Daily Salute to the Sun

Daily Salute to the Sun

A simple personal discipline of remembering the Eternal Sun three times daily. The purpose of this prayer is to develop personal spiritual responsibility and to infuse daily life with a rememberance of the Light.

To be said to the Sun in the Morning: 
"Hail to thee, the Eternal Spiritual Sun, whose visible Symbol rises now in the Heavens. Hail unto thee from the Abodes of Morning."

To be said to the mid-day Sun: 
"Hail to thee, Eternal Spritual Sun, whose visible Symbol stands at the height of the Heavens. Hail unto thee from the Abodes of Noontime."

To be said to the setting Sun:  
"Hail to thee, Eternal Spritual Sun, whose visible Symbol sets now in the Heavens. Hail unto thee from the Abodes of Evening."

'A Song to Mithras'

From Rudyard Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill. 
(In Songs from Books and verse this poem is subtitled 'Hymn of the XXX Legion: Circa A.D. 350'.) In which the spirit of Mithraism can seen. This poem has proven to be a wonderful prayer, as well as a reading for meditation or ritual liturgy.

Mithras, God of the Morning, our trumpets waken the wall! 
'Rome is above the Nations, but Thou art over all' 
Now as the names are answered, and the guards are marched away, 
Mithras, also a solider, give us strength for the day! 
 

Mithras, God of the Noontide, the heather swims in the heat, 
Our helmets scorch our foreheads; our sandals burn our feet, 
Now in the ungirt hour; now ere we blink and drowse, 
Mithras also a solider, keep us true to our vows! 
 

Mithras, God of the Sunset, low on the Western main, 
Thou descending immortal, immortal to rise again! 
Now when the watch is ended, now when the wine is drawn 
Mithras also a solider, keep us pure till the dawn!

Mithras, God of Midnight, here where the great bull dies, 
Look on thy children in darkness. Oh take our sacrifice! 
Many roads Thou has fashioned: all of them lead to the Light, 
Mithras, also a solider, teach us to die aright.

A brief Mithraic prayer/visualization

Take a few moments by yourself. Stand straight (at "attention") with your arms at your sides, and your eyes closed. Let your body posture straighten naturally, and rise to your full height without going too stiff or tightening up so much that you are uncomfortable. Let yourself both relax and focus inward. (With a bit of experience this can be done quickly, so that the meditation may be done anytime at need.)

I. Visualize yourself wearing Roman armor, a Roman helmet, and greaves. Put energy into this image, building a "spiritual armor" to help strengthen your natural energy field. Say to yourself (either out loud or in your mind):

"I wear the Armor of Mithras and the Light. I am shielded from all that is harmful."

Spend a few moments pouring energy into this image, building an aura of power around yourself.

II. Keeping the image of the armor in your mind, now see yourself holding a Roman sword and shield. Feel the weapons in your hands, spiritual tools that you have been empowered to use not only for purposes of your own, but also on behalf of Mithras and the Light. Say to yourself (either out loud or in your mind):

"I wield the weapons of Mithras and the Light. No darkness may stand against against them."

Spend a few moments pouring energy into this image. Feel yourself holding the weapons, and see them as tools of Mind and Spirit which enable you to act positively and decisively.

III. Even as you retain the two previous images, now see yourself standing in a beam of bright light. The light comes down over you like a spotlight, leaving you standing in a pillar of illumination. Feel the light entering your body and spirit, and becoming a Roman battle crown or wreath over your head. Say to yourself (either out loud or in your mind):

"I stand in the Light of Mithras. In the Light I am invincible, for Mithras is my crown."

Hold the three images together for a few moments, so that you can feel the three images surrounding you and filling you with strength and renewed purpose. Gently release the images even as you recognize the energies and the ideas behind them will stay with you, and continue with your day.

A Mithraic Astral Temple

This meditation is an inner working to build an Astral Mithraic temple which may be used to contact Mithras and to participate in Mithraic worship on a spiritual level. Astral Temple work is an aspect of modern occultism that is easily used for Mithraic purposes. This particular meditation and rite was used by a group that practiced together over the Internet in 1995 and 1996 as a means of "breaking ground" toward more active Mithraic practice. All participants did the rite at the same time on Sunday evening, 7PM EST. After the ritual and meditation notes were compared among the participants.

Whether this rite is done in group format or alone, it can be an excellent way to contact Mithraic energies and to help bring forth contact with Mithras as a living deity.

PREPARATION: 
 
Set up a temple space with as many of the aspects of a Mithraeum as possible. 
A rectangular space with a central aisle. An altar at one end with candles, 
Incense and a Mithraic statue, image or symbol. A chalice of wine and a 
plate with bread should be on the altar. At least two chairs facing each 
other across the central space. Wear a Roman tunic if you've got one, or a 
robe or at least comfortable clothing if you don't. Light or white garments 
preferable. 
 
PHYSICAL TEMPLE: 
Once you're prepared to begin and in a ritual frame of mind, proceed up the  
central aisle to the altar. Light the candles, saying "May the Light of Mithras illuminate my mind and spirit." Light the incense, saying "May this place be purified in the name of Mithras." Carry the incense around the temple as a sign of purification. When you feel you've created a proper working atmosphere, sit in one of the chairs and allow yourself to relax. Take several deep breaths, and close your 
eyes. If you have some personal routine of mental preparation for ritual work 
do it now. 
 
