Progression from LRP to the GRP
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93,
The idea of progression in a general sense is central to the G.D. tradition and its grade system. You start with baby steps, and progress to jogging. So I agree with Bill Heidrick, if I read him correctly, on that.
Spirit, in my understanding, is always implicit in the system. The practitioner doing an LRP has the Atziluthic and Britatic versions of the elements around a central core, wherein, by inference, Spirit abides. In later work, that notion is explored and intensified.
I don't really trust the Thelemic Order of the G.D. material much. That may s imply be that I don't understand the Order's working rationale. Also, while I wouldn't want to say Heidrick was wrong he has a different approach to the whole process to what I've learned. Off the top, I find his view over-prescriptive. But if it works for him, maybe it works for others too.
93 93/93,
Edward
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Your excellent question is complicated by a couple of points:
(1) What the terms "Lesser" and "Greater" mean in the names of these rituals varies from context to context - just by seeing the names is no guarantee that we are talking about the same rituals!
(2) An exact path one might recommend - an exact progression - is one of those things that is highly dependent on the exact training method one is following. There aren't so much absolute "right" and "wrong" answers for this one, so much as there are answers appropriate to a specific training organization's program.
I'm guessing that you're asking about a "natural progression" when working as an individual, not as part of an Order's specific program. From that p.o.v., your basic understanding is quite god and you're on the right track. Let me elaborate a bit.
First, on the matter of terminology:
There was no "Greater Ritual of the Pentagram" in the original Golden Dawn. There was a "Lesser" and a "Supreme." The A.'.A.'. founders, when writing Liber O, replaced the term "Supreme" with the word "Greater." What most people mean, therefore, when they write of the "Greater Pentagram Ritual" is what the Golden Dawn called the "Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram." There is then another quite distinctive and significantly different ritual - originating AFAICT with Paul Case - which adopted the name "Greater" (standing between "Lesser" and "Supreme"), and this has never been published openly - I'm aware of four Orders that continue to teach this as part of their progressive training, and use it for highly specialized work.
Another terminology confusion is that there is no single Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram. There are a dozen variations I can think of off the bat. When you look at the so-called "Greater" in Liber O, you'll see that there is not a specific ritual given for this. Rather, there are multiple items from which to choose. It is more like a toolbox, or even an "erector set"! From these tools (or applets!), a number of different rituals can be composed using related and fairly consistent principles, and several of these have "settled down" over the decades into fairly recognizable "stable rituals."
Concerning a given Order's training approach:
Yes, the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram most definitely can be used (and commonly is used) for invoking or banishing any of the Four Elements. Using a prerogative others don't have, I'll candidly say that, in Temple of Thelema's temple work, this is routine practice - for example (since the Supreme Ritual doesn't even appear in any form in the First Order) the Lesser Invoking Pentagram Ritual of Air is used to invoke Air in the 2° ritual. Change colors, change intent, leave the rest the same.
Concerning some "natural progression:"
The key, as you correctly discerned, is the set of Spirit pentagrams. In the G.D., these aren't introducted until the Portal ritual. So, if you were to create the "useful fiction" of assuming you don't have access to all of the pentagrams and words and the like on a single page in a dozen different books you own - fantasize a world in which the G.D. rituals and documents had never been published, and you were now a member of the original G.D. order - the following would be true:
0-0 - Learn the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram (generic)
1-10 - Learn that those are Earth pentagrams you've been using
2-9 - Learn the Air Pentagrams
3-8 - Learn the Water Pentagrams
4-7 - Learn the Fire Pentagrams
Portal - Learn the Spirit Pentagrams
5-6 - Learn how to integrate the Spirit component into workings at the Elemental level[TEMPLE OF THELEMA MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE (since so many are on this forum): This has only a distant relationship to the way things are taught and practiced in Temple of Thelema - so if it looks confusing, there's a good reason
. Just wanted to be sure to emphasize that I'm basing these remarks on the original G.D.]As Edward cogently stated, what is usually called the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, though it uses pentagrams drawn the same way as the Earth pentagrams, isn't focussed on the element Earth per se. It's truly a generic. For example, it doesn't use colors distinctive to the element Earth, nor is it done with the intention of attuning oneself or a space to that specific element. - Adding those disctinctive features is a separate stage, and could lead (in the nature-based progression we're discussing and developing) to a second step - as if transitioniong figuratively from 0-0 to 1-10 - where one moves from the "generic and all-inclusive" to Earth isolated by and as itself.
