Natural Witchery (14 page)

A friend may well be reckoned
the masterpiece of Nature.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Next Step in Building a Circle

Once your study group has been together for a while, you may wish to try a simple ritual together. I know that was the case with my first study group, many years ago. We had all taken the time to get to know each other and to enjoy each other's company. Then it was decided that it was time to test the magickal waters. So we all discussed the idea and then decided who would do what—in this case, call the quarters and cast a circle. I asked who would be comfortable with which elemental quarter, and since there were four of us, it fell into place nicely. Two of us had some group experience and the others had not—so we talked it out and came up with a working plan. We got the kids settled with a few videos, then we trooped off to the hostess's backyard to see what was what.

It was a clear and pleasant summer night. Lots of stars sparkled down from above, and a waxing moon was about halfway up in the sky. However, the moment we stepped outside, every neighbor around started peeking out the windows. While it was embarrassing to be the center of the neighborhood's attention, we were determined to stretch our wings a bit. So there we stood, attired in T-shirts and shorts: Crystal, our hostess, who was blithely ignoring her neighbors; myself; a nervous and shy Nimue; and tough and feisty Brigit, our newest member.

At first, we went to our chosen quarters, stood in a loose circle, and centered ourselves. Then I saw Brigit open her eyes and frown at the neighborhood contingent. I turned around and grimaced at the two male neighbors who were now standing right at the back fence, about ten feet away. They were leaning over the fence and leering.

“Well, hell,” Brigit grumbled.

“Oh, they always stare when I come out here at night,” Crystal admitted with a shrug.

“Can't we do anything about that? We are Witches.” Brigit frowned and then narrowed her eyes in concentration. “Hey, Miss Psychic—can't you fix that?” she challenged me with a conspirator's grin.

We all started to chuckle, I believe a comment was made about toads, and then I had an idea. “Let me try a little something,” I murmured to them.

I asked everyone to join hands, and then I squeezed Brigit's hand on my right and quietly asked her to lend me some energy, which she did without hesitation. (I was curious to see what would happen if I added someone else's willing energy.) I reached out with my senses and felt the curiosity of the two men standing at the back fence. Then I tapped into their nervousness of what would happen if their wives happened to catch them staring at their pretty blond neighbor and her friends and turned it to my advantage.

I silently gave the nosey neighbors a little mental push to go back inside and to leave us alone. About twenty seconds later, both neighbors abruptly went inside. All the back porch lights clicked off, and we were left alone. We let go of each other's hands and centered ourselves. (Yes, I know that psychic trick is walking the line. Bad Ellen. No cookie.) I had turned their curiosity against them and influenced those leering neighbors. At the time I believe I justified it by telling myself it was defensive and I was protecting the group.

Actually, looking back all those years ago, I realize that I was just showing off, which today makes me cringe. I never said I was perfect, especially when my temper is involved. It took me some time (years) to realize that just because I could mess with people's heads didn't mean that I should. Why do you suppose I am always so careful to warn others about the consequences of manipulation?

So back to the story. Now that we had a bit of privacy, we decided to begin to quietly call the quarters. I called the east, Nimue called the south, Crystal called the west, and then Brigit stepped up, tossed out her hands, and called the north. I could feel the push of her energy against my chest, and in unison the whole group took a step back, as if choreographed.

Whoa, Brigit definitely packed a punch. We joined hands again and had a chance to experience the energy that flowed around the circle from member to member. Sweat popped out on our brows, and I could feel the energy gather in the solar plexus area. Impressed with each other, we all grinned and then took a few moments and got used to the sensations. After a short time, we released the quarters, grounded the energy, and opened the circle. We sat on the grass talking for a while, and then when the six kids all came outside demanding Popsicles, we adjourned to the house to discuss our discovery and break out the snacks.

While my daughter, Brigit's two kids, and Crystal's young brood ran around making an unholy mess with Popsicles, the ladies sat down at the table, passed around the snacks we had all brought along, and shared what each of our impressions were during the quarter calling and how we each physically experienced our combined energy.

As a group, we had learned something new and had expanded upon the friendship that we were all building with each other. Together we could raise quite a bit of energy, and we started making plans for our next get-together so we could try a full ritual and cast a spell together.

Energy falls just short of being joy.

Mason Cooley

Sensing Energy in a Group Setting:
A Psychic Group Exercise

Remember the energy ball exercise from chapter 3? I mentioned that there was a way to practice this with a circle or coven, and here it is. This is a great exercise to work with your circle so you can all get to know each other and your personal energies better. This will help you identify who is a projective personality and who is receptive. Plus it will show you immediately what the group's magickal talents are. First, make sure everyone has a pen and a sheet of paper so they can write down their impressions. Then have everyone in the group sit in a circle.

To begin, have one person build the energy ball and then pass it off and around the circle in a clockwise motion. Have the builder jot down a few keywords about what they envisioned and then tuck the paper out of sight. Clockwise, around the circle, from
person
to person, the energy ball is silently passed. Each individual should hold it for no more than ten seconds. Sense the energy ball and see what your intuition and instincts tell you. As they pass the energy ball to their neighbor, each person should quickly jot down what information they picked up, also putting the paper out of sight. Remember to keep the ball moving so the energy ball doesn't fade.

After the energy ball works its way back around the circle, it is handed back to the builder. The builder should ground the energy ball back into the earth by turning their hands over and pressing their hands to the floor. Wait a moment, make sure everyone has their impressions written down, then have the builder tell the group what the energy ball was. Take turns going around the circle, comparing notes, and see how everyone did. I bet you'll be surprised at the results.

When my circle did this for the first time, I was the builder. I built an energy ball full of swirling, green, heart-shaped ivy leaves. I imagined them tumbling over and over inside the energy ball. When we were done and the group compared notes, we all were quite amazed. Some of the circle's impressions included green swirls, fluttering pink and loving hearts, falling autumn leaves, green leafy herbs, and finally butterflies.

All in all, the images made sense. Some people picked up on the color, which was green. Some correctly interpreted that it was a plant. Others felt the shapes (the heart) or sensed the movement (the swirling autumn leaves, the fluttering hearts, and the butterflies). A few picked up on my emotions and did not get any visual images at all. It all comes down to the magickal individual and how they will perceive and intuit the psychic information.

Continue the exercise and allow everyone a chance to be the builder. Yes, you will find that some folks may be spot-on when it comes to sensing whatever the energy ball is, and others will be better at loading the images into the energy ball for others to sense. And that's to be expected. Some folks are better at projecting psychic images, and others are better at sensing or receiving those images.

Visionaries, Empaths, and Intuitives, Oh My!

Once you have finished, take a break and make sure that everyone grounds and centers. Compare your notes, and look at them carefully. The best part of this exercise is that it shows you how your circle mates distinguish or perceive psychic and magickal energy. Want a sure-fire way to find out what sort of magickal strengths are in your group? Then here's your big chance.

So, did they see, intuit, or feel their answers in the energy ball exercise? Take a good look at their written responses. If they have described visual images most often, then they are visionary individuals. They are receiving the impressions from their third eye. These visionary types bring a sense of coordination to your circle. They can help plan and will be the ones who create the most visually pleasing altar setup. Visionaries like things to look attractive and balanced. They will be able to envision the magick that your circle performs. They are probably talented at seeing auras and magickal energy, and they are excellent at plotting out rituals, spells, and magick, since they can perfectly picture the positive changes that they are working toward.

Now, if they usually describe feelings and emotions in their notes, then they are more empathic. They are pulling in the information through their solar plexus, and their own emotions and those of the other circle members are also clueing them in. These folks are important additions to a circle's group energy, since they are often concerned about how everyone is feeling. Is the group mood a happy one? Does everyone feel physically comfortable and at ease? If someone is emotionally upset, then the empaths of your group will be the first ones to offer a supportive hand to hold or to give a pat on the back or the all-important hug. These perceptive souls will be ultra-sensitive to the mood and tone of your rituals and magick, more so than the others. They will keep your group compassionate, friendly, kind, and loving.

Finally, if they “just know” and are often extremely accurate—as in word-for-word with what the builder wrote down—then they are using their intuition. This power comes from the crown chakra, and you will often hear them make comments like, “I just knew … ”or “It just popped into my head.” These intuitive folks are going to be insightful additions to your group. They will be the ones who keep communication and creativity flowing. They will help keep your circle organized and on track. The intuitive practitioner will make good decisions and will know right away without any fuss when the group's energy is on track and when your magick has accomplished its goal. They are very practical and insightful people—so pay attention to them and see what you can learn together as a group.

If You Want to Build a Successful Circle,
Then Get Organized

Beltane day three years ago turned out quite differently than my circle had planned. Over the years, the study group had slowly expanded out to a solid working group of eight. Some members had left, and new people had joined, with two more women expressing an interest in joining, which brought us up to ten members. The circle meetings usually ended up at my house, since I had the largest and most private outdoor space. But I was getting tired of trying to get my teenagers to clear out for the evening, not to mention the cleaning beforehand and trying to keep the noise of up to ten women and their kids—who were all talking and laughing—down to a dull roar. Since my husband worked nights and was usually taking a nap before he went to work, this was a dicey prospect at best. Grumbling was ensuing at my house, my kids were complaining, and so was my husband. I was between the old rock and a hard place.

A few days before Beltane, I sat down with my circle mates and friends Nimue and Morgan and told them that something had to give. The family was annoyed, and I was tired of everyone getting together and looking at me to write and design the rituals. After writing all day, I didn't want to be writing rituals for the group each and every time too. I wanted to relax and enjoy myself. Besides, we spent more time gabbing than we did focused on magick, and I knew I wasn't the only one who wanted a change.