Welcome to Gaia! ::

Thanks for the link!!!

I'm a "hail to the Guardians" girl. There is just something about formally recognizing them, that gives me a warm fuzzy. Now I admit I'm more of an elements person, but still each elements has it's own guardian - so I like inviting them to join me whenever I am doing formal rituals. It makes the energy that much better within my circle!

I've always had some issues with the watchtowers. I think its the origins in Ceremonial Magic and the links with angels and so on. With no traditional Wiccan training, I have no idea who these guardians actually are and therefore feel very wary about summoning them. In the same way, I'd have real issues holding ritual for a deity I knew nothing about.

While I haven't cast circle in ritual - at least in full - for a long time, I would rather do things a bit differently. I'm more likely to greet the cardinal directions as simply directions, rather than any sort of guardian spirit, and to declare the elements present separately. I don't tend to tie elements to separate spirits either; I don't think in terms of salamanders and undines or whatever. Water is water. I'm an animist, so I believe there's a spiritual wotsit involved, but it's still water I'm dealing with and not a spirit-form that dwells within it, if that makes sense. But then I'm no Wiccan...

On that note, actually, what's the thought here on how important the guardians of the watchtowers are to Neo-Wiccan ritual form? If you take them away, is it still a Neo-Wiccan ritual?