High Magick: A Guide to the Spiritual Practices That Saved My Life on Death Row - Damien Echols 2018

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
Fundamental Practices of Magick

Apprentice magicians in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn were instructed to perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) practice twice a day — once at the beginning of the day and once at the very end. Doing this practice in this way has changed my life profoundly, and when you have arrived at this point in your relationship with magick, I strongly suggest practicing the LBRP at least once daily. If things aren’t just right, that’s okay — just go ahead and do the practice the best you can. That’s much more important than missing a day here and there.

There’s a lot of new information to introduce here, so I’m going to take my time and lay out some things as clearly as possible before we get started. The LBRP is quite a bit more complicated than the practices you’ve done before, but it’s more than worth it. Among countless other benefits, here’s why the LBRP is such an important part of high magick:

•Aura HygieneAs you go through the day, you accumulate all sorts of energetic debris, and this refuse clings to your aura in the same way dirt and grime do in the physical world. You pick up some form of energy from every person you come in contact with, and you also litter your own energetic field with various memories and thoughts. For example, let’s say that you remember a heated argument you had with someone years ago. Even though it was a long time ago, you feel a fresh surge of anger, and that burst of negative energy is released directly into your aura. Or maybe you recall a silly mistake you once made that brought up a lot of embarrassment for you. Has this ever happened to you? You remember something like this and you feel a wave of embarrassment all over again? Well, stuff like that gets stuck in your aura too, and the LBRP is an incredibly powerful way to cleanse yourself of all types of negative accumulation. As one of my teachers once told me, the LBRP is the energetic equivalent of showering or brushing your teeth. If we don’t do these activities regularly, we build up all kinds of unwanted, smelly gunk.

•Energetic ProtectionI guess a better metaphor here would be something along the lines of waxing your car. Washing your car regularly keeps it clean, but there’s also a way to make sure it doesn’t collect so much dust and grime in the first place. In a similar way, the LBRP gradually strengthens and hardens the perimeter of your energy field so that you gain more protection against future contamination. So the LBRP is also something akin to calisthenics for your aura — do it regularly, and your energetic field will grow more vibrant and powerful.

•Mental Clarity and FocusAnother benefit of the LBRP is that it removes the random thoughts that flit through your mind in order to bring you into a state of single-pointed concentration. As I’ve said elsewhere, you send energy in the direction of your thoughts, so it’s a good idea to get rid of unnecessary mental activity and have a clear idea of what’s going on in your mind. When you’re in the middle of a ritual to magnetize as much energy as possible in order to manifest a particular desire in the physical realm, the last thing you need are stray thoughts bouncing around and confusing the picture. The LBRP helps keep your mind as focused as possible.

•Environmental PurificationIn addition to your aura, the LBRP also cleans and purifies the environment you find yourself in. Energy left behind by other people can accumulate and have an undesired effect on the magick you wish to perform. Even if this energy isn’t necessarily negative, it still might not be compatible with your desired results, so the LBRP is a good way to sterilize and rinse your immediate environment of unwanted energies.

•Subconscious AwakeningWe’ve all heard the old monotheistic phrase “Man is created in the image of God.” Well, this doesn’t mean that God has a body similar to our own; rather, it means that our consciousness resembles that of God’s. This is one meaning of Psalm 82:6 of the Bible when it states, “Ye are gods.” We all have the same ability to create worlds, and we are directly responsible for the universe we call our life. When we perform the LBRP, we banish all the energy from an area and create a bountiful void in the middle where we stand. It’s like something from Genesis, or the primordial nothingness that is said to have existed prior to the Big Bang. In the center of this void, we are the creator, and we can call whatever energies we require into being. The LBRP wakes us up to our own centrality and power. And because the deepest parts of our psyche don’t communicate with words, we use powerful symbols in the LBRP to send the message that it’s time to wake up to our own potential and become a co-partner in the constantly unfolding act of creation.

•Evocation PrimerThe LBRP also introduces us to evocation. There’s a section of the ritual where we call in archangels or other powerful forces to stand guard over the space in which we perform our magick. In the beginning, we might just imagine these beings as some form of visually interesting pictures — somewhat sparkly, but two-dimensional creatures of some sort. After a while, however, these forces actually gather and respond as we request, and it doesn’t take too many times of performing the LBRP to feel something actually happening. When I started out, it took about three weeks of doing the LBRP every day until I felt that something had responded to my call. And I could feel these forces long before I was able to see them.

On that note, I want to say a little bit about angels. Just as with the Qabalistic Cross and the Hebrew mantras, I don’t want to set off anyone’s alarm system without offering a good explanation as to why I’m doing so.

Practicing aspects of magick that make your skin crawl will probably not bring you favorable results.

