LBRP

      rom the Diwan of  : F

 M  ustafa al- L    aylah  L   B  ey  Revesian Exilarch and Jabberknowle

July 1, 2005 e.v., Dies Venii Sol in Cancer, Luna in Taurus Anno IVxiii Dearest J.H., "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." - AL I:40

As promised here’s another little nugget of Hermetics, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram Modified from Liber O:

(i)Touching the forehead, say “Ateh” (Unto Thee). (ii) Touching the breast, say “Adonai” (Lord) (iii)Touching the navel, say “Malkuth” (The Kingdom). (iv) Touching the right shoulder, say “ve-Geburah” (and the Power). (v) Touching the left shoulder, say “ve-Gedulah” (and the Glory). (vi) Clasping the hands upon the breast, say “le-Olahm, Amen” (To the Ages, Amen). (vii) Turning to the East, make a pentagram (that of Earth, banishing) with the proper weapon (usually the Wand or the first two fingers of the right hand). Say (i.e. vibrate) I H V H. ( ‫)יהוה‬ (Pronounce: Yeh-ho-vah, amongst others)

(viii) Turning to the South, the same, but say A D N I ( ‫)אדני‬. (Pronounce: Ah-dohnye) (ix) Turning to the West, the same, but say A H I H ( ‫)אהיה‬. (Pronounce: Eh-hee-eh or Eh-heh-i-eh) (x) Turning to the North, the same, but say A G L A ( ‫)אגלא‬. (Pronounce: Ahg-lah or  Ah-geh-lah) (xi) Extending the arms in the form of a Cross, say: (xii) “Before me Raphael;” (xiii) “Behind me Gabriel;” (xiv) “On my right hand Michael.” (xv) “On my left hand Auriel;” (xvi) “For about me flames the Pentagram,” (xvii) “And in the Column stands the six-rayed Star.” (xviii-xxii) Repeat (i) to (vi), the "Qabalistic Cross."

Notes on the Ritual of the Pentagram

 by Aleister Crowley

“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.”

(The Palace of the World) 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.) You are thus standing in a Column which is protected by your microcosmic invocation. The consequent result, being macrocosmic response, is that without any effort on your part the hexagram or sixfold star appears both above and below you. (Note the

equilibration of 5 = 6). In this way you are completely shut off from the outer and Qliphotic parts of the universe. 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:

Earth

Water

Air

Fire

Instead of having the elements work at cross purposes against you like these guys:

Fire

Air

Water Earth

After performing your ceremonial ablutions and donning your vestments, the LBRP (Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram) is generally one of the first ritual actions  performed within the Temple. The ritual may be broken down into four stages as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Performance of the Qabalistic Cross; Banish the mundane and establish the God-Names in each of the quarters; Invoke the Archangels of the quarters and acknowledge the 5=6 Equation. Repeat the Qabalistic Cross.

Let’s address each of these stages in turn: 1.

The Qabalistic Cross – So called because in its performance the magician is

tracing elements of the Qabalistic Tree of Life (‘Otz Chaim) onto his body and doing so by creating two intersecting axes, the Cross in question. In essence he is creating a correspondence between himself and Adam Kadmon, the Primordial Androgynous Man, in whose body the entire Cosmos is represented as the “Microprosopus” or microcosm. The parts of the “Cross” may be understood thusly: a. “Ateh” (‫את‬ or ‫אתה‬)– “Thou” corresponds to Kether, “The Crown”, which is the primordial source of creation. “Ateh” is spelled with an Aleph and a Tau (if denoting god in the fem. sing. case), the Hebrew equivalent of Α and Ω, the first and last, the entire everything. This gives the word a numerical value of 401, which relates also to the Hebrew word Eth, or  essence. Aleph in the Qabalistic classic, the Sefer Yetzirah, is related to the classical Element of Air in the form of Ruach (a form of spirit that’s closely asociated with the breath – similar to the concepts of ch’i, prana,  pneuma, or the Roman spiritus). In the same text Tau is related to the element Earth and the planet Saturn, which was believed to be the heaviest, densest and most distant of the 7 classical spheres. Thus the combination of both letters intimates the omnipresence of Spiritual Air  throughout the entire field of Creation – from the Earth beneath your feet and of which your body is composed, to the furthest extent of the Universe. It also denotes temporal omnipresence since, as mentioned above, Aleph represents the beginning and Tau, the end. Ateh also means “sign, portent, or token” and “self”. If, however one is addressing God as a singular masculine deity the addition of the letter Heh is added (406) and means in addition to “thou,” to bring; to be brought; to come; to befall; to go, pass away. 406 is also the value of the Divine Name Alosheh, “God Made.” Thus, the Heh serves as a “window” by which the qualities of the Aleph and Tav as previously described may be witnessed, i.e., they are brought to the magician as what God has created.  b. “Adonai” (‫אדני‬) – “Lord” corresponds to Tiphareth, “Beauty”, the  perfectly balanced sphere that lies as the hub for the 5 sephiroth below the Abyss and is the natural residence of the Holy Guardian Angel. This sphere is somewhat analogous to the Tantric chakra of Anahata. The

c.

d.

e.

f.

