So maybe you’re about to receive your first attunement in the Modern Order of Essenes, and you aren’t sure what to expect.
Or maybe you’ve received an MOE attunement, and nothing much happened, and now you’re not sure if you did something wrong.
Or you’ve received an attunement, something did indeed happen, and now you want to know if that is what is supposed to happen. 😉
Or you’re curious about the Modern Order of Essenes, but before you commit, you’d like to know what you might be getting yourself into with the future attunements…
In all of these cases, congrats – this post will (hopefully!) contain the info you’re looking for.
And if you have no clue what we’re even talking about here, that’s fine, too! This post is probably not the best place for you to start learning more about the MOE, though. In this case, I suggest you head over to JMG’s dreamwidth journal first and read the whole series of posts about the Modern Order of Essenes (note that they are sorted in reverse order, i.e. you need to click through to the last page and then scroll all the way to the bottom).
Alternatively, you can download all of the material about the Modern Order of Essenes (minus the questions and answers in the comment section, and minus some minor additional material) in pdf form, e.g. from the Octagon Societies’ website.
Now that we’ve got everybody sorted, 🙂 here is what you can expect from this post:
1. A few notes about the purpose of the attunements, and on whether you need them at all
2. How to prepare for your MOE attunement
3. What to expect before, during and after your MOE attunement
Before we dive in, I want to stress that while I have the official title of “MOE Master Teacher”, and while I’ve attuned a few people by now, I do by no means feel like a “master”.
Or, in other words, this post reflects the experiences I’ve been able to collect over the course of my work up to now, plus various bits and pieces which I’ve learned from other people, most notably from John Michael Greer.
This post is a snapshot of my current knowledge, to the best of my abilities – but I fully expect this knowledge to evolve over time. And yep, this means I might be mistaken in certain points, and also that I refer the right to change my opinion later on. 😉
Well then…
1. A few notes about the purpose of the attunements, and on whether you need them at all
The Modern Order of Essenes is a method of spiritual healing. More precisely, it works with divine healing energies, which the MOE practitioner directs towards where they are needed.
An attunement in the MOE simply does what it says on the tin: It “attunes” the practitioner who receives it to these divine healing energies. Not more – but also not less.
This has a few implications:
a. You will need to have reached a certain level of practice for the attunements to take effect. Otherwise they will be wasted in the best case, or might overcharge you in the worst.
I.e. when the instructions for an attunement state that you need to have practiced or mastered certain lessons, you’ll need to have practiced or mastered them in order to get the best out of the attunement.
b. The attunements get you in deeper touch with the divine healing energies you have been working with in your practice all along.
In a way, they are calling down into you what you call down into the people you treat with spiritual healing methods.
But once the energies are called down, they need to go somewhere and do something. Thus it’s advisable to continue with your regular practice for a while even after the attunements, to make sure the divine healing energies can comfortably settle into the right places.
c. The consequence of a. and b. is that if you don’t have the time to practice before an attunement, or might not have the capacity to continue practicing afterwards, it would be smarter to pass for now, and instead take an attunement at a later time when you can follow along with your work.
d. But do you need to be attuned at all?
(Note that I can currently only answer this question based on second-hand knowledge and out of theoretical considerations, as, obviously, I myself have been attuned, and I haven’t worked with unattuned students so far.)
As the attunements simply deepen your relationship to the divine healing energies, you can also (happily and successfully) practice the Modern Order of Essenes work without ever receiving an attunement.
In a way, they simply speed things up.
This might be desirable in most cases – and sometimes it might be smarter to take things slowly. Ultimately, the decision is up to you.
(If you aren’t sure whether you’re ready to proceed with an attunement at any given time, you could consider divination to help clarify the issue.)
On the other hand, if for any reason you don’t participate in an attunement ceremony, this will not hold you back from practicing!
The simple act of continually practicing the MOE healing methods will bring you into contact with these diving healing energies, too. And if you do your exercises diligently, this means daily, constant contact, which adds up over time.
