Animating or Ensouling a Statue Outline

Needs:

an altar
A dish for libations and symbolically significant beverage
A dish for sacrifice and symbolically significant objects for sacrifice
A censer with a charcoal fire and appropriate incense
The statue you will ensoul
A white candle or oil lamp
A shrine to house the ensouled statue

(If you are using khernips)

A sprig, leaf or twig to light in the fire (preferably bay laurel)
A bowl of water (spring and sea ideally)
A clean cloth

KHERNIPS RITUAL (optional, or you could use my opening)

Say:
HEKAS HEKAS ESTE BEBELOI!
begone, begone profane ones!

Light your lamp or candle with an invocation (Dunn suggests)

“O, All Ruling Sun!

Spirit of the World, Power of the World, Light of the World,
Undefeated and shining benefactor, who illuminates all things,
Who is the divine Mind and shaper of the eternal cosmos,
Whose radiance delivers only good, whose stare averts only evil.
Boaster and dispenser of the harmony of light, whose all-seeing eye bring justice and truth to all,
Feast your eye onto this fire,
So we may be brought closer to you, in harmonious union.”

Light the twig with the fire, (you can use it to light the incense charcoal, then) extinguish the twig in the
bowl of water. Khernips has now been created.

Recite the following fragment from the Chaldean Oracles as you pour the lustral water over your hands:

“So therefore first the Priest who governeth the works of Fire, must sprinkle with the Water of the loud-
resounding Sea.”
Dry your hands with the clean cloth.

Your Khernips ceremony is over, and you are clean.

ENSOULING RITUAL

(You could instead do my temple opening or another opening of your choice).

Take the statue in your right hand and the bowl of water in your left, then circumambulate the altar. Do
this four times while reciting this once each time:

“You are pure. You are pure, O [Name of the deity]” [x4]

When you return to the center, put the statue back in its proper position and dip fingers into the holy
water, sprinkling it over the altar and then in the four directions.

(optional)

This following part is directly from Patrick Dunn, who based this upon a meditation found in Plotinus'
Enneads.

Call up an image of the statue in your mind. Now, begin removing qualities from the object. It’s often
simpler to start with smell, taste, and color before going on to form. When you remove the related
qualities, begin by removing the essential qualities. Finally shape itself is removed and one is left with
pure matter (hyle).

Try to hold the icon in your mind without having any concept of its qualities for as long as you can. You’ll
perhaps experience a mental blankness or fog. You will almost certainly experience the statue trying to
take shape again, but whenever it does gently deny its qualities, so it returns to the formless chaos to
which you have reduced it.

(end of optional part)

Recite a general prayer to the Highest Divinity. Dunn suggests the following, but there are numerous
other options directly from the PGM:

“Holy is God, the Father of All Things.

Holy is God, whose will is performed and accomplished by His own powers.
Holy is God, who Determines to be Known, and is Known of His Own, or Those that are His.
Holy art Thou, that by Thy Word hast established all Things.
Holy art Thou, of Whom all Nature is the Image.
Holy art Thou, Whom Nature hath not Formed.
Holy art Thou, that art Stronger than all Power.
Holy art Thou, that art Greater than all Excellency.
Holy art Thou, Who art Better than all Praise.
Accept these Reasonable Sacrifices from a Pure Soul,
and a Heart stretched out unto Thee.
O Thou Unspeakable, Unutterable, to be Praised with Silence!
Grant me a sign that you will not reject my
petition for the knowledge of our being.
Empower me, and with this grace, I will enlighten
those of my kind who lay in a state of ignorance—
my kin, your children.
Therefore, I believe, and I witness:
I advance to life and light.
You are the basis of reason,
and Your people strive to join with You in the sacred work,
as you provided them with the Love to do so.”

Now recite a prayer to the particular deity, petitioning for them to dwell within the image. You can
construct a prayer, utilize one from the PGM, use an Orphic Hymn etc.

(if you have used the Plotinus/Dunn technique, as you pray, use your mind to build an image of the God,
standing behind the statue. After the prayer, continue your focus to further strengthen the power of
that image while exclamating these words of power from the Greek Magical Papyri:

AEĒIOYŌ IAŌ AIŌ AŌI IŌA ŌIA ŌAI ŌYOIĒEA

Allow your imagined image to return form to the statue, rebuilding all the qualities you have stripped
from it, however, this time reconstituted with divinity.

Perform a libation to the deity, then honor the deity with another prayer. Again, you can construct a
prayer, utilize one from the PGM, use an Orphic Hymn etc. or just something spontaneous.

Then burn a small portion of the offering and a few grains of incense on the charcoal, and say:

“O [name of your deity], I have brought forth this offering for you.
May you take this offering, and may you accept it,
and enter into this image,
to walk among the Living Immortals.”

Touch the mouth of the figure and repeat this three times close to the head ogf your statue so that your
breath touches it.
“O [name of your deity], I open your mouth with the finger.
I bring your mouth to the earth.
I open your eyes. I bring your eyes to the earth.” [x3]

Add more incense to the charcoal, then pray anew:

“O [name of your deity], who has arrived from your abode,

who has set foot in this sacred space to join me in holy festivity,
receive my praise and gratitude.”

Contemplate the God for as long as you feel inclined

When finished, offer a short prayer of gratitude, something like this:

“I give thanksgiving to the Gods, the Daimons, and the ancestors,

who have lead me to this site,
and who guide and aid me in participation within the eternal works of creation.
May there be enduring amity preserved between us.”

Close the shine of your statue, kiss your hand in solemn respect and leave the ritual room in silence.

Pour out the libation outdoors, and let the incense go out.