[Help] L.B.R.P. Details

[Crozznus]

I've been working on memorizing the L.B.R.P. through repetition and practice. However, I have been getting caught up on the details. Here are a few of my questions:
- When doing the Kabalistic Cross - either with your fingers/hand or dagger - do you physically touch your chest when you are drawing the cross down toward your feet? In the texts I read it states "draw the line firmly down your body".
- When doing the Kabalistic Cross do you draw it out to your shoulders or simply touch your shoulders?
- How exactly do you have your hands when in the God form of the enterer just after drawing the pentagram and vibrating God name? In the texts I have read it states to have your hands up to your ears, pointing forward. How do you do this with the dagger in your hand? The text states the blade should be pointing forward, I'm just curious how the magician grips the dagger at this point.

I understand that these are fine points here but I can be very detail-oriented and in these early stages of developing my visualization skills and the other skills needed for these practices I need to perfect my form.

Thank you so much!

 

[HoldAll]

I've been working on memorizing the L.B.R.P. through repetition and practice. However, I have been getting caught up on the details. Here are a few of my questions:
- When doing the Kabalistic Cross - either with your fingers/hand or dagger - do you physically touch your chest when you are drawing the cross down toward your feet? In the texts I read it states "draw the line firmly down your body".
- When doing the Kabalistic Cross do you draw it out to your shoulders or simply touch your shoulders?
- How exactly do you have your hands when in the God form of the enterer just after drawing the pentagram and vibrating God name? In the texts I have read it states to have your hands up to your ears, pointing forward. How do you do this with the dagger in your hand? The text states the blade should be pointing forward, I'm just curious how the magician grips the dagger at this point.

I understand that these are fine points here but I can be very detail-oriented and in these early stages of developing my visualization skills and the other skills needed for these practices I need to perfect my form.

Thank you so much!

I guess it's no use saying that everybody does the LBRP differently and you just have to find out what works for you even if it's true. I remember I was looking for the authoritative version when I was starting out so I understand your confusion. The original GD instructions are quite sparse if I rember correctly so I decided to use this version because it comes from a reputable author:

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I don't trace the vertical and horizontal lines against my body, only the end points where you vibrate the sephiroth, so I simply touch my shoulders. Btw, when I chant "Malkuth", I touch my pubic bone, not the heart or the navel as some recommend. The blueprint for the QC for me is the Sign of the Cross I learned as a child where you only touch the end points of the cross as well.

I don't bother with a blade, exactly for the reason you mentioned - it makes 'pushing away' the pentagrams (others may have different visualisations) awkward. A dagger is just the extension of your index finger in this basic ritual, I feel, it may have more significance in more complex one. What's more, I am loathe to become dependent on implements but that's just a personal thing.

 

[Art Thurian]

As you already know this ritual is considered by many to be a basic preliminary to any other magical work. In my opinion, it doesn't matter how you do LBRP physically because its purpose is to be programmed in your mind. I believe the purpose of the LBRP, besides looking at its symbolism, has to do with cleaning (banishing) the astral and the entities or impure form of the elements that can influence you during the ritual, but also with programming your mind to be ready before a ritual. Repetitive physical exercises by doing LBRP will make you implant in your mind a preparatory process before any ritual. Michael Donald Kraig already mentions this in his book "Modern Magick, Eleven Lessons into High Magick" that:

"...If you are not proficient at the LBRP, the entire system can fall down around you. This is why the LBRP is taught right at the beginning. In
fact, other than initiation rituals, it was the only ritual given out to members of the Golden Dawn until they entered the Inner Order and this would take over one year of practice."

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

The way I do the LBRP is with my eyes, mind and hand.
I do the Qabalistic Cross per directions set forth from any text I am working with.
I am left handed, therefore I use my left hand and index finger.
I draw in banishing Earth form from the lowest left, up over my head, down to lowest right, up to left of my left shoulder, directly across to right of my right shoulder, and back down from right to left.
Here is a mysterious fact on that last note, Hebrew is read from right to left.
Anyhoo...
With the pentagram drawn eyes open or closed, I bow forward, hands out in front of me palms flat, stomping forward with my left foot (sign of the enterer) and vibrate the God-Name.
At this point I visualize it speeding forward to the uttermost end of space, bursting into a roaring flame.
Then each quarter done clockwise in turn I turn evoke the archangels, seeing yellow and caduceus in east, blue and a trumpet behind me in West, red and a spear to my right, green and a horn Of Plenty to my left.
Then I close with another Qabalistic Cross.

