This exercise will enable the aspiring occultist to raise energy. Prerequisites include competency in the L.B.R.P., according to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's system of magic. This lesson focuses solely on raising magical energy—later lessons will cover controlling and directing it.
Step 1 Face west with feet together, standing straight. Begin quieting the mind while performing the Relaxation Ritual, ensuring your banishings are already complete. Practice the Four Fold Breath: inhale deeply through the nose for a count of four, hold for four, release slowly through the mouth for four, and hold again for four. Continue until you develop a rhythm. Once you achieve both relaxation and rhythmic breathing, speak the following (either aloud or silently) to elevate your mind:
"Oh Lord of the Universe, the Vast and Mighty One, Ruler of the Light and the Darkness. I adore Thee, and I invoke Thee. Look Thou with favor upon me, who now standeth humbly before Thee and grant Thy aid unto the highest aspiration of my soul, that I may be enabled to accomplish the Great Work to the glory of Thy ineffable name. Amen!"
Step 2 Visualize a brilliant white light above your head, the size of a dinner plate—make it the purest and brightest you can imagine. Take time to feel its presence, then begin vibrating the God name Eheieh. Use a monotone vibration at natural C, with elongated pronunciation. Repeat the vibrations 2-4 times.
Step 3 Maintain the bright sphere of light while visualizing a beam extending downward from it through your head to your throat. Here, form another sphere—just as bright but smaller than the first. Feel this sphere encompassing the throat region, then vibrate the God name YHVH Elohim.
Step 4 Visualize another beam of light flowing from the throat sphere down to the solar plexus. Form another sphere of light, slightly larger than the throat sphere, and vibrate the God name YHVH Eloah Vedaath.
Step 5 Draw another beam down from the solar plexus to the groin region. Form another sphere of light, then vibrate the God name Shaddai El Chai.
Step 6 Finally, visualize a beam of light extending from the groin sphere to your feet. Form a sphere that completely engulfs your feet, then vibrate the God name Adonai ha-Aretz.
You should now have five brightly illuminated spheres connected by a single beam of light. These spheres correspond to the sephiroth on the Tree of Life's pillar of Mildness:
The Crown Kether Invisible Daath Solar Plexus Tiphareth Groin Yesod Feet Malkuth
Remain in this state as long as desired for meditation or contemplation of the invoked energies. To end the ritual, take a deep breath and, while exhaling, visualize the spheres and lines fading—knowing the energies remain present though invisible.
End with Qabalistic Cross.
All ritual work requires three abilities: 1) raising energy, 2) controlling energy, and 3) directing energy. This lesson addresses only the first principle; the others will follow in later lessons.
The Middle Pillar Ritual serves multiple purposes. Its primary use is enabling occultists to raise magical energy at will. These same energies facilitate both basic and advanced healing work, offering revitalization to those experiencing lethargy. In meditation, it helps elevate consciousness to higher planes while channeling energies into our physical form—our material universe.
The ritual derives its name from its position on the Tree of Life, standing between the pillars of Severity and Mercy. In applying the Middle Pillar to the Microcosm (humanity), it signifies how we must harmonize nature's opposing forces within ourselves. As stated in the Neophyte Initiation: "The white triangle symbolizes the immortal light, which indicates that there are always two contending forces and always one uniting them." Simply put, achieving the Great Work requires us to both unite and transcend all dualities—this reveals part of the Middle Pillar's mystery.
The ritual draws its energies from the Kether sphere, unlike Wiccan tradition which draws from the groin (Yesod) and its Lunar energy. Though the Middle Pillar may appear straightforward, mastering it requires dedication. Like all magical practices, its full effects and benefits emerge only through diligent practice and persistent effort.