So if you can’t (or don’t want to) get an attunement, just continue with your daily work. Over time, things will develop in the same way as they would have with the attunements. You’ll just need more patience, that’s all.
There are two more thing which I should probably mention here, before we waddle into the specifics of attunement requirements and experiences:
e. When I wrote a little further up that the attunements will call the divine healing energies “down into you”, I meant it. 😉
Just as the people you treat spiritually with MOE methods experience the effects of these energies, e.g. through subtle changes in various ways, so will you.
And yep, that’s true whether you take an attunement or not – any kind of serious MOE work will always bring the practitioner into contact with the divine healing energies, just as it brings the person he treats into contact with them.
(I think this makes intuitive sense: Whether you practice the Healing Hands, the Bridge of Love, the Blessing Walk, … – there is always something moving in and through you, too!)
I.e. over time, a regular MOE practice will have an effect on you, too, – even if you only ever treat other people and not yourself!
The attunements will just speed this effect up a bit.
f. And last but not least, yes, you can be re-attuned.
If you have already received a certain level of attunement, you can always come back and receive it again.
In fact, for the first few re-attunements, you can probably expect to experience an additional effect. (Although, again, this will also happen over time with diligent practice!)
What I would advise, though, is to leave a bit of time between attunements, in order to not overload yourself. Remember, there is no rush – you’ll get there either way! 🙂
2. How to prepare for your MOE attunement
So you’ve practised the MOE lessons and want to be attuned at whatever level is appropriate for you. You’ve also found a public attunement at a convenient date and time, or have settled a specific date with a Master Teacher who offers individual attunements.
Now what? 🙂
First of all, I’d encourage you to re-read the attunement descriptions and requirements again for your specific attunement.
Since you’ve done the work, I presume you know where to find them. 😉 But for convenience’s sake, here we go again:
MOE Apprentice attunement
MOE Healer attunement
MOE Master attunement
Seriously, I mean that – go and re-read them right away, even if you’re sure you already know them by heart. I’ll wait!
.
.
.
Done? Good. 🙂
In general, becoming attuned in the Modern Order of Essenes requires several things:
- study and knowledge of the MOE material (up to the appropriate level)
- mastery of the exercises and lesson material and their regular practice (again up to the appropriate level)
- in particular, daily practice of all the relevant exercises for at least a week before the attunement!
- a couple of decisions to be taken beforehand (the name you want to be attuned with, and the name of the Divine to be invoked in your attunement)
- familiarity with the ceremony
- uninterrupted time, a chair to sit on, etc, as specified in the ceremony descriptions
- and finally, for the Healer and Master Attunement, it also requires you to have received the preceding attunements (Apprentice; Apprentice and Healer) at an earlier time
If you have already received an MOE attunement before, say the Apprentice and you are now working towards the Healer, none of this will come as a big surprise to you… 😉
And as you might have noticed from (re-)reading the instructions, it is all spelled out there – there are no hidden surprises.
However, there is one point I’d like to stress:
You really do need to put in the work beforehand!
The path of the Modern Order of Essenes requires diligent work and practice. Sure, you could do a few of the exercises, get the attunements, never practice again, and then go around for the rest of your life bragging about your uplevelled status as “MOE Master” or so. 😉
But that’s not the point of the work – and frankly, there are already more than enough people running around, bragging about their credentials, but not walking their talk. We don’t need anymore of these!
However, I have another reason for stating this requirement so clearly. In fact, it’s in your own best interest to adhere to this requirement.
Remember when I said above that the attunements would draw the divine healing energies down into you?
Well, they’ll do that.
And if you haven’t prepared yourself by doing the work, you might end up with a lot of energy inside of you, and no place for it to go to – which can be a rather unpleasant experience.
Thus it’s important to actually put in the practice before each attunement. If you aren’t sure whether you have taken your practice far enough yet, you can always wait for a later date and get more practice under your belt first.
(Unless you are one of the people who, for a variety of reasons, keep postponing the next attunement, maybe because they’re never sure if they’re “good enough yet”.
