The five-pointed star of the pentagram is an ancient symbol
of protection and good luck. It represents the five
senses, man as microcosm - the image of God. In Christianity, it
represents the five redeeming wounds of Christ. It was engraved
on a ring delivered from Heaven to King Solomon by the Archangel
Raphael to help him build The Temple.
It is the basis of the most widely practiced ritual in the
Western Mysteries, used to focus and contain spiritual energy prior to
the performance of an invocation. It invokes the Four
Great Archangels with four of the holy names of God,
to form a circle of power, much like the Medicine Wheel in Native
American tradition.
The Ritual
Sprinkle your ritual space with saltwater and burn some of the
angels' favorite incense - copal or frankincense and myrrh. First
we draw the Kabbalistic Cross of Light. Stand facing the east and
imagine a brilliant and infinite white light above you. Raise
your right hand above your head and draw the light down to your
forehead as you say:
Thine, O Lord...
Draw the light down in a line through your body as you point toward your feet, saying:
Is The Kingdom...
The line of light follows your hand as you bring it up to your right shoulder, saying:
The Power...
Draw the line straight across to your left shoulder, saying:
And The Glory...
Now cup your hands to your heart, seeing and feeling the great cross of light running through you, and say:
For Ever. Amen
Now, still facing the east, point with your right hand (this time
you can use your left hand if you wish), arm outstretched,
to a point slightly higher than your head. Now trace a pentagram,
in a continuous line, starting at the bottom left corner (see
diagram above) and imagining it as a line of fire. Now
point at the center of the blazing pentagram, saying:
In the Name of the Almighty Yod-Heh-Vow-Heh
And Archangel Raphael, Prince of Air,
I draw this circle in the east.
Keeping your arm raised, turn to the south, tracing 90 degrees of
a circle of flame. Now trace another pentagram in the same
way.
Again, point to the center of the pentagram, saying:
In the name of the Almighty Ah-Don-Ai
And Archangel Michael, Prince of Light,
I draw this circle in the south.
Keeping your raised, turn to the west tracing another 90 degree
of a circle of flame. Now trace another pentagram in the
same way. Again, point to the center of the pentagram, saying:
In the name of the Almighty Eh-Ee-Yay
and Archangel Gabriel, Prince of Water,
I draw this circle in the west.
Keeping your arm raised, turn to the north, tracing another 90 degrees
of a circle of flame. Now trace another pentagram in the
same way. Again, point to the center of the pentagram, saying:
In the name of the Almighty Ag-Yu-La
And Archangel Uriel, Prince of Earth
I draw this circle in the north.
Keeping your arm raised, turn once more to the east, completing the
circle of flame, which now surrounds you with the flaming stars at each
cardinal point. Now open wide your arms and say:
Before me Raphael
(Visualized as a great yellow light with a violet aura)
Behind me Gabriel
(Visualized as a great blue light with an orange aura)
On my right Michael
(visualized as a great red light with a green aura)
On my left Uriel
(Visualized as a great green light with a reddish brown aura)
Above me the Father
(visualized a six-pointed star of two interlocking triangles)
Below me the Mother
(Another six-pointed star)
Within me the Eternal Flame
You are now within a protected sacred space and may perform an
invocation to the angel of your choice. Movement within the
circle should always be deosil (clockwise). At the end of
the ritual perform the Kabbalistic Cross again, as at the beginning.
