Laying the Compass for Spirit Flight, Trance-Work and Divination
Like the Threshold Rite, the Compass serves to delineate magical space. However, the Compass aims to create a space that lends itself more directly to spirit flight and workings that require closer proximity to the Spirit World. The rite written here is an adaptation of forms found in formal Traditional Witchcraft, appearing in writings by Robert Cochrane. The core of the rite (the laying of three concentric rings) is retained, but reinterpreted to reflect my own symbolic landscape of initiation and the witchβs journey through witch flight, death journey, and communion with the Spirit Realm.
Tools and Materials
A marker for delineating ritual area (black cord, chalk, or finger drawn in dirt, salt, or ash)
Small offerings or tokens to mark the four cardinal points (stones, feathers, candles, coins, etc.). These are optional; the points of the Compass can also be suitably marked with symbols drawn with chalk or into the earth.
Materials for the construction of the Three Rings (see below)
The Three Rings of the Compass
As described in Cochraneβs tradition, the Compass is formed by three concentric rings created around a fixed central point. This point can be marked with a bowl of water, a candle, or a cauldron of burning herbs depending on the working. Each ring traditionally represents a stage in the cycle of life. In my own practice, the rings are reimagined as representing phases of the Witchβs Initiation, Death Journey, and Flight to the Realm of Spirit.
The rings are constructed from the outer ring inward, moving symbolically toward the Spirit World:
Outer Ring β Initiation
This ring represents the witchβs induction into the craft. In my magical worldview, this the point at which the practitioner is βmade witch by no authority but their ownβ. The physical representation of the ring is made by laying a ring of earth, or powdered botanicals. Some of my favorites are cedar, rosemary, and mugwort.Middle Ring β The Death Journey
This ring marks the death journey, a process that appears in folklore and myth cycles as well as magical practice as a means of transformation through trial. For this ring, lay a ring of ash made from rosemary, graveyard dirt, and oak. Alternatively, you can draw this ring using the end of a burnt oak twig or charcoal stick.Inner Ring β The Realm of Spirit
This ring marks the veil between the mundane world and the Spirit Realm, symbolizing the river or other water place that appears often in European folklore as the boundary between the living and spirit realms. Dip your fingers in water, and trace this final ring with your Witching Fingers (the pointer and middle fingers of your dominant hand).
Laying the Compass
Stand in the center of your working space and take a moment to ground and still yourself.
Lay the three rings from the outermost inward, as described above. Move clockwise as you construct the Compass. As each ring is laid, focus on the purpose and symbolism of the specific ring youβre making.
Mark the four directions around the Compass using tokens or symbols that represent North, South, East, and West for you. As you place each, speak the directional invocation:
To the North:
By the frost and the stone, by the winds and the dark,
I call on the spirits where earth leaves its mark.
To the South:
By the fireβs light and the flameβs gentle kiss,
I open the path where the shadows twist.
To the East:
By the breath of dawn and the rising light,
I call on the spirits to aid in my flight.
To the West:
Through the mist and the dusk, where ancestors roam,
I call on the spirits far from home.
Return to the center of the Compass. Take a moment to settle into the space. When you are ready speak the final incantation to bind and activate the Compass:
Ye Crossed Paths of Spirit, I call thee to my side.
Between the worlds, where planes collide.
By ghostly throng and wild nightβs air,
I open this Compass with power and care.
The Compass is now laid. Use it for communion, flight, conjuration, or spirit work. When your working is complete, the Compass should be formally released and the space dismantled.