There were so many ways that Christianity left a bad taste in my mouth while I was growing up, not the least of which involved fundamentalist Christians trying to murder me by sending me to death row for three murders I didn’t commit. As you can imagine, that type of assault on my mind, body, and spirit was hard for me to let go of. So when I was introduced to the LBRP, I was pretty sure I didn’t want anything to do with angels or anything else remotely associated with Christianity. But somehow, the more I learned about angels and their history, the more curious and open I became. The greatest magicians in the history of the art all worked with angels in some way. People I considered to be geniuses — like John Dee and Edward Kelly, the court magicians of Queen Elizabeth — had focused almost entirely on angel magick. Additionally, every member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn whom I heard of had experience with angels in some way. And even modern pagan writers like Silver Ravenwolf swore by the effectiveness of angels. Slowly, I began to realize that there had to be something to it.

When I finally convinced myself that it was worth a try, I quickly found out that angels are the easiest form of entities to work with. They’re eager to help and are just awaiting the invitation to do so. They also produce astonishing results in short periods of time. Eventually, working with angels became very dear to me, and I work with them regularly now, as if I never had the slightest hesitation in the first place. For example, when I leave my house to walk down the streets of New York City, the first thing I do is evoke the Seraphim — angels of fire — and ask them to protect me. And I have absolute faith that they will do so.

That being said, it might also be helpful to point out that just like so many other things adopted and modified from other cultures by Christianity, angels predate Christianity (or any known religion, for that matter) by millennia. Angels show up all over the place in prehistory — including winged figures in cave paintings around the globe — and by various names in spiritual traditions that came way before Christianity — for example, the bodhisattvas of various Buddhist lineages.

And if these points don’t convince you, don’t feel like you absolutely have to work with angels. You can use this technique to evoke any type of greater intelligence. Some people are a lot more comfortable using elementals, for example, that embody the energies of earth, air, fire, and water. That’s fine. And people who follow the modern-day neo-pagan religions may be more inclined to work with the gods and goddesses they’re familiar with. That’s okay, too. Feel free to modify this technique and use whatever form of divinity you’re most comfortable with, because practicing aspects of magick that make your skin crawl will probably not bring you favorable results. That being said, I encourage everyone to push their boundaries if they can. Sometimes the most life-changing practices are waiting there just beyond the edges of your comfort zone.

Okay, so with that long introduction out of the way, I can finally present the angels you’re going to use in the LBRP — archangels, actually. Traditionally, this practice tells you to invoke four of them: Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, and Uriel. I’ll give you more detail about their appearances later, when you actually begin the practice of visualizing them in the LBRP, but for now here’s a little bit about what we associate them with in magick:

1.Raphael represents the intellect, specifically logic and reason.

•DirectionEast

•ElementAir

•SeasonSpring

•Tarot SuitSwords

2.Gabriel stands for the psyche, particularly intuition and the unconscious. Dreams, emotions, and love are all associated with the archangel Gabriel.

•DirectionWest

•ElementWater

•SeasonAutumn

•Tarot SuitCups

3.Michael is probably best known for his pivotal role in Catholicism. He represents courage, strength, and willpower, as well as ambition and sex drive. Many people call upon Michael for protection in times of need.

•DirectionSouth

•ElementFire

•SeasonSummer

•Tarot SuitWands

4.Uriel represents the physical realm and is therefore associated with matters such as one’s health and finances. Additionally, Uriel is the patron archangel of magick and magicians.

•DirectionNorth

•ElementEarth

•SeasonWinter

•Tarot SuitPentacles

As you’ll see below, I include two more angels in my version of the LBRP. As with all magickal techniques, your first task is to learn the basics and then perform those instructions relentlessly until they become second nature. After you have fully internalized the practices, feel free to experiment and find ways to personalize them (as I have) in order to make them more effective. Eventually you’ll probably end up with something built on the traditional framework but unique to you at the same time. And that’s how — by trial and error — I found it helpful to add two more archangels to my version of the LBRP. In a sense, I had to, because I always felt so exposed when performing the LBRP, as if something vital was missing from the ritual. I also needed protection above and below me, so I added Metatron and Sandalphon. When I began bringing them in as part of the LBRP, the practice became so much more powerful that I could feel the angels near me for hours after I performed the ritual.

If you learn more about ceremonial magick, you’ll notice that almost every angel or archangel has a name that ends with the letters e and l — Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, Uriel, Sachiel, Zadkiel, Haniel, and so on. That -el ending means “of God,” and an angel is supposed to represent a particular aspect of God, of the collective Divine. The name Raphael, for example, means “healing of God.” When you evoke Raphael, what you’re actually evoking is the primordial intelligence that governs the healing process. Regardless of what name you use, by evoking in this way, you ask this force to lend its power and blessing to your activities in order to increase their efficacy.

Neither Metatron nor Sandalphon have -el at the end of their names because — at least, in some magick circles — they are the only two archangels who were once human. In pre-Christian forms of the Bible, Metatron is associated with the prophet Enoch from the noncanonical book of his name (“And Enoch walked with God, and was no more”). As reward for his faith, Enoch was made an angel. Regardless of the attribution, Metatron is said to be the angel who stands closest to the source of all creation. Some believe that the archangel Sandalphon is the prophet Elijah, who ascended to Heaven in a chariot pulled by horses made of fire, but that’s never felt like the right attribution to me, personally. Sandalphon has a distinctly feminine feel to her presence, in my experience, and in contrast to Metatron, she stands closest to the material plane of reality.

I might refer to archangels as “he” or “she,” but they’re not actually male or female — they don’t possess physical bodies or sex organs. Instead, these angels embody and preside over energies that are either active or receptive. High magick typically describes active energies like fire and air as masculine, whereas earth and water — energies that are considered more receptive — are feminine. Over time, I just began thinking of some of the angels as “he” and some as “she,” although technically this division doesn’t hold much water — all angels possess both active and receptive energies.

When I first began doing the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, I often wondered if anything was happening or if I was just entertaining myself with elaborate mind games. I wasn’t sure if the magick was having an effect — was I actually causing any degree of change to happen? Interestingly, those doubts vanished when I added Metatron and Sandalphon to the ritual. The presence of magick around me became tangible and unmistakable, and I finally saw an angel for the first time.

I saw it as clearly as I would have seen another person standing in the room with me, but I wasn’t seeing it with my physical eyes. Instead, I saw the angel with some sort of internal apparatus that registers etheric manifestations — a way of seeing that I wasn’t accustomed to employing. I grew up imagining that angels — if they actually existed — looked much like the portrayals you find in books and movies: beautiful human-looking beings, only with wings and surrounded by bright light. Well, that’s not what I saw. What came to me during that first visit was something much stranger — nearly indescribable. The angel’s body consisted of something resembling a large black triangle, pointing upward, and its head was like a smaller triangle, resting on top of the bottom one. Really, this entity was more like a praying mantis than any type of humanoid. But, again, I wasn’t seeing an actual physical form, but something on a different plane of existence.

What I didn’t know was that all those times I’d practiced the LBRP before had gradually awakened and activated my energy system, enabling me to tune in to a small band of the magickal spectrum. This finally resulted in me being able to detect the archangel before me. All of my doubts about magick vanished in that moment of clarity and raw power, and the experience was simultaneously exalting and terrifying. The archangel’s presence was almost overpowering, and it was aware of me — addressing me silently, but essentially saying, “You called me. Now, what do you want?” It made every hair on my body stand on end. Had I not been locked in that prison cell, I would have jumped up and run away in panic. But, much like anything else in life, I got used to the power of that presence. And from that moment on, I never again wondered if I was sending out empty prayers to an uncaring universe.

Remember the affirmation that Lorri and I repeated to get me off death row?

May I be home, free from prison, living happily with my Lorri.

May it come about in a way that brings harm to none and is for the good of all,

and in no way let this reverse or bring upon me or my loved ones any curse.

What I didn’t mention in that part of the book is that saying these lines was preceded by nearly an hour of performing magick, practicing the LBRP, and bringing in as much energy as possible. Lorri and I were becoming more accustomed to working with angels and more proficient with shaping energy, so I began to evoke more and more angels. In the beginning, it was a strain for me to bring in even one angel, but I eventually worked my way up to calling in more than two hundred during one ritual. However, when I started out, I would begin to draw in an angel or two and then suddenly lose the visualization. I couldn’t see them anymore, couldn’t register their presence. Sometimes it was even hard to see the Middle Pillar running down through my body — the light would just fade, and everything would go black for a couple of days. Eventually, the experience passed, and I could bring in one more angel than in my previous effort. I’d work up to drawing in a couple more angels, and then everything would go black again.

I have a friend who is one of the greatest magicians alive in the world today. When I told her about my experience, she said, “When things go black and you can’t see the energy anymore, what has happened is that you’ve drawn in more energy than you’re ready for and you’ve burned out the meridians in your body.” Much like veins and arteries, meridians transport nourishment and power, but instead of blood and oxygen the meridians are conduits for energy. You can build up the ability to move more energy through your meridians, but it takes time, just as it does to build muscle, gain strength and endurance, and enhance the performance of your physical body. But before that happens, you can temporarily fry your system. It only lasts a few days, but it can be disheartening, to say the least. The good news is that when your meridians repair themselves, they come back much stronger than before.

