The Middle Pillar

by Israel Regardie

  9 H. P. B. has it as green.

  10 H. P. B. has it as yellow.

  11 H. P. B. has it as light blue.

  12 H. P. B. has it as dark blue-violet.

  13 H. P. B. has it as violet.

  14 Many authorities do not consider the “Thousand-Petalled Lotus” to be one of the chakras because it lies outside the body, just above the crown of the head.

  15 Masters of yoga.

  16 The “ng” vibrates the sphenoid bone at the base of the skull, causing the sphenoidal sinus to act like a sound chamber, stimulating the pituitary gland.

  Suggested Reading

  A Chakra & Kundalini Workbook by Dr. Jonn Mumford (Llewellyn Publications, 1994).

  Chakras by Harish Johari (Inner Traditions, 1988).

  Energy Ecstasy and Your Seven Vital Chakras by Bernard Gunther (Borgo Press, 1983).

  Laya Yoga by Shyam Sundar Goswami (Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1980).

  Kundalini and the Chakras by Genevieve Paulson (Llewellyn Publications, 1991).

  The Kundalini Expereince: Psychosis or Transcendence by Lee Sannella, M.D. (Integral Pub., 1988).

  Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith (Llewellyn Publications, 1987).

  CHAPTER NINE

  THE PENTAGRAM

  The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (sometimes called the LBRP) is one of the most important magical tools that the ceremonial magician has at his disposal. The following rendition is only slightly different from the one presented in Chapter Three. It is the version that we prefer to use.

  THE QABALISTIC CROSS

  Stand and face east. Imagine a brilliant white light touching the top of your head. Reach up with the index finger or blade of a dagger to connect with the light and bring it down to the forehead.

  Touch the forehead and vibrate “Atah” (Ah-tah—“Thou art”).1

  Touch the breast and bring the dagger blade or index finger down till it covers the heart or abdominal area, pointing down to the ground. Imagine the light descending from the forehead to the feet. Vibrate “Malkuth” (Mahl-kooth-“The Kingdom”).

  Touch the right shoulder and visualize a point of light there. Vibrate “ve-Geburah” (v’ge-boo-rah-“The Power”).

  Touch the left shoulder and visualize a point of light there. See the horizontal shaft of light extending from the opposite shoulder to join this point of light. Vibrate “ve-Gedulah” (v’ge-doo-lah—“The Glory”).

  Imagine a completed cross of light running from head to feet and shoulder to shoulder.

  Bring the hands outward, away from the body, and finally bring them together again, clasped on the breast as if praying or interlocking the fingers. Vibrate “Le-Olahm, Amen” (lay-oh-lahm, ah-men—“Forever, unto the ages”).

  THE LESSER BANISHING RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM

  Stand and face east.2 Perform the Qabalistic Cross as described above.

  Still facing east, use a dagger or the index finger of the right hand to trace a large Lesser Banishing Pentagram. Thrust the dagger tip or index finger through the center of the pentagram and vibrate “YHVH” (Yode-Heh-Vav-Heh—the Tetragrammaton [see Glossary]).

  (Keep the right arm extended throughout, never let it drop. The pentagrams should be visualized in a flaming blue or white light.)

  Turn to the south and trace the same pentagram there. Charge the figure as before, intoning “Adonai” (Ah-doh-nye—“Lord”).

  Turn to the west and trace the pentagram. Charge it with “Eheieh” (Eh-hey-yay—“I am”).

  Turn to the north and draw the pentagram, intoning “AGLA” (Ah-gah-lah—a notariqon [see Glossary]).

  Keep the arm extended. Turn to face the east. Extend both arms out in the form of a cross and say, “Before me, RAPHAEL” (Rah-fay-el). Visualize before you the great archangel of air rising out of the clouds in flowing yellow and violet robes, carrying a caduceus wand.

  Behind you, visualize another figure and say, “Behind me, GABRIEL” (Gah-bree-el). See the archangel stepping out of the sea like the goddess Venus, dressed in robes of blue and orange, with cup in hand.

  See to your right another figure in flaming red and green robes carrying a sword. Say, “On my right hand, MICHAEL” (Mee-kai-el).

