Chapter 6~~~Your First Sacred Circle~~~Introducing yourself to the Guardians

YOUR FIRST SACRED CIRCLE.

Dear Ms. Q,

Since you will be just starting out, your first sacred circle is going to be very simple and easy to do. Before you do this you first must make your witches bottle and place it in a safe place, because you will now be beginning to open your energies.

My Granny told me that when she did her first sacred circle she had to do it very simply as instructed by her mother as she was first starting down the path. Only as one learns more does the spiritual and physical construction of the sacred circle become more complex.

Because at that time she lived in Kauai it was easier for her to create her first circle outdoors, but now a days unless you can afford land or have a house with a good size back yard it’s hard to do. So for most people starting out the first circle will be created indoors---and this is especially fine in cold weather.

Select a spot in your home to do it, clear the space of any extraneous stuff, and push the chairs, tables against the wall. Clean the area physically, that’s vacuuming, picking up stuff and putting it away, the energy should be calm, there should be no visual distractions.

Next turn off the phone, don’t even have your cell phone on, not even on vibrate---as a matter of fact your cell shouldn’t be in the same room with you. No T.V., pets put in another room, kiddies sent to grandma’s house or to a friends house for an overnighter, significant other/husband/boyfriend sent them on a overnight fishing/hunting trip or send them to the World Series anything to get them out of there overnight. Or tell them you want some very serious personal “Me Time” for over night. Make sure you will not be interrupted or disturbed.

Now what you will need to start is just 4 white glass enclosed candles, a cheap child’s compass you can get these from your drug or grocery store (you will need it if you should move or do your circle in an area you are not familiar with). Next one long necked bic lighter the type for fireplaces or bar-b-ques, so you won’t burn yourself. A metal pot that you no longer need (make sure it’s all metal and does not have any of that Teflon or silicon surface) and put it on a heat resistant surface---an old trivet usually works, a black ink pen or sharpie, a brown paper bag in which the paper has been torn into slips to write on (torn not cut). A candle snuffer or metal plate, and a glass of water.

You will also need a handful of sea salt and a simple robe or plain slip or better yet an oversize cotton t-shirt without any writing or logo on it, the latter is usually best as you can buy one real cheap.

First, after you physically clear the area you are going to be working in, place the items listed above except the sea salt and clothing (t-shirt) the last two put into the bath room.

When I rededicated myself to the path, I found that IZ’s (Israel Kamakawiwoo) soft chant “Hawai’I” was perfect for the mood that I wanted to capture, so I put it on a tape loop to repeat over and over again until I was ready to turn it off, considering that my Portuguese Grandmother was born in Kauai, it seemed right for me. It’s not so much the words as it was the soft chant which set up a proper mind/body frame.

So if you can find really soft music that can put you into a higher state of mind find something and see if you can “Loop it” so it will repeat over and over. I’ve found that the music of Gregorian chant such as “A feather on the breath of God” to be very good. But listen to Iz’s “Hawai’I” to get an idea of what I mean.

Now first because you will need some strength, have a very light meal usually soup is good, chicken noodle or Chinese won ton soup or even pumpkin soup. After you have eaten, clean your dishes, and rest a little while to allow the food to settle.

When you are ready to start, start playing the music over and over for you will ritually need to cleanse yourself.

Have the music play when you first take a quick shower with just warm water and the handful of sea salt washing over you, hold the salt in your right hand over your head so it can dissolve as the water is running over you, while you are doing this say over and over “I am a new born infant learning from the beginning, I am re-born to follow the path to learn and open my eyes to a new world”.

The shower does not have to be long, be sure to include your hair as well, no shower caps, after your shower, towel dry with a freshly laundered towel that you have not used during the day, include towel drying your hair so it doesn’t drip, then put on the new clean white t-shirt, take the music as it’s playing with you to the area where you are going to create your first circle. (that is why a cassett tape loop is good)

Keep playing the music, then as you stand in the center of your room look at the child’s compass to see where North is pointing, from there place your candles one in each direction starting with North, go East, then South, finish with West do not light them yet.

Dim the lights in the room where you are going to do your first circle have just enough light on to see what you are doing (the electrical energy needs to be low enough to not distrub the ‘ether’.).

Now sit or kneel down in the center of your space, close your eyes, take a few deep breathes and slowly let them out, center yourself and begin to envision a white light of protection surrounding the entire area.

Once the vision of the white light is firm in your mind, stand up and starting at the North and going in a clockwise direction, take your index finger of your dominant hand (which ever is the one that your write with) and point at the ground or floor, envision a stream of golden fire coming from that finger and charging a line in the ground continue walking towards the East, then to the South then to the West and finish back at North.

You have now created the circle----

The next step is to evoke the guardians and protections to be introducted to them…

Take the bic lighter and starting at the North light the candle in the North first, raise you hands and say: “I call upon the elementals, spirits of Earth, the winds of the North, the season of Winter, the guardians of the North, the angel Uriel to introduce myself to you, I am (insert your name here) and I call upon you to protect, guide and advise me upon the path that I take, I call upon you to protect me within this circle as I invoke and evoke upon your help, see me your child and be always with me, to always protect me.”

Now go to the candle in the East light it then raise your hand and say the same thing except change it to Air, winds of the East, season of Spring, guardians of the East and the angel is now Raphael.