In this case, study the material, do your practice, stop overthinking, and simply get attuned. Just sayin’! 😉 )
A regular practice of the exercises in general, and in particular a daily practice at least a week before your attunemnt, will ensure that your energy paths are clear and that you are prepared to attune yourself to the divine healing energies.
3. What to expect before, during and after your MOE attunement
Before we go through the three stages one by one, I want to point out that whatever effects the attunements will have on you is highly personal – so personal, in fact, that there doesn’t seem to be a hard and fast rule.
This also means that your own experience can vary greatly between different attunements.
I.e. even if you felt nothing at all from your Apprentice attunement, you might be surprised to notice effects from your Healer attunement. Or your Healer attunement was a whopper, and you might go into your Master attunement with some trepidation, wondering if its effects will be even stronger – and then it turns out to be a nothingburger.
Yes, I know – there should be a pattern there and a set of fixed rules. 😉 If there is, I haven’t found it yet, and I don’t think any of the current Master Teachers has either. (Although I stand to be corrected!)
If I should ever become aware of how these things work and why, I’ll post it somewhere – but keep in mind that the divine healing energies are not just a tool to be used and directed by you. Instead, they are, for lack of a better word, entities in their own right, and they might have their own ideas about what is appropriate or helpful in each case.
Which, in turn, means that we are not always able to predict how the energies will behave, and what your experience will or will not be.
So your best bet is to just relax, and enjoy the process, no matter what: If you don’t feel any effects, that’s fine. And if you feel any effects, that’s fine, too. 😉
Let’s go through the three stages one by one then, shall we?
3.1 Before your attunement
It might come as a surprise that there could even be any experiences before the actual attunement (besides whatever you’re experiencing from your regular practice anyway, that is).
But the divine healing energies don’t exactly live on the same plane as we do. In some instances, “time” can be a rather loose concept for them.
What this means is that some people, in some cases, might experience effects from an attunement even before the actual attunement takes place.
(Yet another reason to do your work daily and diligently for at least a week before the attunement to make sure you’re well-prepared!)
My current understanding is that this isn’t the norm. Or, in other words: For most of you, the days before the attunement won’t bring any big firework effects. 😉
However, there are cases when the energies make themselves felt beforehand. And even if these are rare cases, I wanted to mention them just in case it happens to be you… (After all, no reason to freak out about something which is perfectly normal and ok, right?)
What people can experience even before the actual attunement can, to the best of my knowledge, vary as much as what they can experience afterwards. Thus I’m not going to go into any details here, but instead refer you to section 3.3 below for the details.
3.2 During your attunement
In contrast, experiencing any effects during an attunement seems to be a rather common affair.
However, that doesn’t mean that you’re defective, or that your attunement didn’t work, if you should feel nothing!
(There is also a sizeable crowd who does in fact feel nothing out of the ordinary during their attunements, and they are perfectly well attuned afterwards, too.)
I.e. if you don’t feel anything at all: Relax. You’re fine. You did everything right. All has gone well. And: Congrats to your attunement! 🙂
What people do experience during attunements does, again, vary quite a bit.
You might notice one or more of the following:
- Etheric sensations like tingling or prickling, warmth, or pressure, especially in energy centers around the head, in the heart region, or on your hands.
- Emotions of various sorts and of various intensity.
- Impressions of the attuner who is performing the ceremony. These can happen in different modes. E.g. you might feel or simply be aware of his/her presence. You might “hear” the attuner’s voice, or “see” them, etc.
- You might become tired or sleepy – or you might feel full of energy.
You might also notice something I haven’t listed here – in which case I’d ask you to post a comment below and let me know, so that I can update the list accordingly. Thanks! 🙂
Any and all of these experiences are fine and perfectly normal – whether you have them or not.
And just in case you’re worried: I’ve yet to hear from anybody whose experiences during the actual attunement were “too much”, or too strong for them, or who otherwise couldn’t handle them just fine.
Most people seem to experience the attunements and anything that comes with them as rather pleasant (if only because it proves to them that something is indeed going on…).
