Shielding for students made easy;

some of this article I do not take credit for writing; some of it I have found in books or on the internet over the years and it has aided my spiritual practice greatly. so when I give my shielding articles to people I include any and all information that i think could help them, even if some one else wrote said information. I always inform them that I have taken, borrowed, and adapted certain writings, practices, rituals, and techniques. one such ritual that I borrowed is listed below as the four elements centering meditation. I borrowed this from a pagan or druid site many years ago and adapted it a little. some of the shielding information was also taken and heavily adapted from someone else's internet site.




Shielding for students made easy;

Say …
Lord surround me with your Holy Light.
I am part of The Divine Light.
I am one with the Light of The Holy Spirit.
I am a light to strong to fight.
I am one with The Light, I am one with The Light, I am one with The Light!

Then imagine a shield made of light surrounding you! A sphere going out in all directions like our sun-star. Imagine any symbols or images that mean protection to you. Remember and acknowledge the aspect of God which shields us; “Yahova Magen” which means “The Lord God our Shield”! You can project the symbols out like a bolt of lighting to strike at anything that comes near you that you feel is undesirable. Or you can project the symbol all around you like a hologram that acts like a bubble that you are inside of! You can use several symbols of protection all around you by projecting an energetic grid.

In cases of extreme need to shield, imagine the shield around you becomes so physical and so dense that it begins to become physical metal; like a silver steel circle or even sphere around you! You can also imagine a blue egg of light around you, if you need shielding in healing work or stressful times. In times of psychic or spiritual attack you can imagine a silver white reflective pyramid around you, or a pyramid of hematite that will help reflect and deflect any negative energies or poison arrows being sent at you! This pyramid will act as a mirror sending the energies back to where ever they cam from, but at a greater force than that which they were sent out with! This will give a good blast and warning to the source of the negative energies!

One should always be grounded and centered when shielding ones self, or others! Just like we need to be grounded and centered when casting a nemeton around a place, a person, or an object!


Prayers of shielding and protection are always good to aid the process of shielding. Toning can also help this process by amplifying it. Use a deep medium tone for defensive and a high pitched tone for offensive! Wearing and anointing your self with certain essential oils, holy oil, and holy water can help facilitate this process as well! Wearing certain talismans, amulets, medallions, and stones will aid this process! One such stone is hematite which draws in positive energy while pushing away and deflecting negative energies. There are certain tools like star chamber tools which will also greatly help this process.

symbols that are protective:

The cross
The sacred heart
Any and all trinity symbols
The Triscal
Family crests and shields
Personal shields and or medicine shields
Hexacles, pentacles, septagrams, and ennegrams (also called nonograms)
The all seeing eye
The Hamsa, khamsa, chamsa (also called the hand of Miriam, Sarai / Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, Deborah, Magdalin, Fatima, or etc…)
the ankh
the blue egg
the pyramid (white, black, or mirrored/ silver)
the sword
the tree of life
the sei-he-ki
the raku
the cho-ku-rei
etc.
There are many more symbols of protection. It really comes down to person choice, tastes, and your internal reality and imagination. What symbolizes protection to you?



Toxic people need to be removed from your life. Now pushing them away or trying to control them is likely to have the opposite of the desired result. So instead you work around that fact. Instead of picturing said negative person or people leaving your life; don’t picture them at all. Picture your life as wonderful and altogether devoid of their presence. Make it in your mind as if they do not even exist in your world. Visualize that and feel it; live into it. When they are around you, shield yourself and say “he / she / or they; do not exist beyond this point, they do not exist in my personal space”. Fill your shield with this intention or mantra. And then let yourself forget about them once you are properly shielded. Ignore them as much as possible. You might need to go one step further and cut the AKA (pronounced ah-cuh) cords (the energy cords that exist between people)! No one should come into your personal space without your permission; and I am not talking about physical proximity because that can’t always be helped; I mean energetically speaking. You need to claim and hold your space. Personal space is usually between 3 and 5 feet around your body. I am more comfortable with 5 feet personally. When people enter my personal space that aren’t welcome, they can feel it without me having to utter a single word out loud. But you also want to be specific in your wording because you don’t want your energies to become an unwelcoming or unfriendly place to other people, like family, friends, good strangers, and clients! Always be specific and focus your energies! If there is a toxic person that you can not cut out of your life ask God to fill your energies permanently with his presence, when people are around that kind of light they can’t help to either be changed by it, or to leave its touch!






