An LV-426 Setian adaptation of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.
The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (or LBRP for short) is a magical procedure developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It involves casting a magician’s circle, tracing pentagrams in the air, and reciting divine names of power to repel any chaotic or qliphothic forces that might be hanging around you.
The litany for this rite was adapted from a traditional Jewish prayer that is recited before sleeping:
In the Name of God, the God of Israel: may Michael be at my right hand, Gabriel at my left, Uriel before me, Raphael behind me, and above my head, the presence of God.
The actual Golden Dawn procedure is much more complicated than just a bedtime prayer, requiring the use of an altar, robes, and various ritual tools. But the effect was so remarkable that even people outside the Golden Dawn started using the procedure, re-writing it to suit their own needs. More than a century later, a Google search for “LBRP” will retrieve countless variants of the rite that are now used in various faiths today, including Wicca, Thelema, and even Satanism.
Upon learning that the LBRP descends from a bedtime prayer, I felt moved to draft an adaptation of my own. This version of the rite is written from an LV-426 Setian perspective, which means it is much simpler than what most ceremonial magicians are probably used to. You can include an altar and any additional ritual items you wish, but this is entirely optional. The only things you really need are yourself and a nice quiet place where you can be alone.
The Procedure
Stand facing north, with your eyes closed. Count down silently from 100. Then raise your head up high and recite:
In the Name of
SUTEKH,
God of Deshret.
Open your eyes and turn slowly to the left, facing west. Raise both your hands in the sign of the horns, pointing up to the sky.
Draw a horned pentagram in the air before you with your left hand; imagine a red light trailing behind your fingertips, so there is an invisible afterglow. Then, arms still raised into the air, recite:
Hear me,
NUBTI of Ombos,
Golden One,
Provider of Life on the Frontier.
Turn to the left, facing south. Draw another pentagram in the air, in the same manner. Then, arms still raised, recite:
Hear me,
TYPHON of Aegyptos,
Disturber of the Dark,
Giver of Winds.
Turn to the left, facing east. Repeat the same procedure; then recite:
Hear me,
HADAD of Kemet,
Savior of Khepera,
Hero of the Light.
Turn to the left, so that you are facing north once again. Draw one last pentagram in the air; then recite:
Hear me,
ASH of the Oases,
Horned Night-Hunter,
Wanderer of the Wastes.
Gently lower your arms and close your eyes. Remain silent for a few moments; then recite:
I am
SUTEKH’S Child,
the Dazzling One in mortal flesh.
I alone am Sovereign Ruler
of my innermost self.
Raise your left hand in the sign of the horns, pointing west. Recite:
May
NUBTI
ever be at my left;
I will survive and persevere
in all hostile terrain.
Raise your right hand in the sign of the horns, pointing east. Recite:
May
HADAD
be ever at my right;
I will smite the forces of isfet
and champion the Light.
Keeping both arms in the air, take a half-step backwards, so that your left foot is behind you. Recite:
May
TYPHON
ever be behind me;
I will ride the winds of change
and create myself anew.
Take a half-step forwards (with your arms still in the air), so that your right foot is before you. Recite:
May
ASH
ever be before me;
I will drink sweetwater
in the Desert between the Worlds.
Rise into a standing position and cross your arms over your chest, with your hands still in the sign of the horns. Close your eyes once more and recite:
May the presence of
SUTEKH
be ever upon my crown.
Silently count backwards from 100; then open your eyes and go forth by day.