Lectio Divina—Latin for “divine reading”—is a method of approaching the Thelemic Holy Books (Class A texts).
Originally part of the Christian monastic tradition, Lectio Divina is a non-analytical way of approaching scripture. Rather than attempting to unpack the esoteric symbolism of a passage by analyzing its meaning or looking for parallels in other texts and traditions, Lectio Divina approaches the text directly through the heart, under the inspiration of the Holy Guardian Angel.
Lectio Divina falls into five parts:
- Silence: One begins by sitting in silent contemplation for a few minutes. Use this moment of silence and stillness to ground and center oneself and to quiet down. Ask your Holy Guardian Angel (or whatever higher power you believe in) for inspiration in whatever way seems appropriate to you.
- Lectio (reading): Read the passage you have chosen once, slowly. The passage should have been chosen beforehand and should meet the following two requirements:
- It should be a relatively short selection (something that could be read aloud in a minute or two).
- It should be a selection from one of the Thelemic Holy Books. My favorites are Liber 65 and Liber 7, but you can use whichever works for you.
- Meditatio (meditation): Now read the same passage slowly a second time. This time as you read, weigh the passage in your heart. Notice if any part of the passage—any word, any turn of phrase, any symbol—resonates with you. Meditatio is almost identical with Lectio, except now you are also taking notice of how the passage is affecting you.
- Oratio (prayer): Now pray spontaneously for several minutes. The prayer should come directly from the heart without any premeditation. Just say whatever you feel inspired to say. You can pray silently in your head, you can pray out loud, you can write in your magical diary, or you can do any combination.
- Contemplatio (contemplation): Sit in silence for several minutes. Do not do or think anything. Just be. If you wish, you may finish by saying the prayer from chapter 44 of The Book of Lies (“Now I begin to pray: Thou Child…” etc.)
Lectio Divina has been likened to treating scripture as food. In Lectio we are taking a bite of the food/passage. In Meditatio we are chewing it. In Oratio we are savoring all the flavors (meanings) of the food (passage). And in Contemplatio we are digesting it and making it part of our being.
The steps of Lectio Divina also reflect the path of the Holy Guardian Angel, which, according to Liber Pyramidos, is a passage from silence to speech and back to silence.
For from the Silence of the Wand
Unto the Speaking of the Sword,
And back again to the Beyond,
This is the toil & the Reward.
This is the Path of HVA—Ho!
This is the Path of IAO.
Lectio Divina can therefore be seen as a ritual which models one’s microcosmic actions on the structure of the macrocosm, and therefore it is a means of accomplishing the Great Work.
If you would like more information, you can watch a video I did on Lectio Divina last year: