This ritual is to be performed after the “Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram”.

Stand upright, feet together, left arm at side, right across body, holding the wand or other weapon upright in the median line. Then face East and say:

  I.N.R.I.  
  Yod. Nun. Resh. Yod.  
  Virgo, Isis, Mighty Mother.  
  Scorpio, Apophis, Destroyer.  
  Sol, Osiris, Slain and Risen.  
  Isis, Apophis, Osiris, IAO. 

Extend the arms in the form of a cross, and say: “The Sign of Osiris Slain.”

• Raise the right arm to point upwards, keeping the elbow square, and lower the left arm to point downwards, keeping the elbow square, while turning the head over the left shoulder, looking down so that the eyes follow the left forearm, and say “The Sign of the Mourning of Isis.”-

• Raise the arms at an angle of sixty degrees to each other above the head, which is thrown back, and say, “The Sign of Apophis and Typhon.”

• Cross the arms on the breast, and bow the head and say, “The Sign of Osiris Risen.”

• Extend the arms again as in (iii) and cross them again as in (vi) saying: “L.V.X., Lux, the Light of the Cross”.

• With the magical weapon trace the Hexagram of Fire in the East, saying, “ARARITA”.

This Word consists of the initials of a sentence which means “One is His Beginning: One is His Individuality: His Permutation is One.” This hexagram consists of two equilateral triangles, both apices pointed upwards. Begin at the top of the upper triangle and trace it in a dextro-rotary direction. The top of the lower triangle should coincide with the central point of the upper triangle.

• Trace the Hexagram of Earth in the South, saying “ARARITA”.

This Hexagram has the apex of the lower triangle pointing downwards, and it should be capable of inscription in a circle.

• Trace the Hexagram of Air in the West, saying “ARARITA”.

This Hexagram is like that of Earth; but the bases of the triangles coincide, forming a diamond.

• Trace the hexagram of Water in the North, saying “ARARITA”.

This hexagram has the lower triangle placed above the upper, so that their apices coincide.

• Repeat (i-vii)

This expanded analysis explores the symbolic, alchemical, mythological, and psychological significance of the keywords used within the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram. While the ritual instructions themselves appear elsewhere, this page focuses on interpretation — how each word functions as a mechanism of meaning within the ceremonial sequence.

The Keyword Analysis embedded within the Hexagram Ritual is one of the most compact symbolic formulas in the Thelemic and Golden Dawn traditions. It unites:

• Egyptian mythology
• astrological correspondences
• alchemical processes
• esoteric reinterpretations of Christian formulae
• psychological motifs of death, transformation, and renewal

The sequence INRI → Virgo/Isis → Scorpio/Apophis → Sol/Osiris represents a complete cycle of *dissolution and resurrection*, mirroring both the solar year and interior initiatory experience.

INRI is a polysemous formula with at least three classical interpretations:

• Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum – the exoteric Christian form.
• Igne Natura Renovatur Integra – “By fire, nature is renewed in entirety.”
• Thelemic reinterpretation – a code for the cycle of death and resurrection embodied by the Osiris mythos.

Within ritual use, INRI often signals:

• a transformation mechanism
• a reference to the sacrificial god archetype
• the alchemical force of fire as renewal

The formula is intentionally ambiguous. It grants access to both the mystical (Christian) and magical (alchemical) readings, implying that the ritual spans cultural, doctrinal, and symbolic boundaries.

Virgo is associated with purity, gestation, and preparation. In the esoteric Zodiac, Virgo represents:

• the *Matrix* or womb of manifestation
• the archetype of sacred femininity
• the potentiality prior to form
• the harvesting of spiritual fruits

The keyword Isis, Mighty Mother amplifies this: Isis is simultaneously creator, healer, magician, and resurrector. She is the one who gathers the fragments of Osiris and restores him to life.

In ritual logic, Virgo/Isis functions as:

• the beginning of the cycle
• the container of transformation
• the regenerative force that enables resurrection

It is the “feminine polarity” in the formula — receptive, nurturing, formative.

