Casting Magic Circles

On Establishing Protective Containers for Inner Work

The Magic Circle by John William Waterhouse

Dream journal notes:

I spent hours lying in bed, restlessly tossing from side to side. Meditating, cycling through steady breaths, clearing my mind…nothing worked. As the night crawled on, I felt myself entering a strange, altered state. Somewhere between asleep and awake, unable to allow the last vestiges of consciousness to slip away.

Then I realized I had entered a different type of world; a reality that seemed to exist just beyond the veil of awareness, here but not here. As I stepped inside, I sent a ripple into the ether, my presence was felt. From afar I could sense a response, a querying. It was a darkness, a shadow, a being of immense power. He brimmed with magic, a sorcerer, perhaps. A connection opened up between us, he knew I was here now.

Strange green shapes began to form in front of my eyes, like a sigil being inscribed upon a black background. He was casting a spell of some kind — to threaten me, banish me, to show his strength? I did not know.

Instinctually, I drew a protective circle around me, raising psychic walls to shield myself. I placed a mala around my neck (I felt the sensation of it both in the dream state and lying in bed). I whispered incantations through the process: I cast the circle. I wear the circle. I am protected.

This strange experience came to me in late fall of 2018, on the cusp of a huge life change that had yet to take place. At a time that I was relentlessly digging into psyche, the past, the seeds of the future, who I was, where I wanted to go.

Imaginal interactions with magical beings are not so strange for me; I have always felt an affinity towards these mythic figures. But it was the spell of protection, the final mantras, that struck me most. In this lucid dream (or hypnogogic state¹?), I was reminded of a powerful psychological truth — there is an archetypal function that instinctually rises up in times of turmoil to shield the fragile structures of ego and to prepare it for deeper confrontation with the unconscious.

The Sacred Temenos

Emma Hart, Lady Hamilton, as Circe by George Romney

“The drawing of a spellbinding circle is an ancient magical device used by everyone who has a special or secret pur­pose in mind. He thereby protects himself from the "perils of the soul" that threaten him from without…”

— C.G. Jung, Psychology and Alchemy (CW 12)

Tracing a magic or spellbinding circle is one of the first steps to begin ritual, to set and hold sacred space. In Jungian literature and practice, it is often referred to as a temenos². Psychologically, it represents boundaries of protection and containment that surround the center of the personality, especially as it relates to deep self-work.

When we lack this psychic structure, we are prone to emotional flooding, nervous system dysregulation, dissociation, etc. The meeting of unconscious contents can be wildly euphoric, religiously ecstatic. Other times, it strikes fear into the core of our being or feels as if we are being dragged to the underworld. What can we do in the face of such power?

This is where the casting of a magic circle comes into play. Establishing the temenos immediately reinforces the shaky foundations of ego. Sometimes this is found in the analytic relationship itself, or in a therapeutic dyad that can channel and temper the intensity. Often, we are tasked to create this ourselves; and if we are perceptive, we may even pick up on the subtle construction happening within.

The psyche has an incredible ability to compensate for what we lack consciously. When I encountered the dark figure in my waking dream, it was clear that I did not have the necessary psychological resources. Rather than a full confrontation, the protective circle raised up in defense. But it did not trap me there.

The vision went on for some time, I entered into a kind of dance with the being. Perhaps it was a battle, a power struggle, mostly it felt like an exchange that moved back and forth and back and forth. Through it all, I felt protected. As if the sorcerer could not willfully break through the walls I had created. This helped me feel at ease through the process, despite its intensity.

At times, the temenos is made in preparation of what it is to come. The psyche also has a prospective (forward looking) function. In its mysterious ways, it is able to see what is unfolding, anticipating particular events and what we may need. I suspect that this encounter spoke to the current moment of deep inner work I was engaged in and the challenges I was soon to face.

From this experience, and many since then, I've discovered several ways to facilitate and participate in the building of the temenos. They include:

• Identifying dream images (or other spontaneous symbols of the psyche) that seem to be a resource and drawing upon them in daily life.

• Engaging in thoughtful ritual when preparing to journal or do other inner work.

• Wearing protective jewelry³, especially rings, bracelets and necklaces (reminiscent of the magic circle).

• Serious, dedicated somatic work that has given me a greater sense of ease, embodiment and grounding.

• Finding an analyst who can companion and support me through processing dream material, life challenges, etc., as well as having close friends with whom I can share these intimate experiences with.

• Meditating on the image of the circle, being centered within it, seeing it drawn around me and noticing the shifts in emotions, sensations, etc that come with it.

Join the conversation in the comments:

1. In what ways do you create sacred space or a temenos?

2. Have you had similar visionary experiences or lucid dreams that made contact with figures of the unconscious?

3. Can you recall a specific dream or inner experience where you felt the need to establish a protective space or temenos?

1. A sister to this experience is explored in the post - The Archetype of the Psychopomp. I seem predisposed to these late night fantasy visions, perhaps a byproduct of my unique psychology.

2. A Greek word meaning a sacred precinct, protected space, a holy area. It is usually located around a temple or within a town and is dedicated to a particular deity for worship and spiritual practice.

3. For me, that’s charms of the Italian American culture that act as wards or protection, as well as inherited pieces of jewelry from family members that I consider sacred.