Wind, commented on my last post, asking if I would share the modifications I use for the BRH and Watchtower rituals. I figured I would do it here for those that are interested.
I want to point out that I use these very rarely. Theyare not part of my regular rotation of practices anymore and to be honest it’s usually nostalgia that sparks their use more than need. That said, they are perfectly fine rituals and there are certain Servitors, sigils, and engines that I created back in the day within that Pentagram/Hexagram/Watchtower space that seem to be recalled up better within that space than any other.
Anyway, here is a list of the mods that I use.
LBRP: other than using my Universal Centering Excercise before the Quabalistic Cross, there are no other modifications I make to this ritual. Its pretty damn good as is for what it is.
BRH: I throw out the entire Analysis of the Keyword. I think it is lame and based on false understanding of the word IAO both historically and energetically. I also do not like the fact that in a series of rituals that are relying primarily on a Judeo Christian current, we are suddently invoking Isis, Apophis, and Osiris. Its just shoddy.
Instead, I simply intone IAO with the mudras that I gave in Protection and Reversal Magic. A single finger on the right hand pointed to the 3rd eye while intoning I (EEEEE). The right hand than lowers over the heart with the palm facing inward as you sound A (AH). The right hand than lowers over the groin, palm facing up index and thumb tips touching as you sound O (OH). All gestures are given about 6 inches from the actual body and are meant only to trigger the residing of that sound within the central channel. They were taught to me by a Martinist who claimed they were from the Russian tradition. I have no idea if that is correct, but they do work well.
I have written at length about the word but suffice to say that it is both a shamanic word that represents the full spectrum of sound (notice where in the mouth each letter revirbrates: lips, midmouth, throat) and represents the planetary spectrum I=Saturn, A=Sun, O=Moon. There are other mysteries of this word, but that is enough for now.
The drawing of Hexagrams I keep pretty much exactly the same, sounding Ararita with each one.
At the end, rather than the analysis of the keyword, I repeat the above gestures adding in the sound “M” (mmmm) at the end with the hands in prayer position at the chest.
WATCHTOWER: I keep the intro with the bells and Hekas and all that jazz. I keep the sequence of watchtowers (FWAE). I shake the fire wand three times at the quadrant and begin to pore breathe the element in question, drawing it from the quadrant. Than as I walk clockwise around the circle rather than speaking the quote from the Chaldean Oracles (and when after all the phantoms have vanished… etc) I remain in a state consumed by the qualities of that element. I draw the pentagram and do the sign of the enterer, and repeat the three names from the middle of the tablet. I do NOT trace the sign of Leo within it, and I do not intone the name of the king of the quadrant as is done in some versions. What I do instead is release the fire from within me that was breathed in prior as an offering. I make the gesture of offering, and spend a moment looking through the pentagram/gate into the watchtower of fire. If signs appear I take note of them. I say “in the names and letters of the great southern quadrangle, I invoke and thank ye, you angels of the watchtower of fire.”
I repeat the same process for the other three quadtants.
The rest of the ritual is exactly the same except that I use my “Rending of space” gesture rather than Rending the Veil. If you think that they are the same gesture, than you really do not understand the rending of space. If you cannot feel physical pressure on the backs of your hand as you do the rending of space, than you are NOT doing it.
Anyway, that’s it in a nutshell.
Love the adaptation; Using Isis, Apophis and Osiris never made a hell of a lot of sense to me either, and I cut it out early on. Seems like the original GD’s attempt to sync so many different streams might have been taken a little too far beyond “logical and sensible syncretism” in this case
Yeah, I never liked the Analysis of the Keyword in practice either. I’ve made some alternate connections, that I haven’t fully worked out yet into practice, but there’s INRI – Yod Nun Resh Yod – Yechidah Nephesh Ruach Yechidah and also IAO – IESOUS ALPHA OMEGA. But with LVX, I have no idea. All feels a bit like cheerleading.
Cheerleading! Oh, I don’t think I can ever do it again now without thinking of that.
I can kind of jive with the idea of Ararita being compatible with any pantheon, and the BRH expressing that all deities (including that Egyptian set) are emanations of one, but I do prefer the kind of streamlined distillation of these rites that you presented here. Thanks for sharing it, Jason.
My problem is that I installed this GD operating system years ago, and in some ways it’s still effective for me, but now I’m running a lot more Buddhist software, and I get stuck on the whole Jehova thing. I used to get some juice out of the poetic elaborations of the watchtower that Regardie recommends in Ceremonial Magic, like the prayers of the elementals. Just my Celtic blood resonating with that kind of imagery, I guess.
But nowadays, if I use something like the watchtower, I’m more inclined to want to find the essence of it in the same five elements used in tantric energy practices, without too much creator god emphasis. I’m even tempted to replace the whole “Glory unto thee sole wise, merciful etc…” with a prayer for generating bodhicitta and a dedication of merit.
Those are nice revisions to the Watchtower! I especially like how you incorporate pore-breathing the elements, which as a Qigong student seems to me like it would be a LOT more effective than walking the circle while reciting the Oracle text.
I’m going to have see about integrating some of these changes myself and retesting. Off the bat, I’m thinking that these optimizations might explain the differences in our data sets on this ritual. The version I tested had a few small tweaks but it was basically the standard one.
@ Wind: There is no reason not to link the watchtower up to the Tantric 5 element system. Anytime you run up against the Jehova issue, simply remind yourself that when you refer to “lord of the universe” or some other appelation, you are referring to something like Samantabadra. Certainly works like the Kunjed Gyalpo go on and on about Kuntuzangpo in a similar way to western prayers. The difference is in the view that is held.
In fact, watchtower or similar rites, can be an excellent accompanyment to Togyal or Zernga practice, if you are familiar with either of those.
@Ananael Qaa: I am glad that you like it. It has a nice kick I think. The biggest difference is that rending of space.
Although I’ve never made a regular practice out of the Watchtower ritual, it was one of the first I ever came across, very early in my magical career, and the form of it left a big impression on me. I love the idea of pore-breathing, offering, and reflecting through the gates. Personally, though, (and this is probably just my personal mindset) the Chaldean Oracle quotes always seemed too “magical” to do away with; I love the idea of tweaking the ritual so that the quotes could correspond with the offerings, though.
Something I read years ago in Ben Rowe’s The Book of Seniors that has always stuck with me is his view of the elemental kings as “a link between the Briatic and the Yetziratic levels of the Tablet, [binding] together all the forces within the Tablet”. On this basis alone I’d want to include them in the ritual, but again, this is all just speculation for me.
Thanks again for all of the info. I have sometimes thought of plugging the Samantabadra view into that paradigm.
Not familiar yet with the Togyal and other practice you mentioned, but I did pick up Heart Drops of Dharmakaya on your recommendation. I just haven’t really dug in yet because it seems like the preliminary practices would require a pretty extensive retreat, and possibly empowerment?