MM All,
This lesson has taken me a long time to write. I very rarely use full ritual, and even when I do I love to do spontaneous, unscripted circles rather than practiced carefully worded ones. I generally prefer simple meditations and small offerings to the Divine when celebrating the Sabbats. This is due to time restriction, living with parents and also a genuine love for simple forms of worship.
In my last lesson on circles I promised to write how I perform mind circles. This technique can be adapted to visualizing any form of circle. My favourite mind circle is made from white mist. I close my eyes and imagine the whole room is full of swirling mist. I start to pull this mist into what will be the boundary of the circle. The mist is pulled from every direction, and from every little corner until the boundary looks almost solid, in parts I can still see some swirling patters. Then I imagine a pure white beam coming down from the universe, and sealing my circle with an impenetrable layer. That��s basically my mind circle made. I use it during meditations, visualizations and sometimes just to feel protected. I can now call up this circle fairly fast when needed quickly.
So now onto my full ritual circle, please remember I am in Australia so the elements are different for me. Some Australians cast their circle anti-clockwise as that is sun-wise here, but I still cast clockwise as I still feels right that way. I take a bath before hand and work skyclad, with no make-up, jewellery of even things like hairspray in.
I set up my altar facing South, the element of Earth. I do this
because I connect most strongly to Earth and feel that starting a
circle at Earth is very grounding. My altar consists of
- white altar cloth (no matter which ritual)
- God and Goddess candle
- a candle to represent Fire
- salt to represent Earth
- incense to represent Air
- water to represent Water (obviously)
- my athame (which is actually a very ornate pewter letter opener)
- a pentacle piece of jewellery (rather than a pentacle disk)
- chalice filled with juice
- and cookies ( I normally make cookies for use in my ritual)
Firstly I place and light my quarter candles. I do not necessarily
use a certain diameter of space, I use however much I can find.
I then move to my altar and light my Fire candle and light my
incense. I then consecrate all the elements and then cleanse the
space with them.
Consecrating my elements I place my athame in the salt and say
"Earth, seen here as salt, the Crystal of the Sea. I cast out
from thee all that is impure, so that you may aid me in my rite."
Then I place my athame in the water and say
"Water, the Liquid of Life. I cast from thee all that is impure,
so that you may aid me in my rite."
Then I pass my athame through the flame and say
"Fire, the Spark of Life. I cast out from thee all that is
impure, so that you may aid me in my rite."
Then I pass my athame through the incense and say
"Air, the Breath of the Gods. I cast out from thee all that is
impure, so that you may aid me in my rite."
Once that are all consecrated I place some salt in the water and
stir three times with my athame saying
"Blessed is the combination of these two elements"
Then I carry each element around the circle to cleanse it.
Starting at the South I cast my circle by walking around clockwise
three times. As I am casting the circle I am imaging a stream of
pure white light marking the boundary and forming the circle. During
the walk I say
"I conjure thee O' circle of power so that you will be a
boundary between worlds and time. So that thee may contain the power
raised within. By the powers of Earth, Water, Fire and Air, and in
the name of the Lord and Lady, So Mote It Be!"
Then, starting at South I call the quarters.
"Come , Guardians of the South, home of the Earth and Gnomes.
Please guard my circle and bless this rite."
Moving to the West
"Come, Guardians of the West, home of the Water and Undines.
Please guard my rite and bless this rite."
Moving to North
"Come, Guardians of the North, home of the Fire and Salamanders.
Please guard my circle and bless this rite."
Moving to East
"Come, Guardians of the East, home of the Air and Sylphs. Please
guard my circle and bless this rite."
As I am calling each element I imagine each elemental coming to
stand guard at their post.
I then move back to South to invite the
Lord and Lady
"Welcome Lord and Lady of All. I invite you to witness and bless
my rite, held in the realms of your eternal magick."
Then I perform and celebrations, spells, meditations etc that the
circle was cast for.
Cakes and Ale is always one of my favourite parts in the ritual (I
am such a sucker for cake! ) I pick up my athame and hold it over
my chalice, and then I dip my athame in to the chalice saying
"Chalice you are now that which is female, and athame you are now
that which is male. Conjoined you are equally empowered and the
source of life."
I then place my athame on the cookies and say
"Lady, bless this food so that partaking of it bestows joy,
wisdom and strength upon oneself."
Then I get to eat some cookies (yummy) remembering to leave both
some juice and cookies outside for libation.
I then thank the Lord and Lady for witnessing my rite, and bid them
farewell.
Then starting at the East and moving to North. West and them South I
dismiss all the elements and thank them for guarding my circle.
I then walk to circle anti-clockwise and visualize that I am pulling
the circle through my athame and into my hands and body. Then
finally I say
"The circle is open, but never broken. Blessed Be!"
Hopefully that was not too long and some of you are still reading
Blessed Be All Miw Sheri