Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

FOUR QUARTERS, The

Calling the Quarters
as performed by
my old Coven,
'Circle of the Mystic Moon'
(photo digitally altered
to protect the privacy
of the individual)

In Wicca, Neo-Pagan Witchcraft and various forms of Western Ceremonial Magick the Four Quarters are the four cardinal points of the magic circle each of which represents particular elements, elementals, ritual tools, and attributes.

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE:

North:

To ancient pagans North was the source of great power. As the heavens, it was believed, swung around the North Star so the ancient people aligned their temples and pyramids to this star. North, the cardinal point never touched by the sun, is associated with darkness, mystery and the unknown.

There is belief that because of the Pagan's reverence for the North that Satan became associated with the North. Cemeteries were seldom on the North side of a church, if such space was used for burial at all it was for unbaptized children, criminals, reprobates, and suicides. Many old churches throughout Europe and the British Isles had a North door, often called "the Devil's door," which was near the baptismal font. Frequently after a baptism this door was opened to let the exorcised demons out. Most of these doors have long since been bricked shut.

The North is associated with the element of earth, the new phase of the moon, the Pentacle, secrecy and darkness, the colours of gold or black, and spiritual enlightenment as keeping with the traditions of modern Witchcraft and Masonry.

East:

The East is believed to possess the qualities of enlightenment, illumination, mysticism and the eternal. It corresponds to the element of air, the athame or sword, the colourss of red or white. NorthEast is the symbolic dividing line between the path of darkness (North) and the path of light (East). In Masonry, the East represents mankind's highest and most spiritual consciousness.

South:

The South's attributes are believed to be the sun, the element of fire, the colours of blue or white, and the magic wand. It is said to be the quarter of the will, the direction and channeling of the energies of nature and the psychic. South-running water has long been reputed to have magical powers as it has long been used by wise women and witches in preparing medicine and anti-witchcraft spells. In Masonry, the South is the midway meeting point between the spiritual Intuition of the East and the rationality of the West. The South represents the zenith of intellectuality; as the sun reaches its zenith in the Southern sky.

West:

The West is the quarter of the element of water, creativity, emotions, fertility, and courage to face one's deepest feelings. The chalice, symbol of feminine creative power and fecundity, is associated with this quarter as are the colours of red or grey. In Masonry, it represents reason, common sense, and material-mindedness.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE:

North:

In the Southern Hemisphere, due to the North being the direction in which the Equator lies, the North's attributes are generally held to the sun, the element of fire, the colours of blue or white, and the magic wand. It is said to be the quarter of the will, the direction and channeling of the energies of nature and the psychic.

East:

There is no 'agreed' pattern to the attributes/correspondances of East and West in the Southern Hemisphere and much depends on the geographical location of a Coven or individual practitioner.

For example, on the West Coast of Australia it is not uncommon for the East to represent the element of air, and be regarded as to possessing the qualities of enlightenment, illumination, mysticism and the eternal. It corresponds with the athame or sword, the colours of red or white. SouthEast is the symbolic dividing line between the path of darkness (South) and the path of light (East).

However, on the East Coast of Australia, it is not uncommon to find that the West is the quarter of the element of water, creativity, emotions, fertility, and courage to face one's deepest feelings. The chalice, symbol of feminine creative power and fecundity, is associated with this quarter as are the colours of red or grey.

South:

In the Southern Hemisphere, the South is associated with the element of earth, the new phase of the moon, the Pentacle, secrecy and darkness, the colours of green, gold or black, and spiritual enlightenment.

West:

There is no 'agreed' pattern to the attributes/correspondances of East and West in the Southern Hemisphere and much depends on the geographical location of a Coven or individual practitioner.

For example, on the West Coast of Australia it is not uncommon for the West to represent the element of water, creativity, emotions, fertility, and courage to face one's deepest feelings. The chalice, symbol of feminine creative power and fecundity, is associated with this quarter as are the colours of red or grey. In Masonry, it represents reason, common sense, and material-mindedness.

However, on the East Coast of Australia, it is not uncommon to find that the West is the quarter of the element of air, and be regarded as to possessing the qualities of enlightenment, illumination, mysticism and the eternal. It corresponds with the athame or sword, the colours of red or white.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc