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The Two PowersI think that my earliest positive experience in ADF ritual was the Two Powers meditation. I didn’t know any of the people at the ritual, and I was very unsure what I was supposed to do. As I stood watching the ritual progress through the opening prayers and chants, I had trouble getting into any sort of group mind and relaxing. Honestly, I was probably pretty scared at that point, since ADF ritual was unlike anything I had ever read or studied before. When Amergin started in on the two powers meditation, I started to relax finally. I understood the concept of a taproot that sought out the cool underworld waters, and I used that understanding to move awareness and power from the Earth into myself. Raising my hands to the sky, I could feel the warm power of the Sun and Stars. This meditation marked the first time I had really felt power raised during a ritual. What are the Two Powers and what they mean to me in a religious sense? Well, the Two Powers themselves are the two forces of creation, often (but not necessarily) considered male and female. The Underworld (female?) Power is one of nurturing, and allows you to connect to the Earth. The Upperworld (male?) Power or Heaven Power is one of warmth and, well, power. The meditation creates you as the sacred center, an axis mundi of sorts. In the meditation, you become the World Tree (Yggdrasil), the connection between Heaven and Earth. As the World Tree, you are both drawing energy from Above and Below and returning energy to the Above and Below. I feel connected with everything at that point, as if I were the center of the ritual, and thus the center of the universe. Seeing this from a mythological standpoint, I’m reminded of the forces of creation in Norse Mythology. Muspel to the South, where there was fire and lava, and Nilfheim to the North, where ice flows down to meet the lava in Ginnungagap. It is these two forces that all things come from. When accessing the Two Powers, I always have the visualization of creation, of the two tides rushing against each other, forming the world with the power and vitality that it holds. I love the feel of the Underworld Power shooting from my head and pooling in my heart. When I raise my arms to the sky, I feel the electric Sky Power shooting through me, coming down from the sun, a star, or the Moon. The Powers themselves seem Magical to me, and the absolute rush I get from feeling them is unlike any other rush I’ve felt in my years of working Magic. While the associations with the chakras are obvious (water pooling in your groin, moving up through the spine and pooling in places along the way, and finally bursting forth from your head), I don’t think that I ever use this meditation to open or balance chakras. Instead, I see it as a way to open myself to everything. Some may argue that the point of the chakra system is the same, but I don’t feel that way. The meditation is a very good way to relax. Despite this, I don’t do it very often, mainly because I don’t like doing it indoors. While during indoor rituals I can often use the meditation to effect, the effect is much greater outside. I like to be able to see the stars above and feel the earth below if I do this rite. It loses a lot if I can’t do those things. Back to the Dedicant's page? Content © 2003, Michael J Dangler |