I conjure thee, O great womb of the Goddess Hecate,
Cauldron of a Witche’s power, within who’s sacred precint
are we separate from the world of care, safe from harm and strife.
May it be a shield against all wickedness and evil;
A boundary between the world of seekers
and the realm of the Mighty Ones
A guardian and protection that shall preserve and contain
the powers that I/we shall raise this night of the Full/Dark Moon.
Wherefore do I bless thee and consecrate thee in the name of
three- formed Goddess of the Moon, Hecate.

********************

By the power of the Witch’s Staff (or sickle)
is the Magick Circle made.
A strong enclosure, a power-full room,
Safe within the Goddess’ womb;
A sacred place, a world apart
Where energies merge and Magick starts.
With Air and Fire this Circle I tread
To know our will is Magick ‘tis said.
With Water and Earth, this Circle is complete
To dare and keep silent after we meet.

*******************

I cast you now, O Circle of Power,I conjure your magick to grow and tower.
Dividing the world of mundanity from
The world of the Ancients and Mighty Ones
The space where all magick lives and breathes
Where time and place and mundanity cease.
Between the worlds, the Circle is cast,
Meeting as one with Present, Future and Past.
The Old Ones and Young Ones join the night and the day
And all that's mundane is now swept away.
All Merry Meet, suspended in Time,
The Circle is bound by the words of this rhyme.

More and more Witches are using a Sickle to cast the Circle of Hecate or any other circle for that matter. The sword and/or athame is more of a man’s tool and not that of a woman. The sickle is the symbol of the Crone–of harvesting and death. In hunter-gatherer societies, women were responsible for gathering and harvesting plant material. When cultivation began as a result of Demeter’s gift of wheat, it was the women who were instrumental in the harvest. Hence, the sickle is an appropriate (and ancient) women’s tool. Its crescent shape further identifies it with the Moon and so with the Goddess. It is the waxing and waning crescents of the Moon. The sharp edge represents the gift of discernment–the ability to know what needs to be cut away–either to promote growth/provide food or to remove disease/the unwanted. As the Priestess walks around casting the circle, she visualizes a bluish white beam of light/power extending from the tip of the sickle to the ground. This beam marks the actual boundary of the Circle.

However, still other Witches prefer using the Staff or wand, as it is a very powerful tool in directing energy. Once again, she visualizes the bluish white beam/power extending from the tip of the staff or wand.

©Permission must first be granted before use of any material in this website as well as linking back to Hecate's Cauldron

 ~Lady Hecate~

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