| The Oracle Cave (Herbal Meditation) This meditation is considered a "dark aspect" meditation which draws upon the Oracle of Delphi. In ancient Greece, the Oracle was held in high esteem. Traditionally, she was a woman. In the earlier parts of Greek history the seeker spoke directly to the Oracle, but later the seeker spoke to a preist who in turn asked the oracle, recieved the answer, and interpreated it for the seeker. Both Kings and nobels used the oracle as well as other people. This site was originally sacred to a goddess, but later claimed she was slain by Apollo. After the ancient goddess was slain and Hellenes took over, it was believed that the Oracle communicated directly with Apollo. She sat, in the underground cave on a tripod over a crack in the earth inhaling the vapours that escaped from it. Once she was in a trance like state, she would begin her prophecies. The purpose of this meditation is to reconnect with our pagan past through the Oracle Cave motif. This is a herbal meditation, meaning that as you preform this meditation herbs should be burnt and inhalled. Of course, take all precautions and research what you burn! Mugwort is an excellent herb for this meditation. Other good choices are burdock, lemon grass, rosemary, sage, and woodruff. Also, good are other herbs connected with ancient Hellenic religion, divination, and meditation not listed. Light an incense charcoal disk or a black votive candle in the cauldron. With your knife, create your circle and/or sacred space. Using the wand call upon the Elementals and you may light candles at the corners of your circle if you wish (I recomend purple candles for this). Sit either on the floor or at a table and place the cauldron in front of you. Add you herb of choice to the candle or charcoal and watch it smolder. (It is best if your herbs are in a bundle.) The use of a gourd rattle or drum may be useful in this meditation. Watch the smoke as it swirls and add herbs as needed. Focus on the smoke. See in it a grey mist that seems to part around you and envelop you, moving you through the swirls of time so that *now* and *then* are one. You remember and expierince on both levels the time converge. Now you are in modern Greece visiting historic ruins with the stong Greecian sun bearing down on you. You are at the ancient site at Delphi with many tourists. You move through the dry, sun-baked ruins half listening to the tour guide's speeches. You wait for your chance to explore and allow the guide and rest of teh group to leave with you. You see a gap at corner of the stone slab, and feel a rush of cool air, you know this is the way inside. You have hiddern a flashlight in your pocket for this occassion. Quickly, you push aside the loose broke stones near the gap of the slab and fin the step beneath allows you just enough room to squeeze inside. AT first, there is only darkness and a distant sound hard to describe. At first, you think there may be snakes inside, but realising this is a sacred place and you are not an intruder, but one who is part of this tradition. No snake will attack you here. The heat of the surface world disappears and is replaced by the coolness of the subterranean Earth. You move down the steps and the darkness becomes gloom through which you can barely see, but it is not impenetrable. Your light shows the winding stairway is uninhabited; perhaps volcanic gases keep the animals away. You hear the distant sound and wonder if you could be in danger of subccuming to such a poisonous gas, but there is a breeze drifting through the chamber and out the gap where you entered, so the air is breathable and not stifling. The steps take you down further and the sound suddenly makes sense to you; it is the hissing of the vapours escaping the fissure. You have reached the bottom of the stairyway now, and the floor is uneven but smooth. You realise that it is bedrock. Carefuly, you make your way across the chamber toward the hissing sound, and then you see a thin crack in the floor. As you scan across the floor with your flashlight, you see that the crack widens slightly, and you move along the side of the crack to see where it will lead you. And then something glints in the light. Your breath is caught in your throat and your eyes smart with tears - you are seeing the brass tripod, still standing where it was last used, waiting for a priestess to ascend and sit on it. You set the flashlight on the floor and make the sign of teh pentacle in the air before you, then you move toward the seat of wisdom, stepping across the fissure in the process. You touch the tripod and feel a tremour of excitement as you realise that no one has touched this seat in over a thousand years. You know where you belong, and you take your place on the tripod. Now you hear a sound, then more sounds, a babble of sounds: "Areth; amoad; aneadi; careth; imionee; trianeth..." The words come faster and stronger and louder, and you begin to recognise their meanings and that there are visions attached to these words, and you suddenly realise that the sounds are pouring from your mouth! Tears flow down your cheeks and you know the Goddess is speaking and you are Her Priestess. The carern is filled with your speech and ecstasy. You hear what She tells you and what She reveals to you, and you know that the Goddes lives - through all vain human denial, the Lady lives and is life and gives life. Slowly, the sounds begin to fade and you become aware of a chill. You are soaked in perspiration, but the presence of the Goddess now feels warm around you, and you feel you are wrapped in Her cloak. You are calmer now, and saddened as you relise that the sacred place is closed off to the people who want to come here. She comforts you and you hear Her voice tell you: "I am in all places of the Earth and in your heart. Take this triapod into your heart and sit upon it whenever you have need to speak with Me, for I am everywhere." You understand that the whole of the Earth is Her temple and that anywhere you are when you call upon Hear is the same as sitting upon the tripod in this cavern to hear Her voice. Your connection with Her is complete, and the Oracle now resides within You have the courage now to slip off the stool and cross the fissure back to your flashlight. You scan the walls and see the beautiful carvings and the great python carved around the rock of the fissure. You take a deep breath and release it, then turn away from the tripod and walk back to the steps as though you had done it a hundred times - maybe once you had. You ascent the stairway and return to the outer world. You were not missed; you hear the voice of the guide coming back your way, and you quickly re-set the stone in place and leave the forbidden spot. Now you are protective of this sacred site and in a moment of anxiety, you fear what might happen if others learn of your experince; who knows what damage they might do to prevent others from entering. Then you smile and realise of course, others have entered before you. You breathe deeply and exhale. The voices of teh crowd dissipate. Breathe again, and you are returned to your meditation circle. Have something to eat and drink, let the incense die out, put away your tools, and ground yourself i you need to further. |