Armor of God (basic info.): as laid out in scripture;

The sword (sword, belt, and sheath of healing) of truth / the word

Helmet of salvation / asking for forgiveness of sins, atonement, and salvation; standing in the promise, the hope, and the faith; this is about receiving Grace

Shield of faith / prayer and standing in the power and authority of His Love and Light

Sandals of peace / aligning ourselves to his will, being still and quiet in God in order to hear God’s instruction. This brings rest to the spirit. “not my will but Thine be done”!

Breastplate of righteousness / right action and attitude; standing in virtue, this is where works and faith come together





"Creator, you are the God, the Spirit, and the Breath of Truth. We come together this day in this common prayer for deliverance from the ignorance the blinds us from your Truth. Deliver us, our Creator, from the cowardice that shrinks from The Truth, from the laziness that is content with half truths, and from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth, so that we may rightly perceive the path to the Truth that will awaken us in union, communion, and Oneness with you."
Amen
Author of prayer unknown!


Titus 1:15
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.



Always test the spirits and know who you are dealing with. Scripture says that any spirit that professes that Jesus (Yashua) came in the flesh is of God. So ask whatever spirit you are dealing with if Jesus came in the flesh, and if they say yes then they are ok, and if they say something else then send them away.

Do not pray to or worship anything but God. Do not pray to Mary or the angels. We are to pray to God alone and give him all our worship. If you feel you need an angel then ask God to send you an angel. For instance, if you feel you are being spiritually attacked and want Michael to come then say God please send me Michael. Now this doesn’t mean that you can’t talk to, work with, and say thank you to your spiritual aids. You should do all of that, but prayer is a form of worship that is to be reserved for God and God alone! If you work with Mary, than welcome her and say thank you for your help and leave it at that; and the same goes for any other help you have. Ask God to send you whatever help you need! Sometimes you will be amazed at who he sends, and who shows up to help!






Shielding

The key to "putting on the armor of God," which is Jesus Christ, for basic shielding purposes is visualization; that makes this a kind of ritual. For the Christian there is the exterior work of calling on the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Other than this, we can do this work if we want to or have to without any exterior ritual. We are blending the two realities, the inner spiritual reality we have by virtue of the faith of being protected or shielded by the armor of God, and the outer physical reality of our ecology.
By our ecology I mean the immediate environment in which we live, move and have our existence. Thus it clearly includes our physical bodies. But it also might include our room, or our entire home. It also might include our family and loved ones.
In the practice, technique, gift, and ritual of visualization we see, with our inner spiritual eyes, sometimes called our "Third Eye," the protective shielding of the power and presence of Jesus Christ as a Light that encompasses us and enfolds us. We see it embracing our actual ecology. It is this level of reality; the reality of Jesus being the Light that leads Christian shamans to confess, "I am a servant of the Light." Jesus said in John 8:12 that he was the Light of the World and we as Christian shamans are servants of that Light, in all we do, including our ritual works.
The color of the Light can be any color. Often in visualization in a shielding a shaman will see the Light in various colors depending on what they are protecting, why they are in need of this protection, or what they are shielding from; it is the same when doing any other ritual work including healing work. As you continue in the sacred paths you will develop your own knowledge of shielding and other kinds of spiritual warfare and you will learn on your own through study and intuition what colors are correct for your usage. For now you can envision the Light as Golden white, because it is the color of precious purity, of wealth, and like purple it indicates royalty; an appropriate color for Christ The Light as our protector.
As with all ritual, you should center and ground first. Then you should place yourself in circle, whether you formally cast a circle or simply envision yourself in circle. Now connect using your grounding. Remember that being grounded means being rooted and anchored in Christ, and in the energies of the earth and the universe.