  See another great archangel at your left, who rises up from the vegetation of the earth in robes of citrine, olive, russet, and black, holding stems of ripened wheat. Say, “On my left hand, URIEL” (Ur-ee-el).

  Say, “For about me flames the pentagram, and in the column shines the Six-rayed Star.”

  Repeat the Qabalistic Cross as in the beginning.

  Magical work involves change and creation. And the subject of the magician’s work is the self. The magician is the focus of his or her own alchemical processes. By adapting one’s personal vision to reflect the macrocosm, we can change ourselves to better reflect those divine ideas. We may alter our body, appearance, the chemical composition of our blood, and the configuration of our nervous system. We may tame the feral beasts that dwell within our organic structure. By changing ourselves to resonate with the divine, we may transmute every portion of ourselves and become as purified vessels for the eternal spirit.

  Rites such as the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram represent this spiritual goal. The LBRP explains this goal in mathematical and Qabalistic terms. It sets a pattern for self-growth which has a powerful influence on the subconscious mind. It symbolically places us in a correct relationship to the one divine source. And when we are in this correct relationship, it becomes much easier for us to fight off any hostile influence from within or from without. By continued practice of rituals such as the LBRP, we can produce the physical and astral conditions which will make it easier for us to realize our true place in the divine universe. The pentagram is a symbol of the logos or the word of creation, which connects the essential divine self in humanity to the one divine self called God.

  The Formula of the LBRP

  The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is the ceremonial magician’s way of casting a circle of protection. Some Wiccan groups will cast a circle around their sacred space by tracing it on the ground with a sword, or by sprinkling salt water around the area. But the ceremonial magician does this by tracing pentagrams around the circle with a specialized dagger or wand.

  The ritual begins with a brief moment of meditation to cleanse the mind and begin the process of creating a ritual atmosphere or sacred space. Then the magician performs what is called the Qabalistic Cross. This rite creates a cross of living divine light within the magician’s aura.

  This cross is based upon the Qabalistic Tree of Life, containing the spheres of Kether, Malkuth, Geburah, Chesed, and Tiphareth. These also represent a balancing of the four elements within the magician’s aura: Kether / air, Malkuth / earth, Geburah / fire, and Chesed or Gedulah / water. And although the name of Tiphareth is not vibrated, the balancing element of spirit is indicated by placing the hands over the heart area.

  After the Qabalistic Cross, the magician traces the Lesser Banishing Pentagram in all four quarters, beginning in the east and walking clockwise. The symbol of the pentagram refers to the four elements—crowned and completed by the fifth element of spirit. The pentagram is a symbol of protection. When traced, the pentagrams are visualized in flaming astral blue or white light. They are charged by stabbing through the center of the figure when the appropriate Hebrew words are vibrated. The pentagrams are connected to each other by an astral ribbon of the same color. Drawing these banishing pentagrams rids the area of all unwanted energies.

  The magician returns to the east, and stands with arms extended in the form of the cross. He identifies himself with the Tau cross of life, a symbol of knowledge gained through sacrifice, but which is also related to the ideas of mercy and justice.

  Next comes the invocation of the four archangels. These archangels are associated with the idea of the divine creator governing the four elements and the four directions. Angels and archangels are considered specific aspects of God
, each with a particular purpose and jurisdiction. They are humanized symbols of what we believe to be good and holy. Nearly all of the Hebrew angelic names end in the suffixes “el” or “yah.” This indicates that they are “of God.” Raphael, “the Healer of God,” is assigned to air. Gabriel, “the Strong One of God,” is assigned to water. Michael, “He who is like God,” is assigned to fire. Uriel, “the Light of God,” is assigned to earth.3

  While the pentagrams are drawn for the purification of the circle, the archangels are invoked to consecrate the circle with the forces of the divine light.

  Before me, RAPHAEL, behind me, GABRIEL, on my right hand, MICHAEL, on my left hand, URIEL.

