I have been thinking whether I should post this or not.
On one hand, I think that if you do your work properly you will have realized this yourself. Then, on the other hand, looking at all the utter bollocks published I think "maybe not".
I want to clarify that this is not an opinion or theory based on reading varioys books. This is 14 years of work with the ritual.
Part 1
Dispelling the illusions:
The Lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram is not a ritual of exorcism. It will not cleanse and purify any space whatsoever.
The LBRP, is as Crowley himself writes, the stone of the wise.
When Crowley wrote the star ruby, it was not simply a thelemic way of banishing.
If there really is something haunting you or your house, th LBRP will not get rid of it. Sorry.
If you are cursed by someone who knows what they are doing an LBRP will not get rid of that.
The LBRP is not a magical circle whose purpose is to create an impenetrable circle of protection.
If an asshole 16 year old finds a nice hoodoo charm to f&ck you over with, you can LBRP as much as you want, that curse will work and you are screwed.
Part 2
Wannabee or actual initiate.
The Golden Dawn system is a system of initiations. It is a mystery school. Few will agree with me on this. (As if I care). If you are not an initiate in the Golden Dawn, you will at most get 20% out of the potential of the system. You can read as much Regardie or Cicero crap as you want. You will not be able to work the system fully. You can get as many of your superb actor friends as you want to do a neophyte initiation for you, you will NOT be an initiate and therefor e you will miss out most of the finer points of the system.
Part x (addendum)
The comparison:
You can read as much about Voudu or Santeria as you want. without initiation you are NOT a Vouduisant or a Santero. Why do you have the audacity to think you are free to use something just because its western?
Part 3
A hint
The LBRP is designed to be used in conjunction with the other hexagram and pentagram rituals and the other rituals of the RR et AC and G.D. system. Within that context it is a cog in the clock, a necessary step for what you are using it for.
Part 4
Everything is True Nothing is True
You can use anything for anything and everything for everything. Re-read all chaosmagickal texts you can find.
'This true,, but not. Chaos is true in isolation not in context.
Alright wise-ass. So The LBRP is what then?
The LBRP has one single purpose:
"To create a sphere of no elemental influence, it creates a microcosmic world for you to perform your theurgic operations and experiments in."
That is all it doesn. Nothing else and nothing more. This is one of the Secrets veiled yet clearly stated about the Stone.
How does the LBRP do this? Clearly not by any specific Objective magick that makes it work no matter what or how.
It works by the symbolism of the Kabbalistic cross where you state and stand yourself between the Mystery and the created world. You then push away all elemental influence towards the four corners of the room.
Imagine having 4 different colored papers shredded on your livingroom floor. The pentagram you draw and project is the broom you use to shove them out. The circle you draw is the eternal circle symbolizing eternity and the angels you call on to keep the erected circle in place for you to carry on with your further work.
The LBRP does not "follow you around". You know the feeling you get when properly doing it? that is because you are in a place where nothing is affecting you. It is an Alchemical laboratory, a vessel that you just cleaned and sealed.
If you are still thinking about stuff from your day, you have not done the banishing properly. If you are worried its not working, you haven't done the banishing properly.
Your microcosm is where you can perform the operations of Theurgy (a later post) and theurgy is a way for you to interact with the things beyond the platonic forms of being using symbols that you have decided upon.
Now why doesn't this get rid of the Djab I send after your ass, the jinx your sisters boyfriend who is 16 threw on you or the dead grandma who got raped and killed in your livingroom?
Because you are just in a panic-room. THEY are still out there waiting.
If its simple elememtal beings, Gnomes, small liquids, larvae or general elemental wibes, then yeh, sure they will dissappear by a simple pentagram (that you know means what?) and your intention to keep them out. Anything more complex? May I suggest you have a think to WHY there is a purifying and cleaning with water and fire in the neophyte ritual and why priests sprinkle holy water and why burning sage gets rid of shit your silly LBRP can't?
The LBRP is the gateway to working alchemical Theurgy as practiced by the RR et AC. NOT a tool that keeps away stuff from you.
Purrleaze.
Ha...you just set the internets on fire. Well done. =)
SvaraRaderaPeople need to be aware that the LBRP isn't going to exorcise demons and the like. We've got tools for that--if we're staying within the purely RR et AC structure, the purification by Water and consecration by Fire (to cleanse), in addition to the Rose Cross ritual's "shroud" are our best bets. If I remember correctly, our forebears in the Tradition used full-on Solomonic Circles when working with the Demons (yes, demons, not misunderstood nature-spirits....haha) of the Goetia. If the LBRP was enough to do the job, why go through all that trouble? Why even create the Purification if the LBRP did all the purifying necessary? It seems clear to me that the LBRP and LBRH create a spiritually "hygenic" null-space...the laboratory, as you've said. Wouldn't do to have random dross in the Vessel before we start to Work. I do think that a regularly buttressed and purified Sphere of Sensation is less susceptible to attack however, and that the regularly performed LBRP has a cumulative positive effect on the state of the initiate's Sphere. Properly applied Pentagram's can be used to get rid of Larvae and the like...if one knows how to actually use them with proper intent and understanding.
Part of the problem is that people are working the individual rituals without a proper understanding of the RR et AC Theurgic system as a Whole. There also is VERY little understanding of the Alchemical work of the GD/RR et AC, and how the rituals we use daily are part of that process. Very little. I don't think most people understand that this is an Alchemical Order, or even know what that means. Which is unfortunate.