As you connect with the reality that you are in Christ, begin to visualize that Christ's presence is in you. See this as spark of golden white light (or any color you wish) in your heart. Focus on this spark and expand it into a glowing little sphere. Very slowly, with your "third eye," see this sphere expand bigger and bigger until it is big enough to enfold you. If you are shielding more than just yourself, keep expanding it until it is big enough for all you are shielding. Once you've gotten the sphere of golden white light the right size, begin to focus on "hardening" the light that is the sphere. As you do this, you can say a mantra over and over.

For example;

I Exist
In the Sacred Name of Yashua Christ,
I am Secure
In the Holy Name of Yashua Christ.
Visualize the light sphere becoming more and more firm until it is opaque and solid in your second sight. Then you can say something like;
All Powers
That would Hinder and Bind Me
Are Now Shielded and Blinded
By the Light of Christ
In which I Dwell.
I am One with The Light!

Once you have put up a shield like this, it should remain with you always if you regularly maintain it. All that Jesus wills for your good can pass through it, but no spiritual force that would harm you will easily pass this barrier if you are right with God. Every so often, when you think of it, see the sphere of light again and "harden" it up once more. At times you may have to repeat the whole visualization to focus on the reality that you are standing in Christ's protection.
Shielding like this is good if you are being troubled by bad dreams. A good shield of Christ-Light may stop the bad dreams, unless there is a reason that you are having them. You can put up a shield for someone else, but I wouldn't recommend for beginners to try it. As you become capable in this, only do a shield for someone else if they or their higher selves agree to it; understand what it is you are doing for them, and you know their situation and can see them somehow in your visualization.



Many ritualists in other Traditions understand the function of grounding as a way of releasing extra energy after doing story and ritual work. However, in our tradition we understand the function of grounding as not only something we might find necessary after ritual to release energy, but also as something we want to practice before, and throughout ritual. This difference could be due to the fact that we may mean something slightly different by the term than other Traditions. So if you find another discussion of grounding quite different than our discussion, please refrain from thinking they are doing it wrong or for the wrong purposes (Or on the other hand thinking that's what we're doing)! Let's remember there is lots of diversity among all spiritual traditions and just because one path is different than another doesn't mean one must be better or worse than the other.
So what is grounding in our path? For us being grounded is like being rooted or being anchored.
We ground so we are rooted and anchored in power when we do any ritual work. For us this includes beginning ritual, doing ritual, and releasing ritual afterwards. We ground because for us, as any power that occurs in our ritual and story work is not merely our power. For us being a shaman is not about us having power, it's about us being power, and surrendering to and into the power of the Divine. It is grounding which plugs us into this surrender and connects us with the power of the Divine so that any ritual work we do isn't us doing ritual but rather the Divine Spirit doing ritual in us and through us. It is about becoming The Holy Grail, a vessel, a theurgy!
This makes grounding, as we practice it, one of the most Christian elements of our shamanism. Why? Because first and foremost we, as Christian shamans, ground ourselves in Jesus Christ who is the living Tao, the living Sophia, the living Word, that dwells in all creatures and ignites the beauty of the plains. Think of our grounding in Christ as us recognizing that God not only our Father, or Husband, but is also our Mother and we are going to Her breasts so Her milk may nourish us and fill us.
As Christian Nature Mystics we do not ground in Christ apart from the creation, as if Christ was not the living energy that permeates all creation. One thing for us to remember is that the specific grounding we do at particular times and places is really the repeated manifestation of our continual grounding in Christ and into the earth. Grounding is the outworking of connections we already have through ritual and story. As Christians we have a connection to Jesus Christ. As Humans we have a connection to the earth and to God. Grounding doesn't create these connections, instead it actualizes them by reinforcing them and us; as we remember and activate what already is true for us.
This means the first place to begin with learning to ground is not the specific act of grounding, but instead the general reality of rooting our entire existence in Christ and Christ's creation.

In the mainline Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church it is in Baptism where we find the reality of our being grounded and rooted in Christ. Baptism is great for thinking about our grounding in Christ because it also connects us to our grounding as human beings in nature. Baptism is a "rebirth" and it is our original birth which grounds us in nature; in our natural birth we are born in water, and in our spiritual birth of Baptism we are also born in Spirit.
So at this point, if the seeker reading this is Christian than it is important to ask the Seeker if you are baptized. If you aren't and wish to continue to evolve spiritually as a christian then it is vital that you receive the sacrament of Baptism. If you are already Baptized but have never confirmed it, then it is vital that you receive confirmation through confession of your faith in Jesus Christ. Please talk to your priest or minister (if you have one) about all this and do whatever you need to do.

Now, let's talk about the specific act of grounding, which is simply a renewal of your continuing grounding in Christ and in nature. When we ground we are doing it through the power of remembering. Remembering is simply bringing to mind something we know or have experienced in the past and making it present for ourselves by focusing on it, imagining it, and surrendering into it. we are also empowered by it!
For many of us this is a spiritual exercise we are quite familiar with, we experience it when we celebrate communion, or when we remember our Baptism by touching holy water. We also experience it when those of us who are married witness a wedding and remember ours. A more secular experience of this is when we sing the National Anthem or another song like "God Bless America" and we remember our connection, or grounding, in our country.
A powerful example of grounding, which some of us unfortunately understand, is a negative example- a grounding into something that hurts us and harms us. I'm talking about re-experiencing trauma such as abuse, abandonment, war, or rape. This happens when the past seems to overwhelm us and we lose the distinction between the now and the then and we relive the trauma.
Grounding is like this, except we are reliving a positive reality instead of a negative one, and we are doing it intentionally.




The way we activate this is by focusing our thoughts and our imagination (our attention and intention) on the reality which we wish to acknowledge and focus on. For us it is being anchored in Christ and rooted in the earth. If you are unfamiliar with this kind of spiritual discipline it may take you a short time to learn how to do it. But the basic idea is simple. We think over and over again about being in Christ and part of the earth and we use our imagination to image this anchoring and rooting in concrete ways. We continue this thinking and imagining until we are overwhelmed by the reality. A lot of us experience this overwhelming as what we call "feeling the presence," we feel the energy, and The Holy Spirit of God. Others of us experience a profound sense of peace and release, as if we were a baby being held in comforting arms. There are as many different experiences as there are people, because God meets people where they are and reveals Himself to them in many different unique and individual ways!


Like so many of the spiritual exercises you will learn, there are many different ways to do this, but for now you can use the specific method I'm going to describe until you can do it easily. Then you can explore other ways to accomplish grounding.
What you need to do when you ground, is begin to repeat in your thoughts the following sentence: I am grounded and anchored in Christ, I am grounded and rooted in Christ's earth, I am grounded and anchored in Christ. After each thinking of this sentence pause just a moment and return to your center, then repeat the exercise.



But that is only half of the exercise. At the same time you are thinking this in words, image this reality. Imagine an anchor of spiritual energy and being, coming out of your heart and passing down through you into the depths of the earth. Imagine at the same time roots reaching from your feet down through your body and into the earth. Imagine the anchor holding you secure and the roots filled with life flowing. Imagine your being flowing down the roots into the earth and Christ so you are one with Christ and the earth. Imagine the energy of Christ and the earth flowing up the roots to you, the energy of life, of the Spirit, of love, and of being. As you imagine, symbolize this with a downward pushing of your hands, start with your hands at your heart, then push your being down into the ground, then keep your arms extended and keep pushing. Also recognize the energy and presence of God in you, and over you and imagine a beam of love and light coming down from God, from the sky above moving into you and through you, becoming one with you. You can imagine your head and arms as branches of a tree receiving life giving rains from the heavens; just as your body is the trunk of a tree, and your feet are the base with roots drawing up life giving nutrients from the earth beneath!
Keep doing this until you are overwhelmed by the reality that you are grounded and rooted in Christ and you feel grounded and rooted in the earth. You may experience this as an awareness that the earth is a planet and you are riding her. You may experience this as The Holy Spirit; You may experience this as profound peace. Or you may experience this as some other way. But you will know when you are grounded!




