Questions on the Lesser Hexagram
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So I originally learned, back when I was a youngin, from Kraig's Modern Magick. Then, after reading a lot of other things, I stuck with that, because various ritual rubrics for this ritual always seem incomplete. Now I have seen tons of versions with various differences. Which is best and why?
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Liber O has no "let the divine light descend" and changes the order of the Analysis of the Keyword.
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Should the Analysis of the Keyword be vibrated? Should the letters in Hebrew be traced in the air? None of this is in Liber O, but is in other places.
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Should one use the Sign of the Enterer when vibrating ARARITA, vibrate it while tracing the hexagram, or vibrate it after while stabbing the center of the hexagram?
And a general question on the Sign of Silence: I was taught that it was the necessary compliment to all extensions of energy, in order to cut the current. I honestly don't see it in many places at all, so what's the deal with it?
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@hepuck said
"So I originally learned, back when I was a youngin, from Kraig's Modern Magick. Then, after reading a lot of other things, I stuck with that, because various ritual rubrics for this ritual always seem incomplete. Now I have seen tons of versions with various differences. Which is best and why?"
If it helps beyond what's discussed here, I have a discussion of some of this in the forthcoming new edition of 776 1/2.
"1. Liber O has no "let the divine light descend" and changes the order of the Analysis of the Keyword."
The L.V.X. is an add-in - not part of the ritual itself, but something the GD thought could be inserted when context was right. I like it in many situations but, to answer the implied qustion, it's not part of the ritual per se.
Not having comparison copies in front of me, I don't know what you mean about change the order in the AotKW. At a glance, it all seems in the right order.
"2. Should the Analysis of the Keyword be vibrated? Should the letters in Hebrew be traced in the air? None of this is in Liber O, but is in other places."
Vibrated: Normally it's recited. (There is an unpublished version that uses tonalities in a kind of song fashion.) Trace letters: One could, but no instructions known to me do it (where are these "other places"?).
"3. Should one use the Sign of the Enterer when vibrating ARARITA, vibrate it while tracing the hexagram, or vibrate it after while stabbing the center of the hexagram?"
There are different styles, and different magicians will do different things. The method you are describing is properly called "The Vibration of Divine Names by the Formula of the Middle Pillar," and is normally reserved for Divine Names with which one is attempting to identify.
Furthermore - as I explain elsewhere - A.R.A.R.I.T.A. is a blind. The entire sentence (of which it is the abbreviation) should be used. This makes it even less likely that the "one burst, rip it out" style would work. A sonorous chant while touching the implement to the center of the hexagram works splendidly.
("Stab." I chuckle. You're not alone in interpreting these rituals as somehow threatening or combative. It's a totally unnecesssary divisiveness IMVHO.)
Something you didn't ask about, but I should mention: The Macrocosmic arrangement of the elements, given in all published versions, was only to be used within the Vault. It wasn't for general use. (This was known within the GD, but not circulated in published copies, nor generally known to people who just learned from a book.) In most cases, the Microcosmic arrangement - same element distribution as in the Pentagram Ritual - is to be used.
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Thanks Jim, as always you are font of knowledge.
- The order in Liber O has:
"(i) Stand upright, feet together, left arm at side, right across body, holding the wand or other weapon upright in the median line. Then face East and say:
(ii) I.N.R.I.
Yod. Nun. Resh. Yod.
Virgo, Isis, Mighty Mother.
Scorpio, Apophis, Destroyer.
Sol, Osiris, Slain and Risen.
Isis, Apophis, Osiris, IAO. {22}
(iii) Extend the arms in the form of a cross, and say: "The Sign of Osiris Slain." ("See" Illustration).
(iv) Raise the right arm to point upwards, keeping the elbow square, and lower the left arm to point downwards, keeping the elbow square, while turning the head over the left shoulder looking down so that the eyes follow the left forearm, and say, "The Sign of the Mourning of Isis." ("See" Illustration).
