The LBRP: A Ritual I Will Always Be Chewing On
Finding Ground: A Trauma Survivor's LBRP Practice
I am a trauma survivor, a mom, and a creator who has deeply integrated healing into my art and rituals. That is why this ritual matters to me.
I have been practicing the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram for years now. I am still learning. I will always be learning. That is part of why I love it.
For me, I love the LBRP because it is somatic. It gets me into my body. It grounds me. It anchors me. It establishes a boundary around me that I can feel. I dissociate a lot. I float away from myself. This ritual brings me back.
A quick note: I am not a teacher. I am just practicing and sharing breadcrumbs. My husband showed me this ritual, and it changed my life. It is not just words and movements; it is moving energy. If you are curious, I highly encourage you to look up the original ritual. There are many teachers, and many do it differently. Magick is personal. Make it your own.
What the Ritual Does
The LBRP does a few key things.
First, it activates the self. You declare who you are and where you are. You establish yourself as the center.
Second, it creates a safe container. You draw a boundary around yourself and say: this space is mine.
Third, it invokes guardians. In the traditional version, these are the archangels. In my practice, I have started working with animals at the quarters. More on that in a moment.
Fourth, it seals the field. You ground the energy and protect yourself from being an open target. It's like locking the door to your home.
The ritual works because you work it. Not because you get every detail perfect. (I still mess up and modify my rituals constantly.)
The Three Parts
Part 1 — The Cross of Being
This is where you invoke the self. You activate your light, your higher source. You establish yourself as the center of your own universe.
In the Hebrew version, the words are Ateh, Malkuth, ve-Geburah, ve-Gedulah, and le-Olam. They correspond to the Tree of Life on your body (crown, kingdom, power, glory, forever).
I have my own English version that I think in my head while I say the Hebrew words. (My MMRP). Crown of Stars. Root of Earth. Hand of Creation. Heart of Receiving. I am the bridge between Heaven and Earth. I Call the Light to me, and I stand in It’s truth.
Part 2 — The Circle and the Quarters
This is where you create the sacred container. You draw a circle around yourself. You call the guardians of the four directions.
In the traditional LBRP, this is where you draw the pentagrams and vibrate the divine names: Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh in the East, Adonai in the South, Eheieh in the West, and AGLA in the North.
You also invoke the archangels. Before me Raphael. Behind me Gabriel. On my right hand Michael. On my left hand Uriel.
This is where you pass the work over to them. It is not your job to fight. It is your job to show up and ask.
Part 3 — The Cross of Being Again (Closing)
This is the seal. You repeat the Cross of Being to ground the energy and seal the field. Without this part, you are an open target. You light up like a beacon, but you have no shield.
The Animals (A Personal Discovery)
I have always loved the underdog like animals: skunk, porcupine, seahorse, coyote. I picked them for an album, and then I realized they each represented an element and an angel.
East, Air, Raphael, Coyote (the guide).
South, Fire, Michael, Porcupine (the protector).
West, Water, Gabriel, Seahorse (the healer).
North, Earth, Uriel, Skunk (the ground).
I could never picture the angels. I tried. I really tried. But they felt abstract and distant. The animals are easier for me to picture.
Now, when I do the LBRP, I see the animals at the quarters. The angels are still there. They are just wearing different faces now. Faces I can see. Sometimes I can get a faint image in my head of say Michael and porcupine together.
The Emotional Layers: Guardians of the Inner Space
To me, the angels and the animals are the same guardians, just wearing different faces. The LBRP protects the outer space. But it’s also protection from the "little nasties" inside. The inner voices and beliefs that are just as loud, if not louder, than any external energy. They protect me from myself when I forget I am worth protecting. They keep me safe from the voice that says I am nothing, the voice that says I am too much, the voice that tells me to disappear.
Michael — The Protector
At the South, Michael's fire guards against outer threats. But I've also come to see him with Porcupine. Porcupine protects me from my own sharp edges: the quills that rise before the hurt lands, the defensive reaction, the guilt that follows, and the self-attack that turns the quills inward. This is the core of my song Attack.
Uriel — The Ground
At the North, Uriel's earth grounds me. But I also see him with Skunk. Skunk marks the boundary between me and the voice that says I don't belong. He locks the door, he stays anyway. "If you can't find a reason, let me be the reason you stay." This is the core of my song Un-existing.
Gabriel — The Healer
At the West, Gabriel's water heals and flows. I also see him with Seahorse. Seahorse holds me through the panic, the spiral, the shame of my reactions, and the monster that comes after. This is the core of my song Panic.
Raphael — The Guide
At the East, Raphael's air guides and shows the way. I also see him with Coyote. Coyote guides me through the shadow, through the feeling of being left for dead, and shows me how to get up anyway. This is the core of my song Left For Dead.
Metatron & Sandalphon — The Center
And at the center, Coyote holds it all. This is Metatron and Sandalphon — the scribe who records all that I am, the weaver who turns my prayers into songs. The six-rayed star shines within me. They are the core of my song Licking Wounds.
Skunk and the LBRP
Skunk has become a powerful symbol for me.
The spray is the boundary.
The stomp is the seal.
The tail is the warning.
Skunk marks the territory. Skunk says this space is mine. This is exactly what the LBRP does. It marks your territory. It seals your space. It says this far, no further.
“You don't have to want to be here.
I'll stay anyway.
You don't have to want the ground.
We'll lock the door anyway.
Skunk is not sorry.
This space is yours.
I'll keep you safe,
even from yourself.”
- Skunk
The Sensory Experience
Over the years, I have experienced a range of sensations during the ritual. Sometimes I feel temperature changes. Sometimes I feel a touch, a hand on my shoulder, a breeze in front, or a soft pressing on my back. Sometimes I feel warmth moving through my body, especially across my shoulders. Sometimes I wobble or get a little dizzy. Sometimes I see geometric visuals: pentagrams, hexagrams, the glow of light.
And sometimes I get an extreme wave of feeling so present and aware. That is the goal. That is the moment when the ritual stops being a doing and becomes a being. I am not performing the ritual. I am the ritual.
Resources and Closing Thoughts
I am not a teacher. I am sharing where I am in my practice. If you want to learn the LBRP from actual teachers, I recommend exploring the traditional Golden Dawn version, Phil Hine's chaos magic adaptation, and the Witches' LBRP by Paul Hume.
I also practice the solar adorations from Liber Resh Vel Helios. I recorded an album called Adore the Sun that walks through those adorations and my interpretations of them.
The ANYMALS album songs are invocations. The animals are guardians. The album is the ritual in another form.
If you practice the LBRP, know that you are not alone. People practice differently. There is no single right way.
Stay humble. Stay curious. Stay grounded.
Crow keeps watch over you. 🐦⬛
