There was an educational video....
put out recently by Nick Farrell. Nick is an artist that I greatly admire for his knowledge, wit and no nonsense approach to the academic and practical aspects of the Western Mystery Traditions and Ceremonial Magic. I found the below video to be of sound logic and a great way to utilize the familiar Lesser Rituals of the pentagram. Please see below.
I found Nick's opinion on the overuse of the banishing form of the Pentagram Ritual to be dead on. I also think that his take on the intention associated with the ritual to be inspiring to the point that I have utilized it for the past months. I have been most pleased with the result. I have not felt any or had any ill effects from invoking more often than banishing...it was quite the opposite. I have found that a purification with water / consecration with fire ritual is what I prefer over the banishing form of the Pentagram Ritual.
I've come to the junction now of trying to reconcile the spiritual intent of the rite with the fact that the Pentagram is also elemental. What I write now may be less than controversial and more in danger of being labeled new age crap occult. I believe that the Golden Dawn, authors of the Pentagram Ritual, intended the Universal spiritual system of Hermetic Qabbalah to be integrated with all things and the Elemental Kingdoms were not an exception. I also believe that the elements are a universal system all to themselves and that the elements not only represent their base Malkuthian properties, but could be stretched to represent attitudes, personalities, as well as other human traits. Lastly, like Nick, I also believe that when tracing the Pentagram and then projection, that the individual is creating a sigil that is being "charged". The basics of sigils deals with talismanic affects or what the new agers might call the law of attraction or "like attracts like".
Therefore, I have ventured an experiment and the results to date have been very positive. Before I take on an invoking pentagram ritual, I purify and consecrate and then invoke the highest in prayer. Still in that state of mind I perform the Q. Cross and then begin the LIPR. My rite as a prayer to the highest has not changed, only the elemental flavor. While tracing the pentagrams, I say aloud a positive trait or characteristic that I want to invoke of the elemental quadrant I am facing and then finish them off with a good projection.