Scorpio is the sign of:

• death
• decay and putrefaction
• transformation in darkness
• the hidden and taboo
• the underworld and psychic depths

The invocation of Apophis (Apep), the Egyptian serpent of chaos, introduces the principle of:

• dissolution
• negation
• entropy
• the annihilation of the old form

This is the nigredo of alchemy — the blackening phase, where the material or the egoic structure must undergo destruction before renewal can occur.

Viewed psychologically, this represents:

• confrontation with the Shadow
• the breaking apart of outdated identifications
• ego-death experiences
• the necessary chaos preceding higher integration

Scorpio/Apophis is the “destructive polarity” of the formula.

Sol (the Sun) symbolises:

• light
• clarity
• consciousness
• integration
• renewed life

Osiris, as the resurrected god, embodies:

• regeneration
• immortality of the spirit
• the triumph over dissolution
• the continuity of existence through transformation

In the ritual’s symbolic logic, Osiris is not simply reborn — he is transfigured, elevated to a higher state after passing through death.

This is the rubedo of alchemy — the reddening or completion phase.

Psychologically, this corresponds to:

• post-traumatic integration
• emergence of new identity structures
• illumination and self-realisation
• synthesis of opposites

Sol/Osiris represents the “constructive polarity” completing the cycle.

The ritual presents a formula of cyclic transformation:

1. INRI – The principle of renewal encoded within fire, sacrifice, and regeneration.
2. Virgo / Isis – The womb, matrix, or nurturing ground where transformation begins.
3. Scorpio / Apophis – Destruction and dissolution; the necessary breaking down of form.
4. Sol / Osiris – Rebirth, illumination, and the emergence of a transformed self.

This maps cleanly onto several symbolic systems:

• Virgo/Isis → *Prima Materia*
• Apophis/Scorpio → *Nigredo* (dissolution)
• Osiris/Sol → *Albedo → Rubedo* (illumination → completion)

• Isis → creation/motherhood
• Apophis → chaos/destruction
• Osiris → resurrection/order re-established

• Isis → unconscious resources
• Apophis → shadow confrontation
• Sol/Osiris → conscious integration

• Isis → active feminine force
• Apophis → force of annihilation
• Osiris → equilibrated masculine force

While the Golden Dawn introduced the basic formula, Crowley’s adaptation adds:

• a more explicit solar emphasis
• deeper engagement with Egyptian triads
• an initiatory psychological dimension
• a more integrated death-rebirth arc
• alignment with the Aeon of Horus

Where the Golden Dawn reading is largely moral-alchemical, the Thelemic reading becomes ontological-initiatic — a map of consciousness rather than merely a symbolic encoding.

From a Jungian or post-Jungian viewpoint, the ritual encodes:

• Shadow work (Apophis)
• Activation of the Anima/Imago Mater (Isis)
• Solar consciousness / Individuation (Osiris/Sol)
• The Self as a cycle of transformation (INRI)

The magician symbolically passes through:

1. Preparation  
2. Dissolution  
3. Illumination  
4. Reintegration  

This mirrors classic initiatory patterns across cultures (“death before rebirth”).

The practitioner, by vocalising and visualising the keywords, activates:

• a symbolic descent into chaos
• the invocation of regenerative forces
• alignment with cosmic and psychological cycles
• a harmonisation of internal opposites
• the solar current central to Thelemic magick

This is not merely mnemonic: the keywords encode a formula of consciousness transformation.

Consider exploring:

• Links between the INRI formula and Rosicrucian symbolism
• Parallels with the Osiris cycle in *Book of the Dead* chapters
• Crowley’s commentary on the Solar Phallic formulae
• How the Hexagram Ritual relates to the “Rising on the Planes” technique
• The role of Scorpio in initiatory traditions (kundalini, serpent cults, shamanic death motifs)

Scholars may also compare this formula with:

• Mithraic grade structure (cave → light)
• Orphic and Eleusinian mysteries
• Hermetic ascent sequences
• Alchemical blackening/whitening/reddening triads

Good sources for comparison and expansion include:

• Crowley – Liber O, Liber 777, Magick in Theory & Practice
• Regardie – The Golden Dawn
• Hornung – The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife
• Jung – Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious