Lesson 10
The Inner Temple
We each have a sacred place within us that is the heart of our personal power because it is centered and grounded in our truth, our own authentic self. Here we feel comfortable being ourselves, no matter what. Here we recognize our true selves, since our true selves can get lost in the shuffle of other people’s and our own expectations. Here there are no expectations other than to claim our personal power for the highest good.
The place I speak of is metaphorical for most people, a symbol of their innate divinity. A few have layered a real-world image over this sacred space, a memory from a time of joy or empowerment. This happy place can be a memory of a beach, forest, tree house, or cottage that exists in the physical world. Often the image comes from childhood, the last time and place where the individual felt truly empowered to be his or her authentic self. Stress-management programs tell us to imagine that we are “in our happy place” to attain a measure of comfort that is lacking in the current physical world.
For witches, this place is not just symbolic, but a real place to renew their sense of self and personal power. This place is the inner temple, a personal oasis located in the spiritual realms. This sacred temple confers a sense of centering, safety, and tranquility, often reflecting ongoing changes within the individual. The inner temple is a home base of sorts, a magickal launch pad from which to spring into other journeys and meditations.
As we subjectively perceive the subtle planes like the astral and emotional to be physically outside us, we perceive the inner temple to be within us. Truly there is no physical location to these realms. They lie in a direction that cannot be pointed to. Think of the inner temple as your personal interface between your inner reality and the outer planes. Here all journeys begin, and here all journeys end.
Although the inner temple is not the last topic I teach in my level-one witchcraft course, in many ways it is the culmination. Connecting to this inner power and actively using it for your own betterment is the crux of the class and, in my opinion, the practice of witchcraft. Although there are many traditions, paths, and techniques, finding and affirming your own personal power and sense of the sacred is the cornerstone of all mysticism. This temple can lead in many directions, but through its creation, or rather its rediscovery—for it already exists within you—you create a solid center upon which to grow.
All of the exercises, journal writing, and meditations prior to this were designed to aid your access to the inner temple. I’ve seen many talented people exploring different areas of the metaphysical world lose themselves to zealousness, depression, or disbelief because they lacked a basic understanding of the ideas and experiences. They did not start out with practices grounded in introspection, so they did not build a proper foundation. They did not recognize that all experiences spring from their own sacred space.
Building Your Place of Power
The inner temple can appear in any conceivable shape or size. Remember that our physical descriptions of it merely symbolize the nonphysical experiences we have. By using symbols and visualization, our conscious mind can interact more effectively with our psychic and divine minds. Everyone’s inner temple will reflect their experiences and personal tastes, not only from this life, but possibly from past incarnations. The description can be very lifelike, or completely surreal. Do not try to make things conform to your magickal expectations, for the best messages come with our personal interpretations. If you have an extensive background in mythology, the images could conform to classical mythology. If not, you could find yourself drawing on modern pop-culture symbols. They express the same things, but in different ways. If you are expecting something out of the Celtic Mabinogion and get Star Trek instead, disappointment and disbelief often result, but such science fiction is a new expression of the old myths.
More traditional temple settings include physical temples and monuments. Stone monuments like Karnak and Stonehenge, the sacred circles built by ancient people, hold an air of mystery for us. The womblike cave of the Goddess, descending into the Earth with many different chambers, is a wonderful archetype, particularly for those focusing on the Goddess aspects of the craft. The pyramids of Egypt, which often look shining and new or even metallic, are popular, as are the Mayan step pyramids and temples. European castles, old towers, Native American pueblos, faery mounds, and caverns hollowed out beneath great trees are other vivid images ripe with possibilities. More natural settings, without humanmade structures, may be better suited for the outdoor person, including mountaintops, waterfalls, deep forests, and secluded islands.
Some of the most intriguing images shared in my classes include a pyramid made out of plants, completely organic and containing no stone. This student is an environmental activist and works as part of an organic commune. A writer envisioned his place of power as an endless library. Another saw a teepee with a Native American spirit guide/shaman waiting for her.
