Hi again, actually Elizabeth, I suppose *ceremonial* magic(k) and the Wiccan
style(s) derived from it do tend to have to be adjusted to the southern
hemisphere. But something *folky* like making and doing something to a
poppet, I don't think needs to be "grounded" in a particular locality,
perhaps performed in *a* sacred / special place, but not tailored to a
particular country.

As you'd know in Australia, Witchcraft - like so many other things - is
imported. It is a religion and practice originating in the northern
hemisphere and certain vital aspects of the Craft - its reliance on the
seasonal calendar and the way in which a circle is cast - are literally
topsy-turvy when applied to southern hemisphere conditions. Australian
ceremonial-magick-style-witchcraft-practitioners do have to make an extra
conceptual leap every time they prepare for (this style of) ritual work: We
need to adjust the ritual format to Australian conditions before we can even
begin. We have to change the direction we move within the circle, the
attributions of the sacred quarters, (and the Sabbat dates) in order to fit
them into Antipodean conditions.

Let me explain for northern hemisphere readers: The traditional (northern
hemisphere) attributions of the elements to the cardinal points are well
known: Earth = North, Air = East, Fire = South, Water = West. These
elemental attributions are based on the movement of the sun through the
northern hemisphere sky - when facing east in the northern hemisphere, the
sun rises and travels through the sky slightly to the right of someone
standing there watching. This is where we get the idea of moving "deosil" or
clockwise - following the sun. The sun reaches its zenith in the southern
part of the sky before sinking in the west and therefore, in the northern
hemisphere, south is considered the direction of fire.

In the southern hemisphere, the sun rises in the east but then travels to
the left of the observer (the traditional widdershins direction, but in fact
this is our deosil) achieving its zenith in the northern part of the sky. As
an Australian therefore, I attribute Fire = North and Earth = South: south
being the cold area where the sun does not venture. East and west are kept
the same as the northern hemisphere, being the areas of air and water. Thus
when I cast a circle where I live, north and south are reversed and I move
to the left for deosil and to the right for widdershins. The words
"clockwise" and "anticlockwise" are irrelevant for circle casting in the
southern hemisphere as clocks were invented in the northern hemisphere and
the movement of a clock's hands in a "clockwise" direction are modelled on
the movement of the sun in the northern hemisphere sky.

So...... I do think that ceremonial magic(k)-derived magickal styles do make
a difference to whether one is in the northern or southern hemisphere. But I
wonder about more "free form" kind of magick(s)? And what about Chaos magic?
Now that's another kettle of phish entirely which does not necesarily bother
with those sort of format "rules".


~Caroline.