Outline for Opening the

Quarters
for The Wyoming Valley Society for Esoteric
Studies

by Mark Stavish

Copyright 1998 Mark Stavish

The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is a potent and powerful ritual

that can be used as a preliminary to other rituals, or in its own
right, to prepare a place for meditation, consecrating a talisman or
tincture, or to better experience the qualities of a sphere on the
Tree of Life. The following outline is to help those who have
knowledge only of this ‘little’ ritual to better understand its
potential uses, before moving on to more sophisticated
operations. Remember, there are no advanced rituals, only an
advanced ritualist.

Opening

1) Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.

2) Face the East, and Invoke the Element Earth by drawing an

Earth (i.e. invoking) pentagram, and intone the Name for the
East, or YHVH.

3) Turn to the South and repeat using the Name for the South,
Adonai.

4) Continue for the West, and North.

The intention the magician should have while performing this

second invocation, is that the Elements are present, potent, and
stable within their sphere of working.

Invoking

5) Contemplate your Kether, performing four-square breathing,

and then invoke the Flashing Sword on the Tree of Life. This can
be done by imagining the spheres of the Tree on your body as
points of brilliant, white light. Progress to the point where you can
imagine them in their Queen’s color scale colors, and invoke the
appropriate Divine Names. The Upper Trinity can be merged after
they are done, into a single brilliant sphere encompassing and
illuminating the head in a brilliant halo. Attention should be given
to the Names and their vibration. In fact, the Names can be
invoked in descending order alone (i.e., without visualization)
prior to any work, and must be done, before any work on a specific
sphere of the Tree, such as Geburah, Tiphareth, etc.

Closing
Use your closing sign, or the Sign of Silence to close down the
energy without banishing it. That is, just cutting off its inward
flow, and not removing it from your sphere of operation
completely.

Opening a Single Quarter

1) Perform steps One and Five.

2) Turn to the Quarter you wish to Open, such as the East. Draw
an invoking pentagram and say, “I Open the Portal of the East in
the Name of YHVH.” Imagine the pentagram as tracery of a large
window, such that you could put your hand through it and reach
to the other side. Imagine a vast wall of wind on the other side,
ever so slightly blowing through, although great pressure is felt to
be present there. Imagine the colors of the Quarter in the wind.
Everything must be brilliant and bright. Sharp, clear imagery and
feelings are critical and must be developed for this aspect of the
work. If need be, imagine a circle, of stone, or just of brilliant light,
around the pentagram to stabilize it.

3) After a few moments, or minutes of concentration, call on the

Archangel to assist you. Later, additional ‘helpers’ can be called on
to assist you, but always call on the ruling ‘intelligence’ of the
Quarter, the Archangel. Say, “I call on the Archangel Raphael
(vibrate the Name) to assist me in my journey in the Eastern
Quarter.” Or something to this effect. Imagine the archangel
before you, on the other side of the pentagram, reaching through
with one hand. It should be a massive hand, larger than yours, as
these beings are often imagined as being 12-16 feet tall. Feel the
warmth of the hand, and go through the pentagram into a sea of
the element imagined. Simply repeat the name of the archangel
over and over again if need be, to keep focused. When you are
ready, turn, and return to the pentagram. Look through and see
yourself seated on the other side. Step through. Offer gratitude
and thanks to the Archangel for its help. Feel a fast, powerful, and
sudden blast of the Element come through the pentagram,
completely fill the circle, and then return to the other side.
Imagine yourself seated, and then when ready stand. Go before
the Quarter and draw a banishing, or closing pentagram while
saying: “I close the Quarter of the East in the Name of YHVH! So
mote it be!” Stamp your foot, ring a bell, or use a mallet or
knocker to affirm your presence in the material world

4) Banish again with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

if need be, or perform your closing gesture, such as the Sign of
Silence to close down the energy.

When opening the quarters, always start with the East, and work
your way to the North, doing no more than one per week until you
are competent to open and close them as will for specific work.

In the beginning you can draw the alchemical symbol for the
Element in the center of the Pentagram, but the kerubic sign of
the fixed astrological Sign is more powerful, and should be in
complementary colors to the Element.

A study of the qualities of the Signs will yield information

regarding the secrets of the Elements. For example: Fire will make
ones sense of self very strong, and give dominance over the other
Elements. Water must be directed by a strong and clear image,
through a focused will (power of Mars). Earth is close to the lunar
realms, and can be manipulated through lunar cycles, as well as a
strong love of Nature as bestowed by Venus. Air gives breadth and
clarity of vision, but also a quick mind and sense of the heaviness
and occasional depression if it is allowed to grow ‘heavy’.

The Middle Pillar can be substituted for the Flashing Sword,

however, the Flashing Sword should be done at least once a week,
preferably on Saturday.

See the “Ritual Protocols” for additional information on the

spheres.