smell like? According
to astronauts, it smells a little like a scorched barbecue grill (hot metal with an odd hint of
meat.) Draw the energies of Spirit Above into yourself. Take a little while at this, and then
say, "I thank the powers of Spirit Above for their gifts."
5. Finally, perform the Closing of the SoP.
Do this sequence daily for the next week or so. Notice the change in the energetic balance
between this phase and the previous ones.
Phase 8
By now, I hope those of you who are following along have been practicing the Opening and
Closing of the SoP and the Callings of Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Spirit Below, and Spirit Above, the
last for a week and the others for longer. (If you're just joining us now, you can find
those here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.) Now it's time to add in the final elemental
phase, the Calling of Spirit Within. This comes after the six Callings you've learned already, and
before the Closing. With it, the Sphere is complete.
Where the earlier Callings use a divine name, this one can use a sacred word or syllable. Druids
practicing this ritual use the word Awen, the Grand Word of the Druid Revival traditions;
Christians typically use the name of Jesus, "the name which is above every other name;" in the
Hindu and Buddhist traditions, Om would be the appropriate syllable to use. If you aren't using
divine names in this working, don';t worry about a sacred name. The Calling of Spirit Within is
done as described below:
1. Perform the Opening phase of the Sphere of Protection, and then perform the complete
Callings of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth including both the invoking and the banishing
aspects, followed by the Callings of Spirit Below and Spirit Above, which are invoking only.
2. Keep facing the same way you did at the opening. Visualize all six of the symbols you've
traced around yourself, each in its proper color and place, and see yourself in the midst of
them.
3. Then say an appropriate invocation. Here's the one I use when I'm practicing this ritual in a
Druid context: "By the six powers here invoked and here present, and in the Grand Word
AWEN (pronounced AH-OO-EN), I invoke Spirit Within. May the powers of Spirit Within
bless and protect me this day and always, and further my work. May they establish about
me, now and always, a Sphere of Protection." (Yes, you can use this one as written; you can
also come up with one of your own. The SoP is flexible that way. The name or word of
power, if you use one, should of course be vibrated; see the explanation in the post on the
Calling of Air if you need a reminder of how this is done.)
4. The moment you say the words "Sphere of Protection," go immediately to the Closing of
the SoP, formulating the sphere around you. This completes the Sphere of Protection in its
full form.
A couple of notes may be useful here. You don't call upon gods, spirits, and powers in this
seventh invocation, because Spirit Within is the small bright flame of the spirit in you -- no other
beings need apply. You've called on the powers of the rest of the universe, now you add your
own spiritual power to the mix. You also don't trace a symbol because you are the symbol.
Practice this daily for the rest of your life. Yes, I mean that! Combine it with ten to twenty
minutes a day of discursive meditation, and a daily divination using the oracle of your choice,
and you've got a set of esoteric practices that will take you very, very far along the Path.
Thoughts/Notes:
Another series of posts from the author's Dreamwidth page, gathered for convenience.
While the SOP is primarily recomended for banishing it is equally valuable for invoking. It is the
basis for an entire ritual system the author has published, The Druid Magic Handbook.
