The sixteenth bead of the blessing cord is the blessing of vision. This is the blessing of fire in Tipereth. A vision gives us guidance along our path. It can give us the ability to choose, to embrace a new way, to let things go that no longer serve, and can give us new awareness. Visions have been sought out since ancient times. People with the “sight,” like the oracles of Delphi, were consulted for their gift of vision. Native Americans and other tribal cultures used the vision quest to find spirit guides, healing, and the knowledge and experience needed to attain adulthood, with adult responsibilities and wisdom.
Our modern culture seeks its answers in the human experience. We turn to books, to the internet, to our teachers, and all other places in the material world. We have forgotten that there is only so much a book, class, or online collection of information can teach us about ourselves and how we think the world is. We find ourselves searching and searching for something to guide us, in book after book, on site after site, until we give up hope. What we seek is vision. We seek out sacred knowledge from the All. We can only find reflected visions of our personal vision in others. We have to go out and experience the vision and be guided by our own knowledge of the truth. As the Charge of the Goddess says, “that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee.”
There is an element of trust and confidence inherent in this leap to find our own vision. We must trust our own abilities and knowledge. Our confidence must be high enough to know we can seek our own vision and find it. We must trust in the universe, divinity, and the spirit world that we will be able to find our vision. This is what the books of techniques, internet sites, teachers, and all other reflections of the vision prepare us to do, seek out our own vision of what we are and what we are here to do.
This meditation is a vision quest. You can use it to gain guidance on anything, but you must have a clear intention of what you are seeking. The intention can be something as broad as “show me what I most need to know” or as defined as “show me the animal guide that is working with me right now”. It can be anything where you seek guidance.
Meditation for Vision
Hold the sixteenth bead, the bead of the blessing of vision, The blessing of fire in Tipereth.
Count yourself down into a meditative state.
Allow the screen of your mind to expand into a sphere around you. Feel a rising sensation as your sphere begins to fill with radiant golden yellow light. Vibrate the God name of Tipereth: Yod-heh-vauv-heh el-oh-ah Vah-dah-ath
The golden light begins to loose its opaque nature and you can see that you are in a field of golden wheat. The sun is bright and you see a large tree not far from where you stand. Sunlight plays through its branches. This tree is the world tree, greatest of all guides, for it is a part of all, touching upon all worlds. Walk toward the tree. See the light play through the branches. Feel the bark of the tree. Feel this ancient being’s pulse of life. Tell the world tree your intention to gain vision. Tell it all about what you are looking for. The tree may respond by opening a gateway in its roots or you will become aware of a path, it may even call an animal or spirit to guide you. Follow the path of your awareness. Be aware of the surroundings as you pass through: Are there any plants or animals that stick out to you as you walk the path? These details can be as guiding as they are in dreams, because they may be symbols of your vision.
Follow the path until you come to the place where your vision awaits you. Let the landscape and the beings within it guide you. Anything is possible in the spirit world. If you don’t understand a part of the vision, begin to talk to it and ask what it represents. Even the inanimate has consciousness and can respond in the spirit worlds. Observe the details of your vision.
When you have gained all the vision you feel you are going to receive, give thanks to the spirits and the world around you for their guidance. Return by the path you took back to the world tree. Thank the world tree for its aid. Walk back to where you began the vision quest.
Golden light again begins to fill the area around you, making the world go opaque with the intensity of its light. As the light fades you feel a feeling of gentle descent. The screen of your mind begins to return to its normal size.
Count yourself up into waking consciousness.
Ground and center yourself. Begin to write down all that you remember, without editing or worrying about structuring it too much. Visions, like dreams, can evaporate like dew on a sunny morning. You will want to have as much information as you can.
Contemplation
Where have you gained vision in the past? Use dream interpretation books, free association, and your own knowledge of your symbols to interpret your vision. What do you need to do to enact this vision?
