Greetings My Witchy Reader,
This discussion is likely to be more brief than some, but I hope you find the content of interest also. Many are aware of the basics of casting a circle, but there is the opportunity to prepare the area for the circle casting and ritual beforehand by 'cleansing' are ritual area.
Now, this is more necessary, for lack of a better word, if the circle is being cast in an area where other mundane things are normally done on a regular basis. In other words if you do not have a dedicated, consecrated ritual room, and you cast your circles in the kitchen or living room or your bedroom or even on your back deck, then clearing the area beforehand is helpful to set the vibrational energy and prepare it to be raised with the circle casting and ritual work.
Many have heard of the fairly common practice of using the besom, or witches broom for sweeping the air around the circle before casting the circle to cleanse any unwanted energies away. It is typical to start at the north and sweep around the circle in a deosil direction, or clockwise going to the east, then south and then west and ending back in the north again. This is done holding the broom high, then again in same direction, all the way around at mid level and then for a last, third time, holding the broom just above the floor. While going around, be sure to be "sweeping" with the business end of the broom.
Going around with the besom has been a traditional way to cleanse the energy for decades. Yet there are other ways to cleanse the energy and interestingly they all pretty much involve some form of utilizing the elements.
Where the besom uses the air element, another way to use the air element is to use a bell. Now, before I go on, make sure the sound of the bell is pleasing to your ear. Each of us hears sounds, tones, musical notes and keys in our own special way. That is why some can sing and some better than others, and some not at all. So a bell that might have a discordant sound to your ear will be very ineffective and not helpful in any magickal way. Always, always, ring the bell before buying and I personally would never buy a bell on line or without hearing it first.
Then when you have the bell you love the sound of, you can, again, start over the altar and ring the bell, then go to the north and move deosil and ring the bell at each watchtower. The vibrations will carry the unwanted energies away. Again this is done before the circle casting.
Another method to cleanse the area to prepare it for ritual work is smudge. You can use desert sage which will cleanse and eliminate unwanted energies but no need to use too much of this, just a small amount around the circle. After going around the circle it is nice to follow up with a White Sage blessing sage. We use a sage grown in southern California, it is not the culinary cooking sage so common in southern New England. One needs to be careful and aware as many varieties of sage has the common name of 'white sage' but not all 'white sages' are the same.
A more unusual method for cleansing the circle area for ritual before the ceremony starts is to spend a half an hour or so, silently chalking sacred symbols and sigils around the circles perimeter making sure the symbols are around a 9 foot diameter, so they would be out 4 and a half feet from the center of the circle. The 9 foot circle is traditional and we can go into that in another discussion. But chalk, using white chalk, symbols that are meaningful to you or your coven. Be they astrological symbols, runes, magickal symbols, pagans symbols, Egyptian, Celtic, religious, any symbols that are spiritually significant to you. By being silent while chalking these symbols you are allowing the symbols to speak and their power is banishing unwanted energies, as had been one of their purposes and responsibilities throughout history.
Another way to clear the circle of negative and or unwanted energies is to use the element of fire. Light a large pillar candle and when the flame is burning strong and solid, start in the north and walk slowly around the circle and envision the energy of the flame blasting out from the center of the circle, you may visualize the center of the working altar as your center if you would like and the energy going past you and the lit candle and flowing out and pushing all unwanted energy out and away as you slowly walk around going deosil until you come full circle to the north again. Repeat this two additional times.
Should the candle flame flare up, spin, dip, twist or do anything unusual, try your best to keep your focus and continue the circuit around the circle. You may walk around with the flame three times, just as you walk three times with the broom.
Yet, another way to cleanse or bless in this fashion the area of the ritual circle before casting the circle is with your hands and your inner spiritual energy. Stand before the altar, center, close eyes if you choose, and become quiet and balanced. Rub hands together, then clap sharply three times and turn and hold hands, palms out towards the north and walking slowly deosil around the circle and feel your energy absorb the unwanted energy into your hands and feel it swirl and flow into your body and then send it back out again directly and sharply and keep a fine tuned sense of your inner energy so you can tell that all unwanted energy has been expelled from the circles area.
One last method I will leave you with, but know there are many more and more yet that you can come up with, for magick is only what you create, as long as you follow the art and science and it works, well then! That makes it so!
This last method is a method for creating a cleansed area for a ritual area that can be done the night or day before or even several hours and that is by drawing a circle around the ritual area with a heavy border of salt. Laying down a boundary line of salt, and leaving it for several hours causes unwanted energies and entities to vacate and creates a neutral area. This neutralized energy can now be energized and 'charged' by using incense or blessing sage either before casting a circle or during the casting of the ritual circle.
All of these methods are possible ways to honor and take notice of the ritual area before the ritual begins and a period of preparation time is important. During this time, one starts to transform the mind and spirit and energy of the body into a place of ritual trance getting ready for the ceremony.
Simple chores like setting up the altar, getting the incense ready, the water, perhaps choosing the music, cleansing the area before the ritual, all of these things help get one in the proper mood for a fulfilling spiritual experience.
Remember if you want magick in your life, a little, a lot it is all up to you. No one will make it happen, it is waiting for you to make it happen in your life, so start, now. in some way even a small way. Make the magick happen today!!
Live, Laugh and Always Love Ms. Faith
© 2010-2018 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.
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