By Konstantinos

The Opening by Watchtower was designed by a Golden Dawn Initiate named Israel Regardie as an alternative to the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram used by the Order. It contains verses from various mystical sources, including the Oracles of Zoroaster and the Enochian Keys, and is probably the most inspirational ritual opening used in the modern era.

To be truly effective, this ritual should be performed with consecrated magical implements. This includes the four elemental weapons and tablets, the Tablet of Union, and the dagger and wand used in the LBRP and BRH.

This ritual is written as if you are using the correct tools or implements. For now, feel free to substitute the above-mentioned implements. Unlike the banishing rituals, this rite does not have to be practiced on a daily basis. However, try to become familiar with it, as you will be performing it before every evocation.

I suggest you write it out on index cards (download PDF Version here) and read from them until you memorize the ritual. Don't worry about trying to learn this ritual, it is really a lot easier to commit to memory than it seems to be at first glance.

1. Prepare an altar in the center of the room. Position the magical tools on the altar so each is closest to the elemental quarter it represents. The Air Dagger should be placed on the east side of the altar, the Fire Wand on the south, the Water Cup on the west, and the Earth Pentacle on the north. In the altar's center, place the Tablet of Union. Also, make sure the Elemental Tablets are positioned on the correct walls or on stands in the correct quarters. Have your dagger for the LBRP and your wand for the BRH on the southwest and northwest corners of the altar, respectively.
Stand behind the altar, facing east.

2. Pick up the dagger used for the LBRP with your right hand and knock on the altar three times using its handle. Then walk to the northeast of your circle (moving clockwise) and say loudly with meaning,

Hekas, Hekas Este Bebeloi! (hay-kahs, hay-kahs es-stay bee-beh-Ioy)

This commands all unwanted entities to leave the area because a ritual is about to begin.

3. Moving clockwise, return to your place behind the altar, facing east. Perform the LBRP and the BRH, making sure to finish with the Analysis of the Keyword. Note: When moving around the altar to pick up the magical tools in the following steps, or when pivoting to face the direction of that tool, always move clockwise.

4. Move clockwise to the south of the altar and pick up the Fire Wand. Pivot and face the Elemental Tablet of Fire in the south. Wave your Wand three times in the air, in front of the tablet, and then raise it. Walk clockwise around the room, keeping the Wand raised, while you say,

And when, after all the phantoms are banished, thou shalt see that Holy and Formless Fire, that Fire which darts and flashes through the hidden depths of the Universe, hear thou the Voice of Fire.

5. When you come back to the south, face the tablet and wave the Wand in front of it again three times. Then use the tool to trace a large, blue Invoking Pentagram of Fire in the air before the tablet  While doing so, vibrate

OIP TEAA PEDOCE (oh-ee-pay teh-ah-ah peh-doe-kay)

Then trace the figure of Leo in the center of this pentagram in red. Point to the center of it with the Wand and vibrate

ELOHIM (el-oh-heem)

Lift the Wand and say,

In the names and letters of the Great Southern Quadrangle, I invoke ye, ye angels of the Watchtower of the South! Put the Wand back on the altar.

6. Move clockwise to the west of the altar and pick up the Water Cup. Face the Elemental Tablet of Water and wave the Cup before it three times. Lift the Cup above your head, and walk clockwise around the circle saying,

So thereforefirst, the priest who governeth the works of Fire must sprinkle with the lustral water of the loud resounding sea.

7. When you return to the west, wave the Cup three times in front of the tablet. Trace a large, blue Invoking Pentagram of Water using the tool, while vibrating,

MPH ARSEL GAIOL (ehm-pay-hay ahr-sell gah-ee-ohl)
 

Then trace the blue Eagle head in the center. Point at the center of this pentagram with the Cup and vibrate

ALEPH LAMED AL (ah-Ief lah-med ahl).

Hold the Cup above your head and say,

In the names and letters of the Great Western Quadrangle, I invoke ye, ye angels of the Watchtower of the West.
Put the Cup on the altar.

8. Move to the east of your altar, pick up the Air Dagger, and pivot to face the Air Tablet. Wave the Dagger before it three times, and lift it above your head. Walk clockwise around the room with the Dagger in the air while you say,

Such a Fire existeth, extending through the rushing of Air. Or even a Fire formless, whence cometh the image of a voice. Or even a flashing light, abounding, revolving, whirling forth, crying aloud.
 

9. When you arrive back at the east, wave the weapon in front of the tablet three more times. Trace a large, blue Invoking Pentagram of Water using the Dagger while vibrating ORO IBAH AOZPI (oh-row ee-bah-hah ahoh- zohd-pee) Then trace a yellow Aquarius sign in the center. Point at the center of the pentagram with the Dagger and vibrate YOD HEH VAV HEH (yode-heh-vahv-heh). Hold the Dagger high and say, In the names and letters of the Great Eastern Quadrangle, I invoke ye, ye angels of the Watchtower of the East.