There would then follow, in turn, the adaptation of this Lesser formula to each of the other elements in the sequence Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, a stage of assimilation and incorporation being allowed at each.
One would then incorporate the Spirit pentagrams. Please notice, though, that in the Portal opening these are used quite differently than is normally suggested for the Supreme (or, as some call if, Greater) ritual. It is "do the four, then Spirit at the center." This is a quite distinctive version of the ritual (and, in fact, one that we developed more fully as a Portal-level tool within T.'.O.'.T.'.). You can develop something similar yourself from a study of published versions of the Portal ritual opening.
The penultimate stage would then be incorporating this Spirit or Quintessence component into the field of the elements. This is the place to undertake, in turn, each of the elemental pentagram rituals again - in the sequence Earth, Air, Water, Fire - but with Spirit incorporated into each. This is the form most books teach of the Supreme (aska Greater) Ritual of the Pentagram of each of the elements.
The ultimate stage would then be the "super-supreme" version of working all five elements - each of the four in its quarter and integrated with Spirit as you went - into a single ritual. At this point it starts looking staggeringly like Liber Samekh, btw, and is very fitting cap to the whole.
I want to say again that there is nothing "absolute" in the above - I took information available to the public and laid out a scheme along the lines you were discussing. I think you were on the right track, and maybe pretty much on the head.
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93
Thanks for you comments Jim. You've been a great help.
Your suggestion of a methodical and structured way to work through all the elements using the Lesser Ritual is exactly what I had in mind. (And being a Capricorn I adore structure and a methodical approach.
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It was just that I had never come across this idea of using the Lesser Ritual in such a way before.It makes so much sense to use the Lesser Ritual as a kind of methodical training exercise / stepping stone to the Greater ritual. But I can't remember ever seeing this idea in any printed work that I'm familiar with. And with this idea coming from an online source I wasn't too sure about it.
But I can set to work now without worrying about getting everything wrong.I noted your comment about the Supreme pentagram ritual. I was under the mistaken impression that the Greater ritual, as per Liber O, was a distinct ritual in it's own right due to the differences between it and the Enochian-ised Supreme version printed in Regardie's, The Golden Dawn. For some reason I figured that the version Regardie printed was slightly more advanced.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"0-0 - Learn the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram (generic)
1-10 - Learn that those are Earth pentagrams you've been using
2-9 - Learn the Air Pentagrams
3-8 - Learn the Water Pentagrams
4-7 - Learn the Fire Pentagrams
Portal - Learn the Spirit Pentagrams
5-6 - Learn how to integrate the Spirit component into workings at the Elemental level."Jim, you said to "Change colors, change intent, leave the rest the same" when using the Lesser ritual to invoke or banish the elements. That's pretty straight forward, and I'm fine with that. But what happens at the Portal level when you should be learning the Spirit pentagrams. Surely you do have to change the names at this point?
Also there are two kinds of Spirit, Active and Passive. Do you invoke/banish both kinds with the appropriate pentagrams in the appropriate quarters in one single ritual. Or do you have to perform two individual rituals that focus on each kind of Spirit?
Of course I am assuming that I should still be using the Lesser ritual at the Portal stage. That's how I read your chart anyway.
93
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@Her said
"Jim, you said to "Change colors, change intent, leave the rest the same" when using the Lesser ritual to invoke or banish the elements. That's pretty straight forward, and I'm fine with that. But what happens at the Portal level when you should be learning the Spirit pentagrams. Surely you do have to change the names at this point?"
Correct. But at that point it isn't the Lesser Ritual anymore. (My words that you quoted only applied to how to do the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram for distinctive elements.)
Using the distinctive Divine Names of the Elements themselves - rather than the sequence YHVH ADNI AHIH A.G.L.A. - begins to mark it as a variation of the Supreme Ritual.