PATHWORKING: 
Say a prayer to Mithras; "Mithras, Lord of Light and Mysteries, guide me safely to your temple within the Realm of Spirit." Now, with your eyes closed, 
begin to enter the Inner realms by using a combination of visualization and a 
deliberate projection of your own energies/consciousness. Try to see yourself, and feel yourself within this image. Here is the sequence to visualize, and to say out loud  
to yourself if possible:  
 
"I am standing in a shadowed place. Before me there is a portal, two double 
doors of dark oak banded with iron. The top of the portal has a Classical 
lintel with a symbol of the Sun. To either side of the doorway there are 
marble pillars. 
 
I make the Sign of Opening, and the doors swing outward. I step through the  
Portal and enter the Inner Realms. 
 
I find myself standing in a sun-lit place. I am on a cobblestone Roman road 
which stretches straight before and behind me. To my right there is a fig 
tree, its branches giving partial shade to the place where I stand. To my 
left is a Roman mile marker. All around me there are rolling hills and 
cultivated fields, a place of abundance and beauty. It is warm here but not 
hot... the sun is shining brightly but there is a cooling breeze that stirs 
the grains and grasses in the fields around me. I am wearing a traveler's 
tunic, and leather sandals. 
 
I look at the cobblestone road before me, and see that it stretches out to a 
long, low hill which has neatly planted groves of fig trees. I begin to walk 
along the road. As I walk, I can feel and hear my sandals on the stones of 
the road as I step. There is a noonday sun above me, and a few puffy white 
clouds in the sky. I can hear the grasses swaying in the slight breeze, and I 
welcome the warmth of the sun upon my face. 
 
I continue along the road, and soon come close to the base of the hill. I see 
that the road goes up onto the hill and through the groves of trees. I climb 
the hill, the way is neither steep or difficult. Soon I crest the top and can 
see the way of the road. The road goes straight past a building, which is a 
single-storied rectangular temple, built of stone and with a peaked roof. It 
is a temple to Mithras, a Mithraeum. It is not very tall... it's foundation 
seems to dug into the earth. I proceed along the road and come to the 
Mithraeum entrance. 
 
(THE TEMPLE) 
 
The doorway is recessed, and there are seven steps down to reach it. As I go  
down the steps the door swings partially open. I make a gesture of respect, 
and step inside. I find I am standing in a small anteroom. There is a small 
bench, and places for both cloaks to be left and robes of worship to be put 
on before entering the Mithraeum itself. The temple door is at the opposite 
of the room. There are a couple of small oil lamps burning. I close the door 
of the anteroom. I take off my traveling tunic and put on the robes of a 
worshipper, and then go to the doorway to the temple itself. 
 
At the temple doorway, I make the sign of opening. The door opens and I step 
into the Mithraeum. I am standing at the end of a long central aisle. The 
Mithraeum is lit entirely by lamps... there are no windows. The stone walls 
are heavy, and the roof is as well - the place has the feeling of a cave. 
There are seven pillars along each side of the aisle, and on the other side 
of the pillars there are raised benches which face inward toward the central 
aisle. The aisle itself is done in mosaic tile... a ladder with seven 
sections, each section bearing the symbols of a Mithraic grade. 
 
The walls of the temple are done in light stucco. On the stucco there are 
bright paintings of the story of the God Mithras. His birth from the Rock, 
dragging the Bull, feasting with Sol Invictus, etc. But beautiful as the 
paintings are they are not what draws the eye. At the end of the temple there 
is a main altar on a raised dais, in a semicircular alcove. Over the altar 
there is the Tauroctony scene, carved in white marble. There are hanging 
lamps of gold on either side, giving off a golden light. 
 
I walk down the central aisle, and stop before the altar. I bow in respect and say:  
"Hail to thee Mithras! I come to thy abode as a Servant of the Light and as a 
Seeker of Wisdom. I beg thee to aid me in my desire to serve."

I now reach toward the altar, take a pinch of incense from a silver dish, and  
drop it into the flames as an offering to Mithras. I then turn and walk to one of the side  
benches, and take my seat."

At this point a variety of inner workings may be done. If you are working with others,  
(possibly over the Internet as has been done before) a pre-decided rite or experience  
can be shared. In the original work which followed this format, the first several sessions 
consisted simply of attempts to "solidify" the temple through repeated experience.  
 
No matter what is done, there should be a symbolic meal with wine and bread, 
which the participant actually gets up and partakes of physically while still holding 
the Inner realm images. A person doing this Inner Temple Working alone may  
use the experience to speak directly with Mithras, or to gain inner knowledge 
about Mithraism as a spiritual path.  
 
 
(END OF THE WORK)

Once the work is done, pathwork back out by doing all the images in reverse order for  
the return trip. Describing the way back to keep the imagery straight is perfectly all right.  
The way out always takes less time than going in, and the portal is closed behind. The  
physical temple is left up for the moment. The participant should then have a meal...  
and then write out their experience in a journal, or even for others over the computer. 
In this way the experience is preserved and/or shared among all participants.

Any questions about this astral temple work should be directed to Mithraeum@aol.com.