Ritual Baths

There are calls and procedures found in the "Keys of Solomon" that I find highly
beneficial involving the use of salt water and special herbs to cleanse the outer subtle
bodies. It is a relaxing way to remove oneself from the day-to-day living. I have also
found myself using it during or after a ceremony from time to time, to help ground or let
go of an undesired energy I may have picked up. One begins a ritual bath by praying over
the water, exorcising it, Blessing it and adding salt, then adding herbs, each herb is added
and spoken to for the effects the practitioner desires. Once the water is prepared, there are
prayers one recites while in the bath, as you rotate yourself three times, these mantras can
be found in Key of Solomon.
Special Teas
There are herbs that act as blood purifiers and help release toxins in the blood; this helps
in various ways. These herbs cleanse our liver and/or kidneys which we know the
Egyptians placed in two of the sacred canopic jars. The kidneys are the seat of fear and
anxiety in our lives, willpower and the ability to root Divine Will to human will. As for
the liver, it is the seat of anger, jealousy, resentment and depression; but it is also where
compassion and benevolence emanate from. If we abuse these vital organs, weaken them
through the overuse and abuse of coffee, alcohol and other stimulants, our hearing
weakens, our eyesight grows dim, and our immune system fails.
Fasting Teas and such herbs as dandelion (root for liver, leaves for kidneys) pau darco,
burdock, yarrow, red clover and nettles (to name a few) help to support the proper
functioning of our internal organs, cleanse the blood, stomach and intestines from
deposits that cause blockages and prevent us from fully absorbing the vital food we
ingest. This also helps to maintain a balance when we are fasting.
Fasting
Fasting prior to an operation, experiment or ceremony is suggested by all Grimoires,
mainly because it helps keep our vital energy in our heads rather than in the lower bodies.
Our mind becomes clearer and a more effective tool when concentrating on a particular
subject. A seasonal cleanse seems to occur for me now in the spring, once it begins to get
warmer outside. In the summer, I mainly eat fruits and veggies, which is not
recommended to do in the winter in the northern climates. Only fast when your able to
relax, and have a break from the your busy world.
My first fast/cleanse was a fenugreek tea fast. What I learned on this first cleanse was
the proper way to fast! It is all about finding a rhythm; in this case, it became a monthly
cycle that was set with the moon. I only fasted for a few days a month, but cutting back
on food intake would occur 4 or 6 days prior to the fast which was followed by a gradual
food increase, one food group at a time, and plenty of clean pure water.

Fenugreek has been used medicinally throughout the ages and was held in high repute
among the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for medicinal and culinary purposes.
Fenugreek has excellent medicinal virtues. Its regular use helps keeps the body clean and
healthy. Oh yes! You do begin to smell like it, but its a nice smell. Fenugreek offers a
great cellular cleanse, and saunas during that time support the elimination of toxins.
The days with no food were my ceremonial days which I held on full moon nights, or
other astrological significant times. It helped me be clear while in circle and with very
little disruption. Once you follow this natural wave especially helpful for women
circle work, and the energy we can flow with, increases exponentially.
Clean spring water or purified/distilled water purifies the pineal gland of deposits such as
fluorides and chlorine, which hamper and create blocks in this vital area. This also goes
for cleaning out mineral deposits within our other organs/systems.

Diet
This subject will be expanded on in 102. We'll look at the benefits of an organic diet.
But what I wish to mention here is the act of eating prior to any deep ceremony. All my
elders, and medicine people, agree that reducing the animal content in ones diet will
make you more sensitive to the subtle energies that you're calling in, mainly because of
tryptophan. Tryptamine is found in trace amounts in mammals and is believed to play a
role as a neuromodulator or a neurotransmitter; it helps regulate serotonin and dopamine,
which are of the most important neuro-emitters in your brain. Serotonin acts in a quicker,
faster way as it fires off the synaptic nerve endings in other words, it processes larger
amounts of information. Dopamine activates our pleasure response; it is the transmitter
that elevates us.
There is a lot of information about this out there, research it! I will be discussing this
further too.
Next topics: The use of spirulina and blue green algae. Herbs such as ginkgo biloba, gotu
kola and other brain tonics.

Alcohol
This will also be discussed further, but from all my observations ritual work and alcohol
do not mix. Alcohol reduces the subtle awareness needed in the Great Work. The use of
alcohol in ritual as an offering or as an extracting agent in elixirs is another thing. I'll
leave it at that.
Next topics: The use of herbal elixirs and plant helpers.

Temple Preparations
As the term implies, is the action or process of making your space and yourself ready. It
includes temple washes, herbal mixtures to calm, clean, refresh and sanctify a given
space. It also includes cleansing of ones tools, instruments, crystals and altars; the process
of blessing the candles and other elements used in ceremony; the act of making
something holy; asserting an influence; a positive affirmation upon an object, space, and
even a moment in time. More information on this will be coming soon.

Clothing and Ceremonial Attire

There is definitely a certain level of unawareness in this area, What is the purpose of
ritual attire, robes, head gear, sashes, stoles, etc., other than the obvious fact that they are
a covering? The truth is that the covering they provide can either help or impede the
energy flow and the circulation of subtle energies. Things to look for are whether the
chosen clothing are made from fabrics that allow the body to breathe and if they favour or
impede free movement and flow. Natural fabrics like silk, rayon and hemp not only
breathe but also help in energy flow and direction. The right ceremonial clothes also tell
the subconscious mind that one has begun to enter into sacred space.
There are rituals for dressing which I will expand on in the near future.

Fluid Condensers
Fluid condensers are elements designed to expand or release an intention at a certain time
and/or in a certain way, such as planting something in the ground, releasing it into water,
or in the air. There are three principal groups of condensers: 1) The solid fluid
condensers which are metals and resins. Gold is the highest force. 2) Extracts from resins.
which include lacquers, oils and tinctures. 3) The least important group includes smelling
waters and evaporations. Useful for making up bulk. On top of the three groups, there are
two types of fluid condensers: 1. Simple made from one material or one plant, and 2)
Compound made from blending and mixing several materials and/or plants.
I have found that gathering all offerings, ashes, wax, etc. after a ceremony and with the
intention of creating an artful gift for nature helps in grounding the energies and requests
that have been made.

Incenses
Agrippa obviously knew about using incenses and the related techniques, and wrote
about them in more than one place in his Three Books. A great example is found in Book
One, chapter 43:
So, they say that if of coriander, smallage, henbane and hemlock be made a fume, that
spirits will presently come together; hence they are called the spirits' herbs. Also it is said
that a fume made of the root of the reedy herb sagapen, with the juice of hemlock, and
henbane, and the herb tapus barbatus, red sanders, and black poppy, makes spirits and
strange shapes appear."