That’s another reason why it’s crucial to spend lots of time with the beginning practices. Start small, get familiar with the fundamental techniques of magick, and gradually work your way up. Every lesson is one more step that leads you just beyond your previous lesson. Eventually, you’ll find that you can channel more and more energy. I’m making a point to talk about this here because performing the LBRP involves more energy than any of the previous practices. At any point, if you experience mental exhaustion or can no longer perceive the energy as I described above, just take a couple of days off to rest and recuperate. Again, it’s kind of like working out. You can’t just go to the gym and max out on the same exercise every single day — you need to vary your routine, get lots of rest, and take care of yourself. Eventually, you’ll grow stronger — not to mention be less miserable in the process.

Okay, so we’re almost ready to perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual, but I want to say one more thing regarding the use of pentagrams for those of you who might get hung up on the imagery.

The word pentagram refers to a five-pointed star that’s also known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon. In Greek, pente means “five,” describing the number of points on this particular shape. I’m mentioning all this to illustrate that there’s nothing inherently dark, scary, or demonic about pentagrams. Lots of people have negative associations with the shape due to horror movies and Fundamentalist propaganda, and you’d be surprised at the number of people who think that Satanists have cornered the market on five-pointed stars. In actuality, pentagrams have been used as sacred symbols throughout human history, and at some point — surprise, surprise — even Christians used pentagrams to stand for the five wounds of Jesus.

Whenever you perform this ritual, you’re creating a sacred space.

To be clear, in our usage, the pentagram represents the fundamental powers of nature — the four elements (earth, air, fire, water) and the Divine. Each point of the star is associated with these powers. We always draw the pentagram with the point facing up to represent the fact that the spiritual world — God, energy, the etheric realm, the Divine, the Great Mystery, whatever you choose to call it — is the place from which everything else originates. So for this form of magick, the upward-pointing pentagram is particularly important and holy.

In the instructions below, you’ll be tracing pentagrams in the air with your right hand. As I discussed in the instructions for the Qabalistic Cross, this directive has to do with traditional associations with the right and left hands, and if it turns out that it feels more natural to draw pentagrams with your left hand, that’s okay. The primary instruction here is to hold your hand in a particular way, in what’s called the sword mudra:

1.Extend your first two fingers (i.e., your index and middle fingers).

2.Fold your other two fingers down toward your palm.

3.Close your thumb over your folded fingers.

Mudras are hand gestures that symbolize or trigger certain states of consciousness, and the sword mudra is especially effective at projecting energy — in order to invoke blessings or empower pentagrams, for example. It’s called a sword mudra because it’s meant to cut away our ignorance regarding the true nature of reality and replace that lack of knowing with wisdom.

When you draw the banishing pentagrams for this ritual, start at the bottom left-hand corner and trace a line up to the top point of the symbol. Then move to the bottom right-hand corner, go over to the left-hand side, back across to the right-hand side, then back down to the point you started from on the bottom left-hand corner. To make sure that your pentagrams are all roughly the same size and shape; use your body size as a blueprint. That is, when you draw a pentagram in front of you, begin at the height of your left hip, trace upward until you reach out directly in front of your forehead, move your hand down to the height of your right hip, across to where your left shoulder would be, over to your right shoulder, and finally back down to the height of your left hip.

So now you’re ready to perform the LBRP. Keep in mind that whenever you perform this ritual, you’re creating a sacred space. What you’re actually doing is erecting a temple in which to engage and practice magick. Magicians from the past called this standing between the worlds, which accurately describes how you’ll be standing in the middle of a circle you’ve created on the physical plane, but one that also occurs in the spiritual realm. You’ll be somewhere in between these two worlds, bridging them with a foot in each place. Because this space is sacred, try to approach it with an attitude of reverence or gratitude. The LBRP is not just another exercise. This is the space in which to actually perform magick. If you remember that fact, it will help you maintain a sense of delight, wonder, and awe.

How to Draw a Banishing Pentagram

PRACTICE ” THE LESSER BANISHING RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM

Because the LBRP is far more complex and detailed than the practices you’ve done before, I’m only going to offer one version, and I’m also going to break it down a bit more than I did with the other techniques. Use the following as a guide until the LBRP becomes familiar to you; then you can make modifications as you see fit. The general order of these stages, however, should probably remain the same.

STAGE 1PREPARING THE SPACE AND PERFORMING THE QABALISTIC CROSS

1.Enter the space in which you’ve chosen to perform this ritual. Close your eyes to make it easier for you to visualize, but only if you’re in a space that you’re familiar with. Because you’ll be moving around during the LBRP, it’s important that you don’t stumble over something in the dark and break your concentration. You can always keep your eyes open, as well; some people can even visualize better that way.

