Grimoire of Aleister Crowley: Group Magick Rituals
309
Grimoire of Aleister Crowley: Group Magick Rituals
309eBook
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Overview
Group ritual has been a cornerstone of spiritual practice since time immemorial, yet its history and importance have often been overlooked by occultists of the modern age. This book is an essential resource on the topic, featuring rituals written by Aleister Crowley for his own magic circles—many of them unpublished during his lifetime, plus rare ancient texts that were Crowley’s own inspiration.
The rituals are newly edited and explained by practicing magician Rodney Orpheus, drawing on his wealth of experience performing and teaching them within Crowley’s magical order, Ordo Templi Orientis. Orpheus introduces each ritual, explaining its historical context and its function and mode of operation. He also includes detailed notes on each ritual’s proper setting and performance.
Whether absolute beginner or seasoned expert, magicians of all paths will find this volume to be an eminently workable and extremely powerful grimoire spanning centuries from ancient Mithraic and Bacchanalian rites, Goetia, and Gnosticism, right up to present day Crowleyan invocations and sexual magick.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781633411432 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Red Wheel/Weiser |
| Publication date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 309 |
| File size: | 5 MB |
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Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
The Ritual of the Mark of the Beast
Aleister Crowley wrote a great number of magical rituals during his long and prolific career, but arguably his finest ritual is Liber V vel Reguli, which was originally published in Crowley's masterpiece Magick in Theory and Practice in 1929. This rite, also known as the Mark of the Beast ritual, is a version of one of the most fundamental rituals in the Hermetic magical tradition, the Pentagram Ritual.
Pentagram rituals belong to a class of ritual generally known as "Banishing" rituals, although that's rather a misleading term, since they don't really just "banish" things. They are designed to set up a neutral ritual space that a magician can work in, and to invoke energy into the magician in order to power the Will. A pentagram ritual is an entirely self-contained magical operation, and the regular practice of doing one of these pentagram rituals is highly recommended to beginning magicians.
Pentagram rituals were first popularised in the late 19 century by the Golden Dawn magical order, where Aleister Crowley received much of his early training. The Golden Dawn and its followers make much of the theory that all magical work should be opened and closed by a pentagram ritual being performed. This is far from being the universal law that some people might claim, and although it can certainly be beneficial in some cases, is rarely necessary. It also tends to reduce the pentagram ritual from the position of being a perfectly fine invocation in itself to being something that's little more than a prelude to other magical work, which is a terrible shame.
Aleister Crowley was a huge fan of the pentagram ritual, and taught the Golden Dawn version of it to all of his early students. However as time went on Crowley rightly saw that the G.D.'s pentagram ritual, despite its popularity, had some serious technical faults, and for many years attempted to amend and improve it. His first attempt was a ritual called the Star Ruby, published in the Book of Lies around 1912, and later even more amended.
Even that didn't seem to be enough for Crowley though, and in the 1920's he began work on the Mark of the Beast ritual, an even more radical revision of the Pentagram ritual. The O.T.O. Archives contain an early typescript of the ritual made by Crowley in about 1926, complete with several notes by him and one of his young students at the time, Gerald Yorke. The version presented in the typescript is obviously a work in progress, and contains sections later excised or radically changed in the final published version. In particular, in contrast to the final solo version of Liber Reguli, this early draft was intended to be a ritual for group working.
We know that Crowley had been using some kind of Pentagram ritual as part of O.T.O. group workings in 1921, when he wrote to the head of the American O.T.O., Charles Stansfeld Jones:
"We are having great success every night with rituals, the order being Pentagram, Creed, Collects, then anything special as occasion dictates, Benediction and O.T.O. applause. The effect has been magnificent."
Crowley to Jones, January 25, 1921
The Creed, Collects, and Benediction were taken from the text of Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass, which was designed from the outset as a group rite, however Pentagram rituals up until this point were primarily designed for solo practitioners. I think it quite likely then that the Mark of the Beast ritual may have been designed by Crowley around this period as an attempt to remedy this and create a more group-oriented Pentagram ritual.
