BARBELITH underground
 

Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.


Underground > Temple >

Banishing & the LBRP

  
  

Page: (1)2

 
 
Gypsy Lantern
12:22 / 29.08.02
My first post back on barbelith for ages. Thought I'd start a topic about the LBRP and banishing rituals, what I'm mostly interested in are people's opinions on the benefits of performing a daily banishing. As some of you currently seem to be working through the Donald Michael Kraig material, I'm interested in what the daily banishing seems to be doing for you and your thoughts/criticisms of it as a magical technique.

I'll start by talking about my own experiences. I've gone through various phases of experimentation with this type of ritual over the years, and while great results can be obtained with free form banishing (eg..drawing WWF logos at the quarters and visualising wrestlers guarding them, etc..) I find that the LBRP has a certain oomph about it that sets it apart. It might just be me, but the LBRP seems to hit certain spots that none of the other variations quite reach. A lot of other banishing styles are to a fairly large degree just variations on the model of the LBRP, so I suppose that might be a factor. Although it's probably got a lot to do with the fact that it was the first banishing I learnt before chaos magic taught me you could make up your own, so I unconsciously give it more credence due to its perceived 'historical' usage.

Which kind of brings me on to my second point, which is the 'historical' lineage of the LBRP and banishing rituals in general. As far as I'm aware, the LBRP, if not the entire concept of 'banishing rituals' doesn't date back much further than the late 19th century and the occult revival that led to the formation of the Golden Dawn and its contemporaries. I may be off the mark with this, so if anyone can provide more details on the origins of ceremonial style banishing I'd be really interested. But if I'm right about this time frame, then it's quite interesting that such a relatively recent technique has become so enshrined in popular magical practice as one of the building blocks of occult skills.

Most books on magic that you come across (including a lot of chaos magic writers) tend to advise beginners to start off with a variation of the LBRP before they go on to anything else. And I just find it quite odd that the concept of banishing is treat with such importance and considered so essential to magical practice, when it seems to be a fairly recent invention. I suppose this gets us on to the wider and potentially fraught subject of the extent that the work of Victorian era magicians has influenced how we think about magic, and whether or not this is a good thing. But maybe that's another thread in itself.

Back to Banishing then. Some people banish before and after every magical act, other people don't bother with it at all. Some people banish twice a day every day, other people only banish as a warm up/close down for other magical activities.

I've personally found that the daily banishing is really interesting when you do it for a period of time, as it feels like psychic hygiene or astral weight training, in that you're maintaining and developing your aura (or whatever) in optimum condition through daily development. But after a while I've found that it simultaneously re-enforces the belief that the universe around you is full of 'astral stuff' that needs to be banished and cleaned off, which can end up being quite a restrictive paradigm to work from and in practice isn't that far removed from an obsessive compulsive hand washing complex. I found that some of the stuff I was habitually banishing was actually quite interesting, and in maintaining that level of psychic control I was effectively shutting myself off from the dynamic interaction with 'the things out there' that a more shamanic and integrative approach brings.

So I only really banish now when I'm feeling a bit psychically clogged up and need to clear the decks, but I suppose that knowing when to recognise that particular 'clogged' feeling could be a side effect of the daily practice. For the most part I prefer to look for a more integrative way of warming up to a ritual and closing down afterwards, which could be as simple as burning some sage prior to a ritual, or just formally acknowledging the spirits of the elements in some way before I start. I think of it more as a method of getting myself into the right state of mind to do magic. But again it's difficult to gauge how much the ability to ease in and out of magickal space through these methods has been developed through training myself with the LBRP and similar techniques.

Anyone got any thoughts on any of this, or any other LBRP/banishing related criticism?
 
 
gravitybitch
14:19 / 29.08.02
Welcome back!

Interesting. I came to the serious practice of magick knowing pretty much that chaos magick was going to agree with me better than any of the traditional schools (had a ceremonial magician camped out in my living room for a while; this may have made me prejudiced).

As a result, I've felt free to alter the Judeo-xtian references that have felt empty or downright silly. I've got a ritual that follows the basic skeleton of the LBRP and feels right to me, and I do it in the mornings as part of a general set of meditations. It's more to clear stuff out of me than out of my space...
 
 
Little Mother
15:00 / 29.08.02
LBRP, can someone remind me what this stand for,it sound familar but I work in a very Kitchen/hearth based way and if I need to banish stuff from my house etc, 'get lost' seems to do the trick. I did write a story about dragons once and sometimes I set them to guard stuff. Which does the trick, but that's quite rare. I don't like the idea of banishing for the sake of banishing, you can make a place too clean
 
 
Papess
15:29 / 29.08.02
LBRP= Lower Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

I used to this everyday during the first year of my training in Hermetic magick. I was told by my teacher that it was to help clear the foundation so that I may build on it.

There are times I feel this is necessary in my life particularly during times of transition where i might be vulnerable to unwanted influences. Using the "foundation" metaphor, if I tear down an old, now unstable structure of my life, I do the LBRP to clear the old debris away and set my new foundations again.

~May
 
 
Papess
13:30 / 01.09.02
I have started to do the LBRP on a regular basis again and I remembered that there was an emphasis from my teacher to also do the Rose Cross along with the LBRP. The Rose Cross is used in balance with the LBRP to draw in as opposed to the purgative action of the banishing.

The benefits of doing banishings daily can help with clearing astral debris to "make room" for invocatory work to be able to take root, so to speak. Everyday, we are bombarded by energies that are not necessarily useful or beneficial to us. If we think of our mind/spirit as a garden, these energies might be thought of as weeds that need to be pulled in order for the rose garden to flourish. (Pardon the rose garden pun but, it is rather suitable).

It was also recommended to me, that at the end of the LBRP, to spend a little time in meditation holding the visualizations of the Archangels. For those who follow quabbalistic practices, this visualization can be a good focus for balance when embarking on the Middle Pillar of equalibrium. With Raphael before you, the mind is turned to the ascent of the Tree being placed conveniently on the 27th path - The Tower. A very good place to be if you want to banish/purge!

This may be a difficult place to be though, particularly if one has alot of debris/weeds to clear. If there are more weeds than roses in our garden, it may be a little frightening to see the results of an effective LBRP. This is why we (my fellow students and I), were taught to use the Rose Cross in conjunction with the LBRP. This way we could nurture the fertile, freshly turned ground of our minds with the pink ight of LVX/IAO, and the mysteries of resurrection. Which, after being faced with the Tower, is an invaluable invocation to say the least.

I am certainly hoping someone might know more about the history. It would be interesting to how far we can trace this back. It rings ancient bells in my head but, I really don't know for sure. However, I do not exactly subscribe to the older is better theory, it is simply an intriguing point to ponder. I tend to use what works for me and this type of ritual certainly appeals to the "inner catholic" in me....HAHA

~May
 
 
Unicornius
14:03 / 06.03.03
I treid to use the lbrp on a daily basis as training for Liber KKK however I had to stop after two days. I was feeling increasingly tired and out of touch with the reality surrounding me. It got harder to get up in the morning and after the ritual I had trouble concentrating it was as if was being drained. The second time I felt as if my body was being ripped apart, as if someone (or something) was pulling my arms. Any comments?
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
14:47 / 06.03.03
How odd. Clicked on this to see who was writing about LBRP, and discovered it was me from several months back. Feel like I'm haunting myself. Also quite odd that I'm now very much in a daily LBRP phase, contrary to my position when I posted the above. I've always found that my magickal theory and practice is incredibly fluid, and posts like this re-surfacing remind me how magick is above all a living system not a dead tradition.

More on the LBRP to follow.
 
 
Babooshka
15:17 / 06.03.03
In regards to the LBRP and banishing rituals in general...I want to look into that as well. The LBRP is pretty much 19th Century, but I think that rituals for clearing the space pre-ritual may be a medieval thing. Not sure though – will do a bit of research next week.

But after a while I've found that it simultaneously re-enforces the belief that the universe around you is full of 'astral stuff' that needs to be banished and cleaned off, which can end up being quite a restrictive paradigm to work from and in practice isn't that far removed from an obsessive compulsive hand washing complex. – Gypsy Lantern

My experience is in alignment with yours, GL. Daily banishings can exacerbate paranoia and an unhealthy sense of insularity (Keeping one's "clean" inner self away from the "dirt" out there). Such a practice instills an emphasis on separation instead of connection. This defeats the point of Magick, basically which is to make connections with the forces that shape the universe and learn how to work with those forces.

