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Making Magic Circles

2/6/2013

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Those who learn Ceremonial and Goetic magic are taught from the very beginning that our first line of defense is the magical circle. This is the circle of protection wherein the magician stands that is said to protect him or her from any threat. It's considered essential for any magical working, the first tool in the tool box, the first weapon in a magician's arsenal. I believe it is absolutely crucial, just not for the reasons generally given. 

Too much import is invested in the physical, tangible circle, in the names and sigils and letters drawn around its borders. That is not where the protection comes from. Those things are a lens through which the magician can work, reflections of an understanding and a process of spiritual and magical connectivity that should have already happened. If it hasn't, the best circle in the world won't protect a one and if it has, then the physical accoutrements aren't necessary. Given the way I was taught, I'm very much of the school of "if you can't do it naked at 2am in an empty room you can't do it" mentality. This doesn't mean that i automatically dispensed with tools, rather it means i was forced to examine and study why we used them and what their real purpose was. What is the theory behind each tool? What is the magician trying to accomplish by its use? It's all too easy to get caught up in form and forget function. Nowhere is this more evident, at least in my opinion, than in circles of evocation. 

The protective circle of the magician serves several purposes: 

1. Protection: this probably sounds like a no-brainer but the circle itself isn't doing the protecting; rather it's a visible representation of an esoteric construct, an understanding, an access to lines of power that the magician should already have created. the real circle isn't contained within any chalk outline or colored cord, rather it's something the magician carries with him or her always. it's the lens through which he sees the world, the cosmology in which she is rooted. It's all the lines of power to which he has access and all the allies the magus has made. It's everything that informs their world and esoteric worldview. Two magicians, no matter how similarly they were trained will never (or should never) have the same protective circle. Their internal construction, their alliances, the way they access power will, at least in small ways, be different. A circle is a very, very personal thing. When I teach magic, I force my students to examine their world-views, their cosmologies, their unique way of looking at the world, and their unique relationships with the Powers. They have to work out for themselves what their best circle might be. I may shield someone within the scope of my circle, but that is a far thing from another magician trying to *work* with my construct. Circles are an expression of personal mastery and part of that is, as the oracle of Delphi cautioned: knowing thyself. Know yourself, your motivations, and what you truly believe about the world inside and out. The corollary to this, by the way, is that the circle will change and evolve as the magician does (or should). 

For instance, when I initially trained, I was taught to use a full Solomonic circle yet I reject the Abrahamic worldview and very few of the Beings named in the crafting of the visual representation of the circle meant anything to me. It was very hard to invest with power. Once i thought about it and thought about what my personal cosmology was, and Whom I would call upon if I were ever in danger and threatened and needed to call upon a Power,  i dispensed with the Solomonic circle and created my own, rooted in those places from which I draw my power. that is essential: the circle is a magnifier of one's personal power. It is the framework through which the magician can access her lines of power. If the names on the circle don't mean anything to you, it's not going to do that. It's especially not going to do that if the magician doesn't even really believe in the existence of the Powers upon which he 's calling for protection…and many of them don't. 

2. Calling Card: The circle provides a snapshot, a slice of who you are, with Whom you're allied, to Whom you're in debt, and Who might owe you…all things by which many spirits define personhood. It's the equivalent of a business card, or the old fashioned name cards that a Regency era lady might leave when making the rounds of her neighbors on morning visits. It gives whatever you are summoning a means of identifying you. You don't just bring yourself into the circle; you bring an interlocking network of alliances that define you in esoteric reality. This is actually massive protection if you think about it: without the magician having done anything other than essentially show up, he or she has announced clearly his or her place in the hierarchy of power within which he or she is working. The magician has announced the Powers that may be called upon in an emergency and that may be vexed should harm come to their ally. The power and number of one's allies is a hint to the power and strength the magus too, something that isn't overlooked by many spirits. 

