Magic Circles - study group?

[earthair]

Hmm.
I never do either.

By the time I've "Cleared" the room and myself.
Then "Cast" the circle,
Then "Called" the quarters...

That's about 3 times around anyway.

From experimentation - 3 concentric circles feel even more watertight. Experimenting with different colours for different effects, visual and magical
I'm thinking about the origins of going around a circle 3 times- the Master Mason Degree of Freemasonry
"and gives three loud, distinct knocks."
"the conductor takes the candidate by the right arm, assists him to arise, and they proceed to travel three times around the room, travelling with the sun"
"a cable-tow, is wound around his body three times"
Obviously much ceremonial magic and formal witchcraft is rooted in and adapted from Freemasonry- which is obsessed with 3s.

I'm hoping someone reading this can point me in the direction of the earliest known reference by anyone, to circles of 3 please?

 

[Morwenna]

Our TV is in the east because that's where our outside living room wall is.

I'm another 45-degree aimer, clockwise, with right hand because I'm a righty, turning in place, and starting about northeast. There are several reasons for the direction.

One, most of the ceremonial magic and Christian quarter-calling starts in the east; that appears to be the Mediterranean way.

Two, the Norse orient toward the north, as some other shamanic practitioners do; in the Norse tradition, the north is the center of the sky wheel and thus the source of all magic.

Three, thus my compromise. Somewhere along the line it made sense to me. Then I met a man who has been learning from a variety of traditions that the northeast does not have a patron entity because it's the gateway. TA-DA!! I guess my instincts had validity after all!

As for undoing, ordinarily I would simply reverse direction. But if I were specifically working in the Norse way, I would continue to go clockwise, but use an X-shaped chopping motion to cut the circle up.

Threes: I know that the Norse are super-big on threes; three threes are even better, and 3-cubed (27) is really big juju. They even have 3 elements and 3 directions in the circle (besides the north, which is for the Mother & the Father, the others are for the regional spirits).

 

[earthair]

Our TV is in the east because that's where our outside living room wall is.

I'm another 45-degree aimer, clockwise, with right hand because I'm a righty, turning in place, and starting about northeast. There are several reasons for the direction.

One, most of the ceremonial magic and Christian quarter-calling starts in the east; that appears to be the Mediterranean way.

Two, the Norse orient toward the north, as some other shamanic practitioners do; in the Norse tradition, the north is the center of the sky wheel and thus the source of all magic.

Three, thus my compromise. Somewhere along the line it made sense to me. Then I met a man who has been learning from a variety of traditions that the northeast does not have a patron entity because it's the gateway. TA-DA!! I guess my instincts had validity after all!

As for undoing, ordinarily I would simply reverse direction. But if I were specifically working in the Norse way, I would continue to go clockwise, but use an X-shaped chopping motion to cut the circle up.

Threes: I know that the Norse are super-big on threes; three threes are even better, and 3-cubed (27) is really big juju. They even have 3 elements and 3 directions in the circle (besides the north, which is for the Mother & the Father, the others are for the regional spirits).

Chopping up the circle is new to me- I'll give it a try. So you release elementals/whatever you call, first before the chopping?

Very interesting re Norse information, I'll look into this as it's likely to predate the Greater Key of Solomon 3 circles. Although reading the GKoS text again I see 3 (or 4 if counting the double outer ring) circles in the diagram but the description (to me) seems to describe 2 circles with the symbols and text within them, so 3 boundaries to 2 circles if this makes sense?

 

[Morwenna]

Chopping up the circle is new to me- I'll give it a try. So you release elementals/whatever you call, first before the chopping?

Yes; thank the Earth-Mother and the Hunt-Father at the north, then thank the land spirits at their points, then return to the north and start around, chopping up the circle while chanting (in Norse if possible, but one's own language works fine) "Now let the circle be broken."

 

[earthair]

Yes; thank the Earth-Mother and the Hunt-Father at the north, then thank the land spirits at their points, then return to the north and start around, chopping up the circle while chanting (in Norse if possible, but one's own language works fine) "Now let the circle be broken."

Reporting back...I found the chopping didn't leave me feeling as positive as my normal closing where I like to absorb back all the good energy. How does it feel to you Morwenna?
It did make me think that the Hulinhjalmur is very like the Pentacle of Venus.
Next experiment- casting a Hulinhjalmur! I think it will feel very protective. Hopefully. Maybe I can incorporate the chopping up to disperse the Helm of Awes around the edges.

It's interesting that you say about facing NE. In the Hulinhjalmur those pairs of circles within the central squares could be feet placement markers?

 

[Morwenna]

I'm not familiar with the Hulinhjalmur. Which country is it from? (Scandinavian, I realize that much...) Is it old, or more recent? I'll have to ask my Norse friend if she knows.

The NE placement of the gateway isn't Norse though; it might be Babylonian for all I know. I'll have to ask my church friend.

 

[earthair]

Icelandic apparently!
http://www.vikingrune.com/2009/01/bjork-tattoo-norse-magic-symbols/

"Another Icelandic magical sign deserves special attention, since it is reported to give the power to become invisible. Hulinhjálmur (‘helm of disguise’) has to be drawn on a piece of lignite (brown coal) and then pressed against one’s forehead. The most complicated part is the preparation of the ink. One has to collect three drops of blood from the index finger of one’s left hand, three from the ring-finger of one’s right hand, two from the right nipple and one from the left nipple. Then the blood must be mixed with six drops of blood from the heart of a living raven and melted with raven’s brains and pieces of human stomach. This kind of magic was used as the best protection against enemies."

The Ægishjálmur looks like a shorthand diagram of a magic circle to me, where if one joins all the three lines, one gets 3 concentric circles.

 

[Morwenna]

Interesting! Thank you!

 

[earthair]

From the Black Raven (Doctor Johannes Faust)

" caput secundum..

. . . has to do with the setting up of the circle

This main circle is much needed for all citations. With it, you are capable to bind the whole infernal army and to coerce and overpower it as well. This is so because this circle is so powerful that no spirit is capable to withstand it no matter how strong the spirit may be. The other three circles have already been described in previous chapters. On the place where you intend to erect the circle, you need to trace it with a sword with which no human being has been hurt. In the hour of Saturn, you trace a cross through it. Then you make the circle with a narrow piece of paper that you lay around the circle. After you have made the circle in such a way, you go into it walking backwards, and you stand on the star. Be sure to make everything in the right size so that you do not miss. Remember well that you need to speak loudly and clearly when you do the summoning."

And the dismissal-

"Now go on in peace. Go where from you have come. Do so without any rumbling or noise, without hurting the circle and without hurting anybody.Go on in peace from this place, enjoy your right to freedom from now on."

I found this interesting, particularly after the suggestion of chopping up the circle. I suppose the next question is- how do people like to 'clean up' after circles? Leave it in place? Chop it up? Re-absorb the energies? Un-do it by going in the opposite direction?

Does anyone make their circles out of paper? I suppose that could be rolled up and reused or burnt.

Here's another example of 3 concentric circles...

 

[earthair]

Tanga has just reminded me- I meant to do an artists's view at some point...while I have her link to hand... http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/waterhouse-the-magic-circle-n01572