Approaching the Path by Christopher Winters
June 8, 2020When we are, under any number of circumstances, met with an introduction to the occult world (“occulture” if you’re more comfortable with such parlance), we are easily overwhelmed by the endless, seemingly-rigid paths, branches, traditions, etc. of mystery schools in which we might invest our efforts. Popular terms, such as witchcraft, druidism, hoodoo, voodou (spelled in a variety of ways), hermeticism, goetic magick, enochian magick, conjure, low magick, high magick, ceremonial magick, and countless others are used conventionally and purposively to help those that seek them to have an accommodating hand rail on the stairs of the metaphysical world. Each has its own salient features, its own unique flavor of operations, beliefs, perspectives, techniques, and can hardly (any of them) be encapsulated in an expression of language; however, it is here, within this blog, that we will make a sincere attempt with at least one of them.
High magick (also referred to by several other names) is an umbrella term that is used to encompass numerous methods of ceremonial and ritual magick found in the worlds of Hermeticism/Western Esotericism. It entails the magicks of the medieval grimoires of which there are too many to list, the works of Eliphas Levi, Agrippa (his Three Books of Occult Philosophy are likely responsible for the engendering of nearly all contemporary high magick formats), Francis Barrett, Samuel Mathers, Aleister Crowley, and several more. Again, it is impossible to entirely encapsulate a term as broad as high magick, and there are therefore several details which are inevitably neglected within this article.
Though high magick is the subject of this writing, the term predicates the need to mention its fraternal twin. Low magick, or natural magick, encompasses those practices such as witchcraft, hoodoo, etc. Of course, no matter how we decide to discriminate between them, each practitioner will come to identify them by different criteria. Regardless, there are a number of idiosyncrasies that must be acknowledged. In the Tree of Life (the Hebrew name for it is The Sephiroth), a glyph that diagrammatically displays any number of things that one might attribute to it—consciousness of man, atlas of the universe, the pathway of ascension, a magickal engine, genesis and exodus, the schematic of the tarot, a Jungian blueprint, etc.—there are contained four worlds of existence. Though the implications within this diagram are endless, we will avoid any convoluted explanations that may confuse readers that are being introduced to the Sephiroth for the first time. The highest plane of existence upon the tree is called Atziluth. The next one down is Briah. From Briah, we enter Yetzirah. From Yetzirah, we arrive at Assiah. Again, at this time, elaborations upon the tree are best left alone (as far as this article goes—feel free to explore the tree on your own). We will inevitably expound upon the Sephiroth at length in future articles, for it will become the foundation of the practice for those that decide to climb its branches. Returning to our topic, the four worlds go from the most divine (Atziluth) to the densest, gross material plane of manifestation (Assiah). And this is where we find the relevance of this anfractuous explanation: low magick operates on the plane of Assiah—it aims to manifest resources for survival, etc. High magick involves an entirely different agenda, one of ascension upon the tree of life, development of the light body, and unity with Kether—we call this agenda The Great Work. For the sake of being concise, high magick operates on the “higher” planes. Low magick works upon the lower. Please understand that the labels do not imply superiority or inferiority—low is not a derogatory term and high is not an exalted term. These adjectives are merely for operational convenience.
Having read this far, we will assume you, the reader, have some interest in High ceremonial magick and are interested in some of the practical applications therein. With this in mind, it is our intention to equip you with a tool that you can begin to utilize immediately.
In our physical lives, there are some requirements that must be met for sustaining a considerable existence of comfort; the same is true for our metaphysical work. Sanitation/hygiene, as it is in our everyday existence, must be prioritized when we begin working with energies that are seemingly altogether alien for the sake of preserving our overall health. Our astringent of choice, the one that is traditionally offered to the initiate of any Hermetic tradition, is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Before we dive into the underlying symbology, let’s begin with learning the motions of the ritual, for—despite it’s simple appearance—it is rather complex in that it involves choreography, visualization, vibrating holy names, and invocation.
