I was diving deep into LBRP recently and I used to practice sword banishing ritual from Magickal Protection by Damon Brand. I couldn’t find an answer I’m searching for anywhere regarding these two rituals. I was hoping some of you who are familiar with both these rituals could shine a light for me.
I’m interested in LBRP for helping one’s mind become balanced. I know sword banishing is one of the most of powerful protection rituals as well. But it only says that it can protect you from psychic attacks but nothing about balancing and cleansing the mind.
Can sword banishing ritual cause the same or similar effect as LBRP when it comes to the unconscious mind? Any answer would be greatly appreciated.
Damon Brand’s sword banishing is a straight up protection ritual. It clears you and your area of unwanted influences. The Lesser Banishing Ritual, on the other hand, invokes elemental forces, that not only clear the area, but the step of the ritual known as the Kabbalistic cross, pulls in light, and establishes you as the centre of the universe, which has a considerable balancing effect on the mind when performed diligently. You become the Axis Mundi, around which the cosmos revolves.
The sword banishing does a little more than what @DarkestKnight described. It invokes two spirit forces that are associated with Gevurah and Chesed, so your enemy actually gets a beating if they choose to attack you.
The ritual was derived from a more complex version that only has to be performed once but then you are all set due to the nature of the steps involved. It also tears away all emotional garbage etc.
What exactly makes you think that the LBRP does anything to your subconscious mind, if you subtract the six rayed star part?
Protection rituals not necessarily involve counter attack to my knowledge. They usually just nullify the attack while the sword banishing goes for a counter attack as well and if done “traditionally” provides you with spiritual authority because those beings are really really powerful. The Kabbalists therefore recommended to only do this “alignment” if you can keep your ego in check.
Read Jacobus G. Swarts book either Book of seals and amulet, or sacred names or immediate Magic 1 and 2 they get treatment in all of the tomes. The gallery even quoted him in one of their books and his material is authentic and deprived from primary sources. Be aware that his books are no quick read but throughout academic study paired with practical magic.
Both are ways of connecting to magickal forces, and personally I use them in different contexts.
LBRP (I use the modified version in Archangels of Magick with the different placement of the elements) is more ceremonial/ritualistic to me, like something to do to open an evocation. You can do it on its own but it goes well in a more involved ritual with different parts to it, to help with settling into the magick and entering into a magickal state of mind.
The Sword Banishing feels to me much more combative and directly related to hostility from others. One sword attacks, one defends. It would be very difficult to LBRP quickly and discretely, but I have done the Sword Banishing in the middle of a group conversation, when an enemy was in the place but not then in my immediate presence, and when I moved around and saw them right afterwards they were passed out cold asleep for the next few hours despite ongoing loudness and festivities, leaving me with the peace to enjoy myself without dealing with their constant aggression. I had, by that point, largely neutered his potency, but the weak will be weak. He could affect others, but I was not confused or disturbed.
Being connected to mystical forces of the universe is pretty cool, but have this sort of experience often enough and you come to appreciate the value in surrounding yourself with strength, and the value in calling on spirits who carry magickal weapons to be on your side.
He doesn’t talk about the sword banishing ritual because he uses another practice, but he explains all of the angels and what they are doing etc. The names have further uses than what they have been used for by the GoM
It’s a matter of classification I use Hebrew terms so what you guys call “subconscious” has quite a few more powers etc, and can be worked with differently than what normal western magicians are doing. This applies to all parts of the soul and certain meditations can facilitate different things for different parts of your spiritual anatomy.
I also used to believe that the subconscious was the key but it is something way more subtle. The subconscious is the force that carries the instructions out and is connected to every other person in the world but the “thing” that makes fast magical results possible is a different one.
I do the sword banishing (Brand’s version) three times a day usually (first thing in the morning, as soon as I get home from work and last thing at night).
I think I’m the only occultist anywhere who has never actually learned or performed the LBRP. Its been on my “to do” list for a few years, but I’ve never felt particularly drawn to it. I guess I should try it out.
People seem to take a number of approaches to the LBRP and exhibit a range of durations. Some seem to take about half an hour to perform it, others a couple of minutes.
Just as a ballpark estimate, how quickly do most people here generally perform it, and how frequently do most here tend to do it?