Jungian Circle – Order of Service
The ritual leader welcomes the community and carries around the smudge pot, explaining that it is a traditional form of purification. Then, the following greeting is recited:
We have soared to the heights
We have descended to the depths
We have experienced triumph and defeat
We have tasted the fiery passions of this earthly life
Now comes the time to pause and to reflect.
We embark on our journey toward the center
Of the quaternally ordered psyche.
We draw inspiration from alchemical symbol
As expressed in the words of the Hermetic Emerald Tablet.
Four volunteers read from the Hermetic Emerald Tablet, which
has long been revered as the encapsulation of all Hermetic knowledge.
I speak not
false things, but what is certain and most true.
What is below is
like that which is above, and what is above is like that which is below, to
produce the miracle of one sole thing.
And
as all things came from one word of one Being, so all things came from this one
thing by adaptation.
Its father is
the sun, its mother the moon, the wind carries it in its belly, its nurse is
the earth.
It is the
essence of all being and becoming
The power is great if it be changed into
earth.
Separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross, softly and with great care.
Ascend with
great intelligence from earth to heaven, and again descend to earth, and unite
together the powers of higher things and lower things.
Thus you will
receive the glory of the whole world, and darkness will fly away from you.
This has more
strength than strength itself, for it overcomes every subtle thing and can
penetrate everything that is solid.
Thus the world
was formed.
Hence come the
wonders here established.
Therefore am I
named Hermes Trismegistus,
having three
parts of the philosophy of the whole world.
That which I had to say concerning the
sun’s operation is finished.
The ritual leader invites the Circle to join in reciting the following
words:
Through the symbol of this flame
We pay homage to the eternal being of the Self.
As this flame burns,
Giving light and burning away dross,
So burns consciousness,
That will never be extinguished.
Holding the tension of opposites,
Through the grace of transcendence,
May our egos awaken,
Transforming consciousness.
AND SO IT IS.
The ritual leader invites those present to share happenings in
their life so that the Circle may hold them in their thoughts during the
meditation.
The ritual leader then announces the meditation as follows:
The meditation begins and concludes with the ringing of a bell.
A Circle member shares an inspirational.
The
invited speaker then speaks for approximately 20 minutes, followed by an open
discussion facilitated by one of the group members.
After the presentation and discussion,
announcements of interest to the Jungian Circle community are shared.
A final meditation passage is
selected and read by the ritual leader.
This passage may come from the Jungian Circle Book of Inspirations
or another source.
The Circle joins together to sing a final hymn.
The ritual leader recites the following closure:
We now leave this abode
and enter the greater vessel of the world
Wherein we shall test the gold of consciousness
for yet another seven days
Then henceforth return
NAMASTE