Before we begin to cast our circle we must first find out why it is so important as witches to do so. From cave paintings to crowns, halos, and stone-henge, circles and spirals figure prominentl in all walks of ancient life. spanning a multitude of cultures with religious and magickal significance. Magicians were casting magick circles in the Middle East during the Assyrian Reign from 883-612 B.C.E., and a fellow by the name of Honi cast a circle and successfully called in rain during a drought to save the people around 65 B.C.E., as noted in Jewish Rabbinical Literature, the story of Honi the Circle Maker is interesting because it gives us several clues to your heritage, of ancient magick, and how it is still taught today. Honi And the Rain. Since Honi's sotry occurred more then 2,000 years ago, there is debate on what he actually represented in his society. Was he just a plain old magician, or was he part of the priesthood? Some feel that his miracle was remarkable enough to write down ( which they did) But too dangerous to let the reader thin he was operating outside of the current religious structure of the day, therefore Honi ( in successive tellings of his sotry) became part of Jewish rabbinical society. Honi's story gives us important cues as to how magick works and why 2,000 years later we continue to use the magick circle. In the spring, the people desperately needed rain, but it did not come. They approached Honi the Circle Maker and said "Pray so that the rains will fall." Honi told the people to find sufficient cover for the mud and clay passes over ovens because they would melt in the rain. In magick this is the mental preparation needed to set the stage for the working. In making the people move the over, Honi was mentally encouraging them to believe in the magick. Once the ovens had been covered, Honi prayed, but it did not rain. He then realized that he had made an error: he forgot to cast the circle! NO wonder the rains would not come- he had not created a stable platform for the work to manifest. Honi then cast am magick circle (possibly with a staff or rod in the dirt, though the text does not say), and stood within it. What is interesting about this story is that Honi then talked to God as if he were talking to anyone. He said, “Master of the universe, your children have turned their faces to me because I am like a son of the house before you. I swear by your great name that I am not moving from here until you have mercy on your children." In essence, he gets a bit feisty. So far, Honi has done four important things. He's moved the bake ovens to indicate his faith in his ability to make rain. A physical act which, by involving the people, makes them expectant of a miracle. He's cast a magick circle to purify the area because when he "just" prayed, nothing happened., Therefore someone in the crowd probably wanted to see him fail, and ( more than likely) he wasn't centered and cast the circle to put himself in the correct frame of mind The next thing he does is connect with the Deity. Then he tells Spirit his magickal Intent, and very firmly too. Is he threatening God with that last statement? Actually NO. Again looking at this from a magickal point of view, he's telling himself that he's going to succeed, no matter what. He's putting his conviction into the magickal mix and giving himself a verbal booster at the same time. He's being firm, like a Victorian Lady who won't take no for an answer, yet it is not GOD he is pressing but himself. Honi has been trained that he must touch the un-manifest to manifest, which has nothing to do with threatening God and everything to do with believing in himself. Evidently, he needed the extra verbal push that day. And with that push the rains began to drip. As dripping was not what he had in mind, Honi says, "I did not ask for this, But for rains of sufficient amount to fill cisterns, ditches and caves," Honi has added visualization to the proceedings. Those who are un- magickal think that Honi is continuing to talk to God, but he isn't. His dialog is meant for himself. He's matching the word to the visualization. The rains fell with the vehemence. Oops Too much visualization!! Honi isn't at all happy. It's raining too hard, so he says, "I did not ask for this, but for rains of benevolent, blessings and graciousness!" - Fine-tuning that visualization and adding the proper wording. The rain fell precisely as he ordered it. Finally, Honi says, “I know you will do this for me, “which magickally turns out to be the most important part of the statement he can make. He is affirming his belief with utter conviction, removing all doubt from his mind with the force of the statement. Did Honi order God to make it rain? No. In actuality, Honi was ordering rain from the collective unconscious like you order fires from McDonalds. H did however; ask for God's involvement by stating the need and calling God by a title and thus touching upon what everyone inherently believes- the perfection and order of the universe. Therefore, divine energy was definitely in the mix because, to Honi that divine energy was "all that is good" and the basis for successful manifestation. Was Honi acting like a spoiled child in circle? Some people may read it this way, but I think it shows us that even great magicians become irritated with themselves. They are human, after all. Honi's family, and his sons after him, were all rainmakers, which mean that Honi’s Magick worked successfully on more ten one occasions to become a family tradition. What is lost in this story, unfortunately, are any other incantations and specific motions he may have done, but what we do have works quite as well.. The Story itself is enough to let us know that; (a) real magickal people in history were not a figment of our imagination or characters in a fairy tale, They lived and breathed and practiced magick all the time; (B) They were not necessarily a part of a religious structure. (Though afterward they are sometimes claimed to be so, especially if, like Honi, they were at last sympathetic to the religious regime at the time); and (C) for Honi’s magick to work that day, he had to have a magickal circle. The story also shows that the universe has a sense of humor, and that when you ask fro something you better be specific and you darned well better not forget to cast that circle. . Does Honi's method work? Absolutely! In the Honi tradition, add this to any spell: 1. Ground and Center 2. Cast the circle 3. Pronounce the Honi Conjuration (below) 4. Continue on with your working. 5. Release the circle. 6. Ground and Center. Here’s how the Conjuration works. "Masters / Mistress of the universe!"- you are calling on the perfection and order of the universe." I am (state your name), you magickal son/ daughter"- here, you are activating your pathway to deity, and you are melding your entire being with the perfection of the universe that you called into the first line above. If you are working for someone else, state his or her name as well, much like Honi did, “like a son of the house before you." State your request and add, “For all that is good." finish with “I know you will do this for me" - the affirmation of faith. Walking the Circle. Walking the circle occurs often in European folktales and religious ceremonies to break evil spells, to transform oneself or the area into something sacred, and to acquire power. This walking the circle was called Circumambulation. Which means to walk around an object-person , or place with the right hand toward the subject either in religious ceremony in an act of reverence, or in magickal practice. One walks sun wise (clockwise) to bring good luck, destroy evil, cure disease, and in some cultures to ensure that the sun will rise the following day. These Circumambulations were especially used in ceremonies of birth, marriage, and death, whether we are talking about Tibet, Europe, South America, or the Inuit culture. Knowing this we understand that the magick circle does not belong solely to witches, but is another ancient practice that has touched all cultures and all faiths, and is still practiced by many of them today. As with many other antiquated practices, it is the modern Witch that gives Western Civilization a taste of our ancient, magickal birthright by remembering and practicing such things as the circle casting in daily life and reminding our brothers and sisters of other faiths where many of these applications actually came from. To deny one's history is to deny knowledge. The clockwise , sun wise movement in the craft is called deosil( pronounced jess-el). the original spelling, deiseal, is of Irish descent. and it's also called "the holy round." dances processions, and parades- even riding around the battlefield one turn for good luck before the clash of axes and swords- are embedded in our history. When someone says, "Gee, I hope this goes right they are actually invoking the ancient power of the magick circle. Although there are numerous ways in the Craft to cast a magick circle, most of them involve walking the circle one to three times with the finger of the right hand (or the chosen tool) held out form the body pointing down while reciting a verbal invocation. Some individuals draw the circle on the ground and chalk or use corn meal that can be easily swept away; however, the drawing does not take the place of raising the circle unless you are experienced and can conjure while you are making the symbol. Two additional popular symbols are the spirit circle and the pentacle. The circle casting is recommended for most magickal activities, rites, and rituals in the Craft. Yes I have heard a few individuals don't cast circles for folk magick applications, but it's sort of like gas. If you want the magickal engine to run pure, then cast a circle. If you think that dirty gas is an okay thing so be it- however, you may not achieve your intended goal. Granted, the longer you work in the craft, (usually ten years) and have practiced meditation and other sacred practices faithfully, you won't always need the magick circle for every little thing, but until you reach this point in your spiritual training, I always suggest casting the magick circle for all Craft-and Spiritual-related activities. Just remember Honi. Once the Circle has been cast most Witches seal it by saying: “As above, so below- this circle is sealed. So mote it be!" at this point, the practitioner usually stomps their foot on the floor (or ground) to indicate the seal has been activated. In your visualization of a circle, think of a bubble, rather then a flat circle. As the words indicate, 'as above, so below: - the circle is all around you over your head under your feel. While in circle, one never ever walks windershins (counterclockwise) unless you are releasing the circle at the end of the ritual, and if you break this rule in traditional Witch training, you are certainly told about it pronto! This goes back to the ancient belief that to walk counterclockwise in circle brings bad luck and breaks the power of the magick. Whether this is true or not, the clockwise movement in the circle is one of the standard Wiccan Policies, and there are some Wiccan groups that will not even take up the circle by moving clock wise. However if you participate in a spiral dance (which is really fun to do), the entire group dances clockwise to the center, but as they return they move counterclockwise- moving in to build the magick, spiraling out to release the magick. Therefore, there are exceptions to the rule. Once the spell, magick or ritual is over the circle is released. If you leave a magick circle in place and allow the energy to hang there, it has a habit of causing chaos as it breaks down on it's own, and if you have forgotten to release the quarters, the energies there aren't too happy about that either. Most Wiccan move windershins to release the circle (one passes around) and usually draw the energy into a tool or into their hands. A few transfer the energy of the circle to the sacred altar. Once the movement is complete, they may say, "The circle is open, but never broken. Merry Meet and Merry Part until we merry Meet again. So mot it be." and then stomp their foot one time to indicate that the circle is now open. Te magick circle has two main functions: to provide you with a sacred area in which to raise energy until you are ready to release it. and to give you protection from things seen and unseen while you work your magick. Granted, years ago, individuals at the quarters also helped to guard those within the circle, and often an elder or the "man in black" kept an eye on what was going on outside the circle area while the high priest, high priestess and other coven members concentrated on the work going on inside. The man in black was the high priestess' right-hand man, and had numerous responsibilities with in the coven hierarchy. Magick Containing circular symbols is also prominent in modern Craft practices. For example, you might lay a small circle of stones, gems, or crystals around the picture of a loved one, asking for protection. A small circle of salt around a photograph also works in the same way to remove the threat of unwanted spirits or thought forms, use crushed eggshells around a white candle placed on to pf a person's picture. Words are written on paper in a circular pattern to gain success in another easy yet powerful spell. most ceremonial magick involving talismans and amulets are prepared in circular form, either on paper or fashioned in metal. A circle inside a square represents the divine spark from which material can manifest from the realm of the spirit into the daily workday world. |