Suggestions for an Equinox Ceremony
The following is modified version of spring equinox directions,
the intention is modified to reflect the direct infuence of the fire element.
The Power of Physical Movement in Ritual
I feel the most powerful ceremony includes a ritual chi kung
(qigong) form. The movement of the physical body invokes your
deepest soul essence (jing) if you are deeply centered while
moving. When you combine a movement ritual with specific
intention, it becomes nei kung (neigong), or “internal skill in
cultivating the life force”.
My favorite ceremonial form is one developed by the Taoist sage
Chang San Feng, the creator of the original tai chi form and its
esoteric sister, wuji gong. Wuji gong I translate as Primordial
Chi Kung or Tai Chi for Enlightenment. (For more about its
origins and efficacy, see www.taichi-enlightenment.com
<http://www.taichi-enlightenment.com> . Its available in dvd or
video, and has an optional audio training as well).
My Deep Healing Chi Kung form (available on dvd) is also very
ceremonial in nature. It faces all the directions and harmonizes
the center of the Sun with the deep center of the Earth Being.
Doing just one of its six movements – the three part mandala of
Sun-Earth exchange
– transports me into an altered state. It’s called medical chi
kung simply because it was developed with that intention. But it
could be directed to any other goal, or used to add power to an
equinox ceremony.
You don’t have to know a chi kung form, although doing the same
one every solstice/equinox is more powerful. Using the same form
“programs” and empowers your energy body to contact the yuan chi
at those times. It helps to capture/embody the elusive yuan chi,
which our polarized egos don’t want to notice because it
threatens our illusory belief that we are an island. Original Chi
is boundary-less, so it challenges our belief that the energy we
feel is uniquely ‘mine”, under “my” control.
The truth is no one owns the chi field, and it is not controlled
by any one deity or external agent/God. It just IS. It is
self-generating and self-regulating. Everyone can use its
abundance if we have the skill to do it. We use it unconsciously
all the time. But if we consciously use it to promote harmony and
balance in our life, the Tao will give us more chi to play with.
If we abuse it or over control for selfish ends, a natural
contraction occurs. We will face increased resistance in our life
and chi flow, resulting possibly in suffering, disease, or death.
1. SACRED SPACE. keep it simple. Find or create a sacred space
where no one disturbs you, indoors or out. The more neutral the
better – if any element (wind, noise) is too strong, it will
distract you. Turn off all phones. Face all the directions, and
smile or tone to all beings in that direction, and ask them to
help you purify your ritual space. Don’t forget to smile to the
inner space of your body, and attune to its highest, most core
divinity. Invite in the Tao Immortals, your personal guides, and
any other beings/teachers from any tradition you feel are
important.
During the actual ceremony I invite the Beings of All Directions
and All Dimensions into my ceremony. Don’t exclude the dark side
– it is holding part of the balance. It is important to align
yourself with the whole field of the Life Force, as it carries
your greater self – including the good, the bad, the ugly and the
beautiful. If we embrace the whole within our personal self, then
our ceremonial intention will come out balanced.
If you light a candle, put a red one in the south to symbolize
Summer and Fire,
or put five candles – one in each direction and the center.
Timing: High Noon
is perfect mini-solstice moment that matches summer, with the sun
at its peak. But any time can work. Its a big event, the chi is
flowing strongly for three days at least.
2. FOCUS INTENTION. Get a clear intention as to the ONE thing
that is most important to EXPAND OR TRANSCEND in your life in
this moment. Fire element/phase is about RAPID TRANSFORMATION. Do
not attempt to wish something for other people or even your own
children – let them unfold their own nature. (Do not do your
solstice ceremony for Ron Diana). Be specific, be concrete as to
what you want to change and allow to expand in yourself NOW. Do
not use language delaying anything into the future. Receive it
NOW.
Don’t feel guilty about asking to EXPAND or RAPIDLY TRANSFORM
material things if they truly would serve you best at this moment
(new car, a different job, a
lover). It is not selfish to ask that your material needs be met.
Or ask that your needs expand beyond or transcend your physical
needs. Just ask inside what it is you most need to transcend or
lighten up.
Harmony and balance arrives from each individual completing their
destiny, their soul desires. Just make sure they are authentic
needs, not the idle desire for a million dollars. Do not ask for
money except for the exact amount needed for a specific purpose –
you risk growing unconscious greed or vague fears of not having
enough money.
So you would say, by example, “I need to grow expand my wealth by
a thousand dollars for this specific retreat I want to attend”.
Or “I need to receive $200,000. IN ORDER to expand my new life
and buy a house in Hawaii”. You don’t need to focus on the
selling of your old house, just whatever it is you want to
expand.
Or expand a specific spiritual quality in your inner body-mind
space, such as a greater capacity for self-acceptance,
other-acceptance, abilty to heal a disease or a broken
relationship, deeper power of meditation, deeper service to
humanity, or deeper movement practice.
3. RITUALLY COMMUNICATE WITH CHI FIELD. After you have
established your clear intention, face SOUTH (direction of
Summer, sun bringing new life). Open your heart, share your
sincere need to merge more deeply with the Life Force and all
beings. Do your movement ritual, which may involve facing and
gathering chi from all five directions, as well as above and
below. If you don’t have a chi kung or a short piece of a tai chi
form, do spontaneous movement, song, dance, or poetry. After you
finish, face south again.
4. RELEASE PERSONAL INTENTION TO FIELD OF YUAN CHI. Infuse a
booster shot of yuan chi or Original Breath from the Equinox chi
field into your specific desire. Simply feel and mentally focus
on your desired goal of RAPID TRANSFORMATION very strongly, with
all the personal chi you can muster. Your specific desire
polarizes the chi field. Then release it into the
larger chi field. This acts like a cosmic lube job, as the field
of yuan chi at Equinox will spontaneously attempt to balance your
desire. Nature now knows EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED has an easy path
with little resistance to delivering what you truly need.
5. BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT CHANGE. A lot of people forget about
this part of the deal. You want something expanded or
transcended, and you do
Summer Solstice Ceremony Instructions
Suggestion for Summer Solstice Ritual.
If you ask for more power in your life, it brings greater
responsibility as well. This can come as a nasty shock to some.
You get the new lover you asked for, but s/he makes a lot of
demands on your old comfortable way of life. Change is not just
external — it must be matched by internal changes.
I wish you a powerful ceremony and the power to digest what you
invoke!
May the Five Inner Tones of the Tao Sing in our Heart,
Michael Winn
“Who takes Heaven as his ancestor, Virtue as his home,
the Tao as his door, and who becomes change – is a Sage.”
— Chuang Tzu, Inner Chapters
“The Tao is very close, but everyone looks far away.
Life is very simple, but everyone seeks difficulty.”
– Taoist Sage, 200 B.C