2.

gematria (numerological calculation) for Adonai is 65 which equates it with the Hebrew word “Helel”, which means “to shine”, “to be bright”, or  “Praiseworthy”. Additionally, 65 is 13x5 where 13= both Unity (‫אחד‬) or  Love (‫אהבה‬) is expressed through the powers of the pentagram, i.e., the equilibrated forces of the elements. Also, in the form of the number 65 is related the Great Work (6=5). “Malkuth” (‫מלכות‬) – “Kingdom” corresponds to the Sephirah of the same name on the Tree of Life. Malkuth is the densest of the Spheres and is the domain where the “crown”-ed “lord” rules and resides. It is also seen as the residence of the “princesses” (Malkah) of the Tarot Courts who serve as the Thrones for the Aces. This third term completes the creation of the Middle Pillar of the Tree. “ve-Geburah” (‫וגבורה‬) – “The Strength” which establishes the Pillar of  Severity which includes Binah (Wisdom), Geburah (Strength) and Hod (Splendor). “ve-Gedulah” (‫וגדולה‬) – “The Majesty” is an alternative name for Chesed, the fourth Sephirah, and establishes the Pillar of Mercy which includes Chokmah (Understanding), Chesed (Mercy), and Netzach (Victory). “le-Olahm” (‫לעולם‬) – “Unto the Ages (Forever)”; “Amen” (‫אמן‬) Which is the seal of the formula. After establishing a point of origin and termination vertically, as well as expressing the dynamic dyad horizontally, this last  part recognizes the entire process as always occurring; Shiva is always with Shakti, Nuit is always with Hadit, etc.

 Banishing of the mundane and Vibration of the God-names – Here the

element of earth is “banished” (i.e. united back to spirit) by tracing the  pentagram mentioned above in the prescribed fashion with the magician starting at the bottom left point (earth) and tracing upwards to the top point (spirit) and then to the rest of the points as the figure dictates. Israel Regardie was often quoted as saying that the pentagrams should be as big as you could  possibly make them without distorting the shape. After each tracing the magician “vibrates” the God name for the quarter. a. “Vibration” is one of those skills that is indispensable to the magician’s art in just the same way that the utterance of the “Ki” is essential to the successful performance of various martial arts. One starts by “breathing in” the name to be vibrated. After a certain degree of proficiency in the skill has been attained, the name to be “inhaled” can be visualized in Hebrew and enter almost of its own accord into the nostrils. For beginning students, however, it is best just to visualize the sound or energy of the name entering in with the breath. With each breath feel the energy of the name move lower down the body. Once the name reaches the soles of the feet, fling the body forward with both arms outstretched and vocally expel the name with the entire breath. The power of the utterance should be as such that you “hear” the name echoing in your mind well after you have vibrated the name and you are left with the feeling that “you” didn’t do it

 b.

c. d.

e.

at all, but rather you served as a conduit for the Cosmos to make audible this Divine Name. The first name vibrated is JHVH (‫יהוה‬) also called the Tetragrammaton, (Gr. “Name of the Four Letters”) in the direction of the East. It means “He/She is” or “He/She creates.” The magickal symbolism of the Tetragrammaton is so voluminous that it would be foolish for me even to  begin to expound on the layers upon layers of meaning that have accrued over the centuries. Briefly, It equals 26=13x2 (Unity and Love; ‫אהבה‬‫אחד‬ ) and relates to the four Qabalistic worlds as well as to the four elements. Adonai (‫אדני‬) is vibrated in the South. Its meaning is covered above. Ehieh (‫אהיה‬) means “I Am” and is vibrated in the West. This is the name that the Divine gave to Moses to give to the People of Israel. It is the absolute expression of Being and enumerates to 21. AGLA (‫אגלא‬) is a Qabalistic acronym (a technique called “notariqon”) which stands for “ Ateh Gibor Le-Olahm, Adonai ,” or “Thine is the Strength Forever, Adonai.” The name is vibrated in the North and equals 35 (The powers of the elements found in each of the essences of the  planets [5x7]; also: “to cheer up” [‫בלג‬], “to turn, plait, or combine; to twist together” [‫גבל‬])

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.” 3.

Invocation of the Archangels and establishment of the dynamic equilibrium of 5=6 

a. Once terrestrial consciousness has been sublimated and the more refined elements of existence have been recognized and amplified within the Temple, the magician, while facing East in the shape of the cross, invokes the Archangels that correspond to the four Sephiroth that surround the crossroads formed at the junction of the Samekh (‫ס‬) and Pe’(‫פ‬) path of the Tree of Life.

The Tarot Cards that are associated with these paths are: Atu XV: Art (the Trump for Sagittarius), that bridges the Solar consciousness of Tiphareth with the Lunar consciousness of Yesod, and Atu XVI: The Tower (the Trump for  the planet Mars), which represents the radical annihilation of things and ideas. These two paths intersecting each other give us a version of the Alchemical maxim “solve et coagule” to break up and conjoin. This is the process of  analysis and synthesis that is the key to the Great Work. The angels that govern each of the Sephiroth shown above are as follows:  b. Raphael (311) ( ‫“ )א ל‬The ‫ ר פ‬Health or Healing of God” corresponds to the East and is the Archangel said to govern the Element of Air. c. Gabriel (246) ( ‫“ו )י א ל‬The ‫ ג ב‬Mighty One of God” corresponds to the West and is the Archangel said to govern the Element of Water. d. Michael (101) ( ‫“כ) א ל‬The ‫ מ י‬Likeness of God” corresponds to the South and is the Archangel said to govern the Element of Fire. e. Auriel (248) ( ‫“ר) י א ל‬The ‫ א ו‬Light 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