©1998 Vincent Bridges
Sometimes the spirit moves in strange ways, and you have to be quick to catch her, as one of my teachers once said. Last fall, I was instructed by the Ophanic angels, who had been quiescent since their invocation almost a year before, that I should offer to teach what I knew of the Ophanic system. I put the word out, by way of Dan Winter’s website, and received quite a few enquiries. I was told that I needed a certain number to reply by the fall equinox, and then more would continue to appear. That happened fine, and by early December, as I struggled with Dan’s book, my new book, starting a Geomancy college and preparing an Ophanic overview, I thought we were rolling.
And then the line went dead. The angels were no longer around. This caused quite a stir, psychically. Ever since their invocation, the angelic crackle and buzz had been somewhere close by. Now it was gone. We managed to re-establish a sort of tenative contact, but things have not returned to the same level of intense energetics.
I asked about this and slowly began to get an idea of what had happened. First, the angels assured me that everything was progressing according to plan. Everything is still lining up properly, the count-down is still under way. For a moment, this surprised me. It wasn’t exactly as I had pictured it.
Then they showed me a series of tiny images, allegorical and tarot-like but personal and direct as well. First there was a Fool receiving a Pearl of Great Price. Then the Fool brings his Pearl to a series of Wise Men, his superiors in the religious and magickal orders to which the Fool belonged. They examine the Pearl, proclaiming it worthless while planning to steal it for themselves. The Fool claims the Pearl, declaring that it may not be much, but it is his. At that, the Pearl changes, becoming a hollow sphere which contains the Fool and all his fellow wise men.
OK, I thought as I watched this progression of images, they are trying to tell me something here. At first though the meaning escaped me. In the last month however, the images have indeed taken on meaning.
While I haven’t claimed the Pearl, the importance of the image lies in the inclusive nature of the event itself. We are all a part of the Pearl, know it or not. With that in mind, the angels have suggested a new program:
The Golden Dawn of a New Millennium: TEN EQUINOXES TO COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS
The Great Cross
Every 13,000 years or so, our planet and the solar system clicks into place as part of a larger, intergalactic pattern of geometry. To even begin to grok this one, we must think large, very large.
The space/time universe revealed to us by the activity of all radiating frequencies of energy appears to be very big and very old and yet still energetic and expanding, that is quite young. The center point of all this radiation seems to be, from our point of view, at the crown of the Virgin, or about 5-7 degrees of Virgo. This is a super cluster of galaxies, and far away, out on the edge of the radiation universe, we find our little cluster of a dozen or so galaxies, and, close to the center of the cluster, we find our own galaxy.
From this perspective, it is easy to see that galaxies may be as numerous as any other life form within its evolutionary niche. Galaxies are vast organisms, energy/matter constructs in a basic self-organising pattern. From this, who is to say that galaxies are not vast minds as well? They are the oldest stable structures in the universe, after all.
Then looking at our own galaxy, we see clearly its self-organizing swirl. Keeping our broad-band radiation vision turned on, we also notice something unusual about the matter in the galaxy. It clusters in a counter swirling pattern in a flat plane along the equator of the galactic energy sphere from edge to core. As we shift to the more or less visible spectrum, the common image of a spiral galaxy appears. At the center, where the spiral arms converge, a large lump of intense energy boils away.
Gravity is a function of matter’s geometric structure, forming patterns of attractiveness that function as a fractal ratio of density or distance. In the very center of the gravity lens formed by the stickiness of matter in this dissipative structure called a galaxy, we find that the force of gravity is intense enough to collapse matter in on itself, forming what is called a black hole. If we think of this as a point where all frequencies and velocities become infinite, and therefore beyond the space/time limitations of our radiationally experienced universe, then the idea of such a super-black hole has distinct implications for consciousness.
Because we experience reality as a by-product of photon emission and exchange, as shown by Einstein’s relativity theories, we are subject to a space-like and time-like continuum of events. This prevents us from observing the embedded patterns of mind, those indications of meaning that emerge as synchronicity from a developing sentience. The collapse of matter into a flash of energy/information, which then approaches and passes infinite velocities, becoming everywhere and nowhere simultaneously, forms a matrix of awareness that remains stable across vast scales of size and organization. This suggests that constructs of matter, such as atoms, and constructs of ideas, such as a language, are all part of the same process.
