TSR-BOS Fundamentals, Circle Casting, Sacred Space, Cleansing.
Welcome to another installment in the TSR Book of Shadows. This time we will be talking about fundamentals- Circle casting, Sacred Space, Cleansing and some smaller topics which will bridge us to another topic on fundamentals. The direction of this BOS is more so from a standpoint of practice rather than a spiritual book on a specific religious, or Cultural tradition. The direction of this is more so from a practice or craft standpoint. Not an instruction manual on dogma. Any "rules" or "etiquette" I prepose is from a purely "mechanisms of how things work" standpoint and also subject to your own "truth". Again I am not trying to establish an authority of magick, the occult etc. However this BOS is a free resource from my 20 plus years practicing the Occult. Where I follow a cultural rule or hold to my own Dogma I will be very Forthcoming and transparent with that info. I will clearly label it as my own dogma. Even if it is not listed as my own Dogma. It is still subject to your own truth. As, again this is a compellation of MY lived twenty something; almost thirty year, experience. Also if you so choose to agree with me, or my own "truth" I will also not take you as copying me or any negative connotation. I am writing my own book on all my Occult Knowledge, will publish it and sell it. Along with that I will also publish a book on my own Dogma or "truth". Both will be made as cheap as I can as I believe access to information is tantamount to growth. Just give me the time to publish my complete "thesis" on the Occult as you would say before you either full on criticize it or adopt and build off of it. This is more so meant as a free resource.
Anyway lets get to it.
What is circle casting, and Sacred Space? Why cleanse, or cast a circle?
So let me start by saying. Yes Wicca has influenced a lot of NeoPaganism. By extension, it has effected a lot of modern Paganism in general. No matter if you identify with NeoPagan, or Classical Pagan, or just practice the occult, or anything in between or outside. Wicca has influenced us all. I'm not talking the modern establishment of a loosely organized group of people who identify as wiccan. Although modern authors of Wicca still contribute a lot to the modern movement as a whole.
I'm not here to argue the validity and authenticity of circle casting. I'm not trying to claim it goes back to some ancient pre wiccan cult or tradition. Or even claiming it was an ancient mainstay across magic practicing cultures. However. Whether you Identify as wiccan or not, and no matter how you feel about the tradition of wicca. They have imparted on the modern community the art of circle casting. If nothing else have made it more mainstream and exported the backbone of the philosophy behind it everywhere. I myself do not identify as wiccan at all. However recognizing truth in everything around you, applies to things you are not a part of.
Also whether or not you believe in some cosmic good or evil, some universal moral compass, karma or that "evil" is all a part of perspective. Casting circles is arguably important, at the very least good safety practice. Even if you are out to cause "Evil" yourself. Casting a circle has utility. In the most Neutral of senses. Casting a circle is a very Powerful Utility that everyone who practices magick and the occult should learn and keep in their toolbelt.
Casting a circle is the act of setting up a spiritual, psychic, and magickal barrier around the area in which you will be conducting spiritual, or occult workings. It is a bubble of protected sacred space where you can control the spiritual environment and regulate the influences over the space, yourself and your magick. Casting a circle is intrinsically creating a bubble of CLEANSED, SACRED SPACE.
This is usually done so with a wand, or Athame (Ritual Knife), or even your own hand. The sheer amount of ways to cast a circle, and with what tools is so vast and overwhelming. I am not even going to try and branch off examples. Circle casting ranges from the most mundane, basic act of visualization and done, to verbally declaring the existence of a circle-up to some of the most elaborate ceremonies I have ever witnessed or read about. In some Dark Age occult practices (again depending on validity of these accounts). The act of casting the circle is infinitely more complex than the actual ritual proceeding after.
CLEANSING: Is simply cleaning or removing unwanted energies, influences, entities and the like from an area. Its a preparatory step in conducting ritual magick. Usually one cleanses the space before casting a circle, turning an area into temporary Sacred Space.
Cleansing is usually done in a routine, almost a ritual in and of itself in areas that are dedicated as sacred space, or hybrid dedicated spaces/living spaces. Impromptu sacred spaces are usually cleansed right at the beginning of demarcating the space. Usually again almost a ritual in and of itself. In some traditions a full on ritual every time a new space is set up, Or as a smaller ritual in a grander ritual to create a temporary sacred space. In MOST TRADITIONS the art of cleansing is a full ritual, or part of a full ritual to set up a sacred space for special events, sacred days, sabbats, etc.