The group sections in Crowley's early recension of the Mark of the Beast ritual are fairly minimal, being confined to a chorus adding Thelemic affirmations to the beginning/ending section of the rite (the "Qabalistic Cross" sections). The bulk of the rite is basically a fairly standard pentagram ritual performed by one person. As such it's not really an ideal group working, which is probably why Crowley dropped the group parts when he published it in 1929. However I do think that with the group sections added back in, it could be very useful as a ritual to open or close a general Lodge meeting, and a good way to get people involved in the performance of this excellent rite.
If your group is holding regular meetings or classes that don't have a major ritual component, one good exercise might be to have one member of the group (called the Magician in the ritual) perform this at the start or end of the evening, rotating this principal role at every meeting so that each member of the group gets to do the "starring role" at least once. Be careful not to fall into the trap of having the same person or couple of people do the principal role each time. If someone says "You know it better than me, so you should do it every time" then that's a message that they need to be taught how to do it better! The last thing any group needs is a couple of experienced people doing everything and not leaving room for new members to learn and flourish. So do please resist that temptation at all costs. Remember that one of the foundation stones of Thelema is that "every man and every woman is a star", so make sure everyone has a chance to shine.
The original typescript of the Mark of the Beast ritual has several points with question marks after them, and in a couple of places has several variations of the symbols marked out; clearly showing that Crowley didn't consider it complete, and was still trying to work out how it should all fit together. I spent some considerable time trying to reconstruct a working version of the rite from the original Crowley typescript notes, but eventually realised that if Crowley couldn't do it then I probably couldn't either.
In the end I decided to just use the published version from Magick in Theory and Practice, since clearly that was what Crowley considered the final revision; but with the addition of the original group parts from the early version. As soon as I added those back in and made a couple of minor tweaks, suddenly the ritual began to make sense as a viable group rite.
This synthetic version also has the advantage that if you already know the standard solo version of the Mark of the Beast ritual, it's quite easy to perform the role of the Magician in a group setting without having to shift gears radically; and conversely, being part of a group performance of it helps you learn it as a ritual for your own solo workings.
Note that in this ritual the pentagrams are drawn "averse", or upside-down to what is general usage in most Pentagram rituals. Contrary to popular belief, this does not imply that they are "evil" or "negative" in any way - really there's no such thing as the "correct" way to draw a pentagram, it's purely a convention. The pentagram is a star, and stars in the sky have no up or down, right way or averse way, they just are. I suspect that Crowley drew them this way because conventionally the single point upright pentagram symbolically refers to the divine spirit conquering matter, whereas the two points upward version refers to the divine descending into matter. Since the Mark of the Beast ritual is essentially about bringing divine energy down to the earth (as is invocation generally), then using the pentagrams in this form makes logical sense.
An interesting feature of this ritual is that it uses the so-called Invoking Pentagrams, rather than the Banishing Pentagrams used in most other Pentagram rituals. Frankly I don't consider it particularly important either way since all Pentagram rituals are essentially invocations of divine energy regardless of which pentagram you use or what way up you draw it. For more information on the pentagrams used in the Golden Dawn tradition see Appendix I of this book.
The Ritual of the Mark of the Beast: Group Version
Participants: Minimum 2. The rite works well with a small group.
Time required: 15 minutes. Setup: Minimal.
Words: Relatively simple.
Equipment: • Wand • Robe
The FIRST GESTURE
The Oath of the Enchantment, which is called The Elevenfold Seal.
The Animadversion towards the Aeon.
1. Let the Magician, robed and armed as he may deem to be fit, turn his face towards Boleskine, that is the House of The Beast 666.
{Note 1: Boleskine House is on Loch Ness, 17 miles from Inverness, Latitude 57.14 N. Longitude 4.28 W.}
[The people should normally stand outside the circle, facing the Magician, unless you have a really big temple or are working outdoors, in which case you may have room for the people to stand inside the circle. In practice the Magician needs plenty of room to move around freely during the rite, so having the people within the circle rarely works well.
Thelemic rituals are normally oriented towards Boleskine, the house where Aleister Crowley lived when he received the Book of the Law; in a similar way to how Moslem rituals are oriented towards Mecca - it provides a common point of focus for everyone.]