Someone who was entirely upset with her temple saw a basic four-walled room, with only a folding card table in the center of it. The place was not fancy, nor romantic, but sparse. Although she wasn’t happy with the image, it reflected some of the things going on in her life. More modern and pop-culture images flashed in her mind during meditations, upsetting her terribly, but containing valuable messages. At one point, she saw herself sitting at the table with a television watching a rerun of the show Home Improvement. She said she didn’t even like the show and couldn’t remember the plot. All she could remember was Home Improvement. I asked her if those words had any meaning to her and her current living situation, and I saw a light bulb go off over her head. She was definitely getting a message in the only way her guides and mind could tell her—through television shows. Pay attention to what your symbols are, even if they do not fit what you envisioned to be part of the witch’s world. Although this particular woman struggled with much of the basic material in witchcraft, she continued her studies and had some major breakthroughs that led to wonderful changes in her life.
Another interesting case was the vision of a tract home. This particular person was studying real estate and considering a career move, but she did not want a tract home to be her inner temple. Through sheer will, she made it conform to a hobbit home from Lord of the Rings, a book she enjoyed. There she met a spirit guide much like Gandalf the Wizard, a character from the story. I myself was very interested in who would have been in the tract home. Perhaps they had a message regarding the career shift.
Although you can exert control over your inner temple—it is your own sacred space, after all—I find it more productive to take a look at the images we are first given and understand them before changing them. The inner temple not only reflects our current personality and our state of mind, but what we are becoming. When we find things based on stories, myths, or pop-culture icons, they are no less real, but a system of symbols in which we communicate. As we learn more symbols, our symbolic “vocabulary” widens. That is one of the reasons you are encouraged to study mythology.
The temple space I can describe to you best is my own, and it has changed many times over the years. Understanding that its very nature is fluid helps us go with the flow of change in our physical life. My inner temple is a volcanic island with a volcano in the center of it, though it took me years to recognize that it was a volcano. Your temple space can help you discover things for your entire life, not just during one meditation. I visualize myself coming up out of a tunnel and onto the island, near the base of the mountain. I used to think that the mountain had no top so that I could see the Moon when inside it. Later, a healing guide gave me a code word to invoke healing energies when I was working with anger issues, and the code word was “volcano.” At the time of my first visit, I had no idea that I would be working on anger issues later in life. At the base of the volcano is a wishing well and a giant boulder that rolls away to reveal a staircase. At the end of the staircase, at the bottom of the volcano, is a circular room. Around the room are several doorways.
Originally this room was a laboratory of sorts, with books, bottles, herbs, musical instruments, furniture, and surreal crystals growing out of the floor and walls. Anything I could possibly need could be found here or easily created. At one end of the room was a large red curtain, as in an old theater. This curtain covered my gateway of guidance, which we will discuss in detail later in the chapter. Opening the curtain was like looking out into the cosmos. Most of the doors were gateways to various levels of consciousness. Some of the doors led to other places on the island, including a garden and forest.
After the first major transformation, the items of the laboratory dissolved into a pool of silver liquid sitting at the bottom. This pool led to the ocean around the island, acting as a gateway to many different experiences. Any item I needed could be pulled out of the silver and shaped with my will. Later, all the doors around the room had an oil painting above them, but the face was obscured until I entered the room. Each doorway led to a different past life when I was focused on past-life healing.
You will notice that the inner temple reflects fundamental parts of your personality and experience. The character of the temple will change and develop as you go through your own personal transformations. Go with your first impression and don’t get too attached to any one idea of your sacred space.
Even though all temples are individual and distinct, there seem to be some commonalities. The following are tools and locations that are useful for your own personal development, giving access to new energies, guidance, and meditation paths.
Center
The center refers to the center of the temple, a place that represents the center of the self and easily leads to all areas of the temple. Your inner temple could be very simple and contain only the center, like one room of an ancient temple or a clearing in the woods. Knowing the center is important for temples that seem vast and wandering. You go to the center to commune with your balanced, centered self, at the heart of your personal power.
