Moon Circles

There are many different classes of circles. Some are large festivals, others, smaller and more intimate. You may choose between a teaching circle, a contemplative one or a more festive rite. During circle work, there are a few guidelines, which may help you to both lead and participate.

1. First and foremost, the circle should be designed for a special spiritual or magickal purpose. One must put away the day’s events, worries and cares to work effectively. In order for you to do this, many tools of art may be employed to bring in a spiritual and peaceful mood, such as meditation, music, incense, candles etc. 

2. Though the altar should be designed with care, it needn’t contain more items or tools than you will actually use. It should have an esthetic look designed to complement the circle you are leading

3. If you are leading the circle, it is up to you to control its character. Every rite in the circle from casting to dismissing the Elementals is to help the coven focus on one major thought-form or idea. Keep in mind, that if this thought-form is interrupted, the whole magick may fall apart do not stop the circle if something goes wrong. Keep going, if at all possible. If the mistake really screwed up something, work around it. Do not stop and apologize if you make a mistake or call attention to it; they probably didn’t even notice. If a circle begins to ‘fall apart’ it should be a strong signal to you to take control and move on!

4. As a participant, you should not be holding conversations during the circle. Goofing off during a magickal working breaks the spell unless the circle is very lively in nature, such as a Discordant Circle. For instance, it is not appropriate for you or others to be holding a conversation about mundane matters during the rite. Giggling, jokes and conversation are fun and have their place, but during a circle it can be distracting. A simple look or gentle word from the HP/S (or other participant) to the offenders can quiet things down if the circle is loosing it’s focus. 

5. If you are responsible providing support for any part of a circle, and you run into difficulties in fulfilling your obligations, contact the person who is responsible for that circle. It is the duty of the person in charge of the circle to keep everyone informed of any changes that impact the circle. Don’t hash it over with someone who is not involved, this takes valuable time away from the person responsible for making decisions. If there are still unresolved issues then contact the High Priestess.

6. There are many reasons circles lose their focus. Below are a few of the major pitfalls.…

a. A particular segment of the rite has gone on too long. If you are leading the circle, you must sense when the main part of that rite is completed. Finish it, and then turn the circle’s focus to something else. One of the most important aspects of leading a good circle is to keep control of your circle and have a sense of timing! Good circles have ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys.

b. If a rune or chant you are using is complex and difficult to recite. This causes silliness and confusion. The point of the rune is lost.

c. Do not concentrate so much on the decorations of the altar and the ritual room that you loose sight of the rite you are leading. The rite should be the primary focus. No one segment of a rite should last too long. It is better to have two or three small related rites than one very long one, unless the group is working together on a special kind of magick. Time your rite first by doing it yourself, then add a little extra on for the circle.

d. Music helps the participants get into a special mood. If the tempo of the rite changes, the tempo of the music should also — but smoothly! Check your CD/tapes at before you do the ritual. Remember, it takes longer to do the rite in the ritual room than it does practicing at home, so add a few more minutes of music to any given segment. Get accustomed to using the ritual room equipment. Never switch the music off suddenly. CLICK! — it breaks the mood. Instead, turn the volume down very slowly a moment before you planned for it to stop. That smoothes out the currents for yourselves and the elementals. It is perfectly all right for music to continue playing softly while the circle is being cast or during other magickal parts of the ritual. Volume may be turned up and downs as necessary. Music creates a mood. If it is changes suddenly that mood is broken. Change Cds/tapes discreetly, when participants are doing something else. Always turn down the volume before you change the tapes.

e. Unless, you are very experienced, always use an assistant. This is important because it frees you up to facilitate the rites of the circle. If you have to worry about incense, decorations, tapes and music, you will very quickly lose control of the circle and the flow of the rite. When the current of the ritual is lost, the spell is broken and the ritual may not work.

f. Always explain, or have your assistant explain to the participants, the theme of your circle before they enter the ritual room. This will keep the ritual smooth after you begin. There should be no need to stop or give more than a brief explanation (a word or two) of what is going to happen next once the circle’s been cast. All this should be taken care of beforehand. Surprises are nice but unnecessary if the circle is planned well.

g. Printed sheets may be given out anytime during the circle. Remember to have enough light for participants to read. Various magickal rites may be taught or even practiced during the circle. Even so, the facilitator must keep control of the circle at all times. If it gets away from him or her, that which s/he is trying to do will not make any lasting impression on the participants.

h. Sometimes a teaching circle may be blended into a flowing magickal rite. The rite may be meditative or festive. In these instances the lessons are subtle and woven into the very fabric of the circle. 

i. If you are leading a guided meditation before the circle begins, remember that the pathwork is a part of the rite but not the whole ritual — so keep it brief! About five minutes or so is a good gate. (If your pathwork is to be used as part of the entire circle, it may be longer or placed in a different spot.) Choose a pathwork that is related to the theme of the circle. At the end of the pathwork, guide the participants into the element, which they will be working on during the circle. It is a common mistake to bring participants back to the ritual room at the end of the mediation, but this causes a break in the mood. Do not say at the end. “Now you are back in the ritual room.” The pathwork should be used as a key for moving into the Plane of Forces (the Elemental Plane.) No pause is necessary. The exception would be if the pathwork were set at the very end of the rite.

j. A good moon circle has one major idea is the primary focus. This may be divided into different segments and path working may be one of them, yet the purpose of the circle is one idea. Thus, all the segments are blended together into one cohesive theme, which is carried throughout the circle and brought to a peak at the end. Remember, all the rites performed in the ritual should be directed toward a particular purpose or goal. Individual magicks may be performed, but they should use the theme of the circle as a focus. For instance at the Autumnal Equinox, the theme is balance. Though each person performs an individual magick, they are using the theme of balancing.

k. Some circles are not designed to be contemplative. There may be dancing, jollity and music designed to convey a particular spiritual myth, archetype or muse. This is fine, but should be taken as earnestly as a meditative circle. Even if costumes, dancing, laughter and/or special foods are employed, the circle should still be designed towards a central theme or purpose.

l. If you are a participant, please arrive on time for circles. If you are leading the circle, please start your circle the time it was scheduled. It is not fair nor necessary to wait around for one or two late-comers to arrive. (A late-comer may enter the ritual room quietly, but shouldn’t make it a habit nor forget to cut a gate.)

m. Feel free to arrive early, please be considerate of those who live in the house. They may be still eating dinner, dressing, doing some last minute cleaning or even meditating. Use the time to go over the ritual, change your clothes, or read a book from the library.

n. Never go into the ritual room until the maiden or HPs invites you. 

o. It is a common mistake to dismiss the elementals in a rushed or frivolous manner. This demonstrates a certain lack of earnestness about the whole circle and an eagerness to have it over with. It also doesn’t endear the elementals to us — they prefer to be taken seriously. Remember we are on their Plane (between the worlds) until we say farewell. We spend a lot of time entering their Plane in order to connect to them. We should take care when dismissing and directing them. If we think so little of our own chants and words, how can we expect the Elemental Forces to take us seriously and —’turn the worlds around’ bend fate?. Do not diminish the magick of the circle by dismissing the elementals superficially, as that is the final sending, blessing and binding of the rite. Be sure you know how to draw your invoking and banishing pentagrams correctly for each Elemental.

7. A few words about the festivals. Major festival require a lot more work. If you are doing music, practice before the day of the ritual. If there is equipment to be hooked up or tested, please come a few hours early. Check your costumes several days before the event,. Give yourself time to fix or repair it before the day of the ritual.

8. READ YOUR RITUAL BEFORE YOU ARRIVE! If you have a role in the festival, practice in advance, not the night of the festival. All rehearsing should be done days before the event. Set the altar up the day or night before the festival unless it is outside. Outside festivals can be complex and need several attendants. There’s nothing like not having the torch fluid light at one of the quarters or having a last minute problem with the equipment. If you don’t have a major role, ask the maiden in advance what you can do to help out. Last minute dilemmas can delay the start of the circle. 

9. Not all rituals are open to guests, moon circles never are, and the Sabats of, Imbolg, Beltain, Lamas, and Samhain are not due to there nature. If you bring a guest, explain the ritual to them before hand and introduce them around before the ritual begins. The HP & HPS may not have the time to properly meet them before the circle that will happen during the feast. You are responsible for your guest.