Quarter Calls by; Silver Ravenwolf   Although quarter calls can have a variety of associations, they are basically linked tot he four directions and the four elements. Themost simple call, and perhaps themost well-known, is the following, said at the espective quarter after the circle is cast; Hail guardians of the North Eleement of earth, all ye in the real of faery, I ,( name) do summon, stir, and call you forth to witness this rite and protect this sacred space. SO mote it be Hail Guardians of the East Element of air, and all ye in the real of Faery, I , (name) , do summon, stir, and call you forth to witness this rite and protect this sacred space. So mote it be. Hail Guardians of the south, element of fire, and all ye in the real of Faery,I, (name) do summon, stir and call you forth to witness this rite andp rotect this sacred space, So mote it be. Hail Guardians of teh West, Element of Water, and all ye in the real of Faery, I, (name) do summon, stir, and call you forh to protect this sacred space. So mote it be.   Quarters calls are designed to cal only the energy you will allow in your magick circle. For all others there is no tresspessing sign.Nothingcan come into your circle unless you , yourself, invite it, which is why there are so  many different types of quarter calls that address various kinds of energy. There are calls that invoke the element, angels totem animals, deities of particular pantheon, dragons, airts, winds, the dead, ancient archetypes, one's lineage, and or the WatchTowers.    The Quarter Call creates a one-way passage into the circle for that which you have called to enter. It must wait in the circle until you are finished,  and you must provide a way home for that energy. Therefore, youc can't forget to release the quarterswhen you are done. Think of it as this way: it's like asking your best friend to meet you at a part. She says, "that's cool, but i dont' have a ride."  You tell her that's  not a problem, you'll provide the transportation. When the party iso ver, you can't just leave your best friend at sitting there. You gave your word that youw ould provide the transportation both ways. That's the essence of quarter calls. You agreed to bring the energy in, and it is your repsonsibilty to make sure that the energy returns to whence it came. There is no "gee I forgot" allowed!.    In the standard quarter call, you are inviting the following into your circle;         Summoning the elemental related to that quarter         Stirring your ancestral Dead in a positive way         Calling deity energy related to that quarter.    Once the four quarters are called ( begining at the North for those who proactice Shamic, wicca, or beginning at the esat for those who like more  of a cerimonial flagor), The circle energy is fine-tuned, cleaner than before, and prepared for the entrance of deity, which occurs when you speak the invocation you have chosen aloud.     Quarter Calls are often accompanied by physical motion and visualization. SOme magickal people draw pentagrams int he air with their wands, athames, or fingers, where others simply hold the tool pointing toward the quarter. in both cases, the center of the circle is at their back. If you want a smoother opening and transition of energy, stand with yoru feet apart facing the appropriate direction, with the center of the circle at your back. Cross your arms over your chest. Bow your head ( this is the god position). As you say the quarter call, slowly raise your head and open your arms as if you are parting a curtain.Visualize a portal opening through which what you have called can enter, and visualize your concept of them coming into the circle. With the last words of the quarter call, your arms should belike a Y with palms facing toward the the quarter ( this is the goddess possition). Other Witches open the quarters by lighting a candle that matches the quarter color while intoning the quarter call. COlors are governed by trastion ( what the group has chosen) standardclolors are green for North, Yellow for east, Red for South, and Blue for west.     Unless they are fortunate enough to have a ritual room ( a room used only for magick) most Witches do not have a shrine at each quarter to represent the elements and other energies they normally call into the circle. Decorations at quarters are often temporary, put in place before teh circle is cast and removed when the circle is released. Quarter Decorations can include candles, items that relate to the specific energies called at the quarter ( a bowl of water in the west quarter) or things important to the type of ritual they are doing ( for example, seasonal decorations that match a sabbat.)   Each type of quarter call ( angelic, dragon etc.) has its own release thatmatches the oringinal call. For example, the standard release to be said at each quarter is: Guardians of the (direction), Element of (Element) thank you for participating in my circle this night ( day ). Go if you must, stay if you like. Hail and Farewell. Agaian some sort of hand motion is often involved. if you used the crossed arms, you would begin with your arms open, then slowly cross them as you visualize the portal through which they traveled closing. Quarters are released after deity has been thanked andbefore the circle is released, and you always begin with the last quarter opened.  This means tht if you opened with the north, then called east, south, and west, you would close first with west, then move to south, east, and finally nrth. If you began in the east and moved to south, west, and then north, you would begin in the north, then move to west, south and finish with east. Quarters are conjured clockwise, and relased counterclockwise. If this is confusing think of a spring- you tightened it up ( clock wise) going into the ritual, now you are going to release it by letting the energy go back the way it came, which means it would travel counterclockwise whenallowed to follow its original path. Rmember, in Wicca Clockwise is deosil, an counterclockwise is widdershins.     What happens if you forget to release the quarters? The energy begins to decay and, in that breakdown, causes chaos-sometimesminor, sometimes not so minor depending on how many people worke within that circle environment. Although some people say , "oh, heck, I forgot. it's an hour later, I 'll just foget it," this is considered by some to be magickally irrisponsable. You might want to go back and release those quarters no matter when you realize the error. In doing so you will not be so apt. to forget next time and you will also be cleaning up your own mess. to avoid forgetting some Witches call quarters within the circle cleansing. that way, when the circle goes down the quarters automatically close. However, seperating the circlecasting and quarter calls is standard procedure within the current community because each action requires its own visualization,and seperating them eliminates the possibility of error, especially if you are working with individuals new to the faith.       Why must you call the wuarters in the first place? If you rmember that calling the quarters is an act of fine-tunning the energies in  your circle and asking for reinforcements in your work, then you can make the decision weather or not you wish to use them. In most magickal training programs, students are required to learn  all about quarter energies and use them in every spell and ritual they conduct for at least a year. If you skip this repitition, the work eventually suffers. Once you've been studying for a while, you might want to open only one quarter in a spell or ritual. FOr example, maybe you are working on personal transformation and letting go of upsetting emotions you may feel that west quarter energy is all you need for that working. By this time, however since you have been working with all four wuarters for over a year, you wil naturally compensate for that wich you havent' called. herer is a list of when qwuarters definately are called ina lmsot ever wiccan tradition.        Sabbats           Esbats           Handfasting         Crossings ( funerals)         Dedications, initiations, and elevations         All magicks for first and second year students.   Web Page Created By ©Graphics R US