 

[Crozznus]

I guess it's no use saying that everybody does the LBRP differently and you just have to find out what works for you even if it's true. I remember I was looking for the authoritative version when I was starting out so I understand your confusion. The original GD instructions are quite sparse if I rember correctly so I decided to use this version because it comes from a reputable author:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

I don't trace the vertical and horizontal lines against my body, only the end points where you vibrate the sephiroth, so I simply touch my shoulders. Btw, when I chant "Malkuth", I touch my pubic bone, not the heart or the navel as some recommend. The blueprint for the QC for me is the Sign of the Cross I learned as a child where you only touch the end points of the cross as well.

I don't bother with a blade, exactly for the reason you mentioned - it makes 'pushing away' the pentagrams (others may have different visualisations) awkward. A dagger is just the extension of your index finger in this basic ritual, I feel, it may have more significance in more complex one. What's more, I am loathe to become dependent on implements but that's just a personal thing.

Thank you, I needed to hear that I need to do what works for me. That gives me some confidence.
The link you provided is word for word the text I use (working through Michael Donald Kraig's "Modern Magick"). I like your comment about being dependent on "implements", perhaps keeping it simple is the way to go. I appreciate your time and energy!

Post automatically merged: Feb 12, 2024

As you already know this ritual is considered by many to be a basic preliminary to any other magical work. In my opinion, it doesn't matter how you do LBRP physically because its purpose is to be programmed in your mind. I believe the purpose of the LBRP, besides looking at its symbolism, has to do with cleaning (banishing) the astral and the entities or impure form of the elements that can influence you during the ritual, but also with programming your mind to be ready before a ritual. Repetitive physical exercises by doing LBRP will make you implant in your mind a preparatory process before any ritual. Michael Donald Kraig already mentions this in his book "Modern Magick, Eleven Lessons into High Magick" that:

"...If you are not proficient at the LBRP, the entire system can fall down around you. This is why the LBRP is taught right at the beginning. In
fact, other than initiation rituals, it was the only ritual given out to members of the Golden Dawn until they entered the Inner Order and this would take over one year of practice."

I am working through Michael Donald Kraig's "Modern Magick", and the quote you provided is a reason why I am trying to get a good foundation for my studies and practice. I strongly believe what you said about programming the mind which is why I have worked the LBRP into my everday routine, sometimes doing it twice a day.
Thank you for your time and energy in this matter!

Post automatically merged: Feb 12, 2024

The way I do the LBRP is with my eyes, mind and hand.
I do the Qabalistic Cross per directions set forth from any text I am working with.
I am left handed, therefore I use my left hand and index finger.
I draw in banishing Earth form from the lowest left, up over my head, down to lowest right, up to left of my left shoulder, directly across to right of my right shoulder, and back down from right to left.
Here is a mysterious fact on that last note, Hebrew is read from right to left.
Anyhoo...
With the pentagram drawn eyes open or closed, I bow forward, hands out in front of me palms flat, stomping forward with my left foot (sign of the enterer) and vibrate the God-Name.
At this point I visualize it speeding forward to the uttermost end of space, bursting into a roaring flame.
Then each quarter done clockwise in turn I turn evoke the archangels, seeing yellow and caduceus in east, blue and a trumpet behind me in West, red and a spear to my right, green and a horn Of Plenty to my left.
Then I close with another Qabalistic Cross.

Thank you so much! Another matter that I have been pondering is whether to have my eyes open or closed...I think I will do both - I know I need to strengthen my visualization skills so I am sure closed eyes will be helpful at times.
I like your visualization of speeding forward, I may borrow this to immerse be further into the ritual.
I appreciate your time and energy!

 

[pixel_fortune]

Another matter that I have been pondering is whether to have my eyes open or closed...I think I will do both - I know I need to strengthen my visualization skills so I am sure closed eyes will be helpful at times.

So there's two kinds of visualisation (well that's probably more idk) - there's having closed eyes and imagining things in black behind your eyes, and there's having open eyes and projecting images on top of what you actually see. Eg, imagining the pentagrams hanging in the air in your room.

Both are good skills but PROBABLY open eyes projected visualisation is more important because in ritual, you want to be able to visualise the magic you're doing while moving around your temple, picking up objects etc. So for the LBRP, that's the type I'd be focusing on practising. (For people with aphantasia, who can't visualise, there other methods, such as describing what's happening to yourself, or sensing the presence of the pentagrams/archangels without seeing them. But it sounds like that's not a problem for you).

I recently wrote this post on what I imagine during the QC part, in case it's helpful to you

[Tutorial] - This tip made my qabalistic cross / QC / KC HEAPS better

(or kabbalistic cross if anyone searches for that) Obviously QC is absolute beginner rite, so this won't be any use to most people on WF, but if you're newer or you've just never totally clicked with the QC, this might help? (If you're new and don't know what the QC is, I've put an explanation...

wizardforums.com

I don't use a dagger either, I use sword mudra to direct energy (pointing with index and middle fingers, thumb holding ring and little fingers in place). I find it easier, I guess because the hand has such high sensory capacity. Obviously a dagger is okay though! It just demonstrates that thing of "try different things and see what works for you". I tried both and found I preferred using my hand, but you might find the opposite for yourself.

Post automatically merged: Feb 12, 2024

At this point I visualize it speeding forward to the uttermost end of space, bursting into a roaring flame.

Does "it" here mean the pentagram or the name of God?

I've heard people say they send the pentagrams to the end of space but it never made sense to me, because I feel like they should stay in your Sphere of Sensation. I think I'm missing something about how I'm meant to conceptualise that.

Oh for OP's sake: I don't think this is "better" - there's a good chance it's West since I don't totally understand the trad visualisation! But anyway it's what I do. But I imagine the pentagrams hanging in there at the edges of my temple space (if I'm in a normal room v with furniture etc against the walls, my temple space ends at the furniture, or doesn't go all the way to the walls).

I inhale while imagining the drawing up the name of God as sort of parcel of power, lifting one foot up and my hands up to chest height at the same time as inhaling, so it feels like one big "drawing up". I thrust my hands into the centre of the Pentagram and vibrate the name of God. The way I imagine that is that my hands have become charged with the godname-power, and as I vibrate it, it then charges the pentagram. The pentagram ripples as the godname-power vibrates through it, and when I withdraw my hands, the godname has left them and is now empowering the pentagram.

Post automatically merged: Feb 12, 2024

* good chance it's WORSE, not West

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

To each their own, I visualize the pentagrams going to the ends of the universe, as if they were wearing roller skates or suspended in a rope at the top, in which my world view of the universe is contained in a giant cube.
But now that you mention hurling the godnames with it....

 

[pixel_fortune]

To each their own, I visualize the pentagrams going to the ends of the universe, as if they were wearing roller skates or suspended in a rope at the top, in which my world view of the universe is contained in a giant cube.
But now that you mention hurling the godnames with it....

So - I'm definitely not criticising your method, just asking because you seem to have a handle on it and I don't completely - how do you conceptualise the pentagrams?

I think of them as energetic gateways that let some things into my Sphere of Sensation and not others, with the angels behind them and guarding them / managing them

And that I'm patterning my SoS with the symbol of the pentagram through repetition

But if the pentagrams are at the ends of the universe then they can't be protecting my SoS or imprinting on it, because my SoS doesn't extend to the end of the universe

So I'm thinking you must be conceptualising something fairly different?

Post automatically merged: Feb 12, 2024

working through Michael Donald Kraig's "Modern Magick

There's a book club for this book recently started for this book if you're interested in talking about it

Book Club - "Modern Magick:Twelve Lessons in the High Magical Arts" by Donald Kraig

Hi all, As this is a classic primer on Magick, white, gray or black, I am working through it (on Lesson three for the next three to six months), and thought I would open up a discussion on it. Lesson One teaches basic principles of Magick, introduces the diaries you should keep (along with a...

wizardforums.com

 

[HoldAll]

The eyes-closed option works best for me - after all, I try to imagine myself as a towering figure within the infinity of outer space, which is hard to do when I simultaneously see my bed, the bookshelf, the living room door, etc. However, if you do succeed in visualising yourself in this way with opened eyes after all, there is alwys the danger of experiencing difficulties once you perform the LBRP in unfamiliar surroundings, for example in a hotel room or in nature, because you subconsciously associate e.g. Gabriel with your couch.

I think for most people their LBRP evolves over time. For example: I started the QC with ATEH, then I switched to ATOH because some author recommended it, and now it's ATAH because some Israeli guy complained on Reddit the other day that he couldn't take the QC seriously because ATEH and ATOH sounded ludicrous to him because it should be ATAH both in biblical and modern Hebrew. What's more, the "A" sound is associated with the heart chakra (I always feel like I'm 'opening up astrally' whenever I say it) so ATAH it is (which Kraig recommded in the first place).

Or the pentagrams: some authors recommend 'piercing' them once you've drawn them instead of stepping forward, which didn't work for me. Then I would step forward while imagening myself 'crawling' through the centre of each star as if the pentagrams were some kind of portal, which felt also wrong. Ok, so I tried pushing the pentagrams into infinity - where they simply vanished, so that was no good either. My present method is that I push the pentagrams only a short distance away, thus building a sort of astral temple around me. I still don't know exactly what to do with the archangels because they kind of obscure the pentagrams… some people recommend absorbing them into yourself, which makes sense because you consist of earth, water, fire and air after all, esoterically speaking. We'll see.

I wouldn't recommend wild experimentation for experimentations sake, just finding a version you are comfortable with and that feels powerful, and that requires regular practice. As you become more aware of your 'occult make-up', adapting more advanced rituals (or the way you perform them) in line with your own style and mentality should become easier later on.

 

[pixel_fortune]

The eyes-closed option works best for me - after all, I try to imagine myself as a towering figure within the infinity of outer space, which is hard to do when I simultaneously see my bed, the bookshelf, the living room door, etc.

Ha, this was the one part I felt confident there was a consensus on

Not shocked to learn once again that there's NOTHING that universally works better for everyone

 

[HoldAll]

And don't pay any heed to what people says the LBRP does - it banishes 'bad energies'? I don't like to imagine that I'm surrounded by anything 'bad' and invisible in the place where I live, what am I, an astral hypochondriac? Or: "The LBRP drives away the bad spirits as well as the good ones". Why should the good spirits flee from holy names? And so on. The feelings I actually and genuinely have while doing the LBRP count, not the ones I should have according to some self-appointed 'authorities' on the internet.

 

[stratamaster78]

I simultaneously see myself in my room and in an infinite Cosmic/Astral space.

I draw the Pentagrams with the Sword Mudra and then take a long deep breath drawing in Energy and then perform the Sign of the Enterer so that both hands pierced the center and I project Blue Energy through the Center while I vibrate the appropriate God Name.

The Pentagram then Activates and starts flaming in Blue and Crackling and the Energy I sent out in Blue comes back and wraps around me in my SoS but in a Filtered balanced way when I do the sign of Silence.

The Pentagrams are also projected a few feet away in my room to make sure the entire perimeter of my room is the boundary of my SOS but in my Astral space it’s further out.

The Archangels are evoked just outside of the Pentagrams Guarding my Qtrs.

I also visualize everything in my Physical space and my Astral space simultaneously.

I have my eyes half open when I draw everything and I’m in sort of a Trace and can visually see the Energy lines in sort of a light vapor how you see heat waves coming off pavement.

In my Mind’s eye I see everything in a more colorful way. The Pentagrams are bright blue/white with bright white/gold lines connecting them.

I continually reinforce the visualizations during the ritual. If it starts to fade I do breath work and close my eyes and focus on making the visuals more vibrant.

I think that’s everything.

Oh I also draw everything with the energy that I’ve pulled in with breathwork.

I take energy from Divinity/Kether and send it into the earth/Malkuth and then pull it back to Tipareth and out of my hands.

I never use my own energy.

Ok now I think that’s everything.

If I left anything out feel free to ask me questions.

 

[Art Thurian]

After 2 years of physical daily training, I decided to work these days only mentally which means that I always make LBRP mentally/astrally before any ritual, which works perfectly for me.