Do You Draw a Witches Circle

Circumvolve-casting is one of the foundational skills of Wicca and witchcraft. Oft, it's one of the first things that newbies learn to do as part of their grooming.

But circle-casting is a complex idea, even though the techniques are rather elementary. Whether you're casting a circle for the outset time or thousandth time, it never hurts to call up about what, exactly, you're doing and why. In this article, we'll go "back to basics" on circle-castings, and also consider some of the finer points of building the Witch's circle.

What is circle-casting?

Circle-casting refers to the practise of setting upwards a temporary space for magick or ritual. Information technology is, by definition, circular. Circumvolve-casting is a term that'southward about normally used in Wiccan traditions, but other magick users may bandage circles, equally well. The magick circumvolve is a mobile temple, a identify apart from the ordinary world where magickal happenings tin can more easily occur.

Generally speaking, the circle is put up at the starting time of the rite by the leading priest and/or priestess. Solo practitioners cast circles, besides. At the end of the ritual, the circle is released. (More on that later.)

A circle is a psychic boundary. You tin't see it with your normal five senses. Nonetheless, a properly cast circumvolve is detectable energetically and/or clairvoyantly by someone who has those skills. The magick circle is said to extend through the worlds—not but the concrete plane, merely the astral planes every bit well.

Why bandage a circle?

At that place all kinds of factors that can interfere with ritual magick: Distractions from the mundane earth, the contrary wills of others, chaotic entities that feed off the Witch's efforts, just to name a few. Casting a circle is ane way to shut out disruptive influences and stay focused on the work. Magickal trance can be a psychically vulnerable state, then many Witches cast the circle with psychic protection in mind.

Just as important as the circumvolve'due south outer barrier is its inner i. Magickal free energy—similar all energy that we know about—tends to bounce around and besprinkle off into the Universe. Move is its natural habit. The whole signal of ritual is to concentrate some of that energy temporarily, for a purpose. A circumvolve allows you to get together more energy up and hold onto it longer. If your work involves the evocation of spirits or deities, a well-built circle offers them a cozy place to land for the duration of the rite.

We can summarize all this by saying a magick circle has two primary purposes: To keep disturbances out, and to go on the energy of the ritual in. This is certainly a vast oversimplification. And then we'll do it one worse and say the circle is a tool to brand your magick stronger.

I've heard the circle described every bit a vessel, a workbench, a fence, a welcome mat, a spaceship, a gate, a bubble, and many other metaphors. Like the story of the bullheaded men and the elephant, all of these words describe something virtually the circle, without really existence a complete caption of what it is.

How do you cast a circumvolve?

There are unproblematic and complex ways to cast a circle (and all points in between). Yous can bandage a circle with tools or without, either aloud or silently. All methods of circumvolve-casting crave concentration or visualization, and a commitment to the conventionalities that the circle is real.

A traditional circle has four cardinal points, set equidistant around the circle'southward circumference. They are linked to the the four directions, the four Elements, and the Wiccan seasonal calendar. I retrieve of the Quarters every bit ancient intelligences that announced in many of the world's religions. If you adopt, you lot tin can think of them as tent poles that balance the circle's shape and energy.

These are all common practices in circle-casting: Visualizing the boundaries of the circle, walking the circumference of the circle, cutting a barrier with a knife or sword, calling the Quarters, lighting candles, placing objects around the border of the circle, ritual cleansing of the infinite within. Your casting may use a few of these elements, or all of them.

The following is an example of a very simple circle-casting technique: Visualize a band of low-cal at the edges of your ritual space. The low-cal burns and purifies the space within the circle. Have some deep breaths, and focus on the pulse of energy within your torso. Feel the heat and low-cal of your own energy expand with every exhalation. That low-cal too has a fiery, purifying effect on the infinite between you and the circle. When you feel the warm edges of your ain energy reach that boundary of the circle, handclapping your hands together and say, "Every bit I will, the circle is bandage."

Some people prefer to cast the circle with the aid of various tools: The athame, a length of cord, stones or candles for each of the quarters. These items tin be very helpful in setting upwardly the boundaries of the circle.

The larger and more than public the ritual, the more tools tend to be used, since attendees may not be accepted to the ins and outs of circumvolve-casting. Large public circles often utilize multiple callers, altars at the Quarters, chants and written evocations to assist make the circumvolve more visible.

There is no method that is better than the others. The forcefulness of the circumvolve will depend on the volition of the participants and other factors (such as the psychic geography of the identify where the circumvolve is cast).

Is circumvolve-casting necessary for magick?

No, certainly not. The magick circle is not used in every tradition. Norse, Kemetic (Egyptian), and many shamanic and folk magick practitioners work just fine without ane. Circumvolve-casting is a useful technology, not a hard-and-fast rule.

The Witch's magick circle is a legacy from the grimoires of Western ceremonial magick, what is sometimes called Solomonic magick. Its original purpose was to protect the conjuror from demons and fallen angels, and to affirm the authority of God over such rebellious spirits. This commanding, adversarial approach to magick is now out of step with how many magicians view their human relationship with the spiritual world.

Amidst Wiccans and others who exercise bandage circles, near will say that not every deed of magick requires a total-blown circle-casting. Meditation and devotional practices (such as giving offerings) often take identify outside of the formal circle. Experienced Witches may choose to cast a circle only when they feel they need the extra protection and focus.

Can a circumvolve cast itself? This is a fascinating topic! While circle-casting is far from universal, the concept of the aura, or energetic field around the torso, has traction within many more spiritual paths. Many people have observed or felt this permeable barrier of energy. If you call back of the magick circle as an extension of the aureola, circle-casting becomes a lot less Wicca-specific.

When working magick with others outside of a formal circle, I've sometimes noticed the collected energy take on a circle-similar shape. (Or a hulk, at least). Other take commented on this phenomenon, too. It may be that the magick circle is something that forms spontaneously every bit the energy of the participants knits itself together.

How big should the circumvolve be? What shape?

Nine feet in diameter is the traditional size for the Wiccan circle. Nine, or three times three, is an of import number in Wicca. The customary nine-foot ritual string, folded in half, is anchored in the heart and walked around to trace out the circle'southward border. The resulting circle will exist just over 27 anxiety in circumference.

The nine-pes circle is non a commandment, simply a suggestion. Feel gratuitous to tailor your circumvolve to your needs and the available space.

How small-scale is besides small? The circle should be large enough to completely contain the Witch and his or her ritual items. You don't want to accidentally penetrate the edges of the circle while gesturing or reaching during ritual. For group rituals, you desire to leave enough space for people to maintain a comfortable distance from each other. (If that is in fact the goal…no judgement here.)

If you're working in a bedroom or other small space, the nine-foot circle may non be applied. Cast a circle that fits the space. It's improve to have a circumvolve that'southward minor and round, rather than a larger 1 with boundaries that extend through walls, piece of furniture, etc. Ideally, the circle should include the altar (if there is one), ritual tools and nothing else—no other items that could pose a adventure or distraction during the ritual.

Theoretically, there'south no upper limit to the size of a magick circle. But smaller is oftentimes amend. I've worked with groups that bandage circles to the border of a building or field to miminize the disruption from people wandering in or out. These circles are not very circular, and they don't have abrupt boundaries. They tend to dissolve well before the ritual is over. Smaller, tighter circles are just easier to visualize and maintain.

Now that nosotros've covered circumvolve size, here's a few words well-nigh shape. A lot of people visualize the cast circle as a ring of energy laying on the ground like a hula hoop. Some people visualize it as a vertical tube (or stack of circles) standing upward like a newspaper towel roll. Some people visualize it as a sphere, extending into the ground and up overhead. Some go with a cone, with the circle at its base of operations. That's all fine. It's really up to yous and how many dimensions of visualization you're comfortable with.

Circles are made of energy, and there are subtlely different energetic functions to each of these shapes. As yous grow more experienced with circle magick, you lot may find that some shapes are better than others for sure tasks. If yous're working with a grouping, make sure you're on the same page, shape-wise.

However, don't worry about the people who say that a simple ii-dimensional circle is inferior or ineffective or dangerous. That'southward but wankery. Fundamentally, it'southward always intention that matters. I'k gonna go out on a limb and say that nobody'due south ever died because their ritual circle didn't have a lid on top. If you intend your circle to be bulletproof and ready it up that mode, no baddies are going to be hopping the contend like goats in a garden…trust me.

What does existence in circle experience similar?

Being in a really solid circle is a bit similar having an orgasm. You tin read about it and get some ideas…simply when you accept one, yous'll know.

People experience all dissimilar kinds of sensations while standing inside a ritual circumvolve. Heightened sensations of energy and a distorted sense of time are common. Words, images, and objects within the circumvolve may take on special significance. The boundaries of the circle can feel quite foreign—giving off rut, resistance, or a tingling feeling when you lot arroyo them. It's too normal for objects across the boundary of the circle to announced hazy or out-of-focus.

Here are some notes most continuing inside magickal circles:

Beingness in circumvolve is like having a lucid dream. Information technology feels real and not-real at the aforementioned fourth dimension.

Existence in circumvolve is like being wrapped up in a blanket that smells like you.

Existence in circumvolve is like being in an airplane cabin with the pressure turned up too loftier.

Existence in circle is like beingness very tall and notwithstanding with your feet deep in the ground and your caput among the star.

Existence in circle is like looking at an alien planet through frosted glass.

Being in circumvolve is like being able to move while the rest of the world is frozen.

That'due south a few of mine, anyway. How most yours?

How do you accept down a circle?

When the ritual has ended, it's time for the circle to exist taken down. Some Witches call this "opening" the circumvolve, while some call it "closing" the circle. Both phrases mean basically the same thing. The language can be confusing, so I usually seek out other words to describe the dissolution of a magick circle.

Releasing the circle allows the energies contained to misemploy, and the room or patch of footing to return to its pre-ritual land. At that place are many techniques that can be used to help the free energy to disperse, such as ringing a bell or visualizing the walls of the circle dissolving. Gathering ritual tools and putting them abroad also helps scatter whatever lingering free energy. The sensation of taking down a circle tin can vary in intensity, from a ho-hum fade to a dramatic rush as the circle collapses back into the aether.

If a formal circumvolve has been cast, formally united nations-casting it is good grade. Frequently this ways following the circle-casting ritual in reverse. For case, say the circle was cast past walking the circumference clockwise, and then calling the Quarters, so lighting a candle on the fundamental altar. Yous could un-bandage it by blowing out the candle, releasing the Quarters in opposite order, and finally by walking the circumference counter-clockwise. Ideally, the person or persons who cast the circumvolve should be in charge of taking it down. (If necessary, another person can take over.)

What if you lot fail to properly shut down the magick circle? It will somewhen fade away on its own, usually within minutes or hours. Ley lines, water features, and heavy foot traffic are some of the things that can cause the circle to fade away faster. Temple furnishings, cached crystal or metal deposits, and regular use of an expanse tin can slow the dissipation of the circle's construction. Using a pendulum or dowsing rods tin can help y'all detect the presence of lingering free energy in a ritual space.

The bandage circle is never more than a temporary psychic construction. Still, leaving an unattended circle is a weak coda to your magickal working. It also can exit an open portal through which unwanted entities can travel. For best results, always pack up your circle when you lot're done.

Thank you for reading! If you found this article useful, bank check out more in the beginner section, or browse the archive.

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Source: https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/circle-casting-basics-all-you-need-to-know-about-magick-circles

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