From: cranmer@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Subject: Neophyte Solitary ritual (1st draft)
Date: 24 Jul 92 19:15:07 EDT

 Hello,

   Due to an overwhelming email response, I've decided to post my solitary
 G.D. Neophyte (0=0) ritual.  It's still in the experimental stages, so I'd
 appreciate comments.

   A few caveats.  First of all, compared to the 'official' ritual (which
 I included in outline form after my own), it is SHORT.  Much detail has
 been omitted.  This is primarily to aid memorization, but the central
 working or 'purpose' of the ritual can be expanded in many ways (I give 2
 examples).  Because of this flexibility and brevity, it may not stand
 up to 'official' standards -- I probably don't mention enough god-forms,
 stations, or sephiroth (yet) -- but I still think it's a valuable tool.

   In addition, please forgive the somewhat stilted prose in the descriptions.
 It was written with the old grade rituals in mind.  Also, some parts are
 completely of my own design (such as the oath and the eucharist at the end),
 but I think they mesh well with the 0=0 'current'.

   Oh yes, and:  The following is copyrighted, 1992, by Steven R. Cranmer.
___________________________________________________________________________

 * * * * * * *  THE ENTERER OF THE THRESHOLD  * * * * * * *

(0)  Precede the ritual with a general purification of the body.

OPENING:

(1)  Dim the Temple lights.  Lay out thy circle in a clockwise direction,
     starting in the East.  Set up a veiled Light in the East.

(2)  Stand in the center of the circle, light thy lamp in the left hand,
     and give the Cry of the Watcher Within:

       "Hekas!  Hekas!  Este Bebeloi!"

(3)  Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, to banish all
     unwanted energy from the circle.  Precede and follow with the
     Qabalistic Cross.

(4)  At the center, keep still and listen to the voice of thy Undying
     and Secret Soul.  Say:

       "Let me enter the Path of Darkness and, peradventure, there
        shall I find the Light.  I am the only Being in an Abyss of
        Darkness; from an Abyss of Darkness came I forth ere my
        birth, from the Silence of a Primal Sleep."

(5)  Purify and consecrate thyself:

     Extend thy arms in the form of a great cross, and say:

       "In the name of the Lord of the Universe,"

     Make three small crosses on thy forehead with the LEFT middle finger
     (Stolistes purifies with water), and say:

       "Who works in silence,"

     Make three small crosses on thy forehead with the RIGHT little finger
     (Dadouchos consecrates with fire), and say:

       "And whom naught but silence can express...."

(6)  The Oath:

     Kneel on both knees.  Raise thy head towards the heavens, and say:

       "I am _______, and I seek the Light."

     Lower thy head to the earth, and say (slowly and methodically):

       "I am _______, and I do this day bind myself to Know, to Dare, 
        to Will, and to Keep Silence."

     Raise thy head slightly, halfway between earth and heaven, and say:

       "I am _______, and I am a child of earth and starry heaven."

INVOCATION:

(7)  Mystic Circumambulation in the Path of Darkness:

     Rise, approach the North, and face East.  Circumambulate one and a half
     cycles with the sun, and pause -- barred in the South.  Take a deep
     breath before continuing, contemplating the uselessness of fear
     uncontrolled, then say upon passing the Hierus in the West:

       "Darkness is thy Name,
        thou Great One of the Paths of Shades."

     Circumambulate one and a quarter cycles with the sun, and pause --
     barred in the North.  Take a deep breath before continuing, contemplating
     the need for balance (the Middle Pillar), then say upon passing the
     Hierophant in the East:

       "Light dawning in Darkness is thy Name,
        the Light of a Golden Day!"

     From the East, turn and face the West.

(8)  Close thine eyes, and hear the Hierophant say, as you step forward four
     times to the West,

       "I come in the Power of the Light.
        I come in the Light of Wisdom.
        I come in the Mercy of the Light. 
        The Light hath Healing in its Wings."

(9)  Turn and face the East.  Open thine eyes and invoke the Lord of the
     Universe as you step four times back towards the East.

       "Holy art Thou, Lord of the Universe!
        Holy art Thou, whom Nature hath not Formed!
        Holy art Thou, the Vast and the Mighty One!
        Lord of the Light and of the Darkness!"

     Simultaneously, make the active invoking pentagram of spirit with thy
     right index finger, and the passive invoking pentagram of spirit with
     thy left index finger.

(10)  Touch the Light in the East with thy right hand, and say:

        "Inheritor of a Dying World,
         We call thee to the Living Beauty."

      Touch the Light with thy left hand, and say:

        "Wanderer in the Wild Darkness,
                                              (light the Light)
         We call thee to the Gentle Light."

      Touch the Light with both hands, and say:

        "Long hast thou dwelt in Darkness,
         Quit the Night and seek the Day!"

      Knock with the right foot with each pulse of the Battery, and take small
      steps (9) backwards, extending the Light...

              KHABS  AM  PEKHT     !
               KONX  OM  PAX       !
              LIGHT  IN  EXTENSION !

      Bask in the power and glory of the Light, and imagine the god-form of
      Horus surrounding thee.

(11)  At this point in the ritual, many things can be done.  Two reflective
      practices, however, are obvious:

      (a)  DIVINATION:  Sit in the center of the circle, face the
                        Light, and perform thy castings.  Begin with
                        the sign of Horus, and end with the sign of
                        Harpocrates.

      (b)  RECITATION OF THE TREE OF LIFE:

           Step forward, starting with the right foot, and trace out
             the Tree of Life, rising on the upward Lightning Flash.
             Vibrate each sephiroth-name as it is passed.

           Arriving at Kether in the East, bask in the power and glory
             of the Light.  Vibrate each Hebrew letter name, starting
             with Aleph, and meditate on its meaning, position in the
             Tree, and Tarot image.

           Turn to the West and formulate the Middle Pillar, beginning
             with the sign of Horus and ending with the sign of
             Harpocrates.

CLOSING:

(12)  Mystic Reverse Circumambulation in the Pathway of Light:

      Rise, and approach the East.  Face towards the East and make the signs
      of Horus and Harpocrates.  Circumambulate with the sun three times
      (making the above 0=0 signs upon each passage to the East -- three more
      times).  Stop and turn to the West.

(13)  Go to the center and face West.  Purify and consecrate thyself:

      Extend thy arms in the form of a great cross, and say:

        "In the name of the Lord of the Universe,"

      Make three small crosses on thy forehead with the LEFT middle finger
      (Stolistes purifies with water), and say:

        "Who works in silence,"

      Make three small crosses on thy forehead with the RIGHT little finger
      (Dadouchos consecrates with fire), and say:

        "And whom naught but silence can express,"

      Extend thy arms once again in the form of a great cross, and say:

        "I declare that the Sun has arisen and the shadows flee away!"

(14)  Face the East, and take thy eucharist:
      (NOTE:  The following is ancient Egyptian, from the Book of the
              Dead.  Roughly translates as  "I live in MAAT, I nourish
              my heart on MAAT")

        Sipping    the  wine, say:   "Onkh-ya, em-maot." 
        Eating     the bread, say:    "Som-ya, em-maot."
        Swallowing    both,   say:     "Ab-ya."
      
(15)  Contemplate the achievement of the Light:

        "Be my mind open to the Higher.
         Be my heart a centre of the Light.
         Be my body a Temple of the Rosy Cross."

(16)  Final banishment:  (precede and follow with the Qabalistic Cross).

      Make a rose-cross in the east.  First, make the vertical line, from
      top to bottom, saying:

        "In the name of Yeheshuah the redeemer,"

      Make the horizontal line, from left to right, saying:

        "I do now suffer all spirits bound by this ceremony
         to depart in peace unto their places."

      Make the circle, starting at the rightmost point and going clockwise,
      saying:

        "May the blessing of Yeheshuah Yehovashah be with you
         now and forever more, and let there be peace between
         me and you."

(17)  Stand in the center of the circle, light thy lamp in the left hand,
      and give the Cry of the Watcher Within:

        "Tetelestai!"
 
(18)  Douse the unveiled Light.  Take up thy circle in a counter-clockwise
      direction, starting in the East.  Raise the Temple lights.

___________________________________________________________________________

An outline of the full Neophyte ceremony follows.

The letters in column 1 refer to the breakdown of the ritual
in the Z.2 'formulae of light.'
___________________________________________________________________________

         * * * THE ENTERER OF THE THRESHOLD * * *

A                         East
A           ---------------------------------
A           |   IM   CN          PH   PR    |
A           |              HP ______        |
A           |                 \east/        |
A           |-------------------------------|
A           |        (B)   HG   (J)         |
A           |                               |
A   North   |            -------            |  South
A           |ST          |  +  |          DA|
A           |            | /_\ |            |
A           |            -------            |
A           |     ______            KX      |
A           |     \west/   HS               |
A           ---------------------------------
A                         West      SN

B   HP = Hierophant

C   IM = Imperator       (Gevurah)
C   CN = Cancellarius    (Chesed)
C   PR = Praemonstrator  (Tiphareth)
C   PH = Past Hierophant
C   HS = Hierus
C   HG = Hegemon
C   KX = Kerux
C   ST = Stolistes
C   DA = Dadouchos
C   SN = Sentinel

D   The Candidate, in black.  Head covered with hood-wink, rope tied
D    thrice around waist.

E   THE OPENING OF THE 0=0 GRADE
E
E  01. HP /                                    (/ is symbol for knock)
E  02. KX gives call:  `Hekas! Hekas! Este Bebeloi!'
E  03. HP supervises the opening....
E       - KX and SN knock to check that the Hall is guarded.
E       - HS accepts Neophyte signs from all to assure secrecy.
E  04. Naming of chief officers of this grade (HP,HS,HG).
E      Naming of lesser officers.  (by NAMING, Invisible stations awake)
E      Explanation of stations and duties of all officers.
E  05. Purification and Consecration (of the Hall) with water and fire.
E  06. 1st Mystical Circumambulation (in the Pathway of Light;
E       Rashith ha-Gilgalim - the swirlings of the Primum Mobile).
E  07. All rise, adoration: `Holy art thou, Lord of the Universe....'
E  08. KX declares the Hall opened.
E  09. Battery of the 0=0 grade:  HP /, HS /, HG / : KHABS AM PEKHT
E                                 HS /, HG /, HP / : KONX  OM PAX
E                                 HG /, HP /, HS / : LIGHT IN EXTENSION
E  10. All sit.  KX removes rose, cup, paten, and lamp from altar.

F  11. HP announces dispensation from 2nd Order Chiefs to admit Candidate.
F  12. HG goes out to prepare candidate.  Knocks for entry.
G  13. HG LEADS IN CANDIDATE.
G  14. Speeches by HG, ST, DA, HP, KX : unpurified; barred from entering.
G  15. 1st purification and consecration (of Candidate).
H  16. HP asks Candidate why he has come.  HG replies for Candidate.
I  17. HP asks Candidate if he/she is prepared for the Oath, and explains
I       its ramifications and limits.
J  18. Candidate kneels.  All 6 officers form a hexagram around him/her.
J  19. The OATH is repeated.
J  20. Candidate rises.
K  21. HG takes Candidate to NORTH of Hall (greatest symbolical darkness).
L  22. Mystical Circumambulation - all pass HP twice, then KX bars the
L       Candidate's passage to the WEST.
L  23. 2nd purification and consecration.
M  24. Procession proceeds to HS.  HS promps HG for his name.
M  25. Hood-wink momentarily lifted as HG answers.
N  26. Circumambulation continues.  All pass HP and HS again, then KX bars
N       Candidate's passage to the EAST.
N  27. 3rd purification and consecration.
O  28. Procession proceeds to HP.  HP promps HG for his name.
O  29. Hood-wink momentarily lifted as HG answers. 
P  30. Circumambulation leads to Altar (Candidate on WEST side). All
P       officers, in hexagram pattern, but HP kneel.
P  31. HP invokes the Lord of the Universe.
Q  32. All rise.  HG, HS, HP speeches to the effect of: `Long hast thou
Q       dwelt in Darkness - Quit the Night and seek the Day!'
Q  33. The Candidate is received into the Light:
Q      HP /, HS /, HG / : KHABS AM PEKHT
Q      HS /, HG /, HP / : KONX  OM PAX
Q      HG /, HP /, HS / : LIGHT IN EXTENSION
R  34. Candidate led to EAST side of Altar.  Receives signs, tokens, and
R       words from HS.
R  35. 4th purification and consecration (between the Pillars).
S  36. Rope of darkness removed.  Badge of 0=0 received.
S  37. Final Mystical Circumambulation.  All pass HP thrice.
T  38. HP explains rope, hood-wink, Altar (with cross, triangle, and 4
T       elements), the mystical words, the pillars, lamps, and officers'
T       stations and meanings.
T  39. KX declares that NEOPHYTE has been initiated into 0=0.
U  40. HS addresses Neophyte on secrecy, study, and humility.
V  41. HP addresses Neophyte on detail of grade progression.
W  42. KX performs mixing of clear & bloody fluids.  Explains the
W       importance of the Oath taken.

X   THE CLOSING OF THE 0=0 GRADE
X
X  43. HP /
X  44. KX gives call:  `Hekas! Hekas! Este Bebeloi!'
X  45. HP supervises the closing....
X       - KX and SN (& HS,HG) knock to check that the Hall is guarded.
X       - HS accepts Neophyte signs from all to assure secrecy.
X  46. Final Purification and Consecration (of the Hall).
X  47. Mystical REVERSE Circumambulation.
X  48. All rise, adoration: `Holy art thou, Lord of the Universe....'
X  49. Mystic Repast (eucharist of 4 elements).  All partake.
X  50. KX declares `It is finished!' (inverts cup),  TETELESTAI!
X  51. HP /, HS /, HG / : KHABS AM PEKHT
X      HS /, HG /, HP / : KONX  OM PAX
X      HG /, HP /, HS / : LIGHT IN EXTENSION
X  52. Final QUINTESSENCE speech of HP.  Neophyte led out by KX.
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