Thursday, October 23, 2008

MADRIAX: An Enochian Hexagram Ritual

This ritual has been in development for a long time. I published the original version on the Internet in 2000, and a number of different web sites have archived that version. That older version can be found here, among other places. The link is to a Wiccan ritual site, and while I have to admit I find the idea of Wiccan Enochian magicians kind of incongruous, I think it's great that they were willing to archive it and keep it available for interested students. The 2000 version of this ritual has a number of issues, though I will say that I was still able to get pretty good results with it for a number of years. I've recently rethought various things based on my revisions to the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram that I think will make it work a lot better. I'm not going to go through a step-by-step comparisons of the 2000 version and this 2008 version, but since the previous version has been archived you can do that yourself.

One of the biggest changes is the use of the unicursal hexagram, which I have found to work well with the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram as well. A while back Michael Sanborn put up an article suggesting that the unicursal hexagram represents a hyperbola. Unfortunately, Sanborn's article does not seem to be available online at present, so I will summarize the basic idea. A quick look at the hyperbola confirms that the unicursal hexagram maps onto it particularly well.



Just imagine the upward and downward curves overlapping while the dotted red cross stays where it is and becomes solid.

Sanborn goes on to explain that he feels the unicursal hexagram is more elemental than planetary. I'll go further - I think that the unicursal hexagram specifically represents the macrocosmic aspect of the elements, much like the elemental hexagrams of the original Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram. The hyperbola is an excellent representation of the microcosm and macrocosm with one side of the curve representing "above" and the other "below." Overlap the two, as in the unicursal hexagram, and there you have it - an operant field.

Aleister Crowley outlined the elemental associations of the unicursal hexagram in The Book of Thoth. What you do is map the figure onto the Tree of Life centered on Tiphareth, so the upper point on the left side is Fire (Geburah, Mars), the upper point on the right side is Water (Chesed, Jupiter), the lower point on the left side is Air (Hod, Mercury) and the lower point on the right side is Earth (Netzach, Venus). As far as tracing the figure goes for each element, I have adapted the basic Golden Dawn principle that for elemental figures you trace toward the associated point to invoke and away from the associated point to banish. In addition, in keeping with the hyperbola association, you always trace to or away from the top or bottom point. The invoking form may be thought of as bringing the two curves into an overlapping position, while the banishing form may be thought of as separating them back into the normal hyperbola configuration.

In this revised ritual the four elements are arranged in the standard zodiacal order as in the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram - Fire = East, Earth = South, Air = West, and Water = North. The names vibrated are those of the Kings from the Heptarchia Mystica, Fire = BABALEL (Mars), Earth = BALIGON (Venus), Air = BNASPOL (Mercury), and Water = BYNEPOR (Jupiter). The use of planetary names with the elemental unicursal hexagram represets the union of the planetary and elemental realms, the microcosm and macrocosm. The "above" and "below" points of the ritual are then attributed to BNAPSEN (Saturn) and BLUMAZA (Luna). The figures traced for these points are the usual planetary hexagrams, not the unicursal. When working with the Holy Table the figures form a column running from the heavens to the earth with the hexagram on the Holy Table itself at its midpoint. When working without the table, the column is centered on and surrounds the magician as in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram ("and in the column stands the six-rayed star").

The final figure in this ritual is attributed to BOBOGEL (Sol). In the 2000 version of the ritual the heptagram of Sol was traced over the magician following the other heptagrams, but I have now moved it to the beginning of the rite replacing the Keyword Analysis in the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram. It is combined with the invoking unicursal hexagram of Earth to symbolize the invocation and grounding of the solar force.

In this version of the ritual I have removed the calling upon of the Governors at the directions to focus solely on the Heptarchial symbolism.

The revised ritual follows.
  1. Trace the invoking unicursal hexagram of Earth over yourself while vibrating BOBOGEL. This tracing is done is the following manner: forehead -> left hip -> right shoulder -> genitals -> left shoulder -> right hip -> forehead. This hexagram is visualized in yellow-gold as opposed to the usual green. It is always traced in the invoking form, even for the banishing form of the ritual.

