I would also review with the incubant the symbolic scenario of the incubation ritual, how it might be approached as a reflection of an inner process of self- guidance or healing, and how the incubant might best enter into the spirit of the ritual. Here I guided my coaching according to the metaphors the incubant provided, and I explained about the selection of the personal symbols of the sacred place and the revered benefactor:

Your symbol of the place of sanctity should evoke a sense of reverence along with the feelings of safety, comfort, and nurturance that this place provides. Search for such a place where you might go to think over an important problem, a place in which you feel you might be able to achieve significant perspectives on your life, a place where you would feel centered and at peace. If you could imagine, for example, coming to a realization of the meaning of your life, what would be the setting in which this blessing would most likely occur?

Your symbol of the revered benefactor should inspire you by the feelings of confidence, enthusiasm, and optimism which this esteemed person evokes. Survey the people you have most respected and admired, people you have actually known, or only dreamed or fantasized about, and look for that trusted person who could best provide you with what you need to accomplish your purpose. Considering your own particular problem, find a person who you feel would have specially appropriate powers of healing, or a special quality of wisdom. Perhaps it would be someone loving and understanding, with a depth of perception which would enable that person to see into your heart and help you see yourself.

I advised the incubant to devote ample time to the contemplation of the chosen symbols. I requested additionally that pictures be made of these symbols, to provide an external focus of contemplation to help the incubant develop a feeling of resonance with the sources of the projected images. For similar reasons, I asked that a picture also be made of that dream, discussed previously, which concerned the topic of conflict.

Finally we discussed the significance of symbolic acts of purification, and how such aspects of ritual may provide meaningful expressions of sincerity and receptivity. If the incubant was inclined to fasting, I counselled that it be approached not with an attitude of deprivation, but rather as an affirmation that one thing could be willingly sacrificed in order to allow sustenance from something else (3). Rather than necessarily fasting from food, I suggested that the incubant consider fasting from an emotional attitude or habit pattern that would have to be relinquished anyway if the purpose of the incubation were to be fulfilled. I stressed that an effective fast need not be a perfect one, for if the incubant learned from the difficulties of the fast how ubiquitous and unyielding to sacrifice the fasted-from emotional pattern could be, the resultant humility might create more receptivity to the grace of the incubation. I also prompted the