In most, practical based traditions, or just as a practical method for solitary people., and in most "peasant craft" style traditions. This whole act is centered around the use of a simple tool. From a broom in a lot of NeoPagan, and Witchcraft centric traditions. To some sort of cleansing incense in others. To a combo of both to some. Then others Use bells. Then yes even in "simple" traditions you will find some use all three. This could go on. Suffice to say there is innumerable approaches, to varying degrees and levels. Some people, cleansing is as simple as using a store bought broom to sweep the floor, in the most mundane sense. As in they clean the room itself like its another day of simply cleaning. To them that is functionally cleansing the sacred space.
SACRED SPACE
If you haven't guessed from the context clues above. Sacred Space is the area in which you will be conducting a magickal ritual or practice. This is usually for things more so in a ritualistic, or ceremonial form. As in not you muttering a charm going down the road. Although without going too in depth on some complex things. There are some people who utilize various methods to essentially walk around with an aura or bubble of sacred space empowering their workings wherever they go. Anyway, to the more practical and common usage. this could be an impromptu area that you are using for the short time you need it. Or it can be a dedicated room, space or even a hybrid living space and sacred space like your personal bedroom. It is the space you are using at the time regardless what it is the rest of the time.
OK so now that those are defined. Lets put it all together. In a standard ritual the cleansing would come first. A good neutral medium to illustrate this will be using a broom.
Simple Cleansing
Item: Broom
Using a broom you sweep the floor. As you do you chant some personal chant or poem involving the idea of cleansing. Example : " I cleanse this sacred space today, to wash unwanted influence away."
You'd then cast your circle to keep the space clean of your working. Now again this could be done in a space considered as dedicated sacred space. Or it could be any space you found available or simply chose to use. For the duration of the ritual, especially after its been cleansed it is now considered sacred space.
Now again while casting a circle does not define turning a space into Sacred Space. Casting a Circle is a very useful tool in practicing magick. So for this we will lay out a basic circle casting.
Basic Circle Casting
Tools: Pointer finger, or Wand, or Athame. (No tool is required. Simply dominant hand pointer Finger.)
Decide the defining boundaries of the space you are using to do your working. from there figure out the heading, or central direction that you are going to Orientate your ritual too. There is vast too many directions and reasons for those from various different traditions, cultures, etc. to go over here.
From that direction start at the edge of the boundary with your dominant hand out. walk clockwise, or Deosil; tracing the circle with your hand (or wand, athame). As you do this do two other things. Visualize or imagine, energy pouring out from the tip of your finger (or tool) and creating a sphere around you from the line traced by your circle. Take as many times going around as you need to in order to feel like you are comfortable that you succeeded. However the standard "number" is 3, or 9, or multiples of 3. 13 in some cases, yeah; again. a LOT of different lines of thought here.
As you walk your circle visualizing the energy going to work. A simple chant may help-
"As I walk The Circle, Thrice today
I demand to keep, unwanted spirits at bay,
Earth, Wind, Fire, and Sea
As I say, So mote it be."
Remember, as you walk around to cast, you walk Deosile, or clockwise. This isn't just to cast a circle. Deosile, represents the direction you orientate if you are ever needing to include any form of circle, or spiral when completing Creative, casting, outward influencing of forces.
Widdershins or counterclockwise is the direction of destructive, removal, or inward influencing forces
Simply put, clockwise to cast or directing influence out, for creating things and creative influence. Counterclockwise for taking things down, destructive influence, taking in influence, cursing, hexing etc.
Likewise
Casting/Projecting out Dominant hand
Taking in/Receiving Recessive Hand
So like everything, there are exceptions. There are actually traditions that go against and flip these concepts on their heads. Like counterclockwise is for casting. recessive hand is for casting. However a good bit of occult and spiritual practices are rooted in this concept.
Okie. well that was a lot of information. With that, I am going to close this installment. Hope this was useful information to someone. LOL thank you for reading.