Zelator is Latin for, "Zealot" and signifies a person who is uncompromising in the pursuit of their ideas, whether religious, political or something else.
Self Initiation into the Zelator Degree consists of swearing an Oath to gain control of your Foundation, enabling him or her to execute the Great Work of Spiritual Alchemy and Magick. The Zelator degree is reached once the individual begins actively working on their Spiritual Transformation, studying and practicing Magick. The student must learn about themselves, as they exist in the here and now. The individual must also overcome the obstacle of Inertia, which usually manifests as a lack of desire to practice. It is caused by the previous lack of work being done, before the individual started this path. If the individual continues to practice, they will overcome this effect and the same law will actually propel them onward on the path to Enlightenment.
In Hermeticism and Spiritual Alchemy, this degree corresponds to the first step in the Great Work, which is Calcination. The task of the Zelator is to keep the Alchemical Fire burning to enable Spiritual Transformation.
According to the Kabala, this degree equates with the sphere of Malkuth.
In the Kabalistic Ritual Magick of our Tradition, the rituals used to accomplish these things include the Relaxation Ritual, Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram and the Ritual of the Middle Pillar.
In the Egyptian Mystery Tradition, this degree equates with Tep Ta, a Master of the Earth.
The initiate should begin studying the Tree of Life, Chakra System and Tarot.
The practical techniques the initiate should learn here are how to Cleanse and Energize the Aura, control the spiritual element of Fire and how to keep a journal of all metaphysical work. The initiate should also learn how to live in the healthiest way possible, as this will help increase the Life Force that is available to contribute to Spiritual Transformation. It is up to each individual to determine what is appropriate for them to do in order to improve their health on all levels. Some suggestions from my own practice can be found here. We also practice the Five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation.
The initiate should also start any personal purification work associated with their individual Path.
Some of the other rituals, from other parts of our Tradition are the Ritual of the Personal Mosque,
Ritual of the Guardian Elks or the Ritual of the Arra Star.
The choice of which rituals to use depending on the personal Path and desires of the individual practitioner.