(v) Raise the arms at an angle of sixty degrees to each other above the head, which is thrown back, and say, "The Sign of Apophis and Typhon." ("See" Illustration).
(vi) Cross the arms on the breast, and bow the head and say, "The Sign of Osiris Risen." ("See" Illustration).
(vii) Extend the arms again as in (iii) and cross them again as in (vi) saying: "L.V.X., Lux, the Light of the Cross"."Kraig and others have:
"1. Perform the LBRP, making sure to finish the ritual with the Kabbalistic Cross.
- Extend your arms to form a cross and say, INRI Thensay, Yod Nun Resh Yod (yode-noon-raysh-yode)
Trace each of these Hebrew letters in the air, from right to left, as they are pronounced. Visualize them glowing in the same blue light as the pentagrams in the LBRP. - Extend your arms into a cross once more and say, The Sign of Osiris Slain
- Keep your left arm extended and raise your right arm straight up so it is pointing to the ceiling. Your fingers should be together and extended and your palms should face forward. It should look as if your arms are forming the letter "L." Look over your left shoulder and say,
L, the Sign of the Mourning of Isis - Raise both of your arms, palms forward, to form the letter "v." The angle between them should be about 60 degrees. Tilt your head back and say, V; the Sign of Typhon and Apophis
- Cross your arms on your chest to form the letter "X," with your palms facing you. Bow your head and say, X, the Sign of Osiris Risen.
- Now form each letter with your arms as it is pronounced, 1. V X. Then extend your arms to form the Osiris Slain position (cross) and say, LVX (lukes).
- Keep your arms extended and say, The Light... After a moment, fold your arms on your chest (form an "X" again) and continue, ...of the Cross.
- Now extend your arms to form a cross again and, as you say the following oration, slowly start to raise them up to the "V" position, while gradually tilting your head back: Virgo, Isis, mighty Mother, Scorpio, Apophis, Destroyer, Sol, Osiris, Slain, and Risen, Isis, Apophis, Osiris. Then strongly vibrate IAO (ee-ah-oh). Your head should be tilted back completely by now and your arms should be in the shape of a "v." Become aware of a glowing white brilliance above you and say, Let the Divine Light descend."
The difference is when the god-forms are assumed; Crowley has it in at the end while Kraig et al has it between the keyword itself and the astrological god formulae. This version also shows what letters Kraig says to trace.
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As for stabbing...I don't actually do this, it was a quote. I was taught to use the Sign of the Enterer, per Kraig, and in general try to go for a more serene performance of all the rituals, as opposed to the violent, shouting, and incredibly hurried performances I have seen others do and are often on youtube. I think the violence is more in the spirit of impatience than divisiveness, IMOVHO.
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Also...what about the Sign of Silence? I was taught originally left-hand, stomp lightly with left foot, and to do it after projecting any kind of energy in order to "cut the current", as it were. However, I see very, very few rubrics that include it at all. I do it after Resh, after the Sign of the Enterer, etc...is this wrong, or is it just part of standard training and thus gets left out of rubrics?
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AGLA is definitely a blind (advertent or inadvertent). Chant: Attah Gibbor le-Olahm Adonai.
Yes, the Divine Names in the Qabalistic Cross are vibrated (i.e., chanted reesonantly).
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@hepuck said
"Thanks Jim, as always you are font of knowledge."
And thank you for the examples. - Donald Kraig's version is an innovation - it isn't what the Golden Dawn taught, nor what is taught in A.'.A.'..
This doesn't mean it's bad - just that it's a different ritual.
"3. Also...what about the Sign of Silence? I was taught originally left-hand, stomp lightly with left foot, and to do it after projecting any kind of energy in order to "cut the current", as it were. However, I see very, very few rubrics that include it at all. I do it after Resh, after the Sign of the Enterer, etc...is this wrong, or is it just part of standard training and thus gets left out of rubrics?"
It's not part of the ritual itself. It can be used for purposes such as you suggest. As to style, there are variations from school to school, all of which are essentially the same god-idea represented.
Whether to use it after invocations etc. is a personal call, and can vary with circumstances. I can't think of a reason in the world to want to "terminate the current" after Resh (although quietly giving the Sign of Silence is a final step in Resh - but nothing so noisy. The idea is to slip into silence.)
The stomping etc. is most commonly recommended after vision work, especially with considerable astral separation. The stomp, among other things, has the effect of realigning the astral within the physical (by jarring it).
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On the notariqons, here are some quotes from the Appendix of the forthcoming new edition of 776 1/2:
In a section on the Pentagram Ritual:
"One difference between the above version and nearly all other published versions is in the fourth God-Name. Most copies give... A.G.L.A., as if it were the actual Name to be vibrated. It is not. It is a blind, advertent or inadvertent. A.G.L.A. is an abbreviation (or notariqon, in Qabalistic jargon) commonly used, from Medieval times forward, for the phrase Attah gibbor le-olam Adonai (“Thou art mighty, forever and ever, O Lord”). When performing the Pentagram ritual, the full phrase should be pronounced, not the abbreviation. Adonai, translated “Lord,” is, among ceremonial magicians, a common way of addressing the Holy Guardian Angel. This phrase, Attah gibbor le-olam Adonai, is thus a recognition of the illimitable strength of the Holy Guardian Angel in all the aspects of one’s life."
In a section on the Hexagram Ritual:
"The second blind involves a notariqon, just as in the Pentagram Ritual. When published scripts of this ritual say to vibrate A.R.A.R.I.T.A., that is an abbreviation for the Hebrew phrase, Echad, rosh ache’dutho, rosh yichudutho, t’muratho echad. This may not be as critical as in the Pentagram ritual because Ararita, at least, is resonant (due to all of the vowels and Rs together), in comparison to the angular, hard-edged, terse Agla. Also, A.R.A.R.I.T.A. is not as numerically (geometrically) locked into the hexagram as A.G.L.A. (i.e., the whole phrase) is to the pentagram."
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You are definitely right (I didn't doubt you); just did both rituals with the full Hebrew, and got very warm and tingly (I am in the Bay Area...it's not a warm and tingly night). I was sweating and everything, even though my rituals were no more physically taxing than normal. It was like I had turned into a heater, though I had no other symptoms of fever.
Now I look back on literally YEARS of doing them, especially the LBRP, using the notarikon and wonder why the hell so many books would have it that way.
Thanks so much, Jim. You rock the house.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Furthermore - as I explain elsewhere - A.R.A.R.I.T.A. is a blind. The entire sentence (of which it is the abbreviation) should be used. This makes it even less likely that the "one burst, rip it out" style would work. A sonorous chant while touching the implement to the center of the hexagram works splendidly."
Can you write a phonetic rendition of how Achad Rosh Achdotho Rosh Ichudo Temu-rahzo Achad should be pronounced with accents indicated?
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@he atlas itch said
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Furthermore - as I explain elsewhere - A.R.A.R.I.T.A. is a blind. The entire sentence (of which it is the abbreviation) should be used. This makes it even less likely that the "one burst, rip it out" style would work. A sonorous chant while touching the implement to the center of the hexagram works splendidly."Can you write a phonetic rendition of how Achad Rosh Achdotho Rosh Ichudo Temu-rahzo Achad should be pronounced with accents indicated?"
I can approximate how it would be pronounced in spoken Hebrew. It is:
Echad,
rosh ache’dutho,
rosh yichudutho,
t’muratho echadwhere ch is a Cheth (close to "school" instead of "church), and the vowels are: e as in "bed," a as in "father," i as in "fig," o as in "show." The accent is on the last syllable in each case (for the words used here). The apostrophe is meant to be a schwa, and it's brief, unaccented nature is probably intuitively obvious in the rendering above.
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Thank you for that explanation Jim.
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could you post the correct hebrew phrase's replacing the notorikons(abbreviations, dont know how to spell the notor whatever word) for the lesser pentagram ritual?
also, in the rosy cross, atah and malkuth, they arent blinds like in the pentagram ritual right? or no?
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@Alias55A said
"could you post the correct hebrew phrase's replacing the notorikons(abbreviations, dont know how to spell the notor whatever word) for the lesser pentagram ritual?"
Atoh Gibor Le'Olam Adonai (AGLA) is the only notariquon used in LBRP.
...perhaps this little excursion of topic warrants a new thread?
729
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@Alias55A said
"could you post the correct hebrew phrase's replacing the notorikons(abbreviations, dont know how to spell the notor whatever word) for the lesser pentagram ritual?"
Do you want the Hebrew spelling, or the Hebrew pronunciation.
For the Hexagram Ritual, the phrase was given just above:
Echad,
rosh ache’dutho,
rosh yichudutho,
t’muratho echadThat is: AChD RASh AChDVThV RASh YChVDVThV ThMVRThV AChD.
For the Pentagram Ritual, it is:
AThH GBVR LOVLM ADNI, Attah gibbor le-olam, Adonai."also, in the rosy cross, atah and malkuth, they arent blinds like in the pentagram ritual right? or no?"
I don't understand the question. In the Rosy Cross ritual, the only words recited (besides the Analysis of the Key-Word if included at the end) are Yeheshua and Yehovasha.
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93,
lol, sorry my mistake, i assumed there was more then one blind in the LBRP.
" also, in the rosy cross, atah and malkuth, they arent blinds like in the pentagram ritual right? or no?
I don't understand the question. In the Rosy Cross ritual, the only words recited (besides the Analysis of the Key-Word if included at the end) are Yeheshua and Yehovasha."
no, i just wanted to know if any of the recited words were blinds like AGLA and ARARYTA.
Analysis of the Key-Word at the end? Yeheshua and Yehovasha? please explain.
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@Alias55A said
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"also, in the rosy cross, atah and malkuth, they arent blinds like in the pentagram ritual right? or no?I don't understand the question. In the Rosy Cross ritual, the only words recited (besides the Analysis of the Key-Word if included at the end) are Yeheshua and Yehovasha."
no, i just wanted to know if any of the recited words were blinds like AGLA and ARARYTA.
Analysis of the Key-Word at the end? Yeheshua and Yehovasha? please explain.
"You asked about the Rose Cross ritual. That ritual has you reciting Yeheshua eight times and Yehovasha once, and ends with the Analysis of the Key-Word. There are no other words in that ritual.
I'm wondering if you meant something else in your question about the Rose Cross ritual? Otherwise, it's really really hard to miss the reference to those words.
PS - I think I just figured out what you were saying. You said "In the Rosy Cross" when you meant "in the Qabalistic Cross." Is that right? (In that case, forget everything I said about the Rosy Cross ritual.)
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"PS - I think I just figured out what you were saying. You said "In the Rosy Cross" when you meant "in the Qabalistic Cross." Is that right? (In that case, forget everything I said about the Rosy Cross ritual.)"
LMAO, sorry about the brain fart, ya i meant the Qabalistic Cross, not the Rosy Cross
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i did my first hexagam ritual the other night and second pentagram one . i think its funny that a poor beginner like me didnt even know aout the abbreviations being abbreviations.
the funny thing is although I pronounced AGLA like agla and not Atoh Gibor Le'Olam Adonai at the end of the rituals i still felt very energised and energy was vibrating through my whole body as i lie down. it was quite nice.
i guess it goes to show that magic works even when you do it 'wrong' but i would like to know if there are any other blinds in crowleys rituals its quite annoying. one thinks maybe you could get even better results with the 'proper' vibrating of names.
