Circle Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Circle Sanctuary is a non-profit organization
and legally recognized Wicca
n Church
based in southwestern Wisconsin
, USA. Circle is the publisher of Circle Magazine, which has approximately 15,000 subscribers. It aims to encourage community celebrations, spiritual healing, research, networking and education.
Circle was founded in 1974 by Selena Fox
, and sponsors gatherings and encourages nature conservation, nature meditations and workshops at a range of locations, with the primary site being a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) site near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
set in forested hills. Circle Sanctuary's land is fully owned by Circle Sanctuary Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit.
The organization has been prominent in the campaign to permit the pentacle
to be displayed on the gravestones of Wiccan members of U.S. forces, and Selena Fox was one of the plaintiffs in the successful action to obtain this permission . Five of the gravestones are displayed at the Sanctuary's cemetery at Barneveld, Wisconsin
, about 25 miles (40.2 km) west of Madison
.
, Chicago, Illinois, and San Francisco, California
). Circle Network News, originally a newspaper-like quarterly and now a quarterly magazine, provided a method for Pagans in less populated areas to find others of like mind. Networking support remains one of Circle's core functions.
Circle sponsors many gatherings, the best-known of which is the Pagan Spirit Gathering
, held annually at Litha (Midsummer). Other major festivals on Circle Sanctuary land include Beltane
(near May 1), Green Spirit (Lughnasadh
, around August 1) and Samhain
(around October 31). Additional smaller gatherings, classes and celebrations are held year-round.
Circle has ordained nearly 20 ministers, who perform community support and passage rite work throughout the United States.
and Jim Alan, Circle's first public event was a Yule
ritual hosted at the couple's home in Madison, Wisconsin
. The following year, Circle moved to a farm in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
(just outside Madison). In 1976, a favorable article written by Jacqueline Mitchard appeared in The Capital Times, which marked the beginning of Circle's public outreach. The same year, Fox and Alan began hosting a weekly half-hour radio program on WORT in Madison; the program ran for four years.
1978 was a pivotal year for Circle. Incorporated as a Wicca
n Church in Wisconsin on October 27, 1978, the organization's legal name was changed to "Church of Circle Wicca, Inc." Circle's original coven structure was replaced with a church structure, including a board of directors and ordained ministers. Fox and Alan released a tape entitled Circle Magick Music, one of the first Neopagan music collections to be widely distributed. They also published a paperback collection of music in Circle Magic Songs. A weekly, hour-long cable television show was added on Cable 4 of Madison. The following year, Circle was featured in Time magazine on the Religion page, in an article about a handfasting
the couple performed at the third Pan Pagan Festival at Demotte, IN.
In 1979 Jim Alan and Selena Fox began working with the Chameleon Club, a Cleveland, Ohio
-based group. They hosted several appearances at Case Western Reserve University
and other Cleveland venues, and on the ABC
television talk shows Morning Exchange and Live on Five. Circle helped launch the first Starwood Festival
in 1981, just one month after the first Pagan Spirit Gathering.
In 1980, Circle received federal recognition as a church, and moved to another rented farm in Black Earth, Wisconsin
. The first Litha gathering was held, a precursor for the Pagan Spirit Gathering that made its debut in 1981. Fundraising for a land purchase began in 1980, and the land was purchased in 1983.
Its current legal name, "Circle Sanctuary, Inc.," was registered with the State of Wisconsin on September 30, 1983.
During 1984, Circle Sanctuary assisted in updating the United States Army's Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains. By that time, Circle Network had existed for several years, bringing Neopagans of many paths together. Circle was also involved in legal battles during the mid- to late-80's, as the local township government attempted to use zoning laws to prevent Circle from establishing the sanctuary land as church land. This effort failed, as Circle won key decisions that culminated in the same local government granting Circle the nation's first official recognition as a church of Witchcraft
in 1988. Today, Circle enjoys excellent relations with the local town board.