Shielding, Spiritual Warfare, and Salvation;


According to scripture it is important that we recognize that our 'fight' is not with other human beings; with 'flesh and blood' most of the time, but with spiritual forces that exist behind the scene.
The battle is with spiritual forces most of the time. These forces might be actual spiritual entities that are antagonistic to us or they might simply be spiritual force that is sent against us by some means. The way these spiritual forces impact us is through attitudes, opinions, moods, values, ethics, morals, energies, and other spiritual realities. We can encounter this battle in two ways; in the world where these spiritual realities create systems and structures that oppress people, destroy justice, freedom and lives, and distort the truth of God. The other place we fight this fight is in our own personal lives where these spiritual forces fight us with moods, doubts, fears, confusions, despair, depression, addictions and other ways to chain our spirits or destroy our lives. For example; God’s gay children are under the most violent attacks of evil known to man; they are not only being denied their basic human rights and freedoms, but they are being beaten, raped, tortured, abused in every way, murdered, and in some places they are under threat of imprisonment, the death penalty, and genocide!
We are called to stand our ground. Our job is to resist them, to stand against them. We are not to run away, hide, or surrender. We are not to cooperate, join or aid them. We resist them, confront them when necessary, and banish them. we are to ignore them if we can and fight them when we can’t! We go on the aggressive or offensive if absolutely necessary and only then, otherwise we need to always be on the defensive!
Our decisions on how to live, what to do, and what values we follow are not made by REACTING to the spiritual forces even though we are to react and do. We are simply to ACT and react based on our faith in God and discipleship in Jesus Christ.
This means we stand against the threat of the negative spiritual forces. We do not let them blackmail or extort us. We give them NO control over our lives, or any place in our lives, no matter how they manifest themselves. If they are operating in the systems of oppression in this world we do not cooperate with these systems; when they oppress and oppose the kingdom of God. In this realm this 'standing' often becomes the non-violent resistance that Martin Luther King, Jr. taught those who resisted the evils of segregation. King got these ideas of non-violent resistance from Ghandi. He got them from Jesus Christ. In our personal lives resisting the spiritual forces means we don't allow the threats or fears of the spiritual forces to affect how we live.




Ephesians 6:10-18a
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.




Martin Luther spoke of our spiritual warfare in his great hymn
~A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD~



A Mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great:
And, armed with cruel
hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God's own choosing.
Does ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He,
Lord Sabaoth His
name,
From age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us
sideth;
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still;
His Kingdom is forever.
Amen



One little word! The Word (The Logos) that is above all earthly powers. That Word is Jesus, who is The Word of God.



When you must stand against the spiritual powers, simply call out on Jesus and realize that you stand within him like a warrior within a suit of Armor. It is Jesus who protects us.
For me it helps to visualize myself literally surrounded by Jesus. Jesus is the Light and the negative spiritual powers are the darkness. Jesus, the Light, shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not understand the Light; the darkness cannot grapple with the Light. It must flee from it and be undone by it; (John 1:5) As the Psalmist said, "The Lord is my Light and my Salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
This brings us to the best news there is about our spiritual warfare. You see the powers and authorities may not be admitting it, but they already are conquered by Jesus. This is why we only need to stand. We don't need to defeat them because they already are defeated.

This is how it is put in the beginning of the book of Ephesians in chapter 1 verses 2-23:
"He[God] raised Him[Jesus Christ] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed ALL things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over EVERYTHING for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way."

