As discussed previously, a set of prescribed ceremonies adds a certain degree of stability and a sense of permanence to an organization. Highly ritualized ceremonies can also serve as very effective funnels for the focusing of the emotions and the Will during Satanic Magical Workings. To this end, the Order has developed a system of ritualized magical ceremonies to be em- ployed for official and unofficial functions.
The ritual system used by the Order is a very basic one, but one which allows for a great deal of individuality and creativity on the part of the designer and the participants. Each ceremony is composed of several elements; the Commencement (which acts as the starting point for the ritual itself), the Subjection (in which the participants describe the thing or persons to be influ- enced during the working, even if it is themselves), the Predica- tions (during which the desired effects are described), and the Consummation (which acts as a closing point for the ritual at which time the gathered energy is cast into the universe to work its effects). There are also Conformations which may be inserted at any point in the ceremony by the designer (as long as they are after the Commencement and before the Consummation). Each Confor- mation is geared to a very specific event or outcome, such as the phase of the moon, the season, etc.
There are several different "types" of each element that the designer of the ceremony can choose from. There are, for in- stance, the Lesser Commencement, which can be used for less formal and less significant Workings, and the Greater Commence- ment, which can be utilized when a greater degree of formality is desired and a higher significance is placed on the outcome of the Working. So too the very nature of the Working itself can deter- mine what choices are to be made; in a Working designed to pro- voke sensual desire in a certain individual, for instance, the Predication of Destruction would not be employed; the appropriate Predication would be that of Lust.
Certain elements, too, are geared towards certain specific events. You would not, for example, employ a Conformation of Ascension unless you were celebrating the promotion of one of the participants in that Working. Similarly, if your Working is taking place while the moon is fading, then the Conformation of the Waxing Moon would not be appropriate.