CASTING THE MAGICKAL CIRCLE
CASTING THE MAGICKAL CIRCLE
Casting a sacred Circle before ritual or spell work is a skill that
every adept
witch must master. We cast Circle for a number of reasons:
a.. To protect us from negative external influences while
creating a
positive space between the worlds of the material and spiritual.
b.. As a psychological trigger that prepares us for magickal work
by
switching our awareness to a deeper mode.
a.. To contain all energy raised within until we choose to
release it to
the universe. Just as you cannot boil water without putting it in a
pot, you
cannot raise power effectively unless it is first contained.
When we cast a Circle we are defining a new time and space between
the
Worlds of the spiritual and the mundane realms. This magickal sphere
of energy
is the witches' temple, where all rituals are enacted. It is raised
before
every magickal rite, and released again afterwards.
The Circle may be cast wherever and whenever we need to; whether it
is on a
beach or while sitting on a bus. Sometimes it's even while walking
down lonely
streets at night.
There is no one right way to cast a Circle. In fact, there are as many
different methods as there are magickal practitioners. Some methods
call for
elaborate props and physical actions on the Circle casters' behalf,
while
others are constructed through visualisation alone. Do whatever you
are
comfortable with and which your circumstances allow.
How you visualise the energy of the sphere is also up to you. Many
see it as a
pure, glowing white light. But it may also be manifested as anything
from blue
flames, mist, spiders' web, or even as a sphere of overlapping green
dragon
scales.
The Circle is actually a sphere extending above and below you,
encasing
everything in your magickal working area. The circle represents the
place where
the sphere of energy meets the ground.
Traditionally it has a diameter of nine feet for a coven meeting, or
three feet
for the solitary practitioner. However, as many adept working witches
will
testify, size doesn't really matter in this respect. People have been
practicing the Craft long before tape measures were invented.
Where you are on the planet can also determine how you cast Circle.
For
example, in the Southern Hemisphere deosil, meaning sunwise, is
anticlockwise
in direction as this is the way the sun transverses across the sky
here. How
the elements relate to the cardinal directions also differs,
depending on where
you live. Wicca is a religion deeply attuned to nature. Look at the
environment
where you live and do what feels comfortable to you. If there are
mountains to
your west and you feel the earth element is strongest there, then use
that
correspondence.
There are a few times when you shouldn't cast Circle, and these are
also times
when it is unfavourable to practise magick:
a.. When you are very ill
b.. When the Moon is void of course
c.. If you are angry
d.. When you are with someone who doesn't approve of what you are
doing
All this said, here is one example of a Circle Casting ceremony. It
was
designed for the East Coast of Australia. Do your own research and
adapt it as
you wish.
Example of a Circle Casting
1. Before casting the Circle or doing any meditative or ritual work,
you need
to be centred and grounded. It is best to do this right at the start.
2. Set up four coloured candles, each one representing a cardinal
point, just
outside what will be the perimeter of the Circle. For this example we
are
using:
a.. Red or Orange candle in the North, representing Fire
b.. Green or Brown candle in the South, representing Earth
c.. Blue or Blue-Green candle in the West, representing Water
d.. Yellow candle in the East, representing Air
3. Set up your altar inside what will be the circle, either facing
the East
(rising sun), or to the North (darkest quarter), or in the centre.
Once again,
do whatever feels best. Place on your alter all of the props you will
be using
in your spell or ritual, including your magickal work tools, and a
representation of each element. In our example we are using:
a.. Athame or Wand
b.. Incense in a holder (I use a lit charcoal block in a
heatproof dish
onto which I sprinkle powdered incense)
c.. Salt (Rock salt or natural salt - the less processed the
better)
d.. A bowl of water
e.. A red or orange candle representing the element of Fire
f.. Your pentacle (representing Earth) upon which the Athame
often sits
g.. Anything else you will be using for your ritual after the
Circle is
cast
4. Light the incense, purify/ bless the water and consecrate it by
putting in
some salt. Now the bowl of water will represent two elements in one-
Water, and
Earth (the Salt).