The center of our galaxy is hidden from us here on earth. We see only a haze of interstellar dust through our local spiral arm. However, its power can be seen in the fact that the arrows of Scorpio and Sagitarius point to its location. This mystic Great Sun, or Sun behind the Sun, has attracted the attention of many cosmic-oriented cultures. The Mayan for instance called it the Hunab Ku and thought of it as a regulating mechanism that determined the flow of life throughout the galaxy.
The Hunab Ku symbol is instructive. It shows us two opposing flows, similar to the Chinese Tao, uniting to form four outward arms or angles. The two flows represent the processional flow of the galactic radiational field and the precessional flow of the gravity lens forming at ninety degrees to the field flow, or in a band along the equator. The intersection of these two flows produces a cross or quartering effect.
From earth, we can define a line from the center point in Sagitarius to its opposite point in Gemini as our local galactic axis. This cosmic pillar acts a direction finder, locating us in the galactic lens. While this axis remains constant, our relationship to it down here on earth changes with the flow of time.
Because the earth wobbles on its axis as it spins, any point, such as an equinox or a solstice, appears to move counter to the sun’s progress through the ecliptic at the rate of one degree every 72 years. The angle of the earth’s intersection with the galactic axis changes over time, and only once every 13,000 years or so does it form a true right angle, ninety degrees, to the galactic core.
This ninety degree intersection produces a scalar field effect similar to that which forms gravity waves into fractally atractive matter packets called atoms. In other words, an intersection of field flow at ninety degrees produces a burst of information/energy that is transmitted instantaneously from the galactic core to the solar and planetary core. This higher density radiation might even be seen, by those sensitive to its light, as an ultra-violet blue glow near the cusp of Sagitarius and Capricorn. The Hopi called it the Blue Star and said it marked the end of time.
Beginning with the eclipse period just ended, our planet has entered the intersection zone. Over the next few years, the subtle illumination pulsing from the Hunab Ku directly to our consciousness will grow ever brighter. In this period, the moment of the equinox, when the solar and celestial ecliptics cross, has a profound signifcance. This balancing point, where the light is equal, can also be our access point to the influx of new energy/information with which we are beginning to be bombarded.
The Value of Angelic Interaction
From the point of view of the Ophanic Intelligences, the whole of mankind’s history, all of its struggle toward science and civilization, religion, art and philosophy, has been leading up to this point, these few years when the beam narrows and the laser-like illumination of living Light streams out from the galactic core. The last time we reached this point, 13,000 years ago, the experiment wasn’t completely a success. In fact, it looks a lot like a total disaster.
What if our entire gentic evolution had been engineered to produce an animal, carbon-based life form capable of internalizing and integrating the out-pouring of galactic awareness? The Ophanim insist that this is exactly the case, and we, poor domesticated apes that we are, find ourselves facing the harvest once again.
OK, so what exactly are the Ophanic Intelligences trying to tell us?
First of all, they delivered a system to Dee and Kelley that operates as a dimensional interface and communication device capable of direct contact with the geometric structure of the universe itself. This is symbolized, and actualized, as a language, Ophanic, which is at once both an operating system and an interactive platform for all other operating systems. The structures formed from this language embedd higher dimensional forms within 2D and 3D physical patterns so that to vibrate a word sets off a wave cascade across all scales of resonance which produces an archetype or iconic image that corresponds to the geometry of the original wave. Sound, symbol and reality modulation are therefore congruent in a true universal language.
The system included everything from a way to harness the currents of synchronicity to a way to communicate directly with the intelligence of a portion of the earth’s surface. We just haven’t been smart enough yet to figure it all out. And if we have, we haven’t had the guts to use it for more than hubba-bubba magick.
So where does that leave us? The galactic process is upon us and we are still trying to read the instructions on the life boat.
And so it stood when the line went down in December.
When we re-established contact, the angels explained that the lapse was basically caused by the fragility of our connection, symbolized by my tarot-like visions, and the turbulence caused by the on-coming energy front. Without a core group of adepts, it was very hard to hold open the contact. But at the equinoxes, it was very easy to punch through the static and make contact. So we worked out a compromise.
