Tattva Balancing Ritual
This is a variation of the Banishing/Invoking Pentagram Ritual. I had recently become disenchanted with Qabbalah, Golden Dawn, and Judeo-Christian based mysticism in general. After some 11 years of daily invocations of god/angel names from a religion I didn't believe in, it finally wore thin. Fully convinced of the value of the energy work I was doing and regular centering/balancing, I decided to purge the BIRP of it's Christian symbolism. I felt the 4 elements were still necessary and needed something that would jive with the Enochian. I settled on the Hindu Tattva system, which has many corollaries with the relationship between the previous symbols I had been using.
The format is almost identical and only the names have changed. I am only notating the differences, so assume everything else is the same.
Stand in the center of the cross whose arms are the 4 directions, the point of balance, facing East.
Make a cross as before.
Touch the forehead, or Ajna charka, vibrate "Kala"1
Touch the genitals or Muladhara chakra, vibrate "Raga"2
Touch the right shoulder, vibrate "Vidya"3
Touch the left shoulder, vibrate "Niyati"4
Clasp the hands, fist in palm, or palm to palm over the upper chest or Anahata chakra, vibrate "Purusha"5
Holding the position, vibrate all the points together with the "AUM"
I no longer find colored spheres to be important since the relation to the Tree of Life is lost and focus instead on the feeling of vibration and the concept I am invoking. The key point is to feel these energy centers connect and balance themselves, for if one is not balanced within, all attempts at external balance will fail.
Draw a circle of power on the ground in white fire, delineating the magical space. The 4 gates should be on its edges. There should be a feeling that something has shifted when the circle is completed.
Draw a Banishing Earth pentagram in the East, visualizing it in black.
Close your eyes and breathe out and as you slowly draw breath back in, empty your mind of all thoughts, becoming peacefully aware of your surroundings. Get connected with your inner core, your center point, this connection should be strong and firm by the time your breath is fully drawn in.
When you have drawn a full breath, visualize the pentagram opening up onto the Abyss and
simultaneously push your palm(s) towards it, pushing all that is not of your core out and
let all the air rush from your lungs at once. Your strength will stand firm, while weakness will be blown away. Then visualize the pentagram close as you
withdraw your hand into the Sign of Silence and let your mind rest in that silence as you start the invocation. It should leave you with a clean, peaceful feeling.
Draw an Invoking Air pentagram in the East, then add a sky blue circle in the middle, then inscribe the Aquarius symbol on that.
Vibrate "Vayu"6 and "EXARP"
Visualize/Feel the pentagram opening onto the Realm of Air, then
make the Sign of Shu and say
"Hail to Thee, Spirits of Air", or any other appropriate greeting. 7
Repeat the Banishing pentagram in the South.
Draw the Invoking Fire pentagram in the South with a red upward pointing triangle in the middle and inscribe the Leo symbol on it.
Vibrate "Tejas" and "BITOM".
Visualize/Feel the pentagram opening onto the Realm of Fire and
make the Sign of Thoum-aesh-neith,
greeting the Spirits "Hail to Thee, Spirits of Fire".8
Return to the center if you have left it and face again East.
Draw the upright Invoking Spirit Active pentagram, in the center with a black egg or vesica shape within, vibrate "Akasha" and "Yang" 9
Then project all your energy with an out-breath into the
Sign of the Enterer, passing through the pentagram of Spirit.
Pull your hands apart in the Sign of the Rending of the Veil, and beholding the Mysteries beyond the Veil, withdraw your hands again into the Sign of Silence. 10
Repeat the Banishing pentagram as before.
Draw the Invoking Water pentagram in the West with an upward pointing silver crescent in the middle and inscribe the Scorpio symbol on it.
Vibrate "Apas" and "HCOMA".
Visualize/Feel the pentagram opening onto the Realm of Water and
make the Sign of Auramot,
greeting the Spirits "Hail to Thee, Spirits of Water".11
Repeat the Banishing pentagram as before.
Draw the Invoking Earth pentagram in the North with a yellow square in the center and inscribe a Taurus symbol on it.
Vibrate "Prithivi" and "NANTA".