2.Always begin the LBRP by doing the Qabalistic Cross (see step 3 below, or go to the full practice). The practice will ground and center you, as well as prepare you for what comes next. Specifically, the Qabalistic Cross will clear your energy centers and inform the deeper parts of your psyche that you’re about to practice powerful magick. Hopefully, by this point, you’re well versed in one of the versions of the Qabalistic Cross I presented before. I’m including a short, traditional form of Version 1 here, just in case you need a little prompting:

3.Summarized Qabalistic Cross (Version 1)

•Close your eyes and see yourself standing at the center of the universe. All around you, in every direction as far as you can see, are stars. Direct your attention up to the very top of the universe, where you see a brilliant, blinding white light. This light is the source of all creation. Inhale and see a shaft of light descend from that source, all the way down through the universe, until it reaches the top of your head. With the first two fingers of your right hand, reach up and touch your forehead. Vibrate Ateh (ah-tay).

•Lower your right hand, and touch your two fingers to the center of your chest as the shaft of light continues down through your body, all the way down until it reaches the very bottom of infinity, anchoring you there, rooting you in place and holding your consciousness steady. Vibrate Malkuth (mahl-kooth).

•Move your hand to your right shoulder and see the shaft of light extend out in that direction and exit your body. The light ties you to that side of the universe as you vibrate Vegeburah (vey-geb-boo-rah).

•Now place your two fingers on your left shoulder as the light moves through your body and out to the far reaches of the cosmos in that direction. Again, the light anchors you there, such that now you have a cross of light that holds you in place. Your consciousness is now rock solid, no matter what you encounter. Now vibrate Vegehdula (vey-ged-dool-lah).

•Cross your hands over your chest and continue visualizing the cross of brilliant light traveling through your body. You are the center of all creation. As you inhale, the cross grows brighter and more powerful. Hold and vibrate Le Olam, Amen (lee oh-lom ah-men).

STAGE 2CREATING THE PENTAGRAMS

1.Now it’s time to generate the pentagrams (four in total) in each of the cardinal directions. Begin by letting your arms rest at your sides and stepping toward the eastern side of the space you’ve chosen for this ritual.

2.Facing east, inhale and visualize that all of the energy in the universe passes through your body and moves down into Earth itself. The entire planet fills with white light. Hold to the count of four.

3.Extend your right hand toward the east in the sword mudra. Per the instructions outlined earlier, trace a flaming blue pentagram in the air before you. This is known as a banishing pentagram. You aren’t drawing it with your own energy, but with the energy you brought in from the universe. It rushes back up from the Earth, up through your body, out of your hand, and into the pentagram.

4.Once you’ve finished the symbol, inhale again. Just as before, draw in all of the chi of the universe and move it into Earth below you. It fills Earth and then comes back into your body and out of your hand. Thrust your extended fingers through the center of the pentagram.

5.The pentagram lights up and blazes in incredibly blue flame, similar to the color of a pilot light, but infinitely brighter.

6.Now you’ll vibrate the first mantra. Instead of vibrating inside your body as you did with the Middle Pillar practice, as you vocalize the mantra, visualize the pentagram vibrating and glowing as strongly as you can make it do so. The mantras associated with each pentagram are different Hebrew names for the Divine. The mantra for the first pentagram is YHVH, or Yehowah (yay-ho-wah).

7.Know that the power of the mantra infuses the pentagram. In front of you now is a thoughtform in the shape of a star that’s charged with divine energy. Nothing — no outside energy of any sort — can pass through the barrier. Now you are shielded and protected in the east.

8.Stomp your foot lightly. This is to seal the energy in the pentagram and make sure it does its job.

9.Inhale again, and watch as energy from all parts of the universe comes rushing into your body, out through your feet, and down into the center of the earth. The entire planet fills with light.

10.Now all of that energy shoots back up into your body and into your hand. Still using the sword mudra, draw a line of white light that begins in the center of the eastern pentagram and moves in a circle to your right until it reaches the southern side of your sacred space.

11.Now you are facing south. Inhale as you did before, pulling in energy and filling the earth with light. Hold to the count of four.

12.Now trace another banishing pentagram made out of blue flame in the south.

13.Take another in-breath, bringing in chi from all corners of the universe, moving it down through your body, and filling the earth with that light. Then the energy rushes back into your body and into your hand, and you place your fingers into the center of this new pentagram.

14.Watch as the southern pentagram grows incredibly bright with blue flame.

15.Now you’re going to charge this symbol exactly as you did before, only this time you’ll use the mantra ADNI (Adonai), pronounced (ah-don-eye). This is another Hebrew word that means “Lord.” Watch as the pentagram vibrates, and know that you have infused it with incredible energy.

16.Stomp your foot again to seal the energy.

17.Inhale and envision the light coming into you and filling the earth. Hold as before.

18.Now, as the energy rushes back into your body, use the extended fingers of the sword mudra to draw a line of white light from the center of the southern pentagram around to the western side of your sacred space.