I really only tend to "banish" before magickal situations where I know beforehand that I'll be dealing with something/someone particularly nasty. In these cases I usually request protection from a deity that I feel would be appropriate for the given situation. Once the request is granted, I make plans to start the ritual or working at a later date.
 
 
Babooshka
15:23 / 06.03.03
Well, didn't see that post of yours, GL...

I've always found that my magickal theory and practice is incredibly fluid, and posts like this re-surfacing remind me how magick is above all a living system not a dead tradition.

Yes, sometimes you find yourself doing something that 6 months ago you swore to fuck you'd never do, NO MATTER WHAT...but if that's what's called for, and that's how the energy needs to flow, then you do what you gotta, eh?
 
 
Stone Mirror
16:14 / 06.03.03
Hm. Some interesting commentary. I have to get ready to go to work, but a few brief comments.

I think the name "banishing" is somewhat unfortunate, because it can create the impression in the mind of some students of Lovecraftian horrors lying in wait outside one's "circle" (which, properly understood, is not different than what is termed the "aura").

Banishings are a method of "patterning" the aura, "coloring" or "tuning" it, if you will, to exclude or admit particular influences. Think of it as sort of the magickal equivalent of those noise-cancelling headphones.

We stake out a space with a banishing, and separate it, in a sense, from the rest of the Universe, designating it as our "base of operations", as it were. This is not a "for-against" separation, and certainly not a "good-bad" one. As magicians, we're supposed to be working with the Powers of the elements, planets, etc. We need a method to "tune in" to those energies, and banishings and invocations are a nice, reliable method for doing that.

I'm personally a big fan of twice-daily banishings (whether I need 'em or not) as well as the Middle Pillar (or something like it). The LBRP is good, in my experience, as is Crowley's Star Ruby. Lately, I'm working with some things I've come across the the "Greek Magical Papyri" and Steven Flowers' Hermetic Magic, based on vowel intonations (see Jocelyn Godwin's work on the "seven vowels", for example; consider also "IAO") and specific visualizations out of the Gnostic traditions... This turns out to be kind of similar to some of what Carroll's presented in terms of "chaotic banishments", in some regards. Now, I'm looking at mapping Crowley's Liber Trigrammaton onto all of that... But I digress.

All of these work quite nicely, which underscores the point that it's the intent and not the form which really matters. However, a solid form can ensure that our intent is "pointed in the right direction", which can only assist our efforts.

When I've, for whatever reasons, fallen out of the habit of regular practice for a while, I haven't noticed any grossly deleterious results--no stray tentacles or weird pipings in the woods--although I do tend to be more "grounded" when I'm good about regular practice.

(I have pointers to a lot of commentary on the LBRP and related matters in the "Modern Magick, chapter 1" thread...)
 
 
LVX23
18:27 / 06.03.03
I think the name "banishing" is somewhat unfortunate, because it can create the impression in the mind of some students of Lovecraftian horrors lying in wait outside one's "circle"

Note that Crowley altered some aspects of the LBRP originally set forth by Levi and formalised by the Golden Dawn. In doing so he changed the name from "Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram" to simply, "Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram". In this way he removed the notion of banishing, focusing more on using the ritual to create a sacred space and attune the practitioner with the powers of the Aethyr and the Absolute inherent within themselves. In this manner the practitioner establishes their circle and affirms their Strenght & Will without overtly confronting demons - The demons are held at bay by the act itself. Then one can proceed with invocations.

The daily use of this ritual should be more about acknowledging and invoking the magickal space into your life, rather than banishing malevolent entitites out of your life. Of course, risks may be attendant to both...

Here's an excellent article on the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram by Frater Achad Osher.
 
 
thedude
20:39 / 06.03.03
I found the banishing ritual really useful when I was starting out with magick, basically because it helps make more concrete all the other skills you're supposed to be building up (ie: breathing, visualisation etc.) And as another benefit, I think it helps to break down a lot of the inhibitions and self-consciousness you might feel, especially if you're doing it every day. On the whole it's something I only really use in preparation for ritual work. But that's just me . . .
 
 
Unicornius
04:49 / 07.03.03
Ok. I understand all you are sayin but I have two questions:

a)Why do I feel so tired, so depleted after the ritual and the morning after?

b)why am I becoming a human batery? Suddenly Im full of electric energy and even touching frozen fish creates tiny sparks...
 
 
illmatic
07:09 / 07.03.03
There's a history of the LBRP given in 2:3 here.
Apparently it has it's origins in Jewish prayer and meditational techniques.

