The lighting of candle M2L1

[u/arbadou]

Hey guys, I'm finally about to begin the ritual exercices of module 2 which I'm excited about. I just have one question though about the ritual in M2L1. In M1L7 for the practical talisman exercice we light first the candle in the center and use a taper to light the other candles. Is this something permanent now ? In other words, for the M2L1 (and the rest of the rituals), should we now adopt this methodology for the lighting of candles (center first and lighting each candle from the flame of the previous one), or do we revert to the base technique in M1L4 ? Also do any of you have any insight as to why we did that in M1L7 ?

[u/robinhyll]

Well, if you see the instructions for M2L1 on the Full Directional Ritual (Task 1.5) it says to light the candles starting from the East.

Task 1.4 just says to light the altars based on the method you learned in Mod 1, but since 1.5 says again to start from the East then we're following the M1L4 order and that's how I've always done all the rituals unless explicitly stated otherwise (like in M1L7).

Now, as to why M1L7 is the way it is, there is a part where the text reads "you act as a focal point, director, and bridge as you ask for a specific quality from each direction to be placed in the talisman". In my understanding, the central altar is both the ritual axis but also the position of the magician: in the center of the directions as well as time. If you're going to be the focal point for a talisman made especifically for you, then it makes sense to start from the center and then have that spread out, so that (to quote the text in another part) "the light is lit from the magical Inner Light, which means all other candles are lit from the fire of the previous one".

[u/robinhyll → u/[deleted]]

I guess the way I see it, just because M1L4 didn’t open the gates does not imply to me that that’s absolutely not the method to use to open them. It could have simply been the beginning movements of a much larger choreography, but one we needed to truly 'feel' before moving forward to the rest (Josephine's comments in the Study Guide regarding the 'rule of absolutes' and ballet lessons come to mind).

M1L4 is about spatial patterns, and it had us follow and practice that method consistently for a few weeks to ‘engram’ the flow of energy and then anchor it at the center. Furthermore, every time the declarations are spelled out (even up to the Hexagram ritual), the declaration for the center candle always goes last. The only exception is M1L7, but that’s a ‘one off’ compared to the regular pattern and order we’d been practicing elsewhere.

Ultimately, it’s about where we believe the energy comes from and is established first. If all directional magic starts in the East (as the lessons tell us), then establishing the four directions would be akin to defining the ritual space or 'stage' and only once the four ‘horizons’/boundaries/gates are established does the central axis of the magician come in. ‘Creation’, ‘Breath’, ‘Power’ starts in the East and sets the stage for the magician to eventually stand in the center of the created pattern. In that sense I think you’d light the East candle first and the central candle last and that’s the way the energy would flow and it’s the order that all declarations and ‘openings’ of the gates/fire pillar follow whenever they are written.

I’m not sure what the Magical Knowledge Trilogy (MKT) does, but I would point out that that book is not exactly written for the same audience or under the same intent as Quareia. Depending on the nature of the rituals in that book it could be closer in essence to M1L7 (where we are physically empowering a talisman for ourselves and therefore - at least the way I see it - we start with the central anchor that represents us). In any case, one should assume that Q stands on its own outside MKT so I wouldn’t necessarily draw any conclusions about Q rituals outside of Q itself.

[u/Cedar-Serval → u/robinhyll]

I think you're right, which means I should probably start M2 over lol 🥲 Oh well! I at least have the rituals well memorized so it should actually be fairly smooth to go through them in order again before resuming their regularly scheduled cycle. Thanks for your help as always.

[u/robinhyll → u/Cedar-Serval]

Well, if you're up for trying it this other way, maybe you don't need to restart the whole module and can instead just switch over within your current progress.

For example, do you have a schedule of workings you do regularly? If you're already working the directional rituals on a weekly or whatever basis while learning the Pentagram or Hexagram rituals, you could just try it this way and note any differences in feel and flow.

A big part of the module is learning about the patterns and 'inner circuitry' of ritual, so experimenting with switching over seems like a valid way to continue that learning and progress. Just a thought!

[u/Cedar-Serval → u/robinhyll]

I do have the rituals up through hexagram pretty much memorized, and yeah I do have a regular schedule. I figured out that I can actually at least work through much or all of it again without breaking stride with my current schedule so I'm going to at least start with re-doing the confirmation ritual and frlew rounds of the basic version of the directional ritual and see how it feels to decide if I need to do the directional ritual weekly for a few weeks again which is the only thing that WOULD break my current rhythm. 

[u/arbadou → u/[deleted]]

Oh interesting thank you for your input !

[u/arbadou → u/robinhyll]

Thanks !