For each of the next ten equinoxes, spring and fall from ’98 through 2002, the Ophanic Intelligences will be focused on teaching those of us who can tune in how to deal with the increasingly intense transformational energy from the center of the galaxy. The experiences will be hologramic, so that the information of all is contained in any one, but absorbing all ten will produce an image with greater definition and clarity.
The Ophanic Intelligences have suggested some simple visualizations and magickal exercises that should be done as part of the process, but they assure me that if you just open to the moment, you can grok all you need of the inner process.
Projecting the Tree of Life on the Celestial Globe
The basic meditational practice the angels suggested is the projection of the astral Tree of Life onto the celestial sphere.
This develops out of the Middle Pillar exercise, a component of the Meta-Programming Protocol, which aligns the energy centers along the spine with the sephiroths of the middle pillar on the Tree of Life. Once this metaxic monad is created, it is then visualized as the center point of a vast toroidal, doughnut-shaped field domain. The north or positive pole of the field domain is aligned with the north celestial pole, disregarding the earth’s tilt, and the south, or negative pole is similarly aligned.
When we say vast, we mean vast, about one light year in radius. Thinking in terms of the ruber-sheet metaphor for space/time, this is the point where the rubber sheet of space/time begins to flatten out from its increasingly steep plunge down our solar system’s gravity well. This slightly less than one light year in radius sphere acts as an interface for our system. It is the membrane formed by the force of our local attractiveness. The angels suggested that this membrane be viewed as a thin surface reflective film hanging in space and reflecting star light off its surface in such a way as to show the pattern of the “fixed” stars. Far inside this bubble of reflected star light is the dim yellow brilliance of our local star, the Sun.
On this scale, the metaxic monad of the MPP can be visualized as the size of the entire solar system. Since earth is a component in this system, we orient ourselves on the system as a whole. The earth’s tilt is disregarded for the moment and the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun and the actual orbit of Earth, becomes the equator of our celestial globe.
This means that the north and south poles of this globe are displaced from the planetary poles. The earth is tilted in respect to the central axis of the celestial globe. It “looks ever unto Binah,” as we will see as the Tree of Life develops in the celestial sphere.
(To help follow this complex mediation, I suggest you find an inexpensive “Map of the Sky” chart at a planetarium gift shop or a nature store. I used one by Cartographia De Agostin – Milano, which I found for $8 at my local planetarium. It helps to draw these sephirotic projections directly onto the star map before trying to visualize it. For an even deeper understanding, try doing the geometry, with a compass and straight edge, that creates the projection pattern.)
On my chart, the ecliptic pole is clearly marked, another reason to use a good sky chart to locate these spots. The scale of the chart I’m using is such that a 2″ diameter circle covers roughly 10 degrees of arc. I use the same size circle for all the sephiroths as an indication of total field effect. In other words, all the stars in that 10 degree circle are part of the projected sephirotic influence, although the focus point of each sphere, particularly when it is a specific star or stellar object, takes on an additional importance.
For Kether, the center point, the ecliptic pole, coincides with the gaseous planetary nebulae number 6543 and the circle includes most of the body of the constellation Draco, the Dragon. From that center point, draw a line through the brightest star on the ecliptic equator of the celestial globe, Regulus at the heart of Leo, the Lion. Then add the other quarter line at 90 degrees to the Leo line and let it continue to the ecliptic equator. This creates four equatorial intersection points, in Leo, Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius.
These are the projected Tiphareth points. Tiphareth is actually the center point of the globe, but is projected outward to create these four stellar gateways. Leo is of course focused on Regulus, Taurus has no specific star at the center, but focuses the energy of the Pleiades. Aquarius is empty of significant stars, having the constellation of Aquarius curving around the edge of the circle, with the water jar outside as if pouring back in. However, the Scorpio gateway is an active stellar area focused on the head of the Scorpion.
With these four points, and the north and south ecliptic poles, we have created an octahedron of eight faces, six points and twelve lines. (Note: Using these six points as the center of the faces on a cube, the dual of the octahedron, an astronomically correct cube of space, another kabbalistic space/time construct, can be visualized. However this is far from our purpose here.) Going back to our north ecliptic pole, which we have quartered to give us our four Tiphareth points, we divide each of these angles in half, giving us four pairs, or eight, lines radiating out from our north ecliptic pole.
