Circle Casting - do you or don't you?

[Shearaha]

I don't use circles at all. The closest I get is shields, which for me are always egg shaped. But I also don't do any type of spell work, just energy manipulation. And that mainly during my meditation sessions. I just don't see the need for a circle. I'm not calling up anything, so why would I need a circle to contain or keep out?  

[Goddess Aidos]

I personally try to cast a circle everyday, it's like a healthy routine for me. I do it usually as a ritual to bless and praise the godess, offer her gifts. I barely use spells either mostly energy manipulation as well, but once in awhile i might try a spell, just to highten my speel experiance, if i should ever need it.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina  

[Morgandria]

Warrior-Angel531

I personally try to cast a circle everyday, it's like a healthy routine for me. I do it usually as a ritual to bless and praise the godess, offer her gifts. I barely use spells either mostly energy manipulation as well, but once in awhile i might try a spell, just to highten my speel experiance, if i should ever need it.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina

Casting a circle just to 'stay in practice' seems unnesscesary and wasteful. Even if you're offering praise and gifts to a Deity - you don't need to cut your space out of the physical world to do so. It really demeans the act to do it constantly and without need.

And as was discussed before...spellwork doesn't have to be done in a circle either.  

[Goddess Aidos]

It has been a tradition in my family for many a year, to get in a casting of a circle at least once a month, and that is what i do. I cast a circle one full moon a month. It is my ancestors, and my way of praising our godess. I'm sorry if that seems un needed to you.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina  

[Morgandria]

Warrior-Angel531

It has been a tradition in my family for many a year, to get in a casting of a circle at least once a month, and that is what i do. I cast a circle one full moon a month. It is my ancestors, and my way of praising our godess. I'm sorry if that seems un needed to you.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina

So this is a family tradition?  

[Goddess Aidos]

yes, it is.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina  

[Morgandria]

Warrior-Angel531

yes, it is.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina

So if it's a family tradition, why are you calling it Wicca, and using Wiccan phrases quite wrongly?

(I will eventually return to this - I am away for the weekend. Do not expect a reply until then.)  

[Goddess Aidos]

I don't feel it necissary for me to have to explain myself. Different people preform diffrent wicca, and have different traditions. I shouldn't have to explain that to you. Thank you.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

Warrior-Angel531

I don't feel it necissary for me to have to explain myself. Different people preform diffrent wicca, and have different traditions. I shouldn't have to explain that to you. Thank you.

There are only a handful of different traditions of Wicca. Each retain the oathbound ritual core passed down from Gardner. I suspect you mean to say "witchcraft" or possibly "Paganism" rather than "Wicca".  

[Morgandria]

Warrior-Angel531

I don't feel it necissary for me to have to explain myself. Different people preform diffrent wicca, and have different traditions. I shouldn't have to explain that to you. Thank you.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina

1) Wicca hasn't been in existence long enough to become anyone's family tradition. Also, Wicca is not taught to children, or passed from parent to child through initiation.

2) Wicca has set practices and standards that define the religion. What you are describing doesn't fit into those practices and standards.

I'm not saying it's wrong, or invalid. I'm just saying it's not Wicca.
I concur with Sanguina's post.

3) Wicca has several traditions, but none of them are a family tradition. Initiatory lineage is not a blood lineage.  

[Goddess Aidos]

I'm sorry if i seem to be going off on you , it's just been hard at home, and i take it out sometimes on others when i should not. I realize you all are just trying to correct me, and help me grow. I would want to do the same for someone else. And i have studied more about wiccan, paganism, and such to realize that i am more of a pagan then wiccan.

Blessed Be!
Mistress Saphrina  

[xOx KiZA xOx]

Every pagan has their own way of doing things, so why concern yourselves about it? If she wants to cast a circle all day everyday, let her do so, she likes it! biggrin Also, if you feel that you should tell her that she doesn't need to do it, then suggest it once and move on. After all, it's hard to try and change the way someone is and no one likes to be harped about it...hehe, we should all know that from other religion converterters ^^

Anyhoo, I usually cast a circle if I'm doing something that requires a lot of energy, like spellcasting or intense meditation. That's because my favorite thing to do is get all my spellworking energy and keep it inside the circle and in the end release it all like a shaken up bottle of soda! That way, it's like a great release when it's all done smile

Circle casting of choice? Unless it's a giant S//E ritual, I like to just make a ball of white energy in my hand and drop it on the ground and feel it spread around me. Then, when I'm done, I'll gather it back up and toss it towards the sky, as above, so below.  

[Morgandria]

WarriorAngel: Thank you for admitting such. It is greatly appreciated. Nothing wrong with being what you are, after all.

xOx KiZA xOx

Every pagan has their own way of doing things, so why concern yourselves about it? If she wants to cast a circle all day everyday, let her do so, she likes it! biggrin Also, if you feel that you should tell her that she doesn't need to do it, then suggest it once and move on. After all, it's hard to try and change the way someone is and no one likes to be harped about it...hehe, we should all know that from other religion converterters ^^

Anyhoo, I usually cast a circle if I'm doing something that requires a lot of energy, like spellcasting or intense meditation. That's because my favorite thing to do is get all my spellworking energy and keep it inside the circle and in the end release it all like a shaken up bottle of soda! That way, it's like a great release when it's all done smile

Circle casting of choice? Unless it's a giant S//E ritual, I like to just make a ball of white energy in my hand and drop it on the ground and feel it spread around me. Then, when I'm done, I'll gather it back up and toss it towards the sky, as above, so below.

