One way to cast a circle. Taken from Magick Chalice

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JBRaven
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One way to cast a circle. Taken from Magick Chalice

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How to Cast a Circle
How To Cast A Circle*

Casting a Magick Circle is a basic technique that every Wiccan learns. The more you do it, the better you will get at it, the easier it will become. You will use this technique for casting ritual circles in which to worship, and to cast circles to strengthen your magickal workings.

Not everything requires the use of a Magick Circle. The circle is used for worship ceremonies, but is not necessary for private devotions. Most spellwork does not require casting a circle either, but if a spell is really important casting a circle will generate much more energy for the spell. Generally only the individual can determine if they need a circle for a given spell -and once you have sufficient experience you will find it an easy thing to judge. Casting a circle makes for a longer and more complicated working, but it creates a much stronger effect.

Cleansing

Before you set up your Magick Circle, you will first want to cleanse and consecrate the area. By cleansing the area you remove any negative energies that might be there, and by consecrating it you prevent those negative energies from returning.

What are negative energies? Because energy responds to emotion, it can become charged with all sorts of feelings, which a psychically sensitive person can pick up on, and which can be magnified by magickal working. Anger, fear, sadness -these and many other emotions can color energy, shaping that energy without conscious intent. The energy then holds these emotions, and can tend to pass them on to sensitive people.

The stronger the initial emotion, the longer negative energy will tend to hold it. Sometimes energy will hold such a charge for a very long time. This is why certain places, which have witnessed traumatic events, can give us “bad vibes” -the energy of the place has been imprinted with the negative emotions experienced there.

Most negative energy is not that focused however -usually the emotional charge is not so strong, and it diffuses over time. Most negative energy contains little bits of many conflicting emotions culled from many sources, which tend to give it a “muddy” feeling. This energy is unfocused and undirected, and can tend to make concentration difficult. By removing it you will find that you can work much more effectively.

How To Cleanse

There are many ways to cleanse your ritual space of negative energy. Techniques range from simple to complex, and can make use of many different tools. Some use water, some use smoke, others use visualization, while others use sound or ritual movement. With experience you will find the one that works best for you. But in this lesson we are simply going to give you a good technique that we think you will work well for you: That is cleansing by salt and water.

To do this you will first clear and release all excess energy, as you should before every magickal working.

Now place your hand over the water. Make three Tuathail (counterclockwise) circles over the water, concentrating on removing any negativity from it. Say something to the effect of: “Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Water, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within!” Imagine yellow-white light pouring down from your hand into the water, and forcing out all negativity.

Now make three Deosil (clockwise) circles with your hand over the water. Say something like: “And I do bless and consecrate you to this work!” Visualize the water being filled with a clear, bluish white light. Imagine the water filling with this light until it shines as brightly as if there were a blue-white sun within it.

Now turn to the salt. Place your hand over the salt and make three Tuathail circles over the salt, concentrating on removing any negativity from it. Say something to the effect of: “Behold, I exorcise you, O creature of Earth, casting out from you any impurities which may lie within!” Imagine yellow-white light pouring down from your hand into the salt, and forcing out all negativity.

Now make three Deosil circles with your hand over the salt. Say something like: “And I do bless and consecrate you to this work!” Visualize the salt being filled with a clear, bluish white light. Imagine the salt filling with this light until it shines as brightly as if there were a blue-white sun within it.

Now say something to the effect of: “Behold, the salt is pure! Behold the water is pure! Purity into Purity then, and purity be blessed!” Add three pinches of salt to the water and stir.

You have now made Holy Water.

Take the Holy Water and go Deosil around the area in which you are going to erect your circle.

As you go around the area, Asperge it -that is to say, sprinkle it with Holy Water. As you do this, imagine the area being flooded with yellow light. Let the yellow light fill the area, going out in all directions for a good distance. This is the act that actually sends out the negativity, so focus on it as strongly as possible.

