College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

@Gnosomai Emauton said

"Hey there SoF,

I'm in the midst of a big Lesser Pentagram Ritual study project and, as often seems to happen to me these days, serendipity has tossed a bit of synchronicity across my bow. The following stood out as maybe a more straight-forward answer for what you were seeking(?) FWIW:

"THE USES OF THE PENTAGRAM RITUAL

1. As a form of prayer the invoking ritual should be used in the morning, the banishing in the evening.

• from the original H.'.O.'.G.'.D.'. instructions as reproduced in Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn. p.54"
  "

Thanks for that, GE. I'm following Donald Michael Kraig's 'Modern Magick' so at present I'm just doing a daily LBRP and then a LBRH. He does mention that once one masters the LBRP to move on to the LIRP in the morning if one likes. I believe the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram is in the next lesson, which I start next month, so I might incorporate the LIRP some time after this.

@Gnosomai Emauton said

"It does make sense but it's a question you ultimately have to answer for yourself. (Am I utterly frustrating you yet? )"

No, not at all!

Your, and all the other replies, have been most helpful. What I suppose I was expecting when I asked the question was replies along the lines of, 'I practice a form of Centered Prayer and I find this very useful' or 'I use the first part of the Bornless Ritual as my daily devotional practice towards the HGA and this works for me' or 'The Star Sapphire is such a thing' etc. (Thanks to Frater INRI for that heads up.)

Lazy? I suppose it might come off as such but I can assure you the intent behind it isn't. The reason I asked the question initially is that there is a great amount of advice, lessons, suggestions and so on for one beginning on the magickal path; to start a daily magickal regime and then suggestions for eventual deepening practices.

The only thing that isn't explained in any detail, and is a bit fuzzy, varying from book to book, authority to authority, is about magickal practices towards the HGA. All magick is aimed towards K&C ultimately, but I'm talking about specific rituals, practices etc. that are centered towards, at the outset of your initial magickal career, engaging with your HGA. At the later stage you have Liber Samekh, Abramelin, Bornless Ritual and so on. But is there anything that comes before this? This is what I have found a tad confusing.

The suggestions concerning Liber Resh and LBRP have been very helpful. I've performed Resh since day one and the more I do it, the more I find the practice deepening. And I'm happy with the rest of my magickal practice at present. It's just this particular thing that is a stumbling black; whether and in what form, one should start devotional practices towards the HGA before doing the biggies of Liber Samekh in the future. Are Liber Resh and LBRP sufficient? Do people do more? If so, what? And if they do, is it beneficial?

It's not so much the theoretical side of things I'm struggling with. I'm okay with that. It's more the specific methodology. I've never prayed in my life and devotional practices are totally new to me. I understand the theory behind them, understand the notion of surrender etc. but was more looking for advice from seasoned practitioners as to particular practices that they have found helpful. Just a few suggestions from those who are a bit further down the road than I at present.

@Gnosomai Emauton said

"
@SoF said
"So by doing this, I wouldn't actually be adoring my HGA, would I? Or would I, as all of these deities are aspects of the Sun, which is itself a symbol of the HGA? I think I've just answered my own question whilst typing there... "

Not quite. Read the second half of the sentence. Try not to read it as some sort of symbolic code. Read it as actual."

Do you mean that, for example, in the 'Unity utter most showed...' adoration, one should imagine uniting with one's HGA in adoration of God/the Absolute?

@Gnosomai Emauton said

"The only bit that I'd add to the above excellent advice is that, based on your wording and choice of questions, it sounds very much as though you're looking for an active way, however incremental, to move yourself forward on a linear path toward a goal. In this particular goal, the active will do you no good (probably). What you need to do is to figure out how to stop seeking the goal and, rather, figure out how to make yourself a desirable target.

Depending on what you mean by "pray" or "form a conscious link", you may already get this and I may be inferring incorrectly but, for me at least, that flip in perception was a major change that now puts me in the position of seeing my prior self in your questions.

It isn't "you" who will "contact" your HGA. Prepare the temple and its god will indwell it."

Hi GE,

Interesting reply and I think I understand what you're saying. What I'm not looking for is for someone to reply here, 'Right, SoF, if you want your HGA to contact you by dinner time tomorrow, recite the following prayer and Bob's your uncle.'

Naturally, I want, at some point, to have Knowledge and Conversation of my Holy Guardian Angel. But my question was more about devotional practices that sort of 'open oneself up' to the HGA. Not for immediate K&C but more an initial, and then continual, acknowledgement to the HGA that he is in your thoughts, that you have started a path to get to know him and that through your continued magickal practice, and these devotional practices, you hope that in time, you will prove worthy of his attention.

I hope that makes sense!

