Opening and Closing the Ritual Circle as a Celtic Solitary
For those unfamiliar with the art of opening and closing a ritual circle, this appendix provides a detailed outline for a solitary woman to follow for beginning and ending her Celtic women’s spirituality rites. This formula follows the basic format found in many Wiccan/Pagan traditions, but you should be aware that this is not the only correct way to open (or “cast”) and close (or “ground”) a circle. Experienced practitioners often devise their own unique and meaningful methods, especially when they are working alone or with a long-established group. If you are experienced at the process, or have yet to find a method you like, this will offer a starting point for exploration.
The circle has three functions:
1. To protect the person(s) inside from uninvited outside forces that may be attracted to the energies raised
2. To contain raised energy until it is needed and can be properly and deliberately directed towards its magickal/ritual goal
3. To open a space between the worlds of form (the earth plane) and spirit (the Otherworld), at which they meet and blend
Circles are cast with the power of the mind and the projection of personal energy. They usually remain unseen, except to the psychic “eye,” but they are very real, and their boundaries should always be respected. Some traditions permit doorways to be cut in the “wall” of the circle should someone find it necessary to pass in and out, but such comings and goings are wisely kept to a minimum. Before you cast a circle, you should have everything you will need for your ritual inside the working area. This does not mean that you need lav ish accouterments. Many rituals work just as well without them, and in most cases their use is a personal choice and not a requirement. The same holds true if you wish to use an altar as a place to arrange your tools and equipment, and as a focus for your devotions. Although an altar is not required, it can make for a smoother ritual and can help you keep your directional alignments straight. No matter what Pagan tradition one works in, each of the four cardinal directions is designated as the realm of a particular element and has its own elemental beings and rulers. In most of the Wiccan traditions these directional attributes are:
Water to the west
Earth to the north
Air to the east
Fire to the south
The example in this book had to adopt some standard in order to be under standable, and so it uses the common Wiccan attributes, but you should always feel free to change these to suit your personal world view or that of your own Celtic tradition. If you have a ritual tool for each of the directions and you are using an altar, it is customary to place the tools at the four edges of the altar that correspond to those directions. The following is a list of common Celtic tools, and the element with which they are thought to share an affinity. You will note some overlap among the elements. This is because traditions occasionally assign their tool correspondences differently. It should be re membered that each system serves its followers very well, and that none is in herently right or wrong.
Earth
Shield, stones, clay, wood, soil, salt, sand, wheel, club, drum, bronze, bow
Water
Chalice, cauldron, hollow horn, bowl, trident, any cool liquid, silver, convex shield, sea shells, sickle
Fire
Candle, athame and sword (and all blades forged in fire), wand, iron (not usually used in Celtic paths that refer to themselves as “faery” traditions, due to a belief that faeries cannot come into contact with iron), claymore, flint, torch, solar disk (equilateral cross within a circle), broom or besom, gold, spear
Air
Staff, trident, athame and sword, wand, feather, incense, claymore, broom or besom, dirk, spear, broach, horn, smoking pipe, arrow, flint
You will need to open your circle in a private, uncluttered place at least four feet in diameter (for freedom of movement), in a location where you are not likely to be disturbed. You may choose to use a ritual tool, such as an athame or wand, to help project the energy that will create the circle, but the energy from your own hand will work just as well. Pinpoint the cardinal directions—west, north, south, and east—and mark them so that they will be easy for you to recognize. Candles and stones are commonly used for this, but as a solitary woman, you might consider chalices or bowls, which are feminine symbols. These could all be different colors, or be filled with various colored waters (using food coloring or juices) to differentiate between directions. For example, you might use blue water for west, green for north, yellow for east, and red for south. You should take some time to purify the circle area first, driving away any negative energies that are lingering there, and raising the vibrational rate of the area to higher spiritual levels incompatible with those of any lower level entities who may be attracted to your working. Salt water and incense are commonly used for this, and should be accompanied by clear visualization as well. Taking your broom, or besom, and sweeping the unwanted entities away is another common practice, especially with women. Remember Dame Alice Kyteler! (See Chapter 13.)
