Bornless Ritual

Part of a series on
Thelema
Unicursal hexagram
The Rights of Man
Holy Books and Stele The Book of the Law The Holy Books of Thelema The Stele of Revealing
Key figures Ankh-af-na-Khonsu François Rabelais Aleister Crowley Victor Neuburg Charles Stansfeld Jones Jack Parsons Wilfred Talbot Smith Jane Wolfe Karl Germer Grady McMurtry Marcelo Ramos Motta Marjorie Cameron Sara Northrup Helen Parsons Smith Phyllis Seckler Christopher Hyatt Kenneth Grant James Lees Nema Andahadna Kenneth Anger The Scarlet Women Rose Edith Crowley Mary d'Este Sturges Jeanne Robert Foster Roddie Minor Marie Rohling Leah Hirsig Leila Waddell
Core concepts Abrahadabra Great Work True Will The Abyss Magick Qabalah Holy Guardian Angel Thoth Tarot Yoga Gnostic Mass The Aeon
Methods Abrahadabra Night of Pan Liber Resh Crossing the Abyss Banishing Invocation Bornless Ritual Qaballa Sex magic Body of light Tree of life
Thelemic texts Aleister Crowley bibliography Kenneth Grant bibliography Marcelo Motta bibliography
Organizations A∴A∴ O∴A∴A∴ Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC) Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) Society Ordo Templi Orientis (SOTO) Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn Typhonian Order (TOTO)
Deities Nuit Hadit Heru-ra-ha Aiwass Therion Babalon Baphomet Chaos Ma'at
Places Boleskine House Abbey of Thelema Agape Lodge
Related topics Abramelin oil Cake of Light Choronzon Eroto-comatose lucidity Goetia Magical formulae Mass of the Phoenix Number of the beast Obeah and wanga Qlippoth Table of magical correspondences The Beast & Whore of Babylon Worship of heavenly bodies
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The Bornless Ritual, also known as the Preliminary Invocation of the Goetia or simply Preliminary Invocation, originates from the Graeco-Egyptian Papyri Graecae Magicae (PGM), a collection of ancient spells, invocations, and hymns compiled between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE.^[1] Initially used for exorcism and healing, the ritual invokes the "Bornless" or "Headless One", a transcendent deity beyond birth and death, symbolizing the unity of the divine and practitioner. Some interpretations suggest that the ritual may have connections with the Egyptian god Set. It is also called the "Headless Rite" or the "Invocation of the Bornless One".^[2]

Adapted by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley's A∴A∴, the ritual is employed to contact the Holy Guardian Angel, a key concept in Thelema and other esoteric traditions. It serves purposes of spiritual protection, purification, and preparation for deeper magical workings, aiming to facilitate a connection with higher spiritual forces.^[3]

Today, the Bornless Ritual remains significant in Western esotericism, especially in the pursuit of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Its continued use underscores its foundational role and impact on the spiritual journey in modern occult practices.^[4]