The Meditation

Light the altar candles and the incense.

Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few minutes.

When you are totally relaxed, open your eyes, and light your small candle. Now, close your eyes once more, clear your mind and see only a black void before your inner eye. Imagine that blackness turning into fog, which swirls around you. Gradually, the fog dissipates.

As the fog clears, a scene is revealed before you of a desert landscape. You see a city before you, which is the ancient city of Memphis, sacred to Sekhmet. The red desert surrounds you and the air is hot and dry. Ahead of you is a 'wadi' or oasis pool. Lionesses laze around the edge of the water under the shade of tall palms. Here, like at the Temple of Bast, the lionesses seem as though they are the guardians of the place and you bow to them as you pass by.

There is a vast temple ahead of you that is dedicated to the god Ptah. He is the husband of Sekhmet and she resides in the heart of his temple.

Walk towards the temple. As you draw closer, you see that it is constructed of sandstone and comprises many colossal columns that are covered in bas relief hieroglyphs. An avenue of sphinx statues leads up to the entrance. Walk along it and through the immense gateway at the end.

The inside of the temple consists of a labyrinth of columns with no apparent altar. This is because Ptah has no visible altar. There is only a statue of the god. To enter the shrine to Sekhmet you must declare your intent to the presence of Ptah her husband and ask him to reveal to you her secret shrine.

Approach the statue of Ptah and ask his permission to pass by him to the fiery depths of his wife, Sekhmet's inner sanctum.

When you have done this, you hear a loud rumble and a doorway opens up in the floor behind the statue of Ptah. You can see a steep sandstone ramp leading down into the depths below. Begin to walk down the ramp. As you descend an orange red glow lights your way. You can see that fiery torches are alight upon colossal smooth stone walls. When you reach the bottom you find yourself in an enormous circular amphitheatre. It is lit completely by fire and there is a large pit in the centre where fire from deep within the earth roars upwards and into the shrine.

Opposite you, in an alcove in the far wall, stands a statue of the goddess Sekhmet. It is about twice life size and made of smooth black granite. Around the foot of the statue sit proud and attentive lionesses. There are no priests or priestesses present because this is the sanctuary of fire, storm, dread, war, death, yet also of life.

Stand before the statue and stare up into the goddess' face. In your mind, ask her to awaken to your presence. Tell her you wish, in the future, to work in her name, for the good of those who need her power. Ask her to acknowledge you.

See the statue open its eyes. The gaze of the powerful goddess stares in expectancy down upon you. Her open eyes are pure red orbs of light. A red glow is beginning to form around her as she comes alive. It becomes stronger until it is radiating out of all parts of the mighty statue.

Upon her head a large orange solar disk burns brightly with raging fire. In her hand she holds a radiant gold ankh that shines with a solar, life-giving light. It is almost too bright to look upon. You see the statue begin to move, slowly yet sinuously. Her footsteps shake the floor of the shrine. She towers over you, moving inexorably towards you, intensely black, yet shining with red light. She growls softly beneath her breath, like the rumble of a sleeping volcano.

Now cast your inner eye back to the statue on your altar at home and see it begin to glow with a red light. It too is coming alive. Sekhmet's presence is in the room with you now as well as in the temple.

Now, concentrate for a while on the candle of your colour and see a shaft of light of the same colour stretch out of the candle and flow towards the glowing statue of Sekhmet. Before you ask anything of her, she must see you for who you really are. She will only see you by the true colour of your spirit light.

As your coloured rays hit her statue she absorbs your very essence and at once knows who stands before her, for she can see into your soul, mind and heart with her gaze, and knows your every will and intention.

Keep visualising your colour ray flowing from the candle to the statue. Clear your mind of everything else. Let Sekhmet know you and your intention.

Now return again in your mind to the inside of the shrine where you stand before the goddess. This is the time when she might have knowledge to impart to you, or offer a symbolic gift of some kind. She may even ask you to do something for her.

Spend some minutes communing with the goddess. This is the time to talk with her so that she may know you. Perhaps you could tell her about your magical work and ask for her help. When you feel that the audience has come to an end, thank Sekhmet for her presence. Bow your head to her and then see her begin to retreat into her shrine. Again, feel the floor shake as she walks.

When she reaches her alcove, she turns back once more into a sleeping statue. Her eyes are no longer orange flame but shining black stone.

Turn to leave, paying your respects to the lionesses that protect the shrine. Pass back across the amphitheatre and climb back up to Ptah's temple. When you reach the top, the opening in the floor rumbles closed again behind you, sealing the secret shrine.

Thank Ptah for allowing you access and walk back out of the temple towards the desert. As you pass the oasis, bid farewell to the lionesses there. Imagine you are walking into a fog, which gradually turns into a black void. After a moment, the fog begins to clear once more and you are back in your own reality. Open your eyes when you are ready.

Sekhmet Incense Recipe

This is a rich red incense that smells spicy and immediately conjures an impression of heat and fiery sunlight. It is a pungent smell that echoes the strength and power of Sekhmet.

3 parts Frankincense.
1.5 parts dragon's blood.
1 part each of copal, juniper, cinnamon, benzoin and red sandalwood.
3/4 parts clove
Few drops each of frankincense and orange oil.