indicating the likelihood that this custom continued through the centuries. Oral accounts from 20th century Baden-Württemberg in a publication by the Jewish Museum of Switzerland also reference circling movements with a knife in order to protect a woman in childbirth. In the Golden Dawn The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which has had one of the largest influences on contemporary Western esotericism, introduced the practices of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram and the Opening by Watchtower. The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) is typically used as a daily practice and is also performed before any magical working, while the Watchtower ritual is much more involved. Both rituals are now used by a wide array of practitioners, including ceremonial magicians, Hermetic Qabalists, Neopagans, and Thelemites. In Wicca In Wicca, as also in traditional European grimoires, a magic circle is typically nine feet in diameter, though the size can vary depending on the purpose of the circle, and the preference of the caster. Some varieties of Wicca use the common ceremonial colour attributions for 'quarter candles': yellow for air in the east, red for fire in the south, blue for water in the west and green for earth in the north (though these attributions differ according to geographical location and individual philosophy). The common technique for raising energy within the circle is by means of a cone of power. The barrier is believed to be fragile, so that leaving or passing through the circle would weaken or dispel it. This is referred to as "breaking the circle". It is generally advised that practitioners do not leave the circle unless absolutely necessary. In order to leave a circle and keep it intact, Wiccans believe a door must be cut in the energy of the circle, normally on the east side. Whatever was used to cast the circle is used to cut the doorway, such as a sword, staff or knife (athame), a doorway is cut in the circle, at which point anything may pass through without harming the circle. This opening must be closed afterwards by reconnecting the lines of the circle. The circle is usually closed by the practitioner after they have finished by drawing in the energy with the athame or whatever was used to make the circle including their hand (usually in a widdershins: that is, counter-clockwise fashion). This is called 'closing the circle' or 'releasing