2. Let all strike the battery 1-3-3-3-1.
[The best way to do this in a group setting is to have the Magician and all members of the group clap together, in a battery of one clap, three claps, three claps, three claps, one clap. Crowley's original notes have just the Magician doing the battery, but in practice I've found that having everyone do it together is greatly preferable.]
3. Let the Magician put the Thumb of his right hand between its index and medius, and make the gestures hereafter following.
The Vertical Component of the Enchantment.
1. Let him describe a circle about his head, crying NUIT!
[Note that generally when Crowley writes a word or phrase In all capital letters he means it to be intoned in a sonorous manner, rather than just spoken normally.]
2. Let him draw the Thumb vertically downward and touch the Muladhara Cakkra, crying, HADIT!
3. Let him, retracing the line, touch the centre of his breast and cry RA-HOOR-KHUIT!
All: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
The Horizontal Components of the Enchantment.
1. Let him touch the Centre of his Forehead, his mouth, and his larynx, crying AIWAZ!
2. Let him draw his thumb from right to left across his face at the level of the nostrils.
3. Let him touch the centre of his breast, and his solar plexus, crying, THERION!
4. Let him draw his thumb from left to right across his breast, at the level of the sternum.
5. Let him touch the Svadistthana, and the Muladhara Cakkra, crying, BABALON!
6. Let him draw his thumb from right to left across his abdomen, at the level of the hips.
All: Love is the law, love under will.
[A holograph note by Crowley states:
• Nuit and Hadit are Brain and Seed (Brahmarandra and Muladhara)
• Aiwaz is Silence and Speech (Ajna and Visuddhi)
• Ra Hoor Khuit is Force and Fire (Anahata)
?• Therion is Manipura - or also Anahata?
• Babalon is Svadistthana, the Womb
Here Crowley relates the primary Thelemic gods to the chakras, or energy centres in the body, according to the Indian yogic system. In Liber ABA, Book 4 Part 2, Crowley describes them as being lotuses:
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
There is the lotus of three petals in the Sacrum, in which the Kundalini lies asleep. This lotus is the receptacle of reproductive force. There is also the six-petalled lotus opposite the navel — which receives the forces which nourish the body. There is also a lotus in the Solar plexus which receives the nervous forces. The six-petalled lotus in the heart corresponds to Tiphereth, and receives those vital forces which are connected with the blood. The sixteen-petalled lotus opposite the larynx receives the nourishment needed by the breath. The two-petalled lotus of the pineal gland receives the nourishment needed by thought, while above the junction of the cranial sutures is that sublime lotus, of a thousand and one petals, which receives the influence from on high; and in which, in the Adept, the awakened Kundalini takes her pleasure with the Lord of All.
These chakras also relate to the fundamental Man of Earth Degrees in Ordo Templi Orientis.
Crowley's notes to Liber Reguli go on to say:
... The Cross should include Hod and Netzach, Chokmah, and Binah
The "Qabalistic Cross" must be that of the Grand Hierophant, but crowned by Nuit.
Here Crowley references how this also relates to the Hebrew Qabalah. We can clearly see his lifelong obsession with the creation of what might be called a "Grand Unified System" of magick, containing a synthesis of all the best bits from many different traditions. If you are a complete beginner and these references to Egyptology, Yoga, and Qabalah are over your head, you might wish to consult my previous book Abrahadabra, which provides a comprehensive introduction to these concepts.]
The Asseveration of the Spells.
[Asseveration is the act of asserting something firmly and positively.]
1. Let the Magician clasp his hands upon his Wand, his fingers and thumbs interlaced, crying LAShTAL! THELEMA! FIAOF! AGAPE! AUMGN! (Thus shall be declared the Words of Power whereby the Energies of the Aeon of Horus work his will in the World.)
[These words are pronounced: Lash-tal, Thel-e-ma, Ee-A-O, Ag-a- pay, A-oom. Note that the Fs in FIAOF and the GN in AUMGN are silent.]
All: The Word of the Law is Thelema!
The Proclamation of the Accomplishment.
1. Let all strike the Battery: 3-5-3, crying ABRAHADABRA.
[Have all members of the group clap together here, in a battery of three claps, five claps, three claps, then cry ABRAHADABRA together.]
The SECOND GESTURE
The Enchantment.
