I always had the feeling during practice that the initial "Apos Pantos" was dispersing unbalanced energies and entities, whereas the final one is a command (now that the practitioner is more elevated) to have all forces be "at one's back".
Additionally, I must agree that the Star Ruby sure feels like Geburah, regardless of whether or not I could mentally place a banishing ritual in one single Sephiroth or not.