The Magister 3
Page 11
The meditation to perform once you have completed the adoration and the signs is upon The Sun tarot card (or simply take a few moments to be with yourself in silence). You can also contemplate the words of the Emerald Tablet or consider the Vision of Zosimos. At this stage there is no requirement for heavy meditation; a simple marking of time and attention of awareness is all that is necessary.
This practice should be done as close to sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight as convenient, and regularly. If you cannot see the Sun, or are slightly late or early, no matter – perform the adoration. If you miss an adoration, perform the next one as usual and leave the missed one. You should also record the observation in your magical diary or journal.
With regard to the positions adopted in the Liber Resh, you are advised to make the ‘sign of your grade’, which as a Neophyte is the Sign of the Enterer followed by the Sign of Silence. This projects energy and withdraws it, and symbolises that as a Neophyte you are awakening and learning to control (albeit unconsciously at present) elemental energies. I do not believe that you should do different signs at different times of the day; to me, you are recognising your state-of-being (‘grade’) in time when you do Liber Resh, and your state-of-being in space when you practice the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.
Unless you have changed grade during the day, then you would adopt the same sign at all times.
The Sign of Harpocrates is made with the left hand, although the figure is historically most often depicted with the right hand to the mouth. It is certainly made with the left in the Golden Dawn. Strangely, the gesture as made by Harpocrates is not actually anything to do with ‘silence’ or the ‘hush’ motion or sound, but was actually a sign which represented the particular hieroglyph of the god. It is only after the Ancient Egyptians that the sign, and therefore the god’s association with silence, was made.
At a more mystical level, Harpocrates also represents the ‘Silent Watcher’ which is your Holy Guardian Angel, and the aim of the elemental grades of initiation. You are already falling back into yourself to prepare to meet your angel, even within this basic signing and practice.
Vignette: Airport Adoration
Frater F.P. found himself at dawn in an airport whilst performing the Abramelin operation, for which Liber Resh is in part a preparation and practice.
As it was essential that he performed the observation, he managed to locate the ‘All Faith Chapel’ room and find a member of staff to unlock it. However, he was still dressed in a suit and tie, and carrying his briefcase and laptop, required for the business trip.
So he performed the practice (also involving a Banishing Ritual and vibrating names) and prayers so dressed. At the point of completion, he looked up and realised that there was a closed-circuit television camera in the room.
He imagines that is still doing the rounds as the security company’s top 10 videos.
Liber Qoph vel Lunae
The Book of the Moon, a Lunar Observation.
In this variant form of the Liber Resh practice, initiates of the OED equilibriate their solar and conscious observations with a reflective recognition of unconscious patterns. The Moon is symbolic of our inner life, and as corresponding with Yesod, as the Sun corresponds to Tiphareth, their equal activation in our life, Malkuth, is depicted by the Temperance tarot card.
The lunar observation is only made once daily, at night or before sleep, ideally gazing upon the Moon in her station. The wording, given as a cycling litany, is given as appropriate for the Moon in her four aspects: waxing, full, waning, and new.[147]
Litany of the Younger Daughter (Waxing Moon)
O Younger Moon, blessed be thou,
O Daughter of my Soul, blessed be thou,
O Thou Who Grows in Darkness, blessed be thou, O Silent Seed of Light, blessed be thou.
Come forth my soul, to know its depths in Thy Light, reflected in mine eye.
Litany of the Mother (Full Moon)
O Mother Moon, honoured be thou,
O Mirror of Creation, honoured be thou,
O Thou who holds all Secrets, honoured be thou, O Memory Full of Treasures, honoured be thou. Come forth my soul, to know its depths
In Thy Light, reflected in mine eye.
Litany of the Older Daughter (Waning Moon)
O Elder Moon, remembered be thou, O Pale Dew, remembered be thou,
O Thou who changes all, remembered be thou, O Well of Tears, remembered be thou.
Come forth my soul, to know its depths in Thy Light, reflected in mine eye.
Litany of the Innocent (New Moon)
O Innocent Moon, enchanted be thou, O Lost Soul, enchanted be thou,
O thou who is unknown and unbidden, enchanted be thou, O secret sea, enchanted be thou.
Come forth my soul, to know its depths in Thy Light, reflected in mine eye.
The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.
The practice of casting a circle is well documented in magical work and a common element to many esoteric practices and traditions. The word ‘temple’ comes from a root meaning to ‘separate’, as does ‘sacred’, to ‘remove from the profane’. Thus, any circle cast creates a temple boundary. When I teach this personally, I teach students to create a circle, charge it with a colour / sound / texture that reflects their will, then extend it to the edges of universe. Thus universe becomes the temple, and all boundaries are removed. I would encourage you to adopt this approach.
In the Temple of Anubis, who is guardian of the gates, we learn here to create a circle and space of working with four elemental guardians at the four geographical quarters. We also perform a simple gestural ritual called the Kabbalistic Cross which maps to the sephiroth on the Tree of Life.
