Laying the Witch’s Compass

This rite is used to lay the Witch's Compass, a magical boundary that creates a space suitable for spirit travel and communion with the unseen.

1. Stand at the center of your space, focusing on your desire to cross the boundaries between the physical and spiritual realms.

2. Gather your materials. You will need a circle of black cord, blessed chalk, or any other marker to outline the space. Additionally, you may wish to use a candle or a piece of chalk to mark the four cardinal points of the Compass—North, South, East, and West.

3. Holding the cord or chalk in your hands, begin to trace the shape of a compass. Lay the line in a circular pattern, with a break or opening for the entrance to the space. At the four cardinal points, pause and mark each direction with your symbol of choice (a stone, a feather, a candle, a coin, etc.) while invoking the collective spirit of that direction.

To the North:
By the frost and the stone, by the winds and the dark,
I call upon the spirits, where earth leaves its mark.

To the South:
By the fire’s light and the flame’s gentle kiss,
I open the path where the shadows may twist.

To the East:
By the breath of dawn and the rising light,
I call on the spirits to aid my flight.

To the West:
Through the mist and the dusk, where ancestors roam,
I call on the spirits far from home.

1. As you lay the final portion of the compass, stand at the center of the circle, looking outward to the points you’ve marked. Speak the following incantation aloud, evoking the liminality of the space you’ve created:

Ye Crossed Roads of Spirit, I call thee to my side,
Between the worlds, where planes collide.
By the ghostly throng and the wild night’s air,
I open this path with power and care.

You have now created a liminal space, a threshold between the worlds. The Witch's Compass is a border, a gateway, a landing pad, and a protector as you move between realms during your working.