5. The quarter from which you commence casting your Circle depends
again,
on where you are on the planet, and the time of year. Many
practitioners start
and at the element where their alter is facing and leave it at that.
Others
choose to change it according to the Sabbats. In the Southern
Hemisphere this
could mean starting in the North during Beltane and Litha, in the
South for
Samhain and Yule, the East for Imbolc and Ostara, and the West during
Lammas
and Mabon. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. In this example,
we start in
the South.
Standing with your Athame in hand, arm extended out in front of you,
slowly
walk the perimeter of the circle in a deosil (anticlockwise)
direction. As you
walk, trace the circumference of the Circle with your Athame, while
visualising
white light emanating from the tip, and spreading to form a glowing
sphere of
energy around you and your magickal working area. As you perform this
enacted
meditation, say:
I conjure thee, great Circle of Power,
To be a boundary between the worlds,
A place of perfect love and perfect trust,
Containing the power I will raise herein.
Visualise that you have an impenetrable barrier that no harm can
cross.
6. Now it is time to call upon the elements to bless the Circle.
Move around the Circle again, this time trace the corresponding
Invoking
Pentagram in the air at each quarter. Many people visualise bright
blue light
emanating from the tip of the Athame, which becomes a pulsating
pentagram. When
you call each element, see it entering the circle through the
Pentagram. Before
you attempt this it is wise to have meditated on and researched the
energies of
each element, and to practise visualising it.
A simple elemental call could go something along the lines of:
Hail!
Powers of Earth
I summon you forth
To bless this Circle
And call on your fertile, nurturing, stabilising qualities
To Assist in my Rites
Remember that you are working your way around the Circle in a
clockwise
direction.
7. Pick up the Salt- water and moving around the Circle, flick it
around the
perimeter. As you go, affirm:
By Earth and Water this Circle is blessed. So mote it be.
8. Pick up the incense. Waft it around the perimeter while affirming:
By Air this Circle is blessed. So mote it be.
9. Pick up the lit candle. As you go around, light each of the four
candles,
while affirming:
By Fire this Circle is blessed. So mote it be.
10. Now is the time to call the God and Goddess into the Circle.
Stand at the
Altar; raise both arms into the air and call:
Welcome, Lady and Lord of all that is!
God and Goddess of many names!
I call on you to bless this Circle
set outside of time in the realms of your eternal magick
and to witness and bless my Rites!
So mote it be!"
11. The Circle is now Bound and Blessed. So mote it be!
You are now ready to begin your Ritual or Spell work within the
Circle. Leaving
the Circle during Ritual is a real no- no as it tends to dissipate
the energy.
If you must leave before the ritual has ended, use your Athame to cut
a gate
through which you may exit.
Closing the Circle
After you have completed your work within Circle, it is time to
release or
disperse the Circle and return the area to normalcy. This involves
formally
thanking the Elements and Deity, bidding them farewell for now, and
drawing up
the Circle. This must be done with the same care and precision that
you took to
cast your Circle in the first place. When closing Circle, we move in a
clockwise direction (the opposite direction in which we cast the
Circle.)
1.. Stand at the altar with your arms raised above your head.
Call:
Lady and Lord of all that is
God and Goddess of many names
Thank you for blessing this Circle
Set outside of time in the realms of your eternal magick
And thank you for witnessing and blessing my Rites.
Hail and Farewell!
2.Starting in the South, raise your Athame above your head and trace
the
relevant Banishing Pentagram for South in the air, seeing the blue
light energy
outline dissipating as you go. In keeping with a rule that the
banishing call
must be similar to the invoking call (Except reversed,) call out:
Hail!
Powers of Earth
I release you!
Thank you for blessing this Circle
And assisting in my Rites
Then, moving in a clockwise direction, repeat the closing procedure
for all
four elements.
1.. With Athame in hand, outstretched in front of you, walk
clockwise
around the perimeter of the Circle. Visualise the energy/ form of the
sphere
dissipate as you go. Affirm:
The Circle is Open,
But never broken. So Mote it Be.
