A Brief Overview of the History of Magic Circles

How do you read magic circles? This question sent me on an obsessive spiral through history, resulting in this video: A brief overview, condensing what I've learned about magic circles into three topics: 1. Precursors to the medieval magic circle through history. 2. How to build a circle and define its parts (from pre-ritual prep to the meaning of the geometry and symbols). 3. The uses of magic circles. In a future video, I hope to look at magic circles in modern media to see where they overlap with and diverge from this history. 0:00 Introduction 1:10 Part 1: History of Magic Circles 14:51 Part 2: Building a Magic Circle 15:40 Part 2 Step 1: Purification and Preparation 17:15 Part 2 Step 2: Time, Place, and Direction 19:31 Part 2 Step 3: Materials 22:14 Part 2 Step 4: Geometry 32:14 Part 2 Step 5: Adornments 46:18 Part 2 Step 6: Position and Ritual 48:45 Part 3: Utility of Magic Circles 57:07 Final Thoughts (including my sources)