19.Facing west, inhale and fill the earth with the energy from the universe that passes through your body. Hold to the count of four.

20.Now trace another banishing pentagram made of blue flame in the west. You now have three pentagrams connected with a line of blinding white light.

21.As you breathe in again, bring energy back into the earth and see the entire planet fill up with white light. Once more, the energy floods back into your body and into your hand as you place your fingers into the middle of the flaming blue pentagram. Again, the pentagram glows incredibly bright.

22.The mantra for the western pentagram is AHIH, or Eheieh (pronounced eh-hee-yay). You’ll recognize this as one of the divine names you vibrated during the Middle Pillar practice. This mantra reminds you that part of you is always connected to the source of divinity, the source of creation, and that chain can never be broken. Keep this in mind as you say this mantra and see the pentagram vibrate.

23.As before, stomp lightly to seal the energy into the western pentagram.

24.Inhale again, pull in energy from the universe, and fill the earth with that chi.

25.Exhale, and see the white light rush back up through your feet, through your body, out your arm, and into the sword mudra. Draw another line made of brilliant white light connecting the center of the western pentagram to the northern side of your space.

26.Facing north, you’re going to do exactly as you’ve done before: inhale, pull in energy, hold, and draw another flaming blue banishing pentagram.

27.Breathe in again, fill up the earth with energy, and visualize all of that power reentering your body and moving into the extended fingers of your sword mudra. Place those fingers into the center of this final pentagram, and watch as it blazes an incredibly bright blue.

28.Now vibrate the northern pentagram with the mantra AGLA (ah-gay-la). Again, this is a Hebrew acronym that stands for the source of all creation. As before, you are infusing the pentagram with the power of this holy name. You are programming the flaming symbol such that it will protect you from any external energy that tries to interfere or make its way into your sacred space.

29.Stomp your foot, seal in the energy, and inhale to pull energy back into the earth from all corners of the cosmos. Hold to the count of four.

30.Exhale. The energy comes back into your body from the earth and moves out of the extended fingers of your hand as you complete the circle of white light from this last pentagram back to the original banishing pentagram in the east.

31.Stand in the center of your sacred space. In your mind’s eye, look all around you. In front of you there’s a flaming blue pentagram, and there’s also one behind you and to either side of your body. They are all connected by the circle of white light through their middles that goes all the way around the room. Try to visualize all of this that you’ve created at the same time: four blue stars and a brilliant white circle.

32.Inhale and see everything glowing even more brightly than before. Hold and watch it all flame brightly.

33.Lastly, exhale. All of the air leaves your body, but all of the energy stays in.

STAGE 3EVOKING THE ARCHANGELS

1.Now it’s time to evoke the archangels to stand guard and lend their power. Calling on these angels is one of the simplest, yet most effective, protective rituals you can perform. You’re also calling on them to bless the magick that you’ve enacted in this sacred circle. When you envision the angels, keep in mind what they represent: the directions, elements, mental states, suits of the Minor Arcana in the Tarot, and their particular seasons. Really try to feel each in turn. Each archangel adds something additional to your sacred circle. Also know that together the angels unite to form something transcendent — something even higher and more powerful than the sum of their individual energies. All of their magnified strengths enter your circle and lend their blessings to the magick you’re performing. And remember: this is not an abstract exercise — bring as many senses into play as you can, and really engage your imagination. The more real and vivid it feels to you, the more power you bring to your magick. Experience this ritual with as many levels and aspects of your being as possible.

2.First, you’ll call forth the archangel Raphael. Stand in the center of your sacred space, face east once more, and hold your arms out to your sides, making a cross of your body.

3.Now focus your attention on the flaming blue pentagram before you. Inhale and see Raphael before you as bright as you can make him glow; see him expanding out of the center of the pentagram, incredibly large and towering over the space you’ve created, as if forming a wall and standing guard over your temple. Imagine that he is made of brilliant yellow light or that he wears radiant yellow robes, and he holds a caduceus. You might have seen this symbol before in a doctor’s office or in a metaphysical or New Age bookstore: it looks like a wand or staff entwined by two snakes. Imagine that you feel a fresh spring breeze — full of the warm, wet air of the season. Call forth that rich smell of new life and budding flowers, and hear the various birds and insects singing all around you.

4.Now say, “Before me, Raphael” (raf-ee-el). When you say, “Before me,” use your normal voice, but when you say the angel’s name, vibrate it just as you did before with the mantras. See the angel vibrate and grow even more brilliant and powerful as you vocalize its name.

5.Now it’s time to evoke Gabriel in the west. Remain standing where you are, still facing east, but direct your attention to the banishing pentagram you created in the west that’s now behind you. See it as clearly as you can.