Visualize/Feel the pentagram opening onto the Realm of Earth and
make the Sign of Set Fighting,
greeting the Spirits "Hail to Thee, Spirits of Earth".12
Draw the averse Invoking Passive Spirit pentagram 13 in the center with a black egg or vesica within,
vibrate "Akasha" and "Yin"
withdraw the energy of the Universe into yourself with an in breath
making the Sign of the Closing of the Veil.
Finish with the Sign of Silence 14
Make a Tau with your body and invoke the 4 directional guardians,
vibrate "Indra" in the East, "Varuna" in the West, "Yama" in the South, and "Kubera" in the North. 15
Draw the cross as before,
touching the Ajna, vibrate "Shiva" 16 in the East,
touching the Muldahara, vibrate "Shakti" 17 in the North,
touching the right shoulder, vibrate "Shuddavidya" 18 in the South,
touching the left shoulder, vibrate "Ishvara" 19 in the West,
clasping the hands over the heart, vibrate "Sadasiva" 20 in the center,
holding the position, vibrate "Atman" 21 within, then "AUM" 22 all together.
As when completing the inner cross, there should be a feeling of connection between the 4 worlds without and within. Energy should be able to flow freely from one to another without obstruction.
Bow or thank the energies in some way.
The ritual should be constantly evolving. Practice should bring about greater understanding, which should then be "re-invested" in the ritual itself. For this reason I have included a number of the variations I myself use with the format. This is in no way to suggest that you should use them as well, but simply to illustrate the many possibilities, and to spur you to open yourself up and find the ones you resonate with best. Falling into a static and rigid form is very easy to do but will create stagnation and reduce effectiveness. The point of this is to tap into that part of yourself that is truly alive on all levels and in constant motion as the Universe is in motion. Creation does not stand still. For that reason adaptation and variation is key, though it is very difficult to keep up with. Still, I try to keep a feeling of freshness, innovation, and novelty every time I do this ritual. Spontaneity is your friend and rote, conditioned action is your enemy for it encourages sleepwalking in a ritual that is intended to awaken. Still it is quite a challenge to do the same thing every day but do it differently each time, so don't be surprised to find yourself creating patterns and falling into them. Just be aware of it and break the pattern when it becomes counterproductive. Experimentation is key.
You may note that the symbolism of this ritual is not quite as tight as its predecessor. This is due to my imperfect understanding of the symbolism of a culture very alien to my own. There is much tweaking yet to be done.
Notes:
1 All the points of the cross here represent the 5 human tattvas, or the primal forces as translated into the human world. Kala is the divine wisdom which is intuitive in nature. To me it means following the right path, and wisdom that springs upon you unawares.
2 Raga is attachment and corresponds with Tamas, the grossest and most dense tattva which symbolizes inertia and physical matter. Generally it is considered something bad and to be overcome, however it too has a place in the perfectly balanced human being, for without attachment to our goals in life we become blown about like a leaf in the wind and never accomplish anything. The trick is in being attached to the right things. To me it means determination, persistence, and ambition, in the good sense.
3 Vidya literally means knowledge, but in the sense of knowledge gained through personal experience, thus justified knowledge based on experiential context, unlike Absolute Knowledge devoid of context or point of view.
4 Niyati is fate, the hidden and mysterious future. It is also karma as the works of the present build the destiny of the future. I also associate it with reservation or holding back, specifically associated with silence and stillness.
5 Purusha means sheath and refers to the envelope of the soul, but it is also part of the soul, the part having to do with individual identity.
6 Vayu, Tejas, Apas, Prithivi, and Akasha, are the 5 physical tattvas. There are 36 tattvas total but really only the same 6 translated into the different stages of manifestation.
7 I have found it best to let my intuition guide me as to which method to use for invoking the elemental worlds, though I try to stick to one method when I have chosen. Sometimes I am not "with it" visually and will choose to feel the symbols vibrating. Other times I will focus on the mental attribute associated with the quarter, or the sound/feeling of the element itself. Sometimes I will focus on the energy of the element and the feeling that gives. For the visualization, sometimes I will vibrate only the tattva symbol with the tattva name and the pentagram with the Enochian, sometimes both with both, or I may even imagine the elemental world itself and project the names into it. It is important to be flexible and find the way that is going to work best, rather than getting stuck doing something that you don't connect with or aren't connecting with that particular day. Each of the elements are multi-faceted, multi-dimensional things and there is an infinite number of ways to make the required mental connection with that form of energetic being. The important thing is that the gate is open and a connection is made. Sometimes I like to pull the energy through the gate and feel it mix into the center, saying something like "I call the forces of X into this circle". I also will sometimes include "I invoke, I greet thy presence Spirits of X" in with the greeting.
