How to Use Magick to Effect Change in Your Life Part 2
Balancing and equilibrating the Aura
by Frater A.T.L.V.
In the last post in this series we covered some very basic concepts and questions that the beginner on this Path faces, and the problems that can arise if they are not properly dealt with. In this post we will pick up where we left off, and get into the specifics of the rituals and practices that are all important to the beginning solitary practitioner of Golden Dawn Magick.
Since I have decided to start at the beginning and not just jump into advanced Magick, this post may seem very basic to those already familiar with Golden Dawn rituals and rites, and the various concepts and symbolism that are used in them. However, I feel that there is a huge lack of resources for solitary practitioners and independent magicians regarding the Magic of Light, so the first few posts in this series are aimed at helping those who are taking their first steps onto this beautiful Path on their own.
The last post posed a very important question to would be Golden Dawn magicians: is being a solitary practitioner for you?
Hopefully you have had the time to think about this question and honestly ask yourself whether you have what it takes to work this system effectively on your own, or whether you would be better off with the guidance and structure that comes with belonging to an order.
If you have found that the latter is true, there are many orders to choose from. If this is you, you should begin doing extensive research into the various orders and do your best to find the one that speaks to you. Be very wary, however, to not make that choice based on blogs alone. Be sure to check out the websites of the orders very thoroughly and try to determine exactly what you can expect from membership. If possible, ask members what their experience has been. There are forums for several of the bigger name orders on Yahoo Groups where one can do this.
However, if after reading the last post, you feel that you have the patience, determination, persistence, and strength of Will to pursue the Magick of Light as a solitary or independent practitioner, then this post will cover just how you should get started. If you plan on continuing on as a solitary, expect to be very busy, make time for daily ritual work and study, and always write in your magical journal, ALWAYS!
Many would be solitary Golden Dawn magicians have failed or simply given up because they start to feel as though they've got it, and stop writing in their journal, stop practicing the rituals on a regular basis, or simply feel as though they have hit a wall and cannot continue to progress. A lot of times this happens because they are relying solely on material from Israel Regardie's "The Golden Dawn", this is a common problem amongst solitaries.
Another reason solitary Golden Dawn magicians often fail is because they want all the Magick at once, and are not willing to work slowly and patiently, but rather skip right ahead to the more advanced rites and rituals that come traditionally in the higher grades. But remember, as a solitary, it will be up to you and you alone not to make this crucial mistake, and instead to work the system as though you were going through the grades, slowly, patiently, and with dedication and persistence.
The first thing solitary Golden Dawn Magicians should begin to do daily, with regards to ritual work, is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. This ritual, when practiced daily for at least several months, is very effective in beginning to balance out the Aura or Sphere of Sensation of the magician.
It is advisable to work only this ritual, which will hereafter be referred to as the LBRP, for at least 3 or 4 months, if not a full year, before moving on to more advanced rites and rituals. I know, this sounds like an awfully long time. Remember, when one works this system on their own, they are not receiving LVX (energy, current, Light) directly from an initiator as magicians that work in Temples or orders do, and thus it takes much longer to develop the ability to create, control, and manipulate this Light energy.
This ability to create and control LVX, or Light energy, is crucial to the success of any Golden Dawn magician, and without it, the rituals are but empty dramatic plays.
There are several different versions of the LBRP out there, and this can be confusing to the new magician. This is why in my last post on this subject I talked about the importance of choosing a source that is not only complete, but consistent. As I said in my previous post, I recommend the Ritual Magic Manual, or RMM for short, to use as the basis and consistent reference point for your ritual work.
It is quite easy to find instructions for this ritual on the internet, but as I said, you will find that the instructions vary slightly from one source to the next. I will present the form of the ritual I find to be the most productive and effective, and will try to give the directions in a clear, simple manner. At this very early stage in a magician's career, it is important not to make things too complex, or to analyze too much.
This ritual is to be done daily, or as close to daily as possible. Doing so will accomplish two key things. Firstly, it will begin to slowly, safely, and effectively balance out your Aura. Secondly, it will begin to introduce you to the types of energy and the forces that you will be working with later in more advanced rituals. It is important to note, however, that one should never stop doing this ritual regularly, regardless of how advanced you may be or how long you have been doing it already, as consistent performance of the ritual is the key to its success.
