Thelemic Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram

I primarily use this in its banishing form. Further, I use the form published by David Cherubim, and recommended to me by Gerald del Campo, many years ago. I can no longer find the original online, so I will begin by posting this form of the ritual. As with the “Thelemic” variant of the Pentagram Rite, the changes are minor but hardly cosmetic. Following the text of the ritual will be David Cherubim’s commentary, then mine.

1. Facing East, in the center, stand upright, with your feet together, left arm at side, right arm across body, holding the wand or other weapon upright in the median line. Then say:
2. I. N. R. I.
   Yod. Nun. Resh. Yod.
   Virgo, Iacchus, Holy Father.
   Scorpio, Asi, Holy Mother.
   Sol, Orus, Holy Child.
   Iacchus, Asi, Orus,
   IAO.
3. Extend your arms in the form of a Cross, and say: "The Sign of Orus."
4. Raise your right arm to point upwards, keeping the elbow square, and lower your left arm to point downward, keeping the elbow square, while turning your head over your left shoulder looking down so that your eyes follow your left forearm, and say: "The Sign of the Dance of Asi."
5. Raise your arms at an angle of sixty degrees to each other above your head, which is thrown back, and say: "The Sign of the Joy of Iacchus."
6. Cross your arms on your breast, bow your head, and say: "The Sign of the Blazing Star."
7. Extend your arms again as "L" and cross them again as in "X", saying: "L.V.X., Lux, the Light of the Cross."
8. Advance to the East, and with the magical weapon trace the Hexagram, and vibrate: "ARARITA".
9. Turn to the South and do the same.
10. Turn to the North and do the same.
11. Return to the East, completing the Circle, then repeat 1 through 7

Notes by David Cherubim
In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn you did not start the Hexagram Ritual with the Analysis of the Key Word, but with the Qabalistic Cross. Aleister Crowley changed this to balance the ritual, for it pertains to the Hexagram, which is a symbol of Tiphareth, the Sephira of Balance. Unless you feel inclined to do otherwise, I suggest that you always use the Analysis of the Key Word and never the Qabalistic Cross in the Hexagram Ritual. For as it is written, "Equilibrium is the basis of the Great Work."

The Signs used in the Hexagram Ritual are connected with the four Elements and the four Seasons of the Year. They are called the L.V.X. Signs. L.V.X., or Lux, is the Light of the Cross. It is that Great Light which is referred to in the Golden Dawn proclamation, "Khabs Am Pekht. Konx Om Pax. Light In Extension." In the Old Order of the Golden Dawn, the L.V.X. Signs were known as "The Sign of Osiris Slain", "The Sign of the Mourning of Isis", "The Sign of Apophis and Typhon", and "The Sign of Osiris Risen."

The Sign of Orus (or Osiris Slain) is also called the Sign of the Cross; the Sign of the Dance of Asi (or Isis Mourning) is also called the Sign of the Svastika, and by shape it is the letter L of the word LVX; the Sign of the Joy of Iacchus (or Apophis and Typhon) is also called the Sign of the Trident, and by shape it is the letter V of the word LVX; the Sign of the Blazing Star (or Osiris Risen) is also called the Sign of the Pentagram, and by shape it is the letter X of the word LVX. [images omitted]

The Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram is to be performed after the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. To use this ritual to invoke or banish, you trace the invoking or banishing Hexagram of Earth in all four quarters of your Temple. The so-called Hexagram of Earth can be used in a general way, for simple operations, like the Pentagram of Earth in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. In Liber O Vel Manus et Sagittae we are instructed to trace the four so-called Elemental Hexagrams, which were designed by S. L. MacGregor Mathers. These, however, are unessential. The Hexagram of Earth alone is sufficient. Or you may employ the Unicursal Hexagram, as illustrated below. [images omitted]

In the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram, the Four Elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth are attributed differently to the four quarters than in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram to correspond with the nature of the Zodiac: Fire is in the East for Aries, Earth is in the South for Capricorn, Air is in the West for Libra, and Water is in the North for Cancer. When tracing the Hexagrams in the Lesser Ritual, they should be visualized in golden flame. When going from quarter to quarter, you must trace around yourself a Circle of Light by connecting the center of a completed Hexagram to the area that will become the center of the next Hexagram, just like in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

Notes by Nexist Xenda’ths
The images are readily available, so I did not include them in this post. For the Signs, they are published under their old aeonic names in Liber O. The Invoking unicursal hexagram is drawn from the top point moving in a downward right direction. The banishing is done likewise, but in a downward left motion. I tend to use the elemental hexagrams from Liber O rather than the only the Earth or unicursal hexagrams. These are Fire in the East, Earth in the South, Air in the West, and Water in the North. Note that this is different that given by Shoemaker in his Living Thelema, which uses the attributions of the Lesser Pentagram Ritual.

David Jones explained to me that the Hexagram ritual’s elemental attributions corresponds to the Enochian system, so I use the Elemental colors of Enochian (White=Fire, Black=Earth, Red=Air, and Green=Water).

Since this ritual is in English, for the most part, little translation is needed. Only INRI and ARARITA need some explanation. INRI is a formula that was adapted from Christianity. An Acronym for Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum, or Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews, the Latin alphabet is mapped to the Hebrew (as given on the second line), which corresponds to the Tarot cards of The Hermit (and here), Death (and here), and The Sun (and here). Their study is recommended in understanding this term.

ARARITA is another acronym (Notariqon). It is a latinization of the Hebrew phrase “Achad Rosh Achdotho Rosh Ichudo Temurato Achad”, or, as commonly translated, “One is His Beginning; One is His Individuality; His Permutation is One.”