High Magick: A Guide to the Spiritual Practices That Saved My Life on Death Row - Damien Echols 2018
The Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram
Additional Practices
As I described in part III, you can use the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram to cleanse your immediate surroundings of unwanted energies that might stand in the way of the magick you wish to perform. In a sense, the LBRP expels all energy from your sacred space. By contrast, the ritual I’m about to describe — the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram — is specifically meant to pull more energy into an area. The energy you draw in through this ritual can be used to power your magick and amplify it. However, before performing the Lesser Invoking Ritual and bringing in all of that chi, it’s still a good idea to complete a full LBRP beforehand in order to cleanse and consecrate your temple.
Because you already have a thorough outline of the LBRP, I won’t go into much detail here, because the Lesser Invoking Ritual is done in exactly the same way, with one exception: you trace your pentagrams in a different pattern (as shown in the following illustration). Invoking pentagrams are traced from top to bottom — that is, beginning at the upper point, moving down to the bottom left, and continuing over to the upper right, and so on — in the opposite direction of the banishing pentagrams you’ve already worked with.
By creating the pentagrams from top to bottom, you generate the symbols in the same way the divine mind did when it gave birth to all of existence. The upper point of the pentagram represents the higher realm of the Divine — what some call spirit — and the bottom left-hand corner represents the earth — the realm where all material things manifest and exist. Drawing your pentagrams from the top down, you remind your subconscious mind that all of creation originated on the higher vibrational planes before they descended and took recognizable form on Earth. So you’re mimicking the creator of the universe, in a way. You begin by putting energy into the astral aspect of the image; it takes form, strengthens, and then it manifests on the physical plane.
When we do the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, we remove all unwanted energies from an area and purify it for the next stage of our process. That next stage is invoking the energies we want to work with into an area. We do that exactly the way we did the LBRP, but with one small yet important difference: the direction from which we begin drawing the pentagram.
How to Draw an Invoking Pentagram
The topmost point of the pentagram represents divinity, and the other four points of the star represent the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. The point at which we begin drawing the banishing pentagram is the point that represents the element of earth. From the point representing earth, we draw upward, to the point representing divinity. This symbolizes pushing energy away from us on the earth plane, sending it back up to the source of creation to be purified.
When we draw the invoking pentagram, we do the opposite: we begin drawing from the point representing the divine source of creation and descend down to the point representing the earth. This symbolizes the fact that we are pulling down energy from that divine source to the earth plane where it can manifest.
We can choose to either draw in the energy of all four elements — if we want a subtle, balanced manifestation — or we can focus on one single element and usually produce a more dramatic manifestation.
For example, to invoke the element of fire, for protection, we’d trace the invoking pentagrams in all four corners, with the connecting white line, but we’d charge all four pentagrams with the mantra Adonai because it’s the one associated with the element of fire.
We could do the same ritual for prosperity, only using the divine name AGLA to invoke the element of earth in all four corners of our area. Our aura absorbs the energy we invoke, and we become magnetized to draw more of that same energy toward us.
You can also add another technique to your Lesser Invoking Ritual, although you should feel free to include it with any exercise you do. It’s called Circumambulating the Temple, which is just a fancy way of saying “walking around a sacred object in a circle.” (In this case, the sacred object is the magickal space you’ve created.) Energy moves through a given area according to the patterns that exist there on the material plane. When you increase the physical activity in a given space, the energetic activity also intensifies, so by moving around in the temple you’ve created, you generate a type of vortex of energy that you can direct into your magick. Once you’ve gotten the hang of the basic exercises in this book, you’ll have a better feel for energy in a particular space — detecting its presence, feeling its fluctuations, and noticing its qualities. Once you’re able to do that, the following directions will seem fairly straightforward.
PRACTICE ” CIRCUMAMBULATING THE TEMPLE
1.Walk around the sacred space in which you’ve performed the Lesser Invoking Ritual, remaining inside the area contained by the line that circles through the pentagrams. If at all possible, don’t cross outside this line. Walk in a clockwise direction, mimicking how the sun moves across the sky. (The sun symbolizes Christ consciousness and is the primary source of energy in our solar system.)
2.Every time you pass by the eastern side of your circle, pause there for a moment.
3.Breathe in and envision that you are inhaling energy in the form of light. This light passes through your body, down your legs, out of your feet, and into the earth. This energy fills the planet entirely. Hold that image — as well as your breath — for a moment.
4.Exhale and step forward with your right foot. Place both arms out in front of you at eye level, either with both hands in the sword mudra or simply with your palms facing outward. Try both, and use whichever gesture feels strongest to you.
5.With your arms out like this, visualize that all of the energy you placed in the earth now comes rushing back up through you and out of your hands. It fills your circle and swirls around, creating something that looks like an upside-down tornado made of pure light.
6.Continue walking, and repeat this process as many times as you’d like. Sometimes I circumambulate several hundred times — and sometimes just a few — by just walking around the circle while inhaling, exhaling, and propelling more and more energy around my temple. There are no specific guidelines as to how many times you should circumambulate, so just do it until your attention begins to wander.
7.To conclude, inhale and see everything that you’ve created and brought into your temple: the pentagrams, the circle of light, the angels, the vortex of energy swirling around — everything. See it all glowing brightly in your mind’s eye.
8.Now you’ll focus all of this magick into a single item or person — maybe it’s a glass of water you’ll drink or a crystal, talisman, or amulet; maybe it’s a person who needs healing or some other form of help. Whatever (or whoever) it is, exhale and see everything in and around your temple collapse into it.
9.Clap your hands to remind your psyche to return to a normal state of consciousness.
Performing this ritual signifies a big step in your journey as a magician. Creating a sacred space, clearing it of negative or distracting chi, charging it with divine energy, and directing that energy for a particular purpose means that you’ve enacted a complete sequence of magick, and that’s something that should be celebrated.
There’s an old tradition in Hermetic Esotericism called Cakes and Ale. It was something like a celebration or party after someone performed magick, especially if they did so in a group setting. After the conclusion of the ceremony or ritual, magicians would gather in fellowship with people who were performing similar practices or with supporters and other people who were close to them — loved ones, family members, friends, and so on. Together, they would all feast and enjoy each other’s company, acknowledging the joys of being able to exist on the physical plane as well as acknowledging the Divine in each person who was present. Hence, “Cakes and Ale” — something delicious to eat, something nice to drink.
Try it out yourself. After one of these practices, purposefully gather with people you love and acknowledge how pleasant it is to be together. Just being able to taste sweet or savory things is a delight in and of itself. Cakes and Ale can also be as simple as sitting around a table with other magicians, having a beer, and sharing your experiences. And even if you can’t share this tradition with others, you can still have Cakes and Ale with yourself. Just keep a treat on hand to enjoy once your ritual or technique is over — something notable that reminds you how nice it is to be alive. Among other things, bringing in the energy of food in this way will help you land back in your body after performing magick; it will also help you go forward in a grounded way.