THE LESSER BANISHING RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM

According to the Writings of Aleister Crowley

Compiled with Comments by Antonio Lau

Blind Force: the Sign of Horus

In the August 1914 issue of The Occult Review, a letter appeared under the subject heading
“VAMPIRISM”:

To the editor of the OCCULT REVIEW

Sir, — Your correspondent “A” asks for a method of defence against this practice. The
letter by no means overstates the danger. Fortunately the method of defence is simple and
easy. Every man has a natural fortress within himself, the Soul impregnable. It is only in
the rarest circumstances that this can ever be successfully assailed. The Black Magical
Operation, which used to be called “a pact with the devil,” is almost the only way in
which this can happen; although one had better leave out of immediate consideration
questions of the interpretation of madness. Besides this central citadel, man has also
outworks, the Aura. This Aura is sensitive, and must be sensitive. Unless it were
responsive to impressions it would cease to be a medium of communication from the
non-ego to the ego. This Aura should be bright and resilient even in the case of the
ordinary man. In the case of the adept it is also radiant. In ill-health this Aura becomes
weakened. It will be seen flabby, torn at the edges, cloudy, dull. It may even come near to
 destruction. It is the duty of every person to see that his Aura is in good condition. There
are two main methods of doing this. The first is by a performance two or three times daily
of the Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Accurate instructions for performing this are
given in No. II. of the Equinox, pp. 19, sqq. Its main point is to establish in the Astral
four Pentagrams, one in each quarter, and two Hexagrams, one above, the other below,
thus enclosing the Magician, as it were, in a consecrated box. It also places in his Aura
the Divine names invoked.
The second method is the assumption of the God-form of Harpocrates, described on pp.
17 and 18 of the same number of the Equinox. The Magician imagines himself in the
form of the God Harpocrates, the Lord of Silence, preferably either in his standing
posture or throned.
By this practice the Aura becomes concentrated about the Soul, thus receiving fresh
purity and force from that fountain of all light and power. It then returns to its normal size
fortified, even invulnerable. Persistence in these practices will make it impossible for any
hostile agency to penetrate it, and it will further radiate its own light on all of those with
whom it comes into communication, so that they themselves receive virtue from it. For
some years I have been engaged in teaching these methods to those who find it difficult
to follow the printed instructions given in the place referred to above, free of all charge
(for it is, of course, the first law of Magick, and indeed of business, never to accept dross
in return for gold) and I am glad of this opportunity to make this fact more widely known.
I shall be glad to hear from anyone who requires help in this direction. I am, sir,
Yours faithfully,
PERDURABO.

Perdurabo is the magical motto of Aleister Crowley, taken when he was first initiated into the
Order of the Golden Dawn as a Neophyte in November 1898. The Equinox No. II was published
in September 1909 and included Liber O vel Manus et Sagittae sub figura VI, a 20 page technical
“book” described as “Instructions given for elementary study of the Qabalah, Assumption of God
forms, vibration of Divine Names, the Rituals of Pentagram and Hexagram, and their uses in
protection and invocation, a method of attaining astral visions so-called, and an instruction in the
practice called Rising on the Planes.” The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is given as follows:

(i) Touching the forehead say Ateh (Unto Thee).

(ii) Touching the breast say Malkuth (The Kingdom).
(iii) Touching the right shoulder, say ve-Geburah (and the Power).
(iv) Touching the left shoulder, say ve-Gedulah (and the Glory).
(v) Clasping the hands upon the breast, say le-Olahm, Amen (To the Ages, Amen).
(vi) Turning to the East make a pentagram (that of Earth) with the proper weapon
(usually the Wand). Say (i.e. vibrate) I H V H.
(vii) Turning to the South, the same, but say A D N I.
(viii) Turning to the West, the same, but say A H I H.
(ix) Turning to the North, the same, but say A G L A.
Pronounce: Ye-ho-wau, Adonai, Eheieh, Agla.
(x) Extending the arms in the form of a Cross say:
(xi) Before me Raphael;
(xii) Behind me Gabriel;
 (xiii) On my right hand Michael.
(xiv) On my left hand Auriel;
(xv) For about me flames the Pentagram,
(xvi) And in the Column stands the six-rayed Star.
(xvii-xxi) Repeat (i) to (v), the Qabalistic Cross.

Liber O begins with this very sentence: “This book is very easy to misunderstand; readers are
asked to use the most minute critical care in the study of it, even as we have done in its
preparation.” And even though the letter in The Occult Review claims that Liber O gives
“accurate instructions,” these are still not as clear as most students would have wished them to
be; not only in his lifetime, but even so today. Nearly 30 years after the letter was printed,
Crowley wrote the following to Soror Fiat Yod: “You ought to demonstrate your performance of
the Pentagram Ritual to me; you are probably making any number of mistakes.” [Magick
Without Tears, Letter G] And in a letter dated 11 December 1946, nearly a year before his death,
Crowley sent 2 copies each of what would be his final instructions on the Lesser Banishing
Ritual of the Pentagram, and his Notes on the Ritual of Pentagram, to Karl Germer. Germer in
turn had them copied and sent to certain OTO members of Agape Lodge.

LESSER BANISHING RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM

This ritual consists of three parts:

I. The Qabalistic Cross.
II. The Pentagram.
III. The repetition of the Qabalistic Cross.
It is performed in the following manner:
I. THE QABALISTIC CROSS.
With a steel dagger in the right hand, face East.
1. Touching the forehead, say ATEH (Unto Thee)
2. Touching the breast, say AIWASS (Spirit)
3. Touching the generative organ, say MALKUTH (The Kingdom)
4. Touching the right shoulder, say VE-GEBURAH (and the Power)
5. Touching the left shoulder, say VE-GEDULAH (and the Glory)
6. Clasp hands upon the breast, dagger point up, and say LE-OLAHM, AUMGN!
(To the ages, Aumgn)
II. THE PENTAGRAM.
1. In the air toward the east, make the banishing pentagram of the earth with the
dagger as shown. Imagine the God Name IHVH in the middle of the star.
2. Draw the arms toward the body, at the same time drawing in the breath, and
imagining the name is drawn in with the breath until it strikes the feet.
3. The moment that it appears to touch the feet, quickly advance the left foot
about 12 inches; throw the body forward, and let the hands (until now drawn back
to the sides of the eyes, dagger point forward) shoot out. At the same time intone
the name IHVH, pronounced Ye-Ho-Wau, imagining that it rushes forward with
the breath. Vibrate this name with a strong voice, imagining that the voice carries
to infinity in the east.
 4. Holding the dagger straight out before you, turn to the south; make the
Pentagram the same way, but vibrate ADNI (Adonai).
5. Turn to the west; the same, vibrating the name AHIH (Eheieh)
6. Turn to the north; the same, but vibrate AGLA (Agla)
7. Extend the arms in the form of a cross, and say:
8. Before me, Raphael.
9. Behind me, Gabriel.
10. On my right hand, Michael.
11. On my left hand, Auriel.
12. For about me flames the Pentagram.
13. And in the column shines the six-rayed star.
III. Repeat I, 1 through 6, the QABALISTIC CROSS.
This ritual may seem complicated, but it can be easily mastered.
In formulating the Qabalistic Cross, imagine that each part touched is a living,
coruscating sphere of light, and that a line of light flows with the dagger point down and
across the body, forming a brilliant cross.
Success in vibrating the divine names is indicated by a tingling in the palms and soles of
the feet, and often the outbreak of sweat.
The pentagrams should be formulated in golden, fiery light, and a line of this fire should
follow the point of the dagger so that the effect is that of four fiery stars at the four
quarters of a flaming circle.
In invoking the archangels, you should remember the correspondences of the
pentagrams.
In the east, Raphael, archangel of the Abyss of Height, archetype of the powers of air,
prince of the winds, lord of the whispering zephyr and the roaring hurricane. Before you
is that awful power.
In the west, Gabriel, archangel of the Abyss of Depth, the murmur and shout of the sea,
the song of rivers, whisper of rain, and voicelessness of mist.
In the south, Michael, angel of fire, bearing the flaming sword, defender and lord of
creating, destroying fire.
In the north, dark Auriel of earth, mountains and desert, and all things that sleep or wake
under the earth are his domain.
These Powers are about you, and you are a vast, godlike Being, your feet in the lowest
hells, and your head in the highest heavens.
In your being is the Cross of Light; formulated on your breast, the Ruby Star, the
Pentagram; and on your back, the Sapphire Star, the Hexagram.
Such is the Spell!

[From here on, the document above will be referred to as “Crowley’s final instructions” and the
document below will be referred to simply as “Notes.”]

NOTES ON THE RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM

You are supposed to be standing at the intersection of the paths of Samekh and Peh.
You are facing Tiphareth (the Sun), thus on your right hand is Netzach (Venus) on your
left hand Hod (Mercury), and behind you Yesod (the Moon).
 You take one step with the right heel in the hollow of the left foot towards Tiphareth
and vibrate the Divine Name as given in the ritual. You then carry round the point of the
wand towards Netzach, then take a step again (always recovering after each forward step
so that you remain in the centre) and vibrating the Divine Name as before.
Continue the process facing Yesod and vibrating; then Hod, and vibrating; but carry the
point of the Wand round to Tiphareth so as to complete the circle.
As you vibrate the Divine Name the angels, as given in the ritual, appear (note that they
should appear and if the ritual is properly performed do appear.)
You are thus standing in a Column which is protected by your microcosmic invocation.
The consequent result, being macrocosmic response, is that without any effort on your
part the hexagram or sixfold star appears both above and below you. (Note the
equilibration of 5 = 6). In this way you are completely shut off from the outer and
Qliphotic parts of the universe.
Get well into your mind the realization of this Column with its surrounding pentagrams
and its hexagrams above and below you. Continuous practice is essential if you are to
perform this ritual as you should. It is particularly important not to slur any part of it; to
visualize clearly and cleanly the forces invoked, with the exception of the Divine Being,
who will not appear, in the ordinary course of events, for such slight cause.
You can figure out for yourself the forms of the angels, or rather archangels. For
instance, Raphael, commencing with an “R” will have a head of solar glory and the Peh
which follows shows that the rest of him is martial: the “AL” which concludes the name
(in the case of most angelic beings) indicates that they wield the sword and the balance.

Even though Crowley’s final instructions do a lot to clarify his method of performing the Lesser
Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, there are a couple more points that require attention. For
example, let us look closer at the section on the Vibration of God-names in Liber O:

(a) Stand with arms outstretched.

(b) Breathe in deeply through the nostrils, imagining the name of the God desired
entering with the breath.
(c) Let that name descend slowly from the lungs to the heart, the solar plexus, the navel,
the generative organs, and so to the feet.
(d) The moment that it appears to touch the feet, quickly advance the left foot about 12
inches, throw forward the body, and let the hands (drawn back to the side of the eyes)
shoot out, so that you are standing in the typical position of the God Horus, and at the
same time imagine the Name as rushing up and through the body, while you breathe it
out through the nostrils with the air which has been till then retained in the lungs. All this
must be done with all the force of which you are capable.
(e) Then withdraw the left foot, and place the right forefinger upon the lips, so that you
are in the characteristic position of the God Harpocrates.

These instructions are a paraphrase from the Golden Dawn’s Z.1 document:

Let the Adept, standing upright, his arms stretched out in the form of a Calvary Cross,
vibrate a Divine Name, bringing with the formulation thereof a deep inspiration into the
lungs. Let him retain the breath, mentally pronouncing the Name in his Heart, so as to
 combine it with the forces he desires to awake thereby; thence sending it downwards
through his body past Yesod, but not resting there, but taking his physical life for a
material basis, send it into his feet. There he shall again momentarily formulate the Name
— then, bringing it rushing upwards into the lungs, thence shall he breathe it forth
strongly, while vibrating that Divine Name. He will send his breath steadily forward into
the Universe so as to awake the corresponding forces of the Name in the Outer World.
Standing with arms out in the form of a Cross, when the breath has been imaginatively
sent to the feet and back, bring the arms forward in “The Sign of the Enterer” while
vibrating the Name out into the Universe. On completing this, make the “Sign of Silence”
and remain still, contemplating the Force you have invoked.

If we compare this to the Ritual of the Star Ruby (Crowley’s “improved form of the lesser ritual
of the Pentagram”), it would indicate that the sign of Harpocrates/Silence follows the vibration
of each of the four God-names before moving on to the next quarter. The Golden Dawn’s Z.3
document adds: “The Sign of Silence withdraws the force put out by the Sign of the Enterer,”
and one must “be careful to withdraw to withdraw the rays again or or they will remain like so
many outlets of astral force and thus exhaust you,” and “the first Sign should always be
answered by the second.” Crowley describes this in Magick in Theory and Practice as “the
Reverberating or Reciprocating formula, which may be called the formula of Horus and
Harpocrates. The magician addresses the God with an active projection of his will, and then
becomes passive while the God addresses the Universe.” There is footage filmed by Michael
Wall of Grady L. McMurtry performing the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, and in it
Grady makes the Sign of Silence after each vibration of the four God-names. Grady’s closest
friends attest that he had claimed to have been taught the ritual personally by Crowley himself.

While the two documents of Crowley’s final instructions and Notes were sent to Germer on the
same day, they may have been written (or dictated to Crowley’s secretary) at different times.
One tells us to use a steel dagger while the other mentions the use of a wand (as it does in Liber
O). Magick in Theory and Practice offers this simple explanation: “The dagger will therefore
appear principally in the banishings, preliminary to the ceremony proper.” But while learning
this ritual, it is not necessary to use a dagger, or a wand. As early as the 1920s, the extended
forefinger was recommended to the Probationer. [After passing the Student exam, the first grade
granted to the aspirant of the A.'.A.'. was the Probationer 0=0.]
Publication for Probationers, “Issued by authority of the Master Therion” and distributed by
Frater Progradior (Frank Bennett), included instructions on how to make the Banishing
Pentagram of Earth.

To make the Pentagram, act thus:

Bring the right hand, with forefinger extended, towards the outer side of left hip.
(a) Sweep it upwards till vertically in front of centre of head.
(b) Sweep it downwards towards outer side of right hip.
(c) Sweep across and upwards towards the outer side of left shoulder.
(d) Straight across towards outer side of right shoulder.
(e) Across and downwards towards outer side of left hip, or starting point.
Thus, that symbol of Great Power, the Five Pointed Star, is traced in the air. In doing
this figure, the arm must be kept quite rigid throughout; and in turning to the Cardinal
 points a straight line must be drawn from Pentagram to Pentagram, by keeping the arm
pointed straight outwards.

These instructions, precise as they are, will still probably require a bit of adjustment. It is best to
practice until the drawing of the Pentagram is as geometrically and symmetrically accurate as
possible. Following these instructions, it would seem that each line of the pentagram will
measure approximately three to four feet in length.
The founders of the Golden Dawn derived their rituals and much of their magical symbolism
from the legendary Cipher Manuscripts. The author of these manuscript folios is unknown, but
the multiple speculations about their origin are both fascinating and entertaining. A few of the
folios give several variations of the Pentagram, used to invoke or banish the five magical
Elements, and all of them were published in Liber O. But in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram,
only the Pentagram of Earth is used.

Around 1920, give or take a year, Crowley came to think of Aiwass as his own personal Holy
Guardian Angel; however, the addition of “Aiwass” to the Qabalistic Cross in no way implies
that the Thelemite was expected to invoke Crowley’s Holy Guardian Angel, but rather “Aiwass
the minister of Hoor-paar-kraat” who “revealed” The Book of the Law for the benefit of all
humankind. The Greek spelling of Aiwass gives us the number 418, the number of Abrahadabra
“which signifieth the Great Work accomplished”; the alternative spelling in Hebrew gives us 93,
the number of Thelema and Agape. But even so, the Thelemite doesn’t really have to include
Aiwass in their own personal Qabalistic Cross at all, as Liber O tells us: “These rituals need not
be slavishly imitated…” For decades, I myself chose my own version out of personal preference
that follows the Ritual of the Star Ruby as the standard: after touching my forehead while saying
“Ateh,” I would draw the light of the vertical line all the way down to my “generative organ”
(without stopping) and say “Malkuth,” finishing the rest according to the traditional gestures and
wording. I even retained “Amen,” especially since the word appears in The Book of the Law.
In the Golden Dawn ritual instructions for The Consecration Ceremony of the Vault of the
Adepti, we read that the Third Chief “makes the Qabalistic Sign of the Cross” saying “Unto
Thee, O Tetragrammaton, be ascribed Malkuth, Geburah and Gedulah unto the ages, Amen.” It
is this particular gesture which may have influenced Crowley’s decision to add the name of
Aiwass to the Qabalistic Cross, replacing “O Tetragrammaton.”
While it is generally assumed that the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram was created by S. L.
MacGregor Mathers for the Golden Dawn, it would seem that the main prototype for the
Qabalistic Cross comes from Eliphas Levi’s Transcendental Magic [translated by A. E. Waite]:

For example, the initiate said raising his hand to his forehead, “For thine,” then added
“is,” and continuing as he brought down his hands to his breast, “the kingdom,” then to
the left shoulder, “the justice,” afterwards to the right shoulder, “and the mercy” — then
clasping his hands, he added, “in the generating ages.” Tibi sunt Malkuth et Geburah et
Chesed per aeonas — a Sign of the Cross which is absolutely and magnificently
kabalistic, which the profanations of Gnosticism have completely lost to the official and
militant Church. This sign, made after this manner, should precede and terminate the
Conjuration of the Four.

If we look at 777, we see that Column XXI’s title is The Perfected Man, to which 777 Revised
adds “These attributions all refer to those parts of the human body on the Tree of Life,” and these
attributions are given as follows:
0 Negative Veils: the Hair
1 Kether, 2 Chokmah, 3 Binah: the Face
- Daath: the Neck
4 Chesed, 5 Geburah: the Arms
6 Tiphareth: the Breast
7 Netzach, 8 Hod: the Reins
9 Yesod: the Phallus and Vulva
10 Malkuth: the Buttocks and Anus
This concept, originally based on the Zoharic Adam Kadmon, is perhaps best described by
Mathers and W. Wynn Westcott in their Golden Dawn paper titled The Secret Wisdom of the
Lesser World or Microcosm which is Man:

Thou shalt know that the whole Sphere of Sensation which surroundeth the whole
physical body of a man is called “The Magical Mirror of the Universe.” For therein are
represented all the occult forces of the Universe projected as on a sphere, convex to the
outer, but concave to man. This sphere surroundeth the physical body of a man as the
Celestial Heavens do the body of a Star or a Planet, having their forces mirrored in its
atmosphere. Therefore its allotment or organization is the copy of that Greater World or
Macrocosm. In this “Magical Mirror of the Universe,” therefore, are the Ten Sephiroth
projected in the form of the Tree of Life as in a solid sphere. A man’s physical body is
within the Ten Sephiroth projected in a sphere.

Mathers’ Elementary View of Man [Flying Roll No. XX] lists these projections as: “Kether is
the Crown and is above the head. The junction of Chokmah and Binah in Daath is in the head
itself. Then Chesed and Geburah will correspond to the arms and shoulders, Tiphereth and Yesod
to the trunk and body, Netzach and Hod to the hips and legs, and Malkuth to the feet alone.”
When Crowley’s first modification collectively designated Kether, Chokmah and Binah as “the
Face,” we can reasonably imagine that this would evenly divide it in this manner: the forehead is
Kether, the left side of the face below the brow (including eye, ear, nostril, etc.) is Chokmah, and
the right side of the face below the brow (including eye, ear, nostril etc.) is Binah. “Breast” is the
archaic term for the thorax region, just as “the Reins” refers to the region of the kidneys. His
other main modification to the Golden Dawn system was to move Malkuth from their placement
of this Sephira at the feet, bringing it up to the anus and buttocks, thereby achieving a better
sense of symmetry closer to the general form of the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life according to The Book of Thoth “The Perfected Man” based on 777

The Qabalistic Cross suggests a vertical line which extends neatly from Kether to Malkuth right
down the middle of the Tree of Life; the horizontal line reaches logically from one side of the
Tree to the other by the middle horizontal path. Now, if we were to imagine a vertical line from
the top center of our head (Kether) to our perineum (more or less on the same level as our
genitals and anus), connected to a horizontal line that went shoulder (Chesed/Gedulah) to
shoulder (Geburah), it would form a relativity standard Latin cross within the core of our bodies.
The first apparent inconsistency with the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is that the use of the
Catholic “St. Peter’s Cross” on the body, when making the Qabalistic Cross, places Malkuth at
the point traditionally attributed to Tiphareth. While there have been interesting theories
regarding this, all of them can be treated as little more than speculation or personal
interpretation. There is no doubt that the Golden Dawn simply wanted to maintain a basic
tradition which would be deemed acceptable to its more conservative members, nothing more.
In Crowley’s final instructions, he paraphrases Liber Tzaddi: “My adepts stand upright; their
head above the heavens, their feet below the hells.” This verse would seem to reaffirm his
decision to reassign Malkuth to the anus and buttocks rather than the feet. Also, when he placed
the I Ching trigrams upon the Tree of Life, he attributed Khien (translated as “Heaven”) to
Daath, the neck.

