I have been practicing a set of beginning exercises for a while now. Obviously, it may not be months, but it certainly seems like it. Beginning exercises always get boring and then start to seem as if they are useless ritual by rote. It almost feels like “busy work,” like you used to be assigned in “study hall” in high school.

Nevertheless, rest assured, beginning exercises do serve a very distinct set of purposes, three of which I talk about here.

Beginning exercises might be simple, but they are not “easy.” Memorization is the key. If you can memorize a beginning exercise so that you can do it without notes, then you are on your way to making radical change. Time is one of the key factors in the beginning stages. It might seem easy to do, but it is not – when you are doing a beginning exercise, all kinds of life pops up to say “You don’t have time.” So do your best to make time, regardless of how insignificant it may seem to you. Boredom will eventually set in. It is inevitable. New exercises are exciting, but once you have done them for a while, it seems that they take on a rather stagnant feel to them. Push through this, and you will be rewarded considerably. Be forewarned: “ease” is so not the same thing as “simplicity!”

Beginning exercises initiate change. You will begin to drop old habits and self-limiting thought patterns as you continue to push through that “stagnant” stage mentioned above. Even if you do not notice the change right away, rest assured it is there. You will notice it, because over time, you will realize that certain amounts of time have come and gone, and big things have taken place in such a gradual way that they seemed “easy” to get through. When those changes start to happen, you may feel frustrated, discouraged, or (in some extreme cases) that your life is falling utterly to pieces. Again, this is something that you have to push through to get to the reward. Do not give up in the middle of your exercises and change things mid-stream. Change is never easy, but always necessary.

Beginning exercises lay a foundation. In actuality, the foundation that is laid is a foundation for just such change as I mentioned above. The foundation will stay with you throughout your practice with a specific system or technique. However, you have to realize, through all of this, that the foundation is the most significant aspect of making these radical movements in your life. Foundations often protect. In a house, foundations protect the floor from the elements, to some degree, so that it is not bombarded with destructive forces. Likewise, the foundation that you lay in these beginning exercises will increase your resolve and fortitude, allowing you to combat and ricochet the external forces that may seek to do your “home” damage. Always work hard at laying that foundation. The more you put in, the more you get out. If you put in drab, emotionless, ritual by rote, you will get that back out of it once you push through that aforementioned “membrane of stagnation.”

So regardless of how long it takes you, I suggest really pushing through to the other side of those beginning exercises. As tough as it may seem to make the time, lay the foundation and initiate the change, it is so worth it in the end!

Busy-work or not, go ahead and do it. You will not regret it!

So I have undertaken the work of moving through Golden Dawn grades, all on my lonesome, with the help of Lyam Thomas Christopher and his book “Kabbalah Magic.” For those who do not know, this involves moving towards accomplishing the Great Work, the goal of which is to literally become Divine. (Although I already consider myself Divine as a basic teaching of the path that I have followed to date, I am not perfect, nor am I “united with” the Divine, in certain ways.)

This kind of work obviously causes some major changes, and in fact, I am almost a bit frightened by what could lie ahead of me. However, I suppose that old adage applies “No risk, no reward.”

I have had many goals throughout my lifetime, as I am sure most of you have, as well. They have ranged from “move to a better home” to “find a life partner” to “be wealthy enough to work from home without major financial hardships.” At one point, I believe I even had the goal of “be wealthy enough to donate to three favorite charities every month in the amount of $1,000.” Obviously, that goal crashed. I have moved to a better home, however, in a different city from where I grew up. My life partner and I have been together since February 2005. Nevertheless, I am not “wealthy enough to work from home …” and I have to admit, at one point, magick was all about money and power to me. It still is to some degree, but nowhere near what it once was. Not to mention, my thoughts are these – if I do not do the work, I will not get the results. Frankly, I think I have been shirking on the work. So this is why I am undertaking the system presented in Christopher’s book and moving forward. While I do not expect it to be the fix-all end-all system, I do know that, at some point, the system presented has to make sense and balance out for me all of the whack energies that are flying about my life right now.

Another tome that is required reading for Christopher’s course is Dion Fortune’s “The Mystical Qabalah.” Now, admittedly, this book stared out to be a hard read for me. I was not used to her methods of articulation, I suppose. It took me a chapter or two to actually start comprehending what Fortune is saying. I do think, too, that she perhaps “psychologizes” the whole thing a bit too much. Sure, it is great to use the Tree of Life as a catalog system to organize correspondences, but I am certain there is more to it than just that. Perhaps further on in the book I will get more out of it. As a person who likes to organize on paper, though, I am having fun with the book, cataloging various god forms and the like. It’s very interesting to note that, while “The Mystical Qabalah” is required reading for Christopher’s course, he doesn’t seem to be the type to psychologize ritual quite as much as Fortune seems wont to do.

Christopher gives you a daily ritual routine and asks you to stick with it. He seems to be good at encouraging you, letting you know that there are going to be some moments where you feel you are not accomplishing anything, that you are stagnant, and that the ritual is boring. However, he urges you to push through it, to the other side of this “halting membrane” and breaking through to the stuff that lies beyond.

I know there are changes coming. In this post, I have told you about some of the basic changes I have had to make so far. Not only have my goals changed up a bit, but also I have had to make actual changes in the type of material that I read, and the level of study that I put into my work. All that is good and I am quite sure these are only superficial changes, especially compared to the ones that are on the horizon.