Just so you're aware:

It matters to me because she has previously said she was Wiccan - and what she was doing is not Wiccan. I have sworn a most sacred oath to Gods and coven to defend my faith from those who would cause it harm - and I consider spreading misinformation about what Wicca properly is to fall under my oath.

I take my oaths VERY seriously. I would expect no less from anyone who has sworn the same oaths - and if one claims to be Wiccan, one should have taken them.

It's not a matter of conversion. It's upholding standards of practice.

Anyway...I have some questions.

What is the purpose of your circles? Are you only casting them as a barrier to keep things separated between 'in' and 'out'?

Do you think its' possible to gather and contain energy in one place, and release it explosively, without a circle?

How does throwing a visualized ball of energy adequately reflect the idea of "As above, so below"?  

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

xOx KiZA xOx

Every pagan has their own way of doing things, so why concern yourselves about it?

If their "different way" involves cultural misappropriation, dishonest research or the spread of misinformation, then I feel compelled to concern myself with it. The spread of misinformation and cultural misappropriation are two huge problems in the Pagan community. I would say that the spread of misinformation is one of the worst; and it is usually allowed to spread with the whole "OMG you're not allowed to question me and what I believe! They're beliefs!" attitude.

Quote:

If she wants to cast a circle all day everyday, let her do so, she likes it! biggrin

As Morg said, her bigger sticking point was that Warrior-Angel was calling it by the improper name.

Quote:

Also, if you feel that you should tell her that she doesn't need to do it, then suggest it once and move on.

But some people learn better via discussion and some repetition wink .

Quote:

After all, it's hard to try and change the way someone is and no one likes to be harped about it...hehe, we should all know that from other religion converterters ^^

It frightens and saddens me that you liken questioning and correction to evangelizing neutral
Once someone realizes that they actually are incorrect on something, it's generally not too hard to steer them towards proper sources so that they may. The person may hate to admit they were wrong and they'll feel shitty about it for a bit, but they'll move on. And most people grow in a way from the experience of having their error pointed out.  

[xOx KiZA xOx]

Morgandria

WarriorAngel: Thank you for admitting such. It is greatly appreciated. Nothing wrong with being what you are, after all.

xOx KiZA xOx

Every pagan has their own way of doing things, so why concern yourselves about it? If she wants to cast a circle all day everyday, let her do so, she likes it! biggrin Also, if you feel that you should tell her that she doesn't need to do it, then suggest it once and move on. After all, it's hard to try and change the way someone is and no one likes to be harped about it...hehe, we should all know that from other religion converterters ^^

Anyhoo, I usually cast a circle if I'm doing something that requires a lot of energy, like spellcasting or intense meditation. That's because my favorite thing to do is get all my spellworking energy and keep it inside the circle and in the end release it all like a shaken up bottle of soda! That way, it's like a great release when it's all done smile

Circle casting of choice? Unless it's a giant S//E ritual, I like to just make a ball of white energy in my hand and drop it on the ground and feel it spread around me. Then, when I'm done, I'll gather it back up and toss it towards the sky, as above, so below.

Just so you're aware:

It matters to me because she has previously said she was Wiccan - and what she was doing is not Wiccan. I have sworn a most sacred oath to Gods and coven to defend my faith from those who would cause it harm - and I consider spreading misinformation about what Wicca properly is to fall under my oath.

I take my oaths VERY seriously. I would expect no less from anyone who has sworn the same oaths - and if one claims to be Wiccan, one should have taken them.

It's not a matter of conversion. It's upholding standards of practice.

Anyway...I have some questions.

What is the purpose of your circles? Are you only casting them as a barrier to keep things separated between 'in' and 'out'?

Do you think its' possible to gather and contain energy in one place, and release it explosively, without a circle?

How does throwing a visualized ball of energy adequately reflect the idea of "As above, so below"?

Mah! That's what I get for coming in at the last second, hmm? redface Reading back over it, I see what you're saying now because like Violet says, that's what causes a lot of the misconception about paganism, contradicting ideas and wrong information. Sorry about that, I didn't mean to waste a few minutes because of my laziness! xd

The purpose of casting my circles is mostly to put me in the right mood and help with my visualization because the workings I've done successfully work better if I can visualize my goal really well. It helps me feel like I've placed myself somewhere where I can be alone with the universe.

I totally think you can gather energy in an area without circles, and it's probably more useful to not have a barrier because you'll probably get much more helpful energy from outside sources.

I think it works with the idea "as above, so below" because when I gather the energy back into a ball in order to send it up, I feel that it contains all of the energies of the spell or working, so as I send it up to be a part of the energy cycle I hope that that energy will manifest into my life (below) as it does in the cycle (above).



Violet! After reading your post, I realized how quickly I had made my statement. As for the evangelizing, that was something that passed over from another guild that has members who basically were saying that their path of paganism was the right path and everyone else who followed a different one was doing it wrong xp But after I went back and decided not to be lazy, I read what was really going on! Thanks! 3nodding