“This ritual was given to Neophytes in the Order of the Golden Dawn.” [The Palace of the
World] The first initiation into the Golden Dawn was that of the Neophyte, the Order’s lowest
grade. The Neophyte initiation ceremony was not only important to Crowley, but also to the
Golden Dawn founders who dedicated three lengthy Z documents to its magical formula. It is the
basis of their teachings on evocation, creating talismans, and consecrating magical implements,
among other practices. According to the Z.1 document, the intersection of Samekh and Peh is
“the symbolic gateway of Occult Science” between the pillars of Mercy and Severity “whose
bases are in Netzach and Hod”; it is “the threshold of Entrance.” This is the station of the
Hegemon, the officer who represents the goddess Themis as “the Reconciler between the Light
and the Darkness.” According to the Z.3 document, the Hegemon is “the translator of the Higher
Self.”
 However, it is doubtful that the connection between this intersection and the Ritual of the
Pentagram was ever taught in the original Golden Dawn. More than likely, this concept was one
of Crowley’s own innovations to the ritual, of which there are many. For example, the original
Golden Dawn version concluded with the proclamation: “Before me flames the Pentagram, and
behind me shines the six-rayed star.” Crowley changed the words to “FOR ABOUT me flames
the Pentagram, and IN THE COLUMN shines the six-rayed star.” This change occurred no later
than 1905, when he first published the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram and his earliest comment
on it in The Collected Works of Aleister Crowley, Volume I pages 204 and 205, as footnotes to
his poem The Palace of the World. Also in these footnotes: “It flames both above and beneath
the magus, who is thus in a cube of 4 pentagrams and 2 hexagrams, 32 points in all. And 32 is
AHIHVH, the sacred word that expresses the Unity of the Highest and the Human.” This “cube”
is further corroborated by the mention of the “consecrated box” in the letter from The Occult
Review, and the Notes imply that the Column is formed by the appearance of “its hexagrams
above and below you.” Again, it is also highly doubtful that these “above and below you”
hexagrams were taught in the original Golden Dawn. But both the changes of the wording, and
the introduction of the 2 hexagrams appearing with its Column and cube in conjunction with the
4 pentagrams, lasted for over 40 years in Crowley’s teachings.

The Tablet of the Three Columns The back of the Probationer Robe

Oddly enough, in spite of these changes, Crowley’s design for the Probationer robe suggest that
he was not willing to completely dismiss those original Golden Dawn words, described in Liber
VIII as: “the robe of the Probationer, for the star of flame showeth forth Ra Hoor Khuit openly
upon the breast, and secretly the blue triangle that descendeth is Nuit, and the red triangle that
ascendeth is Hadit. And I am the golden Tau in the midst of their marriage.” Photographs of the
Rite of Eleusis performed in 1910 confirm the Hexagram on the back of the Probationer robe.
Digging a little deeper, we can find a potential clue in AHIHVH, spelled in Hebrew as Aleph-
Heh-Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh. One version of Crowley’s many Hexagram formulas has the letters of
AHIHVH on each point, starting at the top with A going counterclockwise. This effectively
places H on all three points of the descending triangle, “the blue triangle that descendeth is
Nuit”; compare this to “The letter Heh is the formula of Nuit…” [Magick in Theory and
Practice, Chapter IV] Yod Aleph Vau is the older Hebrew spelling of IAO, before Crowley
modified it to VIAOV. When looking at the words “in the column shines the six-rayed star” and
then learning of the hexagrams above and below, it doesn’t quite make the sense that we expect
it to somehow. The rational mind seems to scream “In the Column shines the six-rayed star”
NOT “in the six-rayed stars shine the Column”! To reconcile this, I came to the conclusion that
the Hexagram of Nuit and Hadit is the actual six-rayed star that the words allude to. Thus, the
AHIHVH Hexagram being the inner reflection of the outer 32 points of the 4 pentagrams and 2
hexagrams. “And 32 is AHIHVH, the sacred word that expresses the Unity of the Highest and
the Human.” In Liber LVIII (“Article on the Qabalah”), we learn that 32 is the “Number of
Sephiroth and Paths, 10 + 22. Hence is completion of perfection. Finality: things as they are in
their totality. AHIHVH, the combined AHIH and IHVH, Macroprosopus, and Microprosopus, is
here.” Then, as if for no reason, Crowley adds that 64 “will be the perfect number of matter…”
64 is 32 + 32. 32 on the outside and 32 inside?
There is a good chance that Crowley was hesitant in revealing this formula too blatantly. The
AHIHVH Hexagram was not well known until it was published in Hymenaeus Beta’s edition of
Liber ABA. It was not until the illuminated manuscript of Liber Pyramidos was made widely
available that I realized that the words next to its only depiction of a hexagram matched those
from chapter XX of Magick in Theory and Practice: “The Eucharist of six elements has Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit above; breath, water, and blood beneath.” H is the letter attributed to breath,
water, and blood. I is the Father, V is the Son, and A is the Holy Spirit.
It would stand to reason that the invisible cube would generally adhere to the Vitruvian
measurements of Leonardo da Vinci, and if the magician used their extended forefinger to draw
the pentagrams, the hexagram on top of the Column would be a mere inch or two above the head.
If the average dagger blade was 6 inches, then its use would raise the Column and cube
approximately 12 inches higher. This works well enough for the beginner, but eventually the
magician will have to expand the Circle of more elaborate and complete rituals, and will need to
adapt accordingly. Perhaps this is why Crowley came to use the word “consecrated box” instead,
as the dimensions of a box can be much less rigid than that of a literal cube.