There are a few things one must know in order to properly perform the LBRP. These are, the Sign of the Enterer, or projecting Sign, the Sign of Silence, or protecting Sign, the proper visualization of Light, and the Rite of the Qabalistic Cross.
We will first briefly discuss the two Signs mentioned above. These signs are a crucial component to all Golden Dawn Magic and must be learned and performed correctly for any ritual to be effective. You should do more research on your own into the history and meanings behind these very important gestures.
The Sign of the Enterer, also known as the projecting Sign or attacking Sign, is used to project magical energy.
The Sign of Silence, also known as the protecting Sign or the Sign of Harparcrates, is used to prevent the rebound or reflux of the energy projected with the Sign of the Enterer back onto the magician. In this way it is used to confine a force or energy after the tracing of the banishing pentagrams.
As far as the proper visualization of Light is concerned, it can be very difficult for the beginning student of Golden Dawn Magic. Many people tend to concentrate so hard on visualizing the Light that they are not properly visualizing it, but rather fantasizing it. Further, it is not necessary to close your eyes to properly visualize, you should practice until you can see the Light you trace with your eyes open, and without losing concentration on the other aspects of the ritual.
The Light you will use in the Qabalistic Cross is of a brilliant white nature. The Light you will use when tracing the pentagrams in the LBRP, is reminiscent of the flame of a gas stove, that is, light blue but with a brilliant white glow.
Concerning the Rite of the Qabalistic Cross, it should be studied in depth and practiced alone until the student is familiar enough with it to do it from the heart without need for reference before using it in conjunction with the LBRP. One can find in depth explanations of this Rite in the RMM. There is a very barebones version in Regardie's Golden Dawn as well, and it is also available in many other sources. This Rite is done at the beginning and the end of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram as an opening and closing. I will cover it briefly and without exhausting detail, as it is thoroughly covered elsewhere. It should be performed as follows.
Rite of the Qabalistic Cross
1. Stand West of your altar facing the East. Visualize a star of Light above your head. Using either a banishing dagger or simply your right index finger, point straight up and pierce the star, while visualizing a shaft of brilliant white Light emanating from the star above your head straight up into infinity. While lowering the dagger or finger to touch first your forehead and then your Solar Plexus or Heart, vibrate ATEH (a-ta). Touch the forehead during the first syllable & the heart during the second syllable. Continue to move the Light downwards as you do so.
2. While keeping the dagger tip facing up (never point the tip towards the Earth), lower it to the area of the groin, vibrate, MALKUTH (mal-kut) and visualize the Light extending downwards beyond your feet to infinity.
3. Touch your right shoulder, vibrate, VE-GEBURAH (ve-ge-vu-ra) and visualize the Light extending from your shoulder out to the right to infinity.
4. Touch your left shoulder, vibrate, VE-GEDULAH (ve-ge-du-la) and visualize the Light extending from your shoulder out to the left to infinity.
5. Bring the dagger or finger to your heart. Move it in a circle in a counter clockwise motion while you vibrate, LE-OLAM (le-o-lam).
6.. Clasp your hands before you over the center of your chest, at your solar plexus, holding the dagger (if using) with interlaced fingers, tip pointing upwards, with your elbows extended horizontally along the shafts of Light you have created. Visualize the giant cross of Light you have formed, while vibrating, AMEN (a-men).
Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
1. Stand West of your altar facing the East. Begin with Rite of Qabalistic Cross.
2. Go to the East of the altar. Trace a light blue (but with white brilliance) Banishing Earth Pentagram while you vibrate YHVH (yod-he-vav-he). Project Light into the center of the pentagram using the Sign of the Enterer. Immediately give the Sign of Silence.
3. Pierce the center of the pentagram and trace a line of white Light as you move to the South.
4. Trace a light blue (but with white brilliance) Banishing Earth Pentagram while you vibrate ADNI (a-do-nai). Project Light into the center of the pentagram using
the Sign of the Enterer. Immediately give the Sign of Silence.
