Brigid Amor
One of the most prolific images in pagan culture is that of the conjuring of the sacred circle. The symbol of the circle however, has been used by many different cultures throughout the ages. Imagine for a moment, the first man and woman, looking at the sun and the moon, realizing their affects upon their daily living, as well as the gifts they give and deeming the shape sacred. The Greeks recognized the symbolism of the circle in the Urborous (a snake with its tail in its mouth), the Christians recognize it as a symbol of their all encompassing, infinite God. To those who follow Zen Buddhism, the circle is a symbol of enlightenment- the perfection of understanding. The circle has often been used in places of power as well. In Plato’s Atlantis, the city was constructed of a series of concentric rings; it is even inferred that Stonehenge may have one day, long ago, been a circle. However, for our purposes and for the purposes of witchcraft, the circle is a symbol of the all encompassing power of the Goddess, the ever turning and unending wheel of the year and is a place of sacred power and protection.
To make a proper circle for a ritual or spell, the circle must be created in a deosil (clockwise; counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere) fashion, be blessed and sealed. It is imperative that the circle be properly sealed in order to keep important energies from escaping or negative energies from intruding on the circle. Sealing a circle also makes it energetically invisible to those who might wish you harm.
Creating a circle is a relatively simple process. All it takes is good visualization skills, some creativity and some know-how.
Traditional method: The traditional method is to use either your wand or athame (usually the athame is used) to create the circle. Walking in a deosil pattern around where you want the circle to be, you hold the athame out from you, chanting or reciting a circle blessing and visualizing your energy flowing through the point and creating a glowing circle where the athame has passed. To finish the circle, you step inside and seal it completely.
Cloth method: You may wish to create a permanent circle that you don’t have to recreate every time you want to have a spell or ritual. If you wish to go this route, you may want to create a circle out of cloth. Make sure you make the circle big enough to work in however. Similarly, you might decide you feel creative and you’d like to create a big circular quilt to lay on the ground for your circle. This is also acceptable and a nice personal touch. If you’re going to do this, make sure you open the circle before entering and close it after doing so.
Paint/Chalk Method: This method really depends on where you’d like to have your circle. It’s particularly appropriate if you have a large section of pavement on which to work. You can create the circle by simply drawing it out and closing it as you would in the traditional method. In doing this, you can make it either permanent or temporary, depending on the medium you use and you can embellish it as you like. You may want to paint the symbols of the elements or the directions on your circle or maybe even add symbols that are complimentary to your ritual or spell.
Energy Method: Using energy is probably one of the more difficult methods to use, depending on your level of expertise. However, if it’s something you can do, it’s often superior to other methods because it can be completely 3-d. Lay your tools out and sit in the middle of your intended circle space (if others are going to be in the circle, they need to be in the prospective area.) Create a small ball of glowing energy in your hands and make it bigger and bigger, driving it higher and higher until it fills the area you wish it to. Make sure it retains it’s ball shape so it covers the area above, below and all around you.
When you’re creating a circle, remember that it should be 3-d energetically in order to be completely sealed, sealed in all areas and consecrated. If this is done, you should be able to be fairly confident that no energy is going to escape or enter into your spell or ritual and cause it not to work or go haywire. Equally important is that the area you use is cleansed and free of contradictory and negative energies. After you’re done with the circle make sure you open the circle (DON’T break it) and that the energy is dissipated and ground out so there’s no way it can be used against you in the future. The circle is never broken, it is simply opened until it can be called again.
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