"Also there are two kinds of Spirit, Active and Passive. Do you invoke/banish both kinds with the appropriate pentagrams in the appropriate quarters in one single ritual. Or do you have to perform two individual rituals that focus on each kind of Spirit?"
The Supreme Ritual is a tool kit, so there are variations possible. However, there are certain standards that have evolved. In the usual forms of the Supreme ritual, the "Pentagram for the Equilibration of the Actives" (aka Active Spirit pentagram) is used (with AHIH) prior to the Air and Fire pentagrams, and the "Pentagram for the Equilibration of the Passives" is used (with A.G.L.A. - the full phrase, not the notariqon) before the Earth and Water pentagrams. But since you were talking about the Portal, I direct you to the published versions of the Portal opening where both are done - Active then Passive - at the center following the other four. (Compare the structure of Liber Samekh.)
"Of course I am assuming that I should still be using the Lesser ritual at the Portal stage. That's how I read your chart anyway."
No, by definition you aren't. It's a variant of the Supreme. (That is, it uses distinctive elemental Names rather than the YHVH ADNI AHIH A.G.L.A series, and it incorporates Spirit pentagrams. Therefore, it's the Supreme!)
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Thanks Jim. You've cleared everything up for me..... almost.
On the subject of pentagram colours. Some authorities state that Earth should be visualised as black, others green. Is there any deep and super secret reason why I should use one or the other? Or is it just a personal preference thing?
I've got to say that I prefer green. For some reason it's the colour that always pops into my mind when I think of earth. And it also ties in with what Crowley says about the New Aeon conception of the element in the The Book of Thoth.
On a slightly off topic note....
Earlier you referred me to Liber Samekh. This jogged my mind about something in Crowley's pentagram ritauls that has always puzzled me. Namely, why are all of Crowley's pentagram rituals peformed anti-clockwise? It's always seemed strange to me.In the Golden Dawn Neophyte ritual the clockwise circumambulation is symbolic of the rising Light. The anti-clockwise motion is symbolic of the fading light. Is this one of those things where an Old Aeon formula gets turned on it's head in the New Aeon?
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@Her said
"On the subject of pentagram colours. Some authorities state that Earth should be visualised as black, others green. Is there any deep and super secret reason why I should use one or the other? Or is it just a personal preference thing? "
No overriding general thing I can think of to mention.
Temple of Thelema uses black for Earth in general (at least, in nearly all situations, especially in the First Order) for reasons that have proven themselves at least within the context of our Mystery System and the degree structure. However, that isn't enough to get me to generalize outside of our particular context.
"On a slightly off topic note....
Earlier you referred me to Liber Samekh. This jogged my mind about something in Crowley's pentagram ritauls that has always puzzled me. Namely, why are all of Crowley's pentagram rituals peformed anti-clockwise? It's always seemed strange to me. "They aren't "all." For example, the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram isn't.
I think you probably mean to ask why the Star Ruby and Liber Reguli use counterclockwise motion. The reason isn't the same in both contexts. In the case of the Star Ruby it is simply that it is a banishing ritual per se. But that doesn't apply to Reguli, and the reasons there are much more layered. (Surely there is a thread somewhere of this forum where I've already written about the varying meanings of counterclockwise motion in varying contexts and for varying purposes? Could someone maybe find it for me?
)"In the Golden Dawn Neophyte ritual the clockwise circumambulation is symbolic of the rising Light. The anti-clockwise motion is symbolic of the fading light."
Notice, though, that in this context the counterclockwise only has that quality because it is the reverse of the first motion. That is, as an "equal and opposite" current, it neutralizes the first one set in motion.
The main purpose of the clockwise motion in the G.D. is the replicate the (apparent) solar course - the rituals build to a specifically solar climax.
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Do what thou Wilt shall be the Whole of the Law.
I'm incredibly glad to have been shown this forum, and have been on here just reading for a week now -- everytime I want to ask something I'm sure to find the answers somewhere, in clear, concise, intelligent language.
I'm very early in my use of Magick, and have been on a self-imposed year-of-study since last October. I've been doing a good deal of meditation as well.
