DEITY APPRECIATION: CIRCE
**Trigger Warning SA***
Welcome to the first article in our Deity Appreciation Series! As witches we all have deities we work with, honor, worship, give offerings to, call upon, and sign contracts with. Some hold more weight in the witchy realm than others (or so witches debate), but deities are beings that carry great power, multitudes of abilities, strengths as well as weaknesses. They are not someone you simply call upon to solve your problems, to find you love, or make you successful at a moments notice. They are highly powerful spiritual beings that, when bonds are made, intentions set, and desires explored, will provide in ways beyond expectation; IF you are willing to devote some time and energy into those said connection with them.
How to Find, Connect and Explore Your New Relationship(s) with Deities
Finding a deity to work with isn’t always a simple task. I’ve met many a witch who have had a deity come to them in a dream, flicker in the flame of a candle, make contact via angel numbers, speak to them through ‘simple’ signs and synchronicity’s. How they come to you is not important, it’s why. Why you connect may be due to many reasons: their mythologies cross over into your lived experiences, the powers you seek to use are ones they greatly possess, their stage of life is calling for you to transition into or out of, they speak to your highest self or your shadow self…the list is never ending. All that matters in this process is that you feel a connection, one you wish to honor in ways they request.
Not everyone receives an ‘invitation’ from a deity, so please don’t take this as the only possible way to make connection. More times than not we have to be very open, still, and observant to pick up on their subtle messages, and even more-so be the ones to extend the hand to say “I’d love to work with you”. Think of your dream job, you’re not just going to walk right up to the head of that industry and demand the job! No, no, you’re going to bring offerings like a resume with detailed skills listed, maybe a cover letter with aspirations and goals listed, even express why it is that they are the ones you’re seeking to work with. Working with Magickal Beings is no different. But don’t worry, with each new deity covered I will lay out options on how to connect, what you can offer, and how to maintain the contract you’ve established.
With that said lets dive in, shall we? Without further ado, let’s get you acquainted with our first deity of the series, a Goddess dear to me and my practice, Circe.
John William Waterhouse 1891
Her Warning to Femininity
The forgotten daughter of Helios and the Ocean Nymph Perse, her story was predicted to be one of least interest. She wasn’t deemed beautiful, with godly powers, skills, or talents. In a world ruled by the power of Male Gods, Circes’ existence didn’t hold much weight. Much like women, non-heteronormative, and non-cisgendered people today, if one did not fit into the patriarchal system they were deemed useless and dismissed entirely. Even to this day many scholars refer to her as a “Minor Goddess”. I’d say that’s quite daring of them considering her reputation.
Many recall the story of Circe told through the 'Heroic Lens’ of Odysseus. Of course what is already problematic is that the tale of Odysseus is narrated through his perspective, his humanly flawed point of view. Circe’s boiled down contribution to existance is that of his tale; just a seductive sorceress who bewitches him into sleeping with her after turning his crew to swine!..ok so that did happen, but it wasn’t your typical tale as old as time, men-hating-woman heedlessly destroying the lives of men, and seducing them into a foggy haze…That, my fellow witch, is a story written by men. What the story fails to explore through Circe is her warning of danger to be a female presenting person in a Patriarchal society.
Even Through Jealousy, Magick Grows
For those unfamiliar with Circes’ mythology let me break it down in a way that will honor her full form. Please note, I am not by any means an expert of The Classics, Mythological Studies, or Ancient History, but I have found there are major points to Circes story that help us to understand, and connect with her deeply in the realm of Witchcraft. The Goddesses and Gods are not void of the ‘human experience’, they get jealous, fearful, horny, egoic, selfish, prideful, insecure, full of rage…and even our dear Circe was not void of these experiences. As a younger Goddess, Circe longed for love; to feel wanted, desired, and appreciated (hello teenage angst!). Her own father merely pitied her, and the other Gods scoffed at her “misfortunate face”, referring to her as ‘dull’ and ‘ugly’ with her yellow eyes. She lost love to a nymph ‘more beautiful’ which grew her jealousy, and anger.
Through these feelings she taught herself magick; spells, herbs, and other sorcery, in hopes she could transform other opinions, or maybe to transform herself…but nothing worked on her. So, entrenched in jealousy she created a potion that turned her ‘rival’, the beautiful nymph who stole her love away, into a monster so hideous it would change the nymphs self perception, and perception of men for good. This monster we now know to be Scylla. For this ‘crime’ she was banished to Aeaea for the rest of her days.