Or another variation is after the greeting I visualize myself as a spirit of that realm and add "For I am of you".
8 It is going to be helpful if you can keep the previous visualizations/feeling active in your mind when invoking the new energy. This is not always going to be possible however, and you should adapt the ritual to the level of mental energy you can currently invest in it without using that as an excuse to be lazy. In situations where I find myself fighting off distraction and an inability to focus, I will do the visualizations with my eyes open to help reduce the propensity to have my mind wander off in the midst of invocation. Try it with eyes open and closed and see the difference, then when open try focusing and unfocusing your eyes and see how that affects your perception and ability to concentrate. When doing the eyes open thing, I like to imagine the pentagrams as not part of this reality but existing in a spirit reality overlaid with the physical. It is hard to explain but I can feel the difference, how one is behind the other, and they feel more real to me on that level.
9 Feel free to substitute another word which suggests active spirit energy to you. I tried a few pairs and the Yin/Yang combo is the one I settled on. The influx of spirit should strengthen the 2 active elements. Make a focal point in the center for them and connect them to it, then allow the energy exchange to happen as they balance with each other and the spirit. I sometimes get a curious tingling in my balls during this and the other spirit invocation. Be open to energy manifesting in different ways and see what feels right.
10 This, and the corresponding part of the other spirit invocation, has become very sexual for me. I visualize the black vesica as the Yoni of the Goddess, which I thrust myself into, sometimes forcefully, sometimes gently. My projective desire to experience, allows me to penetrate the Mysteries. This is a very Yang thing to do. A non-sexual meditation I sometimes use is to focus on the emptiness between my outstretched hands, which is as much a part of infinite space as the night sky. I try to mentally grasp the quality of voidness, then fill it with myself.
11 The image of the moon hanging over the ocean feels very appropriate to me. For some reason the water spirits have always been especially friendly with me, perhaps it is the nature of water or perhaps we have a special affinity. You may find that you develop a special relationship with one of the elemental worlds as well.
12 Feeling has always been a more effective form of invoking this quarter than visualization for me. I am able to feel the intangible becoming heavier and manifesting. This is earth to me. Sometimes when calling the quarters, I see them as 4 actions of joy rather than things or places. In that case East is the Joy of Learning, South is the Joy of Creation, West is the Joy of Loving, and North is the Joy of Physical Sensation, all physical sensation, sex, a good massage, a good meal, sweet incense, a beautiful piece of music or art, etc. Working with the energies on a more conceptual level brings a whole different feel to things.
13 This is drawn from the top left to the bottom right. Some people may have a problem with drawing an averse pentagram. Whatever. To me it is the precise and necessary complement to the previous spirit pentagram. Also the way I draw them overlapping, they become a hexagram with the 2 askashic eggs merging into one. A potent formula in and of itself.
14 The sexual symbolism of this act is just as, if not more potent than the last for me. The energy of the averse pentagram seems to naturally turn downwards, so I follow that flow closing the veil, then taking it down and in through my Muldahara, (closing the Muldahara bandha behind it) up my spine to Sahasrara, then bring my hands down into the Sign of Silence. Obviously this is the complementary sexual formula of reception. Sometimes I will visualize myself as a woman and take the energy of akasha into my yoni. There is more to this than simple sexuality. For me it also represents the counterpart to penetrating the Mysteries, which is to be penetrated by the Mysteries. It works both ways. Unless we let the Universe in, and make a home inside us for the Mysteries, allow them to transform us, then we will really not have accomplished a true Understanding.
