The Terran Altar (Wiccan Format circa 2001)

Consecration is the ritual “emptying” , “cleansing”  and “filling” of an item for use in sacred work.  Empty an item by tuning into its vibration and allowing the energy within it to flow out, either through you and into the ground or directly into the ground, depending upon your preference.  It is important to be aware that some items actually come to us in an emptied state:  Paper towels are an example of this.  Any item which has had little or no contact with other people or been subjected to highly charged environments, are ready for charging/imbuing as soon as they are acquired.  Also, there will be items, such as found items from Nature, which are already imbued with useful, positive energy and should be left as they are until use.  Candles and incense usually experience much handling before coming to us, so they should be dealt with accordingly.  Whenever there is doubt, an item should be consecrated.

To bless an item (or a person) is to impart, or make a gift of, a tiny amount of your own energy, adding wholesome, loving and healing empowerment to that (or who) which we bless, augmenting the energy already present in the item (or person) toward a positive end.

IV.  Visualize the Altar as the Primeval Earth, compressing into a few moments the first billion years when the Earth was forming an atmosphere, weather, oceans, soil and finally the onset of Life.  Cover the Altar with its Cloth, symbol of the “covering” over the Earth, exalting the Altar, saying:

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AN EXPLANATION OF THE TERRAN ALTAR
Ly Leananshae

 

I share here one of the many insightful lessons of my teacher, Joseph Sclafani (who is also responsible for our coven’s motto: NO MAN REACHED ENLIGHTENMENT BY WALKING ANOTHER MAN’S PATH):

 

Is a sphere, alone in a vacuum, a sphere if there is no other sphere present to define it? I concluded from this query that, no, a thing cannot be self-realized and is formless if it has nothing to compare itself to. Certainly, a thing that is NOT a cube knows itself to be an Unthing by contrast to the sphere -- but, in order for the sphere to know itself, it must have a reference point, something like itself, RELATEDNESS. Thus, I see the Beings around me finding definition in how they relate to other Beings and how they are not like other Beings. Remember, though, in order to name a thing (or Unthing) we begin by finding other things (or Unthings) that are related. So, if a thing were actually an unformed mass of indistinguishable, unnameable parts, would it be a sphere? You are a definable thing, like a sphere, called “Being” and your “parts”, or Elements of Self, however you choose to define them (just a matter of semantics, right?) are distinguishable by virtue of how you are related to “everybeing” else! THE BASICS: THE BEGINNING OF YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE ELEMENTS The Terran Altar is set-up to mirror the relatedness between:

 

footnote:

*(the Source=the Universe; as “the Source”, we speak of something within us. Remarkably, “Source” and “Universe” are the SAME thing!)

**(the Universe=the Source; as “the Universe”, we speak of something outside of us. Remarkably, “Source” and “Universe” are the SAME thing!)

 

An Altar consists of a surface, an Altar Cloth and the Tools (candles are nice but not necessary for this model, unless your intended use of the Altar deems them so). The surface of the Altar represents the surface of the Earth, the “floor” of our “home”. In comparison, as the surface of the Earth is the “ground” our body resides upon, so is the body the weft and weave for our sentience, organics, intellect and spirit (the Elements of Self). We cannot ever hope to knit ourSelves together without a base reality; just as life on this planet needs a PLACE to pursue the business of living.

 

The Altar Cloth represents the Firmament, the atmosphere and the oceans, the “walls” and “plumbing” of our “home”. In comparison*, as the Firmament is the shelter and provider, the womb for life on this planet, so the human body is to the Elements of Self.

 

As you work your Path through the Quarters, the Cycles, the Elements and ALL the other myriad representations of “Being”, the Tools become the tangible parts that make you and the journey distinctly “OF”. (“OF”? -- what do I mean?). Your progress through the Elements (Air, Fire, Water, Earth) will bring you to Centre and Source/Universe again AND for the first time! The same is true of the Being -- YOU.

 

Look for the meaning of “Air”, for example, in your Being AND in the Being of the Sceptres. Why are they related? What does each of the Sceptres “teach” you? How can such an understanding further your evolution? How does your evolution bring you closer to Magick? What is Magick to you?

 

*to COMPARE is to find that which makes two things ALIKE; to CONTRAST is to find that which makes two things DIFFERENT

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

 

The Seeker’s Terran Altar

 

 

The Seeker’s Terran Altar is simple and made-up of natural, non-purchased Tools. This is where we drop our preconception concerning the word “tool”. The mind hangs onto such synonyms as “device”, “implement” and so on, when in Witca, we are going more for a meaning closer to “key” -- in several of its manifestations:

 