Moreover, perhaps, once I am moving further into this system, the power available to me will be much different, and much more readily available. And while Lyam Thomas Christopher recommends not veering off into some wild tangent of discovery leading you down twelve different paths at once, I’m sure that some of my own additions to this work will only help move it forward at a faster pace.

Following, you will find the complete LBRP. I have replaced the usual hard-to-pronounce words with phonetic spellings, except that some of them are in parentheses, others are not. This a ritual that is used in Ceremonial Magick a lot, and one that I practiced for many years (and continue to utilize when I do ceremonial work).

Take your dagger in the right hand (or use the index finger). Face EAST.

Perform the Kabbalistic Cross as follows:

Imagine, at the first word intoned, a brilliant white light descend from above.

Touch the forehead and vibrate AH-TAH (thou art)

Imagine that same brilliant white light form a 6 inch diameter sphere just above the crown of your head.

Touch the middle of the solar plexus and vibrate MAHL-KOOTH (Kingdom)

Imagine a shaft of light descending from the Crown Sphere and descend to the feet where another 6 inch sphere expands just under your feet.

Touch the right shoulder and vibrate VEH-GEH-BOOR-AH (and Power)

Imagine a 6 inch sphere of brilliant white light appear just next to the right shoulder.

Touch the left shoulder and vibrate VEH-GEH-DOO-LAH (and Glory)

Imagine a shaft of light emerge from the right Sphere and cross your breast to expand and form another Sphere at your left shoulder.

Clasp the hands before you and vibrate LAY-OH-LAHM (for ever)

At this point imagine clearly the cross of light as it extends through your body.

Hands in prayer position in front of chest, with the dagger between fingers, pointing up, vibrate AH-MEN

Note: Any image or figure traced in the air with the finger, dagger or other magical instrument, is to be imagined in brilliant scintillating blue Light. In more advanced working, other colors may be used. Make sure that all images drawn are correct, as brilliant as possible, and complete. The beginning and end of a drawn Pentagram must come completely together.

Draw, in the air facing EAST, a banishing Earth Pentagram (bottom left, up to center top, down to bottom right, up to left tip, across to right tip and back down to bottom left). Bringing the point of the dagger to the center of the Pentagram, vibrate the Name Y H V H (pronounced YODE HEH VAHV HEH)

Imagine that your voice carries forward to the LIMITS of the UNIVERSE.

Without moving the dagger in any other direction, trace a semicircle before you as you turn toward the SOUTH. Again trace the Pentagram, bring the dagger to the center of it, and vibrate the Name ADNI, (pronounced AH-DOH-NYE)

Again, trace the semicircle with the dagger to the WEST, trace the Penta- gram, bringing the dagger to the center, and vibrate the Name EHEIH, (pronounced EH-HEY-YAY)

Then, turn towards the NORTH, while tracing the circle, trace the Pentagram, bring the point of the dagger to the center and vibrate the Name AGLA, (pronounced either AH-GAH-LAH)

Return to the EAST, completing tracing the circle of brilliant white Light, bringing the dagger point to the center of the EAST Pentagram.

Extend the arms in the form of a cross, say: BEFORE ME (then vibrate) RAPHAEL (pronounced RAH-PHYE-EHL)

Imagine a scintillating brilliant white Archangel in front of you and facing you. In his/her right hand is a magical Sword held with the point upright. The background is a pale, pure, bright yellow. Cherubs can be imagined near the Archangel. Imagine a gentle, refreshing breeze, cleansing and purifying the air.

Then, say: BEHIND ME (then vibrate) GABRIEL (pronounced GAH-BREE-EHL)
Imagine a scintillating brilliant white Archangel behind you and facing you, holding in their right hand an exquisite silver Chalice. He/she is standing on a Cerulean-blue ocean and dolphins or mermaids are nearby. Imagine feeling the mist and cool spray of the ocean breeze.

Then, say: AT MY RIGHT HAND (then vibrate) MICHAEL (pronounced MEE-KYE-EHL)

Imagine a scintillating brilliant white Archangel at your right, facing you, and holding in their right hand a transparent scarlet red Wand with a scintillate pure diamond top. Waves of scarlet, red-orange and orange fire in the background. She holds, in her left hand, a scarlet-red lotus wand. In her right hand, she holds an emerald-green ankh. Small black salamanders can be seen moving among the flames. Imagine you feel the heat and power emanating from the SOUTH.

Then, say: AT MY LEFT HAND (then vibrate) AURIEL (pronounced OAR-REE-ELL)

Imagine a scintillating brilliant white Archangel at your left, facing you, and holding between their hands a Disk with a scintillating white Pentagram in the center. The ground is russet-brown, the leaves of the trees are olive-green, there are black shadows from the trees in a number of places, and the light is citrine (light yellow-green.) Feel the solidity of the Earth, and imagine the odor of the leaves and muskiness of the ground.

Now, say: AROUND ME SHINE THE PENTAGRAMS, AND WITHIN ME SHINES THE SIX-RAYED STAR.

Imagine the complete circle of brilliant shite light at whose quadrants are the 4 flaming blue Pentagrams. At the center is the Kabbalistic Cross of Light extended through one’s body.

Repeat the Kabbalistic cross, and, according to some occultists, stamp your right foot at the conclusion of the complete operation. However, only repeat the Kabbalistic Cross (up to “Amen”) if you intend to end your work here. If you are continuing to do some magickal work, it is best to wait until the end of the whole work before repeating the Kabbalistic Cross.