College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

@Jim Eshelman said

"Well, if it's really badly written LOL."

Lol ok Ill take that as a no... Hmmm....
93s

93,
Any thoughts on the letter Aayin looking a bit like a Nun merged with a Zayin?
93s

@Patrick Ossoski said

"
@93magick said
"Are you saying you have a small amount of experience only with the LRH in general or the GRH?"

Lesser."

Thank you for sharing 93s

@Patrick Ossoski said

"If the effects you described happen continuously, not just after doing the ritual, how can you tell for sure what is the cause, even with the diary? If, on the other hand, the effects happen only in the immediate aftermath, then they shouldn't be bothersome at all, right?

In any case, the recommendation to drop the Lesser Hexagram goes hand in hand with the subject of your other thread. (Just because it's the Lesser doesn't mean it isn't "a level above" too.) You don't need it, judging by all the information you provided, and will probably be better off, for the time being, just doing everything else you're doing (I think?). However, I won't say with confidence that it's a bad idea to continue with it, because, admittedly, I have only a small amount of experience with it.

Do what thou wilt."

93 Patrick
I've done just LBRP with MPR for a month: boom: those effects. I've gone weeks with no MPR while doing the LRP and LRH (invoking & banishing) without the disturbing effects described (other effects, yes). I've done the MPR for a few days with the above- boom: those effects. I've done the MPR for months with those effects. After a few days of omitting the MPR: the effects largely diminish. I do it(MPR) for a few days: they come back. I've done this and tracked it many, many times for a year and a half. The other rituals produce different effects that I also keep track of. Hope that clears it up...

Just to clarify:
Are you saying you have a small amount of experience only with the LRH in general or the GRH?

Thank you & 93s

93!

Also noted:
I used to have issues with the LRH, I was doing it as outlined in Modern Magick where you do Fire in the East, Earth in the South ect... and it was very unsettling and seemed to fog up my mind and freak my aura out (this was many months ago), but I switched to how Jim suggested to do it (months ago) doing the Air hexagram in the east , Fire in the South etc (same attributions as LRP) and that cleared it up for me! and it seems a very useful ritual (and not unsettling at all!) to me now.

@Patrick Ossoski said

"It ocurred to me... On the other thread you said you practice LIRH and LBRH as part of your regimen. It's possible that that's the problem and not the Middle Pillar. I suggest you drop any hexagram rituals for now. The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is your friend and always will be. The Middle Pillar can be quite strong, but mostly it shouldn't cause trouble. But the hexagram rituals (that is, even the Lesser) are something else. That should be better for you, IMO."

93, Patrick
Thanks for your replies Yes, I was thinking after my post that maybe I just need to "tune in" to myself and listen like "is today a Middle Pillar day?" instead of "make sure you get that MPR done today!".

As far as the LIRP/ LIRH (I also do many other Rituals not mentioned), no I have tracked it down to the MPR specifically (aided by my diary). The LIRP and LIRH do produce "charging" and intensity but not the same kind as the MPR for me. I can get quite "buzzed up" from the LIRP/LIRH but not in a troubling way like the MPR. I dont see any need to omit the LRH... I think I just need to do the MPR "as needed" and that will require that I pay attention to the state of my aura/ energy levels that day...

Thank you so much for taking the time to hear me out and reply, it means a lot to me!
93s

@Jim Eshelman said

"
Yes, you can do that it's the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram of a particular element. I go over that in some detail in the back chapters of 776 1/2."

Thank you, Jim!! Yes, 776 1/2 is definitely the next book of yours that I'll need to purchase. I love Pearls of Wisdom!

Thanks for your help!
93s

@danica said

"I have been performing Middle Pillar Ritual daily for about 9,5 years now, and I never experience any "negative" or dis-balancing effect with it, quite the contrary: it has worked as a practice which is harmonizing and at the same time energizing & purifying, on all levels, as far as I've been able to perceive. "

93,
Thanks for your reply, Danica
I dont know, I cant imagine that anyone who gets the effects I describe from it doing it daily. Maybe there are people out there who get those effects but maybe they dont talk... its all good...

93s

93!
Jim, firstly, thank you very, very much for thorough reply Truly it is much appreciated!

@Jim Eshelman said

"
@93magick said
"Thank you, Jim. Is there a text somewhere that explains how to do these elemental pentagram rituals?"

OK, this requires that I say something. I mean this in kindness and in candor: If you have to ask this question, you just aren't ready to be doing a Hexagram Ritual. Your question is welcome AND it shows far too little experience and range for a high frequency ritual that, in the Golden Dawn, was reserved for Second Order members only."

Point taken and will be considered. I am familiar with Liber O etc. and have the Elemental pentagrams memorized, I just wasn't sure if one does a specific Elemental ritual like how one does the LRP? Do you just basically do the LRP with a specific Elemental pentagram in each direction?

"Do you Banish the element after the exercise?
Yes. One attunes consciousness to Earth before entering into a meditation concerning Earth, then detunes to return to normal life."

Thank you.

"Is the purpose of working on the Elements before moving to Planetary workings to help you not flip out from the planetary energy or to make you able to work with the Planets period?
I wouldn't be so specific. Basically, it's about stages of the Work. Think of the elements as planet Earth. You equilibrate yourself on Earth, then move off Earth to the planets of our solar system, then move beyond to the stars. It's a reasonable layering that applies in many ways and, it seems to me, works on concentric sheathes of the aura. (Consider that the elements are attributed to the four lowest chakras; the planets to all seven chakras. This gives another point of view.)

The Golden Dawn's First Order equilibrates the 4 elements and works in a 4-sided room. The Second Order equilibrates the 7 planets, and works in a 7-sided room. Etc.
"

That made it very clear- thank you!