5. Pierce the center of the pentagram and trace a line of white Light as you move to the West.
6. Trace a light blue (but with white brilliance) Banishing Earth Pentagram while you vibrate EHEIEH
(e-he-ye). Project Light into the center of the pentagram using
the Sign of the Enterer. Immediately give the Sign of Silence.
7. Pierce the center of the pentagram and trace a line of white Light as you move to the North.
8.Trace a light blue (but with white brilliance) Banishing Earth Pentagram while you vibrate AGLA
(a-ge-la). Project Light into the center of the pentagram using
the Sign of the Enterer. Immediately give the Sign of Silence.
9. Pierce the center of the pentagram and trace a line of white Light as you move back to the East. Complete the circle by finishing the line in the center of the first pentagram you traced.
10. Go to the West of your altar facing East. Give the Sign of Osiris Slain (arms outstretched like a cross), dagger in your right hand pointing upwards (if using).
11. Say with authority, vibrating where the bold names are, "Before me RAPHAEL (ra-fa-el), behind me, GABRIEL (gav-re-el), to my right, MICHAEL (me-kai-el), and to my left, AURIEL (u-re-el), about me flame the pentagrams, and in the column, shines the Six Rayed Star". (When vibrating the Archangelic Names, visualize them standing around you in all their majesty, while still visualizing the pentagrams you have traced & charged. )
12. Perform the Rite of the Qabalistic Cross again in closing.
If the above ritual is done regularly and repeatedly over a long period of time, the effects will astonish you! Practice, practice, practice, and be patient! Great things come to those who have the virtues of patience and persistence.
(Rituals paraphrased from memory, primary source, "The Ritual Magic Manual", by David Griffin)
(Rituals paraphrased from memory, primary source, "The Ritual Magic Manual", by David Griffin)
thank you thank you thank you
ReplyDeleteIN L.V.X.Javier
Great post Frater; these basic and important rites are a good point of entry to the Golden Dawn Tradition for those who are not members of an Order.
ReplyDeleteThe Neophyte grade rites have been published for a long time, but as you mentioned it above, there are also many variants of them; and what you are offering here, are the official rites or the HOGD/AO, according the Ritual Magic Manual.
Care Frater VL,
DeleteThank you. I have said it before, and I will continue to say that I recommend the Ritual Magic Manual for anyone attempting to work the system on their own, as it provides a thorough and consistent source for reference, whereas other sources vary widely in the description of even the most basic rituals & rites.
The RMM is a truly legendary book, as it gives you everything you need to progress in the Golden Dawn system of Magic, slowly, safely, and very effectively. Also, it provides the magician with advanced rituals not found anywhere else in print. The level of the Magic taught in the RMM is what most orders teach in their Second or Inner Orders, and dare I say, even more advanced than some.
In my opinion, for one working as a solitary, it is the closest you can get to the level of development you receive with the guidance of an order. Of course nothing can compare to the guidance and structure you get when working within an order, but for those who choose to be solitary, this book is as close as it gets.
However, like I said in the post, YOU have to do the work, and have the virtues of patience, persistence, strength of Will, and very strong dedication to The Great Work if you are to achieve anywhere near the results that working in an order gives you on your own, as you will not have the structure, Hierarchy, and guidance of a magician more advanced than yourself to help you along the Path, nor a strict curriculum.
As a solitary practitioner of Golden Dawn Magic, this all falls on you, and it is very difficult to achieve the same results that order membership brings. However, with enough of the virtues mentioned, and a LOT of regular, daily hard work, one can get close if they are dedicated and disciplined enough. It will naturally take a LOT longer though, as you don't have the benefit of receiving LVX energy directly from an initiator.
I have experience with both ways of doing things, that is, solitary & working within an order, and I will admit that when working in orders, as long as they are teaching Traditional Golden Dawn Magic, things are much more thoroughly explained and more easily comprehended. You also have the huge benefit of working and learning with others, and not being left to fend for yourself, which can be hard & downright frustrating.
Thanks again for your comment.
Sincerely and Fraternally, in L.V.X.,
Frater A.T.L.V.
Again, a very helpful article! Though I have been practicing the LBRP for months and have looked up various formulations of it, no one I looked at included the Sign of Silence or explained why that might be important. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteEven more helpful in practice. Thank-you again.
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