The Modern Guide to Witchcraft (12 page)

The time spent creating sacred space is important psychologically for the participants. This allows everyone to adjust to spirit-thinking rather than mundane thinking. That attitude is important to the success of even the simplest magickal process. Everyone involved must be focused on your agreed-upon intention, in order to harness the energy needed for your spell or ritual. Once you’re inside the circle, no one should leave unless absolutely necessary. The following guidelines will help you create the right ambiance for your sacred space:

1. Ensure that you (or the group) won’t be interrupted. Turn off cell phones, TVs, etc.
   
2. Choose the right space for your task, taking into account weather, personal time, physical constraints, and what’s going to take place in the sacred space.
   
3. Make sure the area is safe and tidy; get rid of anything that might distract you from the task at hand.
   
4. Set up your purified tools so they’re readily accessible.
   
5. If you light candles, make sure you do it in a safe place to avoid the danger of fire. Keep them away from flammable materials (such as curtains).
   

Don’t use potentially harmful chemicals in your sacred space. Whatever you put into sacred space—physical, emotional, and mental—gets amplified. Outdoors, use natural insect repellents, and salt or mulch to inhibit weed growth. Indoors, use only “green” cleaning materials.

Your circle should be large enough to accommodate the number of people who will be working inside of it, as well as any objects that you’ll bring into the circle. It’s also your workspace, so if you’ll be dancing, drumming, or otherwise moving about inside the circle, allow plenty of room for your activities.

A circle isn’t a flat ring, nor is it a dome over you. Your circle is actually a sphere surrounding you above and below your workspace, as if you were standing in a bubble. You draw a circle, but envision a sphere growing out of the line you draw—it’s a circle in three dimensions, a shell that allows the sacred space within the circle to exist between the worlds.

Casting a circle begins as an act of faith; you
believe
the circle is there. Although many methods exist for circle casting, some of them quite elaborate, you can begin by following these simple steps:

1. Stand in the center of the space you will define as your circle.
   
2. Facing east, extend your “projective” hand outward, pointing to where you’re going to draw the circle’s wall. (Your projective hand is the hand with which you send out energy.)
   
3. Center your personal energy within your body. Then ground your energy by envisioning it flowing down through your feet and into the earth, where it connects with the energy of the earth.
   
4. With your projective hand still extended, draw energy up from the earth, through your body and out to your hand.
   
5. Allow this energy to flow out to the point where you intend to begin forming your circle. Slowly turn in a clockwise direction until you are again facing the original starting point and the flow of energy joins up with where it started, forming a seamless ring.
   
6. Visualize the ring thickening and curving inward until it meets above your head and below your feet, forming a perfect sphere of energy.
   
7. Drop your hand to shut off the energy flow.
   

You are now ready to begin your magick spell or ritual.

Some witches prefer to use a tool to draw the circle, usually either an athame (ritual dagger) or a magick wand. We’ll talk more about these and other tools later. Some witches like to actually walk the perimeter of the circle. If you want to do this, start in the east (make sure you know where the four compass directions are before you begin) and walk clockwise (or deosil), so that when the circle is completed you’ll be inside of it. On a physical level, you create your circle by walking around its outer border, but for the circle to exist both in the physical realm and in the mental and spiritual realms, you must also visualize it with clear intent, channeling your energy and that of the earth into your visualization.

This technique combines the four elements—earth, air, fire, and water—to cast a circle. First, fill a bowl with salt water, which symbolizes the elements of earth and water. Beginning in the east, walk in a clockwise direction, sprinkling the salt water on the ground to define a circle as you say, “With earth and water I cast this magick circle.” Next, light a stick of incense, which represents fire and air (smoke). Again, start in the east and walk clockwise around the circle, trailing the fragrant smoke behind you while you say, “With fire and air I cast this magick circle.”

If you prefer, two people can perform this circle-casting ritual together. In this case, one person holds the bowl of salt water, and the other carries the stick of burning incense.

Sometimes you just have to leave the circle, to retrieve something you forgot, go to the bathroom, or deal with some emergency. In this case, you’ll need to open a door in the circle’s “wall” to keep from breaking it—like popping a balloon—and letting all the power you’ve raised escape. You can cut a door with an athame, but the simplest method is to use your hands:

1. Hold your hands out in front of you, palms together. Slowly insert them into the energy of your circle wall.
   
2. Carefully pull your hands apart and visualize the wall of energy parting like a pair of curtains.
   
3. Step through and close the “curtains” behind you. Do what you need to do quickly and calmly, then return to the circle and open the curtains again, from the outside.
   
4. After stepping through the energy curtains and back into the circle, close the curtains.
   

Dismantling the circle is just as important as raising it. Unlike sacred space, which slowly loses its energy over time, a circle must be taken down with as much care as you used to cast it. Perform the steps with reverence, closing the ritual with the same degree of respect as you entered into it. Basically, you dismantle a circle by repeating the motions you used to cast it, but in reverse:

1. Stand in the center of your circle and extend your “receptive” hand (the opposite of your projective hand) toward the wall of the circle. Center your personal energy, then ground it into the earth below.
   
