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AIR
Begin by clearing and releasing all excess energy, as usual. Release all tensions and anxieties. Just let them flow through and out of your body, like a gentle wave of energy, exiting through the soles of your feet.
The Priestess cleanses the Salt, making three tuathal circles above it with her hand, while visualizing yellow-white light. She imagines the light forcing out all negative or unfocused energy from the Salt. She speaks words to the effect of:
PRIESTESS
“Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Earth, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within.”
Then the Priestess blesses the Salt, making three deosil circles above it with her hand, while visualizing blue-white light. Speaks words to the effect of:
PRIESTESS
“And I do Bless and Charge you to this work!”
Next the Priestess cleanses the Water, making three tuathal circles above it with her hand, while visualizing yellow-white light forcing out all negative energy. Speaks words to the effect of:
PRIESTESS
“Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Water, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within.”
Then she blesses the Water, making three deosil circles above it with her hand, while visualizing blue-white light. Speaks words to the effect of:
PRIESTESS
“And I do Bless and Charge you to this work!”
The Priestess addresses the Salt, saying:
PRIESTESS
“Behold, the Salt is pure!”
Then she addresses the water, saying:
PRIESTESS
“Behold, the Water is pure!”
The Priestess now takes three pinches of salt and adds it to the water, saying as she does so something like this:
PRIESTESS
“Purity into purity then, and purity be blessed!”
Taking the mixed Salt and Water the Priestess walks tuathal around the ritual space, asperging the area as she goes. As she does this, she should visualize yellow-white light filling the area and forcing out all negative or unfocused energy. As she asperges the area, the Priestess may wish to say something like:
PRIESTESS
“I cleanse you…. I cleanse you…I cleanse you…”
When the Priestess has finished asperging, she returns the Salt and Water to the altar.
Now the Priest turns to the token of Fire. This will usually be either a lit charcoal, or a book of matches (refer back to the First Degree for other possibilities).
The Priest cleanses the Charcoal (or matches), making three tuathal circles above it with his hand, while visualizing yellow-white light. He imagines the light forcing out all negative or unfocused energy from the Salt, then speaks words to the effect of:
PRIEST
“Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Fire, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within.”
The Priest blesses the Charcoal, making three deosil circles above it with his hand, while visualizing blue-white light. Then he speaks words to the effect of:
PRIEST
“And I do Bless and Charge you to this work!”
Then the Priest turns to the token of Air, usually either powdered or solid incense.
The Priest now cleanses the Incense, making three tuathal circles above it with his hand, while visualizing yellow-white light forcing out all negative energy. He speaks words to the effect of:
PRIEST
“Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Air, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within.”
Then he blesses the Incense, making three deosil circles above it with his hand, while visualizing blue-white light. Speaks words to the effect of:
PRIEST
“And I do Bless and Charge you to this work!”
Now the Priest addresses the Charcoal (or matches), saying:
PRIEST
“Behold, the Fire is pure!”
Then he addresses the Incense, saying:
PRIEST
“Behold, the Air is pure!”
The Priest now takes three pinches of powdered Incense and sprinkles it on to the Charcoal (or lights the solid Incense with a Match), saying as he does so something like this:
PRIEST
“Purity into purity then, and purity be blessed!”
Taking the burning Incense the Priest now walks deosil around the ritual space, censing the area as he goes. As he does this, he should visualize blue-white light filling the area and charging its energy. As he censes the area, the Priest may wish to say something like:
PRIEST
“I charge you…. I charge you…I charge you…”
Either the Priestess (or the Priest) now takes up the Athame, Sacred Tool of Air, and faces the East. She points the Athame outward, visualizing a beam of white light shooting from the Athame’s tip to what will be the outer edge of the Magic Circle. Beginning from the East, she makes a deosil circle, demarking the border of the Magic Circle with a barrier of light. As she does so, she may say something like:
PRIESTESS
“Behold, I do cut apart a place between the realms of humankind and of the Mighty Ones, a Circle of Art to focus and contain the powers we shall raise herein!”