Next go to the South do the same and change it to Fire, winds of the South, season of Summer, guardians of the South and the angel is Michael

Go to the West, do the same but change it to Water, winds of the West, season of Fall, guardians of the West and the angel to Gabriel.

At this point all four white candles are lit.

Now stand in the center of the circle facing North raise both your hands high above you and say “I call upon the elements of the Sky, the guardians of the sky, the creator above, the Seraphim to protect, guide and advise me……” continue with the rest of the original invocation.

Then still in the center of your circle knee down and place both your hands on the floor or ground and say “I call upon the elements underground, the guardians beneath my feet, the Mother below, the Cherubim to protect, guide and advise me…..” continue with the rest of the original invocation.

Now sit in the center of your circle, as you read this say out loud:

“You who are the

Source of all Life,

Center of the Universe,

Hear one who loves you.

I call You to be with me now!

Be with me, Wise Mother and Father

Teach me Your secret wisdom, your compassion,

I call You to be with me now!

Protectors and warriors, keep me safe from all harm,

send prosperity and health to me.

I call You to be with me now!

Hold me in Your arms

Fill me with Your spirit

I call You to be with me now!

Join me in this Circle.

Guide my heart and mind to be one with You

I call You to be with me now!

Infuse me with the power of Your spirit so I am

Fulfilled and one with you.

Guard me in this Circle.

I call You to be with me now!”

Now sit quietly, close your eyes, let your mind be empty, after a bit you will begin to feel elevated, you will sense something as if you were being gently embraced.

When you feel that sensation say:

“I am your child learning the path, I am your new daughter/son asking you to welcome me into your eternal heart, to recognize me when I call upon you, to protect me at all times, when I seek you, when I ask for your help and knowledge, I ask you to teach me and point the way, knowing that I too will need to help others, whether by thought, word, deed, or action . Guide me to know when it is right and when it is wrong.

As you will it so shall it be.”

After a period of time you will feel the energy withdraw, when that happens open your eyes and say “Thank you for coming, thank you for acknowledging me, As you go to work your wonders remember me your child.”

Now drink the glass of water, then lay down on your back, breathe deep several times to release the energy into the ground and into the universe, (if you were doing this out doors you would need to be on a blanket or straw mat).

After a bit sit up slowly you might feel a bit dizzy, then kneel to touch the ground with both hands and say “I thank thee elementals and spirits of the underground, Mother Earth and the Cherubim for coming to my circle, I thank thee and release thee to do thy work, I ask that you remember me and protect me always.”

Then Stand up raising your hands and repeat the same thing but calling upon those elements that you invoked, you now opening the circle and releasing those energies so you need to do it in reverse, last called first released, first called are the last to be released.

Then starting in the West say:

“I thank thee elementals and spirits of Air, the winds of the West, the season of Fall, the guardians of the West, the Angel Gabriel for coming to my circle, I thank thee……” finish as before then snuff out the candle do not blow it out, you can use the bottom of the metal plate and place it over the top of the glass enclosed candle to burn out the oxygen, this will take a little time so should not be hurried, as you do this to each candle pay special note to which candle takes the longest to go out, that is the angel whose energy will be protecting you the most.

Repeat the same thing in reverse going south, east finishing in the North.

Then say “I now release the release the energy, the elements, the spirits, the guardians and angles within this circle and send you out to the universe to do your work.”

Pointing your index finger to the ground in the starting in the North, go counter clock wise and envision the golden fire of the circle returning back into your finger in a reverse motion, then keep the white light of protection in the room so that it will always remain in place.

After deconstructing the circle say “I thank you all for coming, I thank you all for accepting me, go now in Love and Light, the circle is open but not broken.”

Even though you may have not used the paper, sharpie or pot within the circle this first time by having it there it will be ready for the next time you create your circle to do work.

Pick up everything that you had in the circle and place these items in a safe, accessible place because you will be using them again until you slowly upgrade your items. Waste not want not is what my Granny use to say, so use those 4 candles until they are gone then you can replace them with color candles that will mark the four directions or what they say in Wicca the four quarters.

The white t-shirt can be your ritual item until you eventually replace it with something more ceremonial, remove it, hang it up and get into your pajama’s.

I remember for years my Granny had a simple purple house coat with buttons that she sewed herself that she used as a ceremonial robe, it hung on its own hanger and was never used except for craft work. It was always washed separately from everything else.

But it hung in her closet and didn’t look out of place so that any stranger who saw it would think it was just a simple robe. It was always best to hide in place sight.

You are now going to feel a bit light headed at this point, so have a cup of hot chocolate and some bisquets to eat, you can turn off the music that you had playing and now play something different like classical music, soft and gentle, I’ve found that piano music by Debussy is always good. Wrap yourself including your feet in a nice blanket.

I want you to remain calm and relaxed, read something, I’ve found that reading an Agatha Christie or a Dorothy Sayers murder mystery fit the bill or even A. Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes short stories very good because the time frame they use is not of the 21^st century. When you feel tired go to bed and wake the next day as a different person.

Now we can start further on your path…

Your assignment…..

There are many books and web sites out there that take about becoming a witch or really a Wiccan. So much so that it seems to be repeating itself.

Find the commonality of each web site and make note of it.

Start first with what they do to invoke a sacred space or circle, make note of what is pretty much the same, then see how you can simplify it so that it is not noticeable to an average person. This will be especially true so that people will not guess what path you are following and for your privacy’s sake.

My next article will be about Samhain or Halloween.

Bright Blessings, Ms. Q.