Quote: This particular exercise is derived from the practice of saying the Sh'ma 'before lying down' - the 'kriyat (bedtime) Sh'ma'... The attributes listed in the so-called 'Qabbalistic Cross' comes from Psalm 99, verse 5, and are part of the Shachrit (morning) Torah service.... The attributes assigned for the movements are not traditional, and the order has been changed....You might also note that many Jews coming across the LBRP are deeply offended that the liturgy has been so grossly distorted, and is being used (from their perspective) sacreligiously.

!!!

So would anyone know who is responsible for the version found in the Western mystery tradition? Mathers?

My understanding of the LBRP is that other rituals and developments naturally follow ie. using variants of the pentegrams, moving from the elemental nature of the Pentegram onto the cosmic basis of the Hexagram rituals and so on. There's a full breakdown of this stuff in Lon Milo Duquette's book "The Magick of Thelema". It's a very elaborate system which I guess comes from the Golden Dawn (not that familar with GD source material so I can't say).

The first banishing I learnt was the opening ritual given in a book called "Tantra Magick". Can't find it online anywhere. Makes an interesting contrast with what's been written above about the hegative side of "banishing" ie. telling everything to fuck off. Instead, basically what your doing is establishing a microcosm. You create this by establishing your space/circle, maintain it through worship/puja/mediation and then destroy it by withdrawing it back into yourself. Creation/Maintenance/Destruction = Brahama/Vishnu/Shiva being one of those triparte formulae so beloved of Hinduism.

In terms of effects, well, like everyone else, I've found it a living, fluid thing. Sometimes if done before sleep, it's triggered off meanigful dreams. Once, when I was rather emotional fraught, just doing the opening produced floods of tears and I couldn't finish the ritual - I shouldn't have been attempting magick at all then, open contemplation of my feelings might have been a bit better- but still we learn from our mistakes, eh?

Recently, I've found on a few occasions that feelings have "crossed over" from other stuff I've done - intense bursts of happiness and emotion, first encountered doing Chris Hyatt's Energised Mediation stuff. Weird that it should trigger this, but it just does. I think Crowley writes somewhere (Magick Without Tears?) about all kinds of weirdness kicking off whenever one starts practising.

I thnk that might be a kind of roundabout way be an answer to Mohrandir's question. Doing ritual can become a dull formality like anything else, through over use or repitition, but it can also take you into uncharted territory where all kinds of odd connections are made beneath the surface, connections that might not be apparent from just looking at the form of what you're doing. I don't know what your particular feelings relate to, I don't think there is a pat answer to this. There's not a set pattern of experience that comes from ritual ie. X had this happen to them, so it will happen to me as well.

Ritual, magick, meditation whatever, it's a lot more dynamic than that. The only person that can answer that question is you - doing the LBRP might be a way to "tune into" that stuff, it might not be. I'd say explore those feelings if you if you feel able to but go easy on yourself.
 
 
Phaedrus
15:17 / 07.03.03
Hi everyone, I'm new around here, and I had a question about the LBRP. I live in an efficiency apartment complex with thin walls, and I still haven't gotten over the embarassment inherent in loudly vibrating god names and, you know, the closing parts of the ritual. Is this something that you just have to get over and not care about? What do you do when you live with somebody who isn't aware that you do these sorts of things? I find that thinking the entire building is hearing my ritual inhibits the experience.

I had heard that there is a way to vibrate silently or internally, but I think I would get the best results by doing the ritual, especially vibrating, loudly. I'm thinking about picking up the DMK book and starting this again.. any thoughts?
 
 
Professor Silly
19:37 / 07.03.03
...going back to Stone Mirror's comment...

I agree with SM, and would go further to say that while the LRP uses baninshing pentagrams, it can not be classified as a banishing ritual. Banishing rituals always have the magickian traveling widdershins (counterclockwise) and the LRP definately moves deosil (clockwise). The explanation for this oddity? One invokes the archangelic names in the name of protection, and these name represent the elements earth, water, air, and fire. Thus is achieved balance and equilibrium.
 
 
thedude
19:45 / 07.03.03
Hi Phaedrus. That's something that's always bothered me too, at least initially. As far as who I live with goes, I just wait till they're out before I do any banishings or rituals. It's not possible every day, but two or three times a week it's usually ok. And as for worrying about your neighbours hearing, I wouldn't be that bothered as it's unlikely they'll be able to hear what you're actually saying!
A related point - "vibrating" the words/names is not something I've ever done. I find just saying the words declaratively works well enough. Is this something anyone else feels?
 
 
Unicornius
14:54 / 08.03.03
I think I solved my problem... I stoped using the earth pentagrams, and started using the spirit pentagrams. Instead of that feeling of being torn apart I felt as if some force was pulling me upwards, a beam of light went trough me (something like if I was being impaled, yep from my butt all the way trough my mouth). Instead of feeling tired, spent and just plain exhausted and with that increasing sensation of losing contact with reality I felt renewed, as if I just had a shower, everything seemed brighter, more vivid. I wonder, what would happen with the other elements?. I'll investigate further into this.
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
14:32 / 18.03.03
Here's a question: I'm looking for a translation of the various Godnames used in the LBRP and the Middle Pillar.

I'm familiar with the meanings of the Quabbalistic cross part: ATEH, MALKUTH, VE GEBURAH, VE GEDULAH, LE OLAM, AMEN. Which I believe translates loosely as the end bit of the Lords Prayer "..the power and the glory, forever and ever, amen". Although if someone wanted to unpack that a bit further I wouldn't object.

I'm also familiar with the various meanings that can be read in to the YOD HE VAU HE formula.

Specifically I'm interested in getting a better understanding of the meanings of the following terms from the LBRP:

EHEHEY
ADONAI
AGLA

and from the middle pillar exercise:

YOD HE VAU HE ALIM
YOD HE VAU HE ALOAH VE DAATH
SHADDAI AL CHAI
ADONAI A HARETZ

My spelling is a little phonetic here, as I've come across various spellings of the above, so I'm going from memory.

I'd really like to try and unpack some of meanings inherent in the words of these two rituals. I tend to approach the exercises 'shamanically' , in the sense that it doesn't really matter what the words are so long as the vibration of sound and the intent behind it are effective. I've found that both rituals remain quite powerful after vowel sounds are substituted for the Hebrew Godnames - but this doesn't preclude experimentation with the original forms. Presumably, those particular words were selected for very specific meanings, beyond the usual piecemeal explanation that 'the words just make the right etheric vibration when you say them' which you often find reeled out in books. I'm interested in what hidden gems might be unlocked through a bit of research into these term, but this sort of thing isn't really my area so I though I'd throw the question to the floor and see what happens.
 
 
cusm
23:01 / 18.03.03
ATEH, MALKUTH, VE GEBURAH, VE GEDULAH, LE OLAM, AMEN

This is ported directly into Catholocism, as an optional ending for the Lord's Prayer. Unpacked: "For Thine (ateh) is the kingdom (malchuth), the power (gebura), and the glory (gedulah), now and forever (olam), AMEN." The rosy cross calls from Kether to Malchuth down the middle pilar, and then from gebura to chesed. The simple version of the rosy cross is still used today in the church as the sign of the cross, done before and after all prayers and as a general blessing/banishing. Catholic tradition and ceremony is FULL of magick

As for my use of all this, I prefer to focus on the meaning of the act, and skip the Hebrew. My actual working style is heavily psi/shamanic based, so I tend to play things a bit looser than traditional. The rite calls the tetragrammaton, the 4 elements. The form of their arrival is less important than the focus of their meaning. Simply calling to the powers of (element) and calling out attributes of that element as necessry does the trick. I sometimes cheat to the point of simply visualizing the elements as abstract principles, though I still like calling the actual archangels at times if I'm using the rite for protection. Nothing beats Archangels when you need to banish with some force

The rosy cross is the invocation of the 5th element, spirit, completing the pentigram. Its a middle pillar exercise. So, knowing what its about, I'll reach up and down connecting the line of energy to heaven and earth through me, balancing at my heart chackra. I see myself as a conduit of energy, and the sources above and below like positive and negative charges that flow until balance is reached between them. Its an incredibly refreshing experience for me, allowing me to come to an excellent center.

I do like use of this before and after workings of any sort, as the banishing and centering helps with focus. Though if I am not doing a formal working, I will sometimes use this without cutting circle, simply calling the forces and doing the centering exercise. This is a more shamanic approach, as the doors are left open and nothing is specificly shooed away, but the effects are much the same as little can occupy space immediately around you with all that going on.

I don't do regular banishings, I mostly prefer my magick to be called on an as needed basis than according to schedule. But I do them, now and then, as I need.

As for protection, as I mentioned I tend toards psi and shamanic techniques. So, rather than banish a room, I will often rely more on personal shields if I need space. The application here being that sometimes I will reenforce my shields by calling the elements, or archangels (or dragons ) if I really need guns, to surround me. I ground to earth and draw the line to heaven, and all directions are covered. Actually, that's an elven circle, now than I mention it. Calling the 4 directions, above, below, and center. Its based on 7 rather than 5. Anyway, called in this manner without a circle, the elements are centered on me, and move with me for as long as I maintain them. A different application of the same technique.

Another version of this is used in some Native American traditions. I believe Navahoe and Hopi do this, mostly. Its a call during sweat lodge, calling to the 4 directions, earth, sky, and the ancestors. 7 again. More use of the same principle used in the LBRP/RC. Even in Voodoo the crossroads is drawn to open the way to the spirits. It seems this idea is fairly universal.
 
 
cusm
23:07 / 18.03.03
Oh, and as for more unpacking, Adoni is one of the Names Of God, and Yod He Vav Heh is the Tetragramaton: Fire, Water, Air, Earth. Each is a letter in the Hebrew Alphabet. The Names Of God were chosen more for their mathematical meaning than for sound. However, Magick has a way of justifying its manifestation on all levels, so in a way the vibrations being signifigant were cause for the math to have worked out as it did. Seen extratemporally, at least
 
 
LVX23
16:21 / 19.03.03
The RC is aligned vertically along the center of the body, but note that Geburah (vel-Geburah) and Chesed (vel-Gedulah) are reversed from how they are shown in glyphs of the Tree. This is because in the LRP the Tree is manifest within the body of the magician - the Microcosmic Tree - as opposed to the Macrocosmic Tree we study in glyphs.

And as the god names preside over the four directions & elements, so do the archangels preside over the 4 sides of the watchtower. Thus the RC rotates through the four direction/elements, as the god names of each are intoned.

Note that, according to Crowley, the aspirant is standing at the intersection of Samekh and Peh. This results in the following:

East - Tiphareth
West - Yesod
South - Netzach
North - Hod

So now there is the Microcosmic Tree in the form of the magician standing in the midst of the Macrocosmic Tree in the form of the circle and the four directions/elements/god names.

Note also that this form of the Ritual of the Pentagram is not explicitly a banishing ritual. It is either invoking or banishing depending on the type of pentagram drawn at each stage.
 
 
LVX23
16:24 / 19.03.03
There is an incredible amount of information within each of the god names. For basic results it's best to simply intone and regard them as archangels of the watchtower, overseeing the four directions and the four elementals. The visualization and invocation is probably more important than the many levels of Kabbalah, Gematria, and Christian Mysticism.
 
 
Professor Silly
21:07 / 21.03.03
93,

I tend to spell the transliterated Hebrew a little differently, based on my own studies. That said:

ehee'eh -- literally means "I am"...the God-name of Kether
adonAY -- "lord"...used in Hebrew prayers in place of YHVH, so as not to "take the lord's name in vain"
AGLA -- short for "atEh geebOr le'olAm adonAY" which means "Thou art mighty forever my lord"

As cusm mentioned, one should meditate on these names and their qabbalistic values to get the full power out of them.

As for the middle pillar exercise, starting from the bottom:

adonAY ha'arEtz -- lord of the earth...God-name of malkOOt.
shadEE el chee (hard CH, like CHaos) -- God-name of yesOd.
yod he vav he elO'ah va'dA'at -- God-name of teepharEt.

the last one looks like yod he vav he elohEEm...the god-name of beenAh...except that would leave the pillar. I suppose that final part could be "elEEm", a different pluralization of "El" (which means God in a watery sort of way). This second form has both a feminine root and pluralization, which is why it's used as one of the god names of Venus...and as I don't know the author of this "middle pillar exercise" I suppose it could be something someone attributed to da'Ath....