All things, all rule and dominion, all powers, everything, is already under the feet of Jesus. Jesus is the head of all things, even those spiritual forces that still oppose us.
There is no battle between Jesus and these powers. Jesus already won the battle. He did this in his birth, his entire life and ministry, in the crucifixion and the resurrection and his ascension to be at the right hand of the throne of God. In this world we don't always see this reality. But whether we see it or not, it is the way things really are.
When we are in Jesus we don't need to fight the powers. Instead we just focus / center ourselves, and ground ourselves, in the reality that we are in our Sovereign Savior Jesus Christ; the Victor and Triumphant One and get busy doing what God calls us to do, free from fear.
The reality that Jesus is our Salvation is contained right in His Name which literally means, "The Salvation of the Lord". It is Jesus, his life and death and resurrection that is our Salvation. Salvation means not only eternal life, but spiritual healing. It is Jesus who makes us spiritually alive and well.

We often think that Faith is something we have about Jesus. But in reality our Faith is a gift of God, a gift whose author is Jesus himself, and a reality that Jesus is finishing in us. Sometimes when we talk about Faith we mean the content of our beliefs; but always in every way, the content of our beliefs should be the person Jesus Christ. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. This is why it is not enough for a mature Christian to just have faith. That is what gets us through as baby Christians. A mature Christian in a deep, evolving, and abiding relationship with God must live into our faith and move beyond it. We must come to have a knowing beyond faith. Faith is for when you haven’t seen or you can’t see; I have seen, and now I know! I don’t just believe in God, or have faith in Him; I know Him! He is real, He is alive, He is at work in the world, and in my life, and He is my everything!
Living in Righteousness does not mean our attempts to live holy and pure lives, for that is only an outward sign of our inner righteousness; a necessary sign, a fruit of The Spirit of our faith and salvation, but not our salvation itself. Our Righteousness is our Savior Jesus who makes us right with God because we are in him; baptized and made new creatures in his blood. We were purchased by and with his blood! It is by his blood that we are made worthy. Our good deeds do not attain our salvation but are rather the proof of it. And once you are truly saved you are always saved, you can not loose your salvation, God does not take the gift of salvation back!
Then in Hebrews 12:2 it says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our Faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
John 1: 1-5, 9-18;
“ 1In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it…….
9There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.


We also have Christ telling us about himself saying in john 14:6 “I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life”! Then again in the famous first chapter of John we have scripture saying of Christ that he is the assurance of our salvation by grace through faith in him; “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God; children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s (or wife’s) will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”. And the famous third chapter of John again reiterates this point further by telling us that; For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world; but so that the world through him might be saved”.

John 1: 11-12 He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God! (some translations have “those who called on His Name”.)





The Four Elements
A Centering Meditation



Arriving Phase
It is suggested that you begin with grounding and casting a nemeton;

* There should be an lit candle in the Center, as well as the Incense, some stones (or crystals or soil), a feather, and a bowl of water (or a chalice of holy water or bottle of flower water perfume).
These symbolize the Four Elements.
stand in the Center. Be silent.
* Light the Candle in the Center, sound a musical note,
and say a prayer.
*Go to the West and say, May there be Peace in the West.
* Go to the South and say, May there be Peace in the South.
* Go to the East and say, May there be Peace in the East.
* Go to the North and say, Mat there be Peace in the North.
* Go to the Centre (sacred center), visualize Peace throughout the Earth, and
the Circle within which you stand. Say,
May there be Peace in this Circle, in this my body temple, and throughout the whole of the Earth (or planet gaia).
* Sit where you are comfortable within the Circle, and be silent.

When you are ready . . .

The Offering Phase

(In all cases, the wording is a suggestion. Say something like . . . )

Earth beneath me, Sustainer of Life;
Air around me, Inspiring all of Life;
Fire of Stars above me, Empowerment of Life;
Water within me, Refreshing of Life.
Spirit within me essence of life.
Great Holy Spirit source of all life.


