Rite of the Stars
(see Liber V, Star Ruby, Liber Nv, Liber Had)
(see Liber V, Star Ruby, Liber Nv, Liber Had)
:Do What Thou Wilt shall be the whole of the Law. :Love is the Law, Love under Will.
Banish and open temple.
Face East. Imagine the self expanding from a point at the heart chakra as step forward.
Trace Upright Invoking Earth Pentagram.
:Earth I Invoke Thee.
Trace Reflected Invoking Air Pentagram.
:Air I Invoke Thee.
Trace
Invoking Hexagram of Mercury.
:Mercury I Invoke Thee.
(Yearning for each as intone, cease lust of result just before finishing tracing sign and become receptive).
Walk to SE rotating deosil to face the centre. Look above where standing when in centre and:
Trace Upright Invoking Spirit Passive Pentagram.
:Spirit Passive I
Invoke Thee.
Trace Reflected Invoking Spirit Active Pentagram.
:Spirit Active I Invoke Thee.
Trace Invoking Hexagram of Saturn.
:Saturn I Invoke Thee.
Walk to S rotating deosil to face out.
Trace Upright Invoking Fire Pentagram.
:Fire I Invoke Thee.
Trace Reflected Invoking Water Pentagram.
:Water I Invoke Thee.
Trace Invoking Hexagram of Venus.
:Venus I Invoke Thee.
Turn deosil to centre and take one step forwards in the sign of the enterer imagining the self contracting and then another step with the self expanding once more.
Trace Upright Air Invoking Pentagram.
:Air I Invoke Thee.
Trace
Reflected Earth Invoking Pentagram.
:Earth I Invoke Thee.
Trace
Invoking Hexagram of Mars.
:Mars I Invoke thee.
Turn widdershins and face the centre. Look down below where standing in centre and:
Trace Upright Invoking Pentagram of Spirit Active.
:Spirit Active I
Invoke Thee.
Trace Reflected Invoking Pentagram of Spirit
Passive.
:Spirit Passive I Invoke Thee.
Trace Invoking Hexagram of
Luna.
:Luna I Invoke Thee.
Turn Widdershins and face outwards to the W.
Trace Upright Invoking Pentagram of Water.
:Water I Invoke
Thee.
Trace Reflected Invoking Pentagram of Fire.
:Fire I Invoke
Thee.
Trace Invoking Hexagram of Jupiter.
:Jupiter I Invoke
Thee.
Turn widdershins to face the centre. Step forwards in the sign of the enterer (projecting force) then stand upright in the sign of Har-poor-kraat.
Feel energy coursing around the structure.
Spinning slowly deosil, perform the LVX signs and intone:
(Osiris Slain)
:Light Within Me
(L)
:Light Around Me
(V)
:Light Engulf Me
(X)
:Light Surround Me
Continue to exhaustion.
See Light expanding from self until all is
Light and Light is all.
Stand in the sign of Osiris Slain.
See Light contracting into a
ball around self centred on the heart chakra (as if falling down a
gravitational well into a black hole). Change point of consciousness
discarding all that is not I (neti-neti meditation); Observe the mind
working then realize that the part of the mind that is observing its
workings is closer to I. Realize that the point observing the point
observing is closer to I... continue ad infinitum.
See self as a single point of light.
Comprehend blackness (NOX) that is outside self.
See other points of light and see their interconnectedness by tendrils of light.
(Brain, intuition, receptivity woven throughout by void.)
Trace solar invoking unicursal hexagram on self (or in group anoint each other with oil on foreheads in pattern of unicursal hexagram after charging dish of oil; visualise it as one of the points of light and direct energy towards it).
As trace hexagram (for each line):
:Every
:Man
:And
:Every
:Woman
:Is
:A
:Star.
At each point affirm connection between the point on the hexagram and the cardinal point on the circle as the pattern traces back through each invoked point (i.e. Sol; Jupiter; Luna; Mars; Venus; Saturn; Mercury; Sol).
Close Temple.
:Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law.
:Love Is The Law,
Love Under Will.
The Rite of NOX is the reverse- it is a rite of nothingness, of invisibility.
It uses banishing pentagrams/hexagrams and starts in the West.
Rather than LVX signs, it uses the NOX signs and the Magus is identified as a point of expanding nothingness and as all but the point of consciousness.
The interplay between negative and positive is experienced as they cancel each other out.
With two individuals it would be possible (and perhaps very desirable) to do a simultaneous Rite of NOX and Rite of the Stars.
The pentagram is the symbol of the microcosm, man, its five points corresponding to the four limbs and the head. Each of the points of the pentagram are traditionally associated with one of the four elements following the formula YHShVH moving anticlockwise from the lower right point.
The hexagram is the symbol of the macrocosm, of God or the Universe. Its points traditionally correspond to planetary energies drawn from the position of the corresponding sephiroth on the tree of life.