So again, there is nothing to worry about – and I’d suggest there is also nothing to wait for.
Focus on your part of the ceremony, and be open to whatever happens. The more you try to “experience” certain things, the more elusive they might be, and the more you might miss out on other things you weren’t watching out for.
And remember, your experiences might vary quite a bit between different attunements. So even if you’ve been attuned before, be open to everything, and to nothing. 🙂
3.3 After your attunement
The days and weeks after your attunement are the time when all the subtle or not-so-subtle effects and after-effects should kick in – after all, you’ve been newly attuned to divine healing energies, and chances are good they will also find some “healing” to do with you. 😉
(At least that’s our human understanding of how things should go. But remember what I said in 3.1, these energies aren’t necessarily tied to time the same way we are…
I.e. it could well be that you’ve done the majority of the “heavy lifting” and integration before the attunement (and didn’t even really notice).
Or that now that the connection is established and you are attuned, you might experience the majority of effects further out, and don’t notice much of anything in the first few days.)
The energies might also have their own ideas about what you need the most – and some of it might be effects you weren’t expecting.
In any case, the effects of any attunement are highly personal. No two of us are the same, or are in the same position, or have the same background.
Thus whatever happens (or doesn’t happen) will be unique to you – there is no right or wrong here!
(And again, even if you don’t seem to notice anything at all, this doesn’t mean that the attunement didn’t work – it simply means whatever is going on is so subtle, or in such unexpected places, that you just don’t notice.)
So, in short, there is no common pattern of experiences which most attunees share.
Having said that, here is a list of things you might experience – and again, if you experience(d) anything which isn’t on the list, let me know in the comments so I can add it in!
After your attunement (or beforehand, see 3.1), you might experience…
- Etheric effects, like tingling, warmth, a feeling of pressure. These can happen at various places in and on your body. The sensations can also move around, or affect different areas at different times.
- Emotions which are or feel different than before.
- New dream patterns, or dreams which appear meaningful.
- Changes in your habits, behaviors, emotional or thoughts patterns, or worldview. They may either subtly just happen, and one day you notice that you have changed, or you might be consciously working on such issues which had been “stuck” before, and which suddenly become a lot easier to let go of, or to change.
- New insights, stronger intuition.
- Changes of all sorts in your daily inner work, e.g. deeper meditations, or at the contrary a temporary struggle with focus during meditation, changes in your breathwork, in the effectiveness of certain exercises, or …
- Unexpected tiredness or exhaustion, or on the other hand an increase of energy.
- Changes in sleep patterns, including temporary trouble with falling asleep, sleeping through, or waking up earlier than usual.
- Spiritual effects of any kind.
- Cleansing effects on your body, like increased sweating, a mild case of diarrhea or a rash, increased menstrual bleeding for women.
(Yes, I know that this stuff isn’t what we’re all hoping for when we think of “divine healing energies”. But if there are major changes e.g. in your energy body, they can also temporarily affect your physical body. If its any consolation, physical effects like this seem to be an outlier and not the norm! Still, I figure it’s better to be upfront about this, so that the odd person who experiences anything the like isn’t left to worry about what is going on.)
So, what can you personally expect of all these things?
In all likelihood, only some mild and pleasant effects – or maybe even nothing at all. That’s both fine, btw, and not a sign of failure. 😉
From my limited experience and bits of second-hand knowledge, it seems that the effects of an MOE attunement are, for most people, rather subtle. Maybe sometimes surprising, but usually pleasant.
If you’re one of this majority of people, the list above can be helpful for you to notice the various effects, especially the less obvious ones.
If you’re one of the few people who experience stronger effects from one attunement (again, remember that this might differ wildly between attunements!), then the list above can help you to realize that while not all of your experiences might be pleasant, they are all perfectly normal. 😉
So… what can you do if any of these experiences should be proving to be a bit too much?
First of all, if you should experience any bodily problems to a degree which goes beyond home-remedy level, you should consult a licensed professional.
If your problems are related to your energy body (noticeable e.g. by heavy tingling or other strong etheric sensations), and things like energy work or acupuncture are legal in your jurisdiction, it might be worth seeking out an experienced practitioner of these, as they might be able to treat things on the etheric level as well.
In the remainder, I assume that either you don’t have any serious physical problems, or you’ve competently taken care of them…
If any energetic effects should become too much, you can try any or all of the following: A cold shower to get rid of excess energy. Get a massage (to open any blockages in energy centers), or to do foot reflexology on yourself. Ground yourself as much as possible, e.g. by going outside, working in the earth, lying on bare ground, or walking barefoot. Eat enough meet.
Note that strong energetic sensations, especially if you are not used to them, can also feel like “itching” (from the tingling in your energy body), or manifest as a headache (from pressure in energy centers around the head).
If your sleep patterns should be interrupted to a degree which bothers you: If this is an effect of the attunement, it will be temporary. (If not, you need to look for other sources!)
There are all sorts of home remedies available to help with sleep problems. Since not everything works for everybody, I suggest that you browse around and try what appeals to you. Or, if you can afford the loss of sleep, simply sit it out for a few days until things have settled down. 😉
If you should feel particularly tired or exhausted: Do your best to get as much rest as possible. Take a nap, if at all possible. Go to bed as early as you can, or try to sleep in a bit longer. Put your feet up for a few minutes during the day. Cancel stuff which isn’t absolutely necessary right now, and take care of yourself instead. Try a soothing bath, a hot cuppa, or some nice and relaxing music. Cuddle up with somebody or get a massage. And, again, try to get as much sleep as you seem to need right now, even if you think this is a ridiculous amount!
If you should experience any bodily effects: Again, I assume you’ve taken care of the medical side. But assuming there is no underlying medical issue, and your symptoms are either being treated, or don’t require treatment:
I’m afraid I don’t have an all-purpose remedy for this case. You can try using the MOE methods on yourself, in particular the Healing Hands and Bridge of Love – just be careful not to overload yourself with more energy than you can handle right now.
It might also help you to concsciously welcome these effects, weird as it might sound. They are signs of your etheric and physical bodies cleaning themselves, and signs of the divine healing energies doing their divine healing work on you. Both of these are things to be welcomed, even if the short-term effects might suck. And remember that this, too, shall pass…:-)
(Btw, this strategy does also help with other kinds of side effects of the attunements. Things like sleep issues or strong etheric tingling will only become worse the more you fret about them. If you should experience anything the like, then try, as much as possible, to shrug your shoulders about them, and to be grateful that you feel effects from your attunement at all – after all, if you wouldn’t feel anything, you’d probably be wondering right now whether the attunement even worked, wouldn’t you? 😉 )
Finally, if you experience any effects of an attunement which you find too strong, or too much, for your liking: Don’t stop practicing your MOE exercises!
If there is an excess of healing energies in your system, it needs to find an outlet – and you doing the practices will ensure that there is an outlet, and that you avoid and clear any blockages as much as possible.
And last but not least: If you read this part before an attunement, remember what I said above: It seems to be very rare for people to experience any such strong effects. It’s a lot more likely that you will experience nothing at all, and will be left wondering whether things worked or not… 😉
….
So – there you have it. My summed up two cents about Modern Order of Essenes attunements.
I hope any of this is of help to you – and I would very much appreciate it if you’d share your own experiences in the comments, anonymously if you want, so that all of us can broaden our understanding of how the MOE attunements work.
I’m looking forward to reading your comments!
And before you go about a-commenting, one final request: I would also appreciate feedback on whether the post stresses potentially unwelcome side-effects too much, as I’m not sure about this.
I tried to make it very clear that most people will not experience anything the like – did this come through to you? But on the other hand, I don’t feel that it helps the odd person who does have unwelcome experiences to pretend that nothing like this ever happened to anybody else.
Thus the above text is my attempt to console both aims. Could you let me know if I have succeeded, or if either side came through too strongly for you?
Image: Yoann Boyer on Unsplash
Leave a Reply