The 1990s were a period of increasing growth for Circle. Both of its executive directors, Selena Fox and Dennis Carpenter, received advanced degrees (Counseling and Psychology, respectively) by tying their fields of study into their Neopagan experience. Circle was a sponsor for the Parliament of World Religions in 1993, bringing Circle wide enough notice to attract the attention of fundamentalist Christian activists such as Pat Robertson
, who described Circle Sanctuary on his television program The 700 Club
and in his book The New World Order as "a 1000 acres (4 km²) [4 km²] sanctuary for witches", over-exaggerating the Sanctuary's land area fivefold.
Circle also participated in the Nature Religion Today conference sponsored by Lancaster University
, United Kingdom in 1996. In 1997, the Pagan Spirit Gathering moved to Wisteria Campground in southern Ohio, having been held in southwestern Wisconsin at Eagle Cave
near Blue River, Wisconsin. In 1998, Circle Magazine debuted as a quarterly magazine, replacing Circle Network News which had been published as a newsletter/newspaper since 1978.
.
(PSG), held annually to coincide with the Summer Solstice
. At first, the festivals were held at Eagle Cave in Grant County Wisconsin, but it outgrew the facilities and in 1997 moved to a location near Athens, Ohio
at Wisteria. In 2009, PSG moved to Camp Zoe near Salem, Missouri
.
All other gatherings sponsored by Circle happen on Circle Sanctuary land, with the exception of the Winter Solstice pageant held at a Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Madison.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
and legally recognized Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n Church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
based in southwestern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, USA. Circle is the publisher of Circle Magazine, which has approximately 15,000 subscribers. It aims to encourage community celebrations, spiritual healing, research, networking and education.
Circle was founded in 1974 by Selena Fox
Selena Fox
Selena Fox is a Wiccan priestess and activist, psychotherapist, self-published author and lecturer in the fields of Neopaganism, Wicca, New Age and comparative religion.- Circle :Rev...
, and sponsors gatherings and encourages nature conservation, nature meditations and workshops at a range of locations, with the primary site being a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) site near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
Mount Horeb is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,009 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
set in forested hills. Circle Sanctuary's land is fully owned by Circle Sanctuary Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit.
The organization has been prominent in the campaign to permit the pentacle
Pentacle
A pentacle is an amulet used in magical evocation, generally made of parchment, paper or metal , on which the symbol of a spirit or energy being evoked is drawn. It is often worn around the neck, or placed within the triangle of evocation...
to be displayed on the gravestones of Wiccan members of U.S. forces, and Selena Fox was one of the plaintiffs in the successful action to obtain this permission . Five of the gravestones are displayed at the Sanctuary's cemetery at Barneveld, Wisconsin
Barneveld, Wisconsin
Barneveld is a village in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the fourth most populous community in Iowa County, while the second largest village, and largest village located fully within the county. The population was 1,088 at the 2000 census...
, about 25 miles (40.2 km) west of Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
.
Overview
Since its creation in 1974, Circle Sanctuary has provided support to Neopagans in several ways, chiefly as a networking resource. For many years, Circle was the only national networking resource available to most Neopagans, especially those who were not located in major cities with large Pagan or Neopagan populations (such as New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Chicago, Illinois, and San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
). Circle Network News, originally a newspaper-like quarterly and now a quarterly magazine, provided a method for Pagans in less populated areas to find others of like mind. Networking support remains one of Circle's core functions.
Circle sponsors many gatherings, the best-known of which is the Pagan Spirit Gathering
Pagan Spirit Gathering
The Pagan Spirit Gathering is one of the United States's oldest and largest nature spirituality festivals, organized by Circle Sanctuary...
, held annually at Litha (Midsummer). Other major festivals on Circle Sanctuary land include Beltane
Beltane
Beltane or Beltaine is the anglicised spelling of Old Irish Beltaine or Beltine , the Gaelic name for either the month of May or the festival that takes place on the first day of May.Bealtaine was historically a Gaelic festival celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.Bealtaine...