Reflective Surface
A reflective surface is used to look at your spiritual self, to take stock of the changes going on within you. It could be a magick mirror or a still pool of water or something else entirely, like my own pool of liquid silver. Such a surface is also used for scrying, looking into the past, present, and future, like looking into a crystal ball.
Place of Water
Some source of water is found in the temple, like a wishing well, pool, stream, waterfall, river, lake, or seacoast. This is a place in which to commune with our deep unconscious and the things we seek to hide by casting them out to the sea and burying them deep. Such water could also be your reflective surface. Quite often one area will have more than one function.
Place of Earth
This is a place of grounding, to help you find your way when feeling lost or ungrounded. It is also a place of manifesting. It could be a forest or jungle you travel through to find your own path, to find the trail that will lead you to your power. At other times, it is a beautiful garden, wild or cultivated, where you plant seeds for your dreams and desires. As the plants grow in your garden, you manifest the goals in your life.
The other two elements, fire and air, could also be represented as areas in your inner temple. Although I’ve worked deeply with all four elements, these two do not seem to be a part of my inner temple. Candles, torches, and the Sun represent fire in the temple room, and air is present through looking up and seeing the sky. If you find larger areas of fire and air for your own temple, explore them thoroughly. They probably have strong messages for you.
Rooms of Play
These space are less defined, but represent areas of interest for you, both magickally and mundane. Objects from your hobbies and important mementos of your life experiences could be found here. These are places in which to entertain yourself as you explore the inner life.
Gates of Consciousness
The gates of consciousness represent different energies and levels of awareness that we experience. There are many different interpretations of the gates. The following system uses twelve gates. By opening these gates, you either invite these energies into your temple, or you have the opportunity to enter and explore the realms beyond the gate.
The gateways themselves can manifest as doors, curtains, holes, and caves, or as science-fiction-like star portals, like in the movie Stargate. If you are outside, the gateway could be between two large rocks or two trees, or between two carved columns, like the columns of Stonehenge.
Guidance—Opened to invite your spirit guides and spiritual helpers to your temple.
Creativity—Lends help in expressing your artistic and creative sides.
Learning—Opens the gateway to understanding teachings, both mystical and mundane.
Memories—Reveals past experiences, of this life and previous incarnations.
Purpose—Illuminates your true purpose at this time.
Healing—Leads to a chamber of healing, where your healing guides can work on you deeply in safety and comfort. Used for healing on all levels.
Peace—Brings tranquility and comfort when feeling stress or unease.
Transformation—Reveals parts of us that we have hidden, such as the shadow self, and urges us to transform ourselves, to take the next step in our evolution. Use with caution.
Journey—Leads to different lands and dimensions throughout time and space. Used for exploring and quests for knowledge of a personal and spiritual nature.
Ancestors—Used to connect to those who have come before us, to those from whom we descend, genetically and spiritually.
Harmony—Manifests an experience of unity and oneness with everyone. Helps create group consciousness.
Dreams—Opens to the realm of our personal and collective unconscious, the spiritual lands we visit when we sleep. Best to be used before going to sleep, to solve problems and have lucid experiences. Open the gate as you fall asleep and close it in the morning.
Visiting the Inner Temple
In this meditation, you will be visiting the inner temple. The previous descriptions can prepare you for many possibilities while visiting the inner temple, but don’t expect everything described to be present in your first visit. Release your expectations, and go with your first impression.
The vehicle to help us reach the cosmic axis is the World Tree, discussed in chapter 12. The tree is the cosmic axis, within the center of the universe and within the center of ourselves. Shamanic travelers would find burrows, holes, and tunnels in the roots, or climb the branches to traverse the spiritual worlds. The roots reach deep into the Underworld space and the branches touch the heavenly Upper World, home of the sky gods. The trunk is firmly rooted in the Middle World, the world of humanity, the physical dimension. Somewhere on the borders of this Middle World exists the entrance to your inner temple. As part of the journey, you will search for the path leading to your inner temple, your own personal space in the World Tree. You can continue to use the World Tree to reach your inner temple, and I highly suggest that you do. Familiarity with the World Tree will help in subsequent adventures, but know that any time you close your eyes and desire to be in your inner temple, you can be there instantly.