In his introduction to The Kabbalah Unveiled (also quoted in Liber LVIII), Mathers briefly
discusses the four tetragrammatic names:

The name of the Deity, which we call Jehovah, is in Hebrew a name of four letters,
IHVH; and the true pronunciation of it is known to very few... Therefore when a devout
Jew comes upon it in reading the Scripture, he either does not attempt to pronounce it, but
instead makes a short pause, or else he substitutes for it the name Adonai, ADNI, Lord.
The radical meaning of the word is “to be,” and it is thus, like AHIH, Eheieh, a glyph of
existence... [AGLA] is not, properly speaking, a word, but is a notariqon of the sentence,
AThH GBVR LOVLM ADNI, Ateh Gebor Le-Olahm Adonai: “Thou are mighty for
ever, O Lord!” A brief explanation of Agla is this: A, the one first; A, the one last; G, the
 Trinity in Unity; L, the completion of the great work... Therefore, as the Son reveals the
Father, so does IHVH, Jehovah, reveal AHIH, Eheieh. And ADNI is the Queen “by
whom alone Tetragrammaton can be grasped,” whose exaltation into Binah is found in
the Christian assumption of the Virgin.

So in a way, the short expositions above might explain the order of the God-names Mathers
used: IHVH reveals AHIH, but IHVH must first be grasped by ADNI, finalized by the
completion of the great work in AGLA. But this seems a little weak. If we look to the magical
circle in Pietro d’Abano’s Heptameron, we find that the innermost ring has the Divine names
Tetragrammaton, Adonay, Eloy, and Agla at the four corners. Considering that this circle is also
surrounded by five pointed stars in each of the four corners, it is easy to see how this might have
influenced Mathers in his decision to use the four tetragrammatic Divine names in the order he
chose for his Lesser Pentagram Ritual, but with Eheieh as the substitution for Eloy.
It is alleged that the part of the ritual announcing the presence of the Archangels originated as a
Jewish prayer, documented by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in The Hirsch Siddur: “In the
Name of God, the God of Yisrale: may Michael be at my right hand, Gabriel at my left, Uriel
before me, Raphael behind me, and above my head, the presence of God.” Joshua Trachtenberg,
commenting on the above prayer in his book Jewish Magic and Superstition, writes: “This is
nothing more than a Jewish version of the ancient Babylonian incantation, ‘Shamash before me,
behind me Sin, Nergal at my right, Ninib at my left’...” But this particular grouping of the
Archangels is the most popular and common in Renaissance occultism. In Heinrich Cornelius
Agrippa’s Second Book of Occult Philosophy (1533), Michael is the Archangel of Fire, Gabriel is
the Archangel of Water, Raphael is the Archangel of Air, and Uriel is the Archangel of Earth.
However, it is here where anyone studying the Qabalah of the Golden Dawn, whether through
Mathers, Westcott, or even Crowley, will start to see the inconsistencies in Mathers’ original
version of the Lesser Pentagram Ritual. Raphael is the Archangel of Air and IHVH is the God-
name of Air, although Michael is the Archangel of Fire but ADNI is the God-name of Earth, not
Fire. Gabriel is the Archangel of Water but AHIH is not the God-name of Water, which is AL,
and so forth, followed by a whole set of inconsistencies in which no discernible pattern can be
found. Furthermore, Agrippa’s Second Book of Occult Philosophy shows us that Michael is
traditionally the Archangel of the East, not the South. Raphael is in the West, not Gabriel.
Gabriel is in the North and Uriel is in the South. Robert Fludd’s illustration System of Health also
follows Agrippa’s order. But it would seem that the Golden Dawn founders try to save
themselves on this matter by offering the following explanation, presumed to have been written
by Mathers, and published in Israel Regardie’s Stella Matutina book The Golden Dawn:

The elements vibrate between the Cardinal points for they have not an unchangeable
abode therein, though they are allotted to the Four Quarters in their invocation in the
Ceremonies of the First Order. This attribution is derived from the nature of the winds.
For the Easterly wind is of the Nature of Air more especially. The South Wind bringeth
into action the nature of Fire. West winds bring with them moisture and rain. North winds
are cold and dry like Earth. The S.W. wind is violent and explosive — the mingling of
the contrary elements of Fire and Water. The N.W. and S.E. winds are more harmonious,
uniting the influence of the two active and passive elements. Yet their natural position in
the Zodiac is: Fire in the East, Earth in South, Air in West, and Water in the North.
Therefore they vibrate: Air between West and East. Fire between East and South. Water
 between North and West. Earth between South and North. Spirit also vibrateth between
the Height and Depth.

All three founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn were originally members of
Societas Rosicruciana In Anglia (SRIA); it is very likely that they simply took this arrangement
from that Order’s Theoricus ritual from which we read: “The four Ancients are seated at the
centre of the Temple, behind their pillars, each facing his own cardinal point, thus forming the
Cross of the Four Elements: The Ancient of Earth, clothed in a black robe, faces North. The
Ancient of Water, in a blue robe, faces West. The Ancient of Air, in a yellow robe, faces East.
The Ancient of Fire, in a red robe, faces South.” This is also where the passwords were
“Fortitude” in the East, “Ignigene” in the South, “Aquaticus” in the West, and “Terrigena” in the
North. The initials of these four words spell FIAT, or “let it be.” According to Liber LVIII:
“F.I.A.T. is Flatus, Ignis, Aqua, Terra; showing the Creator as Tetragrammaton, the synthesis of
the four elements; showing the Eternal Fiat as the equilibrated powers of Nature.” Flatus means
air, Ignis means fire, Aqua means water, and Terra means earth. The names of the grades of the
Golden Dawn were also taken directly from SRIA. However, while the positions of the
archangels are clearly different than those of Hirsch or Agrippa, their assigned Elements in the
ritual ARE consistent with Levi’s Conjuration of the Four [an elaborate ritual of prayers and
gestures designed to evoke the Elementals of Paracelsus: Sylphs (Air) in the East, Salamanders
(Fire) in the South, Undines (Water) in the West, and Gnomes (Earth) in the North]. Still, this is
in no way a conclusive explanation of the reasoning behind the order of the God-names used in
the Lesser Pentagram Ritual. We simply have to accept that this was either Mathers’ best effort
or merely convenient for him, nothing else. It would also be little more than error to try to force
an association of the Sephiroth mentioned in Crowley’s Notes to the Elements of the Archangels
and the God-names that summon them.
Another inconsistency of Mathers is that the words “...behind me shines the six-rayed Star”
make even less sense than Crowley’s substitute phrase, as the Golden Dawn magician is
supposed to be facing East at this point, and in the Golden Dawn Temple, it is the Banner of the
East that displays the Hexagram. It is not hard to understand why Crowley would change the
words because of this inconsistency; although, according to Chic and Sandra Cicero, there is “an
advanced magical working in which the magician visualizes the Golden Dawn's Banner of the
East within his aura.” But that is hardly an answer. WITHIN is not the same as BEHIND ME.
And we also have Crowley’s final instructions drawing our attention to the Hexagram on the
back.
Crowley’s suggestions on figuring out the forms of the angels was certainly based on Mathers’
Telesmatic Images and Adonai (Flying Roll No. XII). There is no real reason to quote this paper
or even use it as a reference at all aside from crediting the source, as Crowley gives us enough
clues already. All four wield the sword and the balance as their names end in Aleph (Air) and
Lamed (Libra). Raphael/RPAL begins with Resh (Sun) giving a head of solar glory;
Gabriel/GBRIAL begins with Gimel (Moon), also luminous but perhaps more reflective in its
radiance, but complementary all the same. It is interesting that Michael/MIKAL (Archangel of
Fire) begins with Mem (Water), as Auriel/AVRIAL (Archangel of Earth) begins with Aleph
(Air); both contain their own contradictions while complementing each other. Auriel's expression
may be seen as pensive and calculating, while Michael’s is emotional. The famous painting by
Guido Reni is an excellent representation of Michael. His attire can also be used as an example
of the others, who are most likely also wearing some similar sort of armor. However, the extra
Hebrew letters in the names Gabriel and Auriel suggest that their armor is a little more involved
and ornate, especially due to the letter Resh at their center. But these details are for each
magician to work out on their own. Nor is there any concern for any beginner to strain oneself to
visualize them too clearly. It could take years of constant practice before one even gets more
than an astral impression outside of an active imagination. The more one applies their Qabalistic
attributions to gain a comprehensive formula of their natures both individually and collectively,
the closer one achieves an affinity with them.

Many references to the Pentagram ritual is given in Magick in Theory and Practice, pages 99 to
106:

The habitual use of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (say, thrice daily) for
months and years and constant assumption of the God-form of Harpocrates (See The
Equinox, I, II and Liber 333, cap. XXV for both of these) should make the real circle, i.e.
the Aura of the Magus, impregnable.
The first task of the Magician in every ceremony is therefore to render his Circle
absolutely impregnable. If one littlest thought intrude upon the mind of the Mystic, his
concentration is absolutely destroyed; and his consciousness remains on exactly the same
level as the Stockbroker’s. Even the smallest baby is incompatible with the virginity of its
mother. If you leave even a single spirit within the circle, the effect of the conjuration
will be entirely absorbed by it.
The first part of every ceremony is the banishing; the second, the invoking. The same
formula is repeated even in the ceremony of banishing itself, for in the banishing ritual of
the pentagram we not only command the demons to depart, but invoke the Archangels
and their hosts to act as guardians of the Circle during our pre-occupation with the
ceremony proper.
It is usually sufficient to perform a general banishing, and to rely upon the aid of the
guardians invoked. Let the banishing therefore be short, but in no wise slurred — for it is
useful as it tends to produce the proper attitude of mind for the invocations. “The
Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram” (as now rewritten, Liber 333, Cap. XXV) is the best
to use. Only the four elements are specifically mentioned, but these four elements contain
the planets and the signs — the four elements are Tetragrammaton; and Tetragrammaton
is the Universe. This special precaution is, however, necessary: make exceedingly sure
that the ceremony of banishing is effective! Be alert and on your guard! Watch before
you pray! The feeling of success in banishing, once acquired, is unmistakable.
In most extant magical rituals the two operations are performed at once; or (at least) the
banishing has the more important place, and greater pains seem to be taken with it; but as
the student advances to Adeptship the banishing will diminish in importance, for it will
no longer be so necessary. The Circle of the Magician will have been perfected by his
habit of Magical work. In the truest sense of that word, he will never step outside the
Circle during his whole life. But the consecration, being the application of a positive
force, can always be raised to a closer approximation to perfection. Complete success in
banishing is soon attained; but there can be no completeness in the advance to holiness.
[Consecration must be done] with fervour and love, as if to balance the icy detachment
which is the proper mental attitude for banishing.
 Crowley’s short fiction At the Fork of the Roads has “the Master” ask, “Have you duly
performed the Ritual of the Flaming Star?” The Master here was based on Allan Bennett,
Crowley’s guru in both ceremonial magic and yoga. No doubt it was he who taught Crowley the
importance of the “habitual use of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (say, thrice
daily)...” Also, in Frank Bennett’s Publication for Probationers, the Probationer is told that the
invoking version of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram was for a higher grade. Assuming this
higher grade is at least Neophyte, this would indicate that the beginner was to practice the
banishing version for approximately one year before moving on to the invoking version.
In a now famous and oft-quoted footnote to The Palace of the World (published in 1905),
Crowley wrote: “Those who regard this ritual as a mere device to invoke or banish spirits, are
unworthy to possess it. Properly understood, it is the Medicine of Metals and the Stone of the
Wise.” As to the first sentence, the only magicians who even knew of this ritual had been
initiated into the Golden Dawn Neophyte grade, who were taught: “As a form of prayer the
invoking ritual should be used in the morning and the banishing in the evening.” As to the
second sentence, while it is presumptuous to proclaim that one actually possesses the proper
understanding of the ritual, it should be repeated that the “four elements contain the planets and
the signs — the four elements are Tetragrammaton; and Tetragrammaton is the Universe.” Also,
to the ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life is a reference about “the Flaming Sword”: that is, its hilt
is in Kether and the rest of its length goes down through each of the Sephiroth like a lightning
flash whose point ends in Malkuth. And another footnote in The Palace of the World informs us
that “the Flaming Sword is the Pentagram unwound.” Nearly every ritual published by Crowley
fits the formula of Tetragrammaton and the Pentagram, the four Elements united, controlled,
balanced and directed by the fifth Element of Spirit.

The Flaming Sword Aleister Crowley’s rough drawing of the Pentagram

So why all this banishing banishing banishing every day for weeks and months and years?
In Magick Without Tears Chapter XXIII, Aleister Explains Everything about the importance of
learning the Banishings:
 As some of your daily practices are ceremonial, it should not come amiss to vouchsafe a
few hints of practical service. For in ritual Magick, it will of course be the first care to get
everything balanced and tidy.
The first point is the Banishing. Everything is to be removed from the room which is not
absolutely necessary to the Work.
Just as soon as you start seriously to prepare a place for magical Work, the world goes
more cockeyed than it is already. Don’t be surprised if you find that six weeks’ intense
shopping all over London fails to provide you with some simple requisite that normally
you could buy in ten minutes. Perhaps your fires simply refuse to burn, even when
liberally dosed with petrol and phosphorus, with a handful of Chlorate of Potash thrown
in just to show there is no ill feeling! When you have almost decided that you had better
make up your mind to do without something that seems really quite unobtainable — say,
a sixty-carat diamond which would look so well on the head-dress — a perfect stranger
comes along and makes you a present of one. Or, a long series of quite unreasonable
obstacles or silly accidents interfere with your plans: or, the worst difficulty in your way
is incomprehensibly removed by some extraordinary “freak of chance.” Or, . . .
In a word, you seem to have strolled into a world where — well, it might be going too
far to say that the Law of Cause and Effect is suspended; but at least the Law of
Probability seems to be playing practical jokes on you.
This means that your manoeuvres have somehow attracted the notice of the Astral
Plane: your new neighbours (May I call them?) are taking an interest in the latest
Tenderfoot, some to welcome, to do all they can to help you to settle down, others
indignant or apprehensive at this disturbance of routine. This is where your Banishings
and Invocations come to the rescue. Of course, I am not here referring to the approach to
Sanctuaries which of necessity are closely guarded, but merely to the recognition of a
new-comer to that part of the world in general.
Of course all these miracles are very naughty of you; they mean that your magical
power has sprung a few small leaks; at least, the water is oozing between some planks not
sealed as Hermetically as they should be. But oh and this is naughtier still — it is a
blessed, blessed comfort that they happen, that chance, coincidence and all the rest will
simply not explain it all away, that your new vision of life is not a dream, but part and
parcel of Experience for evermore, a real as any other manifestation of Reality through
sense such as is common to all men.

There’s one last point to make on the subject of this ritual in the context of Thelemic Magick,
best stated by Frater S.P. in his May 2020 essay On the Rituals of the Pentagram:

Israel Regardie is well-known as the publisher of supposedly “complete” books of

Golden Dawn instruction. However, what is not so well-known is that his instructions
remove certain paragraphs and diagrams of the original H.O.G.D. instructional
documents, even including the omission of an entire original document related to the
Enochian system, while also introducing new embellishments of seemingly his own
design. Unfortunately, Regardie often includes such embellishments via insertions into
 the texts with no indication on his part of their nature, so many of his innovations tend to
be incorrectly claimed as “the original” methods by his followers.
In the case of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, Regardie introduced:

A visualisation of the individual expanding to great size at the outset of the Ritual.

A visualisation and action of drawing down light from a point above the head at
the start of the Qabalistic Cross.

A visualisation of the Pentagrams in bluish-golden flame.

However, there is no indication in any of the original H.O.G.D. documents that these –
or indeed any – visualisations are to be made during the performance of the Ritual.
Additionally, in an audio recording of the vocal component of this Ritual, Regardie
seemingly opted to intone every Hebrew word in this Ritual in a drawn-out and sonorous
manner. However, the original H.O.G.D. instructions indicate that it is only the four God-
names used with the Pentagrams in the quarters that are to be so intoned. The rest of the
words (such as those in the Qabalistic Cross) may be simply spoken.
Since many have been influenced by the work of Regardie, including the students of
Phyllis Seckler, these embellishments continue to be taught as standard in certain
organisations and books.
Two such students of Secker’s, who are clearly influenced by Regardie’s work, are
James Eshelman and David Shoemaker. In their instructional books, they introduce an
additional embellishment to the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. They both insist that the
notariqon (Qabalisitic acronym) Agla should be replaced with the full sentence from
which it is formed (Ateh Gibor Le-olam Adonai). However, the George Pollexfen
original H.O.G.D. documents clearly indicate that it simply “Agla” that is to be used.

But all the same, no one is obligated to emulate Crowley to the exact letter, and it is the
prerogative of each Thelemite to choose what techniques work the best for them, provided they
apply critical thinking and deep study to these methods rather than blind or fanatical adulation.