Illuminate the Sanctuary and Empower a Talisman ~ A Summer Solstice Meditation Ritual

Here is a simple Summer Solstice meditation ritual to charge a talisman with the powers of the light, and to illuminate your inner Sanctuary, using techniques from my book the Secret Country of Yourself.

What you need:

• Some sort of stone or coin or piece of jewelry that feels like light to you (originally, we used bits of sunstone or citrine)
• Some kind of fire (a candle works nicely if a firepit isn’t available!)

When to do it:

• Solstice is great, but really a few days before or after are good

How to do it:

• Alone or with friends
• Energy raising can be toning, singing, dancing
• to make this a Big R Ritual:
  • cast circle and invite guides, guardians, and Gods
  • have one person lead the meditation
  • don’t forget to devoke at the end!
• for a little r ritual:
  • don’t do all of that stuff, just find a quiet time and place
  • record the meditation for yourself (the basic Sanctuary meditation can be downloaded here)
  • drink water and eat food when you’re done

Take the talisman in your hands.

Listen to your breath. Let the rhythm of your breath be what it is. Quick and nervous, slow and languid, or in between. It might change because of your attention. Whatever it is is fine for now.

Direct your awareness to the top of your head. You might see a glow beginning to appear where your breath is going. If you do, that’s great; if not, that’s fine too.

Take another breath and let your attention move down your skull.

Don’t try to relax. Don’t try to do anything. Just let breathing be what it is and direct it gently to these places in the body.

Breathe into your neck and your shoulders. Breathe into the space where shoulder and neck meet. Watch what the breath does here, what it wants to do.

Breathe into your upper arms, biceps, triceps, down to your wrists and intricate hands. One big breath for your head, neck, shoulders, arms.

Another breath for the upper chest, front and back. Shoulder blades, pectorals. Be aware of your torso from all sides.

Breathe into your belly. You might feel tension here and desire to release it. Go ahead, if you want, but don’t feel you must.

Breathe into your sex, your physical genitals, or subtle/energetic, if you feel mis-bodied. Big breath for your entire torso.

Breathe into your hips, those magical joints that allow you to walk and dance.

Breathe into your thighs, inner and outer, strong muscles, weak, sore, whatever. It is what it is, for now.

Let a breath find its way to your knees and your ankles and your feet. Witness the miracle of your bones in such complicated combination.

Big breath for your legs.

And let your attention move past your physical form and just a tiny bit into the earth. Feel the coolness there, the billions of microbes moving around your awareness.

Take just a breath or two feeling how your energy can expand beyond your physical form.

Then come back up from the earth and back into your own earthly body. Back up through those clever joints and those meaty muscles. Up through all your darkness and richness.

Take a big, deep breath. Become aware of how this miracle of flesh moves on its own to take in the living air that enlivens you.

Your manifest self is your first temple, your first place of worship.

Now allow your awareness to come to stillness; feel it settle like water as the ripples of attention fade. And in that place of calm, let an image begin to form around you of the Sanctuary of your spirit. There is no need to rush to bring a vision forth. Simply let it come.

Take a moment to orient yourself here. Feel the safety and security of this place.

Illuminate the Sanctuary

And now, I invite you to open the shades, open the windows, open the doors, and let the sun shine into every nook and cranny.  Let this light be kindly, touching gently those places that have been hungering for this radiance.

Walk through your sanctuary and use the sun’s light to brighten the neglected corners.   If you find things you no longer need, put them outside in the garden so you can give them away or dig a hole and plant them, give them to the earth.  Take as much time as you need to see and feel the lightening of your spiritual home.

Finally, go to the altar in your Sanctuary and find your selfsame talisman. Hold it in your subtle hands. Now softly, turn your attention back to the shared reality.

Recognize that this talisman is a bridge between your internal magickal landscape and the physical realm, but that’s not its only reason for being.  It’s deeper purpose is to store the energy of the Sun, so that you can use it later to shine light into dark places.  When you are doing any kind of Shadow Work, this illumination can be very helpful. Also, it assists with clarity and far-seeing.

You are going to charge this talisman with the light of the Sun, the light of the Fire, the same fire burning in both places, akin to each other in your inner world and the shared reality. Twin flames that consume and in their burning, give illumination.  Invite the power of the sun to be held in this talisman; invoke the power of the sun into the talisman that you may use them in time of need, to help you see in the darkness.

Empower the Talisman

Hold the talisman toward the Sun, toward the Flame. Allow the rays of light to penetrate and permeate this object. Tone, sing, or move your body in gestures of invitation and invocation. Feel the power of Light blessing your endeavor. Continue until you feel the object is full.

Now, turn your attention back to your inner experience and find yourself again in your Sanctuary, at the altar, holding the talisman. Know that the connection has been made and that the energy you have accumulated is now available to you in all realms. Take as much time as you like to enjoy this sense of kinship between worlds.

And then, when you are ready, open your eyes and Be Here Now.