{"id":592,"date":"2010-05-20T11:27:02","date_gmt":"2010-05-20T11:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/apagansblog\/2010\/05\/an-insight-on-magick-circles.html"},"modified":"2010-05-20T11:27:02","modified_gmt":"2010-05-20T11:27:02","slug":"an-insight-on-magick-circles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/apagansblog\/2010\/05\/an-insight-on-magick-circles.html","title":{"rendered":"An Insight On Magick Circles"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

I am one of many who have wondered
\nabout the traditional directions we initially learn in casting a circle.  <\/span>The image we are often told to use, but
\nI doubt anyone actually does, is a sphere. Given that a traditional magickal
\ncircle is 9 feet in diameter, that means it’s walls go below our waist much of
\nthe time…  <\/span>Tongue in cheek, I
\nusually describe casting the “magick lozenge.”  My friend Don Frew<\/a>  has just suggested to me an alternative way to think about circle casting, a way that makes sense and does not indicate our Witchy ancestors were challenged in the it use of basic mathematical imagery.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

In an insight spun off from his research
\ninto NeoPaganism’s connections with Classical NeoPlatonism, Don argues the circle is in fact
\na circle, not a sphere.  The original imagery is better than the modern alternative.  The circle’s<\/span> walls
\ngo up and down a considerable way before closing, but no one ever thought of such walls as needing to go to the center of the universe or any such thing.  <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Of course this is what we mostly do as a matter of course,
\nbut those of us who learned the “sphere” model as an ideal have a  <\/span>slight disconnect between practice and
\nunderstanding that can interfere with the strength and quality of the
\ncircle.  <\/span>And any such disconnect
\nweakens the working.  <\/p>\n

Our likely roots in Neoplatonic
\nMagick and philosophy suggest why the circle was never intended to be a sphere.  In my view, bringing all aspects of understanding and practice into greater coherence strengthens our work, and so this perspective is helpful to all who work this way.<\/p>\n

The circle is as much “a bridge”
\nas a barrier.  <\/span>It is “between the
\nworlds” connecting them.  <\/span>The walls
\ngo up and down far enough to connect the worlds “above and below.”  <\/span>After talking with Don, I think of this
\nimage as a kind of multidimensional bridge between dimensions.<\/p>\n

From this perspective the circle
\naccesses dimensions and the accompanying ritual is a kind of “magnifying glass”
\nconcentrating and filtering the light of the One – what Gardnerians call the
\nDryghten<\/a>   <\/span>– as it manifests within and through all worlds.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Within this traditional NeoPlatonic
\nperspective the “Planetary energies” or energetic qualities are a part of the spectrum of light from
\nthe One.  In a sense t<\/span>he correspondences we find in tables of correspondence<\/a>  help filter the light so only certain qualities come through while our intent
\nenergizes <\/span>the light\/qualities so
\nfocused.  <\/span><\/p>\n

The roots of the problem in contemporary Westerners understanding how the circle and ritual works, Don argues, lie in our wanting
\nto translate magickal instructions based on a view of the universe as a sacred
\nspace emanated from the One into modern scientific terms that ignore this important aspect of reality.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am one of many who have wondered about the traditional directions we initially learn in casting a circle.  The image we are often told to use, but I doubt anyone actually does, is a sphere. 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