  Then comes the statement, “For about me flame the Pentagrams, and in the column shines the Six-rayed Star.” (Refer to Chapter Three, Endnote 20.) The six-rayed star is the hexagram or “Star of David,” which is the star of the macrocosm or “greater universe.” It is formed from the two triangles of fire and water, and it symbolizes perfection and total balance. While the pentagram is the symbol of man, the hexagram is the symbol of perfected or purified man, balanced within the greater universe.

  This is followed once again by the Qabalistic Cross, which further strengthens and seals the cross of light within the magician’s aura.

  Origins of the Pentagram Ritual

  The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram was a creation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. However, various portions of the ritual are found to have far more ancient sources.

  In the New Testament, the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) is obviously based upon Qabalistic principles, showing that Jesus of Nazareth, who was called Rabbi by his followers, knew his Qabalah. This is because the Lord’s Prayer is itself based on the Hebrew “Prayer of David” from the Old Testament, found in the first book of Chronicles 29:1. “The Prayer of David at the Foundation of the Temple” reads as follows:Unto Thee, O Tetragrammaton, are the Greatness and the Power and the Beauty and the Victory and the Glory, for unto Thee is everything in the Heavens and the Earth. Unto Thee, O Tetragrammaton, is the Kingdom.

  This single verse mentions the names of several Sephiroth, including: Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzach, Hod, and Malkuth. The Lord’s Prayer from the New Testament states:For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever and ever, Amen.4

  This is only slightly different from the Qabalistic Cross, which states (in English):Thou art the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, the World forever, unto the ages. Amen.

  The word Atah (“Thou art”) is linked to the Sephirah of Kether, whose divine name is “I am.” Malkuth (“the Kingdom”) is the tenth sphere on the Tree. V‘geburah (“and the Power”) refers to the fifth Sephirah of power. V’gedulah, which means “and the Glory,” refers to Chesed since “Glory” (or “Magnificence”) is another title of Chesed. Le-Olahm, Amen means ‘forever unto the ages.”

  This is very similar to the Christian Sign of the Cross. One important difference between the Christian Cross and the Qabalistic Cross is that in the Hermetic version, Geburah or “the Power” is attributed to the right shoulder, while in the Christian Cross, it is placed on the left shoulder. This points out a major difference in the way that a ceremonial magician approaches the divine self from the way that the average church-goer and the Christian Rosicrucian approaches God.

  Within the Judeo-Christian tradition, the image of God is seen as separate and outside of humanity. The image of God, as projected on the Tree of Life, is usually viewed as something “out there,” or something that is too sacred to be approached by sinful earthbound human beings. Thus the Tree of Life as the image of God is sometimes pictured as the backside of God by the orthodox religions. In other words, God’s face is not turned toward humanity, or as the scriptures tell us, “one cannot look upon the face of God and live.” It was safer to “image” the deity from behind. Therefore to the Roman Catholic, Geburah is on the left shoulder—the same as the image of the Tree seen from the back, and outside of the human being.

  One Qabalistic diagram often used to illustrate the idea of the divine on the Tree of Life is that of Adam Kadmon, the so-called Atziluthic or archetypal man. Adam Kadmon is the “heavenly man” or “body of God.” He is the divine prototype of humanity which is circumscribed upon the Tree of Life. The crown of Kether is above his head, Malkuth is at his feet, Geburah is at his left shoulder, and Chesed is at his right shoulder. In his book Kabbalah: Tradition of Hidden Knowledge, Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi tells us about the diagram of Adam Kadmon: “...this reflection, however, like that in any mirror, is only a refection and never the reality.”5 Halevi says:The likeness of a man (Ezekiel 1:26) was used by early mystics to describe the Divine Glory. The figure of a primordial, Atziluthic man, God’s image is the embodiment of the Sefirot. This, the most perfect image of Divinity, is seen not as God but as His reflection, and therefore a representation of his does not contravene the Second Commandment.6

  Adam Kadmon is sometimes called the “Reversed Tree.” This is because several glyphs of the Tree of Life are shown with their “roots” in the Supernals. Adam Kadmon is “reversed” from this, with this head in Kether and his feet in Malkuth. We also believe that he is the “Reversed Tree” because his image is reversed not only from top to bottom, but from side to side. If you hold the usual image of Adam Kadmon (see Figure 10, p. 182) up to a mirror you will see what we believe is the true non-reversed appearance of the deity that it is forbidden by the orthodoxy to look upon—Geburah is on the right side, Chesed is on the left. Therefore, the traditional diagram of Adam Kadmon is a tzelem or reflected image of a spiritual reality—not that reality itself.

