Calling the Corners

Many Witches also incorporate calling the corners into their rituals of setting aside a sacred space. Casting a circle is ritually setting aside a certain space using a symbol that is universal. Calling the corners, sometimes called "squaring the circle", orients the circle to the four directions and specifies that the circle and those using the circle, are in a specific place upon the earth which spins in space.

By calling the corners a Witch is saying that the sacred space is not just a place set apart from the rest of the Creation, but remains an integral part of the whole. It is this place where North is in that particular direction and where one part of the circle is rising, the West, and another part is falling, the East.

Thus calling the corners is symbolic of the connection that the circle and the Witch inside the circle have with all of Creation. In a sense, then, casting a circle is something Witches do because they are Mystics, calling the corners of the circle is something they do because they are Nature Mystics. You may recall that in the article "What is a Christian Witch?" I said that many Nature Mystics feel such a strong connection to the cycle of the day that they not only think in solar time but that they also tend to keep themselves oriented to the actual rotation of the earth and constantly orient themselves to this and the resulting four cardinal points determined by that rotation. Of course not all Witches may experience this as a constant awareness, but in calling the corners in their rituals they are "re-calling" this awareness from the unconscious to the conscious.

Calling the corners, though, has other symbolisms besides those resulting from it usage of the four directions. For some it is connected to the idea of the four elements: air, fire, water, and earth. Some Christian Witches invoke the four archangels: Gabriel, Michael, Rapheal and Uziel. Others find it helpful to use the symbols from the four suits of the Tarot: Pentacles, Swords, Wands and Cups. Finally some have four various animal spirit totems associated with the corners. Then of course there are those who combine some of the above associations.

What stands out though is the number four. As I said above, Carl Jung found that this number is the second most often occuring universal symbol in mythology for the Divine. He also found it often to be connected to the symbol of the circle. For instance, Mandalas are often divided into four sections.

Why is the number four considerd by Jung to be a Divine symbol? This may especially confuse some Christians who are accustomed to thinking of God as being Three. Three is also found in other faith systems too. Hinduism teaches that the Divine's first manifestation is as the three Gods: Brahmin, Vishnu and Shiva. Wicca talks about the threefold Goddess who is Maiden, Mother, and Crone. This way of relating the number three to the Divine is different, though, than the way we are talking about the number four. The "threeness" of the Divine in Christianity, Hinduism and Wicca is not metaphorical but metaphysical. Jung's idea is that the number four symbolizes the Divine or the presence of the Divine, not that the Divine actually is the number four. So there's no contradiction if one accepts this idea while still believing as a Christian, Hindu or Wiccan that the Divine is Three.

Four is one of those numbers that has a sense of completeness to it. Four is the first number that can be divided by other numbers other than itself or one, what we call a "composite" number. It is also the first number that is an exact power of another number, it is the "square" of two, which is the first "prime" number. Thus four is the prototype for all "composite" and "square" numbers. In a sense then, four is the simplest and primary example of complexity!

It seems natural to us to divide things into four parts. Maybe its because we, like most animals, have four limbs. When we divide a certain space into four quadrants we do it quite simply with two lines intersecting, which is another universal symbol, the cross. A cross further symbolizes the crossing of two ways, a juncture of the horizontal and the vertical, which often is thought to also mean the mundane and the sublime or the earthly and the heavenly meeting.

These are some of the reasons why the number four is symbolic of completeness in simplicity, and therefore the presence of the Divine. Thus calling four corners to a circle, however a particular Witch does it, is invoking upon the circle a sense of completeness and wholeness. For instance, although we now know that there are not only four basic elements, the myth that all things are made of the four elements of earth, air, fire and water is still powerful. By using symbols of these four elements in calling the corners a Witch is ritualizing her circle to be completely inclusive of all the Creation which mythologically is made of these four simple items.

When I cast a circle I call the corners at the same time. For me what I am creating is a psychic Celtic Cross in which I place myself in the center. What I am doing is ritually placing myself within the crux of a sacred space which during my spellwork represents the intersection of heaven and earth, which for me is how I understand the whole incarnation, life, death and resurrection of my Sovereign Jesus Christ. For me the primary symbol of this is a Celtic Cross. The circle in the center of a cross is symbolic of the Living Christ and thus a Celtic Cross is not just a reminder of the death of Jesus, but is symbolic of the whole Christ, living, dying and rising. In my psychic Celtic Cross the arms of the cross extend forever beyond the circle, embracing the entire Creation and representing my connection to all reality as part of the Creation. For me all this is a part of calling the corners as I cast a circle.

But of course the meaning of a ritual symbol is much more and deeper than it can be explained in words, which is why we use symbols in ritual. I could go on and on about what circles and calling corners mean for me in my ritual work, but its time to move on to some other practices.