So what's this whole calling the quarters business?




In some ceremonies, the practitioners start the circle or ceremony by Calling the Quarters. Or inviting the Guardians of the Watchtowers to come and protect or witness their rites. At the end those Guardians are thanked for their presence and bid farewell.

In the movies we see usually some out of control person demanding the presence of the spiritual forces that be and command them to watch. We see this over and over again. To me I do not believe this is the appropriate way to interact with the Guardians. When requesting the presence or protection of the Guardians; One should be very respectful and send those positive thoughts that one would send out in any other setting.

Rituals can seem overly complicated and cumbersome to do. As a Solitary Witch, I have found that I'm able to practice more and try to get the right feeling instead of only looking for the right words to say.

Some believe that you need to actually physically cast a circle and walk the circle three times to begin before even beginning to invoke the guardians. Being more eclectic, I believe that what you do pure of heart, mind and soul will work for you. Just pace yourself, clear your mind and speak from the heart. The guardians will come.

For those that really need a ritual to go by, I found this really simple calling of the Quarters below. Some spice it up a bit by referring to the elements each direction represents as below.

I'm sure a simple welcome, such as:
Facing East say, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, we invoke and welcome thee
Facing South say, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, we invoke and welcome thee
Facing West say, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, we invoke and welcome thee
Facing North say, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North, we invoke and welcome thee


I found this pretty simple example on the website Jesterbear.com:
(LINK)

Invocation

East:

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East,
Powers of Air,
We invoke you and call you.
By the Air that is Her breath,
Be here now!
Hail and welcome!
South:

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South,
Powers of Fire,
We invoke you and call you.
By the Fire that is Her spirit,
Be here now!
Hail and welcome!
West:

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West,
Powers of Water,
We invoke you and call you.
By the Water that is Her living womb,
Be here now!
Hail and welcome!
North:

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North,
Powers of Earth,
We invoke you and call you.
By the Earth that is Her body,
be here now!
Hail and welcome!
Dismissal

East:

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East,
Powers of Air,
We thank you for your presence
And ask for your blessing.
Hail and Farewell!
South:

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South,
Powers of Fire,
We thank you for your presence
And ask for your blessing.
Hail and Farewell!
West:

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West,
Powers of Water,
We thank you for your presence
And ask for your blessing.
Hail and Farewell!
North:

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North,
Powers of Earth,
We thank you for your presence
And ask for your blessing.
Hail and Farewell!


I hope this helps someone.

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