As you asperge the area, you may wish to say something to the effect of: “Behold I cleanse and purify this space.” When you have made a full circle, replace the Holy Water on the altar. Turn to face the inside of the circle and say something to the effect of: “I bless and consecrate this space!” Now visualize the area being filled with a clear blue-white light, so it is wholly filled in all directions.

You have now cleansed and blessed your ritual space, and are ready to cast the circle itself.

Casting The Circle

Traditionally the Magick Circle is cast with the Athame, or ritual knife. If you do not yet have an Athame, you can use your Finger -point it just as you would the blade of the knife.

Beginning in the East, point your Athame outward. The boundaries of the Magick Circle do not have to conform to the room you are in, but can be much larger -since the circle is an energy structure, it is not hampered by walls -so make it a comfortable size. Just be sure that you have cleansed whatever area you include in the circle, and that there are not other people wandering through it.

Imagine a beam of light shooting out from the tip of the Athame toward the East. It is best if the light is white or red -red will add extra strength to it. Imagine this beam as being like a bolt of lightening, and focus on the strength of this energy. Send the beam of light out to what will be the furthest edge of your Magick Circle.

Now begin to walk deosil around the circle, keeping the Athame pointed outward with the beam of light coming from it. As you walk, imagine that you are using the Athame and the beam of light to “draw” a boundary line out in the distance -imagine this boundary as a thick line of bright white light. Concentrate on this boundary being strong, and full of energy.

The most important thing is to focus on the boundary being strong, but if you wish to speak there are a number of incantations which can be said during this process -a good example of which being: “Behold, I do cut apart a space between the realms of humankind and of the Mighty Ones -a Circle of Art, to focus and contain the power raised herein!” Continue on around the circle, until you return to the East. Imagine the end of your boundary linking up to its beginning, becoming a solid ring.

Make sure that you and anyone you may be working with have done everything they need to do before the circle is cast, because once cast it is best not to “break” the circle. That is to say, you do not walk through the barrier you have erected. This is because the Magick Circle acts as a containment, focusing the energy within it and making it stronger -every time the circle is broken, this effect is weakened, and a certain amount of energy “leaks out.”

If the circle must be broken, use the Athame to “cut a door” -that is to say, make an opening in the circle of white light you have drawn. You do this by pointing the Athame at the edge of the circle and imagining again the beam of light coming from its tip. Now imagine the barrier of white light broken at the point where the beam of light from the Athame touches it, and move the Athame Tuathail -that is, to the left- imagining the barrier of white light disappearing from that space as you do so. Open only enough space in the barrier for the person to exit, then immediately reseal the circle by moving the Athame back to the right (deosil) and visualizing the barrier of white light filling back in to become whole again.

Airts

Now that you have cast the Magick Circle itself, you are ready to call the Quarters.

You learned about the Airts, or Quarters, in the previous lessons. Now you will learn how to call them.

As with everything else in Wicca, there are many ways to do this. For the purposes of this lesson it is only our intention to give you one simple form to use. Once you become proficient with it, you can learn others.

The Airts are the four cardinal points in the circle: East, South, West, and North. It is normal to invoke them at the beginning of a ritual to guide and aid you in what you are doing. Often the Airts are personified as Guardians, or identified with Deities. Then again sometimes they will be visualized as animals, or as pure elemental forms.

In my Tradition we normally begin in the East, direction of new beginnings, as do many other Traditions. Some Traditions start in the North, however. This is just one of many variations between Traditions: in Wicca each different Tradition, and often each different Temple, is free to make what variations it needs for the growth of its members.

Thus we will begin in the East.

Stand facing in the direction of the East. Imagine a column of white light rising up before you. Invoke the Quarter with words to this effect: “Hail unto You, O Guardian of the Watchtower of the East, power of Air and intellect. We pray that You will be with us this night in our circle, and that You will give Your blessing and Your aid to this our undertaking! We bid You hail, and welcome!” Now go to the South.

Again imagine a column of white light rising up before you. Invoke the Quarter with words to this effect: “Hail unto You, O Guardian of the Watchtower of the South, power of Fire and manifestation. We pray that You will be with us this night in our circle, and that You will give Your blessing and Your aid to this our undertaking! We bid You hail, and welcome!” Now go to the West.