These new lines do not create a location on the ecliptic equator; they form the side pillar, Tree of Life, locations of Chesed and Geburah which are on these new angle lines at about 30 degrees of elevation from the Tiphereth points on the ecliptic equator. The Chesed points, upper and lower, are focus points of deep space. The upper Chesed point lies between Bootes and Coma Bernices and focuses on globular cluster 2572 (M3), the lower point falls on the forelegs of Pegasus focusing on the epsilon star of Pegasus.
The Geburah points, right and left, are also deep space localities. Geburah right lies between Ophiucus and the tail of the Serpent and focuses on the planetary nebulae 6572. Geburah left includes the tail of the Lynx and focuses on the variable star RR.
Continuing in on the 45 degree lines, we come to the upper sephiroths of Chokmah and Binah. There is a significant gap between these sephirotic pairs, symbolizing the Abyss. As on the Tree, Chokmah is above, closer to the center, than Chesed, and Binah is above Geburah. Chokmah, upper, then lies in the area between Draco, Ursa Major and Bootes focused on galaxy 6866 (M102) and its local group of galaxies and quasars. The lower Chokmah point lies between Cygnus and Cephus, focused on the the Grand Storm area of nebular instabilities on the Orion arm of our galaxy.
The Binah points, after all these deep space localities, are focused on local stars, within a few hundred light years any way. Binah right is focused on the quasars in the intersection of Lyra, Hercules and the Head of the Dragon, Draco, and includes Vega, the bright star directly overhead in the summer sky of the northern hemisphere, and Etamin of Draco. Binah left includes most of Ursa Minor and focuses on Polaris, our planetary pole star. (Hence, “looking ever toward Binah.”)
And so we have projected the upper sephiroths of the Tree on the northern hemisphere of globe. Before we proceed to the southern hemisphere and the rest of the Tree, there is one important point to note.
If we place the sun in the stellar void of the Aquarius Tiphareth gateway, and then proceed backward through Scorpio, and so on we find that we are defining a distance/density spiral through the local area of galaxy, first, and then on out into intergalactic space. Just to get a simple grasp of this, think of the Sun as the center point and spiral out to the next gateway, the close-by stars at the head of Scorpio, then further out to Regulus at the edge of our local stellar cluster. From there, the spiral continues on to the Pleiades, then in to the Pegasus stars, the planetary nebulae in between the tail of the Serpent and Ophiucus, and the deep space nebulae between Bootes and Coma Bernices and on to the variable star near the tail of the Lynx. From there it spirals in to the Grand Storm disturbance area of our galaxy, through the Vega doorway and then out to a distant group of galaxies and quasars. And then, back into our pole star, Polaris and out again to the diffuse planetary nebulae poised far above the ecliptic.
This spiral groups our local space/time into a relationship with distant objects and galactic clusters in such a way as to locate and define our precise matter/energy/information balance. It forms a geometric description of identity/locality just like a fingerprint or a zip code. However, before we get too cosmic, let’s get on with the projection of the Tree below Tiphareth onto the southern hemisphere.
Malkuth is focused on the southern ecliptic pole and contains the local globular cluster known as the Greater Magellantic Cloud. The Tiphareth points on the ecliptic equator are the same, with Netzach and Hod in the place of Chesed and Geburah. Yesod, however, since it is also on the middle pillar, is projected outward onto the sphere at right angles to Binah and Chokmah, at the same distance from the center, and on the lines from the Tiphareth equatorial points.
And so we have Netzach containing, in its upper circle, a piece of the body of the Hydra and focusing on a deep space quasar. The lower Netzach field contains most of the constellation of the Phoenix and focuses on galaxy NGC 300. The right Hod field contains most of Canis Major and focuses on Sirius. The left Hod circle contains the Telescopium constellation with a focus on its central very distant stars.
