The Middle Pillar

by Israel Regardie

  In the south, the archangelic form to be imagined will have a predominance of flaming red, touched here and there by vivid flashes of emerald green. In the hand of the figure will be seen an uplifted sword of steel, while little tongues of fire will lick the browned earth about the bare feet. An intense radiation of heat should be sensed from Michael.

  Watery characteristics will mark the nature of Gabriel in the west, and blue offset by orange will be its color. A blue chalice of water will be held aloft by the telesmatic figure, which will sometimes seem as though it were standing in a rushing stream of clearest water. Sometimes, it may seem as though there were a small waterfall behind the figure, pouring cascades of water into the temple or room.

  In the north, the angel Auriel29 will appear to be standing on very fertile ground, grasses and wheat being about the feet. Sheaves of corn will be held in both the outstretched hands, and on the whole, the prevailing colors will be a mixture of citrine, olive, russet, and some little black.30

  The technique of here employing these telesmatic or magical figures of the archangels, once the appropriate names have been vibrated and some realization obtained of the presence of the correct type of spiritual power flowing through the figure, is to imagine that the emanation from the archangel penetrates and cleanses the personality. That is to say, in the east from behind the archangel Raphael should be felt a gentle wind or breeze which, permeating the entire body, blows from it every trace of impurity. From Michael in the south, warmth at first of gentle degree should be felt, increasing in intensity to a powerful heat which burns and utterly consumes every blemish which troubled the personality. This purging should be felt as consecrating one to the service of the higher self. The same technique should be applied to Gabriel in the west, except that one is purified with water, while in the north one is invested with the stability and fertility of Auriel, archangel of the earth.

  Of course this sounds a most complex and complicated procedure to pursue. But with practice, the entire exercise will be found to be easy. First of all, the student should recognize that a wise man knows how to limit himself. He will limit himself at the start to obtaining mastery of the mechanical part of the ritual without reference to the initiated technique. That is to say, his aim should be to commit the ritual to memory so completely that at any particular quarter there is no groping for the appropriate names. Then each phase should be studied separately until skill and ease are achieved. He should apply himself to familiarizing himself with the sense of expansion of consciousness and visualizing the descending ray of light which formulates itself into a vast radiant cross within him. A certain degree of accomplishment gained in this exercise, and already being skilled in the tracing of perfectly geometrical pentagrams in mid-air, the next task is to obtain about him a clear formulation of the blazing pentagrams, vivified by the vibration of the appropriate divine names being hurled through them. Application to the technique of purification by means of again expanding consciousness, whilst surrounding himself with the colossal magical figures of the archangels comprises the next important stage. The final task is to visualize, before performing the Qabalistic Cross again, a pentagram of fire burning on the breast. Seen on the back is a hexagram, its ascending triangle being red in color, and its descending triangle of blue, both triangles to be interlaced.31 I hope the student will not be frightened by this mass of directions, for he can be assured that the exercise is not nearly as obscure or terrifying as it sounds. Practice will make perfect, and the realization of the goal to be acquired will provide sufficient confidence to enable him to pursue the practice still further until complete mastery is achieved.

  In this way, his mind being made quiescent, and his body and emotional apparatus purified, the consciousness of the hidden grades or levels of his being may gently and gradually ascend and manifest to his perceptions, thus assisting him in his inward growth, in the conquest of ignorance and the acquisition of self-knowledge.

  Before closing this chapter, one final set of directions remains to be communicated with regard to this practice. Once skill has been acquired in performing accurately and effectually this Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, the student may endeavor to perform the entire ritual in his mind. Seating himself comfortably in his chair, facing east, he should endeavor, without so much as rising or without any audible vibration of the words, to expand the form of his sphere of sensation and bring down the light of the higher self upon him. He ought also to be able to imagine himself as standing, moving forward to the east and tracing the pentagrams without moving the physical arm, silently or mentally vibrating the appropriate magical words. Likewise with the archangels. The mere determined effort to visualize them and mentally pronounce their names will call up the figures, and evoke the type of force which should flow through them.32

  My sole caution is against attempting what obviously is an advanced practice until literally months have been spent working away at the physical performance of this exercise. The writer knew some people who neglected to take this piece of sound advice. Their work became very careless and slapdash, and whatever advantage was to be obtained from the ritual was never forthcoming.

  This astral ritual is, as I have said, an exercise to be undertaken only when a good deal of mental stability and control has been obtained—results which follow from persistent application, two or three times a day for many weeks or months, to an enthusiastic and vigorous performance of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. 33 Sudden spurts of enthusiasm followed by prolonged bouts of inactivity avail nothing in magical work. In fact, such an attitude towards the subject is indicative in itself of, if not neurosis, then of a very powerful conflict raging in the unconscious. It indicates that the opposites are still operative within the mental sphere, and that the Golden Flower of stability and equilibrium has not yet begun to blossom. The student would do well to become fully aware of the conflict, determining to be affected neither by violent enthusiasms nor by equally violent depressions. Above all, he should perform quietly and patiently the Banishing Ritual. Let him continue steadfast, with courage and equanimity, in the daily celebration of his chosen work.

  Endnotes

  1 For some reason Regardie has switched the natural order of the Qabalistic Cross. Here he has the student touching the left (Gedulah or Chesed) shoulder followed by the right (Geburah or Gevurah) shoulder. In the Golden Dawn manuscripts, including those published by Regardie himself in The Golden Dawn, and in his book The Tree of Life, the Geburah (right shoulder) always comes before the Gedulah (left shoulder). “The Power” always comes before “the Glory.” In the Christian Cross performed by Roman Catholics, the left shoulder is touched first, but this still does not explain why Regardie suggests it here and nowhere else in his writings. We have no explanation for it. We suggest that the reader follow the traditional order of the Qabalistic Cross as presented on page 166 of The Tree of Life, page 53 of The Golden Dawn, or in Part Two, Chapter Nine of this book.

  2 The cross itself is a universal, pre-Christian symbol. It is our belief that people have been crossing themselves, in one form or another, since the beginning of civilization.

  3 The more common name for this Sephirah is Chesed, which means “mercy.” Its other title, Gedulah, means “glory” or “greatness.”

  4 The serpent is often a symbol of wisdom. On the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the Serpent of Wisdom represents the paths that connect the various Sephiroth. In the story of the Garden of Eden, the serpent suggested that Adam and Eve eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. This means that they became sentient thinking beings who were set apart from “the unconsciousness of nature.”

  5 A tingling sensation can also sometimes be felt in the face.

  6 Scientists are now becoming aware of what magicians have known for centuries—that all matter is vibratory energy. There is a physical phenomenon known as “harmonic resonance” which means that if one object starts to vibrate strongly enough, another object nearby will begin to vib
rate or resonate with the first, if both objects share the same natural vibratory rate. The magician vibrates a god-name in order to effect a harmonic resonance between the deity as it exists within his own psyche and as it exists within the greater universe. The aim is to have the psyche “resonate” with the divine. Not only does this lift the consciousness to a higher, more purified level, it accelerates the purification of the body through the expulsion of old dead cells.

  7 In magic, such lists are called Tables of Correspondence. They can be found in several books, such as Crowley’s 777 (Samuel Weiser, 1982), which is based upon Golden Dawn manuscripts), and Bill Whitcomb’s The Magician’s Companion (Llewellyn, 1993).

  8 Once again, Regardie has switched the natural order of the Qabalistic Cross here. “ve-Gevurah” (right shoulder) should precede “ve-Gedulah” (left shoulder).

  9 Libellus XI. (ii), “A Discourse of Mind to Hermes.” See Scott, Hermetica, 90-91.

  10 Plotinus was a leading Neoplatonist of the third century c.E. He strove to combine Greek logic and rational philosophy with mysticism and transcendental experience. His major work, the Enneads, was compiled by his student Porphyry.

  11 For this reason it is important that the student keep a diary and record the results of all meditations, exercises, and rituals.

  12 In addition to giving a mistaken impression of what spiritual growth is, it has also resulted in many seekers assuming that their meditations yield contact with “Secret Chiefs or Illuminated Masters from the Inner Planes.” Thus they mistake initial contacts with the higher self, along with corresponding images of personal growth meant for themselves, as important messages for all humanity, and they come to think of themselves as avatars or messiahs. This unfortunate tendency is an anathema to the Great Work.

  13 This should be a special dagger that is only used for the purpose of banishing.In actuality, no such implement is needed, and the magician may simply use his index and middle fingers to trace the pentagram just as effectively.

  14 Although the figure traced is the same as the Banishing Earth Pentagram, in the LBRP it should be referred to as the Lesser Banishing Pentagram. This is because it is traced in all four directions, alluding to the four quarters (sub-elements) of Malkuth: Air of Malkuth, Water of Malkuth, Fire of Malkuth, and Earth of Malkuth.

  15 YHVH is transliterated English for, which is called the Tetragrammaton or “Four-lettered Name.” It is considered the ineffable name of God. Each letter of the name is also attributed to one of the Four Worlds of the Qabalah: Yod = Atziluth, Heh = Briah, Vav = Yetzirah, And Heh Final = Assiah.

  16 Keep the hand or dagger extended as you turn from the east to the south, west, north, and back around again to the east, drawing the appropriate pentagrams as you go. Visualize a ribbon of light extending from the center of the first pentragram in the east to the center of the second pentragram which will be drawn in the south. The four pentagrams are thus connected to each other by an astral ribbon of the same color creating a magical circle, whose end must be linked with its beginning point in the east.

  17 The transliterated form of the word Adonai, meaning “Lord.”

  18 The transliterated form of the word Eheieh, meaning “I am.”

  19 This word is a notariqon—an acronym for the Hebrew sentence Atah Gibor Le-Olahm Adonai, which means “Thou art great forever, my Lord.” The first letter of each word is used to make up the word AGLA.

