Strategic Sorcery Correspondence Course Lesson 3: Zone Rites.

Simply put, Zone rituals are magic aimed at creating or delineating a special area
that is under the control of the Sorcerer. In Paganism this is typically
accomplished by creating a witches circle, and in ceremonial magic by banishing
rituals. There are however many other methods, and the accomplished sorcerer
will know a few different methods, not just one.

Truth be told, there is a bit of an obsession in modern occultism with these two
practices, especially banishing rituals. When I was instructing members of Thelesis
Lodge in Ceremonial Magic back in the 1990's it seemed that we could never get
past banishing rituals. I actually know more than a few magicians who seem to do
no magic except banishing rituals. I have attended long ceremonies that were
nothing more than people drawing geometric shapes in the air at the four
directions. If you are one of these folks, afraid to do anything but endless LBRP's
all day and all night, please get over it. Fast.

The first thing that I want to say is that zone rites like banishings and circles are
NOT necessary for magic. There are many types of magic throughout the world
that do not make any use of them at all. In most cases nothing bad happens when
you use magic without casting a circle. Much of the magic in this course will be
things that you do on the fly or even in public places. You do not need a special
zone to do it in for it to work, the real world works just fine as it is.

In the case of banishings, you do not need to spend every day inside an insulated
bubble. It is not desirable for the practical sorcerer to spend every day inside
banished space. Now, anyone that has done work like the LBRP for long stretches
of time, knows that there is a lot more to it than banishsing: it is prayer, it is
energy work, communion with angels. It is a fine ritual that I actually respect
highly, but all those elements can be broken out into other things without having
to create a "banished space".

That said, it is true that you will sometimes want to mark off a protected zone
while doing some sensitive magic or when working with wrathful and feisty
spirits. But zone magic goes beyond simple banishing and protection. A barrier
that appears as a wall of fire to entities on the outside can also act as a lens for
those on the inside - focusing and amplifying their efforts.

Separating a zone from "ordinary reality" and placing it under your control is
actually a bit of a revolutionary act. Since the 1890's just about every scrap of
land on the globe has been claimed by one power or another. Those that aren't,
like most of Antarctica, are protected by treaty and thus also accounted for.
When a Sorcerer marks off space and by will separates it from the rest of reality,
he takes charge of that spot and responsibility for all that happens within it. This
idea of sacred space as a revolutionary tool has been explored by Hakim Bey
(Peter Lamborn Wilson) in his chapbook TAZ or Temporary Autonomous Zone.
The importance of this idea for Sorcerers is that we are not only suspending the
laws of the land, but in some cases bending the laws that the universe usually
runs by.

It is also true that when you take over a space, you can sometimes push out
forces seen or unseen that were already occupying the area. To help mitigate the
negative feelings and fallout from pushing these forces around I recommend
making an offering to spirits of the place ahead of time. In Tibetan Buddhism,
there is often a physical offering of a ritual cake called a Gektor that appeases
spirits and warns them of your intention to take over the space. In our practice a
simple offering of energy from the hands will be sufficient. If you are going to be
holding a major ceremony like an full evocation or long term vigil, than a stick of
incense or cake might make a good physical support to make the offering more
substantial. We will be talking more about offerings in two weeks, but for now,
here is a simple ritual to use when about to take over a zone.