15 There are many versions of the 4 guardians of the quarters, some name 8 including the sub-quarters. I picked the 4 that I could find the most info on and who seemed most prevalent. Also the others had weird long names. Indra was once the King of the Gods, he is a great hero credited with slaying many cosmic demons. He is associated with the sky, thunder, storms, and war. He is depicted as a warrior in shining armor, sometimes riding a horse, and he carries the Vajra or lightning bolt as his primary weapon. He was very important in olden times and plays a large role in the Rig Veda. Varuna is the Lord of Destiny, and is associated with the aquatic realms. He rides a large tortoise or other sea creature and is very beautiful of form. Originally a sky god who was later assigned to the sea, he has some rivalries with Indra. He is depicted as a youth and his primary weapon is the noose (to hang evildoers). Yama is the Lord of the Dead, and his is the fire of the cremation ground. He is a fearsome god who probably has some crossover with the Japanese O-Yama. He is the lord of the underworld and judge of the dead, and he represents the power of the ancestors over the individual. He is depicted as a grim & burly man with curly black hair, riding a fierce black buffalo. His primary weapon is a long iron rod which he uses to break the bones of the wicked. Kubera is the Lord of Wealth and pleasure. He is depicted as a rotund Buddha-esqe figure (later as a dwarf when his importance waned) dressed richly and covered with jewels. He is king of the mountains and the treasures of the earth and rides an elephant or in a chariot. His primary weapon is the money bag.
16 The tattvas of the greater, external cross, represent the archetypal or original tattvas. Shiva is the essence of pure consciousness devoid of characteristics. It is the primal tattva from which the others emanate. I associate it with the ideas and energies of the East.
17 Shakti is the essence of pure energy and motion. It forms a duality with Shiva and their interplay is the creation and dissolution of the world. I associate it with the ideas and energies of the North, though I used to place it in the West. It may be difficult at first to correlate earth with pure energy. Think of it as the energy of life itself rather than a clod of dirt.
18 Shuddavidya is Pure Knowledge in the absolute sense, the counterpart to Vidya of the inner cross. I associate it with the ideas and energies of the South. The dissolution of the ego in the fire of immolation reveals perfect knowledge.
19 Ishvara is concealing grace. It is a complex idea, one I don't fully understand, but which relates to the power of the gods and their grace in bestowing blessings and wisdom on mortals. Also the "inner guru" is called the Ishvara. I think of it as that which keeps the mysteries hidden and doles them out a bit at a time as we become ready so we are not overwhelmed, thus it contains both the idea of concealment and revealing at once. I associate it with the ideas and energies of the West.
20 Sadasiva is the balance between Ishvara and Shuddavidya, which are the extreme poles of knowledge and concealment. Sadasiva to me represents balance in all things, between all energies, and its place is in the center the final balanced formulation of the active and passive spirit energies.
21 Atman is the completed or original soul, the correspondent to the purusha or lower soul. It is called God in Hindu literature but the concept is more personal than our ideas of God and is probably closer to the concept of a True or ideal Self, a god-self.
22 During the formulation of the cross, while touching your body (I actually hover just over the appropriate part) rather than focusing your energies on the body, instead focus outward on the appropriate quarter. Reconnect with the energies you just invoked, refresh the visualizations, etc. Hold them there when you move to the next, so that by the end you feel a strong connection with all. I feel the pentagrams and the quarter itself vibrating as in the initial invocation, but rather than feeling them as something outside of me vibrating, I feel them as a part of me that is "extended", so the whole room and all the energies within become my body. You are the center point, the active mover and agent of balance at once, the 4 worlds are harmonized through and within you. When vibrating AUM feel all the points of the cross and the 4 worlds vibrating in unison with you, by attaining the same level of vibration you are united. Each should strengthen and energize the others. I see this as being not only a harmonizing of spiritual energies, but as a harmonizing of the layers of consciousness, the worlds within. The energy will normally grow and peak and astounding personal revelations may come at this point or unusual modes of perception may be attained. This is not always the case though, and it can be difficult to spread out the consciousness in such a way as to hold all these disparate ideas and energies at once. It is well worth the effort however, as even a partial success brings greater balance within and without and should have a powerful effect on your life and awareness. When I complete this right, I feel like I am truly myself and capable of anything. Sometimes I close with the affirmation, "The 4 worlds are one".
