Thelemic Ritual of the Hexagram

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law

The hexagram ritual is required for any serious working. The Great Work happens in the space consecrated by the Hexagram. Work done under the auspices of the Pentagram may be supportive, but it is ultimately the realm of man and the material world. The hexagram is the realm of god and the spirit.

To put it another way, The pentagram raises one to the cross of the elements to allow one to exert force over Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. These, in turn, influence Malkuth. The hexagram rite places you in Tiphareth which is a far more stable location, being a sephira, for influencing these sephiroth.
The pentagram ritual is below the Veil of Parkoreth. The hexagram ritual is performed from the place of Knowledge and Conversation with one’s Holy Guardian Angel.

The importance of the hexagram ritual is shown by its inclusion in Liber O[0], the primary introductory text for Thelemic magick. Essentially, the hexagram ritual is in the same tier as learning how to assume a god-form, vibrate a holy name, perform the pentagram ritual, and of learning the basics of Astral Projection.

Crowley’s primary source for Hermetica was the Golden Dawn, and the Golden Dawn does have a hexagram ritual. In my copy of Regardie’s The Golden Dawn, it can be found on page 287–299.[1] As David Cherubim points out in his commentary on his version of the ritual. The original, Golden Dawn, hexagram ritual began and ended with a Qabalistic Cross identical to that of the Pentagram Ritual. Crowley changed this to the “Analysis of the Key Word”. This text is lifted from the Golden Dawn’s Adeptus Minor ritual[2] (i.e., Tiphareth). The text, from Liber O, reads:

I, N, R, I
Yod, Nun, Resh, Yod
Virgo, Isis, Mighty Mother
Scorpio, Apophis, Destroyer
Sol, Osiris, Slain and Risen.
Isis, Apophis, Osiris
IAO
The sign of Osiris Slain
The Sign of the Mourning of Isis
The Sign of Apophis and Typhon
The Sign of Osiris Risen.
LVX Lux Light of the Cross

This formulation is, despite its Egyptian trappings, pure Christian symbolism. The old Aeonic Christ dies, is lamented by Mary, Satan celebrates, and victory is snatched away by Christ’s resurrection. As Liber AL II:5 says, “ Behold! the rituals of the old time are black. Let the evil ones be cast away; let the good ones be purged by the prophet! Then shall this Knowledge go aright.”

To this end, I present a Thelemic Hexagram Ritual. I use a variation of the form published by David Cherubim, and recommended to me by Gerald del Campo, many years ago.

While more substantive in content than the changes made to the Thelemic Pentagram ritual, they are still rather minor.

I, N, R, I
Yod, Nun, Resh, Yod
Virgo, Iacchus, Holy Father
Scorpio, Asi, Holy Mother
Sol, Orus, Holy Child
Iacchus, Asi, Orus
IAO
The Sign of Orus
The Sign of the Dance of Asi
The Sign of the Joy of Iacchus
The Sign of the Blazing Star
LVX Lux Light of the Cross

Note that the sign order is the same: +, L, V, X. However, this formulation of the ritual gives us the IAO/OAI formula (q.v. The Vision & the Voice, 2nd Aethyr, ARN). I am providing a link to the various signs in the description[3]. I recommend the serious student learn all of them.

David Jones[4] 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 mostly in English, little translation is needed. Only INRI and ARARITA need explanation. INRI is a formula that was adapted from Christianity. An Acronym for Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum, 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, Death, and The Sun. Their study is recommended in understanding this term.

ARARITA is another acronym (or, more accurately, 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.”

I am including a link to the text of this variant in the description[5]. As with the standard Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram, the Greater is crafted by adding the Planetary Hexagram to the Elemental performed after the Analysis of the Key Word.

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Truth is found in the Rubble of Falsehood 

Love is the law, love under will 

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[0]: Liber O: http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/libero.htm

1. Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1990.  ↩
   
2. The Adeptus Minor Ritual Can be found on page 225.  ↩
   
3. http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Ritual_signs  ↩
   
4. https://hermetic.com/jones/index  ↩
   
5. https://dar205.blogspot.com/2017/03/thelemic-lesser-ritual-of-hexagram.html  ↩
   

The Star Sapphire (Notes and Translations)

The Star Sapphire, Liber XXXVI, is the Thelemic Hexagram Ritual. It is interesting for a variety of reasons. First, it contains the proper order of the NOX signs: Puer, Vir, Puella, Mulier, and Mater Triumphans. Second, it has both a tantric and non-tantric interpretation. Finally, there is no stated elemental, planetary, nor astrological attribution. One can infer from the Tetragrammaton, the Tarot, or even the hexagram itself — however, to my knowledge, this is all conjectural. I suspect there may be no attributions other than that of Male-Female, Yang-Yin, and Lingam-Yoni. I see this ritual as ultimately an invocative or evocative rite, just as I saw the Star Ruby as primarily a banishing rite.

One does not call god names in the Star Sapphire. Instead we get the repeated paeans to the Unity. The hexagrams are drawn with variations of “X et Y Unus Deus” followed with “ARARITA”. ARARITA was explained in the earlier post on the Thelemic Hexagram Ritual. “Et” means “and”. “Unus Deus” means “One God”. Thus the formula is “X and Y are One God”. This is consonant with the meaning of ARARITA. The terms are Pater, Mater, Filius, and Filia. These are Father, Mother, Son, and Daughter.

After placing the Hexagrams, the practitioner is charged with “making the Rosy Cross as he may know how”. This is a tantric metaphor. For the non-tantric, people often make the Sign of ‘Orus (aka, Sign of Osiris Slain or Sign of the Cross). You then say “ARARITA” three times while making the Signs of Set Triumphant and of Baphomet (more tantra). The Sign of Set Triumphant is also known as Sign of the Joy of Iacchus or Sign of Typhon and Apophis. The Sign of Baphomet is better known as Mulier.

The rest of the instruction, prior to the Latin, pertains to the tantric performance of the ritual. The Latin translates as follows:

Omnia in Duos	All in Two
Duo in Unum	Two in One
Unus in Nihil	One in Nothing
Haec nec Quatuor nec Omnia nec Duo nec Unus nec Nihil Sunt	These are not Four nor All nor Two nor One nor Nothing

This is followed by another paragraph in Latin:

Gloria Patri et Matri et Filio et Filiae	Glory be to the Father and Mother and Son and Daughter
et Spiritui Sancto externo et Spiritui Sancto interno	and to the Holy Spirit without and within
ut erat est erit	which was, is, and shall be
in saecula Saeculorum	world without end
sex in uno per nomen Septem in uno	Six in One through the names of the Seven in One
Ararita	"One is His Beginning; One is His Individuality; His Permutation is One."

We close with the LVX signs.

The hexagram, both traditional and unicursal, have the planets arranged in sephirotic order. Starting at the top and moving clockwise (that is, doesil or to the right, for those unfamiliar with analog clocks) they are: Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Luna, Mercury, and Mars. Sol resides in the center. For this, I use the unicursal hexagram and progress my starting point along the drawn lines of the hexagram.

Latin	Translation	Starting Point
Pater et Mater Unus Deus	Father and Mother are One God	Saturn
Mater et Filus Unus Deus	Mother and Son are One God	Venus
Filius et Filia Unus Deus	Son and Daughter are One God	Mars
Filia et Pater Unus Deus	Daughter and Father are One God	Luna

Finally, a Rood is a Crucifix. The Rosy Cross is the result of this rite.

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.”