Sophian.org

[Tau Malachi]

Light Wheel Ceremony for the Dying & Dead

The Light Wheel is a place for all manner of spiritual work, including prayer and sacred ceremony for the dying and the dead; if an initiate feels the call to do so they may go to the Light Wheel to perform a sacred ceremony for someone who has died, and in their spiritual work for the person they will take up prayers for all of their relations who are dying or who have died, praying for all beings in that great transition we call “death.”

It is important that we take up spiritual work for the dying and the dead, for in the unenlightened society and culture, although memorials and funerals are done for those who are grieving, generally speaking there is little, if any, direct spiritual assistance offered to souls in their transition. Like our Vajrayana brothers and sisters, however, in the Sophian tradition we have a very well developed spiritual technology of invisible and spiritual assistance, including spiritual assistance of souls in transition; as this esoteric knowledge is relatively rare, especially in these times, it is important that we use it and extend our assistance at every possible opportunity – hence that we act as full conscious agents of the Divine in a spiritual labor for the people.

We would use the Light Wheel when we feel that there is a need for special help during a soul’s transition – when there is a feeling of difficulty in the transition, such as when a soul might be under the threat of a very inauspicious incarnation, or of a passage into an abode of shades and shadows (hell realm), or perhaps is in jeopardy of becoming an earth-bound spirit or a hungry ghost; we will also do so when we feel that a person’s death is somehow a call to take up a spiritual labor for all who are dying or who have died at the time, or following a catastrophic event that has cause a great number of deaths all at once.

Whatever we might do in the Light Wheel, of course, can be adapted to be done in a Circle of Great Standing Stones, or we could create a Sacred Circle of Five or Thirteen Stones, or a Circle Cross; at times, in fact, we prefer using other forms of the Sacred Circle for works for the dying and dead, because typically we use banishing for purification and counter-sunwise or moonwise walking of the Sacred Circle, which cannot be performed in a Light Wheel. However, when there is a need for the extension of Divine Light and Blessings in full force, countering extreme negativity, or a more radical generation of merit (positive energy) is needed, the Light Wheel is ideal, so then we will go and work in it for the people.

The Sacred Ceremony

A sacred rug or blanket will be placed into the Inner Circle of the Light Wheel as an altar, oriented to the West Gate, and everything needed for the ceremony will be placed upon it, including bread and wine – everything being purified before being set into place. In a sacred ceremony for the dying and dead in a Light Wheel everything is carried and out through the West Gate, and we enter and exist through the West, save that for some reason the Powers direct us to exist by another Direction, but that is very unlikely.

*The only things that are not placed upon the sacred rug or blanket are the Gate Key and a picture or talisman representing the person or persons who have died. (Often a power bundle, which is called a “soul bundle” when it is done for the dead, is made and used as the talisman, and either a picture or some other representation of the person is affixed to it – this is buried ceremonially after the rite, or else retained for a continuum of prayer for them and ceremonially buried in Earth Mother when that continuum is complete.)

Candles are set by all of the key stones, the Kerubic Stones and Divine Stone, and there will be some offering of light on the sacred rug or blanket. When everything is set into place all of the candles or lamps are lit before the ceremonial entrance into the Light Wheel.

Although we purify ourselves before entering into the Light Wheel to set up, once all is set in place, outside of the Light Wheel we perform a smudging ceremony – smudge is offered to our Heavenly Father, praying that the angels of our Heavenly Father receive, bless and guide the soul of the dead, and smudge is offered to our Earthly Mother, praying that she receive the body of the dead, and that her angels might receive, bless and guide the soul of the dead. This is done outside of the West Gate.

Then, you will walk outside of the Light Wheel moonwise, and beginning in the West you will offer the smudge to the Powers, praying for the dead, and you will go from West to South, to East and to North, returning to the West; then you will smudge yourself and anyone participating in the sacred ceremony with you, praying to be empowered to walk between worlds as a friend and guide to the spirits of the dead.

Then, having someone else hold the picture or talisman of the dead, you will call to the soul of the dead and invite them to come and enter into the Light Wheel with you – and you will smudge the picture or talisman, and as you do this your will smudge and purify the soul of the dead; then you will call and invite all spirits and souls of the dying and dead who desire to come to enter into the Light Wheel with you, to come into Sacred Circle – you will invite them to see the offering of lights and come and receive offerings and blessings, and to pass through the Gate of Light into the Light Realm or into auspicious incarnations through the grace of the Human One of Light, the Risen Messiah.

Anyone who is with you will enter before you, and they will go through the Sacred Center to the East Gate, and will walk the Sacred Circle eight times, then take up their places as you have assigned them. Then, with Gate Key in hand (most likely the holy staff) and the picture or talisman of the persons who has died, you will enter the same way and walk the Sacred Circle eight and a half times, then go to the Sacred Center.

*Because your intention is the generation of merit you will bring many offerings and make many offerings.

In the Sacred Center, in the presence of the blessed dead, you will call upon El Elyon and the Supernal Shekinah, and you will call upon the Earth Mother, making offerings on behalf of the dead; then you will go to each of the Kerubic Stones, call upon the Divine Powers and make offerings on behalf of the dead, West to East, and North to South, walking the Holy Cross to do so.

Then you will call upon the Powers of the Six Sacred Stones, and the Spiritual Sun with the Divine Stone, and make offerings to the Powers on behalf of the dead, and then you will do the same to the Sacred Stones of the Holy Cross, to the North, East, West and South, following the pattern of ascension through the Olamot, and then to all of the Sacred Stone of the Quarters in the Outer Circle, following the same pattern with prayers for the liberation of all spirits and souls. In other words, you will open all of the Gates of Light and call upon all Divine Powers, activating the Light Wheel in full.

When all of this is done you will go to the West Gate and you will make offerings to the dead and extend blessings upon the dead, and you will speak of the path of dying and death, and the path of the afterlife, giving instruction to the dead, envisioning the journey as you do so that they might look and see the journey in your mind; likewise, you will speak of the resurrection power of Adonai Messiah and of the Sanctuary of Grace in the Risen Messiah – you will extend the light of the Holy Gospel, guiding them into Holy Sanctuary.

You will invite them to come and be baptized and anointed by proxy, or to be confirmed by proxy, and one of the initiates who are with you will stand in for the dead, being baptized and anointed on their behalf. Holy water will be sprinkled on them using hyssop, cedar or another sacred herb, and they will be anointed with holy oil – then a Wedding Feast will be performed, and all will be invited to partake.

When all are sealed in this way, an essential Transference of Consciousness will be done by all who are present, guiding souls in the Way of the Ascension and Divine Rapture.

After this, for those spirits and souls that are not able to ascend and enter into repose, you will inquire of them where they are attracted in the Light Wheel, and you will go to that sacred stone, make a special offering to the corresponding Power, and inquire what is to be done on behalf of the dead to help them move on. You will also encourage those participating in the ceremony with you to list and hear in this way and to do spiritual work for the spirits of the dying and dead along with you – they may carry a magic or medicine bag with offerings in the ceremony for this very purpose, along with their Gate Key (In a ceremony like this, this may be done for many spirits and souls, for the dead will speak to us and the Divine Powers will guide us in what is to be done.)

Then, when all of the spiritual work is accomplished, all who are present will begin walking the Sacred Circle, calling upon the Powers for their help, and speaking to the dead, encouraging them to move on and not look back, to go to the abode of their repose or to their next life blessed by the Risen Messiah and the Shekinah of Messiah, explaining how there is no turning back, but only going forward in space-time and the gilgulim.

*This reveals an important teaching in the sunwise only movement within the Light Wheel, it is the teaching that you cannot change the past, but only the present and future, so you must never try to go backwards or go live in the past, but rather live in the present, forward gazing, moving with the Spirit of Yahweh. This, exactly, is the message we are giving to the spirits and souls of the blessed dead, as well as to ourselves.

When this is done, when you have walked the Light Wheel until there is a feeling of release, then you give praise and thanksgiving to the Divine and the Powers, and pray for all your relations, making any final offerings you are inspired to make, and with conscious intention, the Gates of Light are saluted and sealed. Then you depart the Light Wheel by the West Gate and everyone follows you out.

The candles are left to burn out, save for the one on the sacred rug or blanket which you extinguish as you collect the sacred objects from within the Light Wheel (the extinguishing of the flames being a release of spirits through a conscious intention) – another smudging ceremony is performed to purify everybody and the sacred objects. When the candles burn out and the smudging is done, the sacred ceremony is complete, save for the rite of burying the soul bundle if one was used, or the burying of whatever talisman of the dead that was used – this will happen away from the Light Wheel, perhaps at that time, or perhaps another time.

*In the midst of such a sacred ceremony for the dying and dead during the ceremony participants may be directed by the Divine Powers to perform special tasks or offerings on behalf of the dead following the ceremony – it is very important that whatever is asked is done.

(As mentioned previously, another variation of Sacred Circle can be used for this – a Circle Cross can work very well. Alternatively, if a Circle of Great Standing Stones is used, typically there is a fire pit in the center, so all offerings can be made in the form of a *Fire Offering* in behalf of the dead – see the teachings on the Fire Offering in the Order of St. Mary Magdalene.)

This is a very powerful sacred ceremony for spiritual assistance of the dying and dead that was given as a wisdom treasure in luminous dream by the Divine Mother – significant help can be offered in this way and many souls can be liberated through it.

*This sacred ceremony may also serve as a method for celebrating the Feast of St. Lazarus or Feast of the Blessed Dead, November 1st.

(The Rainbow Body Healing & Blessing Ceremony can also be adapted for spiritual assistance of the dying and the dead in the Light Wheel – the orientation would just shift from North-South to West-East when performed for the dying and dead.)

May all spirits and souls attain repose among the Blessed Dead in the Comity of Stars, all in the Holy Remembrance of the Risen Messiah; amen.

Blessings & shalom!

_________________
Tau Malachi
Sophia Fellowship
Ecclesia Pistis Sophia