Can I make up my own LBRP? Is there a wrong way to banish?

[Frumens]

I've come across many different ways to do this ritual that considered step 1 in the Golden Dawn tradition. There are versions of the Qaballistic Cross in which the first word is atah, atoh, ator, eheieh, and so on. Some people pronounce it the Hebrew way (Malkoot) and others the English way (Malkuth). And then there are a billion different names to use, from Gabriel to Cthulu!

If this ritual is so flexible, is it even possible for me to fail at it as long as I do the basic motions? How am I supposed to know which version to use? I prefer to pronounce things the Hebrew way, and I've been tempted to just make up my version. When is it okay, if ever, for me to make up my own version of the LBRP?

[xartabla]

Honestly I've just taken a LBRP I found online, and tweaked it to "feel" right. As far as I'm concerned as long as it feels correct, it should work. I work within a CM paradigm so it works for me, but if there is something more specific you are trying to do I recommend researching whatever style/path/flavor of magick you're in-to and work with it accordingly.

If you want to go off the beaten path, start from scratch. That is what people had to do when they began banishing.

[Frater_NT]

You bring up a good question, is there really a difference between all these different versions that you come across? Take your examples that you pointed out; atoh, atah, ateh. The word itself in Hebrew is spelled Aleph, Teth, Heh (ATH). When translating this into English, as you can see, there will be a letter missing, so you have to add another letter. This is where you get the different versions of Atah, Ateh, Atoh. This is the same with Malkuth. In Hebrew the word is Mem Lamed Kaph, Vav, Teth (MLKVTh) so you will also have different English versions of the spellings of this word. When it comes to the LBRP, or any of the Golden Dawn rituals that used Hebrew, its not a matter of making them custom for the user, but a translation of Hebrew into English. Of course you *could* write your own version of the LBRP, but I HIGHLY suggest you use the standard Golden Dawn version until you understand the symbolism, otherwise your version will be utterly useless. The LBRP is FAR more than just a simple banishing ritual.

Fr. N.'. T.'.

[Azkhet]

I've come across many different ways to do this ritual that considered step 1 in the Golden Dawn tradition. There are versions of the Qaballistic Cross in which the first word is atah, atoh, ator, eheieh, and so on. Some people pronounce it the Hebrew way (Malkoot) and others the English way (Malkuth). And then there are a billion different names to use, from Gabriel to Cthulu!

If this ritual is so flexible, is it even possible for me to fail at it as long as I do the basic motions? How am I supposed to know which version to use? I prefer to pronounce things the Hebrew way, and I've been tempted to just make up my version. When is it okay, if ever, for me to make up my own version of the LBRP?

There aren't any vowels in Hebrew, so A, O, E, whatever - you have to sort of infer it. And no, you can't just make it up and still be doing the LBRP - you're still doing some sort of banishing, yes, but you're no longer doing the LBRP. Hermetic-style magic doesn't have buffet options. Frater is right; learning the why of the standard ritual is key before making up a new one. It does way more than simply banish (something that will become readily apparent after you've done it a while.)

[bloodroot]

wonderful question and one that does need a thread all of its own.

I will have to agree with the last posters - prior to even thinking about "moding" the LBRP you will need to not only learn it but "become it". Additionally, you will need to learn to properly pronounce to the best of your ability the hebrew. Actually you need to learn to vibrate the words in hebrew. This is akin to almost singing each hebrew word during the rite.

Apart from this - afterwards and at the discretion of your own experience - then you may contemplate the how and why. Creating a new banishing rite as preparatory that would supersede the effects of the LBRP would be more than welcomed. Nothing wrong with questioning the old ways.

[Frumens]

In that case, I guess I'll try to get used to Ophiel's ritual since I'm reading his books at the moment. It still seems kind of weird, though. Thanks for the advice.

[Muloc7253]

When people say learn the LBRP first, fully understand its symbology etc - is this through practice and application, or is there any good reading sources for better understand the LBRP?

[Azkhet]

Question is related, I promise: Do you ride a motorcycle? Or drive a car?

[Frater_NT]

When people say learn the LBRP first, fully understand its symbology etc - is this through practice and application, or is there any good reading sources for better understand the LBRP?

Practice will teach you a lot, but so will a deep study of the qabalah.

[Frumens]

Question is related, I promise: Do you ride a motorcycle? Or drive a car?

I don't drive, but if I did I would choose the car.

[Azkhet]

So you can read about driving a car, learn the rules of the road, the different types of cars, right? And you'd be 95% useless behind the wheel of a car without any experience - student driver, watch out.

You have got to practice the rituals. There's no way around it. And do it more than twenty times. Magic is a complex skill that can only be described about a third of the way in books. It wouldn't matter if you have the Grand Mugwump of the HOGD standing there right in front of you, answering questions -- there is still a HUGE portion that is experiential, and looking for twenty explanations of the ritual won't improve your understanding. Frankly, I believe that a lot of the poorly-written, contradictory, and confusing books on ceremonial magic were written by idiots who haven't put the concepts into actual practice, so OVERstudying poor sources (most sources) is actually detrimental.