Pentagram Ritual question
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In his Notes on the Ritual of the Pentagram, Crowley says:
"You take one step with the right heel in the hollow of the left foot towards Tiphareth and vibrate the Divine Name as given in the ritual. You then carry round the point of the wand towards Netzach, then take a step again (always recovering after each forward step so that you remain in the centre) and vibrating the Divine Name as before."
I'm a little unclear as to how to correctly perform this footstep. Is it forward with the left foot then followed by the right which points out to the right and at a right angle? I'm also unsure as to the significance of this placement of the feet, does it make much magical difference at all to the performance of the ritual? It seems like a minor point, but Crowley apparently thought it was worth of note... I've never seen the placement of the feet discussed by any other writer on the ritual... -
@bdc said
"In his Notes on the Ritual of the Pentagram, Crowley says:
"You take one step with the right heel in the hollow of the left foot towards Tiphareth and vibrate the Divine Name as given in the ritual. You then carry round the point of the wand towards Netzach, then take a step again (always recovering after each forward step so that you remain in the centre) and vibrating the Divine Name as before."
I'm a little unclear as to how to correctly perform this footstep. Is it forward with the left foot then followed by the right which points out to the right and at a right angle? I'm also unsure as to the significance of this placement of the feet, does it make much magical difference at all to the performance of the ritual? It seems like a minor point, but Crowley apparently thought it was worth of note... I've never seen the placement of the feet discussed by any other writer on the ritual..."I think the main point is that you remain in the center while you draw the pentagrams about you. What he states about the right heel I think is the natural tendency, in keeping balance, to lean forward as you make a step with your left foot.
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These instructions were specifically sent to an O.T.O. lodge. I find it interesting, therefore, that the step he described is the (now deprecated) "first regular step" of the O.T.O. rituals before their conversation from Masonic Lodge stylization to the (I speak subtly) non-European stylization.
I think it's as simple as that. That exact step probably doesn't man anything to anyone anymore, and I don't think you should worry about it much. Unless you belong to an Order that has an alternative instruction, just take a short step for balance.