Written by Hilda Marshall (hilda@asylum.sf.ca.us).
Please feel free to copy and redistribute this
article, but only in its entirety.
"In The Right Circles..."
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If you like this idea, please send it to your Pagan friends.
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Many of us like to celebrate and work magic in a group. But
what do you do when you're sitting around having tea with
friends and a Sabbat pokes its curious nose over the horizon:
"Too bad there's no place we can go to celebrate." "Isn't
there some group hosting an open Circle?" Nowadays, with
almost nobody willing to commit even to returning a phone
call, much less to participating in a group, it seems that the
only available open Circles are huge, crowded affairs. And
they always seem to be jam-packed with people who, while
they're always glad to see new sisters and brothers in the
Craft, are still too shy to make first contact. So, it's
either practice Solitary, screw your courage to the sticking
post and introduce yourself to new people in a big crowd, or
consider starting your own group. Starting a group involves a
commitment - not a popular set of circumstances - so groups
don't form, and a lot of us end up Solitaries whether we like
it or not.
Starhawk calls us a "religion of clergy," each of us a
Priestess or Priest by Divine birthright. If you agree, then
consider this: hosting a Circle for a specific occasion or
purpose, recruiting a few friends to help, and working magic
with whomever is interested - with no commitment beyond that
specific ritual and its follow-up. Rather than joining a
group, you'd be coordinating a single event, with people you
trust, to be accomplished as you yourself see fit. Would you
do it? Knowing that nothing would be expected of you
afterward except that you keep your address and phone number
up to date for an invitation list? Of course, someone might
ask you to call East or bring cookies to another Circle later,
but you can always say "no." Remember - this is not a group;
a request is only a request!
If this idea seems exciting and worthwhile, take the plunge!
Do you have a divination technique you'd like to share? A
particular sort of spell you'd like to learn how to cast? A
favorite myth with a powerful message? A Sabbat that means a
lot to you? A passage that you want to celebrate? Well:
Thou art God/dess! Phone some friends, scrounge up some
advice, and do what thou wilt. It's not just a good idea -
it's the Law!
SOME WAYS TO WORK MAGIC
1. Re-sanctifying things taken for granted (i.e.,
cooking, gardening, listening)
2. Making and charging tools
Poppets and talismans for individual spells
Ritual clothing, candles, incense, etc.
3. Journeying
Guided meditation
Trance journeying with breathing, drumming, music
4. Healing
Physical (broken bones, the flu, etc.)
Emotional (release, acceptance, conflict management)
Planetary/species
5. Celebration
Sabbats
Life transitions
For the heck of it
6. Spell-casting
For a specific person (employment, immunity from
gossip, etc.)
For a specific purpose (to protect a place from
violence, etc.)
7. Worship
Seeking the Goddess & God within
Giving thanks/learning appreciation
Requesting help or knowledge
HOW TO CREATE A RITUAL
1. Pick your objective. What are you trying to
accomplish with the ritual?
Cast a specific spell
Celebrate a Sabbat
Learn something about working magic in a group
2. Identify your advantages. Pick something you know
you're good at or have the resources for and make it
central to your ritual. For example:
Good storytelling skills - use a guided meditation
Big, private backyard - outdoor ritual
Familiarity with mythology - re-enact a specific story
Plenty of space & access to a stereo - dance
3. Select co-conspirators. Who is interested in being a
part of the ritual? How interested? Enough to
Say for sure they'll show up
Bring something (i.e. juice & cookies)
Host the ritual or prepare the ritual site
Cleaning, decorating, purifying
Breakdown & cleanup
Play a small impromptu part in the ritual
Play a prepared part in the ritual (learn lines or
specific actions)
Help write/create the ritual itself
4. Write the script. Make up your own, crib it from your
favorite Pagan author(s), or mix 'n' match.
Always include a grounding exercise at the end. If
you've never led one, recruit someone experienced the
first couple of times to help out.
While writing the ritual, make lists:
What the creators of the ritual will need to
bring/wear/know
What all participants will need to bring/wear/know
Choose helpers according to their own advantages,
i.e.:
Willing to sing/teach/do deep trance/wear a dress/etc.
5. Prepare for the ritual.
Decide where to hold the Circle and in what way the
space needs to be prepared (rented, cleaned, rearranged)
Determine how much extra preparation you and your
helpers will need:
A phone call the week before to make sure they
remember what they're supposed to do, have everything they
need, and are still planning on doing it
To meet an hour or two ahead of time to do a quick
"dry run" on the chosen site
One or more meetings/rehearsals to figure out who
stands where, how long a song to tape, and whether the
sequence works (as planned or otherwise)
6. Invite people. Be sure to specify:
Should people RSVP? How far in advance? Include your
phone number!
What to bring
OK to bring a friend?
Is there a "rain date?"
Limitations (i.e. no smoking, allergenic pets on
premises, how late at night is OK to call)
Mailed invitations - allow for postal chaos, send
early
Phoned invitations - if you ask other people to do
some of the phone calling, make sure that they get back to
you re: whether they actually did or not and what their
results were (left message for Ann, Paul is bringing his
wife, etc.) unless it doesn't matter who/how many show up
7. Go for it! Hold your ritual, and above all else, be
flexible. Have a backup plan. Be ready in case...
Someone decides at the last minute that they want to
change the ritual in the middle without telling anyone
Someone's car breaks down and they can't make it
Someone makes contact with a divinity or a buried
memory and needs lots of attention
Someone unexpectedly tries to redirect the group's
energy to their own purpose
8. Talk. (Preferably while sharing food.) What worked?
What didn't? What could have been clearer? What do
people want to do again some time? Remember that people
who pick your ritual apart to excess are probably doing it
for reasons that have more to do with themselves than with
the ritual. Trust your own judgment, and decide for
yourself which advice you choose to heed and which is
simply the expression of an opinion. And if someone has a
lot of things they'd like to change, that might mean that
they're interested in hosting a Circle - which is always
good news!