I have mentioned this in part elsewhere in reference to the importance of writing Hebrew letters correctly, through careful and conscious writing of their forms, “magically” turning mundane letters into Sacred Symbols. The purpose of making that point was, however, more to stress not to bring a casual attitude to magical work as the subconscious mind picks this attitude up and colours what we do with it.
When we instead imbue our work with reverence, our subconscious mind takes note – we are breathing sacred life into it – “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Gen 2:7.
So what is reverence? This definition from the Collins dictionary helps illustrate my point:-
1. a feeling or attitude of profound respect, usually reserved for the sacred or divine; devoted veneration
2. an outward manifestation of this feeling, esp a bow or act of obeisance
We imbue reverence in ritual by proclaiming adorations, prayers and invocations, humbly kneeling, raising our arms, bowing our heads, humbling ourselves etc., and like many things, reverence grows when nurtured – as it tun out, into the most splendid rose!
But reverence must be heartfelt and genuine or the subconscious mind notes otherwise, so shallow dramatics has no part in Ritual.
In the Temple, reverence is best represented by the Hegemon, as “Guardian of the Gateway of Hidden Knowledge”…and who’s “Office symbolises those Higher Aspirations of the Soul which should guide its action.”
Bring a sense of heartfelt reverence to your Ritual, from the very moment you reach humbly for your sacred regalia, and let the Hegemon take you by the hand and knock…
Kasmillos