The Yesod fields are, from left clockwise: 1) the constellation of the Chameleon, 2) the central stars of Carina and Vela, 3) the constellation of Caelum, focused on the globular cluster 1851, 4) a part of the body or Eridanus, focused on the bright star Achernar. While the data on some of these stellar objects is scanty, it appears that a counter-spiraling distance/density wave is also constructed from the lower Tree’s projection on the celestial sphere.
OK, now take a deep breath and relax. What seems overwhelming while searching out star spots on a sky chart is actually in practice quite easy.
Stand facing the east, and, with the middle pillar humming along, fill in the rest of the Tree. When this image is clear in the mind, simply project it outward, keeping Tiphareth on the equator. As the image moves out, it expands and curves until Kether and Malkuth reach the poles. For the spring equinox, align the east Tiphareth sphere on Aquarius; for the fall equinox, align the Leo sphere to the east.
Then simply continue to the south, visualize the Tree and project outward until it clicks in place with the eastern Tree. Continue on, doing the same procedure, until you come back to the east. Facing east again, imagine the sun rising just to the south of the Aquarius gateway, as it will on the spring equinox, and let the light fill the sphere.
When the sphere is full of light, and when the sun is completely bove the horizon, let this energy flow into your Tiphareth/heart center and then radiate back out to the complete array of 22 spheres projected on the celestial globe. Staying focused on the heart center, let the light/energy build within the total sphere. Hold as long as possible and then absorb into the heart.
Suggested Ritual Protocol for the Equinox Workings
If you plan to do the equinox working, you should spend a few days practicing the above meditation. The working itself takes place at dawn on the equinox, so the magickal space and the participants should be prepared well ahead of time. The working itself should begin roughly half an hour before dawn.
The working itself should follow this basic format:
A) Opening and Preparing Sacred Space – This can be any kind of circle clearing and casting as long as the Middle Pillar is activated.
B) Visualizing and Projecting the Tree of Life – Let this take as long as it needs; remember, practice beforehand makes this component go smoothly. Make sure your projections are complete and solid before going on to the next.
C) Energizing the Sphere – As the sun rises, and the eastern gateway sphere fills with light, draw that light into your heart. Then let it radiate out to the other sephiroths. Synchronize your breathing with this flow and then begin to circumabulate clockwise pushing the energy along as you pass the east. The best way to do this is to bow the head slightly, right foot forward, and clap the hands over your bowed head in the direction you are pushing the energy as you exhale. On the in breath, stand back up straight, feet together, with the finger to the lips. Continue to push the energy, in this way or however it feels natural to you until the sun clears the horizon.
D) Fixing in the Energy in a Usable Form – When the energy is white-hot, use the LVX gestures, or any other similar gestures, to bring the Light down onto the central altar. Here you may have bread and wine, cakes and ale, water and sprout, or any other food that you want to imbue with the Celestial brilliance. Crystals are a good addition because they can hold the energy potential in their crystal matrices. I would suggest a combination of crystals, clear and amethyst, and some simple home made cereal food and beverage.
E) Dedication – When the enrgy is fixed, dedicate the food and drink and energy matrix of the crystal and the working itself to the good of all sentient creatures throughout the universe. Send energy to any specific people or peoples you feel need it at that moment.
F) Consumation – Absorb the energy by eating the food, drink the beverage and holding the crystal over your heart. Take long enough with this to internalize the change.
G) Closing – Thank all the divine, archangleic, angelic and elemental presences involved in the working, and then release any left over energy to the universe.
H) De-Briefing – Sit for a few minutes with the experience. Then let the words flow onto paper or into a tape recorder. Put some kind of words around the experience while it is still fresh.
A Few Last Words
This is the suggested pattern of opening to the energy of the transformation period we are going through. It seems to align us in space/time and gives us some simple techniques for integrating the enrgy/inforamtion itself. But this is only the beginning. As we work this pattern every six months for the next five years, powerful magickal currents will be created and anchored into the planet.
The angels have much work to do, but first we must be able to tune into their frequency. These equinox workings are designed to do just that. As we tune in, we will be given the guidance we need to do the rest.
And that is why it is very important that you record your experiences and keep a journal of the whole process. We will start a new website to share our experiences around these events, as well as to teach the evolving practices the angels give us.
If you plan to participate and something about the procedure or the visualization is unclear, please get back to me immediately and I’ll try to straighten you out before the event.