If I make my bed at the bottom of the sea, behold, thou art there. "
Hanging upon the western wall of the temple is the Banner of the West, as if borne by the naiads of the four rivers of Eden. In the temple it marks the symbolic portal of entry of the forces of Water, summoned by the sacred magician and assembled to do his or her bidding.
"So then first the priest who governeth the works of fire must sprinkle with the lustral water of the loud resounding sea."
Depicted here in the blue of Water and the western quarter, the banner is charged with the alchemical sigil of Water in the flashing color.
In our tradition, the West is the quarter of Water, psychism, deep knowledge, and intuition. It is associated with Yesod, sphere of the Moon, and draws its color from Key 2, the card of the Moon. One of its godnames is Shaddai El Chai.
The archangel of the quarter is Gabriel, Regent of Water and angel of Key 20. She is the angel of annunciation, the message-bringer. Gabriel can be visualized clad in blues and blue-greens, holding a chalice. It is effective to see Gabriel standing in front of cascading water, with the mist floating around her billowing robes.
Other denizens of symbolic west include Mona, the black and white spotted cow, sea creatures, and all the goddesses of water and the moon, such as the Grail Maidens, bearers of the sacred cup.
The elemental beings of the West are the undines, and their ruler is Nixsa, the melekh or angel who represents their forces at the conscious level.
Control such forces in your own nature, or in the words of the ritual, "Be flexible and attentive to images like the Undines, but avoid idleness and changeability," and then pray
THE PRAYER OF THE UNDINES
by
Eliphas Levy
Dread King of the Sea, who hast the Keys of the floodgates of Heaven and who enclosest the subterranean Waters in the cavernous hollows of the Earth; King of the Deluge and the Rains of Spring; Thou who openest the sources of the Rivers and the Fountains; Thou who commandest moisture, which is like the blood of the earth, to become the sap of plants: We adore thee and we invoke thee! Speak thou unto us Thy inconstant and changeful creatures in the great Tempest of the Sea, and we shall tremble before Thee. Speak unto us also in the murmur of limpid waters, and we shall desire thy love. O Vastness wherein all the Rivers of Being seek to lose themselves, which renew themselves ever in thee. O Ocean of infinite perfections! O Height which reflectest Thyself in the Depth! O Depth which exhalest thyself into the Height! Lead us into Immortality through sacrifice, that we may be found worth one day to offer unto Thee the Water, the Blood, and the Tears, for the remission of Sins! Amen.
Prepared by Emmanuel Rose
Ó Emmanuel Rose 2001