Stand in the center of what will be your circle, close your eyes, and center your energies. Then, when you are ready, raise your chosen tool or your arms skyward and feel yourself filling with energy—either drawn down from the Otherworld, or drawn up from inside mother earth. Fill yourself and the area where you are working with this positive force. Next, walk to the edge of your circle in the direction that you or the Celtic tradition you follow has deemed to be the proper place to begin casting the circle. Sometimes these are fixed points; at other times they change with the turning of the wheel of the year. This example uses the western quarter as a starting point because that is the one my tradition uses. West is the direction of the Otherworld, the home of the Celtic deities. Point your finger or tool at the ground-it does not actually have to touch the ground-and begin visualizing energy coming from the end of your fingertip or tool, creating a wall of intense protective energy. You may choose to see your circle either as a wall, a dome, or a sphere, but its power will remain the same. Walk slowly sunwise around the circle, the traditional direction associated with growth, increase, construction, and so on, until you have reached your starting point again. Project as much energy into the creation of your circle as possible. Make it real and respect its reality. Most circles are cast in the sunwise direction and then closed by moving anti-sunwise. But keep in mind that, in some cases, the opposite is true. Some rituals are best cast anti-sunwise and closed sunwise. An example of this would be any type of ritual in which you want to cultivate the energies of decrease, destruction, or loss, in order for the circle to be more compatible with the ultimate goal of the rite. This does not mean that the ritual to take place will be negative. Negative rituals can just as easily take place in a circle cast clockwise. The intent of the ritual, not its outer form, determines whether it is negative or positive.
You may wish to walk the perimeters two more times to invoke the magickal power of the Celtic sacred number three. This is not an uncommon practice among Celtic Pagans, and is a standard if you will be working with Triple Goddess energies. (See Chapter 6.)
After the circle is cast, the elemental powers of each direction are called upon to witness and lend support to the ritual. This practice is known by a variety of terms, including calling the quarters, summoning the elementals, invoking the watchtowers, evoking the elements, calling the elemental rulers, or summoning the guardians. Custom also dictates that the elemental rulers must heed your call, at least in their most basic forms. If they feel insulted by your invitation, or if you are a beginner and your powers of evocation are still weak, you may not get the full benefit of elemental presences. Begin calling your quarters at your original starting point (in this example in the west). If you have a tool designed to correspond to each element, it is customary to carry it from the altar to the quarter as you make the call. This helps strengthen your connection to the element, and forges a stronger sympathetic link between your tool and the element it represents in order to make it a better working tool for you. This sample ritual is written without the use of tools, so that it can be immediately usable by a greater number of women, but feel free to incorporate them if you have them present.
Facing the west, prepare to summon that quarter. Visualize your voice reaching out to the farthest reaches of that direction, covering the vastness of time and space, and connecting you with the powers of the west and the element of water. Making a verbal statement solidifies your purpose in your mind, and helps you to begin to connect with the energies and beings who want to help you succeed. Thinking things through carefully may work as well in some cases, but only if you have fully thought out all elements of your ritual first. If for any reason you cannot speak aloud (privacy issues, illness, or other concerns), you may wish to write out your words at this point. You can burn the paper later to reinforce the idea that your words have power and that they have been taken into the Otherworld to manifest. But, please, work out each word carefully in advance, just to make sure any ritual is exactly what you want it to be. We have all had the experience of announcing that we have just gotten a great idea and then someone asks us to tell them about it; it is then, as we put it into words, that we suddenly see all its faults.
Since your rites in this case are those of Celtic women’s spirituality, as you call out to the western quarter think of the spirits you are calling upon as being feminine in character, even when that element is a masculine one (air and fire are the masculine elements). Everything in creation has both a masculine and a feminine side, regardless of which one is physically dominant. Though the elemental rulers of the directions are often characterized as masculine, there are many elemental and faery beings who reside in these worlds and can fill these roles just as well. Many of these are feminine in character.
To call the west, say the following:
Powers of the west-undines, guardians, spirits, elementals, and feminine spirits of the watery realms—hear and heed my invitation to you. Fertile powers of the west and of water, I call you from the Otherworld and ask your presence at this circle this eve [“eve” is used here for its poetic sound only, and you may use the words day, night, afternoon, full moon, equinox, and so on, as fits the occasion]. Join me in this place which is out of places, at this time which is outside of time, the sacred circle wherein (state purpose of your ritual). Lend balance to this sacred space as you protect, witness, and worship with me this eve, adding your powers and blessings to this rite. By the power of three, and in the name of Virgin, Mother, and Crone, I welcome the powers of water. Blessed Be.
You may opt to use a ritual gesture to reinforce your intent when calling the quarters, such as an invoking pentagram. This is a five-pointed star designed to symbolize the drawing in or drawing down of certain energies. The choice to use it or not is yours to make.
Remain facing the west for a minute or two and allow yourself to feel the presence and power of water and her attendant spirits.
When you feel ready, walk to the north and begin the process of evoking that quarter. (If you are using tools to represent each element, do not forget to return to the altar each time to get the corresponding tool!)