"I think you're using "contact the HGA" to mean K&C, yes? It seems so. Yes, I do use methods such as "prayer etc" even if I'm not at the stage where I'm trying to achieve K&C. Regularly. Compulsively."

Yes, this is what I meaning. If you don't mind me asking about your practice, what sort of prayer do you use? What form does it take? Have you constructed your own devotional regime or is it adapted from a preexisting formula?

"Reread, and understand, par. 6 of Liber Resh."

When I perform Resh, I adopt the god-form of the deity I'm adoring, i.e. Ra at sunset, Tum at sunset etc. as per the advice in 'Living Thelema'. So by doing this, I wouldn't actually be adoring my HGA, would I? Or would I, as all of these deities are aspects of the Sun, which is itself a symbol of the HGA? I think I've just answered my own question whilst typing there...

"I didn't know that."

I was meaning attempting the formal Liber Samekh type ritual.

""Common" means shared, as in the phrase in common. There are few if any common practices (and I generally wouldn't ask common people for advice on them)."

I never associate with common people, so no fear of that...

"The HGA is never a stranger. Never.

You then quoted the same three people you quoted previously. "

I actually elaborated on the David Schomaker mention with a direct quote for clarity.

"100% of all magick is or (I shudder to say it) should be an aspiration to the HGA. Except that it isn't, until you get that for yourself, and get what it means. (It doesn't matter how many times anyone tells you.) In my earliest days, I made sure my Tarot divinations were preceded to an invocation "to my Holy Guardian Angel, whatever your name really is," and I read portents from the universe as communication and guidance, and I piled freshly chopped cocaine on the glass of a picture of Crowley, right under his nose, knowing he'd surely dedicate it to Nutt before his next inhalation, and I ate unto the Angel and drank and {******} and danced unto the Angel, and more things than I can think of. It needn't take much time out of your day, unless you count every waking and sleeping minute, and I'm not at all saying that you (or anyone) should do it.
"

Okay, thanks for that. Apart from the HGA Cocaine Adoration (although I definitely would have 'enflamed' myself with it in my younger, more hedonist days...) this is the sort of think I was getting at; devotional practices that people here, common or otherwise, engage in to initiate some form or link, or whatever you want to call it, to their HGA prior to the formal Liber Samekh type ritual later in their magickal career.

Thanks for the responses. The parts about Liber Resh and LRP were very interesting. I suppose that for Liber Resh, the whole adoration to the Sun would be symbolic of Tiphareth and thus the HGA? And the 'Aiwass' vibration in the LRP would likewise also symbolise the HGA?

My main question is that whilst attempting to attain KC of the HGA is not something that someone attempts straight out in one's magickal career, does one put any specific practical work regarding the HGA on the back-burner until much later, for example if one if following the A.A. system, the 5=6 grade?

Or is it common practice for people to include some sort of initial, regular 'hello' to the HGA in their magickal regime, so that the HGA isn't a 'stranger' when one attempts to contact him through Liber Samekh etc.

For example, David Shoemaker says:

'Last but not least, your basic training in magick should begin to forge a conscious link to the Holy Guardian Angel through enflaming yourself in prayer, however you may define it.'

And in the Alan Chapman book I gave a link to (which is not exactly 'meditative', as I previously erroneously labelled it) he suggests using what he calls this HGA 'Core Practice' daily, whilst working in tandem with the other 'basic' magickal practices. And Regardie, in regards to prayer, suggests the first part of the Bornless Ritual, which could be considered a devotional adoration to the HGA.

So I was interested to know if people here use methods such as prayer etc. to their HGA as a daily ritual exercise, even if they aren't at the stage where they're trying to contact their HGA proper? And if so, what forms these devotional practices took.

Am I right in thinking that all magicians should be including some form of devotional, or meditative, practice to sort of initially 'touch base' (to use a modern phrase) with the HGA? That this sort of thing should be done daily to form a conscious link with the HGA that is then formally utiliised though the ritual of Liber Samekh or similar for the 5=6 grade?

Some Thelemites suggest doing this but, unless I've missed it, it doesn't seem to be part of the Probationer syllabus. If so, what sort of practices are considered the best? David Shoemaker suggests devotional practice, enflaming oneself in prayer whilst Alan Chapman gives a more meditative method in his book 'Three Steps to Heaven' (Page 53):

hebaptistshead.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/threestepsebook.pdf

I also believe that Israel Regardie suggests reciting the first part of the Bornless Ritual.

If this is correct, I'd appreciate any advice or suggested techniques that people have used so that I can get my devotional practice up and running.

@zeph said

"Liber O is clear on both these points. "Stand upright, feet together, left arm at side, right across body, holding the wand or other weapon upright in the median line." In your case, your finger is the weapon."

Ah right, thanks. I wasn't sure if this applied to the finger or not. When he says 'across the median line', does this mean putting the hand diagonally across the body so that the knife (or finger) would be touching the left shoulder?

