Astral Temple: Lesson One, The Creating and Maintaining.

 
The creation and maintaining of a
magician’s Astral Temple is one of
the most beneficial and at the
sametime, potentially detrimental,
practices a magician can engage
in. In truth it is essential for his or
her development. I hate Astral
Temple building, or rather, I hate
what it often becomes. I will
explain.

The Astral Temple is not actually

constructed on the astral realm. It
is constructed in the imaginary
realm of the magician. Because the imagination is a doorway to the Astral Realm; by
constructing an Astral Temple the magician will eventually begin projecting not only his or
her consciousness into their Astral body, but project their Astral Temple as well. This is
good! Because the imagination of the magician is even more susceptible to illusions and
glamours than the Astral realm, building the Astral Temple often becomes a vigorous
exercise in masturabory self-delusion, time wasting and mental imbalancing. This is bad!

Let me make this clear. The Astral Temple is ALL you. It is constructed by you, fueled by
you and maintained by you. This can be a truly result producing exploration of your own
psyche as your Astral Temple will reflect who are really are (whether you are aware of who
you really are or not) by both the Astral Temple’s form and function. This can also be a
fruitless, and potentially dangerous, endeavor in misrepresentation and misappropriation.
Meaning what the magician sees is assigned meaning that is not corrected, or what the
magician discovers is put to improper use. Wrose is when the magician WANTS to be
“special” and creates a flimsy Astral Temple that serves no purpose past an illusionary
sandbox for affirmations of fantastical whimsy. 

Why create an Astral Temple? Because all Ritual Magic, and all Planetary Magic, is
essentially Astral Magic. Every planetary sphere (Kabballic spheriot) from 1. Uranus/
Kether down, feeds into 9. Yesod/Moon (Astral), and the most potent and direct
transmission of 9. Yesod/Moon (Astral) to 10. Malkuth/Earth (Physical realm) is the path of
Tau, as represented by the World( Universe) card from the Tarot. It is this path of Tau
which meditation lead to trance, day dream leads to vision and imagination leads to the the
Astral. It about ¼ the way down from 9. Yesod/Moon (Astral) the magician constructs his or
her Astral Temple. 
 There will, or should, come a point when the
magician is not only performing rituals or
ceremonies on the Earth plane, within their
physical temples, but the Astral body of the
magician will be mirroring everything (in
concert) the Magician is doing on the physical
realm, but within Astral Temple leading up into
the Astral realm. This means the same ritual or
ceremony is being performed on the physical
and non-physical at the sametime. The Astral
Temple becomes the animating force of the
Physical Temple and the Physical Temple
becomes the body of the Astral Temple. The
implications are...well...deep. However the old
maxion of “As Above, So Below” should give
some context by which to try measure those
implications. 

The guideline to creating an Astral Temple are

pretty straightforward. Do not underestimate or
skip a step in the simple creation process as it
is the foundation for your Astral Temple. The
Astral sea is fluidic and ever shifting enough as
it is; you want to build your Astral Temple upon
the rock of tradition and protocol and not the
sands of “do whatever feels right”. 

ENTERING PROTOCOL

*I will use very specific and dry language. In passing on the Astral Temple it is vital I do not
color your own personal Astral Temple with examples or descriptions of mine. You and you
alone will determine what your Astral Temple ultimately looks like, what it is made of, and
any other amenities there will be. In time we will talk specifics and I will share ideas but for
now I want your Astral Temple to be all you. Consistency is exceedingly important. Yes
aspects of your Astral Temple will change over time, however, the more familiar your Astral
Temple becomes the more stable and powerful it will be. 

**You may wish to read the Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum: “Empress” chapter
and apply those very specific correspondences to dress the altar and your Astral body in
your Astral Temple. This will help you eventually manifest some of the more rare materials
into your physical temple if you are actively using their Astral equivalent in your Astral
Temple. 
 1. Ten step countdown. 
Sit or lay down and close your eyes.
Breath in and “see” the number 10,
breath out and allow your whole body
to sink, like a stone in a large quite
pond. Breath in and “see” the number
9, breath out and allow your  whole
body to sink further, like a stone in
the middle of a large quite lake.
Repeat this process until you reach
the number 0. The 0 becomes the
door you use to enter your Astral
Temple. 

(You are an idealized version of

yourself. You will ALWAYS appear
exceptional healthy, no older than mid
30s, and radiant. You will always be
dressed in a comfortable gleaming
white robe with a gold or silver belt/
sash before entering your temple). 

2. The Door.

When you see the number 0, you are

now standing in front of the door to
your Astral Temple. The only
requirements is that is is a door, and
a specific password (of your
choosing...you will know what this
password is) is what opens the door. At this point do not worry out what “outside” of your
Astral Temple looks like, or “where” your Astral Temple is. The door closes behind you. 

 3. Temple Interior 

When you enter your Astral Temple the interior space is very large square (in equal
proportion) room with a vaulted ceiling. In the middle of this space in an altar. The altar is
big enough to easily accommodate a sword, a knife, a wand, a chalice, a mirror and two
taper candles on it (one white and one black). Both candles suddenly become lit the
moment you see the altar. 

4. Leaving your Astral Temple

Have your Astral body open the door and walk out the temple. You will see the number 0. 

5. Ten step count up.

Breath in and “see” the number 0, breath out and feel yourself raise up, like a balloon
floating into an endless sky. Breath in and “see” the number 1, breath out and feel yourself
raise up, like a balloon floating into an endless sky. Repeat this process until you reach the
number 10. You are now fully back in your physical body. 

I want you to begin having your astral body perform the first two exercises of the
circulation of the body of light in your Astral Temple as you perform the first two exercises
of the circulation of the body of light  on the earth plane (wherever you might be, but if
possible in your physical Temple). 

PROCESS

Perform the ENTERING PROTOCOL steps 1 through 3. Have your Astral body face the
Astral Temple’s altar (also facing away from you) so you feel like you are sitting or standing
6 to 9 feet directly behind your Astral body. 

EXERCISE ONE

See a sphere (size of a basketball) of white brilliance floating 6 to 9 inches above the head
of your Astral body and now the same for your physical body (this would be KETHER in
the picture above). Let this white sphere pass down the left side of your physical body to
your left foot. Feel it move to your right foot, up the right
side of your body, and back up to its starting position just
above your head. At the sametime the white sphere over
the head of your Astral body does the EXACT same thing,
mirroring the movement, speed and orbit of the white
sphere circulating around your physical body. This is done
in unison. 

This motion should be synchronized with your breath.

When you exhale, feel the energy go down your left side.
When you inhale, feel the energy go up your right side.
You should have the sensation of a circle of energy
swirling around you. Move the energy, with your breath.
Make 10 circulations. 

EXERCISE TWO

Retain the visualization of the white sphere. This is similar

to the first method, but instead of directing the energy
down one side and up the other, here you direct the
 energy down the front of your body, under your feet,
and up your back to its starting position just above
your head. Make sure the white sphere above the
head of your Astral body mirrors the movement,
speed and orbit of the white sphere of your physical
body Be sure to synchronize your breath so that as
you exhale the white sphere goes down the front of
your body and under your feet, as you inhale, it
goes up your back and returns to its starting
position just above your head. Make 10
circulations. 

Now perform steps 4 and 5 of the ENTERING

PROTOCOL to finish. 

Attempt to perform this Astral Temple-Physical

Temple circulation of the body of light exercise at
least 3 or 4 times a week. 

I would like to point out the orbit and orbit

trajectories on both the Universe and World cards of
the Tarot (respectively) from the Golden Dawn and Rider-Waite decks (in regards to the
circulation of the body of light). This is no simple coincidence,

-El Patron.