GIRP Fire, and a given Technique

Ave,

I've been experiencing effects almost immediately from my first GIRP Fire done to balance the Element within my sphere-there is a call to action, an urge to do, an engine running underneath it all. I wonder if the effect is showing up quicker because I have become more deft at working with the Elements over the course of my career in the Golden Dawn, or if I am merely more aware and sensitive to these things? Either is good. The salamanders do seem to be very forward, in an interesting way-they seem to want to jump the gun, and do things before I am quite finished with my preparations. When I Invoke Fire I perceive them showing up near the beginning of the ritual.....and sense them milling about impatiently, waiting for me to get on with it as I draw more pentagrams and make brief but grandiose speeches...ha. If I were a Tarot card, I would be the Knight of Pentacles-I'm a deliberate kind of fellow. My chart is chock full of Earth signs with planets in them; I am not inclined toward rushing about.

However, I Am inclined toward ridiculous amounts of procrastination, and I've seen that change already. Not completely, but considerably. I feel an impetus to get things done that wasn't as present before. I didn't notice it immediately, but it struck me in the middle of completing a task yesterday. It's not that I am slothful-I'm very industrious, and spend most of my time in work or in study...which does little to cool my wife's ire, let me tell you-but I prioritize pretty heavily, and if it ain't on the list of Big Things, it gets shoved on the ole' backburner. Where sometimes it would be promptly forgotten, or done at the absolute last minute before disaster struck. I can see now how applying just a bit more "fire" to the little things prevents them from becoming Big Things that beat up on me later. It is just better to act-I am already deliberate, and usually thoughtful...without marrying that to action I create problems for myself. Very interesting and useful. I've been working hard to "Earth" this understanding, and to consciously apply it so that it sticks. That's key-it's not enough to have the revelation, these things have to be put to work, or they slip away. You'll end up having to revisit the lesson anyway; may as well ground it thoroughly in your life and save yourself the time.

My mind was turned toward the internal fires yesterday-toward metabolism, toward motivation, toward action. I wondered at how these things could be magically controlled, and thought this was a perfect situation for conducting a GIRP Fire...with the purpose of understanding how to manipulate the fires within the body safely.

I am well aware that metabolism is a tricky business; so is breathing and the heart rate. I think there are built in mechanisms within the mind to prevent us from damaging the automated system-I have slowed both of the above in meditation any number of times without doing harm, and I imagine I may be able to temporarily alter the body's Fires without doing damage if I am careful about it. I conducted the invocation to find out if that were so.

I performed the GIRP Fire and felt powerful in it, felt comfortable. There was a boldness I felt, an assertiveness that was remarkable....a certain electricity, if that makes sense.  After Drawing the Pentagrams, calling upon the Hierarchy through vibrated name and sigil, stating my intent, and performing the Circumambulation, I placed my grimoire on it's stand and stood before the Altar. I could perceive the Fire as permeating the temple-not in a moving ring as before but concentrated. It wasn't a heavy feeling, but a light and tingly one, like standing too close to large generator. I closed my eyes and cleared my mind to begin the Middle Pillar, and my request was granted like a lightning bolt, immediately after vibrating the first Eheihe. It was a thought bomb, and more detailed than the usual. I understood that a version of the Pillar ritual could be used to control and direct the energies of Fire as they are expressed within the Self by using the color scales and awareness of the Four Worlds, and how the element manifests itself within the Four Worlds. For example, If I wished to increase my own reserves of energy within my body (say I am worn out by too much work and not enough sleep, and I just need more physical energy to draw upon-this energy is Fire within the body) I could do the following:

First, I would perform the Middle Pillar, and awaken and balance my Sphere of Sensation. Then, using the Princess scale colors (to invoke and focus this energy in the physical form; I would use Briah to affect the emotional/passionate fires of the self, and Yetzirah the mental, Atziluth the Spiritual Fire) I would awaken Chokmah, the root of Fire, where it differntiates from the pure and undifferentiated energies of Kether. I would vibrate the appropriate God-Name, and visualize the sphere in it's Princess scale color. I would then have that fire descend upon exhale in a red bolt along the path to Geburah, which I would awaken in it's Princess Scale color. The Bolt of Fire would then descend from there to Tipareth, and then to Netzach, then Yesod, and at last alighting in Malkuth, each being awakened and invigorated using the previous method. When the bolt alights on Malkuth, the body is "tuned" to Fire; the next step is to institute pore breathing, and fill the body with as much Fire as you can stand-drawing upon the available Fire in the environment around you. The thought-bomb implied that this is the point in which intent gave one control of the result of the technique-that the body's energy reserve could be increased, metabolism stoked, physical heat increased (much in the way of our Eastern brothers, who sit in blizzards and melt snow as it falls upon their sparsely clothed forms). Pore breathing involves basically breathing in energy through all of the skin of the body-much as we pull LVX down through the head in the Middle Pillar. It's not a difficult technique to master, just requires a little practice. To increase my resting energy level, I would state my intent the same way I would if charging a talisman-wording it carefully-and then perform the Pore Breathing, visualizing and feeling fiery LVX entering me from every direction. When I feel full and electric, I would perform the Sign of Silence and then perform the Middle Pillar to circulate the energy around the body/Sphere of Sensation in even and balanced fashion.


After receiving this revelation, I finished my Middle Pillar, and then closed the ritual. There was heat emanating from my right hand (the sort I could feel myself, on my forehead or other body parts if they strayed too close...but that probably would not be perceived by someone outside of my sphere). Nothing big, but worth noting in case the next magician experiences this and wonders if another has. I was very grateful for the technique, and took up my pen to add it to my grimoire.

Now, I haven't attempted this technique yet-I'll do it today and write about it tomorrow-but I am certain that it will work just fine. That's how magical inspiration works...you just Know things. We'll see-the proof is in the pudding, right?  I am continually amazed at how Magic works-and I wonder how far this particular technique could be taken. It never would have occurred to me to use the Colors of the Four Worlds in this sort of Magic-I have studied them, but rarely use any scale other than the Queen scale regularly, and that unconsciously because it's the standard. I never think "I'm going to visualize Geburah as Red because that's it's color on the Queen Scale, in which I am working". No, Geburah is simply Red. There is tremendous potential there-I imagine Sephirothic magic must be very effective, and must incorporate use of the color scales. I'm unsure of exactly when in the Grade structure one studies and applies Sephirothic magic, but I'm just now aware of the importance of the Color scales. They must have a wide range of application.

So, the ritual went well-and thus far the work with Fire has made it clear as ever that applying and understanding the Elements in my own life is the greatest tool the Golden Dawn has given me.All the lofty Theurgy and Plane-traveling Scrying trips raise the consciousness and are wonderful, but the simple Alchemy of the elements give you control over how you're life is practically expressed. It's easy to get caught up in the struggle to move forward and learn all there is, and do all that can be done in magic; easy to underestimate the simple power of the Elements and the GIRP rituals. Lord knows I'm guilty of this....I am well aware that tomorrow may never come, and find the idea of dying before accomplishing the Great Work absolutely horrifying.(I know that few accomplish this-but few and none are not the same thing. I will accomplish it, and I'm not going to settle for less. That may be arrogant; I don't care. I need to be determined, or I would have washed out years ago.)

We have the tools for answers to all of our questions-the real problem is application, and knowing how to ask the right questions. How we squander them! Or rather, how I squander them, haha. How many times have I allowed a problem to progress, through sloth or stupidity, when I have these tools at my disposal? Hopefully, the energies of Fire will help me nip this lack of positive action in the bud.

I hope the day finds you all well! In LVX,

AIT