"As far as I can tell, I managed to invoke the 2 planets I tried with the GRH pretty well as some very intense perspective, physical, visual, emotional, postural, and demeanor changes occured as well as many synchronicities occruing that seemed very in alignment with the Plantary energy just worked with... I guess im saying that it seems that even though I haven't mastered the Elements yet I still seem able to Invoke the planets...
One can take a large dose of a very powerful laxative and will unquestionably have some very intense perspective, physical, visual, emotional, postural, and demeanor changes. This doesn't mean one necessarily wants to start one's colon cleanse this way."

Very enlightening on the matter and caused me to laugh hysterically, too!
Thank you very much for taking the time, Jim!
93s

93!
Hey Everyone
I see in a lot of places that the Middle Pillar and Circulation of the Body of Light should be performed daily as hygiene. I've spent many months doing this daily (and don't regret it as it seemed to "jump start" some things for me), but always I seem to get to a point where my "astral boner" (sorry, had to! ) gets way too intense and I take a break from the MPR (i.e. intense electrical physical sensations constantly, extreme amount of physical energy but with very little mental focusing abilities(and some things I'm not sure i want to share right now)...this generally calms down after a couple of days of abstaining from the MPR...). Lately I do it for a few days at a time then have to take a break for a couple weeks. Also, when I'm not doing it daily, I find it important to do it before a major social event and especially before performing in any public rituals.

So, question time:
When it is said that magicians should be doing the MPR daily, is it assuming that the effects I described in the intensity I described would be occurring? Do other people find it necessary to abstain from the MPR to "catch up" with its effects? Am I lagging far behind in my progress because I'm not currently able to be doing it daily? Is it a case by case kind of thing?

As always, any input would be much appreciated!

93s!

@Patrick Ossoski said

"
Just a quick answer before I hit bed. Maybe Mr. Eshelman can respond to your points more thoroughly."

Much appreciated-93s!

@Jim Eshelman said

"I think the main point is to equilibrate yourself, as much as possible, to the elements before stepping up to the planetary work.

An idea: Many forum members are participating in a one-year cycle of daily meditations in the "Meditations of the Day" part of this forum. These cycle through a particular regimen of the Thelemic holy books. The first five months of meditations work systematically through the elements. I have suggested that one way to undertake these meditations is to use the pentagram ritual to attune yourself to the particular element (for example, from April 11 through May 10, Earth) as preparation for each day's meditation.

This is a very fast approach. It can't fully replace the three to five years it would normally take (on a relatively fast track) to more deeply balance yourself with respect to the elements, but it would be a great start."

93!

Thank you, Jim. Is there a text somewhere that explains how to do these elemental pentagram rituals? Do you Banish the element after the exercise? Is the purpose of working on the Elements before moving to Planetary workings to help you not flip out from the planetary energy or to make you able to work with the Planets period? As far as I can tell, I managed to invoke the 2 planets I tried with the GRH pretty well as some very intense perspective, physical, visual, emotional, postural, and demeanor changes occured as well as many synchronicities occruing that seemed very in alignment with the Plantary energy just worked with... I guess im saying that it seems that even though I haven't mastered the Elements yet I still seem able to Invoke the planets...

Thanks for your help and input guys!
93s!

@Patrick Ossoski said

"Practice makes perfect, and enduring makes resilience.

Anyway, if you haven't "mastered" the pentagram rituals (that is, elemental as opposed to planetary), if you might want to get that down first. This should take a while, but what's the hurry, right? "

93!
Thank you for the encouragement, Patrick! Venus knocked me off my rocker a bit... When you say Pentagram rituals, are you referring to the SIRP or doing specific elemental rituals? I do the LBRP & LBRH daily and the LIRP LIRH daily. Is there a way to Invoke/ banish elements with the pentagram ritual similarly to how the GRH works with planets? Is there literature on this that someone could point me to?

Thanks again, it's really helpful to be able to discuss this stuff here!
93s!

GRH is a very large pill for me to swallow right now... just venting...

93,
Shit starts getting real when you realize that you can at will program your aura to a specific planetary current. Maybe I'm just a newbie...
Maybe its just Venus talking...
93s

@Patrick Ossoski said

"Seems pretty straightforward. Go for it! "

93!
Popped my GRH cherry today Jupiter is a trip...

Thanks, guys!
93s

93!
Thank you all for your advice! Now I had an idea to help me get "acquainted" with the GRH and different planetary energies available:

Was thinking that I could do a week or so of experimenting by doing "a planet a day" i.e. going through the planets daily like invoking Luna on Monday, experiencing the energy for an hour, then banishing Luna, Tuesday Mars etc... or maybe going opposites like Invoking Luna on Sunday, Sol on Monday etc...
Just want to get acquainted with the energies so that I can figure out how to utilize them...
Any thoughts/ input?

Appreciate you all, 93s!

@Patrick Ossoski said

"You do what you have to do and then banish. If that takes hours, so be it. But I wouldn't overdo it."

That makes sense, I'll give it a shot
Thank you!
93s

93!
Thank you both for your responses! Now, when you say "always banish", if I'm not using the GRH to charge a talisman, wouldn't it be pointless to banish? Like a hi/bye kind of thing?? What if I want to have a "Venus day" and banish the next day- would that be feasible?

Again, very much appreciated!
93s

93!
So I've been wondering about the Greater Ritual of the Hexagram...
Is it only meant for charging a Talisman, or can you simply do a specific planetary invocation and leave it at that? Like if someone wanted to connect more to femininity, would it be recommended to just do the Greater Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram for Venus without banishing Venus right after? or would you have to use it to charge a talisman for Venus? I guess I'm asking if it can be done in the same way as one does the LBRP or BRH...

Any input would be greatly appreciated as always

93s!