Circle Casting - do you or don't you?

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

RubyLight

Ultraviolett1127

Nope, I don't cast circles. I don't do the Hammer Rite either.
I can understand hallowing an area, don't get me wrong. But keeping things in and other things out...just doesn't really apply in Asatru.

True. 3nodding
For me the Hammer Rite helps me get in the mindset.

I probably should start doing a formal Hammer Rite when I do blots; I mean, it's just me and the rituals are short enough as it is xd So it wouldn't hurt to have something else in there, to help focus and such.  

[Morgandria]

Really, when it comes to circles: I don't think most people really know what they're doing when they cast them, let alone why or how.

They are an important part of Wiccan ritual structure - that's core material. It's done a certain way. But when I'm acting on my own - really, I don't nescessarily need to do that. More often than not, I don't cast circles in my own magical and spiritual practice - they're unneeded and out of context.  

[oddmolly]

I have a circle of stones in my yard and everything I use goes inside of it. I honor the four directions and the Elements before doing any kind of ceremony, it just feels right to me. I dont follow a specific path, but I do honor the Sabbats and moon cycles. A circle feels safe and complete to me and Ive always felt drawn to them. 3nodding  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

Morgandria

Really, when it comes to circles: I don't think most people really know what they're doing when they cast them, let alone why or how.

That's true. I think a lot of books that mention circle-casting are very remiss in not going into reasons why circles are cast. That's something I found very frustrating as a young Tvaanist. They would say "do this, do that, blah blah" but never explain why that was necessary or what it was meant to achieve.

Actually that's what I rather liked about Cunningham's "Living Wicca". He asks the reader why they cast a circle and to look into their reasons for doing so, how they do it and so on.  

[Morgandria]

Sanguina-chan

Morgandria

Really, when it comes to circles: I don't think most people really know what they're doing when they cast them, let alone why or how.

That's true. I think a lot of books that mention circle-casting are very remiss in not going into reasons why circles are cast. That's something I found very frustrating as a young Tvaanist. They would say "do this, do that, blah blah" but never explain why that was necessary or what it was meant to achieve.

I think, in part, that's because the authors themselves are very unclear as to what a circle is for.  

[too2sweet]

That is one of the reasons that I love The Elements of Ritual (Deborah Lipp), that whole book is full of the "why's", which is really nice to see for once.  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

Morgandria

I think, in part, that's because the authors themselves are very unclear as to what a circle is for.

See, that hurts me. Why would you write a book about something if you were unclear on the hows and whys?

Sweet: Lipp seems pretty cool on A&J. Would you recommend the book to a person who isn't particularly inclined towards ceremonial ritual?  

[too2sweet]

I think it's one of those things everyone should read, even if they don't end up using the info in it all that often. It is very much geared towards Wiccan ritual though, basically the book breaks down each component of a Ritual and describes it though an elemental point of view...

Quote:

Earth: how do we do this step and are there different ways of doing it?
Air: why do we do this step, and what is the meaning behind it?
Water: what is the mythology behind this step, or what story is this step telling?
Fire: what is the mystical meaning of this step? In what way are the Gods involved?

 

[Angelbaby In Love]

I use a circle when I'm with my coven doing ceremonies. The coven that I'm in casts the circle three times due to the rule of three that we follow. It is when I'm by myself or with a small amount of people we don't use the circle, unless it is called for.  

[Morgandria]

Sexy Gothic Fairy

I use a circle when I'm with my coven doing ceremonies. The coven that I'm in casts the circle three times due to the rule of three that we follow. It is when I'm by myself or with a small amount of people we don't use the circle, unless it is called for.

I'm going to hate myself for asking: but a) what rule of three?, b) how does that rule relate to circle-casting, and c) what exactly does your coven cast a circle for?  

[Morgandria]

Sanguina-chan

Morgandria

I think, in part, that's because the authors themselves are very unclear as to what a circle is for.

See, that hurts me. Why would you write a book about something if you were unclear on the hows and whys?

Sweet: Lipp seems pretty cool on A&J. Would you recommend the book to a person who isn't particularly inclined towards ceremonial ritual?

I'd recommend reading it just because it's a decent book. If you're not at the very least Wiccan-flavoured, though, it might not have the most direct impact on you. But it does make you think - mostly because it asks you to consider your actions in ways that may not have occured before.

I know a lot of different practices only hallow a space, simply because they believe that everything is already as sacred as it's gonna get and you don't need to do anything else to it, except maybe tidy it up a bit first. I'm comfortable with that idea, and I've worked with it. I'd be interested in discussing those ritual styles as well. smile  

[whiporwill-o]

i do not cast a circle. more often than not, when i do perform magick, it is of witchcraft nature, not wiccan ritual. i have always read that the circle is for protection, but i am not sure as to how accurate that it, especially after reading everyone's posts.

i do use sea salt for protection and cleansing (sp?) and for killing fleas (did you know that sea salt kills fleas! pest control without poison, yay!!!)  

[Morgandria]

whiporwill-o

i do not cast a circle. more often than not, when i do perform magick, it is of witchcraft nature, not wiccan ritual. i have always read that the circle is for protection, but i am not sure as to how accurate that it, especially after reading everyone's posts.

i do use sea salt for protection and cleansing (sp?) and for killing fleas (did you know that sea salt kills fleas! pest control without poison, yay!!!)

So long as you're not using salt outside...  

[whiporwill-o]

Morgandria

whiporwill-o

i do not cast a circle. more often than not, when i do perform magick, it is of witchcraft nature, not wiccan ritual. i have always read that the circle is for protection, but i am not sure as to how accurate that it, especially after reading everyone's posts.

i do use sea salt for protection and cleansing (sp?) and for killing fleas (did you know that sea salt kills fleas! pest control without poison, yay!!!)

So long as you're not using salt outside...

no, no, inside only. sea salt outside best remains in the sea.