Chapter 10

Tuesday May 4, 2010, Just Before Sunrise

I had set my alarm for about an hour before sunrise, which meant I hadn’t had much sleep. Nor did I have a lot of time to get ready.

Purification is an important part of a ritual, and usually I take a long bath, but my father always insisted showers worked just as well, so this time I hopped into the shower and turned on the water full blast and cold. That woke me up.

I skipped breakfast. Fasting wasn’t strictly necessary, but I do it sometimes before a particularly difficult ritual. Leaving the body free to deal with energy instead of being distracted by digestion can help.

Booting up my computer to review the ritual took longer than I’d wanted. It really was time to buy a newer, faster machine. I s...

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