In doing this ritual – ideally at the commencement and completion of each day – we establish a space in which our world becomes a magical temple.
Notes Prior to Commencing the Practice
1. There is no particular pronunciation, as I have heard magicians with a very ‘Geordie’ (North-East England) accent performing the ritual, and it is a very different sound to a Californian or native speaker of Hebrew! The vibration should be controlled by the breathing out – the exhalation – and should vibrate through the whole body, so aim for a deep, sonorous tone and a comfortable volume.
2. You can use your index finger, or an elemental weapon. It is best to start with your own body before extending the practice to other objects, which you need to ensure carry the same intention.
3. Start East.
4. The vibration of those names are four aspects of the universe, or ‘names of God’. Each represents a certain configuration of energies, which can be ascertained by looking at the Hebrew letters that compose each name and relating them to their corresponding tarot cards.
5. The Kabbalistic Cross is the statement, “Ateh, Malkuth, veh-Geburah, veh-Gedulah, Amen,” with the corresponding actions of drawing a Cross upon the body – this activates the Tree of Life in your aura.
6. The direction of the line drawn for the banishing pentagram starts with the bottom left corner, goes up to the top point, then follows that direction until the pentagram is drawn. I always relate this to my left hip, ahead of me, then my head, ahead, then my right hip, left shoulder, right shoulder, then back to the level of my left hip. What you are doing for the banishing is drawing the first line AWAY from the point attributed to EARTH on the pentagram. When you invoke, you draw the line starting from the top point, TOWARDS the point attributed to EARTH.
For the ‘Greater’ Banishing Ritual, you learn the attribution of the elements to the points, then, for example, to INVOKE FIRE, you would draw the first line TOWARDS the point attributed to FIRE. Although when you do this, because you are in effect working with an ‘unbalanced’ energy, you have to draw an ‘equilibrating’ pentagram first. I hope that makes sense in theory – don’t worry about it too much at the moment in practice.
The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
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nbsp; 1. Stand facing East in the centre of room with feet together.
2. Perform the Kabbalistic Cross:
Touch forehead and say, “Ateh”
Touch chest and say, “Malkuth”
Touch right shoulder and say, “Ve-Geburah”
Touch left shoulder and say, “Ve-Gedulah”
Put palms together over chest and say, “Le-Olahm, Amen”
3. Surround yourself with pentagrams:
Draw a large pentagram before you, starting at the bottom left point;
Point to the centre of the pentagram and vibrate “Y-H-V-H”
Draw a line to the centre of what will become the South pentagram;
Draw a large pentagram before you, starting at the bottom left point.
[If you are unsure about the pentagram, see www.westernesotericism.com for a fully illustrated version]
Point to the centre of the pentagram and vibrate “Adonai”
Draw a line to the centre of what will become the West pentagram;
Draw a large pentagram before you, starting at the bottom left point;
Point to the centre of the pentagram and vibrate “Eheieh”
Draw a line to the centre of what will become the North pentagram;
Draw a large pentagram before you, starting at the bottom left point;
Point to the centre of the pentagram and vibrate “AGLA” Draw a line to the centre of the East pentagram.
4. The Elemental Kerubim – with your feet still together and facing East, extend your arms horizontally, palms up, and say: “Before me, Raphael, Behind me, Gabriel, On my Right, Michael, On my Left, Auriel, For before me flames the pentagram, And behind me shines the six-rayed star.”
5. Repeat the Kabbalistic Cross.
Visualisations.
1. Visualise yourself as being of immense height, standing with your head among the stars, and with your feet on the Earth like someone balancing on a soccer ball.
2. Kabbalistic Cross visualisations:
“Ateh (m), Ata (f)” – Kether above your head, a sphere of pure brilliance;
“Malkuth” – Malkuth in your chest cavity, in radiant yellow-gold; “Ve-Geburah” – Geburah envelopes your right shoulder, in radiant red;
“Ve-Gedulah” – Chesed envelopes your left shoulder, in radiant blue;
“Le-Olahm, Amen” – You fill the Universe, encased in light.
3. Pentagrams and their connecting lines are drawn on the boundaries of the universe. Draw pentagrams and connecting lines in electric blue (like a laser or welding torch). As you vibrate the names, visualise them within the pentagram in black Hebrew letters on a white background – ‘white fire on black’, as the kabbalists say of holy script.
To vibrate the names, take a deep breath, visualising a current of light descending from Kether (above your head) to Malkuth (below, but slightly enveloping, your feet). Hold your breath and maintain the visualisation of light in Malkuth for a moment, while you mentally rehearse the divine name. Then, as you expel the air from your lungs in the saying of the name, visualise the light rising up from Malkuth like a fountain, flowing out through the top of your head, overflowing and enveloping your body in the ovoid form of the aura.
