Copyright (c) 1988 by Phil Hansford. This article is is licenced
for free non-commercial distribution only.
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** MAGICK 8 -- HEALING AND BANISHING ** 

 
  Psychic or spiritual healing is a human potential we all
possess. Some people are especially good at this. It is probably
easier to heal someone else by occult means than yourself. In
addition to healing in the presence of the person, there is
'absent healing' in which the healing occurs at a distance. Note
that there are some who maintain that influence on another person
without his specific knowledge and permission (yes, even in
healing and helping) is black magick. (After all, everybody is
living according to his own true will, so that healing or helping
someone without permission is affecting his will). This means it
is important to tell the person what you are planning to do and to
ask his permission. The theory of psychic healing is that sickness
is characterized (although not necessarily caused) by a deficiency
and imbalance of vital energy.  Psychic healing transfers energy
from the healer to the sick to repair and rebalance his energies.
If an inept healer overdoes the process, or if he doesn't take the
precaution to 'disconnect' himself afterwards, he may find himself
becoming sick due to energy drain and a linkage to his subject.
Similarly, the healer should always be in a good state of health
or he could unintentionally transfer his illness to the subject.

        The basic methods of psychic healing are: 1) creative
visualization, 2) prayer, 3) ritual. Creative visualization is one
of the easiest techniques. Mild illness may yield to only one or
two treatments; serious ills will require many treatments over
time. Psychic healing should always be combined with medical care
and treatment. It does not replace doctors, medicine, or
hospitals, since different levels (worlds) are involved. In
creative visualization, we visualize the person being well. It may
be helpful to utilize the appropriate color from the aura chart
(such as bright apple-green, rose pink, or white) sent as a beam
to the person or as a cloud surrounding him. This technique can be
extended to include a simple kind of yoga in which we feel energy
sent as we exhale explosively; the energy sent either via the
breath or from one of the chakras such as the solar plexus.
Sometimes in absent healing it is helpful to arrange a time for
treatment in advance, asking your subject to be in a receptive
state of mind and to sit back and close his eyes.
 
 
THE BANISHING RITUAL 
  One of the most basic and useful ceremonial rituals of magick is
called the *banishing ritual*, or lesser ritual of the pentagram.
A pentagram (or pentacle) is a five-pointed star with the point
up. The banishing ritual is helpful in psychic protection and
healing since it forms a protective barrier against malevolent
forces. The psychic barrier it creates can be made to permit entry
of desired (constructive) forces and the exclusion of negative
ones.  Thus, the banishing ritual is an essential first step in
almost any formal full magick ceremony. The ritual requires that
you use a magical implement or "weapon", such as a ceremonial
knife, wand, or simply point your index finger, to "draw" the
pentagram in the air at each of the cardinal points (four
directions). Also, you will be chanting ('vibrating') some Hebrew
names of God.

  Holding your magical weapon and facing east, extend your arm out
straight in front of you. In this ritual you will use the full
sweep of your arm to draw the pentagram in the air. Follow the
description below by beginning at the lower left and sweeping your
magical weapon up toward the right, etc. as shown. Do not bend
your arm at the wrist or elbow. While you do this, visualize the
lines and eventually the star as vibrant white, floating in the
space before you.  You are projecting energy to do this, and the
result will be a gleaming 5-pointed star floating in the east;
visualize this as vividly as you can. Now you will energize it
further by piercing the center of it with your magical weapon and
vibrating (speaking slowly in a slightly lower than normal pitch,
remember) "Yod-He-Vau-He".
 
 
============================================= 
         -- DESCRIPTION -- 
 
Approximate points on a round clock face -- 
1. Begin at 7:30 position. 
2. Point to 12 oclock position.  
3. Point to 4:30 position. 
4. Point to 10:30 position. 
5. Point to 2:30 position. 
6. Return to 7:30 position.] 
 
============================================= 
 
 
  Then turn slowly to the next cardinal point in sequence, and as
you do so, with your arm still extended in front of you, visualize
a white line connecting around to the cardinal point. Trace a
similar pentagram with the appropriate words and following the
same procedure:
        South -- Adonai Tzaboath 
        West  -- Eh-Ei-He 
        North -- Agla. 
  Now complete the white line drawn back to the center of the
eastern pentagram. Note that the cardinal points must be followed
in a clockwise order, and the pentagram must be drawn in the
manner illustrated; to do otherwise would change the function of
the ritual. The result of all this should be a large bright white
pentagram visualized hanging in mid-air at each of the four
directions, all tied together by a bright white line. You could
now, for example, visualize the pentagrams moving out to the
circumference of your home, thereby protecting all within.
 
  There is also a somewaht simplified version of this ritual in
which the pentagram is traced only once overhead and then is
energized with one of the four names, such as "Eh-Ei-He".
Oftentimes the simplified version is sufficient, but naturally the
effect of the full version is more complete.

  One of the primary uses of this ritual is to ward off psychic
attack -- that is, when another is (consciously or unconsciously)
attempting to harm you, cause sickness, accidents, bad dreams,
emotional upset, or to force you to do something against your
will. Fortunately this doesn't happen very often. The world of the
magician is fairly safe for the pure of heart. Psychic attack
usually depends upon vulnerabilities. If you are not vulnerable
you are safe. Thus unificaition with the true will is the greatest
protection possible. And the use of the banishing ritual is never
hurtful. You can even use it to hold off negative aspects of
yourself.

  Other forms of protection sometimes helpful (depending upon
one's egregore/model) are recitation of the 'Lord's Prayer', the
23rd, and 91st Psalms.
 
 
REVIEW QUESTIONS 
 
1) What is a pentagram? 
2) What is psychic healing? List the basic methods. 
3) What is the banishing ritual? Why is it used? 
 
 
BOOK LIST 
 
Dion Fortune, Psychic Self-Defense. 
________, Sane Occultism. 
Adeliade Gardner, Vital Magnetic Healing. 
Max Heindel, The Vital Body. 
Ernest Holms, The Science of Mind. 
Mouni Sadhu, Theurgy. 
 
 
======== 
Phil Hansford, 4/88 Mysteria (818) 353-8891 (modem) 
P.O. Box 83 Tujunga, CA 91042