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Dearest J.H.,
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." - AL I:40
“Those who regard this ritual as a mere device to invoke or banish spirits, are unworthy to
possess it. Properly understood, it is the Medicine of Metals and the Stone of the Wise.”
You are supposed to be standing at the intersection of the paths of Samekh and
Peh. You are facing Tiphareth (the Sun), thus on your right hand is Netzach (Venus) on
your left hand Hod (Mercury), and behind you Yesod (the Moon).
You take one step with the right heel in the hollow of the left foot towards
Tiphareth and vibrate the Divine Name as given in the ritual. You then carry round the
point of the wand towards Netzach, then take a step again (always recovering after each
forward step so that you remain in the centre) and vibrating the Divine Name as before.
Continue the process facing Yesod and vibrating; then Hod, and vibrating; but
carry the point of the Wand round to Tiphareth so as to complete the circle.
As you vibrate the Divine Name the angels, as given in the ritual, appear (note
that they should appear and if the ritual is properly performed do appear.)
Get well into your mind the realization of this Column with its surrounding
pentagrams and its hexagrams above and below you. Continuous practice is essential if
you are to perform this ritual as you should. It is particularly important not to slur any
part of it; to visualize clearly and cleanly the forces invoked, with the exception of the
Divine Being, who will not appear, in the ordinary course of events, for such slight cause.
You can figure out for yourself the forms of the angels, or rather archangels. For
instance, Raphael, commencing with an "R" will have a head of solar glory and the Peh
which follows shows that the rest of him is martial: the "AL" which concludes the name
(in the case of most angelic beings) indicates that they wield the sword and the balance.
Additional Notes on the Pentagram Ritual
by Mustafa al-Laylah Bey (Frater Hierophage)
The point of the pentagram rituals (both the Lesser Banishing and the Greater) is
to balance the powers of the elements so they will serve you well, like these fair ladies:
Instead of having the elements work at cross purposes against you like these guys:
Upon close analysis of these names one finds that each pair of names has a
related meaning. JHVH is opposite AHIH, i.e. “He/She is” is across from “I
am.” ADNI is across from AGLA, i.e. the “Lord” is across from a Paean to
the Strength of the Lord. Upon even closer analysis and practice one finds that
in fact these names are not the divine names generally given for the cardinal
directions or the elements attributed to those directions. Those qualities really
are a matter of terrestrial convenience while the energies involved with this
disarmingly simple and quite charming ceremony are definitely those of a
more holistic order. Therefore the God-names used deal with the relationship
of the magician to his “Lord” as well as his awareness of the very real
connection to that ineffable quality of being that the Qabalists once wisely
called “That before which words fail.”
The angels that govern each of the Sephiroth shown above are as follows:
b. Raphael (311) (“ )רפאלThe Health or Healing of God” corresponds to the
East and is the Archangel said to govern the Element of Air.
c. Gabriel (246) (“ )גבויאלThe Mighty One of God” corresponds to the West
and is the Archangel said to govern the Element of Water.
d. Michael (101) (“ )מיכאלThe Likeness of God” corresponds to the South
and is the Archangel said to govern the Element of Fire.
e. Auriel (248) (“ )אוריאלThe Light or Torch of God” corresponds to the
North and is the Archangel said to govern the Element of Earth.
The odd thing is that this formula for whatever reason is not perfectly in
synch with the Tree. All of the Angels fit in their respective Sephirah –
Raphael is associated with Tiphareth, Gabriel with Yesod, and Michael with
Hod. But the Archangel that governs Netzach is not Auriel, it’s Haniel, “the
Grace of God”. Not only that, but with Michael on the left side of the Tree and
yet also on “my right hand” we must imagine the Tree as being projected onto
us as in the Qabalistic Cross or perhaps viewing the Temple as being situated
behind the Tree facing upwards. One possible explanation for this switch
would be that the version of the Tree that we are most familiar with is said to
be projected on the back of Adam Qadmon, or rather that we are viewing it
from the back. In establishing the Pillar of Severity on our right flank and
addressing Michael on our right hand perhaps it was the intention of the
ritual's authors to establish us as standing before the countenance of Adam
Qadmon – the Perfected Man. Whatever the case, I have never made any good
sense of the Haniel – Auriel business.
Now the Angels themselves should be visualized strongly, and I have had
great luck associating them with the senses: I imagine the scent of incense
issuing from Raphael, I taste the waters that spill from Gabriel behind me, I
see the radiance and heat from Michael, I feel the moist earthiness of the
cornucopia with Auriel. Eventually layering sensory information becomes a
great technique for full immersion in the creative imagination of the magician.
After establishing all of these potencies in the four corners one has cleared
out any psychic detritus within the Temple. Nature abhors a vacuum and
therefore fills in the void further establishing the connection to the “column”
that is the vertical component of the operation. Where the pentagram
represents the interplay of the Elements within the field of creation, i.e. the
world before us, the horizontal component, then the holy hexagram represents
the higher order of celestial intelligences, the 7 classical planets, which are
represented by two interlocking triangles (with the Sun at its center). “For
about me flames the Pentagram, and in the Column shines the six-rayed Star.”
4. And then the magician ends as he started, with the Qabalistic Cross.
Generally, this ritual is followed with the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram.
For superior knowledge and management of the Elemental energies of one’s life
there is a more advanced ritual of the Pentagram called the Greater Ritual of the
Pentagram in which demands memorization of no less than 12 different pentagrams. The
God-names are different than the ones used for the LBRP and there are gestures and
postures associated with each direction. This ritual allows one to either invoke/banish one
Elemental energy or all of them in one sitting therefore making it an invaluable tool in
working with specific types of issues that may be related to the Element in question.
I hope this helps, and as always if you have any questions, feel free to throw a beam my
way.
I am,
Mustafa al-Laylah
Revesian Exilarch