Rituals: the Pentagram, the Hexagram, Resh and more · Hermetic Cloud
Golden Dawn

Rituals

Ritual texts, historical forms and interactive diagrams from the Western esoteric tradition.

Golden Dawn · the Order's paper, as printed by Regardie

Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram

The ritual as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn taught it, in the wording Israel Regardie printed in The Golden Dawn (1937 to 1940). That book is still in copyright; the text is reproduced here for study, and the rights remain with its publisher.

Form
Step 1

Form
1 to 7

I · The Qabalistic Cross

  1. Take a steel dagger in the right hand. Face East.

  2. Touch thy forehead and say ATEH (thou art).

    אתהATEHthou art

  3. Touch thy breast and say MALKUTH (the Kingdom).

    מלכותMALKUTHthe Kingdom

  4. Touch thy right shoulder and say VE-GEBURAH (and the Power).

    וגבורהVE-GEBURAHand the Power

  5. Touch thy left shoulder and say VE-GEDULAH (and the Glory).

    וגדולהVE-GEDULAHand the Glory

  6. Clasp thy hands before thee and say LE-OLAM (for ever).

    לעולםLE-OLAMfor ever

  7. Dagger between fingers, point up and say AMEN.

    אמןAMEN
8 to 12

II · The four pentagrams

  1. Make in the Air toward the East the banishing PENTAGRAM as shown and, bringing the point of the dagger to the centre of the Pentagram, vibrate the DEITY NAME, YOD HE VAU HE, imagining that your voice carries forward to the East of the Universe.

    יהוהYOD HE VAU HE

  2. Holding the dagger out before you, go to the South, make the Pentagram and vibrate similarly the deity name, ADONAI.

    אדניADONAI

  3. Go to the West, make the Pentagram and vibrate EHEIEH.

    אהיהEHEIEH

  4. Go to the North, make the Pentagram and vibrate AGLA.

    אגלאAGLA

  5. Return to the East and complete your circle by bringing the dagger point to the centre of the first Pentagram.

13 to 19

III · The archangels, the Pentagram and the Star

  1. Stand with arms outstretched in the form of a cross and say:

  2. Before me RAPHAEL.

    רפאלRAPHAELbefore me

  3. Behind me GABRIEL.

    גבריאלGABRIELbehind me

  4. At my right hand MICHAEL.

    מיכאלMICHAELat my right hand

  5. At my left hand AURIEL.

    אוריאלAURIELat my left hand

  6. Before me flames the Pentagram,

  7. Behind me shines the six-rayed Star.

20

IV · The Qabalistic Cross again

  1. Again make the Qabalistic Cross as directed above, saying ATEH, etc.

The text closes: "For Banishing use the same Ritual, but reversing the direction of the lines of the Pentagram." The figure it refers to is the pentagram of Earth; the Banishing and Invoking buttons draw both directions.

Later Golden Dawn manuals give lines 18 and 19 as "For about me flames the Pentagram, and in the Column shines the six-rayed Star."

The figureThe pentagram of Earth

The pentagram of Earth, as the Order drew it: Spirit at the top, Air at the upper left, Water at the upper right, Earth at the lower left, Fire at the lower right. The banishing form begins at the lower left point and runs upward; the invoking form begins at the top and runs down to the lower left. Five sides in one stroke, closing where it began.

Spirit Water Fire Earth Air

The namesThe quarters, the names and the archangels

One name at each quarter, and one archangel: Air in the east with Raphael, Fire in the south with Michael, Water in the west with Gabriel, Earth in the north with Auriel. Click a quarter.

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH
East · Air יהוה YOD HE VAU HE

The four-lettered Name, vibrated letter by letter. Face here at the start; Raphael stands before you.

Click the quarters to see each name.

QuarterElementNameArchangel
EastAirיהוה YOD HE VAU HERaphael, before me
SouthFireאדני ADONAIMichael, at my right hand
WestWaterאהיה EHEIEHGabriel, behind me
NorthEarthאגלא AGLAAuriel, at my left hand

Text reproduced from Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn (Aries Press, Chicago, 1937 to 1940), the Order's paper as printed there. The book is in copyright and the rights remain with its publisher; the text is given here for study.