(near May 1), Green Spirit (Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh is a traditional Gaelic holiday celebrated on 1 August. It is in origin a harvest festival, corresponding to the Welsh Calan Awst and the English Lammas.-Name:...
, around August 1) and Samhain
Samhain
Samhain is a Gaelic harvest festival held on October 31–November 1. It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the "Celtic New Year" from the late 19th century, following Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer...
(around October 31). Additional smaller gatherings, classes and celebrations are held year-round.
Circle has ordained nearly 20 ministers, who perform community support and passage rite work throughout the United States.
History
Founded in 1974 by Selena FoxSelena Fox
Selena Fox is a Wiccan priestess and activist, psychotherapist, self-published author and lecturer in the fields of Neopaganism, Wicca, New Age and comparative religion.- Circle :Rev...
and Jim Alan, Circle's first public event was a Yule
Yule
Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
ritual hosted at the couple's home in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. The following year, Circle moved to a farm in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
Sun Prairie is a city in Dane County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. A suburb of Madison it is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. The 2010 US Census estimates the city's population to be 29,364. It is the sixth-fastest growing city in Wisconsin, and the fastest-growing among cities...
(just outside Madison). In 1976, a favorable article written by Jacqueline Mitchard appeared in The Capital Times, which marked the beginning of Circle's public outreach. The same year, Fox and Alan began hosting a weekly half-hour radio program on WORT in Madison; the program ran for four years.
1978 was a pivotal year for Circle. Incorporated as a Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n Church in Wisconsin on October 27, 1978, the organization's legal name was changed to "Church of Circle Wicca, Inc." Circle's original coven structure was replaced with a church structure, including a board of directors and ordained ministers. Fox and Alan released a tape entitled Circle Magick Music, one of the first Neopagan music collections to be widely distributed. They also published a paperback collection of music in Circle Magic Songs. A weekly, hour-long cable television show was added on Cable 4 of Madison. The following year, Circle was featured in Time magazine on the Religion page, in an article about a handfasting
Handfasting
Handfasting is a traditional European ceremony of betrothal or wedding. It usually involved the tying or binding of the right hands of the bride and groom with a cord or ribbon for the duration of the wedding ceremony.-Etymology:...
the couple performed at the third Pan Pagan Festival at Demotte, IN.
In 1979 Jim Alan and Selena Fox began working with the Chameleon Club, a Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
-based group. They hosted several appearances at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
and other Cleveland venues, and on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television talk shows Morning Exchange and Live on Five. Circle helped launch the first Starwood Festival
Starwood Festival
The Starwood Festival is a seven-day Neo-Pagan, New Age, multi-cultural and world music festival presented in mid- to late July. Approximately 1,500 people attend including staff, speakers and entertainers. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects...
in 1981, just one month after the first Pagan Spirit Gathering.
In 1980, Circle received federal recognition as a church, and moved to another rented farm in Black Earth, Wisconsin
Black Earth, Wisconsin
Black Earth is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,320 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Black Earth...
. The first Litha gathering was held, a precursor for the Pagan Spirit Gathering that made its debut in 1981. Fundraising for a land purchase began in 1980, and the land was purchased in 1983.
Its current legal name, "Circle Sanctuary, Inc.," was registered with the State of Wisconsin on September 30, 1983.
During 1984, Circle Sanctuary assisted in updating the United States Army's Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains. By that time, Circle Network had existed for several years, bringing Neopagans of many paths together. Circle was also involved in legal battles during the mid- to late-80's, as the local township government attempted to use zoning laws to prevent Circle from establishing the sanctuary land as church land. This effort failed, as Circle won key decisions that culminated in the same local government granting Circle the nation's first official recognition as a church of Witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
in 1988. Today, Circle enjoys excellent relations with the local town board.
