IngredientsNoneDescriptionThis is a brief lesson on why we cast circles, what the Watchtowers are, and invoking Diety during ritual.
Spell CastingA question was asked regarding Watchtowers, Cirlces,and Deities. The following is a brief description of each. These are the basics of circle. If anyone else has anything they want to add please do.The circle is cast to contain your energy untill you release that energy and it also serves as protection from outside forces. The circle usually is about 9 feet in circumference, but can be smaller if you are by yourself. It is important when casting a circle you follow proper protocall. When you cast a circle you usually start in the North or East depending on your personel preference and you cast it by walking Deosil or Clockwise. Then you bless the circle with earth and water then fire and air. Once as the circle is cast then you call in the Watchtowers. The Watchtowers are known by many names. They are guardians of the gateways to the elemental kingdoms. They are the Old Ones, they are the Kings of their realms. They have many forms and many names. The following are some ways the guradians are seen and their names that are called upon. Their angelic names are Aral(South), Chassan(East), Taliahad(West), and Phorlakh(North). The Archangels are Micheal(South), Raphael(East), Gabriel(West) and Uriel(North). The sacred animals that are seen as guardians are the Red Lion of the South, the Yellow Eagle of the East, the Blue Sea Serpent of the West, and the Green Bull of the North. The Kings are Djin of the South, Paralda of the East, Necksa of the West, and Gobb of the North. These are but only a few of the guardian manifestations...lol. We call on the Watchtowers as guardians of our circles and to bless and bring their energy to our circles also. You call the Watchtower Tower pretty much the same way you cast the circle. Start in the East or North and continue Deosil around the circle calling on each guardian at their appropriate quarter. There are quite a few quarter calls out there that you can use. At th e end of this post there one is that you can use. Experiment and find the ones that you like. They can be very simple or very elaborate. Remember though when you call the quarters you must also relese them and send them back to their relams from whence they came at the end of your circle. You do this by starting with the last elemental you called into your circle and continue going Widdershins or Counter Clock Wise around your circle and releasing each quarter. You can say soemthing as simple as '' Powers of the North and Earth. Great Guardians! I give thee thanks for lending your power and protection at my circle on this night, but your prescence is no longer needed at this rite. Return to the realms frome wence you came in perfect love and perfect trust. Hail, Fairwell, and Blessed Be.'' It is important to remember when you are doing circle work you call the quarters BEFORE you invoke the Goddess and God in the beginning of your ritual. Once as the quarters are called than you can invoke the Lady and Lord. It has to be done in this order so that way the quarters or guardians are present in the circle to help protect the Lady and Lord when you call for them into your circle. When closing your circle or ending your ritual then you thank the Goddess and God first for their blessings at your circle by saying something like '' Hail to thee Lady/Lord. Great Mother/Father I thank thee for your blessings on this night and the magic you aided in my rites. Stay if you will, go if you must in perfect love and perfect trust. Hail and Blessed Be.'' We NEVER dismiss the Gods. We always welcome them to stay, but we let them know we understand if they leave. Then you can release the quarters with the words in the paragraph above. As for the Deities you always want to call them. You might not have a patron Deity right now, but do you not believe in a Goddess or God? A divine mother or father? Usually all witches have a diety and a lot of them have a Patron Deity, but it can take time for them to find their Gods. If you don't have a patron deity you can call on them by addressing them as Lady and Lord. You can also call on a deity depending on what the ritual is about. If you are doing a ritual to gain love then you can call on Aphrodite and Eros. Some people work with Pantheons depending on what they are drawn to. I work with the Greek and Roman Pantheons. My Goddess is Hecate and my God is Helios. My God changes through the year though. During the winter months I was calling on Hades and now it's Helios. You always want to call on the Gods and Guardians during rituals. Spell work not as much. You can cast a circle when you do spell work, but you always don't have to do a full out ritual for it. This is the Wiccan way. Now since I am a Hoodoo worker also when I do spell work I don't cast a circle, I don't call on guardians, and I don't call on the Gods although I do say prayers as I do my spells. Witchcraft is my religon and Hoodood is my practice. I keep the two seperate and try not to blend the worlds together. During my rituals they are fully witchcraft. When I do my spell work they are fully Hoodoo. When I do ritual though I do cast my circle, cleanse it, call the Guardians, and invoke the Lady and Lord. I hope this helps....lol. It's a lot of information. Any other questions you know how to get a hold of me. Elemental Quarter Calls East: Eastern Ones! Lend me your presence and your power, Give me clarity, vision and swift thought. Wind and cloud, tall mountain's heights, Blue horizon, morning's light. Be with me now, Creatures of Air. South: Southern Ones! Lend me your presence and your power, Give me inspiration, energy and love. Bonfire, beacon burning bright, Embers rich, wild lightining's strike. Be with me now, Creatures of Fire. West: Western Ones! Lend me your presence and your power, Give me intuition, wisdom, and empathy. Green-hearted lake, a river wide, Rainfall's jewels, ocean tide. Be with me now, Creatures of Water. North: Northern Ones! Lend me your presence and your power, Give me protection, grounding and sense. Hill and dale, deep cove, old bone, Fertile field and soil and stone. Be with me now, Creatures of Earth. Magic spells for everyone, anytime, any occasion.
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