One of the first encounters in Magick is ritual terms like ‘Lesser,’ ‘Greater,’ and ‘Supreme.’ What do they actually mean? And which should you practice?
While my viewers know the answer, checking Occult subreddits during the holidays made me think others could benefit from addressing it. So what better time than the beginning of the year when many embark on a Magickal journey?
The idea is to provide a general overview, not an exhaustive explication of the individual techniques.
Lesser vs. Greater
The first to clarify is that:
- Lesser doesn’t mean less special or exciting.
- Greater and Supreme don’t imply more and most special and exciting.
It’s a terminology describing rituals serving different purposes. So, let’s start with the first.
Lesser Rituals
The term Lesser translates into:
- General,
- Unimportant,
- Nonspecific,
- Preliminary,
- Non-particular, etc.
In Golden Dawn-based approaches, the Lesser rituals set operational, magickal, or sacred space or field. They enable a working to take place. Analogies include:
- Creating a ‘working frame.’
- Building a structural foundation.
- Providing a ‘clear or blank slate or canvas’ when using the conventional ‘banishing-banishing.’ approach.
According to the more unconventional Operant Theory, combining different Lesser rituals creates different ‘frames.’ Think of this as filters, pre-determining the scope of your workings. For example:
- Lesser banishing rituals create more sterile and isolated environments.
- Lesser invoking rituals engage the external world more directly. More on that by the end and in my manual on the approach.
The bottom line is this: Lesser rituals commence your operations. So they are special in their own right.
The Pentagram precedes the Hexagram, which low-key alludes to the concept that before approaching the hexagram, you should master the mysteries of the pentagram.
Other applications of the Lesser rituals include:
- Banishing after workings,
- Separating thought forms from your aura,
- Purification, centering, and grounding with the LRP when feeling overwhelmed, jittery, or uneasy.
Earth
The Lesser Pentagram (LRP) utilizes the Earth element. This is symbolic, as Earth synthesizes all others, which is found in:
- The sphere of Malkuth in the Tree, and
- The lower shaft of the Rose Cross.
The first is the result of all processes in the Tree. The second is the synthesis of Spirit after its expansion into the upper shafts. Both ascribe to the Earth element, sharing many commonalities with Spirit, as both contain everything:
- The first is the potential and
- The second is its manifested form.
More on that is in my Rose Cross cheat sheet.
Elemental Hexagrams
The Lesser Hexagram (LRH) identifies you with the sun surrounded by the Zodiac belt. Traditionally, it uses the GD Elemental hexagrams, assigned to the cardinal positions as follows:
- Aries Fire — East;
- Earth Capricorn — South;
- Air Libra — West;
- Water Cancer — North;
This enables you to work from a position of great balance.
Saturn
Alternatively, LRH uses Saturn-Earth hexagrams which can be Unicursal. The reason again is that Saturn, which is Binah, is the thirty-second path of Tav, the Universe card, and the four Elements right above Malkuth, the throne of Binah. Now, let’s cover what this means in the cases of LRP and LRH.
Microcosm
The pentagram represents:
- The microcosm, or small and inner world;
- The personal realm or sphere of being,
- The Elements forming our psychological makeup.
The LRP is a microcosmic ritual, working with microcosmic or Elemental influences like:
- Entities,
- Energies,
- Thoughtforms, etc.
It doesn’t cover things beyond the personal sphere, which proceeds right after the skin.
The banishing form, LBRP, eliminates or disconnects anything connected to it. The invoking LIRP brings into it forces from the immediate environment. For beginners, it heightens awareness of those which have always been around.
Macrocosm
The Hexagram represents:
- Macrocosm, or bigger and external world or universe;
- Inter- and transpersonal sphere and realms.
Microcosmically, this seems separated and different for each individual. Magick ascribes macrocosmic influences to:
- The classical planets and the Sun, and
- The twelve Zodiac signs.
The Lesser hexagram deals with these. Its banishing form purifies the astral realm from such influences. The invoking engages them. This is what the earlier mentioned ‘great balance’ enables.
The key point here is that, Like the LRP is not a specific Elemental but a general Microcosmic rite, LRH is not a specific Planetary or Zodiac but a general Macrocosmic one. Now, let’s proceed with the next stage, the Greater and Supreme rituals.
Greater Rituals
The opposite of what we covered thus far applies here. Magickally, Greater, and Supreme translate into:
- Specific,
- Peculiar,
- Particular, etc.
The main function of the Greater and Supreme rituals is attuning your space or field to a particular force. For example:
- In the case of the Greater Pentagram (GRP), this is an Element.
- In that of the Greater Hexagram (GRH), a planet or a Zodiac Sign.
Greater and Supreme rituals have dedicated variations for each force they work with. This combines:
- Symbols,
- Colors,
- God names, etc.
So, yes, they are special in this way. Lesser rituals don’t serve their purpose. Leave such misconceptions in the previous year and consider Greater and Supreme rituals as:
- Adding predominant shades and outlines to your canvas.
- Building on top of your structure.
Besides attuning the space, the Greater and Supreme Pentagrams can also bring the four Elements in a balanced way. More on that in a moment.
SRP
This brings us to the Zodiac Signs, which ascribe to both an Element and a Planet. The original GD used the Supreme Pentagram (SRP) for both Elements and Zodiac signs.
They also used a four-element SRP to start their operations. This makes sense as besides Angelic and higher sephirothic names, SRP incorporates personal and transpersonal forces.
OBW
Emphasizing banishings for the Lesser rites, Regardie built the Opening By Watchtower (OBW) on SRP. OBW is a single variation which is four elements.
It intends to optimize your space for mystical and practical operations. So it’s also a foundational and preliminary rite. More on that in my cheat sheet on the rite.
Modifications
When reforming the Golden Dawn into Astrum Argentum, Crowley included several adjustments:
- Streamlining the Supreme into a Greater Pentagram excluding Zodiac signs and Enochian names.
- The Supreme Hexagram, which originally didn’t cover Zodiac signs, was rebuilt into the Greater, now including both planets and signs, as they are both macrocosmic.
- Unlike SRH using GDs elemental hexagrams, GRH handles all these through variations of the Saturn-Earth hexagram, which can be Unicursal.
- Like the Lesser Hexagram kept by the GD for its inner order, these Greater rituals were incorporated into the outer order.
There’s an argument that these were simplifications. I beg to disagree regarding GRH, as it works with the dual natures of planets and signs. It can also work with the Elements, as covered in my videos on:
- GRH vs. SRH and
- The Unicursal Hexagram.
Regarding SRP, I feel it has more resemblance with the Thelemic Liber V and more inner order GRP, which both place you above Tiphereth.
While this is a separate discussion, such rites don’t necessarily attune you only to elements but transpersonal (global) currents and egregores. But these are just personal observations, so let’s recap the most essential we covered.
Recap
To sum it all up, here are a few takeaways:
- No type of ritual is more important or special than the other. All are special, serving their purposes.
- The Lesser rituals are general and used for nonspecific invocations and banishings. They create a magical space.
- The Lesser rituals commence and often conclude practices.
- The Greater and Supreme rituals are specific.
- The Greater and Supreme rituals attune the magickal space to a particular force.
Think of it like this.
The Lesser rituals enable Greater and Supreme rituals. The Greater and Supreme rituals enable practical Magick.
— POTB
Some claim no one has ever accomplished enlightenment or practical results with only Lesser rituals. My question is, has anyone achieved either without them? But that’s just my opinion. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you for your time!