We ask to meet our guides in our own inner temple, because here we are centered in our power. Only those spirits for our highest good can enter. We will not allow any harmful or unwanted spirits in this place.
1. Start exercise 9: Counting Down to a Meditative State to get into your magickal mindset.
2. In your mind’s eye, visualize the great World Tree, a gigantic tree reaching up to the heavens and deep below the earth, larger than any tree you have ever seen. It is a sacred tree and you may recognize it as oak, ash, pine, willow, or any other tree that has meaning for you.
3. Imagine that the screen of your mind’s eye is like a window or doorway, a portal through which you can easily pass. Step through the screen and stand before the World Tree. Look up and feel its power. Touch the tree and place in it the intention of visiting your inner temple.
4. Look around the base of the giant tree, in the roots, and search for a passageway. It may be a hole or tunnel, or even a pool of water that gives you entry into the tree. As you enter, you find yourself in a tunnel, winding and spiraling to your inner temple.
5. At the end of the tunnel you see a light, and you move toward that light and step out into your inner temple. Look around. Take stock of all you see. Notice all the fine details of your sacred space. Let the images come to you.
6. First look for a reflective surface, a mirror or pool of some kind. Gaze into the mirror and see yourself, your spiritual self, as you truly are. Look at your self-image. Do you like it? Do you like yourself? More importantly, do you love yourself? Love is the foundation of true magick. Look yourself in the eyes and tell yourself that you are loved.
7. Leave the mirror and continue exploring, looking for your place of water. Here you bathe in the water of your own power. Think of all your worries, hopes, fears, dreams, and insecurities. Think of all the things that bring you unrest. Feel them rise out of your body and sit on the surface of your skin, and then wash them away. Wash away all that does not serve your highest good and release it, to be dissolved in the waters.
8. When you are done with water, look around your temple again. Look for your place of earth, perhaps a small garden. It may have grown wild or be fallow at this point. Do not worry. Feel yourself in the garden, grounded and centered, yet still present. This is your place of stillness. Think about the things you wish to manifest and materialize in the world. Think of your plans and dreams, your projects. Think of manifesting your creativity. Take those thoughts and feel them take form as seeds in your pockets. Take the seeds out and plant them with love. Water the garden and allow the seeds to grow. As your dreams manifest, this garden will flourish.
9. If you notice any of the other elements calling to you—fire, air, the Sun, or the Moon—visit with them and experience these energies for yourself.
10. Journey to the center of your temple, if you are not there already. Somewhere in the center, you will find the gateway of healing. Go to the gateway. Open the door and feel a chamber filled with healing light. The light could be any color you need. Enter the room and feel the light fill you up, healing you on all levels. Your healing spirits may join you there, but you will not necessarily see them or hear them. Such guides may lay you down as they do their work, releasing illness, filling you with light or power objects such as crystal and plant spirits. You could be wrapped in healing bandages, like a mummy, or placed in a healing chamber, like a sarcophagus.
11. When you feel the process is complete, thank your healing guides and exit the gateway of healing, returning to the center of the inner temple. Now you will search for your gateway of guidance. It could be the same doorway, leading to a different location, or another doorway altogether. Ask to see the gateway of guidance and you will be led to it.
12. Open the gateway of guidance, and look out into the vast sea of stars. Say, “In the name of the Goddess and God, I call on my highest and best spirit guides, those correct and for my highest good, to come through and meet with me now.” You see a shape or two come out of the gateway, and with each moment, the figure comes into clearer focus. You see your guide or guides standing before you.
13. Speak with your guides. Ask each guide its name. Who are they and where are they from? Ask each guide’s purpose and if they have any messages for you. If ready, ask your guides what your purpose is right now. If you have any other personal questions, take this time to speak with your guides and gain their wisdom and advice.
14. Thank the guides when done and see them back out through the gateway of guidance. Now that you have made contact, you can speak with them at any time, and all the exercises from the previous chapter will become easier and clearer.