Turning Trauma into Power
In Aeaea, over centuries, Circe would provide a safe haven for young nymphs. She would continue her personal studies in herbs, potions, magick, and other forms of sorcery. She found herself surrounded by the animals of Aeaea, protected and in harmony with. The bests of Aeaea became her companions, and the nymphs became her wards- like a mother she would protect all life on her new found island, her sanctuary…or at least she thought. There are mixed beliefs surrounding this next chapter for Circe. Some academics still claim that Circe was the seductress to all men who came to her shores, bedding anyone she could, and drugging the ones that denied her turning them to swine. However, other scholars, feminists, authors, and poets, beg to differ. Circes’ story was one of neglect, in search for love, and acceptance. The only time she had stepped out of line was her transforming Scylla, an action of regret upon reflection (because girl on girl hate helps no one).
Once condemned to a life of solitude on Aeaea, Circe dedicates her time to bettering herself, honing her magick and, eventually, conjuring protection from pain she will inevitably witness, and experience. Circe had been sexually assaulted by multiple men who came upon her shores. To protect her nymphs, she sacrificed herself to these horrific action/crimes played upon her. It was in that instant that she knew only magick could save her. From then on, any man who came upon her shores, she would ‘seduce’ them into her home with food, drink, and shelter, but unbeknownst to them the food was poisoned turning these men to swine. She had prepared for this moment, and now it was her time to strike. In the story of Odysseus we are made to believe that she bedded him out of love, but Hermes shares an awful secret with Odysseus, telling him to “rush at her with murder in your eye…she’ll be afraid and invite you to bed.” Odysseus does just this, and to save her own life she beds him. This is not consent, but a means to survive. However, from the flames of trauma Circes’ powers grow, and her understanding of her perpetrator allows her access to the greater plans at large.
Circe ‘Invidiosa’ - John William Waterhouse 1892
Circes Sexual Power, and Innate Magick to Her Sexual Exploration
Circes trauma pushed her to finding ways to protect, seek vengeance, but most importantly take her power back! Her abuse was afflicted on her physical being, wether it was directly on her in a physical manner (sexual assault) or verbally inflicting (false pressure to assimilate into the patriarchal norm of what a ‘woman should be’). Like many of us experience in this day and time, going against the mainstream narrative can be dangerous and even put a target on your back, but what Circe teaches us is that when you take matters into your own hands, regardless of being called a bitch, slut, whore, seductress, bossy, intimidating, loud…the list goes on, you enforce autonomy over your own body, and that reverberates into the space around you, which you then are able to manipulate in whichever way you need to for your better interest.
Circe did grow to love Odysseus in time, I mean he was there in Aeaea for YEARS!! They had a sexual relationship that, although did not start on healthy terms, grew to be a choice for Circe- her sexual awakening was a powerful stance for her, and without mention of this in any texts, a new form of potent magick. Bravery and courage sprout from doing things that you can’t dare begin to fathom. Many SA survivors experience flashbacks, emotional and mental distress, and even physical pain attempting a healthy sexual life. What Circe did was no small feat, she took her sexual power back, and used it to even hex Odysseus from forgetting her (or Penelope feeling Circes presence upon him on his return to Ithaca and thereafter). She would move on and have other sexual partners, even fall in love again, have children…Her existence would not be forgotten, and her sacrifices would not go without notice, she made damn sure of that!
Madeline Millers Circe, The Female Lens
I cannot recommend Madeline Millers version of Circe enough. Finally Circes’ story is told from her own perspective! We still have the known characters from the classic tales, but we get the chance to finally explore her narrative from a lens untainted by the male gaze. Although all of her obstacles stem from a patriarchal system, therefore unable to remove Circes’ story from a male dominant presence, it is from her eyes that we can conclude how the patriarchy really causes pain, not just to women/identifying persons and young girls, but how fighting back using ones feminine powers and abilities can actually be so healing, protective, and in an unexpected way, a bringer of justice and catharsis. This version of Circes story does not shy away from the pain of her abuse, her struggle with her magickal abilities, and the decisions she makes navigating her life moving forward. Anyone can relate to her, but victims of abuse, and female identifying people, or those in the targeted marginalized groups, can really connect with her in the world of healing. This book in itself can help to facilitate the beginning of that connection with her.
Circe “The Sorceress” - John William Waterhouse 1911
Circie’s Power Poem
I never turned anyone into a pig.
Some people are pigs; I make them
Look like pigs.
I'm sick of your world
That lets the outside disguise the inside. Your men weren't bad men;
Undisciplined life
Did that to them. As pigs,
Under the care of
Me and my ladies, they
Sweetened right up.
Then I reversed the spell, showing you my goodness
As well as my power. I saw
We could be happy here,
As men and women are
When their needs are simple. In the same breath,
I foresaw your departure,
Your men with my help braving
The crying and pounding sea. You think
A few tears upset me? My friend,
Every sorceress is
A pragmatist at heart; nobody sees essence who can't
Face limitation. If I wanted only to hold you
I could hold you prisoner.
Circe's Grief Poem
In the end, I made myself
Known to your wife as
A god would, in her own house, in
Ithaca, a voice
Without a body: she
Paused in her weaving, her head turning
First to the right, then left
Though it was hopeless of course
To trace that sound to any
Objective source: I doubt
She will return to her loom
With what she knows now. When
You see her again, tell her
This is how a god says goodbye:
If I am in her head forever
I am in your life forever.
