Hallowing A Compass || Traditional Witchcraft
Unlike other spiritual systems, we witches don’t have a designated sacred space we can go for spiritual practice & ritual. So instead we need to create it ourselves. A couple months ago I shared the Wiccan approach to creating sacred space called Casting a Circle. Today we’re going to discuss a traditional witchcraft method for creating sacred space known as Hallowing the Compass.
If you’re unsure of the differences between Wicca & Traditional Witchcraft and which approach would work best for you, you can review the previous video I’ve done on this topic.
Like in Wicca, the compass is circular in shape and oriented towards the 4 compass points of North, East, South, and West. The reason for orientating the sacred space around the 4 directions is so that we can take advantage of and work with the natural forces within the Earth. This is especially important in traditional witchcraft as traditional witchcraft focuses primarily with the spirits of the land. This is also why the compass works best if it is created outdoors in nature as opposed to inside your home.
The purpose of Hallowing the Compass is to set this space apart our mundane reality and create a liminal space. The space becomes a sort of no-mans land or ‘portal’ where you can experience spirits, deities, and other dimensional spaces. You may have heard of the term “hedge witch.” Historically, a hedge witch would use this portal or compass to send their astral body out into other worlds to acquire knowledge & communicate with spirits in other realms. This journey of the astral self into other realms is called “hedge riding.” While traditionally the Hallowing of a Compass was used for this purpose of “hedge riding,” it can be used for a wide variety of rituals or spellwork that you’d like to do.
As we go into the details of how to actually hollow a compass, keep in mind that it’s your energy and intention that is more important than the words spoken and the tools used.
How to HAllow a Compass
Step 1: Find a Suitable Space & the Directions
Determine the compass directions of North, East, South, and West. This can be done easily with the compass app on your phone if you don’t have an actual compass. You can mark the 4 directions with a stone, a candle, or some type of offering to the spirits of the different directions.
Step 2: Prepare the Stang
Place your stang upright at the North point of your circle and place any materials needed for the ritual at the base of the stang.
What is a Stang? A stang is a tool that’s used in traditional witchcraft to represent the axis mundi and to honor the spirits of the land. The word Stang comes from Old Norse and it means "Pole." It’s usually made up of a wooden staff of shoulder height with either a Y shape or horns at the top.
Step 3: Trace the Circle
Go to the north and take up the stang. Walk along the perimeter of the circle, tracing the edge of the compass circle with the bottom of the stang. As you walk, visualize a blue flame coming from the edge of the stang. Walk the perimeter of the compass three times. When you finish, place the stang back at the north point of your compass.
Step 4: Create a Liminal Space Inside the Compass
The next step is to turn this space into something that is separate from our mundane reality. This involves entering into a trance-lake state. One way to do this is to pace the inside of the compass while chanting. You want to continue to chant & pace the circle until you feel that the atmosphere has become thicker or more electric.
Step 5: Envision your Connections to the 4 Directions
Stand at the center of the compass and envision a glowing line running through your hips connecting you to the East & West. Then envision a line going through your navel connecting you to North and South.
Finally, envision a line going through your spine, like an axis mundi, connecting you up to the sky and traveling deep below your feet into the Earth.
Step 6: Perform your Rite
Your compass is now complete so you can perform whatever you have planned, whether it be a ritual, spellwork, or meditation.
Keep in mind that Hallowing a Compass before every magical act is not necessary so it’s up to you to decide if creating this sacred space makes sense or not for what you’ll be doing.
Step 7: Release the Compass
After your work is done return to the center of the circle. Visualize the lines connecting you to the directions retreating back into your body. Then you can offer thanks to the spirits, energies, or deities that you have worked with.
Next you need to transition the space from something liminal to something that is grounded back into the mundane world. To do this you can walk around the perimeter of the circle in the opposite direction of how you created the compass.
Once you have walked the perimeter 3 times and have felt the energy of the compass fully dissipate you can clap your hands 3 times and say “It is done!”
I hope you enjoyed this post! What are your thoughts on this technique? Have you tried something similar? If you’re interested in supporting my channel and receiving additional witch & pagan resources I hope you’ll consider joining my Patreon family.
FREE Printable for Your Grimoire/Book of Shaddows: How to Hallow A Compass