DRILPA VANSAX

How did this start?

I learned, historically speaking, that Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is sort of an afterthought by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. In a nutshell, the Ritaul of the Pentagram (as found here) and the Rituals of the Hexagram were part of the inner order. One would have to be initiated into the Neophyte grade, advance through elemental grades, and finally be admitted into the inner order—at which point they would finally begin to learn magic and rituals.

The trouble with this is that: this is a lot of time to not do magic while simultaneously engaging with thought-forms of all kinds.

So Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram was taught as a, "Here, it's dangerous to go alone—take this!" ritual to clear the magical space. While the Ritual of the Pentagram takes place at the intersection of Samekh and Peh, the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram takes place in Malkuth, and is intended to "clear the space" of troublesome thought-forms your mind may have locked onto. It's a valuable ritual, but originally was not used the way it is used now.

The Ritual of the Pentagram in its original form was the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram, as revealed by Regardie, which is what you'll find here. Also, in the interest of documenting my experimentation, I've written out my draft of an Enochian version.

Do note there are decided similarities to Scott Michael Stenwick's AOIVEAE—this is because my LRP variation, VANSAX, stems partly from AOIVEAE. In turn, DRILPA VANSAX (Great Circle of Stars) is based on VANSAX, which is the reverse of how the Pentagram rituals evolved historically.

Oh well. Anyway.

Disclaimer

While I provide a more in-depth disclaimer here, I'll say it again here: it's entirely probable that you know more about this material than I do—especially when it pertains to Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn material, and even more especially when that material is viewed in the light of the New Aeon as per Aleister Crowley and A∴A∴ or Ordo Templi Orientis. Therefore, if you disagree with this approach, find flaw in it, if it doesn't resonate with you, or for any other reason you're not about it, that's fine—think of it less as a prescription of "Good Practice" and more as an exploration of how things could be otherwise.

The Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram

Note: translations of the Enochian passages from Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram occur in my Enochian version at the end of this document.

Qabalistic Cross

1. Start by facing to the east.
2. At the start (optional): "One powerful visualization that can be done while performing the Kabbalistic Cross is to see oneself as growing 3. larger in stature. One should imagine one's self expanding during the ritual to tremendous proportions at the limits of one's imagination. This exercise at expansion of consciousness seems to have archetypal resonance, and its simplicity belies its effectiveness." ¹
3. Visualize a sphere of brilliant light above your head. It stands for your highest nature or self. Raise your right hand above your head to touch the light, and bring it down slowly. Do not rush. Let it fill you completely as you say and do the following (again: with your right hand):
4. Touch your forehead and vibrate the word "Atah." ²
5. Touch the center of your chest and vibrate the word "Malkuth."
6. Touch your right shoulder and vibrate the phrase "Ve Geburah."
7. Touch your left shoulder and vibrate the phrase "Ve Gedulah."
8. Clasp your hands together and hold them up to your chest,³ slightly bowing the head while vibrating the phrase "Le Olahm."
9. Vibrate the phase "Amen."

The Pentagrams

1. Continue to face to the east.

Air section:

2. Using your chosen tool or hand, draw the appropriate active spirit pentagram (either invoking or banishing). As you draw the pentagram, intone: "EXARP."⁴
3. Using your chosen tool or hand, draw a spirit wheel in the middle of the pentagram. As you draw the spirit wheel, intone: "Eheieh."
4. Perform the gesture of either Rending the Veil or Closing the Veil. ⁵
5. Using your chosen tool or hand, draw the appropriate air pentagram (either invoking or banishing). As you draw the pentagram, intone: "ORO IBAH AOZPI".
6. Using your chosen tool or hand, draw the sign of Aquarius in the middle of the pentagram, intoning, "Yod Heh Vau Heh," as you do.
7. Give the Sign of Air.

Fire section:

8. Draw a line to connect the East and South, turning to face South.
9. Draw the appropriate active spirit pentagram (either invoking or banishing). As you draw the pentagram, intone: "BITOM."
10. Draw a spirit wheel in the middle of the pentagram. As you draw the spirit wheel, intone: "Eheieh."
11. Perform the gesture of either Rending the Veil or Closing the Veil.
12. Draw the appropriate fire pentagram (either invoking or banishing). As you draw the pentagram, intone: "OIP TEAA PDOCE."
13. Draw the zodiac sign for Leo inside the pentagram. As you draw it, intone: "Elohim."
14. Give the Sign of Fire.

Water section:

15. Draw a line to connect the South and West, turning to face West.
16. Draw the appropriate passive spirit pentagram. Intone: "HCOMA."
17. Draw the spirit wheel. Intone: "AGLA."
18. Perform Rending/Closing the Veil.
19. Draw the appropriate water pentagram. Intone: "MPH ARSL GAIOL."
20. Draw the an eagle's head to represent the zodiac sign of Scorpio. Intone: "El."
21. Give the Sign of Water.

Earth section:

22. Draw a line to connect West and North, turning to face North.
23. Draw the appropriate passive spirit pentagram. Intone: "NANTA."
24. Draw the spirit wheel. Intone: "AGLA."
25. Perform Rending/Closing the Veil.
26. Draw the appropriate earth pentagram. Intone: "MOR DIAL HCTGA."
27. Draw the zodiac sign for Taurus. Intone: "Adonai."
28. Give the Sign of Set Fighting.
29. Draw a line to connect North and East, turning to face East.

Summoning the Archangels

30. Stand with your arms outstretched in the form of a cross. Remember and visualize the energy that’s in you from having performed the Kabbalistic Cross.

31. Say, but vibrate the name: "Before me, Raphael." Visualize the named archangel standing before you. They wear bright yellow (and mauve) robes. They appear light and airy, and a warm, moist breeze is felt. ^{6 7 8}

32. Say, but vibrate the name: "Behind me, Gabriel." Visualize the archangel in blue (and orange) robes standing behind you. They are standing in a stream coming from a waterfall. Picture him holding a grail. Try to feel a cool, moist breeze.

33. Say, but vibrate the name: "To my right, Michael." Visualize the archangel in red (with flecks of emerald) robes standing to your right. Picture him holding a steel sword pointed upright. Try to feel and intense, dry heat.

34. Say, but vibrate the name: "To my left, Uriel." Visualize the archangel in robes that have a mixture of citrine, russet, olive green, and black coloring. He stands on fertile ground, grass and wheat growing about his feet; sheaves of corn are held in both his outstretched hands; a cold dry breeze is felt. ^{9 10}

35. Say: "About me flame the pentagrams, Behind me shines the six-rayed star." ^{11 12}

Here, you can either perform the Qabalistic Cross again or continue with the following spoken-English outro that functions as a translation of the Qabalistic Cross. The flow of it seems strong to me, so I go with it.

36. Clasp your hands together: "And above me is the Light in whose hands is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, Forever and ever. Amen." At Light, reach above you; at Kingdom, reach below you; at Power, touch your right shoulder; at Glory, touch your left shoulder. Enter into the position of Horus Risen at the end, slightly bowing your head.

Common Questions

What is the purpose of this ritual compared to the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram?

There is information written at the Thelemistas website (opens in a new tab), but not a lot.

The invoking version, using all of the elements, builds up a lot of energy. The banishing version, using all of the elements, creates a vacuum, and can be thought of as a true banishing ritual. The ritual may be performed solely using fire pentagrams for each quarter to either bring in or banish fiery energy—and likewise with the other three elements. If you were to do it this way, you would use the active spirit pentagram for each quarter as well, continuing to intone BITOM—but you would charge each fire pentagram with each quarter's secret name of God. You would also use the god name "Elohim" for each quarter when drawing the zodiac sign for Leo—at least so is my suspicion.

I don't actually really care much for how the original version is structured.

What don't you like about this ritual?

Ever since seeing it, I believed that the spirit wheels in the spirit pentagrams should carry the Angelical secret names of God, and the elemental pentagrams should carry the Angelical names for the elements. I understand that the reason for the swap comes from tying the the spirit pentagram to a given tablet via the element, but I still don't like it. Therefore, my Enochian version, as seen below, adopts my preference.

VANSAX

I'm assuming a degree of familiarity with the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram. Similar to how a cover song really requires the original to fully appreciate the artistry, I think the same goes for this. So if you're not familiar with the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram, read above and come back to this after.

Anyway.

Qabalistic Cross, but different

The gestures remain the same, but the words are changed.

