LESSON 10
Opening the Temple
This rite will be performed every time the Oratory is assembled for any operations. The Rite of Opening falls under the patronage of the First Ruler and should, therefore, be performed with a mystical sensibility, i.e., with an unequivocal intent and effort to elevate one's consciousness towards the divine. The aim of the Rite of Opening is not to produce an instantaneous mystical union, however, but to elicit the proper emotional and intellectual attitudes for the ritual work to come. This Rite has the effect of opening your Temple (consecrating the area surrounding your Oratory), hence its name. It also reinforces your connection with the Power of the First Ruler: the Virtue of Gnosis. The effectiveness of the Rite of Opening depends on piousness and faith, two spiritual values you should get used to cultivating.
Study this rite carefully until you are confident that you can perform it without much hesitation. Do not judge yourself too harshly the first times you try it: accept that you will not do it perfectly from the start, and determine to improve your performance a little each time.
Practice the Rite of Opening once a day, for at least a week (more if you feel you need to improve your performance) before you move on to studying the next rite.
Preparation
(a) Assemble your Oratory. This means: cover the surface you will use with the Altar cloth, then place the other elemental implements on it in your preferred arrangement. Make sure the Seal of the Godhead is at the back of the altar and a little elevated; you can place it on some kind of stand or even hang it on a wall.
(b) Draw the Star of the Rulers. This is a circumscribed six-pointed star. Do this drawing by hand on a piece of paper each time you assemble your oratory, and burn it after you are done with your rites. Place the Star on your Altar, with one of its vertices pointing to the Seal of the Godhead.
(c) Mark the Star of the Rulers with the symbol for the First Ruler (draw the symbol inside the arm of the Star pointing to the Seal), then recite the First Ruler's motto: "Quaerite Primum Regnum."
(d) Light the Candle and place it at the center of the Star.
(e) Stand facing your Oratory.
Performance
Touch your forehead and say:
Glory to the Mind.
Touch your lips and say:
Glory to the Word.
Touch your chest over your heart and say:
Glory to the Body.
Hold the Candle in between both of your hands, elevate it a little towards the Seal of the Godhead, and say:
I stand before my Oratory to open my Temple. May God elevate my soul and command the Rulers to facilitate and protect all operations that will be performed in this Temple. Holy is God, who wishes to be known, and is known by its own.
Replace the Operative Candle on the Star of the Rulers.
Join your hands together in prayer. Gazing at the Seal of the Godhead, recite:
Holy are you, God! May I never fail in the Gnosis!
I pray to you to command the Ruler of the First Zone to bless me with its Virtue, which is Gnosis, in order that I may be protected from the Tormentor of Ignorance.
With help and support from the First Ruler, I hope to unburden my soul of the energy of the First Zone, which is Growth and Waning.
Holy are you, God! May I never fail in the Gnosis!
Acknowledge that your Temple is open by extending your arms, palms turned upwards, in the direction of the Seal. Recite:
The Temple is now open. I bring into it my good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, and will take divine wisdom with me when I leave. Praise be to you, God, for allowing me to enter your House. May I find myself in you, and you in me. Your will be done!
After your perform the rite as described above, you need to close your Temple before you can disassemble your Oratory. You can recite the Hermetic Prayer as a provisory closing rite. Say the prayer with the firm intent of returning to normal life, and your surroundings to the normal condition of living quarters, etc.
Vision
Throughout the Rite of Opening, you must use all intellectual and emotional resources to perceive that you are entering a holy space. Imagine, as vividly as possible, that divine light is bathing you in a warm soft glow, that God is truly answering your prayers, that the First Ruler is sure to be commanded by God to direct its Virtue upon your person and transmute your immediate area into your sacred Temple. Refrain, however, from addressing or calling on the First Ruler itself; pray only to God, and trust that the Deity will set in motion all the necessary powers to fulfill your needs and righteous desires.