The basic format of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is as follows:
The ritual begins with the Qabalistic Cross
1). With a steel dagger in the right hand, face East. Take a moment to practice mindful breathing, inhaling for four counts, retaining the inhalation for another four counts, and then releasing the breath for four counts. Something that isn’t often suggested, but I personally find to be helpful, is being certain that the tip of the tongue is connected to the front of the roof of the mouth—this is beneficial to the circulation of energy. While practicing this rhythmic breathing, visualize yourself existing at an infinite size, the center of the universe, with the earth below your feet. A white sphere, radiating light, is resting just inches above your head.
2). Still facing East, lift the dagger above your head, and visualize it penetrating the sphere of white. Bring the tip of the dagger to your forehead and visualize the dagger pulling a thread of white light down with it. With the dagger tip at the forehead, vibrate the word “Ateh” (Ah-Tay) which means Thou Art.
3). Bring the dagger to the chest visualizing still the white thread from the tip (some insist on the bringing it to the pelvic region and that is perfectly acceptable), and vibrate “Malkuth.” This is pronounced with a hard T at the end. Malkuth means The Kingdom.
4). Next, bring the dagger to the right shoulder, the white thread still drawn from the tip of the blade. Vibrate “Ve-Geburah.” This means And the Power.
5). Bring the blade to the left shoulder and vibrate, “Ve-Gedulah.” This means And the Glory.
6). Then clasp the hands at your chest (prayer position is appropriate), and vibrate, “Le-Olam.” It means Forever. Then, with the dagger between the fingers, point upward and say, “Amen.”
Through the motions performed within the Qabalistic Cross, a cross of white is drawn over these points of the body. The next section of the ritual involves the drawing of the banishing (Earth) pentagram. When drawing them, it may be the least awkward approach to begin the base of the pentagram at about hip height, and allow the apex of the pentagram to end at the height of your forehead. Visualize each line of each pentagram being formed of flaming blue light (others may insist on visualizing them as natural flame, and that is fine). Try to feel their heat, the sound of the licking flames, etc. These practices will enrich the ritual for you. Please refer to the illustration below to familiarize yourself with how to draw the appropriate banishing pentagram.
- Facing East, draw the first banishing pentagram with the dagger. Bringing the point of the dagger to the center of the pentagram, vibrate the God Name, “Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh.” Imagine the voice penetrating the farthest reaches of the East.
- From the center of the first pentagram, draw a flaming white thread to the South. Here, draw a banishing pentagram in the same fashion, and vibrate the God Name, “Adonai.”
- Again, take the thread to the West, draw the banishing pentagram, and vibrate the God Name, “Ehehieh.”
- Finally, take the thread to the North, and vibrate the God Name, “Ateh-Gibor-Le-Olam-Adonai.”
- Return to the East. Hold your arms out to the sides to form a cross with the body.
(a) Say, “Before me, Raphael.”
(b) “Behind me, Gabriel.”
(c) “My right hand, Michael.”
(d) “My left hand, Uriel.”
6. Visualize the pentagrams surrounding you, making flaming revolutions about your body. Visualize yourself standing in a hexagonal column. Say, “For about me flames the pentagram. Within me, the column, shines the six-rayed star.”
To complete the ritual, repeat the Qabalistic Cross section.
In Israel Regardie’s comprehensive work, The Golden Dawn, he lists practical uses for the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Some of which include the banishing of disturbing or obsessive thoughts, the consecration of oneself or a space, the removal of harmful energies, meditation, and several others. As stated earlier, we will not yet endeavor to enrich the ritual further with examining the functions of the angels, their origins, the importance of the directions, the symbolism of the dagger or the white sphere, the significance of the God Names, etc. All in good time.
Please leave comments or questions if you feel inspired to.
The format delineated in this article is that of the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn (as inculcated by Israel Regardie). Other formats, such as that practiced in Thelemic traditions and others, will be discussed as well.
Source References: The Golden Dawn, 7th Edition- Israel Regardie; Llewellyn Publications. Woodbury, Minnesota