Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

Course Four: Rites 161
Lesson 3. Outdoor Circles
Nature magick is meant to be performed in the open
air, in forests and meadows, under starry skies, and
around an open fire. When magickal rituals are regularly
performed in a wooded place, especially one
remote from “civilization,” it will come alive in both
obvious and subtle ways. Growing things will prosper;
wild animals will find the area pleasing and appear
in greater numbers. Those who are psychically
sensitive will soon observe that there is a definite
charge or aura about the place, and often Faeries,
wood-sprites, and other Nature spirits will be seen—
first at night, and later even by day.
My own magickal practice and tradition (HOME)
evolved out in the country, during the eight years when
our core people were living together in a homesteading
community in the Mendonesian Mountains of
NorCalifia. There were a bunch of us, and we didn’t
have any large indoor space to hold rituals—our biggest
homes were 20’-diameter round yurts. So we held almost
all of our group rituals outdoors, even in the middle
of Winter. We started with the primary Circle—just a
fire pit, with space to sit around it. This is the original
and most ancient form of ritual Circle, and this is where
our ancestors first became human. Gathering around the
magick fire, keeping our bodies warm through the cold
nights, seeing each other’s faces illuminated by the dancing
flames, telling our stories, singing our songs, beating
our drums, dancing our celebrations, enacting our
adventures—ritual, drama, music, poetry, myth—all
evolved from our prehistoric tribal campfires.
Over the years, our simple campfire Circles acquired
more accoutrements. At Annwfn, we refined
the fire pits with rocks, cleared the grass, leveled the
areas, and made benches to sit on. Later we planted
flowering hedges around the perimeters, and built
stone and wood altars at the four Quarters. Gates were
made at the entrances to the Faerie Circle and the
Maypole Circle, of branches woven into archways
(when in use, these are festooned with ribbons, bells
and flowers). At the Western Gate of the Faerie Circle,
a rocking bridge was built over which to cross into
the Underworld at Samhain (the rest of the year, it is
kept roped off and covered with a fishing net). Although
we kept the fire pit at the center of the Moon
Circle and the Sun Circle on Pwyll’s Meadow, the
one in the Faerie Circle was eventually replaced with
a great stone altar. And, of course, the Maypole Circle
has the pole itself as its centerpiece.
Lesson 4: Ritual Altars
Altars are the primary stages for the microcosm of a
magickal ritual. An altar is a miniature symbolic model
of the Universe, containing representations of whatever
Elements are to be addressed. Various magickal
traditions have specific customs regarding the placement
and decoration of their altars. For instance, Hindus,
Moslems, Jews, and Christians place their altars
in the East, whereas several traditions of Witchcraft
and Ceremonial Magick put altars in the North. I feel
these arrangements can be flexible, depending on the
theme, season, and purpose of the ritual itself. Here
are some of the altars we use in our rituals:
Central Altar
In my tradition, we almost always have a central
altar, right in the middle of the Circle. Pretty much
the only exceptions are when we have a fire or a Maypole
there instead. This altar is the main focus area,
around which the entire rite revolves. We prefer it to
be round, like the Earth Herself. Around 18” tall and
about 2–3’ in diameter is a good size. Perfectly fine
low round lamp or coffee tables of appropriate dimensions
may be found readily (and inexpensively)
at used furniture stores, or you may make your own
altar by cutting a circle out of plywood and affixing it
to a base.
A central altar is traditionally set up to be viewed
from the South, just as if it was a map. It should be
covered with an altar cloth of color and material appropriate
to the occasion. Square silk scarves are very
popular as altar cloths, but other materials may serve
as well, as long as they complement the theme of the
ritual (I don’t recommend paisley prints, checkerboards,
or pictures of Mickey Mouse…). Blockprinted,
tie-dyed, or batik cloths are often available
through the magickal marketplace, or you may make
your own, painting anything from a simple pentacle
to a full “Magick Circle Mandala.” As many rituals
have seasonal themes, seasonally appropriate colors
are always a good idea: red and green for Yule, red
for Brigit, gold for Harvest, orange and black for
Samhain, green for almost anything else (see 4.VI:
“Wheel of the Year”).
In the middle of our central altar we usually place
figurines of the God and Goddess we wish to invite
into the Circle for this ritual (I have created an entire
line of these over the years). Sometimes we may use
a mirror instead, if we wish to reflect and call forth