Powers of the north, elemental home of the mother who sustains us—gnomes, guardians, spirits, elementals, and feminine spirits of the earth realm—hear and heed my invitation to you. Stabilizing powers of the north and earth, I call you from the Otherworld and ask your presence at this circle this eve [“eve” is used here for its poetic sound only, and you may use the words day, night, afternoon, full moon, equinox, or other word that fits the occasion]. Join me in this place which is out of place, at this time which is outside of time, the sacred circle wherein (state purpose of your ritual). Lend balance to this sacred space as you protect, witness, and worship with me this eve, adding your powers and blessings to this rite. By the power of three, and in the name of Virgin, Mother, and Crone, I welcome the powers of earth. Blessed Be.
Remain facing the north for a minute or two and allow yourself to feel the presence and power of earth and her attendant spirits.
Walk next to the eastern quarter.
Powers of the east—sylphs, guardians, spirits, elementals, and feminine spirits of the airy realms—hear and heed my invitation to you. Thinking powers of the east and of air, I call you from the Otherworld and ask your presence at this circle this eve [or other word that fits the occasion]. Join me in this place which is out of place, at this time which is outside of time, the sacred circle wherein (state purpose of your ritual). Lend balance to this sacred space as you protect, witness, and worship with me this eve, adding your powers and blessings to this rite. By the power of three, and in the name of Virgin, Mother, and Crone, I welcome the powers of air. Blessed Be.
Remain facing the east for a minute or two and allow yourself to feel the presence and power of air and its attendant spirits.
Finally, walk to the south quarter.
Powers of the south—salamander, guardians, spirits, elementals, and feminine spirits of the fiery realms—hear and heed my invitation to you. Passionate powers of the south and of fire, I call you from the Otherworld and ask your presence at this circle this eve [or other word that fits the occasion]. Join me in this place which is out of place, at this time which is outside of time, the sacred circle wherein (state purpose of your ritual). Lend balance to this sacred space as you protect, witness, and worship with me this eve, adding your powers and blessings to this rite. By the power of three, and in the name of Virgin, Mother, and Crone, I welcome the powers of fire. Blessed Be.
Remain facing the south for a minute or two and allow yourself to feel the presence and power of fire and its attendant spirits.
Before you continue on with the invitation to the Goddess(es), you should walk to the west quarter again, the one in which you began your quarter calls, to symbolically complete the cycle. Remember that symbolism is the essence of ritual-every gesture and word you use should be intended to affect your inner self in positive ways in conformity to the overall goal of the ritual. Take advantage of every chance you get to strengthen these symbolic links.
It is customary at this point to invite both the God and Goddess into your circle. The two together represent balance. However, in women’s spirituality, more often than not, only a Goddess, or several Goddesses, are asked to witness and bless the proceedings. You may either call on the universal spirit of the feminine creator by her titles Goddess, Lady, Mother, and so on, or use the name of Goddess who is your patron, or who is important to the ritual at hand. You can offer this invitation at your altar, or by facing whatever direction you perceive to be her home.
The invitations should be just that—invitations—and the words should come from your heart, sincerely felt and expressed. They can be spoken with a Goddess symbol in hand, such as a chalice or shield, or with your arms open to symbolize your welcoming and embracing of the Goddess. The following example uses the mother/ancestor Goddess Danu:
Blessed Danu, mother of our tribe, originator of all creation, giver of life, of death, and rebirth, I, your warrior and child, ask your presence at this circle this eve (or whatever time of day or whatever event best expresses the moment). Witness my ritual of (insert purpose of ritual here). Lend your creative energies and bless my efforts to your glory. Welcome to you from whom all blessings flow.
If you wish you may light a candle to honor the Goddess and allow it to bum as tangible evidence of her presence within your circle. This is another common practice in many Pagan traditions. It symbolizes the light that is the Goddess being present within your circle.
In many Celtic traditions, it is considered a must to “feed” any being who has been called from the Otherworld with a ritual portion known as a libation. Usually bread or some other grain product, and wine or juice is offered. However, you may offer whatever you feel is right and appropriate for the ritual you are doing. Place the items either on a plate on your altar or near the west quarter. You may want to verbalize your offering, or choose not to; what is important is making the offer in the first place. After the ritual, this libation should be burned, drowned, or left out for animals where practical.
For some Celtic Pagan rites you may need or want to cast other inner circles within your primary circle. The three most common styles of Celtic innter circles are:
The Concentric Circles
This is easily the most commonly used inner-circle pattern. It involves the casting of two more circles inside your primary one for a total of three, the Celtic sacred number.
