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The Sign of the Cross
May. 15th, 2024 10:14 am These are notes on how I have been using the Sign of the Cross (SOTC) in my prayer and ritual work recently. This has emerged gradually for me, over a period of months, and it feels to me like I am being taught how to use it. Most of what I'm describing here arose out of what I found myself doing rather than being thought out beforehand.
Each of the Churches has rules on how you are supposed to hold your fingers while doing the SOTC, and each is adamant that theirs is the one correct way. I have seen varying directions. It is not something I pay attention to.
The SOTC is usually done very quickly and often absentmindedly, as a quick formality - I suspect most people are only half-aware of doing it. I've taken to doing it more slowly, and paying attention to what goes on while I do it.
Some time back I noticed I was touching my hand to my solar plexus, at the base of the sternum, rather than at the heart. That feels more grounded to me now. I as individual am centered on the solar plexus, and the heart is more trans-personal - it is where I identify with Christ and with all other people. Touching the cross at the solar plexus gets it all the way into my body.
I now visualize it something like this:
In the Name of the Father - hand at the top of my forehead, attention turned above me.
And of the Son - I bring the light down, and while I touch the solar plexus I visualize a line of light descending, down from above, and then going down through me and into the depths of the earth.
And of the Holy Ghost - I say that while drawing the horizontal line, shoulder to shoulder. As I am raising my hand from solar plexus to shoulder I visualize that line of light re-ascending upwards and rising to my heart as I draw the cross-bar.
Amen - depending where I am I may just touch my hand to my heart and dwell there for a moment. If I am at home I often interlace my fingers and raise my arms so that the elbows are pointed outwards horizontally, and the palms of my hand are focused facing my heart.
I then dwell for a moment on the shape of the entire cross.
Recently I have noticed that, if I pause with my attention of the heart,I often get a sensation of glowing warmth, and I feel that expand to fill the entire ovoid area around my body. If I take my time I can let the outer edges of the ovoid get a bit clearer and more distinct, so what is built is a very effective aura shield. It also serves as an aura cleansing and banishing.
If I take my time the whole process takes maybe six ten seconds. Now that I'm used to it, if I need to I can focus attention just on my heart and see the entire structure all at once - cross, light at heart, ovoid aura shield filled with soft light - and that takes one or two seconds.
---
As part of it I combine the SOTC with this banishing prayer, which is from the rite of Compline.
Visit, we beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation, and drive far from it all the deadly power of the Enemy. Let thy holy angels dwell with us to preserve us in peace, and let thy blessing be upon us always. Through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
To open, after doing the basic SOTC I now add the following.
Visit, we beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation, and drive far from it all the deadly power of the Enemy. - draw a large cross in the air right in the middle of the room.
Let thy holy angels dwell with us to preserve us in peace - I draw a cross on my body.
and let thy blessing be upon us always - I stretch out my hands and take a step forward so that my body is at one with the large cross I first drew. I stay in that posture through the closing phrase of the prayer.
---
To do this I walk to each of the corners of the room in turn, drawing a large cross while saying the SOTC cross prayer.
Once that is done I have built a circular structure in the room that has the large cross in the center, and the four crosses at the corners.
---
The classic way to do the SOTC in the Western church is, with the right hand, to touch forehead, middle of breast, left shoulder, right shoulder, usually combined with the words, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" - or Holy Spirit if you prefer. In Latin the words are, In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti".
In the Eastern Church the SOTC is done with the horizontal direction reversed, from right to left instead of left to right.
Each of the Churches has rules on how you are supposed to hold your fingers while doing the SOTC, and each is adamant that theirs is the one correct way. I have seen varying directions. It is not something I pay attention to.
The SOTC is usually done very quickly and often absentmindedly, as a quick formality - I suspect most people are only half-aware of doing it. I've taken to doing it more slowly, and paying attention to what goes on while I do it.
Some time back I noticed I was touching my hand to my solar plexus, at the base of the sternum, rather than at the heart. That feels more grounded to me now. I as individual am centered on the solar plexus, and the heart is more trans-personal - it is where I identify with Christ and with all other people. Touching the cross at the solar plexus gets it all the way into my body.
I now visualize it something like this:
In the Name of the Father - hand at the top of my forehead, attention turned above me.
And of the Son - I bring the light down, and while I touch the solar plexus I visualize a line of light descending, down from above, and then going down through me and into the depths of the earth.
And of the Holy Ghost - I say that while drawing the horizontal line, shoulder to shoulder. As I am raising my hand from solar plexus to shoulder I visualize that line of light re-ascending upwards and rising to my heart as I draw the cross-bar.
Amen - depending where I am I may just touch my hand to my heart and dwell there for a moment. If I am at home I often interlace my fingers and raise my arms so that the elbows are pointed outwards horizontally, and the palms of my hand are focused facing my heart.
I then dwell for a moment on the shape of the entire cross.
Recently I have noticed that, if I pause with my attention of the heart,I often get a sensation of glowing warmth, and I feel that expand to fill the entire ovoid area around my body. If I take my time I can let the outer edges of the ovoid get a bit clearer and more distinct, so what is built is a very effective aura shield. It also serves as an aura cleansing and banishing.
If I take my time the whole process takes maybe six ten seconds. Now that I'm used to it, if I need to I can focus attention just on my heart and see the entire structure all at once - cross, light at heart, ovoid aura shield filled with soft light - and that takes one or two seconds.
---
I always start my day with a stretching and exercise routine. After my exercises and before sitting down to prayer I do a formal invoking, centering and banishing ritual called the Sphere of Protection - SOP for short. There is a series of instructions for the Druid form of the SOP on John Michael Greer's blog at Dreamwidth - if you are new to it you can read a sequence of posts on it here -
Sphere of Protection Ritual.
Sphere of Protection Ritual.
I have modified it, especially at the opening and closing portion, to make it more distinctly Catholic. Here I want to look at just the opening portion of the rite, which is focused on the SOTC. This little opening would make a very nice banishing ritual all by itself.
As part of it I combine the SOTC with this banishing prayer, which is from the rite of Compline.
Visit, we beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation, and drive far from it all the deadly power of the Enemy. Let thy holy angels dwell with us to preserve us in peace, and let thy blessing be upon us always. Through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
To open, after doing the basic SOTC I now add the following.
Visit, we beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation, and drive far from it all the deadly power of the Enemy. - draw a large cross in the air right in the middle of the room.
Let thy holy angels dwell with us to preserve us in peace - I draw a cross on my body.
and let thy blessing be upon us always - I stretch out my hands and take a step forward so that my body is at one with the large cross I first drew. I stay in that posture through the closing phrase of the prayer.
---
This next piece I add after that opening, and before I go around and do the four elements. This is a streamlined form I derived from the Golden Dawn Rose Cross ritual. I no longer use the Hebrew god names associated with that ritual, and I find the usual Catholic words to work well.
To do this I walk to each of the corners of the room in turn, drawing a large cross while saying the SOTC cross prayer.
Once that is done I have built a circular structure in the room that has the large cross in the center, and the four crosses at the corners.
---
There are other ways of using the SOTC, for blessing things or for banishing and cleansing things, and they all derive from the principles I've outlined here. To use the SOTC you have to have it built within you, with the light alive and focused in the heart. If I do an SOTC over any object I always do the SOTC on myself first.
