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Lesson 3, about 10 minutes

The Lesser Banishing Ritual

Learn the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram in small pieces. Its practical form is a cross, a circuit of four directions, a central orientation, and a closing cross.

Why this practice?

In this course, “banishing” is introduced as a ritual boundary around a period of practice. The sequence marks a beginning and an end. There is no need to assume that ordinary discomfort means an external presence or that a missed gesture puts you in danger.

The tradition

A beginner’s walkthrough of the Earth-banishing form in the Golden Dawn–derived ritual published in Liber O IV. Follow your teacher’s version if you already have one. The diagram shows the pentagram as it faces you. An empty hand is sufficient for this adaptation; no blade, flame, incense, breath retention, or strenuous vocalization is needed.

Sources

Liber O IV · Equinox I.2 (1909), printed p. 19 ↗

Earth-banishing diagram · Liber O, printed p. 22 ↗

The order and named correspondences come from the cited edition. The exercises, explanations and reflection questions are our own.

The words, directions and drawings explained

Begin at the filled point, lower left. First stroke upward. Drawn as the figure faces you.
Compare the original Earth-banishing diagram ↗

Step 1 of 6

Begin at the center

Perform the Qabalistic Cross. Face east, leaving enough space for a comfortable turn.

Why this step? The cross supplies the opening structure you learned in the previous lesson.

All steps on one page

  1. Begin at the center

    Perform the Qabalistic Cross. Face east, leaving enough space for a comfortable turn.

    The cross supplies the opening structure you learned in the previous lesson.

  2. Trace the Earth-banishing pentagram

    Start at the lower-left point. Move to the top, lower right, upper left, upper right, and back to lower left.

    Rehearse the outline slowly. The diagram is a drawing guide, not a requirement for geometric perfection.

  3. Make the circuit

    East: IHVH. South: Adonai. West: Eheieh. North: AGLA. Trace the same pentagram in each direction; connect the centers as you turn clockwise, returning east.

    The four names and their order are printed in Liber O IV. Connecting the centres and returning east are movement cues added in this walkthrough. Speak at a comfortable volume; the source’s strenuous vibration technique is not part of this introduction.

  4. Orient in the center

    Extend the arms comfortably. Raphael before you; Gabriel behind; Michael on the right; Auriel on the left.

    The positions are relative to facing east. This is ritual imagery, not a test of whether you perceive beings.

  5. Complete the form

    Recall the surrounding pentagrams and the six-rayed star in the column. Repeat the Qabalistic Cross. Lower the arms and look around the room.

    This closes the sequence. Consult the linked source for the complete historical spoken formula and diagrams.

  6. Write, then continue your day

    Record what was easy to remember and what you want to rehearse next time. Resume an ordinary activity.

    Learning a ritual is a practice of familiarity. You can stop at any point; intensity is not the measure of success.