Just this past week I started doing the LBRP daily again, but this time I've been following it with the Supreme Ritual (Greater Pentagram Ritual described in Duquette's Magick of Thelema. I then close with another LBRP. I've gone through phases of doing the LBRP daily with only the most miniscule percievable results, but since doing this approach over the past week (LBRP/GPR/LBRP) I've found I have incredible results during the Supreme Ritual, in terms of a hyper-sensitive Inner Eye.
After reading the above posts I feel like I might be jumping the gun and perhaps should be sticking to JUST the LBRP for the time being, and progressing one element at a time. Is that advisable, or would I be perfectly safe continuing in the same manner I have been?
Love is the Law, Love under Will.
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93 All,
Just thought I would post this. It is not me work, but I find it to be a great explanation of the LBRP.
As for the Greater ritual of the pentagram, it is a bit similar to the LBRP.
The only main technical difference is the way the elemental Pentagrams are traced/ visioned, as well as the active and passive Spirit Pentagrams.You are still invoking sacred space by going clockwise, as in the LBRP, but will be Invoking the Elemental Pentagrams instead of simply banishing earth within an invoked style Circle, or cast as I prefer to call it.
Here is the post that I wanted to share:
INSTRUCTIONS ON
THE LBRP FOR THE
GRADE OF NEOPHYTE
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
There is a much employed Golden Dawn Ritual which utilizes the symbol of the Pentagram as a general means to banish and invoke the elemental forces. This Ritual is called the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. However, it should not simply be regarded as a mere device to invoke or banish, for it is really the Stone of the Wise and incorporates within its structure a high magical formula of Self-Initiation. It is, to all intents and purposes, a Ritual of Self-Initiation. This ritual is given to the Neophyte of the Thelemic Society of the Golden Dawn as a means for him/her to come into contact with the invisible forces of Nature and to learn how to direct those elementary forces according to his/her Will.
The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram can be used to open and close any magical or mystical work, such as a ceremony or meditation; as a minor form of exorcism; or as an opening and closing for the day. In the latter case, you perform the Lesser Ritual of the Invoking Pentagram during Sunrise or upon awakening, and the Lesser Ritual of the Banishing Pentagram during Sunset or before going to sleep.
It is a suitable idea for the student to perform the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram at least twice a day. For it helps the Magician to develop around him/herself an Aura or Circle of Light; it purifies the Aura or Sphere of Sensation of all base elemental influences which are chaotic in nature, and it consecrates and fortifies the Magician with divine Light. Of course, as the Magician advances to Adeptship, it will become less of a matter for him/her to perform the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram except during those times where it is necessary to the opening and closing of some magical or mystical working. It is always to be performed by the Magician at the beginning and end of every Ceremony.
When using the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, the Neophyte must understand that to invoke or banish is nothing more than a tuning in or tuning out. To invoke is to tune in; to banish is to tune out. We cannot really invoke or banish an elemental force; it is an intrinsic part of our nature; all we do is focus in or focus out of the elemental force, which is just as much a part of our nature as the nose on our faces or the toes on our feet.
The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram can be used by the Neophyte as a practical form of exorcism, to eliminate obsessing or disturbing thoughts. In this the Neophyte should first formulate a mental image of the obsession or disturbing thought, then s/he should project the image outside of his/her Aura with the Sign of Projection (Sign of Horus), and when the image is approximately three feet away, the Neophyte should give the Sign of Silence (Sign of Harpocrates) to prevent the image from returning unto him/her. With the image of the obsession or disturbing thought in the East, the Neophyte should then perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram to disintegrate the image, seeing it in his/her mind's eye dissolving on the further side of the Circle of Flame which is formulated in the Pentagram Ritual.
The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram can also be used as a simple exercise in the development of the power of concentration. In this the Neophyte should first formulate a mental image of him/herself and then transfer his/her consciousness to this mental image, so that s/he can perform the ritual entirely in his/her imagination. By doing this a number of times, the Neophyte will enhance his/her powers of concentration and s/he will experience a gradual sensation of obtaining a higher degree of centralization in his/her conscious mind.
The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is composed of Four Parts: (1) The Qabalistic Cross, (2) The Tracing of the Pentagrams, (3) The Invocation of the Archangels, and (4) The final Qabalistic Cross. These four parts relate to the Four Elements, which the Pentagram Ritual is intended to invoke and banish.
