The ritual circle at Taz and Alex’s house was the main feature of their verdant back yard. It was eighteen feet in diameter with twelve stones — limestone, marble, quartz, granite, and others — marking the circumference. Wild strawberry plants surrounded the southern half of the circle, and the northern half was marked by three oak trees. In each cardinal direction sat a knee-high maple stump with a flat rock atop it and a wrought iron shepherd’s hook behind it, upon which hung small tea-light lanterns. These were the quarter altars. Just east the northern quarter was the main altar, made of a slice of a single ancient maple trunk with a large river-worn sandstone sitting at about hip level to create the table. And just north of the eastern quarter stood a wooden archway that night-blooming jasmine had twined around and marked the entryway to the circle.
In the center of the circle, about two feet across, was the ritual fire pit. It was dug six inches into the ground and ringed with a wrought iron fire ring that had cutouts of stags and oak leaves on it. Inside the fire ring was a tepee-style campfire waiting to be lit, and south of the fire ring stood a wooden chair for the firetender.
When it was time for ritual, one of the coveners would go to the main altar and add salt to a cup of water, bless it, and walk around the circle while sprinkling the brine. Then they would add frankincense resin and sandalwood chips to a lit charcoal in the censer, walking the circle again and filling the air with heady fragrances. Then the firetender would come and light the sacred fire. The atmosphere of the circle always seemed to change when the fire was lit. Instead of a peaceful and meditative space, the circle became charged with anticipatory energy.
When the fire had grown to a steady blaze, the firetender would light a bundle of desert sage and stand at the archway, cleansing each participant with the sweet smoke as they stepped through the arch and into the circle. Finally, Alex and Taz would enter, Alex wearing her black trousers and loose green tunic and Taz wearing her deep purple ritual dress. Everyone would step close to the fire and Alex would raise her athame, walking the circle one final time and reciting the words of the circle casting. The shadows cast by the fire ring seemed to dance, and as we stepped backward to our places, it seemed as if there was an invisible, electric boundary separating us from the outside world. At each quarter, we invited the spirits of air, fire, water, and earth to join us in our circle, and after each ritual invocation, the space in the circle seemed just a little bit more crowded. Then we turned to the sacred fire in the center and called upon the ancestors to join us as well. Finally, Alex called upon the God to join us and Taz invoked the Goddess, and it seemed as if the circle was warmer than could be accounted for by the fire and the body heat of the participants. The temple, when fully erected and inhabited by the spirits, was alive with energy that seemed to tingle on the skin. And yet, when the circle was dissipated at the end of the ritual, none of this energy remained to pique the senses. It was once again a serene and meditative space.