THE ZONE OFFERING

Begin by performing the Pillar Rite as given on page 62 of TSS, with or without the
Spheres. Follow this with the Universal Center Exercise on page 42 of TSS. The
Pillar will connect you to and fill you with universal power, and the Universal
Center will establish you in a place of authority. Optionallu you can also take on
the "God Form" of a martial or wrathful diety or angel. If you don't know how to
do this, don't fret. It's not strictly necessary and we will be going over it in a future
lesson.
After these preliminaries imagine that rays of light with hooks on the end
emanate from your heart center in all directions. The stir and summon the beings
in the area that you will be working, calling them to attention. Address them with
the following, oration. As you speak, your voice should be softer and quiet at first
slowly building up to your normal voice:
All gods, guardians, and spirits of this ground and air
I stir, summon, and call you to attention.
In order that I may accomplish the work of my will
which is the same as the will of the very universe
I request that you turn this land over to me!
I ask this in the name of IAO
M
You can begin rubbing your hands together, per the gesture of offering, as you say
this. When you say the final word IAO, you should perform the last part of the
gesture and hold your hands out to release the offering. At the sound I (EEE)
emanate the energy outward. At the sound A (AH) will the offerings to take on the
shape of whatever is most desired by the recipients. At the sound O (Oh) mentally
multiply the offerings into inexhaustible clouds. After this is done make the
sound M, which is a seal upon the offering. Say the following:
May all allies and beings of good will be pleased and fulfilled
May all harm seeking and obstructing daemons
take this offering and go elsewhere!
If you transgress the command, you will be destroyed!
At this point you should will the space to clear out. If you have been using a
physical support for your offering such as food or incense, you should take this
outside of the zone that your are working in. This is VERY important.
EXORCISM FORMULAE
The EXORCISM is optional and should be fairly short. The idea being that after
you after you have warned beings that you are taking over the area, you are than
going to push whatever remains out. I do this by using what I call the "Gesture of
Eviction". To do this make a fist with your left hand and place it over your heart,
cover it with your right hand and apply about 5lbs of pressure there and imagine
that the force that you summoned forth from the column begins to concentrate
at the heart. Imagine that this power, drawn by the physical pressure and force of
will, takes the shape of a gray sphere about the size of a baseball. Visualize this
until you have it very clear in your mind.

Release the pressure and in one motion step forward with your left foot and
throw your arms outward in what it called the Sign of the Enterer. As you make
this sign, see the sphere at your heart grow. As it grows and spreads it pushes
back all malefic forces and harmful spirits. It grows past your body continues until
it stops where you wish to make the boundary.
Accompany this with some statement that reinforces your energy work such as
the classical Greek: HEKAS HEKAS ESTE BEBELOI! Or The Latin from Virgils Aenead
" PROCUL, O PROCUL ESTE, PROFANI". Both of these phrases mean "Away,
Away, all ye Profane", which if you don't like dabbling in foreign languages, works
just fine as well. In each case the phrase should be accompanied by three claps,
one for each Hekas (or Procul or Away) and one after completing the phrase.
SIEZING THE ZONE

Now we come to the heart of the matter, what to do with the space? There are
numerous options here that I break up into three basic categories: Sacred Space,
Ground Consecration, and Fortress Building.

SACRED SPACE: The consecration of sacred space is basically just meant to imbue
a certain area with a chosen psycho-spiritual ambiance. It could be consecrating it
to a certain deity, loading it with a specific elemental energy, or simply making it
"holy". In this case there is no delineation of boundary. Beings are allowed to pass
through freely and openly. If you are doing this type of work you can forgo the
Zone Offering, or at least change the last part so that you are re-inviting entities,
rather than warning them away.
Note: Just as with the book, most of the material in this class is meant to work
together and cleverly "stacked" to create full scale rituals. What you dont include
is just as important as what you do.

GROUND CONSECRATION: Some people equate the spheres and 3-d energy
structures that are used in Golden Dawn Style ceremonial magick and some
traditons of Neo-Paganism with the old circles included in the grimoires and old
style witches circles. The assumption being that they 2-d structures shown in the
grimoires were meant to be projected into three dimensions. I assure you that
they are not the same thing. In the classic grimoire circle, and in the traditional
Witches circle, or compass-round as it was often called, the ground is made holy
and thought of as a barrier established by the powers evoked in its consecration,
not as a physical wall. The idea is similar to the border between two countries like
the US and Mexico. Rather than a physical barrier enforcing the boundary it is the
power of the negotiated treaty and the threat of force that is invoked should it be
transgressed without permission.

This type of ground consecration most often takes the shape of circle, but it
doesn't need to. In some there are multiple layers to the barrier. For example in
the Heptameron there are three circles in the outer most rim are four angelic
names of that day, in the middle are names of various spirits associated with the
type of spirit to be called, and in the innermost circle are names of God associated
with the practice. Another three layer circle made from ash, water, and sulphur is
used in The Clan of Tubal Cain to represent the land of the dead, living, and
between. The practice of "Beating the Bounds" that I give on page 156 of TSS is an
example of a Ground consecration.

FORTRESS BUILDING: Fortress Building is what I call any ritual that constructs and
three dimensional energy structure around the ritualists. In this type of ritual not
only is the border enforced by the powers invoked but by an actual barrier of
energy of one kind or another.

This would include the LBRP and most modern GD/Thelema derived spacial
workings be they Banishing or Invocation rituals. Also included in this category
would be the "Vajra Palace" rituals of Tibetan Buddhism, and a lot of modern
Pagan Circle castings. Generally speaking if you see a witch drawing an Athame or
Sword in a circle on the ground, they are making a compass round, if they are
doing it at waist height in the air, they are doing a fortress building rite and their
circle will at some point "snap" into a sphere.

The advantage of this kind of zone ritual is that the specifics of how you make the
barrier can act as a spell itself. For instance, in Regardie's Opening and Closing by
watchtower, you are building actual gates to the different Pure Elemental planes
represented by the four watchtowers, these are than carefully blended into a
vortex that centers on the altar where the work is to take place. In The Vajra
Palace rituals of Tibetan Buddhism, not only is the ground protected by various
circles of elemental energy and guardians, but the barrier is constructed entirely
of atomic sized vajras, thus surrounding you with the penultimate symbol of the
tradition to aid you in your sadhana.

Below I am going to provide a few different rituals for you to try out. They all
accomplish different things. In all cases you should do the Pillar, Universal Center,
and Zone Offering exercises before delineating your boundaries.

THE SIMPLE PROTECTION CIRCLE

This circle can be drawn on the ground with either a dagger, wand, staff, sword,
or your hand. After your preliminaries move to the eastern edge of where you
want your circle to be. And say:

Gyrum Carpo! (I seize the circle!)

Move clockwise tracing a circle on the ground while saying.

Consecro et Benedico istum circulum (I consecrate and bless this circle)

per nomina dei attisimi IAO (in the name of the most powerful god IAO)
Ut sit mihi et omnibus scutum at (That it may be to me and all a shield and)
Protectie Dei fortissimi invicibile (protection in the name of the most powerful
invincible god)
Contra omnes malignos spiritus (Against all malignant spirits)
 Gerumque potestates in nomine IAO(and powers in the name of IAO)

Notes: Feel free to use either the English or the Latin. That all there is to it. By your
will it is done.

THE COMPASS ROUND

Begin in the eastern quad facing east. Touch the ground with your tool of choice
and declare the following facing east:

By the Planes of the East and the light of the Dawn

By the winds of Eurus and the waters of Cocytus
By the spirits of Air and the whirling of sylphs
Powers of the East, Arise, Witness, Bless and Guard this circle.

Move to the South

By the Deserts of the South and the brightness of Noon

By the winds of Notus and the waters of Phlegethon
By the spirits of fire and the rushing of Salamanders
Powers of the South: Arise, Witness, Bless and Guard this circle

Move to the West

By the Shores of the West and the twilight of dusk

By the winds of Zephyrus and the Waters of the Styx
By the spirits of water and flow of Undines
Powers of the West: Arise, Witness, Bless and Guard this circle.

Move to the North

By the Mountains of the West and the darkness of Midnight.

By the winds of Boreas and the waters of Acheron
By the spirits of Earth and the burrowing of gnomes.
Powers of the North: Arise, Witness, Bless, and Guard this circle

Complete the circle by connecting it to the east and Move to the center:
 All the powers of Ouranos and Highest Heavens
All the powers of Chthonos and the Deepest Depths
All the powers of the endless Horizon
I summon and bind you to this circle.
May you act as a catalyst for all that is willed within
And a wall against all that approaches from without.
SO It is and so it shall be.