  Ceremonial magicians are not bound by the admonishments of orthodoxy which state that one cannot view God from the front, or look upon his non-reversed image. Theurgists7 view the usual diagram of the Tree of Life as the face or front side of the divine. This image of the Tree is then reflected back into us, as if through a mirror. Thus Geburah, on the deity’s right shoulder, is reflected to our right shoulder. This is because the magician seeks to bring the image of God inside the aura. This is a greatly simplified version of a magical operation known as the assumption of godforms, and it points out the difference between the exoteric beliefs of mainstream religion and the esoteric practices of ceremonial magicians. (See Figure 11, p. 184.)

  Figure 10: Adam Kadmon, the “Reversed Tree.”

  Commenting on the Qabalistic Cross in his book Transcendental Magic, Eliphas Levi, the man most responsible for the occult revival of the nineteenth century, wrote that: “This Sign, made after this manner, should precede and terminate the Conjuration of the Four.”8

  The Conjuration of the Four refers to the four elements of fire, water, air, and earth. The four archangels in the LBRP are among the best known and most powerful of the Hebrew deities, and they are the governors of the four elements. The invocation of the archangels in the LBRP is very similar to an invocation in a Hebrew Night Prayer printed in an orthodox Siddur or Daily Prayer Book translated by Philip Birnbaum.9 The Siddur reads as follows:In the name of the Lord God of Israel, may Michael be at my right hand, and Gabriel at my left; before me Uriel; behind me Raphael; and above my head the Divine Presence.

  This clearly relates very closely to the calling of the archangels in the LBRP. Although they are in a different order, they are still the same archangels, carrying out the same duties. These orthodox correspondences may reflect an approach that is different from that taken by the Golden Dawn. There are undoubtedly similar versions of the invocation of the archangels still tucked away in Hebrew texts.

  What the Pentagram Represents

  No one knows the exact magical origins of the pentagram, or pentalpha, as it is sometimes called in older texts. For centuries the five-pointed star has been used as a symbol of protection and a talisman for health and well-being. It was popular among the Babylonians, Egyptians, Assyrians, and Hebrews. According to Eliphas Levi, magicians of old used to draw the symbol u
pon their doorsteps, to keep malevolent spirits out and beneficent spirits in. And as early as the sixth century B.C.E., Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher-mystic, used the pentagram as a holy symbol for his followers.

  Five was a number peculiarly associated with the ideas of marriage and union, as it is the first number beyond the monad formed from the union of the first odd and even numbers, male and female. It is also said to represent the human figure, with arms and legs outspread.

  Figure 11: Backing into the Tree.

  The shape of the five-pointed star seems to be one of nature’s favorite geometric designs—it can be found in flowers, fruit, and crystalline forms. In magic the pentagram represents the four elements of fire, water, air, and earth—plus one other.

  In addition, the number five is attributed to the Pentagrammaton or “five-lettered name.” This is a natural extension of the Tetragrammaton, the holy and hidden “four-lettered name” of God signified by the letters YHVH. In the Pentagrammaton the letter Shin is placed in the center of YHVH, resulting in the name of Yeheshuah—YHShVH. This is the name of Jesus in Hebrew, but more importantly to magicians, it is the four elements of fire, water, air, and earth, with the addition of the fifth element of spirit.

  The element of spirit binds together and governs the other four, which are the metaphysical building blocks of all that exists. The fifth element of spirit, also called the quintessence, crowns and connects the other four. It is spirit which transcends the others and makes the whole of the pentagram greater than the sum of its parts. Spirit is the divine and guiding principle. This is one reason magicians stress that it is important to keep the spirit point of the pentagram facing upward. To reverse it would be to subject spirit to the governance of matter. Thus the inverted pentagram signifies chaos and evil.