At the heart of the practice of witchcraft, paganism and magick is sacred space. Although we honor sacred sites of the ancient world, our temples are not isolated to specific buildings. Everywhere is sacred. Wherever we are is our temple.
The ritual of the circle is used to create sacred space, a temple of perfect love and perfect trust between the worlds. Through this ritual, we consecrate the bounds of our temple, to create a space to celebrate the seasons, invoke the divine and do our magick. Unfortunately, so many practitioners focus so much on the ritual, they believe words of the ritual itself are what holds the keys to sacred power. Like simple Hollywood movie magick, some believe that if you say the right thing, in the right way, you create magick. In truth, the ritual is a focus and aid, but the magick comes from within. The magick comes from our own inner sacredness.
In a rush to focus on spells and rituals, many starting practitioners, and even experienced ones, forget to maintain an awareness and connection to the inner sacred space. I know I did, and sometimes still do. I got involved in witchcraft because I wanted to learn spells. I had great “luck” with my first spell, without really knowing what I was doing, and wanted to learn more about how and why spells worked. At first I didn’t realize the spiritual path of magick. I was fortunate to have some good teachers. Before diving further into spells, they focused my attention on meditation.
At first I thought it was boring. I did a spell without meditation before, why did I need to meditate? Regularly, I would enter an altered state, and visit my inner sacred space, my own inner temple. I would speak to spirit guides, gods and seek my personal power through their guided journeys. At times it was crystal clear, but more often it was foggy, yet I continued my practice and trusted in my experience.
Soon I noticed powerful, long term changes. First was my life long allergies, and routine bouts with throat infections cleared up almost completely. My sense of mood changed. My short temper relaxed and a tendency for depression shifted toward compassion and patience. It wasn’t any overnight process, but a long and subtle shift that continues to this day.
Before casting your next spell, take time to focus on your inner sacredness and remember to take that time regularly in your day. See the sacred in every moment, and remember, rather than trying to change others, the most powerful changes you can make are to yourself.