Air

Take the incense holder and the feather in your hand, if you wish, or picture it with your Otherworld sight. Smell the incense smoke rising around you. Breathe deeply and feel the Air enter your body. If you are outdoors, feel the breeze blowing across your skin. (If you are inside, you may wish to use a small fan so that you can feel the Air moving about you.) Let your awareness begin in your lungs, and emerge from your nose and mouth to spread outward from your body in a dome. Sense the Air all around you. Extend your awareness farther, through clouds, through flying birds, and be aware of the Air that envelopes you and all the Earth. Concentrate on your breathing and imagine that all the air around is made of a pure white light that you are taking in. you inhale the light and exhale the light. Breath in and hold the breath for about three seconds. Make sure your diaphragm is rising as much as your chest so that you know that the air is getting all the way down into your lungs. Start out breathing in through your nose and out through you mouth. Then once you are relaxed into the meditation and comfortable just allow your body to breath and out through the nose. Be one with the Air.

Say something like: May the Life-giving purity of the Air inspire me, enrich my blood, and be always a part of my being.

When you are ready . . .

Fire

Take the candle in your hand, if you wish, or picture it with your Otherworld sight. Feel the warmth of the flame as it glows before you. Imagine the Stars overhead, or, if you prefer, the Sun. Imagine Sun or Star directly overhead, beaming light and warmth through the Heavens toward Earth, toward you where you sit. Down, down through the atmosphere, the beam travels, the energy-giving, living power of Fire. Imagine it entering your head and illuminating the brain cavity. Your brow begins to glow, as your head is filled with Light. Fire in your eyes is a sign to the World of your inspiration. Imagine the Light traveling down further, to your heart, Fire of Love; to your stomach, Fire of Metabolism; to your loins, Fire of Creation. Feel your oneness with Fire. You can also visualize the burning bush, the pillar of fire, a torch, or a lamp. Be at one with the fire.

Say something like: May the empowering energy of the Fires of the Universe ever be a part of my being.

When you are ready . . .

Water

Take the bowl of Water in your hands, if you wish, or picture it with your Otherworld sight. Dip your fingers in it. Feel the cool wetness. Raise it to your lips and drink, a deep drink. Feel the cool wetness as it goes down your throat and enters your stomach. Or you can simply anoint, baptize, or consecrate yourself with the water. If you are carefully aware, you can feel it begin to radiate out through your body’s tissues. Feel the coolness as it spreads through your cells. Be aware of the water that makes up most of your body. Let your memory go back to the womb-water from whence these waters came, and further back to the sea water from which your ancestors emerged. You can also imagine the Jordan river, or any other river. You can imagine the ritual bathing, hand, and foot washing that went on at the temple. You can also visualize the mists of Avalon, and the waters surrounding the holy isle. Feel the currents and tides your bodily fluids. Be at one with Water.

Say something like: May the cleansing and refreshing power of Water ever be a part of my being.


Earth

Take the stones or dirt in your hand if you wish, or picture it with your Otherworld sight. Sit quietly, become aware of your breathing, and your body. Become aware of your Grove around you. Feel the ground under you, and become aware of the Earth. Image a tap root extending from your body down into the ground, into the rich, fertile Earth, through stones and roots, through Earth creatures and bedrock. Feel your rooted-ness in the Earth. You can also visualize being in special locations like newgrange, avebury, stone hinge, the garden of Gethsemane, or the empty tomb of Christ; or even mount Sinai or the temple mount. Be one with the Earth.

Say something like: May the stability, richness, and fertility of the Earth be always a part of my being.

When you are ready . . .

Resolution

Sit in silence. Feel the Elements surrounding you. Be in balance between and among them.

Farewell Phase
Closing prayers (and any other workings), and grounding.

* Open your eyes, and return to your natural sight
* Thank God for everything, then pay respects to the elements, the guardians, and any other helpers that may have came (the bre’hon).
close the circle. In my tradition we always create ritual space counter clockwise and close the space clockwise. Most pagan ritual practitioners will greatly disagree with me on this issue. They are welcome to their own opinions. My opinion is this; I create sacred space counter clockwise or widdershins to banish negative energies and to work outside of time and space. I close the sacred space clockwise to release the creative energies that I have wielded to do their workings in the world. Be sure and release any and all excess energies with all love and appreciation.
* Sound a musical signal
* The Rite is concluded
this concludes the four elements grounding, centering, and balancing meditation.