Imagine a column of white light rising up before you. Invoke the Quarter with words to this effect: “Hail unto You, O Guardian of the Watchtower of the West, power of Water and emotion. We pray that You will be with us this night in our circle, and that You will give Your blessing and Your aid to this our undertaking! We bid You hail, and welcome!” Finally come to the North of the circle.

Again imagine a column of white light rising up before you. Invoke the Quarter using words like these: “Hail unto You, O Guardian of the Watchtower of the North, power of Earth and integration. We pray that You will be with us this night in our circle, and that You will give Your blessing and Your aid to this our undertaking! We bid You hail, and welcome!” You have now successfully invoked the Four Airts to guard and aid your Magick Circle. They too will add power to the work you are doing, as does the Magick Circle itself.

Your Magick Circle is now cast.

You would then commonly follow with invocations to Deity, and the body of your ritual or spell.

Dismissing

When you have finished your working, you will have to take down the circle. This is usually easier than erecting it, and is done in exact reverse order.

You will begin by thanking Deity, but we will talk more about invocations and thanks to Deity later on.

Next you must Dismiss the Quarters.

Just as you build your circle with Deosil movements, you take it down with Tuathail movement. Tuathail motions are used for cleansing and releasing of energy.

Thus you will begin dismissing the Quarters from the North, then move around the circle in a counter-clockwise manner.

Face the North, and again see the column of white light you raised when you invoked the Quarter. Speak words to this effect: “Guardian of the Watchtower of the North, power of Earth and manifestation, we thank You for Your presence here tonight -we thank You for Your aid, and Your guidance. may there be peace between Us now and always. Go if You must -stay if You will. We bid You hail, and farewell!” As you say this imagine the column of white light sinking back down into the earth.

Now move to the West. Again, see the column of white light you raised before.

Speak words to this effect: “Guardian of the Watchtower of the West, power of Water and emotion, we thank You for Your presence here tonight -we thank You for Your aid, and Your guidance. may there be peace between Us now and always. Go if You must -stay if You will. We bid You hail, and farewell!” Now see the column of light sink down into the ground.

Move now to the direction of the South. As before, see the column of white light you raised when you invoked the Quarter. Speak words to this effect: “Guardian of the Watchtower of the South, power of Fire and manifestation, we thank You for Your presence here tonight -we thank You for Your aid, and Your guidance. may there be peace between Us now and always. Go if You must -stay if You will. We bid You hail, and farewell!” See the column of light sink back into the Earth.

Finally, return to the East. See the column of white light you raised when you invoked the Guardian of the East. Speak words to this effect: “Guardian of the Watchtower of the East, power of Air and intellect, we thank You for Your presence here tonight -we thank You for Your aid, and Your guidance. may there be peace between Us now and always. Go if You must -stay if You will. We bid You hail, and farewell!” See the column sink back down into the Earth.

You are now ready to uncast the circle.

Take up your Athame and return to the East.

Again point your Athame toward the East and imagine a beam of light shooting out from the tip of the knife to the very edge of the circle, connecting with the barrier of white light you created earlier. This time you will walk Tuathail, imagining the circle of light disappearing back through the beam of light into the Athame. Continue around the circle until you return to the East, and the whole of the barrier of white light is gone. The circle is now open.

During the process of opening the circle you may or may not wish to say something. If you do, this is a common incantation to use: “As Above, So Below. As the Universe, so the Soul. As without, so within...” And having finished opening the circle, it is customary to declare: “...the circle is open but unbroken!” If more than one person is in the circle, it is customary in many groups to end with the ritual salute: “Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!” The salute indicates the desire to continue working together, in a spirit of joy and love.

These then are the basic instructions for casting the Magick Circle. There are many possible variations, including different ways to visualize the process, and you may wish to adopt these with time and experience. But this is a good technique to start with.

*Taken from Magick Chalice website
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