In the formulation of the Qabalistic Cross you use the microcosmic Tree of Life. In other words, as you form the Cross you visualize yourself as with your back against the Tree of Life, whereas with the macrocosmic Tree of Life you are facing it, so that the Sephiroth called Geburah and Gedulah are located on your left and right respectively. In the Qabalistic Cross, however, we become the Tree of Life, so that Geburah and Gedulah are located on our right and left respectively.
For general magical purposes, the Pentagram of Earth alone is used by the Neophyte in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. In other words, you invoke towards and banish from the point to which the Element of Earth is attributed on the Pentagram. In the Thelemic Society of the Golden Dawn, the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is given to the Neophyte as a general means for him/her to invoke or banish the elemental forces of Nature, but by use of the Pentagram of Earth alone. It is given to the Zelator for the same purpose, but by use of all four Pentagrams of Fire, Water, Air and Earth. The Greater Ritual of the Pentagram, which incorporates the Spirit Pentagrams, is given to the Dominus Liminis. The student will need to consult Aleister Crowley's A.â¢. A.â¢. Publication in Class B, Liber O Vel Manus et Sagittae, Sub figura VI, for proper instructions and illustrations concerning the method of tracing the various Elemental Pentagrams.
When tracing the Pentagrams in the Lesser Ritual, the Neophyte should see them in a bluish-white flame. For purposes of tracing the Pentagram, its five points should coincide with certain parts of the body: the two lowest points should coincide with the left and right thighs; the two upper points with the left and right shoulders; and the uppermost point with the forehead.
When tracing the Pentagrams, you should exhale through the nose while tracing the first line of any Pentagram, and inhale through the nose while tracing the second line, keeping this rhythm of breath until the fifth line, which will always be done with the exhaling breath. In this way you can inhale the Divine Name before vibrating it, as an act of inspiration. When going from quarter to quarter you must connect the center of a completed Pentagram to the area that will become the center of the next Pentagram, to trace around yourself a Circle of Protection.
When vibrating the Divine Names, you may give the Sign of Horus or you may simply advance your right foot forward, placing its heel in the hollow of the left foot. However, giving the Sign of Horus helps to project the Divine Names with greater force. When you give the Sign of Horus, you must return in the Sign of Silence.
You envisage the Archangels behind the Pentagrams as you vibrate their Names. The Archangels can be either facing toward or away from you, depending on whether you are invoking or banishing. Raphael means "Healing of God"; Gabriel means "Strength of God"; Michael means "Likeness of God"; and Auriel means "Light of God."
When saying, "For about me flames the Pentagram", you should see the Pentagrams blazing around you. Then, while saying "And in the column shines the Six-rayed Star", you should see a Hexagram within your heart center, and also the image of a Column. This represents the true nature of this ritual, which is to unite the Pentagram and Hexagram, that is, the Microcosm (Man) and Macrocosm (God). It is the equilibration of the Five and the Six. The Column itself is a symbol of the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life.
The Qabalistic Cross is repeated at the end of the ritual so as to balance it from beginning to end. The Qabalistic Cross is an invocation of the Divine Light and an equilibration of that Light in the four quarters of the Universe. By ending the ritual with the Qabalistic Cross you are sealing the ritual with the Light. It is a suitable idea at this final point of the ritual to increase the size of the Cross, so that its vertical and horizontal bars extend into infinity.Love is the law, love under will.
James
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Thanks for that Frater.
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Actually, there is a LOT of differences in the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram and what the GD taught as the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram and I think Crowley & Jones consciously produced the Greater Ritual as a more simplified approach to similar concepts. A few examples would be that the Supreme ritual isn't a tool kit per se, but a straightforward advancement of the LBRP. While tracing the pentagrams the GD taught to vibrate the Enochian divine name associated with the element in question and then vibrate the god names and trace the glyph associated with that element such as Taurus for Earth & Aquarius for Air etc. WHen tracing the SPirit pentagrams you trace the Spirit wheel.
I believe Crowley was trying to keep the practices of Liber 0 seperate from Enochian Magick while giving a full range of basic & prepatory rituals. Therefore the term Greater I believe was a conscious decision & not just an alternative label for the ritual itself.