6.Inhale. Just as you envisioned before with Raphael, Gabriel grows magnificently large out of the center of the western pentagram. She becomes huge, protecting your sacred space against any threats from the west. Gabriel wears blue robes — the color of the sky reflected in ocean water — and she holds an ornate chalice. You can feel autumn in the air; it has that unmistakable cool crispness. When you were a child, what did it sound like to walk across a yard covered with brittle, crunching leaves? Let the energy of fall flood your temple with all of the sensory associations that come to you. Remember the changing smells of the trees and grass, and recall the sense of anticipation you experienced as a child when Halloween approached. Bring all of that in.

7.Inhale again, hold that breath, and say, “Behind me, Gabriel” (gay-bree-el), vibrating her name as before. She glows amazingly bright — a brilliant blue. Everything about Gabriel that you have summoned — her appearance and all that you affiliate with autumn — combines with the energy of spring that you called in before.

8.Remain in the center of the temple you have created. Next, you’ll evoke Michael in the south. Focus now on the flaming blue pentagram at the southern wall of your space.

9.Inhale and see Michael expand from the center of the banishing pentagram to your right. As before, the archangel becomes enormous, shielding you from any potential danger or harm from the south. Michael wears fiery-red robes and holds a sword. Feel a blast of hot, dry air come from your right-hand side, as if you were suddenly immersed in the middle of an intense summer day. If you’ve ever been in the desert and felt the arid breeze on your skin, that’s what it feels like now. Maybe you start to feel the sweat roll down your forehead or back, and you smell that warm bareness that’s so particular to summer days. You hear the plaintive insects of the season, as well as the faint wind in the branches of nearby trees. Maybe you recall poolside memories and hear other children shouting and splashing in the water. Compared to the air, the water is shockingly cold by contrast, but it feels welcome, offering immediate relief from the heat. Imagine all of this and more. Bring the vivid energy of summer into your temple, and know that it comes from Michael; know that he is lending all of this elemental power to your magick.

10.As before, inhale slowly and vibrate your visualization of the archangel. Say, “On my right hand, Michael” (mee-kai-el), and see him glow brightly and more powerful.

11.Now you will call in Uriel. Direct your attention to the northern wall of your sacred space and see the banishing pentagram you created there.

12.As you breathe in, Uriel grows larger and larger, expanding from the pentagram on your left. With his increasing presence, know that he will protect and shield you against any harm from the north. Uriel holds a pentacle — a five-pointed star on a round disk — and wears earthy robes the color of forest green. His presence contrasts sharply to that of Michael, as Uriel brings in the sharp feel of an icy, winter night, the kind where you can see the stars glittering in the distance like cold diamonds. The air is dry and brisk, and it holds to your body like another layer of frigid skin. Feel everything you associate with winter: the muted sound of snow falling, the way light sparkles across ice, how it feels in your nostrils to inhale freezing air, that peculiar numbness in your fingers and toes, the happiness (or sadness) you experienced on Christmas morning as a child. Whatever your associations are, let them flood your temple. This is the experience of Uriel giving his blessing to your magick.

13.Now say, “On my left hand, Uriel” (yur-ee-el), and see him vibrate powerfully when you say his name.

14.All of the sensations you’ve brought in from all of the various elements and seasons now mingle and blend together, and they exponentially increase in power. Feel all of this energy intensify and glow as you stand in the middle of your temple, surrounded by the four archangels.

15.Here’s where I bring in two more angels: Metatron and Sandalphon. First, you’ll evoke Metatron — the angel said to stand closest to the source of all creation. As before, stay where you are — just direct your attention to the open space above your temple, above your head.

16.Metatron is dressed in blinding white robes — as if they were crafted from pure crystal. Some people visualize him standing; some see him sitting on a brilliant throne. Either way, Metatron is not depicted holding anything, because he is the embodiment of pure spiritual energy, which is beyond all systems of symbolism. However you see him, Metatron protects your temple from above, completely shielding and sheltering you from anything in that direction.

17.Inhale and watch as Metatron expands even more. Hold that breath, say his name (met-ah-tron), and see his image vibrate with power.

18.Just as Metatron stands closest to divinity, Sandalphon is nearest to the material plane of reality. To evoke her, direct your attention below — beneath your feet and into the earth itself.

19.Sandalphon wears pale brown robes. This color best represents the material plane in its entirety. Even so, Sandalphon shines brightly, holding a cornucopia — the horn of plenty. If you aren’t familiar with how this image is depicted, it typically looks like a horn-shaped wicker basket that’s overflowing with fruits and vegetables. This symbol represents our ability to manifest our desires, which include earthly prosperity. Sandalphon closes your temple from below and protects you from underneath so that no unwanted energies can enter your sacred space from that direction.

20.Breathe in and watch as Sandalphon (sahn-doll-phon) vibrates when you say her name.

21.Now you are encased by six angels, securing your temple from all directions. Remember, too, that they have lent their collective and augmented powers to your magick. Visualize the angels in all their combined glory for a few moments.

STAGE 4RETURNING TO THE PENTAGRAMS, GENERATING THE SIX-RAYED STAR, AND VISUALIZING THE PROTECTIVE SPHERE

1.Turn your attention back to the pentagrams, inhale, and see them burn with an even brighter blue flame. Also visualize the circle of white light that goes around the entirety of your temple.

2.Now say, “For around me flame the pentagrams.”

3.Inhale and see a hexagram in the center of your chest — a six-pointed star consisting of two interlocking triangles, one pointing upward and one pointing down. The triangle pointing up is made of red light and the one pointing down is blue. This symbol represents the complete balance of all of the various elements you’ve called into your temple. See this hexagram as clearly as possible, and focus on it for a few moments.

4.Inhale and watch as the six-pointed star glows brighter and brighter. Hold, exhale, and say, “Within me shines the six-rayed star.” When you exhale, air leaves your body, but all of the energy remains.

5.Turn your attention back to the circle of white light you created, the one that surrounds your sacred space through the four pentagrams. Keep your arms extended out to your sides and turn your palms so that they face upward.

6.Now inhale and lift your arms until your palms come together above your head (almost like you’re doing a kind of slow-motion jumping jack with your arms). As you do this, imagine that your arms are pulling the circle of white light up until it closes above your head like a dome.

7.Now envision that your entire temple is sealed by this white light from above. Inhale and see this brilliant dome grow even brighter.

8.Exhale and extend your arms back to your sides, as if reaching into the circle of light. As you inhale, bring your arms slowly down to touch together at the level of your waist. Doing so, envision that the circle of light begins to gradually move downward until it closes below you. Now you stand in the middle of your sacred space, which is enwrapped in a sphere of divine light.

9.Inhale and see this sphere of light glow as bright as you can possibly envision it. You are now truly between worlds in a temple of your own creation, and no negative energy can penetrate this sacred sphere.

10.Exhale. As before, the air goes out, but all of the energy stays in.

STAGE 5PRACTICING ADDITIONAL MAGICK AND CLOSING THE RITUAL

1.At this point, you have created a magickal temple right where you stand. You have blessed the space and cleared it of all negativity. Now it is fully ready for additional practices or any forms of magick you wish to enact.

2.After you are finished, conclude by performing the Qabalistic Cross once more.

3.Take your time, let the visualizations dissolve, clap your hands, and slowly return to a normal state of consciousness. Be sure to do this gently, and allow as much time as you need. This transition should not be rushed.

4.By practicing in this way — even after you conclude your magick and leave this sacred space — the divine energy you have called in will linger and bless you as you go about your day.

Going Forward

As you can probably tell, the LBRP takes quite a bit of preliminary work to accomplish, which is why you’ve worked your way up to this level of magick. The LBRP also takes a significant commitment of time and energy — all worthwhile things do. But don’t let that commitment stop you from performing the LBRP regularly, and don’t think that you have to engage the full practice in order to receive some of the tangible benefits. For example, you can call on the archangels at any point during your day for protection or guidance. Simply inhale and see one of them before you in all of their brilliance and glory. Let’s say that you’re getting ready to drive to work in the morning. Before you start up your car and begin your commute, just take a few breaths and visualize the archangel Michael standing there next to your car, and ask for his blessing. I use some version of the following:

You’re now on the path of shaping your own destiny.

Michael, archangel of the south, of fire, of courage, of bravery

I ask that you protect me and keep me safe on my trip to work.

Or maybe you’ve already made it to work safely. Sit down at your desk, take a few moments to compose yourself before the day begins, inhale, and visualize that Raphael is there next to you, glowing and expanding.

Raphael, archangel of the east, of the intellect

I ask that you bless me and favor me as I go forward

so that I can perform to the best of my ability this day.

This is how to turn magick into a thread that runs through your life, as opposed to something relegated to your bedroom in the morning or night when no one else is around. Magick can become an integral part of every aspect of your life — not just an occasional hobby or tertiary activity. The more you practice and the more attention and energy you direct toward magick, the more it will give back. Magick will become your teacher, your guide. It will speak to you, dance with you, protect you. But it will only do so if you show up, pay attention, and feed it. And if you want to see what magick has to show you, you must first open your eyes.

As a final note before we move forward, I just want to say that at this point — if you have been following along, working with the practices diligently, and paying attention to how magick has begun to play a growing role in your life — you can actually call yourself a magician. Let the thrill and excitement of that sink in. There’s a lot left to learn and explore, but you’re now on the path of shaping your own destiny, and you have the tools it takes to steer your life in whatever direction you desire.