In the first version, used at the beginning of a ritual or on its own, begin facing east with the hands hanging loosely at your sides. Imagine that the sky above you is filled with a vast ocean of incandescent white light. This is the Ain Soph Aur. It reaches to the horizons and beyond; and although it is impossible for the human mind to imagine the infinite this exercise demands that the impossible is attempted – just trying is a beneficial exercise.

As you breath in raise your right hand up above your head, palm towards you and fingers pointing upwards. Speak these words:

“In thy hands o ineffable one”

Imagine the infinite ocean of light contracting to form a single sphere directly above your head, and drawing the hand downwards as you exhale imagine the sphere of blinding white light descending. As you touch you fingers to your forehead, between your eyes at the top of your eyebrows, the sphere of light reaches your head and comes to a rest above it, slightly penetrating the crown. At this point you say

“Is”

Imagine a beam of light coming from the bottom of the sphere and travelling down becoming a column of 1-2 inches directly through the centre of your body. Your right hand follows this downwards motion until your fingers are pointing directly between your feet where the light pools to form a second sphere encompassing your feet and ankles and the ground directly beneath you. You say

“The Kingdom”

Move your right hand up to point at or touch your right shoulder; imagine a third sphere of light blazing into existence there as you speak:

“The Power”

As you move your right hand across to point to your left shoulder a beam of light issues from the 3rd sphere and travels through your body to form a 4th sphere of bright light encompassing your left shoulder. You say

“And the Glory”

Bring both hands in front of your chest around the position of your heart; form a cup with your hands with thre open side facing your chest and speak:

“For ever and ever”

Finally, focus your attention on the first sphere directly above your head as you allow your arms to drop back loosely to your sides and you say:

“Amen”

The second version, which is used at the end of rituals, and which is not generally used outside this context is largely the same, with only the begginning changed. In this version you begin by cupping your hands in front of your chest. Imagine a bright sphere of light held in your hands and raise them up above your head; as you do so shift your attention to the Ain Soph Aur above your head and say:

“Above my head shines thy glory, o inneffable one”

drop you left hand down to your side and say

“And in thy hands”

From here it continues in precisely the same way as the first version, as you imagine the Ain Soph Aur coalescing to form a sphere above your head.

Once you are familiar with this practice, and have gained some measure of proficiency with the visualisation practices within it you should move on to  the ‘middle pillar’ exercise.