The Figure Eight
This pattern casts two inner circles, one above the other, in a rough figure eight pattern. The lower one may represent the physical plane and the upper one represents the Otherworld or underworld, or one may represent the divine realm and the other the human realm.
The Triskele Pattern
This pattern uses three inner circles in a triangular pattern in a rough representation of the triskele. The three circles can represent the three faces of the Triple Goddess; or the underworld or faery realm, the middleworld or physical plane, and the upperworld or Otherworld.
After all your circles are cast, you may start to work the body of your rituaL This means doing whatever it is you created the sacred space to do. This may include magickal efforts, honoring of the Goddess, rites of passage, seasonal celebrations, or many other activities. When your ritual purpose has been completed, the circle(s) must be closed and grounded. The reasons for this are fourfold:
1. To allow you to thank and say farewell to the spirits who have come to assist you
2. To follow a long standing consciousness by the same route you took to enter, creating a sense of order that keeps your conscious mind happy and cooperative
3. To keep the sense of ritual, which is important to the success of your effort
4. To prevent unstructured energies from running wild and causing you to feel frazzled or “haunted.”
Close any inner circles first, doing so in the opposite manner from which they were cast. Then prepare to close the primary circle by reversing all the processes used to open it.
Some women prefer to say thank you and good bye and then do the quarter dismissals; others prefer the opposite format. For the Goddess, saying a simple thank you with added blessings is sufficient. You can do this standing at your altar, or facing whatever direction you perceive to be her home. If you have a lit a candle in her honor, extinguish it as you finish your farewell, to symbolize the light of the Goddess leaving the circle area.
You will formally close the circle by the same method you cast it, doing everything in reverse order. Begin by walking to the last quarter you called (the south in this example) to begin dismissing them. The word dismiss is traditionally used to refer to the practice of releasing the quarters, but its implication of command can sometimes be confusing. You are really thanking and saying goodbye to the energies that have so graciously come to assist you. The word release would probably be a better term. As before, if you have a tool that corresponds to each quarter, you may return to the altar each time to get it before going to the quarter of your circle.
Thank you, powers of the south and fire for your presence here this eve [or other appropriate time], for lending your passionate energies to this ritual, and for blessing me with your presence. Thank you and farewell.
You may wish to incorporate a ritual gesture of dismissal, such as a banishing pentagram, as you release each of the quarters. The choice is yours.
Continue walking anti-sunwise (counterclockwise) around the circle to the eastern quarter. Counterclockwise does not mean that the gesture is negative in any way, only that the intent of the ritual or spell requires the symbolism of decrease or banishment. In modern Irish covens, this is sometimes referred to as moving tuathail. This term contains in it a word that means “of the country or backwoods,” and is construed as being a slur by some. They feel it is like saying country people are backwards, and that it puts of value judgment on the counterclockwise movement. Another etymology says that this word only means “going left.” In the circle, where time and space have no meaning, remember that there is really no backwards or forward, any more than there is good or evil if no evil intent is present. There is just power to be manipulated
as a means to an end.
Thank you, powers of the east and air for your presence here this eve (or other appropriate time), for lending your thinking energies to this ritual, and for blessing me with your presence. Thank you and farewell.
Then go to the north.
Thank you, powers of the north and earth for your presence here this eve (or other appropriate time), for lending your stabilizing energies to this ritual, and for blessing me with your presence. Thank you and farewell.
Go finally to the west, the place where you first began.
Thank you, powers of the west and water for your presence here this eve (or other appropriate time), for lending your purifying energies to this ritual, and for blessing me with your presence. Thank you and farewell.
Starting in the south again, take your tool or forefinger and begin walking the perimeter of the circle anti-sunwise. By this action you ground or close the circle. As you walk, visualize the energy you raised to create the circle either being sent deep into the lap of mother earth or being reabsorbed into your hand or tool. You may walk the perimeter of the circle only once, or you may walk the circle three times as you did to cast it.
Once the circle is closed, you may wish to make a statement acknowledging this. This helps all levels of your mind, body, and spirit to know that the open portal between the worlds is now closed, and that you are once again ready to function on the earth plane. To just walk away can leave some people feeling “spacy” or ungrounded, and it can be a very frustrating experience until you recognize the source of the problem and discover how easy it is to overcome. To help root yourself in the physical world, try making a loud noise or uttering a simple phrase such as, “The rite is done, the circle is closed,” or the traditional Wiccan closing: “Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.” If you still feel spaced out and unable to concentrate, try eating. This very physical action is a sure remedy to those residual feelings that can occasionally follow you home from a ritual. Foods heavy in salt are especially useful for this.