THE MAGIC CIRCLE

Casting a magic circle creates sacred space and inaugurates sacred time. For many practitioners being in a circle is like re-entering the original time or the dream time that existed at the beginning of the world. In the language of fairy tales we stand at the moment when the universe began, the moment we call once upon a time. We experience what magic calls stopping the world. We stand in a ring, holding hands, and we are between the worlds of ordinary and non-ordinary reality. All times and places meet within the circle and it becomes the center of the universe for us. Like the pentacle, we are the star within the great Circle of Life. Circles are powerful places for doing spiritual and healing work. Here we can draw down the celestial energies of the moon, planets and stars, or draw up the vast flows of life within the Earth Mother. Like Yggdrasil, the Norse peoples name for the magical Tree of the World that unites the lower, middle, and upper worlds with its vast roots and branches, the ring of our bodies contains both earth and sky, and all energy flows through our focused and balanced minds. In a circle we meet the godsthe archetypal forces that never dieand in some rituals we draw down the power of the God and Goddess and so become them. By chanting, dancing or rhythmic drumming, our ordinary consciousness shifts and our awareness become more god-centered. The human is elevated; we can see more clearly the meaning and purpose behind the cosmos. In these circles where consciousness is sharply attuned, spells are very powerful. The magic works. The results are spectacular.