This is a brief article that will attempt to explain the nature and importance of the Bornless One rite and its suit of rituals that are part of the Bornless One working.
The Bornless One working has now been incorporated into the newly designed and structured Abramelin Lunar Ordeal, representing the rites performed in the second half of that working. The purpose of the Bornless One invocation rite, regardless of what larger ordeal or working it is deployed in, is the one great ritual that is designed to invoke and manifest, to a lesser or greater extent, the higher self of the celebrant and magician who performs it. In the Order there are four different versions to the Bornless One rite, and the greater ordeal uses the more advanced version, which incorporates ritual structures and geometric prismatic powers associated with the seventh degree. Therefore, this overall working is the primacy of the seventh degree, and initiates who are either already working at that level, having achieved their consecration to the Hierophant degree, or if they are working closely with someone who has achieved that degree of spiritual and magickal development.
The Abramelin Lunar Ordeal has already been covered, and so, too, has the Bornless rite been examined and explained to some degree in previous writings. So what needs to be explained is the Bornless one working, which includes a total of four rituals. Previously, the Bornless rite stood alone and had no other associated working in which to develop a context and to utilize the powers and visions that may have been experienced. Now there are three ancillary rituals, and the complete working is performed as the major part of the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal.
The Bornless working consists of the following rituals in the order that they are to be performed. All of the new rituals have been distilled from the Greek Magical Papyri, identified in notation by the letters PGM. These new rituals were developed from source material analogous to the Bornless One rite, which the Golden Dawn first promoted and Aleister Crowley lionized in Liber Samakh and Liber VIII. Also, for a more detailed explanation of them, I would recommend consulting the rituals in question.
1. Bornless Ring Consecration rite. This particular rite is from PGM XII, lines 201 through 350, and is distilled and appropriated from that original Greek manuscript. The purpose of the ring consecration rite in the original was to forge a powerful magickal ring that would be able to act as a focus for the projection of magick power, much as a magick ring in legend and myth would be so used. The ring was to be of a particular kind, a band of gold with a semi precious beveled stone, minutely carved with magickal characters and words of power. The ring was then consecrated in a specific rite so it would be imbued with the powers of an absolute deity, a veritable god of gods. There are actually a pair of rites in this part of the manuscript, next to each other, so I was able to distill material from both spells. These rites, like many others in the papyri, are set down in isolation and there is little to indicate to the practitioner that these rites, or any others, are valuable if appropriated and placed into a context, such as I have attempted to do.
The purpose for the ring consecration rite in the Bornless series is to formulate a magickal trigger or tool (link) to materialize the magickal power of the Higher Self and project it into the world. The ring is therefore a linking device, and not to misconstrued as representing anything more than the symbolic and mythic quality that it represents. Once it is forged and formulated, it continues to live in the mind and soul of the magician. Stealing the ring or destroying it will in no way eliminate it, since it actually exists in the inner planes - the material ring is nothing more than a physical representation for it. If by chance, the magician shall lose this ring or have it stolen, he or she may create a new one at any time. The old ring cannot be used to either attack or work black magick on the magician, since it symbolizes the bond between the magician and his Holy Guardian Angel or Higher Self, and nothing can disturb that connection except the foolish actions or impassioned pathos of the magician. So because the ring is actually a symbolized tool, it can neither work for another nor can it profit anyone else who might attempt to use it.
While one could spend a small fortune to produce an elaborate and expensive ring, made of gold, and the gem stone cut and engraved with words of power (making it something of a magickal artifact and worth something to someone besides the magician), it is my recommendation that the ring be made of either gold or silver and have a beveled semi-precious gem stone affixed to it. There should be no etched words of power, sigils or characters - just a simple ring with little or no special qualities to it. It would also be smart for it to be rather quite common looking and also inexpensive, since it is the symbol that’s really important, not the ring. By charging and wearing a modest ring, the magician insures that he or she will always know that the true ring exists in the inner planes and is merely represented in all its glory by a simple device.