Casting a sacred Circle before ritual or spell work is a skill that
every adept
witch must master. We cast Circle for a number of reasons:
a.. To protect us from negative external influences while
creating a
positive space between the worlds of the material and spiritual.
b.. As a psychological trigger that prepares us for magickal work
by
switching our awareness to a deeper mode.
a.. To contain all energy raised within until we choose to
release it to
the universe. Just as you cannot boil water without putting it in a
pot, you
cannot raise power effectively unless it is first contained.
When we cast a Circle we are defining a new time and space between
the
Worlds of the spiritual and the mundane realms. This magickal sphere
of energy
is the witches' temple, where all rituals are enacted. It is raised
before
every magickal rite, and released again afterwards.
The Circle may be cast wherever and whenever we need to; whether it
is on a
beach or while sitting on a bus. Sometimes it's even while walking
down lonely
streets at night.
There is no one right way to cast a Circle. In fact, there are as many
different methods as there are magickal practitioners. Some methods
call for
elaborate props and physical actions on the Circle casters' behalf,
while
others are constructed through visualisation alone. Do whatever you
are
comfortable with and which your circumstances allow.
How you visualise the energy of the sphere is also up to you. Many
see it as a
pure, glowing white light. But it may also be manifested as anything
from blue
flames, mist, spiders' web, or even as a sphere of overlapping green
dragon
scales.
The Circle is actually a sphere extending above and below you,
encasing
everything in your magickal working area. The circle represents the
place where
the sphere of energy meets the ground.
Traditionally it has a diameter of nine feet for a coven meeting, or
three feet
for the solitary practitioner. However, as many adept working witches
will
testify, size doesn't really matter in this respect. People have been
practicing the Craft long before tape measures were invented.
Where you are on the planet can also determine how you cast Circle.
For
example, in the Southern Hemisphere deosil, meaning sunwise, is
anticlockwise
in direction as this is the way the sun transverses across the sky
here. How
the elements relate to the cardinal directions also differs,
depending on where
you live. Wicca is a religion deeply attuned to nature. Look at the
environment
where you live and do what feels comfortable to you. If there are
mountains to
your west and you feel the earth element is strongest there, then use
that
correspondence.
There are a few times when you shouldn't cast Circle, and these are
also times
when it is unfavourable to practise magick:
a.. When you are very ill
b.. When the Moon is void of course
c.. If you are angry
d.. When you are with someone who doesn't approve of what you are
doing
All this said, here is one example of a Circle Casting ceremony. It
was
designed for the East Coast of Australia. Do your own research and
adapt it as
you wish.
Example of a Circle Casting
1. Before casting the Circle or doing any meditative or ritual work,
you need
to be centred and grounded. It is best to do this right at the start.
2. Set up four coloured candles, each one representing a cardinal
point, just
outside what will be the perimeter of the Circle. For this example we
are
using:
a.. Red or Orange candle in the North, representing Fire
b.. Green or Brown candle in the South, representing Earth
c.. Blue or Blue-Green candle in the West, representing Water
d.. Yellow candle in the East, representing Air
3. Set up your altar inside what will be the circle, either facing
the East
(rising sun), or to the North (darkest quarter), or in the centre.
Once again,
do whatever feels best. Place on your alter all of the props you will
be using
in your spell or ritual, including your magickal work tools, and a
representation of each element. In our example we are using:
a.. Athame or Wand
b.. Incense in a holder (I use a lit charcoal block in a
heatproof dish
onto which I sprinkle powdered incense)
c.. Salt (Rock salt or natural salt - the less processed the
better)
d.. A bowl of water
e.. A red or orange candle representing the element of Fire
f.. Your pentacle (representing Earth) upon which the Athame
often sits
g.. Anything else you will be using for your ritual after the
Circle is
cast
4. Light the incense, purify/ bless the water and consecrate it by
putting in
some salt. Now the bowl of water will represent two elements in one-
Water, and
Earth (the Salt).