Replace the Dagger on the altar.
 

10. Move clockwise to the north of the altar and pick up the Earth Pentacle.
Face the Tablet of Earth and wave the Pentacle before it three times. Then walk clockwise around the circle with the Pentacle high in the air while saying, Stoop not down into the darkly splendid world, wherein continually lieth a faithless depth and Hades wrapped in gloom, delighting in unintelligible images, precipitous, winding; a black ever-rolling abyss, ever espousing a body unluminous, formless, and void.
 

11. When you return to the north, wave the Pentacle in front of the tablet three more times. Then trace a large, blue Invoking Pentagram of Earth using the Pentacle, while vibrating

EMOR DIAL HECTEGA (ee-mohr dee-ahl hec-tey-gah)

In the center, trace a white Taurus sign. Point at the center of the pentagram with the Pentacle and vibrate ADONAI (ah-doenye)
Then hold the Pentacle above your head and say,

In the names and letters of the Great Northern Quadrangle, I invoke ye, ye angels of the Watchtower of the North.

Return the Pentacle to the altar.
 

12. Move clockwise to the west side of your altar and face east. Over the altar and Tablet of Union, make the following Sign of the Rending of the Veil: Step forward with your left foot and, at the same time, thrust your arms, palms together, forward. Then separate your arms as if you were separating two curtains.
 

13. Say the following in Enochian, vibrating the words in capital letters:

Ol Sonuf Vaorsagi Goho Iada Balta. ELEXARPEH COMANANU TABITOM.
Zodakara Eka Zodakare ad Zodameranu. ado Kikle Qaa Piap Piamoel od Vaoan. (Oh-ell soh-noof vay-oh-air-sah-jee goh-hoh ee-ah-dah bahl-tah. Elex- ar-pay-hay Co-mah-nah-noo Tah-bee-toh-ehm. Zohd-ah-kah-rah ehkah zohd-ah-kah-ray oh-dah zohd-ahmehr-ah-noo oh-doh kee-klay kah-ah pee-ah-pay pee-ah-moh-ehl oh-dah vay-oh-ah-noo.)

This translates to:

"I reign over you, says the God of Justice. (Three magical names.)
Move, therefore, move and appear. Open the mysteries of creation: balance, righteousness, and truth."
 

14. Say the following:

I invoke ye, ye angels of the celestial spheres, whose dwelling is in the invisible. Ye are the guardians of the gates of the universe. Be ye also the guardians of this mystic sphere. Keepfar removed the evil and the unbalanced.

Strengthen and inspire me so that I may preserve unsullied this abode of the mysteries of the eternal gods. Let my sphere be pure and holy so that I may enter in and become a partaker of the secrets of the Light Divine.

15. Move clockwise to the northeast corner of your circle and face that direction.
Say the following:

The visible Sun is the dispenser of light to the Earth.
Let me thereforeform a vortex in this chamber that the invisible Sun of the spirit may shine therein from above.
 

16. Walk clockwise around your circle three times. Each time you pass the east, make the Sign of the Enterer (see LBRP, step 7) in the direction you are moving. This is how you form the vortex mentioned in the last step.
After the third time you pass the east and make the Sign of the Enterer, return to the west of your altar and face east. You should feel the vortex of energy in your circle.

17. Make the Sign of the Enterer and say,

Holy art Thou, Lord of the Universe.
Make the Sign of the Enterer again and say,

Holy art Thou, Whom Nature hath not Formed.

Make the Sign of the Enterer one more time and say,

Holy art Thou, the Vast and Mighty One. Lord of the Light and of the Darkness.

Now give the Sign of Silence (see LBRP, step 7).
 

18. After you perform whatever magical work you want to accomplish and are ready to end the ceremony, say the following:

Unto thee, sole wise, sole eternal, and sole merciful One, be the praise and glory forever, who has permitted me who standeth humbly before Thee to enter into this far into the sanctuary of the mysteries. Not unto me but unto Thy name be the glory. Let the influence of Thy divine ones descend upon my head, and teach me the value of self-sacrifice so that I shrink not in the hour of my trial, but that thus my name may be written on high and my genius stand in the presence of the holy ones.
 

19. Now walk around the circle three times, counterclockwise. Give the Sign of the Enterer as you pass the east, in the direction you are walking. The vortex of energy you created earlier should now begin to fade away.
 

20. Perform the LBRP and the BRH.
 

21. Say the following, making sure to vibrate the words in capital letters:

I now release any spirits that may have been imprisoned by this ceremony. Depart in peace to your abodes and habitations, and go with the blessings of YEHESHUAH YEHOVASHAH (yeh-hay-shoe-ah yeh-ho-vah-shah).
 

22. Knock three times on the altar with the handle of the dagger you used to perform the LBRP and say, I now declare this temple duly closed.
 

Steps 19 to 22 of this ritual are known collectively as the Closing by Watchtower. It should be clear by now, after reading the various orations, the types of links that are created with Divine when this ritual is performed.