Ceremonial Magic and
the Average Person
by Estelle Daniels
When they get into magic, many people come into contact with the magical system known as ceremonial magic. Perhaps it is cloaked in other guises, like Enochian, thelema, kabbalah, thaumaturgy, or geomancy, but it’s out there and quite widespread. Much of ceremonial magic is quite formula oriented. It demands a thorough knowledge of astrology, kabbalah, and other disciplines, and knowledge of Hebrew would be very useful also. This is more than the average person is willing to take on just to see if that system is right for them.
There are, however, a couple of rituals used in ceremonial magic that are easily done and very accessible to all. The lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram (LBPR for short) and the rose cross are fairly simple and work well with most any tradition or style. They can be used by themselves, together, or be adapted to work with other types of circles and magical techniques. In our classes we make the students learn and memorize these rituals so they are available to them at all times. The reason is that they are simple, effective, and when done correctly, they always produce results. No matter what state of mind you are in, no matter where you are, if you say the correct words and go through the motions, these rituals will produce a result. And if you put energy into them and add the proper visualizations, the results are more effective.
This is because since these rituals were developed they have been in continuous use by magicians. This has built up a cosmic energy bank on the astral, so that anyone who uses them can tap into that vast magical reservoir and benefit thereby. These rituals are also ones that cannot cause harm if done incorrectly. In other words, if you accidentally say the wrong word or visualize an incorrect color, you will not blow up, get an energy backlash, or be harmed. The worst that can happen is that nothing will happen. This is important because people can be apprehensive if they have heard some of the legends and folklore built up around ceremonial magic.
These two rituals are both magical circles. They create a sacred space that is cleansed and consecrated and can also provide a measure of insulation and protection to those within the circle. They are also automatic circles, and dissipate on their own. They do not need to be taken down. They are quite good for divination. Divination within a circle is more effective, for you are screening out all the everyday static and noise. You can concentrate better and can tap into the fountains of inspiration more easily.
Ceremonial magic is quite old, though it has been growing, changing, and evolving since ancient times. Most of the ceremonial magical rituals and spells are based upon kabbalah and hermeticism, with liberal doses of other occult disciplines thrown in. These can be argued to be the descendants of the ancient mystery schools—the ancient Greek and Egyptian rites as they were handed down through the ages—with doses of kabbalah and Christian mysticism thrown in. Ceremonial magic is a system, not a theology. The practitioner is calling on certain god-forms, but these are not exclusively Jewish, Christian, Greek, or Egyptian. They are an amalgam. Perhaps the godforms would best be described as archetypes rather than specific deities.
Most of what is published today about ceremonial magic descends from the Golden Dawn, a magical group formed in the late 1880s. During the years when the Golden Dawn was active and flourishing, most of the Western mystical tradition was reviewed, revised, corrected, codified, explained, and updated by members of the group, then written down and passed on to their successors.
The lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram, or LBRP, is a grounding, centering, and cleansing ritual. I use it a lot when traveling. Once I am in my hotel room for the night, I do an LBRP and this psychically seals the room from outside psychic influences. By morning, when I am ready to leave, it has dissipated and the room is back to “normal.”
The rose cross is another circle, but it is also useful for healing. There is a warning: do not use this ritual on anyone with an unstable heart or cardiovascular condition. The extra energy can cause problems. In any case, when doing this ritual, you can call down the energy, but let the person take as much or as little as they want. Do not force it on them.
No matter what one’s tradition or training, these two rituals are useful tools in a person’s magical repertoire.