10 minutes · Go at your own pace
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.
Know 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.
Crowley, Liber O, sections I, II and IV (1909) ↗Guided mode · Step 1 of 6
Begin at the center
Perform the Qabalistic Cross. Face east, leaving enough space for a comfortable turn.
Why: The cross supplies the opening structure you learned in the previous lesson.
Read every step together
- 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. - 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. - 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 organize the circuit. Speak at a comfortable volume. Transliterations vary; AGLA is an acronym traditionally used as a sacred name. - 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. - 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. - 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.
Move comfortably, breathe normally, and stop whenever you wish. This introductory walkthrough omits the strenuous vocal and breath techniques elsewhere in the historical text. A neutral experience is a valid experience.