The 1990s were a period of increasing growth for Circle. Both of its executive directors, Selena Fox and Dennis Carpenter, received advanced degrees (Counseling and Psychology, respectively) by tying their fields of study into their Neopagan experience. Circle was a sponsor for the Parliament of World Religions in 1993, bringing Circle wide enough notice to attract the attention of fundamentalist Christian activists such as Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
, who described Circle Sanctuary on his television program The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
and in his book The New World Order as "a 1000 acres (4 km²) [4 km²] sanctuary for witches", over-exaggerating the Sanctuary's land area fivefold.
Circle also participated in the Nature Religion Today conference sponsored by Lancaster University
Lancaster University
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at...
, United Kingdom in 1996. In 1997, the Pagan Spirit Gathering moved to Wisteria Campground in southern Ohio, having been held in southwestern Wisconsin at Eagle Cave
Eagle Cave
Eagle Cave is an onyx cave located near Blue River, Wisconsin, in Richland County, Wisconsin, United States. Eagle Cave is known as Wisconsin's largest onyx cave and was the first cave to be commercially owned and operated in Wisconsin. The cave was discovered in 1849 and opened to the public in 1938...
near Blue River, Wisconsin. In 1998, Circle Magazine debuted as a quarterly magazine, replacing Circle Network News which had been published as a newsletter/newspaper since 1978.
Networking
Circle Network was founded in 1977 for the purpose of assisting Pagans of all paths to "connect with each other and share information, ideas, and energy". There is no cost to affiliate, and membership is open to any Pagan whose path espouses a reverence for nature and holds an ethical structure consistent with the Wiccan RedeWiccan Rede
The Wiccan Rede is a statement that provides the key moral system in the Neopagan religion of Wicca and other related Witchcraft-based faiths. A common form of the Rede is An it harm none, do what ye will....
.
Gatherings and celebrations
Circle Sanctuary sponsors gatherings year-round, but its largest festival is the Pagan Spirit GatheringPagan Spirit Gathering
The Pagan Spirit Gathering is one of the United States's oldest and largest nature spirituality festivals, organized by Circle Sanctuary...
(PSG), held annually to coincide with the Summer Solstice
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
. At first, the festivals were held at Eagle Cave in Grant County Wisconsin, but it outgrew the facilities and in 1997 moved to a location near Athens, Ohio
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
at Wisteria. In 2009, PSG moved to Camp Zoe near Salem, Missouri
Salem, Missouri
-External links:* * Historic maps of Salem in the at the University of Missouri...
.
All other gatherings sponsored by Circle happen on Circle Sanctuary land, with the exception of the Winter Solstice pageant held at a Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Madison.
Legal support
Circle Sanctuary founded the Lady Liberty League in 1985. The LLL is the "religious freedom support service" of Circle, providing information and networking for those who are working with religious freedom issues relevant to Wicca and/or Nature spirituality. In addition, the LLL worked actively to counter negative stereotypes of Neopagans, and has assisted others in furthering Wicca's acceptance. A recent example is the struggle to win approval from the United States Military to place pentacles on the memorial markers for Wiccan soldiers killed in the line of duty.Environmental work
Circle Sanctuary is located on a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) private nature preserve. Owned by Circle Sanctuary Inc, founded as a preserve in 1983 and zoned as "sacred land" in 1988, the Preserve is dedicated not only to support and maintain local biodiversity, but also to allow people to study interactions on the land from both a scientific and a spiritual basis.Access to the sanctuary
The land is not open to drop-in visitors, in accordance with its purpose as a nature preserve. However, the land and its sacred sites are open for:- Festivals held on the eight points of the Wheel of the YearWheel of the YearThe Wheel of the Year is a Neopagan term for the annual cycle of the Earth's seasons. It consists of eight festivals, spaced at approximately even intervals throughout the year. These festivals are referred to as Sabbats...
(the Wiccan Sabbats) - Monthly volunteer days
- Sacred Fire Circle intensives held on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends
- Earth Day
- Classes and intensives