113 lines
7.6 KiB
Plaintext
113 lines
7.6 KiB
Plaintext
Notes on the Star Ruby
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by Frater H'yitem k-Elohim
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Aleister Crowley wrote the Star-Ruby ritual as an improved and ThelemAlthough it is one of the most
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beautiful and powerful rituals left to us by the prophet, it is one of the
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least frequently used by Thelemic magicians. This, no doubt, is due in large
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measure to the fact that much of the ritual is in Greek, a language few modern
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magicians read or speak; the matter is further complicated by the fact that
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both of the printed versions of the Star-Ruby contain significant errors in
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the Greek spells, and also disagree with each other. However, these problems
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are easily dispelled with the help of a good lexicon, and once the language
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barrier is broken, the ritual is in no way more difficult to master than the
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ordinary Pentagram ritual. The magician stands at the beginning in the center
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of the circle, assuming the god-form of Hoor-paar-kraat [the Egyptian for the
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Greek Harpocrates, -Ed.]. After inhaling as deeply as possible, he cries:
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APO PANTOS KAKODAIMONOS!
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(APO PANTOS KAKODAIMONOS!)
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As he makes this cry, he sweeps his hand back and out, afterward retiring it
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once again in the sign of Hoor-paar-kraat. The words, translate, "Away from
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me, all evil spirits!" The magician thus banishes at the outset all forces
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which seek to interfere with his True Will. This done, he forms the
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qabalistic cross, essentially identical to the Hebrew version used in the
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Lesser Pentagram. Touching the forehead, he says: "SOI (SOI)," touching
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member "W FALLE (O PHALLI)," the right shoulder, "ISCTROS (ISCHUROS),"
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touching the left shoulder, "ETCARISTOS (EUCHARISTOS)," and clasping the
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hands on the breast, "IAW (IAO)." The next part of the ritual consists of the
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formulation of the pentagram and the vibration of the divine Names. The
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method of forming the pentagrams is different than in the ordinary Pentagram
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ritual; instead of tracing them into the air, the magician visualizes them in
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his forehead, and then hurls them with his hands towards the quarter, assuming
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as he does so the god-form of Horus [i.e., The Sign of the Enterer -Ed.] and
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vibrating the divine Name. Here however, we encounter a problem: the names
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given in The Book of Lies are different than those given in Magick In Theory
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and Practice. The latter gives THERION in the East, NUIT in the North,
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BABALON in the West, and HADIT in the South. The former reads CHAOS in the
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East, BABALON in the North, EROS in the West, and PSYCHE in the South. (see
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diagram 1.) The version in Magick is perhaps preferable, both because the
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names are closely related to the formul<75> of the <20>on, and because these
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attributions are reinforced in Liber V vel Reguli (The Ritual of the Mark of
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the Beast, quo vide). Note that the circle is formed in the opposite
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direction to that in the Lesser Pentagram; remember also to retire in the sign
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of Hoor-paar-kraat after each pentagram is hurled. The circle completed and
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sealed, we now come to a part of the ritual that has no counterpart in the
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Lesser Pentagram: the Paian, and the invocation which precedes the evocation
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of the Angels of the Quarters. The magician chants IO PAN, simultaneously
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forming the signs of N.O.X., which are as follows: Puella, (girl), with head
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slightly bowed, the right hand covering the breast, and the left hand covering
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the genitals; Puer (boy), head erect, right hand raised, with the upper arm
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exactly horizontal and the forearm at a right angle to it, and the thumb
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extended at a right angle to the fingers, while the left hand rests at the
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genitals, the fingers clenched, the thumb extending in the imitation of a
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Phallus; Vir (man), head slightly forward, clenched fists raised to the
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temples with thumbs protruding outwards imitating horns; and Mulier (woman),
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head thrown back, feet widely separated, arms raised in a crescent as if
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inviting embrace. The signs of N.O.X. thus trace a state of gradually
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increasing exaltation, beginning with the modest shyness of the young girl
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awaiting her lover, to the abandoned ecstasy of the last sign, in which the
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magician is completely rapt away in the love of Pan. At this point, the
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magician is sufficiently exalted to proceed to the evocation of the Angels,
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which he does (like any good Gnostic) in Greek. The meaning of this imposing
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spell, with the exception of the names of the Angels, is the same as in the
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Lesser Pentagram: "Before me ________, behind me ________, etc." until ".and
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in the column stands the six-rayed star." The pronunciation is given here
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underneath the Greek words:
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Pro mou Iugges, opiso mox Teletarcai, epi dexia Sunoces,
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Pro mou Iungges, opiso mou Teletarchai, epi dexia Sunoches,
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ep'arisera Daimonos. Flegei gar peri mou o aster ton pente,
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ep'aristera Daimonos. Phlegei gar peri mou ho aster ton pente,
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kai en thi sthlhi o asthr ton ex esthke.
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kai en tei stelei ho aster ton hex esteke.
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With regard to pronunciation, please note that G is always hard, as in goat;
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Ch as in Loch Ness, not as in cheese; u by itself as in German <20>ber, or
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English excuse; ou as in rouge; and ai is pronounced like y in sky. THIS
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PARAGRAPH COULD NOT BE READ IN FROM DISK After the evocation of the Angels,
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the magician repeats the cross qabalictic, as at the beginning. Crowley then
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goes on to say, ".and end as thou didst begin", which may suggest a repetition
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of the phrase "Apo Pantos Kakodaimonos." This must remain a matter of
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personal preference, since he may be referring only to the cross qabalistic.
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The student will note that Crowley does not specify an attribution of the
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Elements to the Quarters. If the student wishes to use such an attribution,
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it is possible to simply use the attributions as they are given in the
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Pentagram ritual; in my opinion, however, it makes more snese to use the
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attributions of Liber V vel Reguli, since the same god-names are employed, as
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well as the same signs (those of N.O.X.). These attributions are as follows:
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Earth in the East, Air in the North, Water in the West, and Fire in the South.
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Similarly, they may wish to make one of the signs of N.O.X. at each of the
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Quarters, as in the Mark of the Beast. In this case, the attributions are as
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follows: Puella in the North, Puer in the South, Vir in the East, and Mulier
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in the West. It is also quite effective to employ a spiral dance during the
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Paian, although a little more complex. If this is done, the magician may
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simply stop at each of the Quarters long enough to make the sign of that
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Quarter, then proceed through the spiral dance, continuing the chant, until he
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finally arrives at the center of the circle, there to evoke the Angels of the
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Quarters. The possibilities are endless. The advantages of this ritual for a
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Thelemic magician are considerable (although not beyond question), simply
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because most Thelemites have a more intense emotional reaction to the name
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'Nuit' than to the name 'Adonai.' The Greek, while certainly a bit more
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difficult to memorize than the English in the Lesser Pentagram, is also more
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effective for many people, partly because of the beauty of the sound of it,
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and perhaps even more, because it is unintelligible. (See Crowley's
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discussion of the Barbarous Names in Magick In Theory and Practice). Crowley
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notes in a footnote to both versions that the true sense of the Names is to be
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sought in the numeration thereof. Space prohibits an analysis of this matter
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here, and perhaps it is better for each student to work these matters out for
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himself as practice familiarizes him with this beautiful and powerful ritual.
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