The union of the microcosm and macrocosm is one (if not the) aim of magick. This could be symbolised by overlaying the hexagram and the pentagram or by combining an upright and an inverted pentagram to form the hexagram (a good symbol of Tantrik gnosis). In doing so, Crowley's Thelemic unicursal hexagram is revealed.
If this is to be taken further, the combination of the pentagram and hexagram poses some problems, not least the incongruity of the planetary symbols and the elements attributed to each point:
Mercury = Earth
Mars = Air
Jupiter = Water
Venus = Fire
Saturn = Spirit.
This is partly but not entirely overcome when it is considered that the planetary symbols refer to the sephiroth of the tree of life:
Hod (8) = Earth
Geburah (5) = Air
Chesed (4) = Water
Netzach (7) = Fire
Binah (3) = Spirit.
The points on the hexagram may also be compared with the points on the inverted pentagram. It is here that problems really start to mount up. It is not entirely clear what the attributions of the points on the inverted pentagram should be.
Duquette in his book "The Magick of Thelema" suggests that the pentagram should be rotated 180 degrees while the alternative is to reflect the pentagram in its horisontal axis.
Thus depending on whether the inverted pentagram is an inverted or rotated pentagram the final attributions are:
(3) Saturn = Spirit
(5) Mars = Fire of Air (Active
Decisiveness)
(4) Jupiter = Earth of Water (Solidifying Mercy)
(7)
Venus = Air of Fire (Decisive Activity)
(8) Mercury = Water of Earth
(Merciful Action)
(9) Luna = Spirit
4 and 5 work well but 7 and 8 are not so good.
(3) Saturn = Spirit
(5) Mars = Earth of Air (Solidifying
Decisiveness)
(4) Jupiter = Fire of Water (Active Mercy)
(7) Venus
= Water of Fire (Merciful Activity)
(8) Mercury = Air of Earth
(Decisive Action)
(9) Luna = Spirit
This is much better. Though one would have thought that Geburah / Mars should be attributed to Fire, it makes sense as Earth of Air. This solution to the combination of pentagram and hexagram also works best when extended to the next phase of the process; the rendering of the unicursal hexagram as a 3D structure around the circle:
A line from E-W and one from N-S, the E and S points being joined to a point above the circle and the N and W points to one below the circle. When observed from above in the SE or below in the NW the unicursal hexagram can be seen.
In my working the attribution of the points of the circle to the points of the hexagram is as follows:
E = Mercury
S = Venus
N = Mars
W = Jupiter
In order to understand the attribution of spirit above/below, Crowley's account of the esoteric hexagram must be taken into account. In this he suggests that the upright triangle should be blue rather than the usual red to represent passive prayer and yearning, and the downpointing triangle should be red rather than the usual blue to represent the active mercy of divine favour. To follow in this vein, spirit passive pentagrams should point away from the centre and spirit active towards the centre. With Spirit active flowing towards Tiphareth from both directions, the Magickian is filled with power and yet is a point of infinite calm.
Yesod (Luna) represents the state of affairs below the abyss (active worship and passive love reciprocated) whereas Binah (Saturn) is above the abyss (passivity and love directed towards God and activity and power reciprocated).
This also allows, according to the nature of the upright and reflected pentagrams at each quarter, the crown chakra to vibrate along the E-W axis (Mercury/Jupiter) and the genital/anal chakras to vibrate along the N-S axis (Mars/Venus), the heart chakra partaking of both.
Lastly, Saturn is externally passive but internally active whereas Luna is externally active (with the myriad of imaginings etc.) but internally passive (or dead!).
The centre of the circle (the point in the centre of the unicursal hexagram) should be seen as the heart chakra/Tiphareth. It should be gold in colour and consciousness should be projected to it.
Rotation is deosil in the first half of the circle (E-S) and widdershins in the second half (N-W). This is because consciousness should be projected to the heart chakra as upside down for the second half of the circle (The Magus may achieve this by standing on his head). This has certain similarities to the Chinese symbol Tao or Yin Yang.
As the magus steps from the S to the N the glowing ball of light that is his consciousness will contract to a point at the centre and then expand once more. The same occurs as he steps from the W towards the E in the sign of the enterer projecting force before him but this time the sphere does not expand again of its own accord. The Magus stands in the centre of the circle in the sign of Har Poor Kraat, his consciousness a point of light within his chest and the forces that he has built up around the circle whirling around him. Let him stop for a moment to apprehend the forces in their motion and, realising himself the centre of the circle and of the unicursal hexagram, let him start to whirl deosil in the LVX signs and feel the point of golden light that is his consciousness expand once more.
The Rite of NOX is the reverse of the Rite of the Stars. It has similarities to rituals of invisibility from the rituals of the past. It allows apprehension of the tenets of silence and allows one to see things as they are and thus what needs to be changed.