East: YHVH (Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh)
South: ADONAI (Aleph-Daleth-Nun-Yod)
West: EHEIEH (Aleph-Heh-Yod-Heh)
North: AGLA (Aleph-Gimel-Lamed-Aleph)
4. The Elemental Kerubim should be visualised accompanying the Pentagrams. They are tall winged humans with heads appropriate to their Elements:
Raphael - Human
Gabriel - Eagle
Michael - Lion
Auriel - Bull
‘The pentagram’ – these are the five Sephiroth from Tiphareth to Malkuth; visualise as the apparent Universe.
‘The six-rayed star’ – these are the six sephiroth from Kether to Tiphareth; visualise as a star of enormous brilliance.
5. Kabbalistic Cross (as per above).
This ritual should be practised in stages until you can perform the whole in a simple yet forceful manner. It should be practised at the start and end of each day. Its continual working over an extended period of time will establish its own routine and revelations.
You may notice that in establishing such a willed and equilibrated space, those elements of your life that are not so balanced will be called into attention. This may result in some disruption to your routine. Such disruptions should be taken as evidence that you are working towards balance and not as distractions or challenges to your work.
The regular performance of this ritual in a particular place should generate an atmosphere which is noticeable to those entering the space, even in a domestic setting. As one unknowing friend once remarked, “Have you done something with the room? Redecorated?”
The Self in Relationship (Middle Pillar)
The Middle Pillar exercise completes a triad of practices given to the Neophyte. In Liber Resh, we re-orientate ourselves to magickal time; in the Banishing Ritual, we re-orientate ourselves to magickal space; and in the Middle Pillar exercise, we re-orientate ourselves to the magickal Self. Although there are many other useful effects of these rituals – a sense of balance, of equilibrium, a serenity and calmness of movement and rhythm that permeates the aura after several months of practice – it is these three orientations that begin to have a profound effect over practice.
We are apparent selves existing in time and space. These three methods integrate themselves into this apparent state to achieve the building blocks of later mystical experience. This is not to be underestimated nor taken as basic techniques; they can provide the conduits for intense mystical experience later in the work and assist us integrate that experience into our life.
Our practice in the next Temple, the Rose Cross Ritual, will weave these three orientations together into a whole in order to maintain an ongoing synthesis of practice in a harmonious manner. For now, it is useful – indeed essential – to pick up the pace and maintain your practices of three rituals – Liber Resh at regular daily intervals, the Lesser Banishing Ritual at least daily, and the Middle Pillar at least once a week.
Later work beyond the Crucible sees us learn the Greater Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, and also an invoking version which allows us to work more dynamically with the four elements. Beyond even that we learn the hexagram version, which takes us from equilibriating and interacting with the forces of the elemental world into the forces of the planetary world. There are further versions of Liber Resh and the Middle Pillar which change in accordance with our progress in the ascent upon the Tree of Life and our own changes of awareness and state.
It is Israel Regardie to whom we owe most of the development of the Middle Pillar method. As a therapist as well as a magician he saw the potential of this practice to equilibrate the Self. As you progress with your theory work, learning more about the Tree of Life, these two elements will inform each other and deepen both.[148]
Although we see this ritual as re-orientating to the Self, we also see it as the Self-in-relationship. This is important in our contemplation of the method; to see the Self not in itself, but as an entity defined by its relationship – to others, to the world, to the divine, and to itself. It is an eye that sees itself.
Notes Prior to Commencing the Practice
As you learn the correspondences in your theory work, and learn the colours of the sephiroth, then you may visualise them in the appropriate colours during this exercise. I also recommend obtaining information on the Golden Dawn techniques of building the Tree of Life into the aura and the work of Israel Regardie by the same name, The Middle Pillar, to deepen your appreciation of this exercise.
In this exercise we establish ourselves as the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life by visualising the central sephiroth of the Tree within our own body / aura. We visualise the sephiroth as spheres – although we must remind ourselves they are ‘numerical emanations’ and not spheres nor objects of any description – and vibrate
(chant slowly with intent) the corresponding divine name in Hebrew.
The meanings of these divine names is given, and as your practice continues you can contemplate these names as demonstrating different stages and states of Self-relationship, and notice to which you are more attracted or repelled. This is a powerful method hidden within the method and a secret of initiatory work.
You may also contemplate the individual Hebrew letters and the corresponding tarot cards, in order to see how these sephiroth function as building blocks of the Self / universe in relation to itself.
The Middle Pillar Method
1. Stand facing West in your temple or working area (or imagine that you are, if you are elsewhere). The Pillars of Mercy and Severity should be to your left and right, with the white Pillar of Mercy on your left, and the black Pillar of Severity on your right hand side. You form (or become) the Middle Pillar as you stand between them.
You may also visualise a ladder behind you [this is specific to the work of the Order of the Everlasting Day for which the Crucible is the Outer Court].
2. Imagine that the black pillar is reflected into your right side, and the white pillar reflected into your left side.
3. Now raise your consciousness to the light of your Kether – the area just above the crown of your head (the literal meaning of the word, Kether). Formulate in your mind a sphere of brilliant white light there. This is the divine core of your being. When you can see it and feel it in your mind strongly enough, vibrate (three or four times) slowly: