The Circle

Back to the Front!

Remember a few months ago I told you that your Book of Shadows is a reflection of sacred space?

You have the Pillars, your Deity, Tool. Now the Circle which is pretty self-explanatory, but I'll continue anyway.

A Magick circle is a place where a Witch does works Magick and celebrates the Sabbat.

The reason we form a circle, rather than a triangle or square, is because all energy moves in a circular manner, a spiral: just look at a DNA strand. A circle also symbolizes infinity, for it has neither a beginning nor an ending. We also live within the eternal circle of life--the cycles of the seasons, the Moon, the Sun, the tides, and the heavens moving above us. Working within a circle helps our psyches attune to the natural rhythms of divine energy that animate and regulate the order of the natural world. In circles, everyone is equal. No one is above the others. The shape of the circle also places each individual within view of everyone else. This creates an immediate intimacy, connection, and sense of community. And finally, the physical shape of a circle facilitates the movement of energy. It distributes energy equally throughout the practitioners.

The form of the circle is not always one and the same; rarely do two Witches find success using an identical visualization; also each Tradition has its own trappings and teachings. It is according to the order of the Spirits that are to be called, their places, times, days and hours. However, across cultures and traditions the purpose of the Circle stays the same.

1. The circle becomes a container to hold your energy. As you raise energy, the circle will contain all the energy until you are ready to release it and direct it. 
2. Some people believe the circle is also a way to keep out any negative energy; it's a form of protection. These people believe there are negative spirits and entities lurking about, and Witches don't want them coming in and messing with their magick. 
3. When a Witch is first learning to do magick, having a circle helps keep the magick pure. If there is no circle, the magick becomes diluted with all the other energies in the air, and it loses some of it's effect. 
4. Circles can alter your state of consciousness. When you cast a circle, you shift your consciousness from being distracted by ordinary, everyday matters to perceiving extraordinary reality, or the presence of divinity. When you are inside a circle, you can feel the magick all around you. This state of consciousness will help the spell-work done within the circle. Finally, a circle becomes a Witches temple, a sacred space. When you believe this, it teaches you that the temple exists within each of us, and is everywhere around us.

What you are recording is simple. A diagram of your circle. There are hundreds to choose from if you look online or in books some very complicated, others very simple but each has its own representation and meaning.

Don't bother with detailing the how to, some things you should be taught and not read.

If you use a specific chant or evocation write it in. I prefer some variation of the Witches Rune.

"I call the Earth to bind my spell.
Air to speed it well.
Bright as Fire shall it glow.
Deep as tide of Water flow."