1. IAIDA (the highest)
2. A Q LO A DOHI (in thy kingdom)
3. BAL TO HA (for my own righteousness)
4. BUSD (in the glory)
5. ENAY SOBA IAOD IPAM OD UL IPAMIS (the Lord whose beginning is not and not end cannot be)
6. MICMA (behold!)

The Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram, but different

For the spirit pentagrams, I use two Enochian epithets for God. For the spirit wheels inside the spirit pentagrams, I use the four secret names of God derived from the tabula recensa. For the elemental pentagrams, I use the Enochian elemental names derived from the tabula recensa. For the zodiacal symbols, I use the Enochian Zodiacal King names for each corresponding zodiac.

Air section:

7. Active Spirit Pentagram: GAHOACHMA (I am that I am)
8. Spirit Wheel in the East: ORO IBAH AOZPI (He who cries aloud in the place of desolation)
9. Rendering/Closing the Veil
10. Invoking/Banishing Air Pentagram: EXARP ((the element of) Air)
11. Aquarius Zodiac Sign: ZINGGEN (Zodiacal King of Aquarius)
12. Sign of Air

Fire section:

13. Active Spirit Pentagram: GAHOACHMA (I am that I am)
14. Spirit Wheel in the South: MPH ARSL GAIOL (He who is the first true creator; the horned one) [^23]
15. Rendering/Closing the Veil
16. Invoking/Banishing Fire Pentagram: BITOM ((the element of) Fire)
17. Leo Zodiac Sign: GEBABAL (Zodiacal King of Leo)
18. Sign of Fire

Water section:

19. Passive Spirit Pentagram: IADOIASMOMAR (Him that was, is, and shall be crowned)
20. Spirit Wheel in the West: OIP TEAA PDOCE (He whose name is unchanged from what it was)
21. Rendering/Closing the Veil
22. Invoking/Banishing Water Pentagram: HCOMA ((the element of) Water)
23. Scorpio Zodiac Sign: CADAAMP (Zodiacal King of Scorpio)
24. Sign of Water

Earth section:

25. Passive Spirit Pentagram: IADOIASMOMAR (Him that was, is, and shall be crowned)
26. Spirit Wheel in the North: MOR DIAL HCTGA (He who burns up iniquity without equal)
27. Rendering/Closing the Veil
28. Invoking/Banishing Earth Pentagram: NANTA ((the element of) Water)
29. Taurus Zodiac Sign: ZIRACAH (Zodiacal King of Taurus)
30. Sign of Set Fighting

For the above and below part in the version I do, I'm still experimenting. Here are a few options with the ones I'm currently favoring at the beginning (and no real order afterwards).

31. TOFGLO PIRIPSOL (all things of the heavens) or IADS PIRIPSOL (gods of the heavens) or IAD PIRIPSOL (the Lord of the heavens)
32. VEROX CAOSG NOTHOA (the Holy Spirit, the Earth, in the midst [of]) ~ TOLTORG (the creatures of the Earth)

For the part where you hold your arms out like a cross and call to the archangels, I do the following. Also, I favored cardinal direction correspondence over elemental correspondence because that seems less... arbitrary—elemental correspondences have a propensity to shift a lot in the context of western occultism when it comes to cardinal direction.

33. Cry: SOLPETH BI-EN (hearken unto my voice)
34. RAAS I BATAIVAH ZACARE CA, UNIGLAG OD ZAMRAN (in the East is He whose voice seems to have wings, move, descend and appear)
35. SOBOLN I RAAGIOSL ZACARE CA, UNIGLAG OD ZAMRAN (in the West is He whose hands are toward the East, move, descend and appear)
36. BABAGE I ICZHHAL ZACARE CA, UNIGLAG OD ZAMRAN (in the South is He who solidifies the past, move, descend and appear)
37. LUCAL I EDLPRNAA ZACARE CA, UNIGLAG OD ZAMRAN (in the North is He who is first to recieve the flames, move, descend and appear)

optional: make a full spin counterclockwise while intoning the following; otherwise just intoning.

38. MICMA: OL BIAB NOT VANSAX (behold: I stand inside the circle of stars)
39. OD ZIRDO NAZ LUCIFTIAN PERIPSOL NOTHOA (and I am, the pillar of the brightness of heavens, in the midst [of])

Closing Remarks

Anyway, hopefully this was educational. Or something. Anyway, behold! Many footnotes!