2. Facing east, begin drawing the energy of the circle into your hand and let it flow through your body, then down into the earth. Turning counterclockwise, continue removing the energy in this manner until you face your original starting point again and the energy of the circle is all gone.
   
3. Drop your hand, shutting off the energy flow. Your hand may feel tingly or odd after collecting the energy—shake it a few times to get rid of any traces of the circle energy that may still be clinging to it. Disconnect your personal energy from the earth, bringing it back into your body.
   

You may wish to experiment with various circle-casting methods to see which ones you like best. Your circle may or may not be visible—it depends on you and your objective. Some magicians actually draw on the floor or ground with chalk. Some sprinkle flour or cornmeal to define the circle. Some witches light candles around the perimeter, or position stones in a circle. You might even choose to use a material that relates to the purpose of your spell; for example, if you’re doing a love spell you could scatter rose petals in a circle. However, your intention and the love, passion, and joy that you project into the process are more important than the material you use.

If you plan to do magick frequently—and why wouldn’t you?—you may decide to erect an altar in your home. An altar can be a TV table draped with a beautiful cloth, an ornate antique cabinet, or anything in between. Your altar is your basic “workbench” for doing magick. It establishes a sanctuary in your home and provides a focal point for casting spells, performing rites and rituals, and meditating. You go there to temporarily leave the ordinary, everyday world behind and enter sacred space.

Many witches include at least one central altar in a sacred space. Some believe it’s important to place their altars in the east, others prefer the north, but wherever you choose to put yours is fine—go with what feels right. For practical purposes, setting the altar in the middle of your circle makes sense, especially if a number of people will join you there for rituals. Everyone can gather around it easily, and a central candle placed on the altar can symbolize Spirit as the guiding force for the ritual.

You can set up a permanent altar if your living circumstances permit. If you don’t have enough space or share your home with other people who may not respect your altar, you can create a temporary one and dismantle it when you’re finished doing your magick. If you’re lucky enough to have a nice area outside to work in, you might position an altar there. Perhaps you could dedicate a special, large stone to that purpose.

Witches usually set up something depicting the four elements somewhere on their altars. These can be physical representations such as salt for earth, water for water, a candle for fire, and incense for air. Some magicians display their wands, pentagrams, athames, and chalices openly on their altars. If you decide to lay out your tools on your altar, be sure to include all four. (We’ll discuss these tools in depth in the
next chapter
.) You might also like to place candles in handsome candleholders, some crystals, statues of favorite deities, flowers, and other meaningful objects there. Many people store their magickal gear in their altars. A cabinet with drawers is the perfect place to stash additional candles, incense, herbs, oracles, ritual clothing, and various other ingredients that you will use in your spells.

Your altar should bring you a sense of peace, joy, harmony, and personal power. Choose only things that hold positive associations for you to display on your altar.

The items and symbols you bring to your altar largely depend on the purpose of your magick. Therefore, they may change regularly, depending on the type of spell or ritual you’re doing. For example, for a ritual to honor your ancestors, you might want to include their photographs or personal effects. If you’re doing a spell for love, you might set a vase of roses there.

Some witches enjoy decorating their altars according to the seasons or holidays. Spring flowers and some painted eggs add a pretty touch at Ostara. A cornucopia of fruits and vegetables could bring the flavor of the harvest festival Lughnasadh to your sacred space. At Yule, use evergreen sprigs and pinecones to set the scene. (We’ll talk more about these holidays and how to celebrate them in
Chapter 21
.)

It’s a good idea to cleanse and purify all the things you plan to use for magickal workings or to place on your altar beforehand. An easy way to do this is to light a stick of incense, such as cedar or sandalwood, and then pass the objects through the smoke.

To connect with the four elements and the four corners of creation, some witches erect four small altars within their sacred spaces. If you decide to do this, position one altar at each of the four main compass points of your working space; these are known as the “quarters.” You can either create permanent or temporary altars for a specific purpose. Consider placing items that represent the element on its respective altar—this can help to strengthen your connection with that element and enrich your experience during your magickal working. Here are some suggestions:

An easy way to assign each altar to an element is to cover it with a cloth of the element’s color: air/yellow, fire/red, water/blue, north/green. You might also consider putting a picture of the archangel who presides over each direction on the appropriate altar: east/Raphael, south/Michael, west/Gabriel, north/Uriel. Later in this chapter, you’ll learn to call upon these deities to assist you in your magickal workings.

A shrine is a place to honor something or someone, and to leave offerings. It serves as a physical point of contact where you can connect to a god or goddess, your guardian angel, a spirit animal, or an ancestor. Your altar can be used for these things as well, but a shrine is not a workspace for doing magick, like an altar. Shrines are easier to set up and maintain because they aren’t as complex. A shrine can consist of a postcard, a specially charged crystal, a plant, or a small statue. If you don’t want your family or roommate to know what you’re doing, keep it simple. You know why those particular things are together; anyone else looking at them will think that it’s just a decorative arrangement. Using a shrine as a focus for specific activities can also help unclutter your main altar area.