We now approach February, the final passage of the Winter Quarter. In this month, the priest prepares for emergence. Though the world is yet cold, the inner fire stirs. February is the time of preparation, refinement, and discernment—when the sacred vessel is purified, the tablets of vow are reviewed, and the rites of renewal are rehearsed in silence.
Marduk here is He Who Sharpens the Flame, He Who Judges the Unfinished Work, Caller of the Hidden Forces, and Lord of the Rising Word.
Saturday, February 7
Text: Fifty Names of Marduk (Name 36 – LUGALDURMAH)**
“King of the rising fire,
Who refines the offerings in secret,
Whose gaze divides the impure from the clean.”
Reflection:
The fire of Marduk is not only for destruction but refinement. It purifies the unready, cauterises the wound, prepares the vessel for indwelling. Let the priest in this time not seek audience, but cleansing. To be fit for spring, one must endure the winter fire.
Chant:
Lugaldurmah, Fire of Preparation,
Search my bones with Thy flame.
Burn away the lesser motives.
Make my offering clean.
Refine me for the days to come.
Saturday, February 14
Text: Ritual Tablet of Hidden Power (Fragmentary)*
“He summons what lies beneath the threshold.
He names what has not yet risen.
The wind obeys his call, and the seed answers his breath.”
Reflection:
In this season, unseen forces are gathered. The work of the year is shaped now, though not seen. Marduk names the invisible and prepares the new decree. Let the initiate move not in sight but in trust. The soil must be broken before the green appears.
Invocation:
Marduk, Caller of What Is Not Yet,
Speak over the silent field.
Let Thy word awaken what sleeps.
Let Thy breath stir the hidden spark.
I stand ready, though I see not.
Saturday, February 21
Text: Fifty Names of Marduk (Name 48 – SHAZZIBUKUDU)**
“He who awakens the sacred speech in the mouths of the wise,
Who teaches the appointed ones their words,
Who grants utterance to the prepared.”
Reflection:
Now comes the time for instruction. The silence of winter begins to yield its wisdom. Marduk places the word not in the unready, but in the prepared. Let each devotee rehearse the sacred language—not in volume, but in exactness. To speak for Marduk is no small task.
Chant:
Shazzibukudu, Tongue of the Wise,
Place Thy word in my mouth only when I am worthy.
Teach me the cadence of Thy breath.
Let no idle syllable defile Thy name.
Make me a speaker of the sacred speech.
Saturday, February 28
Text: Hymn for the Opening Gate (Late Babylonian Rite)*
“The gate is closed until the trumpet is sounded.
The watchers wait upon the wall,
The priest holds the rod and waits the signal.
Then shall the first word rise again.”
Reflection:
The final Sabbath of Winter. All is prepared. The rod is in the hand, the gate before the priest. He waits not passively, but ready. As the spring equinox nears, the watcher must hold vigil. The new year of invocation begins at the word of the god.
Final Chant of the Winter Cycle:
Gate of the Rising Sun,
I stand in vigil with the rod of office.
Let Thy trumpet sound.
Let the watchers cry aloud.
Let the new word rise in power,
And let the gate be opened unto Marduk.
FEBRUARY RITUAL RUBRICS – SEASON OF FINAL PREPARATION
Orientation: Face East, awaiting light and word
Colors: Ash-white, ember-red, deep blue
Vestments: Simple robe with belt; head covered during chant
Incense: Spikenard, galbanum, and cedarwood in small amounts
Offerings: Unleavened bread, a sealed scroll or vow-tablet, spring water in stone vessel
Ritual Instruments: Rod or staff, small trumpet or horn (symbolic; not always sounded)
Gesture: Extended hands in stillness before chant; lowered hands in submission after
With February concluded, we stand ready to pass into March and the Vernal Equinox, initiating the Cycle of Renewal.