To define the word

Prepare yourself for a visualisation, either tape or memorise the main essence of the path that follows. Set your space as you want it, use objects, sacred space, relaxation, etc.

When you are ready, in your mind form your door to the inner world

Go through it, and find yourself on a woodland path.

Walk along the path, noticing as much as you can along the way.

The path enters a clearing. Gather some wood and in the centre of the clearing build and light afire.

Sit by the fire. The sun is just beginning to set. Stand and say, clearly and loudly, I (state your name) call upon the gods and goddesses of my family. "I call them to this place, and welcome them to sit and talk with me around this fire I have built for them. Come in peace and brotherhood"

They will slowly start arriving, walking out of the woods, and introducing themselves by name as they take their places around the fire.

Talk with them for as long as you like. When you free it is time to go, stand and say loudly and clearly, "I (state your name) thank you all for coming here, for the knowledge you have shared with me, for your companionship around my fire. But now I must leave you all to go your own way, for I must go mine. Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again."

They respond with a hearty "Blessed Be"

You turn away, and move toward the path by which you came. The sun is beginning to rise, and you can easily .find your way back along the path, to the door by which you entered.

Return to the conscious world and write a report on your discoveries.

A word of caution. To *worship* the gods affords their gratitude, but it results in your service to them. That is you enter into a relationship of master and servant, worshipper and worshipped. To worship a thing is to acknowledge its dominion over you, and thus to surrender your life to it. In many older magical texts and grimoires worship formulae are used within ritual, but it is no more than holy arse licking.

Far richer relationships with the gods and goddesses are more familial or personal ones, such as: parent - child, friends, siblings, or lovers. However, the latter is prone to problems of its own. To be the lover of a deity can be as demanding as having a human lover, in every way, including the sexual. You only have to study the Greek myths surrounding the lovers of Zeus to realise the problems that can result from such a relationship. The aim to love the One is far removed from the erotic concept of love, but may at times spill over into it. Rather it is an unconditional love that is not possessive or demanding, and was known to the Greeks as agape. The concept of erotic love with the absolute is pure nonsense, for the reasons given above.

In some workings the abstract, absolute One, is used. But more it is more often that figures of the duality, the Lord and Lady, God and Goddess are employed. Further subdivisions into pantheons, such as the Greek or Egyptian are not ruled out, but tend to be used in very specific instances. Each individual magician is encouraged to find their own family of gods and goddesses.

What forms of deity are you most comfortable with? What names do you or would you give specifically to the Lord and Lady?

Each aspect of the One has its own set of correspondences, those areas for which it is responsible. It should be possible to identify the role of each god and goddess in your pantheon. Remember that there are often many ways to look at the same thing. Some times an exercise like this can be very surprising. The use of meditation or repeated use of the exercise may be helpful, in building up the correspondences, or more simply use the techniques of summoning.