5. The quarter from which you commence casting your Circle depends
again,
on where you are on the planet, and the time of year. Many
practitioners start
and at the element where their alter is facing and leave it at that.
Others
choose to change it according to the Sabbats. In the Southern
Hemisphere this
could mean starting in the North during Beltane and Litha, in the
South for
Samhain and Yule, the East for Imbolc and Ostara, and the West during
Lammas
and Mabon. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. In this example,
we start in
the South.
Standing with your Athame in hand, arm extended out in front of you,
slowly
walk the perimeter of the circle in a deosil (anticlockwise)
direction. As you
walk, trace the circumference of the Circle with your Athame, while
visualising
white light emanating from the tip, and spreading to form a glowing
sphere of
energy around you and your magickal working area. As you perform this
enacted
meditation, say:
I conjure thee, great Circle of Power,
To be a boundary between the worlds,
A place of perfect love and perfect trust,
Containing the power I will raise herein.
Visualise that you have an impenetrable barrier that no harm can
cross.
6. Now it is time to call upon the elements to bless the Circle.
Move around the Circle again, this time trace the corresponding
Invoking
Pentagram in the air at each quarter. Many people visualise bright
blue light
emanating from the tip of the Athame, which becomes a pulsating
pentagram. When
you call each element, see it entering the circle through the
Pentagram. Before
you attempt this it is wise to have meditated on and researched the
energies of
each element, and to practise visualising it.
A simple elemental call could go something along the lines of:
Hail!
Powers of Earth
I summon you forth
To bless this Circle
And call on your fertile, nurturing, stabilising qualities
To Assist in my Rites
Remember that you are working your way around the Circle in a
clockwise
direction.
7. Pick up the Salt- water and moving around the Circle, flick it
around the
perimeter. As you go, affirm:
By Earth and Water this Circle is blessed. So mote it be.
8. Pick up the incense. Waft it around the perimeter while affirming:
By Air this Circle is blessed. So mote it be.
9. Pick up the lit candle. As you go around, light each of the four
candles,
while affirming:
By Fire this Circle is blessed. So mote it be.
10. Now is the time to call the God and Goddess into the Circle.
Stand at the
Altar; raise both arms into the air and call:
Welcome, Lady and Lord of all that is!
God and Goddess of many names!
I call on you to bless this Circle
set outside of time in the realms of your eternal magick
and to witness and bless my Rites!
So mote it be!"
11. The Circle is now Bound and Blessed. So mote it be!
You are now ready to begin your Ritual or Spell work within the
Circle. Leaving
the Circle during Ritual is a real no- no as it tends to dissipate
the energy.
If you must leave before the ritual has ended, use your Athame to cut
a gate
through which you may exit.
Closing the Circle
After you have completed your work within Circle, it is time to
release or
disperse the Circle and return the area to normalcy. This involves
formally
thanking the Elements and Deity, bidding them farewell for now, and
drawing up
the Circle. This must be done with the same care and precision that
you took to
cast your Circle in the first place. When closing Circle, we move in a
clockwise direction (the opposite direction in which we cast the
Circle.)
1.. Stand at the altar with your arms raised above your head.
Call:
Lady and Lord of all that is
God and Goddess of many names
Thank you for blessing this Circle
Set outside of time in the realms of your eternal magick
And thank you for witnessing and blessing my Rites.
Hail and Farewell!
2.Starting in the South, raise your Athame above your head and trace
the
relevant Banishing Pentagram for South in the air, seeing the blue
light energy
outline dissipating as you go. In keeping with a rule that the
banishing call
must be similar to the invoking call (Except reversed,) call out:
Hail!
Powers of Earth
I release you!
Thank you for blessing this Circle
And assisting in my Rites
Then, moving in a clockwise direction, repeat the closing procedure
for all
four elements.
1.. With Athame in hand, outstretched in front of you, walk
clockwise
around the perimeter of the Circle. Visualise the energy/ form of the
sphere
dissipate as you go. Affirm:
The Circle is Open,
But never broken. So Mote it Be.
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