The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram (or LRP) is a ceremonial magic ritual devised and used by the original order of the
Golden Dawn that has become a mainstay in modern
occultism
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...
. This ritual is considered by many to be a basic preliminary to any other magical work, so much that it was the only ritual, besides initiation rituals, taught to members of the Golden Dawn before they advanced to the Inner Order.
There are two forms of the ritual, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP), and the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram (LIRP).
Description and structure
The principal components of the Qabalistic Cross and the LBRP are drawn from the works of French occultist
Eliphas Levi Eliphaz is one of Esau's sons in the Bible.
Eliphaz or Eliphas is also the given name of:
* Eliphaz (Job), another person in the Bible
* Eliphaz Dow (1705-1755), the first male executed in New Hampshire, for murder
* Eliphaz Fay (1797–1854), f ...
. The ritual is highly dynamic, using gesture, visualization and the pronunciation of certain words of power, combining prayer and
invocation
An invocation (from the Latin verb ''invocare'' "to call on, invoke, to give") may take the form of:
*Supplication, prayer or spell.
*A form of possession.
*Command or conjuration.
*Self-identification with certain spirits.
These forms are ...
as well as clearing and preparing a space for further magical or meditative work. The ritual is perceived as banishing any chaotic or impure forms of the elements from the
magician's circle by tracing the
pentagram
A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle aroun ...
s in the air and by the power of certain
divine names.
This is followed by an evocation of the
archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
s ruling the elements to fortify and guard the circle. These archangels are connected to the
classical element
Classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India had simil ...
s via the
astrological symbolism of the biblical
four living creatures: "Michael is the 'lion-headed', Raphael the "human-headed", Uriel the "bull-headed", and Gabriel the "eagle-headed". This symbolism connects
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
with the astrological sign
Leo and the classical element of
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
,
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...
with
Aquarius
Aquarius may refer to:
Astrology
* Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign
* Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages
Astronomy
* Aquarius (constellation)
* Aquarius in Chinese astronomy
Arts and entertainme ...
and the element of
air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
,
Uriel
Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...
with
Taurus
Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to:
* Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign
* Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac
* Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus
* ''Bos taurus ...
and the element of
earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
, and
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
with
Scorpio and the element of
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
.
Contemporary books on ceremonial magic tend to advise using only the banishing version for the first few months of ceremonial practice:
The ritual has an invoking counterpart, the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram. Together, they are sometimes known as the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. Many ceremonial magicians perform the banishing version daily, and some perform both the invoking and banishing versions.
The ritual
Equipment
![LBRP hebrew](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/LBRP_hebrew.PNG)
In its more elaborate forms, modern practitioners sometimes include the following:
*An
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
in the center of the ritual space, upon which are placed instruments representing the four
classical element
Classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India had simil ...
s
*A ceremonial robe (e.g. a
tau robe
A tau robe is a very simple black or white gown cut to resemble the Greek letter, " tau," or "T".Kraig (1989), p. 27.
Description
The arms are usually from fingertip to fingertip, and the bottom hem is usually floor length, as with a ceremonial t ...
) or other suitable ritual garb is worn by the magician
*A ritual
dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...
(e.g. an "
athame
An athame or athamé (, or ) is a ceremonial blade, generally with a black handle. It is the main ritual implement or magical tool among several used in ceremonial magic traditions, and by other neopagans, witchcraft, as well as satanic tradit ...
") used to gesture to the points of the
Qabalistic Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
, and to draw the
pentagram
A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle aroun ...
s and the magic circle connecting them.
Often, however, no special equipment or clothing is used.
Procedure
The Golden Dawn LBRP consists of three main parts.
Though practices vary, the general outline of the LBRP is below:
#''Qabalistic Cross'', which is meant to construct an astral cross in the body of the magician, with points corresponding to
sephirot
Sefirot (; he, סְפִירוֹת, translit=Səfīrōt, Tiberian: '), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof (The Infinite) reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and ...
h on the
Tree of Life
The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A History ...
using the
doxology
A doxology (Ancient Greek: ''doxologia'', from , ''doxa'' 'glory' and -, -''logia'' 'saying') is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives ...
of the
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
. While constructing this cross, the magician vibrates (rather than simply speaks) the Hebrew words Ateh,
Malkuth
Modern: ''Malḵūt'' , Tiberian: ''Malḵūṯ'' , Ashkenazi: ''Malḵūs'' , 'kingdom'), Malkhut Malkhuth or Malchus is the tenth of the sephirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. It sits at the bottom of the Tree, below Yesod. This sephirah ...
,
Ve-Geburah,
Ve-Gedulah, Le-Olahm, Amen, while pointing to the forehead, feet, right shoulder, left shoulder and heart, respectively.
#''Formulation of the Pentagrams'', in which, beginning in the east, a banishing earth pentagram (or an invoking pentagram for the invoking ritual), usually visualised as being in blue light or fire, is drawn in the air at each of the four
cardinal points
The four cardinal directions, or cardinal points, are the four main compass directions: north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials N, E, S, and W respectively. Relative to north, the directions east, south, and west are at ...
and an associated
name of God
There are various names of God, many of which enumerate the various qualities of a Supreme Being. The English word ''god'' (and its equivalent in other languages) is used by multiple religions as a noun to refer to different deities, or speci ...
is vibrated: (
YHVH
The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', ''waw'', and '' ...
(east, air),
Adonai
Judaism considers some names of God so holy that, once written, they should not be erased: YHWH, Adonai, El ("God"), Elohim ("God," a plural noun), Shaddai ("Almighty"), and Tzevaot (" fHosts"); some also include Ehyeh ("I Will Be").This is th ...
(south, fire),
Eheieh
"I Am that I Am" is a common English translation of the Hebrew phrase (; )– also "I am who (I) am", "I will become what I choose to become", "I am what I am", "I will be what I will be", "I create what(ever) I create", or "I am the Existing On ...
(west, water) and
AGLA
AGLA () is a magic word that appears in some Incantation, charms. Its meaning is unsettled, but is widely repeated to be a ''Notarikon, noṭariqōn'' (kabbalistic acronym) for ''ʾAtā gībōr ləʿōlām ʾĂḏōnāy'', "Thou, O Lord, art migh ...
(north, earth). This segment of the ritual is meant to banish or invoke the four elements. The pentagrams are connected by a circle, also drawn in the air, which is completed by returning from the north point to the east.
#''Evocation of the Archangels'', during which the magician stands in the form of a cross and evokes the presence of archangels, visualising them at the four cardinal points: Raphael (east), Gabriel (west), Michael (south), and Uriel (north). The magician then stands feet shoulder-width apart and says a variation of "...for about me flames the pentagram, and within me shines the six-rayed star."
#The Qabalistic Cross is repeated.
See also
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References
Citations
Works cited
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Further reading
All of the following books contain some variation of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, its history, instructions on performance and/or commentary on the ritual.
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{{refend
External links
Lesser banishing ritual of the pentagramat
Llewellyn Worldwide
Llewellyn Worldwide (formerly Llewellyn Publications) is a New Age publisher based in Woodbury, Minnesota. Llewellyn's mission is to "serve the trade and consumers worldwide with options and tools for exploring new worlds of mind & spirit, thereb ...
Angels in Thelema
Ceremonial magic
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Magic rituals
Thelema