Notes: This ritual not only sets a circle, but calls upon the blessings of the
Elemental powers. Each direction of course corresponds to an element but in each
call we are using classical elements to represent each of the four elements as well.
Thus by calling upon the planes of the east, light of the dawn, winds or Eurus, and
waters of Cocytus we are calling upon the earth of air, fire of air, air of air, and
water of air respectivly. Those uncomfortable with invoking the four rivers of
hades can substitute the four rivers of Eden from Genesis 2: the Pison, Hiddikel
(Tigris), Gihon, and Phrath (Euphrates).

THE HEPTASPHERE

The Heptasphere is a ritual for the management of planetary energies. It is based

loosely on instructions in PGM XIII 824. Imagine that on any given day there are a
variety of positive and negative planetary attributes. These planetary energies
interact with the mind and body of the individual through receptors in the subtle
body, the mircocosmos (as above, so below). The Heptasphere acts as a barrier
between the two so that whatever planetary alignments there are at a given time,
hit the sphere where they are re-balanced and regulated, and than passed on to
the individual.

Begin by performing the gesture of eviction as given above. After the force has
cleared your sphere, retract the energies and form them into a sphere around
you.

Face East, hold your hand out and visualize Agrippa's symbol of the Moon
branded onto the sphere and utter the syllable Α (Greek letter Alpha pronounced
Ah)
Turn North, hold out your hand and visualize Agrippa's symbol of Mercury
branded onto the sphere and utter the Syllable E (Epsilon, pronounced eh).

Turn West, hold out your hand and visualize Agrippas symbol for Venus branded
onto the sphere and utter the Syllable H (Greek sylable Ita, pronounced as a long
"a" like it fate)

Turn North, hold out your hand and visualize Agrippas symbol for the sun and
utter the syllable I (Greek syllable Iota pronounced as a long e, like in tree)

Touch the ground and visualize the symbol for Mars at the nadir of the sphere
and Vibrate the Syllable O (Greek syllable Omnicron, pronounced as the o in the
word "not")

Touch your own heart and visualize Agrippas symbol of Jupiter blazed upon it.
Vibrate the sound Y (Greek vowel upsilon, pronounced eu (like the french du - the
ee sound with the lips rounded)

Finally reach upwards and visualize the symbol for Saturn over your head. Vibrate
the sound Ω (Greek syllable Omega, pronounced as a long o as in "home". )

After you accomplish this you can make the following prayer:

I call upon the eternal and unbegotten Aeon

who holds together the creation of all things
whom none understand
and whom the gods worship
empower the sphere that surrounds me
That the seven rays be a balanced and beautiful blessing
and the Archons Influence dignify my works
In the name of ABRASAX
And in the name of the great one,
Whose name is the name of the Cosmos itself.

Notes: The order of the planets and syllables in the ritual is true to the order in the
Papyri. I have changed the order for my use. I invite you to do the same placing
Mars in the East, Jupiter in the South, Venus in the west, Mercury in the North,
Luna at the nadir, Sol in the heart, and Saturn at the zenith. This aligns it more or
less with the spheres as presented on the tree of life and makes more sense to me
energetically. Use whichever pattern you like.

Certain Astrologers have taken umbrage at the idea that a ritual could effect the
astrological influence upon an individual. I really don't want to argue the point.
Try it and see for yourself.

If you would like a challenge, I invite you to find and use the Great Name itself. Its
Number is 9,999. That should give you a clue for your research.

THE ANGELIC CUBE

Here is one for those that like to work with the Archangels and dont mind a little
prayer in their Sorcery. After the preliminaries of the Pillar, Universal Centering,
and Offering call upon the Archangels to construct the cube of space around you.

Kneel and face upwards, your hands in a position of prayer:

In the name of the most Holy IAO I call upon the Archangel METATRON to set
above me zenith of the cube, to act as a portal between this space and the
outermost heavens, and to protect from all danger and threats that descend from
above.

In the name of the most Holy OAI I call upon the Archanhel SANDALPHON to set
beneath me the firm foundation of the cube, to act as a protect from all dangers
that ascend from below.

In the name of the most Holy AOI I call upon the Archangel Raphael to set in front
of me the eastern wall of the cube, and to protect from all dangers arising from
the east.

In the name of the most Holy IOA I call upon the Archangel Gabriel to set behind
me the western wall of the cube, and to protect me from all dangers arising from
the west.
In the name of the most Holy AIO I call upon the Archangel MICHAEL to set on my
right hand the southern wall of the cube and protect me from all dangers arising
from the west.

In the name of the most Holy OIA I call upon the Archangel URIEL to set on my
left, the Northern wall of the cube and protect me from dangers arising from the
north.

A cube within a cube, a world within a world, I place myself within the adytum,
emanated from the Pleroma itself. May the Logos sanctify my mind, and the
Sophia arise within my heart.

Amen.

THE ADAMANTINE TEMPLE

The last zone rite that I want to share, is called The Temple of Fire. It is loosely
based on Tibetan Vajra palace rituals. This is the first time I have ever put this into
print. I have considered it one of my personal "aces in the hole" as I find it to be a
VERY potent ritual.

This ritual can be performed sitting or standing. You can begin as always by
Casting the Pillar but what is more important is that you reach a state of real
meditative clarity during the Universal Centering. Though you do send energy
through the hand in this rite, it is primarily driven by the power of clarity.

Hold your hand out in front of you and and emanate a spark from the index
finger. This spark takes the shape of a tetrahedron - the most basic and strongest
three dimensional shape, and the platonic solid associated with the element fire.
Touch the ground near you and make the sound

SSSSSS PHE!

This is not a literal word, but onomatopoeia. The first sound recalls the hissing of
serpents and also the ratting of chains. It should be thought of as a sound that
disturbs the natural order. The second sound PE should be uttered as a sudden
pop, with a puff of air. Say the word as if you are hurling it like lightening from the
top of a mountain. These words appear in the Mithras Liturgy and other places in
the papyri. The word Phat, pronounced exactly the same, is also a power word in
Tibetan Buddhism that is used in exactly the same way. These two syllables
together when powerfully uttered from a position of divine authority literally
shake existence itself and should never be uttered in jest or for fun.

Let the words disrupt your mind, shocking it perfectly clear if only for a
nanosecond. It is that moment that drives the whole ritual because in that one
moment of perfect clarity, you are inseparable from the universe itself.

As you touch the ground, the tetrahedrons multiply beneath you making a
latticework of interlocking atomic sized tetrahedrons that forms triangle beneath
you. They than extend upwards creating a large Tetrahedron around you and your
temple. You are now in a fractal tetrahedron - the Adamantine Temple.

Though you do not need to say anything further to actualize the Temple, you can
further aknowlege it by saying the following.

In the Infinite Purity of Appearance

Not even the name of Obstructing Spirits of Hinderences exists.
From without, this Temple is an impenetrable pyramid of flame
Its surface a razor that destroys even the memory what it touches.
From within, this temple is a lens
Focusing the light of gnosis, into the rays of action.

Notes: The Tetrahedron shape has three basic functions. First it is the most solid
three dimensional structure, also called an adamantine structure. Therefore as a
barrier it is supreme. Second the tetrahedron is also associated with weapons,
Aristotle associated it with fire because of its sharpness, and of course the blade
of the Tibetan Phurba is also in the shape of a Tetrahedron. This has been called in
one sadhana, "The Razor that destroys at a touch". You should consider that any
unwanted influence that attempts to breach the temple is instantly destroyed.
Lastly, as a three dimensional triangle of manifestation the tetrahedron acts as a
perfect lens for whatever magic is performed within it. Its zenith functions much
the same as a church spire or stupa top, recieving and conducting higher
influences, and its other sides can pull in whatever spirits or influences the
Sorcerer desires. Like a three dimensional Goetic Triangle.

We will be revisiting this rite in future lessons and building upon it. It came to me
in an ecstatic vision while meditating on the mandala known as Metatrons Cube.

That is all for this week. Please play around with these zone rites and others that
you may know. You will get to see how you can use different rituals for different
purposes, and how to stack the various exercises that I am giving into full scale
ceremonies. Your feedback both privately and in the forums is much appreciated.

Because this lesson ran so long, I am holding off on another Q and A till next time.

NEXT WEEKS LESSON: THOUGHT MANAGEMENT