 
St. Catherine
of Siena
spoke of a cell within the soul,
a
house of self-knowledge that
allows one to know and love the goodness of divinity. This cell is a sacred
space within, to be with god/dess. It is a
fortress
against tribulation. St.
Catherine also likened it to a
circle of the virtues of love,
humility, and discretion:
Do you know how these three virtues stand
together? It is, as if a circle were drawn on the surface of the earth,
and a tree, with an off-shoot joined to its side, grew in the center of
the circle. The tree is nourished in the earth contained in the diameter
of the circle, for if the tree were out of the earth it would die, and
give no fruit. Now, consider, in the same way, that the soul is a tree
existing by love, and that it can live by nothing else than love; and,
that if this soul have not in very truth the divine love of perfect
charity, she cannot produce fruit of life, but only of death. It is
necessary then, that the root of this tree, that is the affection of the
soul, should grow in, and issue from the circle of true self-knowledge
which is contained in Me, who have neither beginning nor end, like the
circumference of the circle, for, turn as you will within a circle,
inasmuch as the circumference has neither end nor beginning, you always
remain within it.1
You can liken the
magickal circle to this cell, only it is sacred
space designated without. Like the cell within the soul, it can be taken
anywhere, placed anywhere, at any time.
There is no mandatory way of creating the
magickal circle.
See also
Elements.
The rosary is an especially good prayer for learning to pray,
to meditate, and to ground and center. Its chants are not so complicated as to be
distracting, nor so simple that they allow distraction. It can be conducted as a
meditative or a contemplative
/ reflective prayer; and it can also be offered as a petition.
A complete recitation takes approximately 15 minutes, and
praying the rosary even just once a week can prove uplifting.
The following sections explain the structure of the rosary
and give the standard rosary prayers. It should be noted that there are many other ways to
pray the rosary, both pagan and christian.
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The Rosary
Beads
The rosary has eight
sections of "beads."
- A crucifix
- A section of one large bead followed by three small ones
- Five sections of 11 beads - one large one and ten small ones
- A medal
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The
Order of the Rosary Prayers
The order of prayers is as
follows:
Section 1
a. Sign of the cross
b. Apostle's Creed
Section 2
a. (Large bead) Lord's Prayer
b. (Small bead) Hail Mary (for
faith)
c. (Small bead) Hail Mary (for
hope)
d. (Small bead) Hail Mary (for
charity)
Sections 3 - 7
a. (Large bead) Glory Be, Fatima prayer, Lord's Prayer
b. (Small beads) Hail Mary
Section 8
a. (Medal) Hail Holy Queen
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Sign of the cross
The sign of the cross is made with the right hand moving
from forehead to chest, from left shoulder to right shoulder, while saying the following
prayer.
In the name of the Father (Creator), and of the Son (Child),
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Apostle's Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and
earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was
buried; He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended
into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He
shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy
catholic church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the
body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary (Ave Maria)
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the
hour of our death. Amen.
Glory be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of
hell. Lead all souls into heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and
our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our
sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious Advocate,
thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of
thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
V: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: O God, who's only begotten Son, by His life,
death and resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation; grant that
by meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we
may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our
Lord. Amen.
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A
meditation is associated with each of the 11-bead sections, sections 3 to 7. There are
four series of meditations. For any given recitation of the rosary, one series is
contemplated. They are:
Joyful Mysteries
a. The Annunciation (humility)
b. The Visitation (charity)
c. The Nativity of Christ (poverty)
d. The Presentation in the Temple (obedience -- "giving in to the Spirit")
e. The Finding in the Temple (piety)
Light Mysteries (following the light)
a. The Baptism of the Lord (the heavens open, and the Holy Spirit descends)
b. The Wedding Feast at Cana ("water becomes wine," the heart opens to faith)
c. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (conversion of the heart)
d. The Transfiguration (transformation of the heart)
e. The Last Supper (sacrifice becomes salvation)
Sorrowful Mysteries
a. The Agony in the Garden (contrition)
b. The Scourging (purity)
c. The Crowning with Thorns (courage)
d. The Carrying of the Cross (patience)
e. The Crucifixion (self-denial -- "self-discipline")
Glorious Mysteries
a. The Resurrection (faith)
b. The Ascension (hope)
c. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (love)
d. The Assumption (eternal happiness)
e. The Coronation of Mary (devotion to Mary)
The Dialogue of the
Seraphic Virgin Catherine of Siena; Thorold, Algar;
originally published in 1907 by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd.,
London; scanned and edited by Harry Plantinga, 1994; etext is in the
public domain
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