I'd recommend getting a good Hebrew dictionary, Crowley's 777, and Godwin's Cabbalistic Encyclopedia. Also you'll find good notes on the ritual in DuQuette's The Magick of Thelema.

dAb
 
 
electric monk
15:04 / 14.12.04
*ba-bump*
 
 
infinitus
19:39 / 14.12.04
I just started doing the Star Ruby again, and whoo-haaah I say. Ride my starrubian rocket! Thelemic banishing with Pan invocation is a sledgehammer next to the vacuum-cleaner-effect of the LBRP... Kick ass sexual ritual. I'll stick with LBRP for evenings though since the energy from the Ruby is similar to drugs.

I recommend it to anyone looking for a more kick-ass banishing!
 
 
BARISKIL666
21:27 / 14.12.04
I find the SR cleaner and quicker than the LBR,but the latter is still goood.The SR has been said to be a spiritual "banishing," the LBR being a more temporal thing,it has been placed around Yesod facing Tiphareth whilst the former is between Chockmah and Binah facing Chockmah.
Any veiws on that?
 
 
---
21:49 / 14.12.04
Is there any known problems with beginners using it? Just checking because I'm thinking of trying it.
 
 
rising and revolving
22:41 / 14.12.04
Beginners problems? None I've ever heard of - and given that it's the standard cornerstone of beginner practice in the western trad, I suspect that means it's about as safe as such things can be, really.

Once again, I feel Gypsy hits a whole lot of nails on the head with the opening post here[1]. LBRP as Astral weight training feels like a spot on appraisal to me. That's the sort of benefit I gain from it, and it generally raises my overall condition. Doesn't hurt that it stresses vibration, visualisation, gesture, and breath either.

As with any form of training, I feel that while I do it daily I gradually get better and better, when I stop I lose condition over time. However, the more I do, the less time it takes me to get back in form.

I don't think it's a terribly good banishing ritual, though. At least not in it's usual form, nor as the usual understanding of the word 'banish'.

** Here begins the opinion block **

Seems to me that the LBRP would be better called the Lesser Cleansing Ritual of the Pentagram. It cleanses the aura and then balances it. It doesn't generally kick stuff out of the area, although it will cleanse/purge the circle you're working in - but that almost as an afterthought. For actually banishing beasties, I reckon you want a bigger stick.

For keeping *yourself* in tune, it's grand, though.

** End opinion block **

I also (in order to jam as much as possible into one post) think Gypsy has a very good point in terms of making it difficult to perceive the subtle forces around you, especially in terms of entities that you may want to develop a relationship with. Again, I don't think these are 'banished' so much as kept away by your 'aura' - which you've conditioned to allow no trespassers by.

The one thing I know is that your HGA can still communicate under those circumstances - I'm really not sure as to where everything else fits in, but it seems a reasonable theory, and I'll bow to Gypsys experience on this'un.

[1] I find this *especially* frustrating when I want to get pissed at GL for his ... short manner here.
 
 
---
22:55 / 14.12.04
Oh shit! Sorry I meant the Star Ruby, I forgot to add that. I was just thinking of the possibilities of the Binah/Chockmah thing being a little overpowering.
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
08:25 / 15.12.04
LBRP as Astral weight training feels like a spot on appraisal to me. That's the sort of benefit I gain from it, and it generally raises my overall condition. Doesn't hurt that it stresses vibration, visualisation, gesture, and breath either.

The LBRP is often presented as a cornerstone of beginner's magical practice by groups such as the Golden Dawn, who tell their students to practice it on a daily basis with borderline OCD levels of repetition. There's an assumption that this is because the ritual and effect are integral to later practice, that it's vital to know how to banish the forces you conjure, and because it cleanses and strengthens the "aura". I think it does do all of that, but I'm increasingly led to wonder if its key position as a beginners practice has more to do with cultivating the skills you develop by performing it. As you point out, daily practice of the LBRP builds your skills of visualisation, vibration, gesture, etc... all of which are useful to develop for magical practice in general.

It cleanses the aura and then balances it. It doesn't generally kick stuff out of the area, although it will cleanse/purge the circle you're working in - but that almost as an afterthought. For actually banishing beasties, I reckon you want a bigger stick.

Yeah, I'd concur on that. It's great for a temporal cleansing and balancing of the self, but it's not much cop for actual space clearing of persistant presences. You can't really clear up a haunting with it, for instance.

I find this *especially* frustrating when I want to get pissed at GL for his ... short manner here.