  20 The positioning of a hexagram behind the magician alludes to an advanced magical working in which the magician visualizes the Golden Dawn’s Banner of the East within his aura. There are several variations of lines 11 and 12 given in many books; their differences are very slight. The version given here is consistent with that described in Regardie’s The Golden Dawn. Another version states, “For around me shines the Pentagram and within me shines the six-rayed Star.” The total number of points formed by the four pentagrams (4 x 5), and the single hexagram (6) is 26, the number of Tetragrammaton and of the Middle Pillar. Another version is “For about me flames the Pentagram, and in the column shines the six-rayed Star.” This latter version, adapted by Crowley, is the one that we prefer. It can be found in Regardie’s The Tree of Life with the word stands substituted for the word shines. The column here alludes to the Middle Pillar, and is a reference to the magician who stands in the Pillar of Balance. It also alludes to the unification of the macrocosm and the microcosm by a hexagonal column of light between a hexagram above and a hexagram below. (In this version the total number of points on the four pentagrams and the two hexagrams is 32, the number of the Paths of Wisdom, the holy name AHYAHWEH (the combination of Eheieh and YHVH, the macrocosm and the microcosm. One of the unpublished papers from the AO (an offshoot of the Golden Dawn) suggested that line 11 could be either “And behind me shines the Six-rayed Star,” or “and behind me shines the Hexagram of Light.” This same paper states that a thirteenth line could be added if the magician so desired: “And above my head the Glory of God.” Whatever version the magician chooses is a matter of personal preference.

  21 Specifically the banishment of negativity, unwanted energies, or neuroses.

  22 Most texts describing the LBRP state that the magician is to start in the east and finish in the east. We now feel it might be better to have the magician start and finish in the center of the room, facing east. He can move to the east to trace the first pentagram and then continue around the circumference of the temple. He would only need to stand in the center of the room whenever performing the Qabalistic Cross and the Invocation of the Archangels.

  23 The pentagrams could also be visualized in flaming white light. White light has a tendency to be seen on the astral as bluish light by clairvoyants.

  24 Each is a “tetragram.”

  25 The element of fire corresponds to our will and feeling faculty, water to our creativity and intuitive faculty, air to our intellect and thinking faculty, and earth to our faculty of sensation.

  26 See Part Two, Chapter Nine for an explanation of why these names are used in the Pentagram Ritual.

  27 Or the center of the room. Refer to Endnote 22.

  28 A telesmatic image is an image constructed according to a predetermined set of correspondences. This image is then consecrated and charged to achieve a specific purpose. And the charged image becomes a sacred icon—a living symbol of the force it represents.

  29 The archangel of earth. Also called Uriel. (Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel are the archangels of air, fire, and water, respectively.)

  30 These four colors are the usual colors given for the Sephirah Malkuth, which has the element of earth generally assigned to it. These are also the colors of elemental earth in the King Scale.

  31 These last two lines refer to visualizations in steps 11 and 12 in the LBRP. (Refer to Endnote 20.) Regardie’s suggested visualization of a pentagram on the chest and a hexagram on the back results in a total of 31 points on the five pentagrams and the single hexagram, the number of the divine name Al .

  32 This practice will eventually become second nature to the magician. For an example, if the magician is having a “rough day at the office” he can imagine himself at home, performing the LBRP in full regalia in his private temple space. All of this can be performed astrally and with great effect toward cleansing negative influences from the magician’s psyche.

  33 During this time the student should refrain from invoking and concentrate solely on banishing.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE MIDDLE PILLAR EXERCISE

  It is my confirmed belief that several weeks at the very least of patient application to the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram should precede any effort to perform the Middle Pillar. For one thing, it will have trained the student in several little tricks of routine and magical technique quite apart from the intrinsic virtues of the exercise, which is to purify and cleanse the entire sphere of personality to the end that the higher self may manifest through a purified body and mind. If the exercise has been labored
at for two or three months, performing it two or three times during the course of each day, the student will approach the further stages of magic well-prepared, quite able to cope with and accommodate the increased vitality and power which will pour through him.

  It will be realized how necessary analysis is as a preliminary routine to magic. The student should have arrived at a fair understanding of himself, his motives, and the mechanism of his mind, and integrated himself more or less thoroughly so that no dissociation or serious neurosis exists within the psyche. For the presence of a powerful complex of associated ideas in the unconscious, or a marked dissociation splitting off one part of the psyche from the other, will have the effect of short-circuiting the flow of energy generated or released by the Middle Pillar. An explosion in the form of a complete nervous breakdown, or even of the destruction of mental stability, will be a likely result. Many instances have been known of unprepared students contracting fatal physical illnesses through attempting work of this nature, though this is more true where Eastern exercises have been unwisely attempted. Some of these unfortunates, when the dissociation was rendered complete, have succumbed to chronic melancholia or taken their own lives. These warnings are not intended to be portentous or terrifying, but only to impress upon the student the solemnity of these undertakings, a journey of self-conquest than which nothing could compare in importance or seriousness.