I’ll just leave these here…
How to Make Contact, What You Can Offer, and How to Maintain the Sacred Relationship
Now that we have established who Circe is, the many facets of her being, how the world around her shaped her, and what she did with the tools of the Earth at her disposal, it’s time to dive into how one can connect to her, what offerings you can make, and how to keep the channel between the two of you strong, active, and magickal!
One of the easiest ways to make contact with Circe is through working with herbs, specifically in alchemical study, medicinal study, or magickal study. There are countless herbs, flowers, shrubs, and so on that you can use to your own liking, however there are a few that must be mentioned in connection with Circe. These are some herbs you can start working with in your own studies/spellwork to call in her spirit: peony, mandrake, snowdrop, yarrow, poppy, hyssop, frankincense (boswellia tree), chamomile. I head a warning to please do further research into each herb you use. Circe wanted to cause amnesia, confusion, dissociation in her perpetrators for protection. So before you use these in any for of ingestion, inhalation, etc. make sure you consult with an herbalist!
Speaking to her in times of victimization, or recall of abuse is a profound, and albeit difficult but potent way to connect with her and call her in. She is a protecter after all, and also wants to provide insight on how you can handle your current harmful situation. A personal connection of mine was when I was in a previous apartment in NYC, I had a backyard and so I thought I’d try to plant some seeds and create my own garden. It was also a time of great pain in my life, and with my feet and hands in the dirt, I’d speak to her. I offered the plants/herbs that would grow from these seeds to be an offering to her, and that nothing was needed from her but that I’d like to begin to build a relationship with her. Now, my seeds did not grow, the ground was dead…but she came to me nonetheless. The intention was there, the connection was established, and now I knew she would provide me access to my rage in a transformative way in the years to come. I still work with her, and provide offerings on the alter.
One final way I will mention that can create connection, build relationship and call her to you is conjuring with other womxn. She is especially very active in support groups of those who have experienced abuse, in all forms, targeting ones place as a female identifying person constrained to societal pressures/norms. The programming that has been forced upon us by the patriarchy is that women must be competing against one another, it’s never the mans fault, it’s the other woman. This applies in all scenarios across the board. However, Circe knows differently, it is when we rebel against these ‘norms’ that we unlock our true power, and rise! Although her story was one of keeping danger from her nymphs, she took control of her own narrative into her own hands, which is one of the biggest lessons that comes with honoring Circe. She will provide protection to you, don’t get me wrong, but she will demand of you to head the tools necessary to protect yourself. She is a girls girl always and forever.
Actions, Alters & Offerings
Here are a list of items, herbs, colors, crystals, animals, etc. that I would recommend you add to your alter, work space, garden, and hearth to call Circe in, to show appreciation to her powers, and to grow the relationship to an ever lasting sisterhood:
Colors:
Indigo Nightfall
Livid
Black
Grey
Cascades
Gold
Animals:
Lions
Wolves
Pigs
Cattle
Leopard
Golden eyed birds
Crystals:
Malachite
Tigers Eyes
Moss Agate
Objects/Items:
Cauldron
Herb Strippers or Athame (kitchen witch)
Wand or Staff
Loom
Potions
Poultices
Herbs/Flowers:
Moly (Assumed to be Snowdrop)
Peony
Mandrake
Poppy
Leaves of all kinds
Music:
Female Rage - Carlamari
Praying - Kesha
Epic: Circe Saga
Femininominon - Chappell Roan
Labour - Paris Paloma
Same Old Energy and Burn Your Village - Kiki Rockwell
Man’s World - MARINA
Circe - Wendy Rule
Abcdefu - Gayle
Eyes on Fire - Blue Foundation
This article is by no means the only way to connect with Circe, nor should it be the last place you seek to gain further knowledge of her. However, I hope that you’ve gained some inspiration, been made to feel that you aren’t alone, and that connection to the divine beings really ins’t as difficiult to connect with than maybe you thought. No one is the end all be all gatekeeper to the Deities, you always hold the key to your own practice of the Craft and can unlock any door you wish to. Deities don’t like to be held down, nor do they like to be ignored, neglected, or imprisoned. No one can hold them down, so keep in mind that their energy may flight in and out of your life as they see fit. With that said, they love attention, so it doesn’t take much to call them back in.
I hope you feel empowered to work with this incredibly badass Deity. She was the first deity I worked with and I still lean on our connection to this day. She has taught me so much that I wish I could dive even deeper…but unfortunately this medium only allows so much. So, use this simply as a jumping off point, there is so much more to explore, as you’ll learn if you move forward with her.
Until next time, stay spooky darklings xx
“The Magic Circe” - John William Waterhouse 1886