The consecration ritual is easy enough, since it is done immediately following a special mass and a benediction. The sacraments are used to directly bless and empower the ring, and the powerful invocations distilled from the Greek Magical Papyri supply the verbiage. Little else is required for this simple rite, other than a careful and fixed concentration on the difficult but sonorous words of power. The charging the of ring is done, and then a vigil is performed until just before the first dawning light, which should shine upon the ring and further words of power said over it. There is also an invocation of the godhead OuphÅr, which is used the first time that one wears it. From that moment onward, all one needs to do is just say the name when slipping the ring on the finger. I felt that this was a critical part that was missing from the Bornless One ritual, and it was well documented in the Greek Magical Papyri. This rite has an all-night vigil, and is completed through the dawning light of the next day.
2. Bornless One rite - also, Bornless One Invocation Rite - Stellar Gnosis version four. This is a greatly enhanced version of the Bornless One rite, using the corrected and recovered words of power from the original PGM spell (specifically, PGM V 96 -172), and being deployed with five levels of concentric magick pyramid vortex structures. These five steps or levels represent the power of ascendancy and the imbuement of a multi-tiered level of Godhead manifestation. The center core of this rite is where the actual Bornless One rite is performed.
The Bornless Rite IV consists of three ritual levels. The first level is the Tetramorphic Archetypal Power Vortices for all four of the Qabbalistic Worlds, resolving the combined forces in the fifth power, which is called the Jewel of the Gnostic Stellar Rays. The assumption is that the Higher Self (the Bornless One) resides in all four of the worlds, from Assiah to Atziluth. Within these unified vortices, the Celebrant invokes the Bornless One, using the classical English translation as found in the rituals of the Golden Dawn (with corrections made from the original Greek Papyri). The final ritual action is where the Celebrant erects his own formula to establish the third level which is the Gate of Light, where he projects outward the powers and profound insights found from summoning the Bornless One. This structure should represent the Celebrant's personal spiritual directive at that point in his life.
The Invocation of the Bornless One establishes a permanent manifested link to one's higher self. Therefore, it is necessary for the Celebrant to fast, say mass, undergo rigorous purification and other ascetic practices to facilitate the process. The Celebrant may also need to change the masculine pronouns in the ritual to feminine if her gender requires it.
The Celebrant performs the consecration of the Temple of the Goddess, the Mass of the Goddess, and performs all four Elemental Worlds of the Tetrapatronis, completing the power vortices with the fifth power vortex, in the order Assiah through Atziluth. This progression is the opposite as presented in the original ritual, so we have included them in the correct order in the following sections 2 through 6. However, the student is urged to read over the original ritual and to become familiar with the structures of the power vortices of the tetrapatrons. In addition, there are invocations or calls from the Ars Notoria of Solomon the King (a 13th century grimoire of great repute), seven of which are used to profoundly empower the four power vortices, and to unveil the mystery of the Eye in the Triangle, which is the new central Mystery of the Bornless One rite.
3. Bornless One Assumption Rite. This particular rite is from PGM IV, lines 154 through 285, and is distilled and appropriated from that original Greek manuscript. It is used for the assumption of great powers and is performed immediately following the Bornless rite. It is used to assume the powers, authorities and to quicken the manifestation of the Bornless One as the Higher Self. This rite is based on a simulation of death and rebirth, and therefore, invokes the dark god of the underworld, who is Typhon. The body of the subject is wrapped in three yards of gauze and lays upon the floor as if dead, but crowned with ivy and blindfolded. Then a long incantation is said, and the subject arises, is vested in pure white robes of linen and says an affirmation. Then another incantation is read, this time before the rising sun. Later, in the temple, the subject performs divination to see the image or imago of the godhead assumption, and speaks a final set of incantations. It would seem that the subject would have to perform a great deal of memorization in order to complete this rite, to adorn oneself with the gauze wrapping, etc.