  2. In the east, trace the unicursal hexagram of Fire in scarlet red as you vibrate BABALEL.

  3. In the south, trace the unicursal hexagram of Earth in emerald green as you vibrate BALIGON.

  4. In the west, trace the unicursal hexagram of Air in orange as you vibrate BNASPOL.

  5. In the north, trace the unicursal hexagram of Water in blue as you vibrate BYNEPOR.

  6. Above you, trace the hexagram of Saturn in black as you vibrate BNAPSEN.

  7. Below you, trace the hexagram of Luna in violet as you vibrate BLUMAZA.

  8. Extend your arms and make one full clockwise rotation (or circumambulation of the temple if you are using the Holy Table) as you vibrate TA CALZ I OROCHA ("as above the firmament so beneath you", probably the best Enochian rendering of "as above, so below"). Then clasp your hands over your heart for a moment and hold the full visualization of the rite.

  9. For the invoking form, hold your hands in front of you with the palms facing outwards and then separate them as though opening a heavy curtain as you vibrate MADRIAX CARMARA, YOLCAM LONSHI ("o ye heavens of Carmara, bring forth power"). Carmara is the eighth Heparchial King who rules over the other seven.

  10. The ritual work for which you opened the field goes here.

  11. At the conclusion of this work, hold your hands in front of you and to either side with palms facing inwards, and then bring them together as though closing a heavy curtain as you vibrate MADRIAX CARMARA, ADRPAN LONSHI ("o ye heavens of Carmara, cast down power").

This is the invoking form of the ritual. For the banishing form, you would turn to each direction going in a counter-clockwise order (East -> North -> West -> South -> East), trace banishing hexagrams (aside from the opening Earth hexagram which should always be the invoking form), and make the final rotation/circumambulation counter-clockwise.

This ritual works with the AOIVEAE to open and close magical fields. Tomorrow I'll post a more detailed explanation of how the two rituals can be used together.

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19 comments:

Temperamentvm said...

Your book contains the version where the attributes follow Kelley's Vision of the Watchtowers. I've doing it that way (Fire-East, Air-North ...) instead of using the ones above. I've been meaning to ask you if you have found any difference in efficacy between the 2 versions?

Scott Stenwick said...

This post is years older than my Enochian series, and was written back when I was using it as a sort of Enochian operant field, with the same directional attributions as the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram.

Both this version and the one in the book are pretty effective. The later version using the Watchtower directions derived from my interpretation of the diaries feels a little cleaner, but there isn't a big difference.

There might be if I were trying to call up a single sub-quadrant - like Angels of Medicine of the east or something like that. But since you want all four sub-quadrants when you use the practical powers, I hardly ever do that and it isn't usually an issue.

master bates said...

@Scott, would you then completely dismiss the unicursal hexagram where the elements are arranged in the same order as they are on the pentagram, and completely replace it with this planetary/qabalistic model?

Scott Stenwick said...

Not at all. The unicursal can also be used elementally, as I do here:

https://ananael.blogspot.com/2014/12/comselh-ananael-lesser-ritual-of.html

It just can be used in more than one way, for both elemental and planetary attributions.

master bates said...

@Scott, but for purely elemental use, then the pentagram would be the symbol of choice. Though I suppose the unicursal hexagram could be used for the active and passive spirit pentagrams, by tracing from the top point for the active, from the bottom point for the passive? Come to think of it for the madriax and caosgo active and passive symbols, perhaps.

Scott Stenwick said...

Yes, when using the unicursal hexagram with elemental attributions the top and bottom point can be considered as active and passive spirit. They can also be considered as representing the more elemental aspects of the Sun and Moon, in which Sun stands in for active and Moon stands in for passive (or, more properly, receptive).

That is why when you look at Crowley's versions of "The Hexagram of the Beast" in Liber V vel Reguli, for example, you'll see that he taught it two different ways - unicursal clockwise from top point and unicursal clockwise from center. It's fundamentally a solar glyph in that context, so you can either focus on the elemental aspect of the Sun (from top) or the pure planetary aspect of the Sun (from center).

Also, as the figure is fundamentally a hexagram, I see it as an alternative glyph for the elemental hexagrams used in the traditional Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram - representing macrocosmic rather than microcosmic elements.

master bates said...

@Scott, so how would you trace the active and passive unicursal spirit hexagrams? I suppose the tracing would have to start from the central point of the hexagram which represents Spirit (in the elemental version) and downwards to the angle of Venus (earth)for beginning the Spirit passive version;and for the Spirit active version, again stating from the central point but going upwards to the Geburah (fire) angle as the start of the spirit active hexagram...?

Scott Stenwick said...

I normally trace active spirit from the top point and passive spirit from the bottom point. But you certainly could experiment with what you're proposing here.

There is no "standard" set of attributions for the unicursal that I'm aware of. If you look around, you'll find that mine don't match other sources.

master bates said...

Ok, I tried tracing the active and passive unicursal spirit hexagrams from the top and bottom, but then found that I was also tracing the banishing hexagrams of the elements. I cannot see any other way round this apparent conundrum, unless I start from the centre point, which represents spirit anyway?

Scott Stenwick said...

That is true, but you also see that with the GD pentagrams. Invoking Air and Banishing Water are traced the same way and vice-versa, the difference being the godname and color. For Active and Passive Spirit you can trace it the same direction as long as you visualize it in bright/dark purple and use the spirit godnames.

However, you could also work with tracing from the center and see how it works. As I see it, the attributions are kind of up in the air with the unicursal and are open to experimentation.

Desmond G. said...

Hello Scott, thank you very much for sharing knowledge.
I'd like to ask. As a sequence to energize the magician.
Would the preliminary rituals in his book be correct?
Madriax, Pillars of Light, AOEVEAE. Is it necessary to set up the temple with the ring (PELE), tables or something?
Thank you.
All the best ;)

Scott Stenwick said...

Hopefully you when you are saying "his book" you mean my book, right? Because if these are in somebody else's book, they were copied and published without my knowledge or permission.

Anyway, the order goes AOEVEAE, then MADRIAX, then Pillars of Light. If you are doing them as a daily practice there's no need to set up the full Enochian temple but you probably still want to wear the ring. If you are using them as a preliminary to an Enochian operation, you will want the full temple set up for conjuring the spirits and so forth.

Desmond G. said...

Thank you very much for your reply.
Sorry if I don't express myself well, English is not my mother tongue.
I don't have the PELE ring.
Can I do the sequence without the ring? It could be dangerous?
AOEVEAE, then MADRIAX, then Pillars of Light.
All the best ;)

Scott Stenwick said...

You can do the sequence without the ring. The angels just told Dee that without it he "would accomplish nothing." So it isn't dangerous or anything like that. I've found that you can do these rituals without the ring and they work okay, but they seem to work a lot better with it.

Also, keep in mind that you can improvise a little on the ring. Yes, it's officially supposed to be gold, but it can be made with cheaper materials and still work. Again, not quite as well, but a lot better than no ring at all.

Desmond G. said...

Sooo, can I use a paper and draw the ring and wear it like Lamen for example?
Thank you ;)

Scott Stenwick said...

There also is an Enochian lamen that is different, so I would recommend that if you are using paper, you still should make it in the shape of a ring. But that's pretty easy to do with, say, gold construction paper.

Desmond G. said...

wow very good idea, so in summary:
- The sequence AOEVEAE, then MADRIAX, then Pillars of Light can be done "only with our body" although it would work better with the PELE ring
- For Enochian rituals I do need to have the materials or at least build them myself
- Alternatively to obtain energy (LVX) I can do the sequence LBRP + LIRH + MD + KC
- Which do you think would be more affective: AOEVEAE, then MADRIAX, then Pillars of Light (No ring) vs. LBRP + LIRH + MD + KC?
I will have to try it.
Thank you very much again ;)

Scott Stenwick said...

1. Yes, that is correct.
2. Again, correct.
3. I think you mean MP as in Middle Pillar, not MD. But otherwise what you have there is one of the basic sequences for daily practice that I recommend.
4. Honestly, you have to try them and see for yourself. It is very difficult to work out the most effective ritual sequence out of several for another person. There are many variables in magick that are hard to measure, the most obvious of which is the consciousness of the magician. The best way to find stuff like that out is to try it rather than asking another person, even a supposed expert.

Desmond G. said...

You're great.
Thank you so so so much ;););)