Online Reference For Body, Mind & Spirit

Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

This ritual, called the LBRP for short, is designed to clear your area (and yourself) of negative energies. It is composed of four sections. The LBRP has become a standard part of the Western Mystical Tradition, and has been adapted and altered by many individuals and magickal groups. Here is a basic version. The only magical tool you need is a dagger, although you can use your right index finger instead. The odd words are English versions of Hebrew using transliterations based on modern Hebrew as the pronunciation of ancient Hebrew is debatable.

Part One: The Kabalistic Cross.
STEP ONE. Visualize yourself getting larger and larger, taller and taller, until you tower above the room you are in. Continue this growing visualization until the city you live in is small beneath your feet. See the continent as tiny compared to your majestic body. Now even the Earth is small beneath your feet. However, no matter how small the Earth is, it is still firm and solid beneath your feet, anchoring you to the ground.

Next visualize yourself growing so large that the planets of our solar system are like tiny toy rubber balls spinning near your feet. Soon they are too small to see as even the Milky Way galaxy becomes a small dot of light at your feet. Now visualize a dot of light coming from somewhere far above your head. Know that this is only a tiny bit of the light from this [Divine] source... [and it] forms a brilliant white sphere of pulsating light just above your head. It is nine inches in diameter, about the size of a dinner plate... Point to that sphere above your head with your dagger or finger and "bring it down" by pointing to your forehead, just above and between the eyes. Next, visualize this brilliance filling your head with divine light. While pointing to your forehead vibrate: Ah-TAH (boldfaced syllable denotes emphasis).

STEP TWO. Bring the point of the dagger (or your finger) firmly down your body until you are pointing toward the ground. Your hand with the blade should be covering your groin. As you do this, visualize the light in your head coming down along with the blade (or finger), down through your body and beyond your feet, down to eternity. Vibrate: Mahl-KOOT.

STEP THREE. Now bring the blade up to your right shoulder. As you do this, visualize the beam of white light running down the center of your body form a beam from the heart area out to your right, past the blade at your right shoulder. See this beam of light extend to the end of the universe, and beyond. Focus on this beam and vibrate: Vih G’Boo-RAH

STEP FOUR. Move the point of the blade horizontally to your left shoulder. As you do, visualize the beam of white light now extending through infinite space to your left. As you focus on this beam of light, vibrate: Vih-G’Doo-LAH

STEP FIVE. Clasp your hands at your chest as if praying...visualize within your chest, at the point covered by your folded hands, a brilliant golden glow. Vibrate: Lih-Oh-LAHM, Ah-MEN...

[W]hat you have done is to visualize yourself as the center of the universe with only the divine light coming through you. You may wish to remain in this position for a few minutes to feel its power.


Part Two: The Formulation of the Pentagrams
STEP ONE: [Move to the eastern edge of your area, your circle, facing out.] Here draw a pentagram [in the air. Start outside your lower left hip, move up above your head, then go outside your lower right hip, then to your left shoulder, right shoulder, and back to the beginning]...Be sure to visualize the figure as a flaming gas-jet blue pentagram as you draw.

STEP TWO. Inhale through the nose. As you do, feel energy flow from the ends of the universe through your nose and body, and down and out of the bottoms of your feet to the center of the Earth...As you inhale, both hands should be raised to the sides of your head by your ears. The dagger (or right-hand index finger) should be pointing forward. Your left hand (which should have remained at your side until now) is drawn into a similar position by your left ear, the index finger pointing forward, the rest of the fingers closed into a fist.

STEP THREE. Step forward with the left foot. At the same time, thrust your hands forward so that they point at the exact middle of the glowing blue pentagram in front of you...As you do this you should exhale and feel the energy come back up your body, out your arms and hands, through the pentagram and to the ends of the universe. You should use the entire exhalation to vibrate the God Name: Yud-Heh-Vahv-Heh. [Put equal stress on the syllables.]

STEP FOUR. Bring your hands back to your ears while bring your left foot back to its original position. Put your left hand down by your side and point to the center of the pentagram with your right forefinger (or dagger). Now trace a line in the air at the height of the center of the pentagram as you move in a clockwise direction around the edge of your circle’s space. You should go 90 degrees so that you end up in the south, facing south. As you trace the line in the air you should visualize a brilliant white light emanating from the tip of your finger or blade. At the South, repeat step two and three above, but vibrate Ah-Doh-NYE.

STEP FIVE. Repeat as above, but move to the west and vibrate: Eh-Heh-YEH

STEP SIX. Repeat as above, but move to the North and vibrate AH-Glah.

STEP SEVEN. Complete the circle by connecting a white line from the North to the East where you began...[Return to the middle of your area.]

STEP EIGHT. Now visualize the brilliant white circle expanding up and down to form a sphere above, below and all around you. What you have done is create a sphere in brilliant white all around you with electric blue pentagrams at the quarters which have been charged and sealed with names of God...


Part Three: The Evocation of the Archangels
STEP ONE. Spread your arms straight out to the sides, so that your body forms a cross...

STEP TWO. Visualize a figure on a hill in front of you. The figure is dressed in yellow robes which have some purplish highlights...You should "feel" a breeze coming from behind the figure. Say, Before me, Rah-fay-EL (vibrate the name of the Archangel).

STEP THREE. Visualize a figure behind you, dressed in blue with some orange highlights...Try to feel the moisture in the air. Say, Behind me, Gahb-ray-EL (vibrate the name).

STEP FOUR. To your right visualize a figure dressed in scarlet with green highlights... [Y]ou should feel heat coming from this direction. Say, On my right hand, Mee-chai-EL (vibrate the name. The "CH" is a guttural sound as in the German "ach" or the Scottish "loch").

STEP FIVE. To your lift visualize a figure dressed in greens and browns on a fertile landscape...Say, And on my left hand Ohr-ree-EL (vibrate the name).

STEP SIX. Move your left foot out to your left and visualize another beautiful blue pentagram all around you, outlining your body. Say, For about me flames the pentagram...

STEP SEVEN. Visualize a golden hexagram...within you, right where your heart is. Say, ...And within me shines the six-rayed star.


Part Four: Repeat Part One, the Kabalistic Cross

AS a final note to the LBRP, remember to include everything you are doing in your magickal diary. And most importantly,
Do the LBRP with feeling!
Do it often!
"Enflame yourself with prayer!"
Please note that the use of Llewellyn Encyclopedia articles
is subject to certain Terms and Conditions.