key \key\ (k[=e]), n. [OE. keye, key, kay, AS. c[ae]g.] 1. An instrument by means of which the bolt of a lock is shot or drawn; usually, a removable metal instrument fitted to the mechanism of a particular lock and operated by turning in its place. 2. An instrument which is turned like a key in fastening or adjusting any mechanism; as, a watch key; a bed key, etc. 3. That part of an instrument or machine which serves as the means of operating it; as, a telegraph key; the keys of a pianoforte, or of a typewriter. 4. A position or condition which affords entrance, control, possession, etc.; as, the key of a line of defense; the key of a country; the key of a political situation. Hence, that which serves to unlock, open, discover, or solve something unknown or difficult; as, the key to a riddle; the key to a problem. Those who are accustomed to reason have got the true key of books. --Locke. Who keeps the keys of all the creeds. --Tennyson. 5. That part of a mechanism which serves to lock up, make fast, or adjust to position. 6. (Architecture) (a) A piece of wood used as a wedge. (b) The last board of a floor when laid down. 7. (Masonry) (a) A keystone. (b) That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place. 8. (Machinery) (a) A wedge to unite two or more pieces, or adjust their relative position; a cotter; a forelock. (b) A bar, pin or wedge, to secure a crank, pulley, coupling, etc., upon a shaft, and prevent relative turning; sometimes holding by friction alone, but more frequently by its resistance to shearing, being usually embedded partly in the shaft and partly in the crank, pulley, etc. 9. (Botany) An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara; -- called also key fruit. 10. (Music) (a) A family of tones whose regular members are called diatonic tones, and named key tone (or tonic) or one (or eight), mediant or three, dominant or five, subdominant or four, submediant or six, supertonic or two, and subtonic or seven. Chromatic tones are temporary members of a key, under such names as `` sharp four,'' ``flat seven,'' etc. Scales and tunes of every variety are made from the tones of a key. (b) The fundamental tone of a movement to which its modulations are referred, and with which it generally begins and ends; keynote. Both warbling of one song, both in one key. --Shakespeare 11. Figurative: The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance. You fall at once into a lower key. --Cowper. 12. Christian: the authority claimed by the ministry in some Christian churches to administer the discipline of the church, and to grant or withhold its privileges; -- so called from the declaration of Christ, ``I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.'' --Matt. xvi. 19; such authority known as, Power of the Keys.

 

 

Of course, I expect my students to make a study of the possible metaphors and relevancy we have presented to us in the word, “key”, as it pertains to our work here with understanding “tool”.

 

 

THE STARTING POINT: Our journey through the Elements begins with an understanding of Pathwork and is represented by the circle that binds the pentagram of the Witcan Pentacle. That circle is not “beyond” or “outside” our work but rather represents the very moment just “before” we begin our journey AND the binding of the Seeker to the Spiral Path. Let me explain: The circles we build, move within and observe through our practice and celebration of Witca -- the Magickal Circle raised by the group, the circle around a pentacle, the circles I make all my students draw regarding the cycles of Earth, Moon, Sun and Cosmos, the “Circle of Life”, a “circle of friends”, etc. -- should be viewed, in Group Truth, as SPIRALS! There is no beginning or end; we can’t look for “completion” but rather “relatedness” between the Circles and Cycles and Spirals (and Spheres!) that define Being! Spirals are open, as the mind should be (ILW). This can also be illustrated in my first statement to students (when I remember to say it!): “Have no expectations”. Do not limit yourself and your future experiences through the fantasy of control and ownership of the Path.

 

For your reference, I include the Elemental Altar layouts:

 

The 1st Degree Terran Altar/The Air Altar

 

The 2nd Degree Terran Altar/The Fire Altar

 

The 3rd Degree Terran Altar/The Water Altar

 

The 4th Degree Terran Altar/The Earth Altar

 

The Tools Ordered by Type:

 

SCEPTRES

 

BLADES

 

VESSELS

 

SHIELDS

 

CORPOREAL SHIELDS

 

ALTERNATIVE CORPOREAL SHIELDS

 

 

 

This is, for me, the second toughest part of teaching the Elemental Altars to beginners (Centre being the most challenging). I find it to be a real reach, as beginners have yet to work through the Elemental Paths to reach North and I have to constantly revisit North myself, not being a fully initiated Ancestor and all. I am sure you will better understand this concept when you have actually set-up at least one of the Elemental Altars and worked with a Heritage Traditions teacher on how energy relates to/with each tool.

 

An HHT teacher would explain, for example, that in the West, Vessels completely absorb, or hold, energy until they are purposely and intentfully emptied. Vessels relate to Sentience or Emotion. You can see that we carry our experiences, our conditioning, our hurt, our issues, our fears, our baselines, etc., around with us as though contained in a true vessel. Working with Vessels helps one “learn” how to tip out the contents of the heart effectively and productively. When we don’t practice intentful emptying of our internal Vessel, it will eventually either overflow or get knocked over, both causing “messes”. The Vessel tools share that distinction (remember the spheres of relatedness). Our Altar Vessels are used in transforming reality (Magick) through proper understanding of them as tools that completely absorb and hold energy (a very feminine thing to do, by the way). This explanation is difficult to put to task if you have no reference point to work from. It is out of synch, basically of no use to anyone who has not worked through the other Tools (either with a teacher or through self-assured intuitive pathworking). That is the problem with explaining the Non-corporeal Shields.

 

Well, so much for the example of West/Vessels/Water. But, because North/Earth is represented by Shields (which completely deflect incoming energy and protect/preserve existing energy [remember: there are two sides to a Shield]) and the Pentacle, the Ultimate Shield, is itself the source of all the representative tools on every Elemental Altar. That’s why there is no Pentacle in the list of tools -- it would be tantamount to looking for tools that are “Shields of Shields” -- a redundancy! And since Earth is our home planet, when we understand, North/Earth/Shields, we are ready for the lessons of Will, Courage, Silence and Knowledge. They in turn propel us back into the Source/Universe where we can start all over again! And the spiral just goes on and on...

 

IN CLOSING.....

 

For future work, I challenge my students with meditating on the following imagery and searching for the pertinent analogies and metaphors that relate to it:

 

Envision a raft on the ocean, rising and falling on soft rolling swells. See yourself as a strong yet tired swimmer, pulling yourself through the water towards the raft. You see others upon it, other Beings just like you and they are eating and drinking and safe and cheerful. You know that they are headed for land but will only make landfall to drop-off those who tire of the voyage or reach their individual destinations. You understand that everyone onboard has their own reason for being there. You want to board the raft and the raft’s passengers are cheering you on. But there is an unspoken “rule”: In order to join them on that raft you must either climb aboard without help or find a way to ask for it. No-one will assist you without your request. This is the Seeker’s Journey. What do I mean?

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