Spirit is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.
—Hermes Trismegistus
From cave paintings to crowns, halos, and Stonehenge, circles and spirals figure prominently 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.,1 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 Rain2
Since Honi’s story occurred more than 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 a 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 think he was operating outside of the current religious structure of the day, therefore Honi (in successive tellings of his story) became part of Jewish rabbinical society. Honi’s story gives us important clues 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 Passover 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 ovens, 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 a 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 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 unmanifest 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 just added visualization to the proceedings. Those who are unmagickal 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 a 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 benevolence, blessing, 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 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 fries from McDonald’s. He 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 means that Honi’s magick worked successfully on more than one occasion 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 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 any religious structure (though afterward they are sometimes claimed to be so, especially if, like Honi, they were at least sympathetic to the religious regime at the time); and (c) for Honi’s magick to work that day, he had to have a magick circle. The story also shows that the universe has a sense of humor, and that when you ask for 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.
“Master/Mistress of the universe!”—you are calling on the perfection and order of the universe. “I am (state your name), your 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 in 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.3 One walks sunwise (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 circlecasting 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.
This clockwise, sunwise 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.
Some magickal individuals paint the Spirit circle (left) on a large terra-cotta plate and use the dish for a mini altar.
The same procedure can be done with the pentacle (right).
This is a safe way to burn candles and incense (in their appropriate holders)
and it protects expensive altar cloths.
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 from the body and pointing down while reciting a verbal invocation.4 Some individuals draw the circle on the ground with 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 circlecasting is recommended for most magickal activities, rites, and rituals in the Craft. Yes, I’ve heard that 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 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!” (see section As Above, So Below in Part 4.) 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 than a flat circle. As the words indicate, “as above, so below”—the circle is all around you, over your head, and under your feet. While in circle, one never, ever walks widdershins (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 widdershins (which is a common practice) at the end of a ritual. These groups, usually with strong Celtic associations, dismiss the circle by moving clockwise. However, if you participate in a spiral dance (which is truly a fun thing 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 its own, and if you have forgotten to release the quarters, the energies there aren’t too happy about that, either. Most Wiccans move widdershins to release the circle (one pass 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 mote it be!”5 and then stomp their foot one time to indicate that the circle is now open.
The 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 of 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 within the coven hierarchy.
Magick containing circular symbols is also prominent in modern Craft practice. 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 thoughtforms, use crushed eggshells around a white candle placed on top of a person’s picture. Words written on paper in a circular pattern to gain success is 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 Spirit into the daily workaday world.6
How the Circle Works
Real science (case in point: new physics) can tell us a lot about how and why magick and related concepts, such as the magick circle, work. Once you realize that the universe is made up of processes, not things, you are really on a roll, for what makes life truly interesting are the connections between events. The sum total of our lives is the change from one connection to another, which becomes a process. Therefore, when magickal people stress the importance of change in their teachings, debates, and studies, they are scientifically discussing the process of moving from one connection to another that will eventually create their desired goal, whatever it may be. Life is change because nothing really is, except in a very temporary sense, because everything changes. Our chant, “She changes everything She touches, and everything She touches changes,” often done in a round in magickal workings, expresses this thought on a very basic level and uses words to create the circle. Therefore, casting a magick circle allows us to control the process of change and modify what we want, the way we want it.
In the Craft you are taught that every cause has an effect, and that every event can provide a variety of choices in which we can orchestrate the change we desire. In new physics, this is called the relational universe—where all energies are connected and related to each other. As you can see, the “we are one” statement expounded in Hermeticism (see Part 4, Alchemy) and many Craft teachings falls right in line with modern science. The energy of one event will travel and affect the energy of a future event. This process is called the future light cone7 and explains why we need the magick circle and the Cone of Power (see page 18) in our magickal workings. To understand this concept better, I’ve created the drawing on the next page for you.
* This symbol represents events and energies that would disrupt your working,
if you had not cast a circle.
Let’s say you want to cast a spell to bring more money into the home. By casting a circle when working your magick, you will be removing random events that could affect your working and destroy your goal.
Now, this means that the operation of the circle and the cone of power, or controlled future light cone, keep on working even though you will conclude your ritual and release your circle. You have already set the process of change in motion and chosen which causal events you want to keep and which you want to remove. If, however, you doubt yourself or your desire, the risk of “dematerializing” your outcome can be very real. Visually this diagram shows you why the magick circle is so necessary in spellwork, ritual, and even meditation.
Cutting the Door
Every now and then you will need to “cut a door” in an erected circle. This may occur because you forgot something and it’s sitting there outside of the circle, taunting you to come get it, and you can’t go on with the ritual or spell without it. In group format, a circle might be cast by what I call the “bone people” (high priestess, high priest, and representatives of the four quarters), who in turn cut the door so that others outside of the circle may enter. Those inside the circle concentrate on keeping the circle up because every moment the door is open weakens the circle (especially if you are just learning—see Part 3, Dowsing, for tips on how to check the strength and breadth of your circle). By looking at the circle diagram again, you can see how random events and energies can enter the circle if it is broken, which will in turn affect your working. Keeping the circle strong is very important; therefore, if you are working solitary and are new at this, you may want to forgo whatever you forgot until you are more confident about holding the circle in place.
Should you feel ready to cut a door, you can use the athame or your hands to create the opening. The athame gives a smoother line, where your hands move as if you are parting a curtain. Take your time making the shape of the door or portal that you will walk through. As soon as you step over that boundary, turn and close the opening either with your hands or by reversing the action you used with the athame. Retrieve the object, then cut the door again, turn, and close the door. Take your time. In a ritual with several people, crossed brooms at the door are ritually opened to allow individuals to enter and then crossed to signify the portal has been closed after all are inside. This visual representation allows all circle members to participate in sealing the portal.
Those individuals who have done a great deal of energy work, including circlecastings, can meld with the circle and therefore move freely in and out of the circle environment without damaging the energy. However, just because this feat can be accomplished doesn’t mean that you should utilize the practice all the time, for several reasons. First, you must be able to do this on a repetitive basis, which can be checked by using the previously mentioned dowsing rods. Secondly, if you are training students, barging in and out of the circle encourages them to disregard their own training. Finally, every circle is based on process—meaning each is different, depending on the person who cast the circle, the location, the weather, your emotions, and a variety of other factors. My personal advice (take it or leave it) is to practice melding so that you can use it in case of severe emergency, but not to do it in public or in training circles on a regular basis. Melding, like other forms of transformation, takes time and practice and is not a common phenomenon among current Craft practitioners.
Triple Circle Magick
In antiquity, the idea of using three circles in magick invoked the three Fates, or Goddesses of Life, Growth, and Death. In the Nordic pantheon, these triple goddesses were Skuld, Verdandi, and Urd, who wove the tapestry of your destiny. The Roman Fates were Fortunae, and the Greeks called them the Moerae. Symbolic offerings to the three Fates, such as bread and milk, were said to guarantee prosperity and long life, and could even bring one’s future husband knocking at the door (or at least a dream or vision of him). From the Greek triad of body, mind, and shadow came the primitive Christian corpus, anima, and spiritus (body, mind, and spirit), which was based on oriental and Hebrew foundations known as the magick of the triple circle.8 As I mentioned earlier, many Wiccan traditions cast a triple circle in their spellworking and rituals to magnify the power of the body, mind, and spirit.
Here is an example of the conjuration for a triple circlecasting. You will find additional circlecasting instructions in my books To Stir a Magick Cauldron and To Light a Sacred Flame.
The triple ring design (top), and the triceps.
Triple Circlecasting
by Lady MorningStar9
(Recite as you walk the first
time around the circle)
In this place, this circle round
I consecrate the sacred ground
with golden light this space surround
all power here contained and bound.
(Second pass around the circle)
From earth, the things that manifest
from air, the things of mind
from fire, the things that motivate
from water, the souls refined.
(Third pass around the circle)
And yet no place or time there be
between the worlds, my word and me
welcome, Ancient Ones, and see
this place is sealed, so mote it be!
Witches know that their perception of the world is based on how each individual personally views and processes emotions and events. If you always see the negative side, then that’s what you will become. If, on the other hand, you work to change your perceptions, and try to see all things with equal clarity, then harmony within your life has a chance to grow. Your emotions are based on your perceptions of what is happening to you. If you perceive something as frightening, then that’s what it will be to you. If you perceive something as inspirational, then the fullness of life has a chance to expand. When we cast the ritual circle using the number three, we are linking into the triple aspect of the Goddess (Maiden, Mother, and Crone) and the God (Father, Son, and Sage) in an effort to bring purification and clarity into our lives. If you seek healing of body, mind, and soul for yourself or for another individual, carve the triple ring design on a candle or draw it on a piece of paper, then write the person’s name over top.
If you are seeking a boost in prosperity (let’s say Mom has to pay a bill and she just doesn’t know where the money is going to come from), try using the diamond or triceps variation, which also belongs to the Nordic pantheon.
The triceps (earth diamonds) invokes the powers of Earth (earth, sky, and sea—often found in Druidic teachings as well) by using three diamonds. The four sides of the diamonds stand for earth, air, water, and fire. This symbol can be used for weather magick as well as prosperity work. These diamonds literally mean “the gifts of the Earth.” Write the amount needed inside each diamond with the triple ring emblem on top. Keep until you have obtained the amount needed. Burn when the amount is received.
Note: Although Witches a hundred years ago would have written directly on the dollar bill in the United States, defacing our currency with any wording or sigils is against the law in this country; therefore, place a drawing of the triple triceps over the currency rather than writing directly on the bill. It is also illegal to burn the currency, therefore burn only the drawing when the spell is completed.