Some varieties of Wicca use the common ceremonial colour attributions for their 'quarter candles': yellow for Air in the east, red for Fire in the south, blue for Water in the west and green for Earth in the north (though these attributions differ according to geographical location and individual philosophy). In Wicca, as also in traditional European grimoires, a magic circle is typically nine feet in diameter, though the size can vary depending on the purpose of the circle, and the preference of the caster. Both rituals are now used by a wide array of practitioners, including ceremonial magicians, Qabalists and neopagans.Ī schematic of the gestures and Hebrew words of the LBRP. The LBRP (as it is often known) is typically used as a daily practice or to begin any ritual, while the Watchtower ritual is much more involved. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which has had one of the largest influences on contemporary esotericism, introduced the practices of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram and the Opening by Watchtower, among others. Some traditions include tracing or circumambulation. Such markings, or a simple unadorned circle, may be drawn in chalk or salt, or indicated by other means such as with a cord. Making sacred space is among the most primal of rituals, such intentional actions are as worthy of the term psychoactive as any substance.' Ĭircles may or may not be physically marked out on the ground, and a variety of elaborate patterns for circle markings can be found in grimoires and magical manuals, often involving angelic and divine names. It is not always required for all kinds of ritual work, but neither is it of no value, quite the contrary.

Moreover, as magician and historian Jake Stratton-Kent writes, 'In short a circle is not an obsolete symbol of a superstitious fear of spirits, but an intentionally created ritual space for various purposes. One text known as the Heptameron says of the circle, 'But because the greatest power is attributed to the circles (for they are certain fortresses to defend the operators safe from the evil spirits) in the first place we will treat concerning the composition of a circle.' Traditionally, circles are believed by ritual magicians to form a protective barrier between themselves and what they summon. The figure of a Circle for the first hour of the Lord's day in Spring-time.

Magic circle