Under the "Respect" thread Barbara asked
> What is the Sacred Circle?

The Circle is the most prevalent metaphor for sacred space used by
contemporary Pagans and Goddess people. I have seen Nordic ritual presented
as in a square at a national conference, but this is highly unusual in a
Pagan context - and I think they were particularly pleased about that.

The Circle has obvious female connotations, and in British American and
Australian Craft (witchcraft) it is traditionally women who "cast the
Circle" ie invoke sacred space, unless it is a ritual worked only by men.
The symbol at the Centre is evocatively the cauldron, often explained as the
practicality of the largest cooking pot owned by women participating.
Cooking then stands as a metaphor for transformation.
The Circle is itself a sacred container and my wing of the community sees it
as a safe and creative enclave. There is a more conservative interpretation
that uses defensive, rather martial imagery, speaking of casting out all
dangerous forces from it. My lot would answer that the most dangerous force
in it is us!
One of my many radical innovations in British Paganism c.1986 was to allow
men to act as Circle makers as well. Interestingly I was told then that
Canadian Craft has men invoking the Circle; this was explained to me
speculatively as harking back to comparatively recent contexts of the
protective circle of covered wagons where men guarded the perimeter. However
that conflicts with occult traditional teaching that on the 'inner plane' as
an occultist refers to sacred space, the outer polariuty is reversed. So
women are in charge of sacrality/ magic and of the Circle because men are
dominant exoterically. Has interesting implications as feminism grows more
influential!

There is not a separate priesthood and congregation, so every woman who
shares the Circle is a priestess, and every man is a priest. There are
initiation systems, and these amng their own networks, do confer status.
Also of course there is pragmatic leadership by expertise. But in the wider
Paganism community we can still speak of a radically egalitarian status for
all.

The Circle is classically invoked by first purifying (getting rid of what is
not needed cf Douglas def of purity as context dependent) and then calling
on the four Elementals of nature: Air, Fire, Water, Earth. These have
"archetypal" associations that fit Jungian and Hindu mandalas. Slightly
different structures come from Native American, Aborigine, Chinese etc and
there is a new more distinctively different Circle from Kathy Jones of
Glastonbury 'The Goddess Conference/ Priest/ess of Avalon training).

Some of the customs of the Circle are:-
"In perfect peace and perfect trust" (Wicca) ie I may not enter the Circle
with someone to whom I hold hostility. I translate this as enough cordiality
to exchange a genuine kiss of peace on the cheek.
"In the Circle you can't do it wrong" (myself, "Circlework" 1986/ 1993) ie
if you forget words, drop something etc then that is the sacred destined
form of that rite. Laughter is highly sacred, and so is embarrassment.
"If one invokes the Circle veto it may not be done" ie if any group member
refuses to accept a proposed activity in the Circle then it may not happen
eg working skyclad/ naked, using darkness, calling on a specific deity.
The Circle can be invoked for seasonal festivals (classically 8 a year,
every 6 weeks), moon rites, for initiations and life cycle celebrations, and
for any personal need or delight.
The Circle welcomes all deities including Yahweh, Jesus, Allah etc so a
Circle priestess or priest does not need to renounce prior teachings or
loyalties. The only things I know of that cannot fit in the Pagan Circle are
concepts of sin, damnation, redemption, eternal hell, and Satan.

From our persecution history we gain the capacity to invoke sacred space
anywhere: we do not "build churches with hands". The Circle is best made
with 5 candles, one at Centre one at the 4 quarters North South East West.
but outdoor ones use found objects and emergency ones use whatever is at
hand, or purely mental imagination.
We do emphasise using physical resources wherever possible because of the
importance of immanent thealogy and the Western tradition of skill with
physical resources. Although we may speak of "creating" or "making" a
Circle, really all we do is recognise its existence. It's there around each
one of us all the time and working active ritual just needs an act of
recognition to activate *us* to it. So at the end of a Circle we "Open the
Circle" meaning we open it out to the rest of the world.
Every Circle invoked and worked is the same Circle, where ancestors of
thousands of years ago also stood, as will our descendants in more thousands
of years to come.

The Circle is utterly mine in which I am in full charge, but it is yours too
if you claim it. There is a strong tradition of 'solitaries' possibly as
many as 50%, who practise alone or maybe attend a public open festival
occasionally but do not join groups. This supports the radical independence
of the Circle. Yet it is the most loving place I know.

Shan Jayran
ONLINE EVENTS NOTICEBOARD RELIGION & GENDER
www.ovular.co.uk
Associate Lecturer, University College Chichester
Ovular - online education