Casting The Circle

Casting the actual circle is a lot simpler than you might believe after all of thiese preparations. befor i get to the instructions, though, you should know a little bit about the athame-a wiccan's ritual knife-and the wand. You can draw a circle without any tools whatsoever, but many wiccans use Athame or Wand. The purpose of the tools in this case is to focus the energy you'll be raisisn to a point, like a pencil, from which you draw a circle. However, I thank it's very important to learn how to cast a circle without tools before learning with tools. If you can do it without tools, you can do it anywere, and that's handy in an emergency or when you need to do spell or trance work on the fly. doing it without tools also reinforces the fact that tools are just focal points, and the real power comes from energy you draw and your own mind.

To Cast A Circle:

1. Choose a place along what will be the edge of your circle to begin. Many wiccans choose to begin in one of the cardinal directions: East, South, West, or North, but before learning purposes, you can choose any quarter you wish. Most wiccans begin in the East, becouse it's where the sun rises, or the North becouse it's associated with the earth, and the circle is drawn with earth power. There is no reason, however, why you can't start any where along the edge of your space that you want.

2. Ground

3. Visualize your tap root, and then visualize drawing energy up from the earth's core through the tap root.

4. Extend the index and middle fingers of whichever hand you perfer, and visualize the energy flowing into those fingers. Although some wiccans think you should use your dominant hand for this (assuming you have a dominant hand), Eather hand works just fine.

5. Begin to move clockwise around your space and visalize the energy flowing through you and forming the circle. Many people find it helpful to visualize the stream of energy in a particular color. Wiccans almost always move clockwise, or sunwise, in a circle becouse it mimics the path of the sun. Some wiccans believe that moveing cunterclock wise, or "widdershins", "undose" the circle. Move slowly, and conoentrate. Remember to breathe deeply. Dont hold your breath!

6. When you have gone all the way around the circle and returned to your starting point, stop walking and solidify the circle by visualizing the entire boundary in your mind. When you can "see" it in your mind's eye, extend the circle above your head and below the ground or floor so it it a three-dimensional bubble around your rather than a two-dimensional circle on the floor. Hold the image in your mind for a few moments to strengthen it and make it real. Remember, energy follows throught, so visualization is very important.

You have just cast a simple circle. once you have practiced this and have the hang of it, you can try casting the circle without moving or using your fingers. You can also also practice drawing it with a wand or athame.

Once you are inside the circle, do not cross the boundary. You do not want to break up the energy. If you need to leave the circle and come back in, use the two fingers you used to draw the circle to cut a "door" in the boundary. When you return, redraw the line. Try not to do this except in an emergency, though. It's hard to maintain the energy of the circle if you leave it, and it messes up your focus on whatever work you'er doing in the circle. Some wiccans consider it unwise to allow a circle to stand empty, in which case someone new must come into the circle if the lone occupant gose out.

To take down the circle at the end of your ritual, begin at your starting piont and move around the edge counter clockwise as you visualize drowing up the circle through your two fingers and pushing it back into the earth through your tap root. Do not allow the energy to stay in your body. Return it to the earth. Ground after taking down the circle.


their you go have fun with this and i will post on how to call the corners when doing this a little later... i jest wanted to make it simple as possable for any new to the path.. almost forgot Lady D and Anti i did not know where to put this so feel free to move to corect place.. lol

isis

Isis this is very good. I always start in the east, do not know why, it just feels comfortable, where my friend starts in the north. I look forward to more of these posts from you. Good information.

I my practice I always start in the east except for one of my rituals

I going to give this a try

Calling The Quarters

as you cast the circle and you will be starting whatever quarter you will be at.. well i start at the north so here is gose...

trun to the north and say something like the following:

Winds of the North!
Rvshing & Mighty!
Aid me in my magickal work!

Winds of the East!
Dazzling and Bright!
Aid me in my magickal work!

Winds of the South!
Fiery and Rudient!
Aid me in my magickal work!

Winds of the West!
Gentle and Bouyant!
Aid me in my magickal work!

or you could say something like the following:

Hail to the Lord/Lady of the
watchtowers of the North
Hail and Welcome!
Circle open/but not unbroken,
Power down/to the ground.
So mote it be.
Goes forth and come into being.

Hail to the Lord/Lady of the
watchtowers of the East
Hail and Welcome!
Circle open/but not unbroken,
Power down/to the ground.
So mote it be.
Goes forth and come into being.

Hail to the Lord/Lady of the
watchtowers of the South
Hail and Welcome!
Circle open/but not unbroken,
Power down/to the ground.
So mote it be.
Goes forth and come into being.

Hail to the Lord/Lady of the
watchtowers of the West
Hail and Welcome!
Circle open/but not unbroken,
Power down/to the ground.
So mote it be.
Goes forth and come into being.

at the end of theis when you close the circle you should go to each Quarter in caunter clockwase and say Thank you to the Lord/Lady of the watchtowers for being present at your spell.

This is very nicely done Isis! ;D

thanks lol had it for a long time almost a year lol it was the first thing i tought myself..

Yes this is good Isis who is now a guest.

i dont know if people are still reading this post but very interesting, i am not a wiccan but few of my friends are wiccans, so i have a few ideas for amplifying the circle

1 if you use salt to lay the circle you might be able to infuse the salt with you energy, salt i a minor mineral and a crystal and it is very easy to get hands on.

2. drawing an actual circle will make it easyer to visualice, and thus allowing for more concentration towards directing the energy

3. carving a sowilo rune or an ingwas rune, since they bold hold energy storing traits