Therefore, to aid the performance of this rite there should be two individuals performing it - one, the candidate who is to undergo the process and assume the godhead of the Bornless One, and two, the initiator, who performs the incantations, guides and assists the candidate. If two people are performing this rite, then they can take turns going through the death and resurrection ordeal and being the one who does the incantations and assists the other. If one is performing this rite alone, then I would recommend that he or she perform the incantation first, then wrap up in the gauze covering and perform a deep trance based meditation to simulate the process of death and resurrection.
The papyrus spell advises that the assumption of great power be done at midnight, and then the candidate may properly greet the rising sun as the resurrected and empowered one. I would recommend that the rite be performed immediately following the Bornless One rite. The period of being wrapped up in gauze can last only as long as one can assume the deepest trance state, and then it is followed by the resurrection. However, one should then assume an evening vigil, with light sleep and trance, and then to arise and go outside to witness the rising sun, where additional incantations are said. Once that is accomplished, the candidate should immediately return to the temple to perform the mirror divination, and thereby perceive the nimbus and vision of the Bornless One surrounding one’s person.
The empowered magic ring should also be deployed for this rite, the candidate having assumed it and invoking the sacred godname (during the Bornless One invocation) before being wrapped in gauze, so that on awakening, he or she shall be fully bonded with the power and glory of the Bornless One.
4. Bornless One Envisioning Rite: This particular rite is from PGM IV, lines 850 through 1,226, and is distilled and appropriated from that original Greek manuscript. This rite takes a total of three days, and requires three masses to be said, with an accompanying incantation to be read, known as the Hidden Stele and Death Delivering Stele. The third evening is when the actual rite is to be performed, begun with another magical mass and a benediction rite. The preceding two days are a time of reflection, meditation and purification, with special baths and the elimination of all worldly concerns, which might distract one from the work. The main operator should be crowned with a garland, and have prepared a special phylactery that is to be worn around the waist. White robes are the preferred adornment, as is the controller crystal, to be worn around the neck. The Bornless rite ordeal should have been performed previously just before or on the full moon, and this rite should be performed for the next full moon that occurs.
The purpose of the envisioning rite is that it is to gather up the powerful visions that the Celebrant experienced while having invoked his/her higher self into manifestation, and these are used to project into a dark mirror as potent questions for the higher self, to be resolved as visions of confirmation as to the destiny and ultimate purpose of the Celebrant. Having this knowledge, the Celebrant can more unerringly live his/her life and proceed to accomplish the great work in a more clear and efficient manner than would be otherwise. Therefore, this rite is not only a divination rite, but it’s an active and powerful one that literally generates the future for the Celebrant, so that he/she may revel in the glory of knowing and following one’s spiritual and material destiny, however that is revealed.
The specific ritual begins with a circle consecration rite, a mass and benediction. After a suitable period of deep meditation, the Celebrant then proceeds to build up a powerful cross roads in the temple, using incantations from the PGM and the device of the inverted rose ankh. This is done in a widershins manner, starting in the Southwest and completing in the Southeast, with an arc joining the Northeast with the Northwest. The center of the circle is set with a great inverted rose ankh in the infra-point, and all of the four angles are drawn together through it. There are five specialized incantations taken from the PGM to empower this cross-roads vortex ritual structure.
At this point in the rite, the Celebrant puts on the magic ring, summons the associated godhead, and then performs the macro-rite for the Bornless One. The Celebrant pauses to complete a full assumption of that entity before continuing.
The lamp and black mirror is placed on a small altar in the center of the circle, and the lamp is lit, the phylactery is put on along with the garland crown and the controller crystal around the neck. At this point the Celebrant intones four incantations: light bringing charm, the light retaining spell, the summoning of the Godhead (to the Bornless One, said three times), and then performs the envisioning using the black mirror.
Once the envisioning with the black mirror is completed, the Celebrant performs the dismissal of the Godhead, the dismissal of the brightness, and then performs an all night vigil, greeting the sun’s first light as it dawns in the morning.
These four rituals represent the complete suite of rites used in the Bornless One working, which has now fully enabled the Bornless Rite with a complete array of functionality that was missing in the various and many previous iterations. The Abramelin Lunar Ordeal gives the Bornless working its complete context and will therefore insure that a much more powerful effect will be realized when it is used by appropriately trained members of the Order.
The Bornless One working has now been incorporated into the newly designed and structured Abramelin Lunar Ordeal, representing the rites performed in the second half of that working. The purpose of the Bornless One invocation rite, regardless of what larger ordeal or working it is deployed in, is the one great ritual that is designed to invoke and manifest, to a lesser or greater extent, the higher self of the celebrant and magician who performs it. In the Order there are four different versions to the Bornless One rite, and the greater ordeal uses the more advanced version, which incorporates ritual structures and geometric prismatic powers associated with the seventh degree. Therefore, this overall working is the primacy of the seventh degree, and initiates who are either already working at that level, having achieved their consecration to the Hierophant degree, or if they are working closely with someone who has achieved that degree of spiritual and magickal development.
The Abramelin Lunar Ordeal has already been covered, and so, too, has the Bornless rite been examined and explained to some degree in previous writings. So what needs to be explained is the Bornless one working, which includes a total of four rituals. Previously, the Bornless rite stood alone and had no other associated working in which to develop a context and to utilize the powers and visions that may have been experienced. Now there are three ancillary rituals, and the complete working is performed as the major part of the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal.
The Bornless working consists of the following rituals in the order that they are to be performed. All of the new rituals have been distilled from the Greek Magical Papyri, identified in notation by the letters PGM. These new rituals were developed from source material analogous to the Bornless One rite, which the Golden Dawn first promoted and Aleister Crowley lionized in Liber Samakh and Liber VIII. Also, for a more detailed explanation of them, I would recommend consulting the rituals in question.
1. Bornless Ring Consecration rite. This particular rite is from PGM XII, lines 201 through 350, and is distilled and appropriated from that original Greek manuscript. The purpose of the ring consecration rite in the original was to forge a powerful magickal ring that would be able to act as a focus for the projection of magick power, much as a magick ring in legend and myth would be so used. The ring was to be of a particular kind, a band of gold with a semi precious beveled stone, minutely carved with magickal characters and words of power. The ring was then consecrated in a specific rite so it would be imbued with the powers of an absolute deity, a veritable god of gods. There are actually a pair of rites in this part of the manuscript, next to each other, so I was able to distill material from both spells. These rites, like many others in the papyri, are set down in isolation and there is little to indicate to the practitioner that these rites, or any others, are valuable if appropriated and placed into a context, such as I have attempted to do.
The purpose for the ring consecration rite in the Bornless series is to formulate a magickal trigger or tool (link) to materialize the magickal power of the Higher Self and project it into the world. The ring is therefore a linking device, and not to misconstrued as representing anything more than the symbolic and mythic quality that it represents. Once it is forged and formulated, it continues to live in the mind and soul of the magician. Stealing the ring or destroying it will in no way eliminate it, since it actually exists in the inner planes - the material ring is nothing more than a physical representation for it. If by chance, the magician shall lose this ring or have it stolen, he or she may create a new one at any time. The old ring cannot be used to either attack or work black magick on the magician, since it symbolizes the bond between the magician and his Holy Guardian Angel or Higher Self, and nothing can disturb that connection except the foolish actions or impassioned pathos of the magician. So because the ring is actually a symbolized tool, it can neither work for another nor can it profit anyone else who might attempt to use it.
While one could spend a small fortune to produce an elaborate and expensive ring, made of gold, and the gem stone cut and engraved with words of power (making it something of a magickal artifact and worth something to someone besides the magician), it is my recommendation that the ring be made of either gold or silver and have a beveled semi-precious gem stone affixed to it. There should be no etched words of power, sigils or characters - just a simple ring with little or no special qualities to it. It would also be smart for it to be rather quite common looking and also inexpensive, since it is the symbol that’s really important, not the ring. By charging and wearing a modest ring, the magician insures that he or she will always know that the true ring exists in the inner planes and is merely represented in all its glory by a simple device.
The consecration ritual is easy enough, since it is done immediately following a special mass and a benediction. The sacraments are used to directly bless and empower the ring, and the powerful invocations distilled from the Greek Magical Papyri supply the verbiage. Little else is required for this simple rite, other than a careful and fixed concentration on the difficult but sonorous words of power. The charging the of ring is done, and then a vigil is performed until just before the first dawning light, which should shine upon the ring and further words of power said over it. There is also an invocation of the godhead OuphÅr, which is used the first time that one wears it. From that moment onward, all one needs to do is just say the name when slipping the ring on the finger. I felt that this was a critical part that was missing from the Bornless One ritual, and it was well documented in the Greek Magical Papyri. This rite has an all-night vigil, and is completed through the dawning light of the next day.
2. Bornless One rite - also, Bornless One Invocation Rite - Stellar Gnosis version four. This is a greatly enhanced version of the Bornless One rite, using the corrected and recovered words of power from the original PGM spell (specifically, PGM V 96 -172), and being deployed with five levels of concentric magick pyramid vortex structures. These five steps or levels represent the power of ascendancy and the imbuement of a multi-tiered level of Godhead manifestation. The center core of this rite is where the actual Bornless One rite is performed.
The Bornless Rite IV consists of three ritual levels. The first level is the Tetramorphic Archetypal Power Vortices for all four of the Qabbalistic Worlds, resolving the combined forces in the fifth power, which is called the Jewel of the Gnostic Stellar Rays. The assumption is that the Higher Self (the Bornless One) resides in all four of the worlds, from Assiah to Atziluth. Within these unified vortices, the Celebrant invokes the Bornless One, using the classical English translation as found in the rituals of the Golden Dawn (with corrections made from the original Greek Papyri). The final ritual action is where the Celebrant erects his own formula to establish the third level which is the Gate of Light, where he projects outward the powers and profound insights found from summoning the Bornless One. This structure should represent the Celebrant's personal spiritual directive at that point in his life.
The Invocation of the Bornless One establishes a permanent manifested link to one's higher self. Therefore, it is necessary for the Celebrant to fast, say mass, undergo rigorous purification and other ascetic practices to facilitate the process. The Celebrant may also need to change the masculine pronouns in the ritual to feminine if her gender requires it.
The Celebrant performs the consecration of the Temple of the Goddess, the Mass of the Goddess, and performs all four Elemental Worlds of the Tetrapatronis, completing the power vortices with the fifth power vortex, in the order Assiah through Atziluth. This progression is the opposite as presented in the original ritual, so we have included them in the correct order in the following sections 2 through 6. However, the student is urged to read over the original ritual and to become familiar with the structures of the power vortices of the tetrapatrons. In addition, there are invocations or calls from the Ars Notoria of Solomon the King (a 13th century grimoire of great repute), seven of which are used to profoundly empower the four power vortices, and to unveil the mystery of the Eye in the Triangle, which is the new central Mystery of the Bornless One rite.
3. Bornless One Assumption Rite. This particular rite is from PGM IV, lines 154 through 285, and is distilled and appropriated from that original Greek manuscript. It is used for the assumption of great powers and is performed immediately following the Bornless rite. It is used to assume the powers, authorities and to quicken the manifestation of the Bornless One as the Higher Self. This rite is based on a simulation of death and rebirth, and therefore, invokes the dark god of the underworld, who is Typhon. The body of the subject is wrapped in three yards of gauze and lays upon the floor as if dead, but crowned with ivy and blindfolded. Then a long incantation is said, and the subject arises, is vested in pure white robes of linen and says an affirmation. Then another incantation is read, this time before the rising sun. Later, in the temple, the subject performs divination to see the image or imago of the godhead assumption, and speaks a final set of incantations. It would seem that the subject would have to perform a great deal of memorization in order to complete this rite, to adorn oneself with the gauze wrapping, etc.
Therefore, to aid the performance of this rite there should be two individuals performing it - one, the candidate who is to undergo the process and assume the godhead of the Bornless One, and two, the initiator, who performs the incantations, guides and assists the candidate. If two people are performing this rite, then they can take turns going through the death and resurrection ordeal and being the one who does the incantations and assists the other. If one is performing this rite alone, then I would recommend that he or she perform the incantation first, then wrap up in the gauze covering and perform a deep trance based meditation to simulate the process of death and resurrection.
The papyrus spell advises that the assumption of great power be done at midnight, and then the candidate may properly greet the rising sun as the resurrected and empowered one. I would recommend that the rite be performed immediately following the Bornless One rite. The period of being wrapped up in gauze can last only as long as one can assume the deepest trance state, and then it is followed by the resurrection. However, one should then assume an evening vigil, with light sleep and trance, and then to arise and go outside to witness the rising sun, where additional incantations are said. Once that is accomplished, the candidate should immediately return to the temple to perform the mirror divination, and thereby perceive the nimbus and vision of the Bornless One surrounding one’s person.
The empowered magic ring should also be deployed for this rite, the candidate having assumed it and invoking the sacred godname (during the Bornless One invocation) before being wrapped in gauze, so that on awakening, he or she shall be fully bonded with the power and glory of the Bornless One.
4. Bornless One Envisioning Rite: This particular rite is from PGM IV, lines 850 through 1,226, and is distilled and appropriated from that original Greek manuscript. This rite takes a total of three days, and requires three masses to be said, with an accompanying incantation to be read, known as the Hidden Stele and Death Delivering Stele. The third evening is when the actual rite is to be performed, begun with another magical mass and a benediction rite. The preceding two days are a time of reflection, meditation and purification, with special baths and the elimination of all worldly concerns, which might distract one from the work. The main operator should be crowned with a garland, and have prepared a special phylactery that is to be worn around the waist. White robes are the preferred adornment, as is the controller crystal, to be worn around the neck. The Bornless rite ordeal should have been performed previously just before or on the full moon, and this rite should be performed for the next full moon that occurs.
The purpose of the envisioning rite is that it is to gather up the powerful visions that the Celebrant experienced while having invoked his/her higher self into manifestation, and these are used to project into a dark mirror as potent questions for the higher self, to be resolved as visions of confirmation as to the destiny and ultimate purpose of the Celebrant. Having this knowledge, the Celebrant can more unerringly live his/her life and proceed to accomplish the great work in a more clear and efficient manner than would be otherwise. Therefore, this rite is not only a divination rite, but it’s an active and powerful one that literally generates the future for the Celebrant, so that he/she may revel in the glory of knowing and following one’s spiritual and material destiny, however that is revealed.
The specific ritual begins with a circle consecration rite, a mass and benediction. After a suitable period of deep meditation, the Celebrant then proceeds to build up a powerful cross roads in the temple, using incantations from the PGM and the device of the inverted rose ankh. This is done in a widershins manner, starting in the Southwest and completing in the Southeast, with an arc joining the Northeast with the Northwest. The center of the circle is set with a great inverted rose ankh in the infra-point, and all of the four angles are drawn together through it. There are five specialized incantations taken from the PGM to empower this cross-roads vortex ritual structure.
At this point in the rite, the Celebrant puts on the magic ring, summons the associated godhead, and then performs the macro-rite for the Bornless One. The Celebrant pauses to complete a full assumption of that entity before continuing.
The lamp and black mirror is placed on a small altar in the center of the circle, and the lamp is lit, the phylactery is put on along with the garland crown and the controller crystal around the neck. At this point the Celebrant intones four incantations: light bringing charm, the light retaining spell, the summoning of the Godhead (to the Bornless One, said three times), and then performs the envisioning using the black mirror.
Once the envisioning with the black mirror is completed, the Celebrant performs the dismissal of the Godhead, the dismissal of the brightness, and then performs an all night vigil, greeting the sun’s first light as it dawns in the morning.
These four rituals represent the complete suite of rites used in the Bornless One working, which has now fully enabled the Bornless Rite with a complete array of functionality that was missing in the various and many previous iterations. The Abramelin Lunar Ordeal gives the Bornless working its complete context and will therefore insure that a much more powerful effect will be realized when it is used by appropriately trained members of the Order.
Frater Barrabas
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