Circles, Why Use Them? Casting A Circle Entering & Leaving the Circle Magick Circle Sea Salt Circle Casting A Circle in the Welsh Tradition Circles, Why Use Them? By Mel White In short, because circles protect you while you are performing magick. They say that the longest journey begins with a single step. So, too, the exploration of magickal studies begins with a single step. Though the first step in a physical journey is often self-evident, the first step on a magickal journey is often not quite so clear. While formally organized groups often have a path of lessons to instruct newcomers, the solitary or isolated student is often left standing in perplexity on this broad plain of knowledge, wondering just where in the heck to begin. And wondering, too, if it's "okay" to start just anywhere. While it's true that studies can begin in any direction that attracts you, the necessary first step must be learning to make psychic shields. There are "Things of the Dark" out there. There are any number of explanations for what these things might be -- ghosts, demons, or simply uncontrolled urges of the subconscious mind. In truth, it doesn't matter what they are. What does matter is that their effect is very real and unless they are put under your control, they will drag you over the borders of sanity into psychosis. You are most vulnerable to them while you're in an "open" trance or meditative state. That's why the wise practitioner always begins by taking steps to define exactly what will be permitted through the portals of their "psychic shields" -- no matter how simple the ritual. And this, in a nutshell, is what "protective magic" is about. There are a number of ways to do this. The most common is to begin by drawing a circle (around a group or yourself) and invoking the one or more protective powers. Generally, this is done by candlelight, in front of an altar that holds certain magical objects. The circle may be further "secured" and "cleared" by using salt, salt water, rum, incense, or some other method. You may be wearing a special robe and will have taken a bath (or performed a cleansing ritual) earlier. The powers that protect you will be called on and then you will begin your ritual. Is it psychological? Absolutely! Is there a reason why protection rituals always take this form? Positively! Let's take a step back and see what you're actually doing and how the process works -- from a psychological standpoint -- and how to use this knowledge to help you refine your circles to enhance your rituals. Psychologists and psychics alike view the mind's structure as a three-part entity: The Ego (that which you think of as yourself), the Superego (the "higher self") and the Id (the child within). The Id is, in a sense, a computer. Like most computers, it operates on the GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) principle. There's an old superstition: "As you name something, so will it become." Tell yourself that you're very unlucky and your Id will obligingly give you bad days by enhancing any negatives in your environment. Tell yourself that you are clumsy, and your Id-computer will obligingly arrange for you to break a leg while stepping off the sidewalk. The bad news is that the Id can't make a judgement as to whether or not this is a good idea. It only knows that it's received these "instructions" and must carry them out. The good news is that you can actually program/reprogram this portion of your mind. You begin programming this Internal Servant of yours by first drawing its attention to what you want done and then explaining what you need done in a simple and clear manner. Repeating the instructions in a chant help fix the goals for the Id -- rhymed chants seem to be easier for it to process. Each time you perform the ritual and repeat the chant, the programming is strengthened. Never mind that your ego and superego understand that you're going to program the child-like Id. It works just the same. To direct the Id's attention to the process, you first have to impress it. Using special tools and clothing alert it that something unusual is going on and that it must pay attention. Acquiring hard-to-obtain items, drawing symbols, performing a symbolic sacrifice (donating money, say, to a good cause) are all ways of reinforcing the Id's impression that this ceremony is very special and that the result will be very powerful. Organized, meaningful symbols, speak to your subconscious mind in ways it understands, reinforcing the goals you have set. Drawing the circle itself establishes boundaries within your environment ("The rest of the world can do what it likes Out There. All within this circle is in my control!"). Purifying the circle and consecrating it (sprinkling water which has been blessed and salt added) further enforce your territory, defining the borders where you are "safe". Nothing can enter this area except what you invite inside. You further tighten these borders by calling on certain Powers. You can call on any powers you like. Some use traditional Christian images. Others call up deities from the religion they are most comfortable with. And many people use the thought/image of a beam of light that represents either God/Goddess (whichever one they like) or the power of light and life and goodness in the Universe. The number of powers called as guardians varies. You may choose to invoke one powerful being to protect your circle. Or you might call on the Universal Being/Light and four guardians (one for each quarter of the compass). A third approach is to use a guardian for the four quarters of the compass and no higher being. There is no "absolutely correct" system; the correct system is the one that you are comfortable with. Take time to choose the guardians of your circle carefully. You should select guardians (gods or animals or some form of life) which have a deeper meaning to you and whose qualities are in harmony with your goals. For the new student, it's best to have all your Powers and Guardians from the same belief system/religion/mythic universe so that the symbols will be consistent and not confuse the Id. You can use people -- saints, movie actors, figures from favorite books as guardians. Do, however, pick someone who's dead or non-existent. The dead can't argue with your interpretation of them, whereas the living may be highly offended to be approached as gods/guardians. As your studies continue, you will find that your totems or guardians change. This is to be expected; as you explore new realms in your studies, you may find you need guardians who deal with very specific areas to strengthen and guide you in these new fields. But don't make the mistake of assuming that you'll become so powerful that you will never need the protection of the psychic shielding circle in some form. And don't assume that you will not need a circle for "positive" magicks such as healing. Open is open -- and open is vulnerable. And circles strengthen and protect you by defining what psychological influences will be allowed to work with you. Top of Page Casting A Circle By Ann Mouri Sweep the circle area; lay out your circle (if you use a visible one), altar items, bathe, and dress in your ritual robes. Light the incense and altar candles. Ring a bell three times, and say, “The circle is about to be cast and I freely stand within to greet my Lady and my Lord.” Take the center (white) candle and light the circle candles, beginning in the North, and moving clockwise to end in the West. Then say, in the North, “I call upon light and earth at the north to illuminate and strengthen this circle.” In the East, “I call upon light and air in the east to illuminate and enliven this circle.” In the South, “I call upon light and fire at the south to illuminate and warm this circle.” In the West, “I call upon light and water at the west to illuminate and cleanse this circle.” Pick up the athame, raise it upward, and begin, in the north, to walk clockwise from N to E, to S, to W, and back to N While saying, “I draw this circle in the presence of the Goddess and the God where they may come and bless their child, (your name).” Lower the athame, when you return to the north, and hold it with the tip pointing forward. As you make a second walk around the circle, envision a blue light shooting out of the athame’s point and forming the circle’s boundary, And say, “This is the boundary of the circle. Only love shall enter and leave.” Then, return to the altar and ring the bell three times. Place the point of the athame into the bowl of salt, And say, “Salt is life and purifying. I bless this salt to be used in this sacred circle in the names of the God and Goddess, _______.” Pick up the salt bowl and use the tip of the athame to drop three portions of salt into the water bowl, then set the salt bowl back into place. Stir the water three times, with your athame, And say, “Let the blessed salt purify this water that it may be blessed to use in this sacred circle. In the names of the Goddess and God, _______, I consecrate and cleanse this water.” Pick up the salted water and sprinkle from the bowl as you move clockwise around the circle, from north, back to the north, And say, “I consecrate this circle in the names of the Goddess and the God, _______. The circle is conjured a circle of power that is purified and sealed. So mote it be!” Return the water to the altar and pick up the incense censer (or burner); walk it around the circle, again moving clockwise from north back around to north, to cense it. Return the censer to the altar. Anoint your forehead with a Solar Cross, using Anointing Oil, And say, “I, _______, am consecrated in the names of the God and the Goddess, ­_______, in this circle.” If you are working with others, open a door in the circle, using your athame, now, and allow them to enter. Anoint each person with a Solar Cross on their forehead as they enter, having each of them say a special greeting such as, “I come in perfect love and perfect trust.” Then close the door with the athame and seal it with an invoking pentagram. Top of Page Entering & Leavng A Circle Leaving: Stand in the east, with your athame. Cut across the line on the left and the right of the space you will be walking through, and then proceed forward. Re-entry: Walk through the opening you made upon leaving. Reconnect the line by moving your athame from left to right, and then, from right to left, and finally, from left to right again. “Seal” the break by raising your athame and moving the blade to inscribe a pentagram. Beginning at the top, draw a line to your bottom left, move to the right, slightly upwards, straight across to your left, down to your bottom right, and finally, back up to the top point. Then kiss the blade and return it to its place on your altar. Top of Page Magick Circle 1. Remove all animals, small children and any unwanted furniture from the area that will be the inside of the circle 2. Set up your altar at the center point. 