15. Invite the Goddess and God, the forces of creation, into your inner temple. You may see the Goddess and God manifest in your temple, filling it with their perfect love for you and all life. Feel them bless and protect this sacred space. At this time, you may speak with them or be with them.
16. When done, thank the Goddess and God. If there is anything about your temple that you do not like, you can change it now by doing some inner spiritual decorating.
17. Once done, return through the World Tree tunnel that brought you to this place and stand before the World Tree. Step back through the screen of your mind’s eye and let the World Tree gently fade from view.
18. Return yourself to normal consciousness, counting up, and giving yourself clearance and balance. Do any necessary grounding.
Your visit to the inner temple can be very intense and vivid, or just some vague impressions. The more you visit this place of power, the more your sense of true self will grow. I highly recommend you visit it often as part of your regular meditations. Use it as a starting point, visiting your temple and saying your affirmations in the temple. Do your basic energy work and chakra exercises while you visualize yourself in the temple, and any other meditations can be started with the World Tree or one of the many gateways in the temple.
When speaking with your guides, you may have difficulty seeing or hearing them. Do not worry. Such issues are fairly common and clear up with time. The age-old response is “You are not ready to hear or see them yet,” which frustrates people to no end. I don’t know if that is necessarily true, or if there is no reason to meet with them yet, but I do know that with intention and practice of meditation, your relationship with your guides will blossom.
When I first met my guides, I saw them in great detail, but I could not hear what they were saying. I saw their lips move, but heard no sound. I got very upset and put the whole idea of spirit guides on the back burner for a while, thinking, If they can’t talk to me, then what good are they? Someone suggested months later that I ask them to speak up, and tell them that I can’t understand. I did, and it was like someone suddenly turned up the volume of my television. I could hear every word perfectly. Through that experience, I learned that intention is very important. You get what you ask for, and if you don’t ask, you might not get it.
Go to your guides when needed, or check in regularly with the question “What message to you have for me now?” They may lead you on individual journeys, or teach you meditations, rituals, and healing techniques. Guides are a wealth of wisdom and magick. Do not let such a resourceful relationship go to waste. And don’t be surprised if the guides have favors or missions to ask of you, such as doing healing work or performing rituals at certain times. As always, follow your highest intuition in such cases, and do what feels correct to you.
New Assignments
• Exercise 31—Complete and record your experiences in your Book of Shadows.
Continuing Assignments
• Daily journal—Write three pages a day.
• Continue with a dream journal.
• Focus on a regular meditation practice, at least three times a week if not daily.
• Use intuition, instant magick, neutralization, light, and aura reading in your daily life.
Tips
• Make the inner temple and contacting your spirit guides a regular part of your practice. Use it as a launch pad to discover yourself and your personal power. Use it to heal and renew yourself. Continue to build a relationship with your guides, calling on them as needed during meditation, magick, and in day-to-day situations.
• You can visit your inner temple anytime. Close your eyes, take five quick centering and relaxing breaths, and imagine you are there. Go there to relax and refresh yourself.
• Enjoy the experience. Learn to love the journey, and do not necessarily focus on the goals. You have everything you need with you all the time. As your perceptions deepen, your experiences will come with more clarity.
• As difficult as it may be to hear, sometimes we are not ready to have the experiences we want. Our ego may want what the body and spirit are not ready to experience. Such experiences often depend on our emotional, mental, and physical health, and our energy level, discipline, and willingness to release our attachment and truly listen. Practice quieting the mind, relaxing yet remaining focused, and find balance and health in your life in all areas. The previous meditations and energy exercises prepare you for deeper experiences. There’s an old spiritual saying stating that the fruit will fall from the tree when it’s ready, not before. It needs time to ripen.
• If you practice meditation in a group, you might find that it is much easier to do things in a group rather than on your own. When in a group of like-minded people, particularly with a teacher or leader, you create a group consciousness that helps propel everyone into deeper states of awareness. This is why many people gather together in groups to practice magick. Conversely, some people thrive only when they are alone. They have more meaningful experiences in private. Everyone is different. Do what is right for you.