1. Let the Magician, still facing Boleskine, advance to the circumference of his circle.
2. Let him turn himself towards the left, and pace with the stealth and swiftness of a tiger the precincts of his circle, until he complete one revolution thereof.
3. Let him give the Sign of Horus (or The Enterer) as he passeth, so to project the force that radiateth from Boleskine before him.
[This sign is made by leaning forward, advancing the left foot and throwing the arms out horizontally before you, as if to fire energy out of them.]
4. Let him pace his path until he comes to the North; there let him halt, and turn his face to the North.
[That is you go round one and a quarter times]
5. Let him trace with his wand the Averse Pentagram proper to invoke Air (Aquarius).
[An averse pentagram is one with the single point down, two points up. The Averse Air pentagram is drawn by starting at the lower left point and going horizontally across to the right, then up left, down middle, up right, down left. i.e. go widdershins (anti-clockwise).]
6. Let him bring the wand to the centre of the Pentagram and call upon NUIT!
[All of the people should assist the Magician by visualising the particular God or Goddess called in each quarter. If in doubt use the imagery shown in the Trump cards of a Crowley Tarot pack. For Nuit, see Atu XVII, The Star; Atu XX, The Aeon; or Atu XXI, The Universe.]
7. Let all make the sign called Puella, standing with the feet together, head bowed, the left hand shielding the Muladhara Cakkra, and the right hand shielding the breast (attitude of the Venus de Medici).
[Puella, Puer, Mulier, Vir, Mater Triumphans are Latin for Girl, Boy, Woman, Man, Triumphant Mother. These signs are attributed to the five elements, and to the various stages that their energy manifests through.]
8. Let the Magician turn again to the left, and pursue his Path as before, projecting the force from Boleskine as he passeth; let him halt when he next cometh to the South and face outward.
[i.e. go round one and a half circles. See Crowley manuscript note below which explains why.]
9. Let him trace the Averse Pentagram that invoketh Fire (Leo).
[Start bottom middle and go deosil (clockwise) i.e. go up left and then round until you've completed the entire pentagram.]
10. Let him point his wand to the centre of the Pentagram, and cry, HADIT!
[See Atu XX, The Aeon - Hadit is the winged disk.]
11. Let all give the sign Puer, standing with feet together, and head erect. Let the right hand (the thumb extended at right angles to the fingers) be raised, the forearm vertical at a right angle with the upper arm, which is horizontally extended in the line joining the shoulders. Let the left hand, the thumb extended forwards and the fingers clenched, rest at the junction of the thighs (Attitude of the gods Mentu, Khem, etc.).
12. Let the Magician proceed as before; then in the East, let him make the Averse Pentagram that invoketh Earth (Taurus).
[Another one and a quarter circles. The pentagram is drawn from bottom middle widdershins towards the upper right point and so on.]
13. Let him point his wand to the centre of the pentagram, and cry, THERION!
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Grimoire of Aleister Crowley"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Rodney Orpheus.
Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction Lon Milo DuQuette vii
Preface xi
A Note on Safety xvii
Chapter 1 The Ritual of the Mark of the Beast 1
Chapter 2 The Invocation of Horus 15
Chapter 3 Invocation of the Holy Spirit (Isis) 27
Chapter 4 A Ritual to Invoke HICE 41
Chapter 5 A Rite of Isis 53
Chapter 6 Roots of Thelema I - A Mithraic Liturgy 77
Chapter 7 Roots of Thelema II -The Bacchanal 99
Chapter 8 Roots of Thelema III - Goetia 111
Chapter 9 The Brazen Head 131
Chapter 10 An Evocation of Bartzabel the Spirit of Mars 145
Chapter 11 The Supreme Ritual 173
Chapter 12 The Ritual of Consecration of an High Priest of 183
L.I.L. 203
Chapter 13 The Ritual of Initiation of a Thelemite 217
Chapter 14 Breaking of Bread 227
Chapter 15 The Mass of Babalon
Appendices:
I Rituals from Liber O 247
II The 72 Spirits of the Goetia 253
III Three Holy Books 273
IV Ritual J 283
V Rituel de la Fraction du Pain 285
VI Cakes of Light 291
Bibliography 293