"Your Hexagram is correct insofar as direction is concerned (though not for the reason you think), but the instruction you copied shows the triangles are drawn in the wrong order, i.e. the lower triangle should be traced first. Again, see Liber O.
"

Is there a reason why quite a lot of people have the Banishing Hexagram of Water as in the picture I posted above? Is it just a common mistake or is there any thinking behind it?

A couple of questions about the LBRH:

1. If you're using your finger to draw the hexagrams instead of a ritual knife, when performing the Analysis of the Keyword, and before you say 'The Sign of Osiris Slain', what position should your hands be in? Should you have them at your sides and then move into the Sign of Osiris Slain when you say that phrase, or maybe start off in the Sign of Osiris Slain at the outset and stay in the that sign when saying, 'The Sign of Osiris Slain'?

2. What is the correct way of drawing the Banishing Hexagram of Water? I've seen it done in a couple of ways but I'm assuming the Hexagram of Water below is correct because, although it looks as thought it's moving in a different direction to the other hexagrams, you are using the banishing hexagrams of Saturn, so you are moving AWAY from Saturn, which is situated at the apex of the top, upside down triangle?

http://www.geocities.ws/ianaxir/water_hexagram3.jpg

Many thanks to Gnosomai, Patrick and Jim for your detailed and most definitely helpful replies.

I think the problem perhaps is that I've been trying to run before I could walk. I'm fairly new to the magickal world in general so I'm getting grounded in the basics (the elements, the Zodiac, Tarot, Qabalah etc.). It all seems to make sense but then I'll read something like two of the elements changing direction in the Nu Sphere Ritual and possibly the Star Ruby as well (although there seems to be some debate as to the position of the elements in this ritual). After a lot or research I think I understand why this is but this sort of stuff is perhaps of a more advanced level than I'm presently at.

We've both been following the 'Modern Magick' book so we've decided to got back to that for now, doing the LBRP etc. and getting good grounding in the basics and then once we're okay with this, then perhaps look again at rituals like the Star Ruby, Star Sapphire etc.

It's interesting what Jim was saying about aesthetics. as my wife tried substituting the LBRP for the Nu Sphere straight off and when she did it, it didn't go well at all. She said it threw her completely 'off balance' and she felt like she was back at square one again, magickally. So she's decided to continue doing the the Nu Sphere in the morning and practice the LBRP in the evening so she can get to know it and be comfortable with it and then gradually incorporate the LBRP as her main banishing ritual. So far, this has been working well for her.

So many thanks again to you guys for your help. We both now feel happier and more confident about moving ahead in our magickal careers.

Greetings to the forum!

My wife and I have been performing magick for the past few months and I’d appreciate some advice on a particular problem I’m having in continuing our magickal practices.

We’ve been following the ‘Modern Magick’ book by Donald Michael Kraig, supplemented by Rodney Orpheus’ ‘Abrahadabra’ and David Shoemaker’s ‘Living Thelema.’

I have been practising the Star Ruby while my wife has been practising the Nu Sphere Ritual from Rodney Orpheus’ book, which is a Thelemic version of the LBRP.

The next step we’re going to take is to learn a hexagram ritual and here we have the problem. I am unsure as to which hexagram ritual to use. We want to perform as much ‘Thelemic’ magick as possible, as opposed to the traditional Golden Dawn path. I’ve been using the search facility here to do some research and know that traditional rituals like the LBRP and the LBRH can still be used by Thelemic magicians.

But it okay to mix the two? Thelemic rituals and traditional rituals?

For example, my wife does the Nu Sphere Ritual, which is a Thelemic LBRP. In this ritual, the attributions for Air and Earth change from the traditional, based on the same thinking behind Liber Reguli. So it’s North=Air and East=Earth instead of the traditional North=Earth and East=Air. The Magician is, in effect, ‘upside down.’

So after doing the Nu Sphere Ritual, with these attributions and all the Thelemic imagery, is it okay to then go on to do the traditional LBRH? Is it okay to sort of switch between the two systems?

Or in my case, can I do the Star Ruby and then the traditional LBRH as my daily ‘hygiene’ rituals, or any of the other hexagram rituals. Should we both perhaps stay with our Thelemic banishing rituals and learn the Star Sapphire as our hexagram ritual? Although, from what I read the SS doesn’t fulfil the same purpose as the LBRH, it’s invoking and not banishing, so would it better for daily practice to do a Thelemic banishing ritual and then the traditional LBRH?

Oh and as an additional query: my wife is left-handed so, for example, puts here left finger to her mouth in the Sign of Silence, draws pentagrams with her left hand etc. Is this okay or it is considered preferable to try and use the right hand during ritual?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!