3. Pomp and Circumstance: the care taken with the circle shows respect to the Beings that one is calling. If a magician doesn't know herself to the core, then there is no competent circle. This will become immediately apparent as an evocation progresses. By dotting one's i's and crossing one's t's, the magician is showing respect for the strength and danger of the Powers being called. It's like military pomp and circumstance: could the soldiers do their job without all the fuss? of course, but it is a matter of protocol and morale, acknowledgement of hierarchy, and respect.  A properly crafted circle gives you life in the planes of magic. It demarcates each parties responsibilities and expectations.  It makes you a player in a very, very ancient game of power. Part of power is knowing when formalities are essential and part of power lies in knowing to the -enth degree the limits of one's power. The arrogance that I see cultivated --undeservedly---by many Western magicians is not an expression of power. It's what they play with instead of power. 

In the end, a truly skilled magician doesn't need to draw anything on the floor---no fancy diagrams, no elaborate circles, no embroidered regalia. The circle should be an integral part of him, something that can be called forth at a moments notice to redefine his world. 

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A Bit About Personal Concerns

8/7/2012

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It’s been awhile since I’ve had time to post anything here, but after a conversation I had with a colleague this weekend, I just can’t help myself. I’m going to be talking about what in hoodoo are referred to as “personal concerns” and why they’re so important. I never thought that a post like this would be necessary, but apparently for folks who are not working within their indigenous traditions, who haven’t adapted to and reclaimed that mindset (as my friend G. would phrase it), it’s necessary to lay it out.

What prompted this today? Well, I was meeting with a couple of colleagues this past weekend to assist with an issue and during the necessary divination, I got a very strong push to mention to the lead spiritworker “tell X (our client) about personal concerns.” Neither she nor I could figure out why this would be necessary but she took the lead and broke it down for our client and to our horror, we realized that this was new information for X. Since neither my friend nor I can remember when we didn’t know about the hazards of personal concerns, we were shocked and I resolved right then and there to write something, however brief, on it.

I actually wish, in retrospect, that I’d covered this more in depth in my book (“Spiritual Protection”). It’s such an ingrained thing, such an integral part of the awareness that one develops working within a traditional House or within a magical system like hoodoo that I think many of us just assume that it’s common knowledge. I certainly did. I guess it just goes to show that the old adage holds true: don’t assume. You make an ass out of U and an ass out of ME. gah.

I suppose I should start by clearly defining what exactly personal concerns are. I break them down into first tier and second tier.

First tier personal concerns include blood, menstrual blood, semen, hair, pubic hair, spit, snot, and nail clippings.

Second tier personal concerns include foot track dust, signatures, writing, even articles of clothing.

Jewelry that is commonly worn, to my mind, lies somewhere between the two.

Guard these things with your life. Literally. There is a law of magic called the “Law of Contagion.” In short it states that what was once part of you remains part of you. That means that items like this create a powerful link to you. In the hands of even a mediocre magic user this can be devastating. If one gets his or her hands on your personal concerns, especially first tier personal concerns, essentially, to be quite idiomatic, that person can make you their bitch. They can own you. They can hurt you. They can damage your health, relationships, and your luck. They can make you absolutely ill and miserable. It’s not unthinkable, given some of the traditional uses of personal concerns, that this could even lead to death. …in the hands of a *very* skilled worker. A link forged in this way is extremely difficult to break or counter.

The solution? Don’t leave your personal concerns lying around. Here’s an example for the women reading this. When I travel to a friend or colleague’s house and I happen to be menstruating, unless I am 110% that I’m in absolutely safe space, I take a bag with me and I bring my used sanitary pads home to dispose of – and I may do it anyway even if I AM in safe space. I don’t leave them in random trash cans. Why? Because some practitioners are not averse to picking them up and storing them away just in case one needs to do a magical smack down on a person in the future. I’ve done this. I’ve also randomly collected hair from the hair brush of a person who was being particularly vexing. I just asked to use the toilet and when I was there, took a bit from her brush. Did I use it? No, but I took it and kept it tucked safely away just in case I had need to do so in the future. I also keep several of my partner’s used condoms on ice in my freezer. Consider it old time life insurance.

I don’t do this with any malicious intent, mind you. I do it as a matter of course. Because life is uncertain and my tradition is a practical one. I will probably never, ever need to use this (though it could be used in consensual fertility or health workings too), but I’m pragmatic. This is not unusual. This is the way many of us (maybe even most of us) in traditional Houses think. It’s automatic and deeply ingrained. The rules and expectations are very, very different once you get rid of the new age bullshit.

I remember many, many years ago attending a Heathen gathering…a weekend gathering wherein we were celebrating the Summer solstice. I had a friend with me who had been raised in one of the ATRs. She came and got me a few hours after we arrived and had settled in and she was very, very agitated. She took me to the kitchen where there was food out, groceries, etc. No one was guarding the kitchen. She was appalled: in an ATR House, the kitchen is never, EVER left unguarded. Why? Oh honey, the things I can do with food and a bit of my own personal concerns. It’s one of the most basic ways to bring someone under your control.

The upshot of all of this is MIND YOUR JUNK! I’ve noticed more than once that the average Pagan tends to be all over the place. I’ve seen it with colleagues and students time and time again: they’re unmindful of personal concerns. They leave bits of themselves, clothing, used tissues, hair ties, etc. etc. all over the place heedlessly. Combine this with the unconscious attitude of cultural superiority and white privilege that one also so often sees with Neo-Pagans and there’s a huge potential for a world of hurt when these folks start engaging with proper indigenous Houses, or with old-school magic users.

I find this is one of the most difficult things to hammer into students. It’s not a cultural awareness with which we grow up. This is one of those areas where one has to become fluent in new cultural mores because once upon a time, these were our cultural mores too – I have no doubt that old school pre-Christian Heathen vitki and saed-workers were every bit as …pragmatic; in fact, check out some of the AS charms. They’re suspiciously like some of the stuff you’ll find in Southern hoodoo. What it comes down to in the end is what I’ve said in my book repeatedly: an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. Really. Especially when personal concerns are involved. Of everything one could learn about magic, to my mind, this is the most important. Be aware of yourself, your junk, every bit of what is connected to you. Guard your territory and that begins with yourself. 


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Magical Q&A: Home Protection

11/8/2010

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Over the past couple of weeks, since my book "Spiritual Protection" was released, I've received many questions about magic, psychic abilities, and defense. Many of them dealt with protecting one's home. Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be addressing some of those concerns here. This is the first post in my Magical Q&A series. --Sophie

Question: What's a good, basic home protection spell? Preferably one that takes into account the presence of children and/or pets.


Answer: The first, most important, and most powerful thing you can do is set up an ancestral altar and then begin and maintain ongoing ancestral devotions. If you can talk to your dead every day, that is the best. But try at least once a week. Encourage your children to talk to them. Go before the altar and announce important milestones for the family. Show them your child’s report card…even little milestones are important. Make your ancestors an active part of your family. Most importantly, ask them for their protection. This is all the more important when there are children present. Children are the inheritors of the ancestral line and the dead have a vested interest in keeping them safe.

I’d also suggest cleaning the home thoroughly on a mundane level, and maintaining this regularly. The cleaner your house is, the less space there is for negative energy, malignant sendings, etc. to find purchase. I also think it’s necessary to make regular offerings to the genus loci, the spirits of home, place, and land. All of this will go a long way toward keeping you in harmonious relationship with your portion of the world and that aids massively in protection.

There are things that I recommend doing after this, certain hoodoo charms, and then raising a full energetic shield, but if you do nothing else, and before you do anything else, get right with your dead.

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    S. Reicher is an occultist, magician, and author living in New York City.

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