LESSON 13
Rite of Empowerment
Empowerment is here understood as preventing your psychic energy from being depleted. Human life is spent in between the peaks of divine Virtue and the valleys of mundane Vice. This suspension creates constant inner conflict, and conflict expends energy. By going through mortal life in imbalanced striving for virtue, an equally imbalanced surrender to vices, or a constant state of intense inner conflict, a human soul falls victim to the subtle traps laid by desire, with the effect of being deprived of its greatest resource in the Hermetic work: the psychic energy itself, the libido. It is the blessing of the Third Ruler which prevents such an energy from being wasted or stagnated, and it is this blessing which the Rite of Empowerment attracts. To give your soul some relief from the pull of the energies of the Third Zone and the exhaustive action of the Tormentors in the Lower Cosmos, you need to cultivate the Third Ruler's power of Temperance. The practice of this rite will aid you in balancing your efforts against the Tormentors, so that you may be free from the twin pitfalls of asceticism and dissolution. The work of a Hermeticist is long and difficult, but it must be done suavite cum magno ingenio: gently, and with great ingenuity.
Preparation
Mark the Star of the Rulers with the symbol for the Third Ruler, reciting its motto. Light the Operative Candle and place it on the Star if it is not already like that. Stand facing your Oratory.
Performance
Pick up the Operative Candle in your left hand and place your right hand an inch or so above the Cup. Recite:
In the name of God, who perfects itself by its own powers!
I pray to you to command the Ruler of the Third Zone to bless me with its Virtue, which is Temperance, in order that I may be protected from the Tormentor of Consumption.
With help and support from the Third Ruler, I hope to unburden my soul of the energy of the Third Zone, which is the Guile of the Desires.
In the name of God, who perfects itself by its own powers!
Replace the Operative Candle upon the Star and pick up the Cup with both hands, lifting it a little towards the Seal. Drink from the Cup at the moments indicated below. Recite:
I pray to God to direct upon me the power of the Third Ruler, whose Virtue of Temperance will transmute me into a living talisman and a vessel for its Holy Power. May I be blessed with perfect Temperance. May my life always be guided by good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. May I receive the most valuable treasures of the World of Lights and the priceless treasures of Divinity. May I always accept those gifts in just measure and avoid the Torment of Consumption.
I drink now to pleasure.
Take a sip from the Cup.
I drink now to love.
Take a sip from the Cup.
I drink now to tranquility.
Take a sip from the Cup.
Holy are you, God, perfecting yourself through your own powers! By your will, may I perfect myself in the same manner.
Replace the Cup upon your Oratory.
Vision
Following the same model you have learned from previous rites, maintain through the Rite of Empowerment a connection with divinity. Use your imagination to create a therapeutic environment: one evocative of soothing, restorative feelings. At the point where "treasures" are mentioned, you may visualize yourself in a treasure vault, surrounded by all the things you find beautiful, precious and desirable in the world. You may imagine angels bringing you symbolic treasures as well, such as laurel crowns, pearls, incense, etc. As you recite the orations in this rite, do your best to place yourself emotionally in a balanced, calm, empowered position. Believe that God is answering your call to send the power of his Ruler your way, and that such a power is certainly, without error, going to protect you from the dissolution of addictions, intemperate desires, and other wastes of energy.