I aim to please.
 
 
Chiropteran
16:32 / 15.12.04
I also (in order to jam as much as possible into one post) think Gypsy has a very good point in terms of making it difficult to perceive the subtle forces around you, especially in terms of entities that you may want to develop a relationship with. Again, I don't think these are 'banished' so much as kept away by your 'aura' - which you've conditioned to allow no trespassers by.

From this perspective, would you go so far as to recommend against daily use of the LBRP for someone who is trying to become more sensitive to the above-mentioned subtle forces? 'Cos I'm thinking that it would be a good workout for me, but I'm also currently working on developing spirit relationships (ancestral and otherwise).

Or are the difficulties with tuning in limited to the period immediately during/after the LBRP?

~L
 
 
electric monk
17:24 / 15.12.04
I spent the first six months of this year on a twice daily LRP schedule (Invoking in the AM, Banishing in the PM). These last six months have been straight-up Banishing in the AM. It's been interesting, and I can defintely relate to GL's comments about "astral weight training". I've also found that it fosters a sense of "balance" that I definitely did not have before. People around me seem to sense something "other" about me as well, but in a good way. They also refer to a sense of me being balanced and wonder aloud to me how I manage to keep it together in an increasingly harsh corporate office. I set myself the goal of doing the LBRP at least once a day the entire year.

...after a while I've found that it simultaneously re-enforces the belief that the universe around you is full of 'astral stuff' that needs to be banished and cleaned off, which can end up being quite a restrictive paradigm to work from and in practice isn't that far removed from an obsessive compulsive hand washing complex. I found that some of the stuff I was habitually banishing was actually quite interesting, and in maintaining that level of psychic control I was effectively shutting myself off from the dynamic interaction with 'the things out there' that a more shamanic and integrative approach brings.

With the end of 2004 in sight, I'm wondering whether I'll continue this practice, esp, in light of the above. I have a sense of this also, like a "dependence" that's being fostered along with the "balance". On the one hand, I feel it necessary to maintain the practice in order to maintain the balance that's seeing me thru the Corporate Hell that pays my bills and keeps my wife and baby healthy. On the other hand, I am most likely missing out on some interesting stuff and may even be stifling myself.

At any rate, I'm interested to hear about other folks' experiences with the L-Burp, esp. with regards to the "clean"/"dirty" debate.
 
 
Sekhmet
17:30 / 15.12.04
...rather than banish a room, I will often rely more on personal shields if I need space.

This is what I usually do. If I feel a need to banish, I put up a shield and spread it out to surround the room/house/property, basically "sweeping" the area. It seems to be reasonably effective, but I wonder if a more ceremonial style would be more powerful. Also, I generally do the "sweep" with the intent of ridding the area of malign forces only, while leaving friendly and beneficient ones alone... is it reasonable to expect to banish baddies without banishing everything?

(And where the heck is cusm these days, anyway?)
 
 
rising and revolving
19:00 / 15.12.04
From this perspective, would you go so far as to recommend against daily use of the LBRP for someone who is trying to become more sensitive to the above-mentioned subtle forces? 'Cos I'm thinking that it would be a good workout for me, but I'm also currently working on developing spirit relationships (ancestral and otherwise).

Or are the difficulties with tuning in limited to the period immediately during/after the LBRP?

Honestly, the only suggestion I can make is to ask the spirits you're working with how they feel about the issue.

I'm purely theorising, but I see it as the equivelent of wearing a really thick jumper. You're no longer going to notice when people tap you on the shoulder - nor are you going to be bothered by such. When you actually focus your attention on things, then you'll still be able to communicate just as well as you otherwise could.

The question becomes - do you have spirits tapping you on the shoulder? Is this a relationship you want to foster? Is the LBRP getting in the way?

As I say, I'd ask them - I'm pretty exclusively working with my HGA at the moment, and I'm sure the LBRP poses no problem there. I'd *wager* that the situation would be similar for benign entities with whom you've forged a relationship, but not necessarily so for benign (or neutral) entities who are trying to get your attention but with whom you don't necessarily have an existing partnership.

But it's all theory[1], at that point. I've not had so much experience with the 'semi-random passers by' and certainly not enough to start making evaluations.

[1] Which is another way of saying 'guesswork'
 
  

Page: (1)2

 
  
Add Your Reply