Magic on the Small Scale

I've been thinking a lot about occult practice in regards to personal transitions. What happens when an occultist has to pickup shop? Close his books, roll up his tapestries, zip his robes into suit bags, wrap up his quarter tablets, and say good by to his permanent outer temple. What then?

When the vicissitudes of life necessitate a certain flexibility of personal property, how does the practitioner of a religious art which basically necessitates the building of holy ground and the equivalent of a church in one's own home cope with the loss of the space and tools necessary to properly perform his art?

This question is probably one that every Magus has faced at one point or another in his existence. We are just as prone to economic, social, and personal distress as practitioners of any other faith or practice.

Understand that I am in no way discounting the Inner Temple, mental practice, “it's all in your head, you just have no idea how big your head is” (thanks Lon) philosophy of magic. However, when a practitioner become accustomed to a certain level of theatricality and high ritual, how is the Magus affected by having to 'settle' for a purely mental or less than ideal magical environment.

As an illustration: While meal supplements can nourish our bodies and be nutritiously valuable, when we are used to meat and potatoes downgrading to liquid protean has to cause some amount of withdrawal and cravings.

So how does a practitioner who has downgraded his Outer Temple cope with the cravings for the grand Temple he was used to? How does he replace the accoutrements of his trade with simple, portable, and affordable substitutions?

I don't quite have an answer yet, but I am considering a few options. The first is parchment. Lots and lots of parchment. Parchment is portable, and can be pinned to walls easily. Does it replace nicely carved quarter tablets, or framed paintings. Maybe not. But it is easily replaceable, and with enough time and investment a Magus can make even parchment tools into personal extensions of his will.

Any other suggestions? Replacements for robes? Temporary tools? Simpler rituals?

Looking for input here :)

I love Grimoiric magic circles and old style High Magic. I think the modern occult has lost something by stripping magic of its basic elements. The magic circle used to always be drawn physically before a ritual (see The Lesser Key of Solomon or Aggrippa's Fourth Book for examples). Now its all "imagined." After thinking about it for a long time I've decided to update (or possibly reconstruct) some common ritual elements of modern Ceremonial magic. I'm starting with the commonly used Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

What follows is the physical drawing for the LRP, draw on the floor in chalk around the magus. Within the circle are the basic instructions for performing the ritual. By working his way clockwise and from the center outwards the magus will find the words used in this ritual in their Hebrew forms (both in Hebrew alphabet and in English alphabet) and in their transliterated forms. I have also updated the correspondences to match the original Pythagorian model (and the model I beleive was originally implied in the LRP before it 'evolved' to the modern day). Also, instead of using the Banishing Earth Pentagrams for each corner I have replaced them with the appropriate quarter elemental Pentagrams. Anyone who notes my switching of Air and Earth is encouraged to look at the original and understand that the admonition to begin with Earth in the east implied that association (not that Earth was to be banished in all quarters).

If you do not like it, the don't use it, I have very little issue with criticism or with people disagreeing with my methods.

For those who are unfamiliar with the ritual, here it is (with my associations):

Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram:
Take a steel dagger in the right hand.
Face EAST.

Touch the forehead and vibrate "ATEH" (thou art)
Touch the middle of the solar plexus and vibrate "MALKUTH" (Kingdom)
Touch the right shoulder and vibrate "VE-GEVURAH" (and Power)
Touch the left shoulder and vibrate "VE-GEDULAH" (and Glory)
Clasp the hands before you and vibrate "LE-OLAHM" (for ever)
"AMEN"

Draw, in the air facing EAST, a banishing Earth Pentagram
Vibrate the Name "YHVH" (pronounced Ya-ho-wau or Yahweh)

Trace the circle's border and draw, in the air facing SOUTH, a banishing Fire Pentagram
Vibrate the Name "ADNI" (pronounced Ah-doh-naye or Adonai)

Trace the circle's border and draw, in the air facing WEST, a banishing Water Pentagram
Vibrate the Name "AHIH" (pronounced Ah-yeh or Ehyeh)

Trace the circle's border and draw, in the air facing NORTH, a banishing Air Pentagram
Vibrate the Name "AGLA" (pronounced either Ah-hag-la or Agla)

Return to the EAST, completing tracing the circle.

Extend the arms in the form of a cross, say: "BEFORE ME..." (then vibrate) "RPAL" (pronounced Rah-pheye-el or Raphiel)
Then, say: "Behind me..." (then vibrate) "GBRYAL" (pronounced Gah-bree-el or Gabriel)
Then, say: "At my right hand..." (then vibrate) "MYKAL" (pronounced Mee-kay-el of Michael)
Then, say: "At my left hand..." (then vibrate) "AWRYAL" (pronounced Aw-ree-el or Auriel)
"About me flames the pentagram, and in the column shines the six rayed star."