Quarters and Watchtowers

Always plan any magical act, including spells, ahead of time. Think about the possible consequences of each action, and remember things get amplified in a Circle. Whether or not you include the Watchtowers is up to you, but it can be an easy way to access stored energy of power to lend to your Circle.

Calling the Quarters

The quarters reside in the cardinal points, East, South, West, and North. When you call the Quarters, you are inviting the symbolic energies for each of them to attend and guard over your work and to become part of your Magick.

The act of calling the Quarters is an integral part of casting a circle. The circle is the sacred space in which rituals and magic are performed. It is a safe space in which to work and worship, a portable temple if you like.

When calling a Quarter, whether verbally, or in the case of those limited to silent casting, through visualization, you will want to use as many senses as possible to describe, qualify and thus call the essence of the Quarter to your work.

Direction – Element – Animal – Quality

• East – Air – Eagle – thought, intellect, imagination

 

• South – Fire – Snake or Lizard – passion, determination

 

• West – Water – Otter or Dolphin – emotion, love

 

• North – Earth – Buffalo or Bear – stability, patience, nurturance

To Call a Quarter

To call a Quarter, first face in the direction of the Quarter, holding your athame as an extension of your arm. Visualize what the Quarter means and draw that image to you. Draw an invoking pentagram. Recite (either aloud or clearly in your mind) words that address and invite the Quarter. Breathe in and feel infused with the essence of the Quarter.

Example:

“Guardians of the North, Powers of Earth, you who are the stabilizer and nurturer. Powerful Buffalo who paws the ground and stands solid as the mountains, I call upon and invite your presence to witness this rite. “

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“Guardians of the West, Powers of Water, you who are emotions and pure love. Gentle Dolphin of the waves who is the morning dew, and the torrential rains, I call upon and invite your presence to witness this rite.”

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“Guardians of the South, Powers of Fire, you who are passion and the hearth. Great Snake who lives within the coals of the home fires as well as wildfires, I call upon and invite your presence to witness this rite.”

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“Guardians of the East, Powers of Air, you who are thought and the wind upon my face. Winged eagle of the skies who is the morning breeze and the wrath of storms, I call upon and invite your presence to witness this rite.”

Watch Towers

A Watchtower or Guardian, in ceremonial and pagan magical tradition, is a protective spirit of one of the four cardinal points or “quarters” (north, east, south, and west). They are also associated in many traditions with each of the four classical elements (earth, air, fire, and water) and stars (Fomalhaut, Aldebaran, Regulus, and Antares). The Watchtowers are invoked in the ritual for the casting of magic circles.

The purpose of the Watchtowers, in the spell or rite, is whatever you tell them to do. Typically, they might cleanse the circle, witness the rite, maintain the integrity of the magical boundary, and bring their elemental energy into the circle. Remember when you cast a circle, you are creating a miniature universe, so be clear about your purpose.

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Many traditions say something like:

“Hail to the Guardian of the Watchtower of (the direction), ye lords of (the element), I do summon, stir and call thee forth to guard and protect this magic circle. (Draw the invoking pentagram) So, Mote, it Be!”

Or you can say something simple like:

“All Hail the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the (direction), we seek your presence here tonight.”

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The Watchtowers are important precisely because they connect us to this long history of magical rituals. When something is used the same way for a long time, it builds up power. The advantage of this for the beginner is that it requires less experience on their part to get the Watchtowers to do their jobs.

Be sure, however, to send them away when you are done with the Circle.

The Sign of the Pentagram

Draw your invoking/banishing pentagram with your athame in the air in the direction of the Quarter. There is a specific invoking and banishing pentagram for each quarter. If you wish to include them make sure to use both.

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A basic invoking pentagram starts at the bottom left-hand point, moves to the top point, down to the bottom right-hand point, to the left-hand point, to the right-hand point, and back to the bottom left-hand point.

A basic banishing pentagram begins at the top point and moves down to the bottom left point to the right point, to the left point, to the bottom right point, and back to the top. A Banishing Pentagram is the opposite.

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