If there is a ritual in the G.D. (or rather the S.M.) corpus that works as an exorcism, it's the Rose Cross Ritual. It uses the (rose) cross symbolism and the Pentagrammaton, i.e. the Holy Name of the Lord Yeheshuah, which has centuries of tradition behind it in the use of exorcism.
SvaraRaderaIn Licht, Leben und Liebe,
S:.R:.
True, the Rose Cross does has a tendency to clear stuff away, however it is not an exorcism either. If there is a Muerto running amok doing the most theurgic ritual that calls upon the force of Yeheshua (and Sophia) would possibly get rid of stuff yes.
SvaraRaderaI would still recommend more traditional methods of various waters incence and that sort of thing.
Greetings,
SvaraRaderaAIT and Sincerus, you gentlemen both have prolific blogs, but I can guess by your language that this isn't the focus of your attention often, which is good. Although I expect at some point one would expect an adept to deal with materialized beings at some point, especially in the adeptus major grades.
AIT I think you are over-estimating cleansing and purification in the particular case of exorcism, unless by purification you mean literally having become infused divine. These things only work because of the forces behind them, not because demons and jinn are allergic to them, figuratively. In a purely microcosmic world, minor averse forces can be dispelled in such ways, but not objective beings. Or else how could you explain a magician being attacked at all? In the spirit of the article this is not the "right tool for the job". It is the divinely infused fire, holy water, and incensed air and their behind-the-scenes prana/spirits/rouhania that hurt such things. And definitely they are appropriate for curses and hexes. But when we are talking demons or jinn then the only effective approach is the old school approach, dial for angels. Ideally ones from angelic contracts you have entered into, or working bonds that you have, in other words that will manifest closely enough for you. Close enough to make demon-soufflé. In older traditions these are angels you have worked with committedly for several months. In some cases effective names are given to make this shorter. In the solomonic tradition they had so much reverence for such dangers that they produced circles sometimes made out of multiple rings of iron, consecrated with salt and holy water and previously made talismanic wards, and there is a reason these things had to be physical and not just etheric. Failing all these things quite honestly the best approach is repeated prayer and divine liturgies like the 99 names of Allah, that have to be repeated over and over. And this is because of my next point.
The truth of the matter is that exorcisms take a long, long time, like our catholic brethren will tell you, and that is because these divine names have forces, angels, and spirits/rouhania attached to them that have to be dialled to really be present physically. In GD-style theurgy they can tend to be seen as potencies, but I know we will all agree that they have individual nature and commission. Thus if I was using the Rose Cross for this purpose, I'd only do it if I could do it for a few hours to make present these forces and beings.
There is only one ritual that I know of which has an immediate effect on dangerous beings, and that is the Shield of The Magi ritual. And that exception (I'm sure there are more in other traditions) is because it contains a symbol which has very specific and dangerously powerful magical beings backing it who I should not talk about here. But conversely that is not the right tool for minor averse forces :P
This is really only a practical point that I am making, not a theurgical one, but it can be verified especially by the jinn crowd and people who have worked grimoires to manifestation. In other words, outside of Lon Milo's head :P
Hopefully my belief that the Rose Cross is essentially lacking as an exorcism tool doesn't mean we can't have an elixir and a cup of tea together over a discussion alchemy one day :) It'll have to suffice these comments are on such an outrageously awesome blog, thanks squire!
John
@John
SvaraRaderaI think that what AIT meant that it is not the LBRP that exorcises entities from the ritual area but the purification with water and consecration by fire.
I have to say that I agree with the fact that cleansing with holy water and various types of incense for getting rid of general stuff. However I doubt AIT would stand with the cup of lustral water and frankincense and draw crosses and triangles hoping the demon that is posessing the bile spewing person on the bed to be exorcised. :P
His reference to the Solomonic traditions&grimoire work is the same as yours. The time it takes to properly construct a circle consecrate it and do exorcisms (as in catholic and orthodox exorcisms) is quite long and more effective.
I agree that the rose-cross ritual creates a very theurgic sanctified space, but again, its a Sophianic purely theurgic ritual which may or may not work that day depending upon divine grace and is thus not quite the way to go when djabs, muerto's or random spirit crap is hogging your etheric space. Floorwashes incantations of divine names, asking certain angels you have connections with etc are good.
Always use the right egregore and that egregores manifestations for the job at hand :)
@John: All I said was that the R+C Ritual was the one G.D. ritual that most closely resembles an exorcism in function. I didn't say that it was the most effective tool when taking the salomonic tradition into account. But I personally trust it more than the LBRP when facing a negative presence in my home, and that was the original topic of the discussion.
SvaraRaderaI see that you have started a blog on Nineveh's book 'Grand Key of Solomon the King'. Good initiative! Have you read my review of it?
And I agree with you that this is a great meeting place to discuss magic and alchemy, probably the best of them all. Cudos to Fra. Argent.
In Licht, Leben und Liebe,
S:.R:.
This is the most amazingest post ever. And i will totally link to it... if you can read this then i clicked the right button.
SvaraRadera@Jiclastra
SvaraRaderaCheers
What is the range of action of LBRP? Is the room where you are?
SvaraRaderaNone whatsoever. The lbrp creates an alchemical vessel for further work. It is not a banishing.
SvaraRaderaSo think of it like this: For the ritual itself it creates a vessel. You will not carry it around with you nor create a permanen "ward".