Altar/Temple set up
The principles of Lios Heim represented by Light, Growth, and Wholesomeness will form the basis of the altar set up as well as how rituals will be structured. I picture four altars, one for each principle and a central working altar. Unlike typical Western Ceremonial Magick, one doesn't need to face East. The magician, instead faces the Light altar, whatever direction that happens to be. The other altars continue in a clockwise direction to Growth and then Wholesomeness. The fourth altar will be the working altar in the center.
Outside of the altars I like the idea of there being three banners each saying “Light”, “Growth”, and “Wholesomeness” respectively. These would be placed outside the edges of the three altars. While not mandatory, they represent the three monoliths seen surrounding the scrying pool where the principles of Ljos Heim was first mentioned.
The Light altar will contain a fire of some sort, the Growth altar will contain a live plant, and the Wholesomeness altar will contain a glass bowl (preferably clear) filled with fresh water. The Center altar will contain any other necessary tools, or be left clear.
The Center Altar is the focus of magical work. It represents a connection from Lios Heim to Midgard - the physical world - allowing one's magickal working to manifest. If one is creating a magical tool or item, the item would be on this altar. If you were doing a scrying the item you are using to scry with (fire, bowl of water, black mirror, etc.) would be placed on the center altar as well.
The areas around the altars will be set aside for specific purposes. I felt that it would be nice to have places in the ritual area dedicated to particular uses.
Circle of Summoning. The area between Light and Growth will be set aside as an area of summoning. Offerings may be placed in the fire or in this area. If one were summoning an entity to work with, that entity would show up in this circle. The being summoned would also leave from this circle when given the license to depart.
Circle of the Pheonix. The area between Growth and Wholesomeness will be set aside as an area for empowerment. I see rites to gain some sort of boost, or even initiation type rituals would be done in this circle.
Circle of Departure. The area between Wholesomeness and Light will be set aside as an area of banishment. This would be for cases where one may do a ritual to remove something from themselves, like a bad habit, or sorrow, or a disease
Circle of Manifestation. This will be located in the center of the ritual area. This will be the default focal point of most ritual work.
Basic Ritual Structure
This basic ritual outline assumes one is trying to accomplish a practical magickal working such as getting a job, or changing the weather, or get a promotion, etc. It is suggested that a sigil be made of the desired goal to act as a focus. This would be placed on the central altar at the beginning.
Banishing Ritual
Start by using the Ljos Valdr Banishing Ritual. The edges of the Banishing Ritual should enclose the whole ritual area and all the altars.
Activating the Altars and Welcoming the Infinite Sun
Go to the Altar of Light. Light the fire on the altar (if done with an actual campfire type setting, it should be burning before the ritual). A candle will suffice.
Use a Power Activation Symbol to activate the Altar of Light. See/Feel a beam of light shooting up vertically from the altar. Say: "I activate and energize this altar to manifest my desire ______ (state purpose of ritual).
Move clockwise to the Altar of Growth. Set the plant on the altar.
Use a Power Activaiton Symbol to activate the Altar of Growth. See/Feel a beam of light shooting up vertically from the altar. Say, "I activate and energize this altar to manifest my desire ______ (state purpose of ritual)
Move clockwise to the Altar of Wholesomeness. Set the bowl of water on the altar.
Use a Power Activation Symbol to activate the Altar of Wholesomeness. See/Feel a beam of light shooting up vertically from the altar. Say, "I activate and energize this altar to manifest my desire ______ (state purpose of ritual)
Move back to the center. Look upwards and picture a brilliant sun above the center altar. Say: "I welcome the Infinite Sun to aid in manifesting my desire." See/Feel light and energy from the sun fill the ritual space.
Magickal Working
Place dominant hand on the Center Altar. If you are using a sigil as a focus of intent, place your hand over it. If you are empowering an object, again place your hand over the item.
State the purpose of ritual again.
Starting with the Altar of light and going clockwise, see/feel the beams of light rotate down so that they are all focused on the central altar at your hands. Feel the combined focused energy work towards manifesting of your desire. After a time you should feel a shift in the feeling - a sense of completion. One should not rush this stage and allow the energies to work to manifest your desire until it is done. The amount of time will most likely vary depending on what you are trying to achieve.
Once you feel the energy is done say: "I give thanks for the manifestation of my desire." Then see each beam of light return to its vertical position
The magickal working is done.
Closing Down the Altars
Move to the Altar of Light. Use a Sealing Symbol over it and see/feel the energy turn off. Say: "I thank Light for aiding me."
Move counter-clockwise to the Altar of Wholesomeness. Use a Sealing Symbol over it and see/feel the energy turn off. Say: "I thank Wholesomeness for aiding me."
Move counter-clockwise to the Altar of Growth. Use a Sealing Symbol over it and see/feel the energy turn off. Say: "I thank Growth for aiding me."
Move back to Center Altar. Look up at the brilliant sun above this altar Say: "I give thanks to the Infinite Sun for aiding me." See the sun fade from view
Say: "The rite is ended."
Banishing Ritual
Finish by doing the Ljos Valdr Banishing Ritual again.
Sigils and Items of Focus
A thought on sigils. They are very popular in Chaos Magick and are powerful tools for manifesting your will. A lot can be done with them and a place can be found within the Ljos Valdr magickal system.
Rather than focusing on sigil work exclusively, sigils can become integrated into the ritual structure as a focus for the energies of the ritual. Sigils are excellent way to coalesce a desire into a consice symbol. This then can act as a great focus for the overall ritual.
There are lots of different ways of making sigils and I figure all are valid. One method that I like is you write out your desire making sure it is present tense as though it was already accomplished. Such as "I have five thousand dollars," rather than "I would like five thousand dollars," or "I hope to have five thousand dollars." It has to be as though it already happened. After writing out your desire you delete all vowels and extra letters. Then you arrange the remaining letters into an appealing pattern. After that you rework that pattern to make it a bit more abstract. This is done two to three more times until you have the finished sigil that really looks nothing like your sstated desire. But by working and reworking it your subconscious knows what it is.
You could also ask Ljos Heim directly for a temporary symbol representing your desire. This is the same procedure I use to get Ljos Valdr symbols in general. But the intent is that it will be used as a focus of a ritual and then discarded afterward. I always feel that a lot of what you get is filtered through you, so your subconscious will have an influence over what the symbol looks like.
But however you get your sigil it can then be used as a focus during the rite. It would go on the center altar as a focus for the energy from the altars of Light, Growth, and Wholesomeness. Think of it as a lens for the energy to be focused through. After the ritual is over the sigil can be discarded, perhaps even burned.
Other Focus Items
What you have on the center altar to be the focus of the energies of the ritual can vary. You could use an item that you will empower, or a poppet if working on a person. Feel free to be creative.
Using the Three Circles
The three circle as mentioned above can be used for specific purposes. I would recommend when using the circles that the beams of energy from the altars be focused on the respective circle rather than on the center altar. This empowers each circle and the working you are doing there.
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