The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram
(Based on the version printed in Liber O)
The Ritual
- Touching the forehead, say Ateh.
- Touching the breast, say Malkuth.
- Touching the right shoulder, say ve-Geburah.
- Touching the left shoulder, say ve-Gedulah.
- Clasping the hands upon the breast, say le-Olam, AMEN.
- Turning to the East, make a pentagram (that of Earth) with the proper weapon (usually the Wand). Say (i.e., vibrate) IHVH.
- Turning to the South, the same, but say ADNI.
- Turning to the West, the same, but say AHIH.
- Turning to the North, the same, but say AGLA.
- Extend the arms in the form of a cross, and say, Before me Raphael; Behind me Gabriel; On my right hand, Michael; On my left hand, Auriel; For about me flames the Pentagram, And in the Column stands the six-rayed Star.
17-21. Repeat 1 to 5, the "Qabalistic Cross."
Vibration of God-names
- Stand with arms outstretched.
- Breathe in deeply through the nostrils, imagining the name of the God desired entering with the breath.
- Let that name descend slowly from the lungs to the heart, the solar plexus, the navel, the generative organs, and so to the feet.
- The moment that it appears to touch the feet, quickly advance the left foot about twelve 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, whileyou 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.
- Then withdraw the left foot, and place the right forefinger on the lips, so that you are in the characteristic position of the God Harpocrates.
It is a sign that the student is performing this correctly when a single "Vibration" entirely exhausts his physical strength. It should cause him to grow hot all over, or to perspire violently, and it should so weaken him that he will find it difficult to remain standing.
It is a sign of success, though only by the student himself is it perceived, when he hears the name of the God vehemently roared forth, as if by the concourse of ten thousand thunders; and it should appear to him as if that Great Voice proceeded from the Universe, and not from himself.
Soror Marfiza's Notes
The Divine Names are generally pronounced as follows:
- IHVH [יהוה] - Ye-ho-vah or Ye-ho-wah (Some people just pronounce the letters, Yod-Heh-Vov-Heh. The Tetragrammaton; if there were an infinitive form in Hebrew of the verb "to be", this would be it, but as it happens, the "being" verb has no customarily-used infinitive form.) [Please note that the pronunciation given is not that of the Tetragrammaton according to the Hebrew. It is a Western variant. --Ed.]
- ADNI [אדני] - Ah-do-nai ("Lord"; often used by Thelemites as a name for the Holy Guardian Angel)
- AHIH [אהיה] - E-hei-eh ("I Am") [Not entirely correct. It properly means "I continue being". --Ed.]
- AGLA [אגלא] - as spelled, or sometimes as expanded version of the phrase for which it is a notariqon [נוטריקון] or acronym: Ateh Gibor le-Olam Adonai (Thou art mighty forever, Lord). [אתה גבור לעלאם אדני, lit. "You [are] mighty to eternity, Lord".]
The names of the Archangels have these meanings:
- Raphael - God has healed
- Gabriel - Might of God [Better: "strong man" or "hero" of God --Ed.]
- Mikael - Who is like God?
- Auriel - Light of God [Or: "God is my light" --Ed.]
There is a certain amount of variation in actual practice of this ritual. For example, some touch the genitals when saying "Malkuth". It is written that Crowley used to form the middle pillar on his body with "Ateh" at the forehead, "Aiwass" at the breast, and "Malkuth" at the genitals. Some say AUMGN instead of AMEN. And in the vibration of the Divine Names, some intone them, some shout them, some whisper them, and some "vibrate" them as described in Liber O.
Many Thelemites choose, in rituals such as the Rites of Eleusis and others, to substitute Liber XXV, called The Star Ruby, for this ritual.