3. Using a compass, locate magnetic north, and hold your circle casting tool out from your body. Go into alpha and see the tool’s aura extending out from its tip. 4. Visualize the tip of your tool creating a circle of light and energy, like a laser, as you walk deosil around the area, three times. The circumference drawn by the tool’s tip is the edge of your circle. Project white light out from the wand to create the circle of energy. In your mind’s eye, see the circle as geometrically perfect and say that it is so. 5. Walk the circle a second time and say, “I cast this circle to protect me from all negative and positive energies and forces, on every level, that may come to do me/us harm. I draw into this circle only those energies and forces that are right for me/us and the most correct for my/our work.” 6. Walk the circle a third time and say, “I create sacred space, so mote it be.” 7. Invoke the four directions, and the energies of the elements, angels and powers that reside in them, by using the tool to draw an invoking pentagram as you are facing each direction. Use a ritual spell of invocation or one of your own. 8. To open the circle, hold the wand over the circle’s circumference, and beginning at magnetic north, walk once around the circle, widdershins, as you say, “I send this circle into the cosmos to do my/our bidding. The circle is undone but not broken.” Top of Page Sea Salt Circle To charge your ritual wand or athame for the purpose of casting magick circles. It can also be used as your usual circle, if you like, and for charging any objects that you so choose. 1. Before casting the circle, set up your altar, along with the tool you will be charging and any others that you will need, in the center of the area where you intend to create the circle, because you can’t leave once it has been cast. Be sure the circle is large enough to accommodate the work you are about to perform. 2. To cast a traditional nine-foot circle, take a cord that is 41/2 feet long and secure one end of it at the center point of the area where you will be doing the casting. Using a compass, locate magnetic north, and begin dropping sea salt as you walk clockwise holding the unattached end of the string. After completing the first circle, make another circle about one-foot inside of it. Then, make a third circle one-foot inside of the second. 3. When you have finished casting the circle, hold the tool you will be charging in your hand. Count down to alpha, with your eyes closed, and cast the tool onto your mind’s screen. Physically examine the tool for any incorrect energy. Look at the tool’s aura to determine the energies that need to be removed. Let the aura appear on your mind’s screen. 4. With your eyes still closed, hold the wand in both of your hands and, with alternating motions, use your hands to push any unwanted energies out of the wand, while saying, “I neutralize any incorrect energy in this wand.” with each push. When the aura is completely cleansed, put a small dab of Protection Potion on the wand. Hold the wand in both hands again, close your eyes, and visualize your own aura. See it swirling around and flowing into the wand, infusing it with your essence. See the two auras mingling. Notice how they both become brighter and stronger, extending outward into and around you. Then say, “I charge this wand to catalyze my every thought and deed by my will. I ask that this will be correct and for the good of all.” This procedure is basically the same for charging any other tool that will be used for casting a circle. If the object is small enough, just hold it in your left hand and push the negative energies out with your right. You could also just dab it with Protection Potion before charging it. 5. To open the circle, sweep away the sea salt and say, “I send this circle into the cosmos to do my bidding. This circle is undone but not unbroken.” Top of Page Casting A Circle in the Welsh Tradition Whether you are working constructive magick (and will be walking clockwise, or deosil) or destructive magick, like bindings and banishings (and will be casting a widdershins, or counter-clockwise circle), you will want to always begin in the east. This is where the sun rises and where all things in magick begin. Now, beginning in the east, mediate on the casting of the circle, light your elemental candles. You can use all white candles, or different colors to represent each element. Some traditions use yellow for air in the east, red for fire in the south, blue for water in the west, and brown for earth in the north. Next, light your altar candle. You should be in a peaceful and meditative state, and ready to accept the energy you’ll need for the casting. We are now ready to begin construction of our protective space. In the Welsh tradition, they use what is called the three-fold circle, or the thrice cast circle. Water and salt, fire and air. Here is how we cast the first two circles: (The following chants are published, used extensively, and, therefore, very powerful.) Pick up your athame and scoop 3 measures of charged salt and add them, one by one, to the charged water in your chalice. While doing so, send white light into the water, and chant, “Water and salt, where thou art cast, no spell or adverse purpose last, not in complete accord with me, and as my word, so mote it be.” While chanting this, stir the water 3 times in a deosil direction. Carry the chalice around, beginning in the east (be sure to walk in the same direction each time around, according to the type of magick being performed) and sprinkle the cleansed water as you go, and chat the words softly to yourself, a total of three times. You will begin to feel a definite change in the atmosphere. Now, whether you use charcoal or cones, you will need to prepare your incense for the second circle. Use something protective like sandalwood, or frankincense and myrrh, or sage. As you add the herbs to the already burning charcoal, or as you are lighting the cone, chant: “Creature of fire, this charge I lay, no phantom in my presence stay. Here my will addressed to thee, and as my word, so mote it be!” The burning charcoal is your fire element, and the smoke is representative of the air element. Carry this around in the same manner and direction as you did with the water and salt, and softly repeat the chant to yourself, three times. Now comes the most important part: the drawing of the circle. Carefully draw your circle, using your staff, athame, or wand, and draw it directly on to the floor. Make it as perfect as possible (some people eve use string or tape as a guide). Use silver light streaming into your being (representing moonlight) and send electric blue, bright purple, or white light out through your chosen tool as you are walking around the circle. Always begin and end in the east. Make sure that you keep the elemental candles on the outside so that you can find your way back into the world. Once you have come back to the east elemental point, pound your tool on the floor three times and say something like: “The magickal circle is now cast. May it protect me in my work.” Now your circle is cast, but you are not done. You are about to do a powerful spell, and, therefore, you need to be guarded against things that might want to take your energy for their own purposes. To insure against this you must call the elemental guardians of the four directions. The calling of the elemental guardians: Who, or what are the elemental guardians and why do you need them to work magick? Every time you perform a spell you are sending out strong vibrations to the entire universe. You are calling upon the powers that be to assist you and carry out your will. No matter how good your intentions are, or how positive your magick is, you are at risk every time you work a spell. For this reason, we, as Witches, need to be able to call upon those we love, they who make up nature, for protection. The essences of the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water, are used every time you work a spell: fire and air in candle magick, earth in herbal magick, etc. It is the essences of the elements that make up all things, and help us in our magick. Begin in the east. Be strong and don’t falter. You are essentially requesting the spirit of the air elemental to watch over you while you are working your magick. Stand tall, raise your strong arm, athame in hand, and say words similar to: “Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, Element of Air, I ______ summon thee. Breath of life, cleansing breeze, seed mover, be here now.” Stand there until you feel the presence of the essence of air. You can seal the element by drawing an invoking pentagram in the air, visualizing it as bright blue or white light, or the color you associate with the element. Do the same with the other elements/directions, and, then, ask your spirit guide, if you have one, to be with you and to watch over you while you are working your magick. This is usually a very personal moment, and the request or invocation should be in your own words. Also you can ask your spirit guide to watch over your loved ones in case any negative energies are attracted to your work area. Next, ask your Goddess and/or God, in whichever aspect you prefer, to be present and guide you in your work. You have successfully cast a magickal circle. You can now raise energy and work your spell. Opening of the Magickal Circle: To open the circle, one you are done casting your spell, first, thank the Goddess and/or God for their attendance. Next, release your spirit guide, and don’t forget to thank it, as well. Then, beginning in the east and working deosil or widdershins, thank the guardians of the four directions for their protection, and dismiss them in words similar to: “Guardians of the Watchtowers of the east, element of air, I thank thee for your attendance and protection. Blessed be.” When this is done, go to the northeastern arc of your circle, where all things in magick come to an end, and, with your athame or staff, cut the circle and bring the energy back into yourself. It may take a little while. Now, go get something to eat! Magick always makes me hungry and you will probably need to restore your energy. Some witches eat or “ground” the energy while still in circle. I’m usually too beat and want to use the rest of the energy to properly open the circle, and then eat. Either way, just make sure that before the circle is open you have somehow collected all of the residual energies and channeled them in a constructive manner. The reason for this is that the magick you work, your own personal vibrations, are like a fingerprint. And, again, you don’t want someone tapping off of your energy. Top of Page