Casting A Circle

(Image: wiccanspells.info)

Merrie Meet

In Wicca and Paganism, one of the facets common to nearly all traditions is the use of a circle as a sacred space.

While other religions rely on the use of a building such as a church or temple to hold worship, Wiccans and Pagans can cast a circle almost anywhere they wish.

This is particularly handy on those pleasant summer evenings when you decide to hold ritual out in the back garden, under a tree, instead of in your living room!

Start by determining how big your space needs to be.

A ceremonial circle is a place where positive energy and power are kept in, and negative energy is kept out.

The size of your circle will depend on how many people need to be inside it, and the circle’s purpose.

If you are holding a small coven meeting for a few people, a circle measuring some 9ft diameter is sufficient. On the other hand, if it is Beltane and you have four dozen Pagans preparing to do a Spiral Dance, then you will need a space significantly larger.

A solitary practitioner can work easily in a circle with a diameter of between three and five feet.

Work out where your Circle should be cast.

In some traditions, a Circle is physically marked on the ground, whilst in others it is merely visualized by each member of the group.

If you ritual space is indoors then you can mark your Circle on the carpet.

Do whatever your tradition requires.

Once the Circle has been defined, it is usually navigated by the High Priest or High Priestess, who holds an athame, a candle, or possibly a censer.

Which direction will your circle face?

The circle is almost always oriented to the four cardinal points, with a candle or other marker placed at the north, east, south and west and the altar in the centre with all the necessary tools for the ritual.

Before entering the circle, participants should be purified as well.

How do you actually cast the circle?

Methods of casting the circle vary from one tradition to another. In some forms of Wicca, the God and Goddess are called upon to share the ritual.

In others, the Hight Priest or High Priestess will begin at the north and call upon the deities of the tradition from each direction.

Usually this invocation includes a mention of the aspects associated with that direction – emotion, intellect, strength, etc.

A sample ritual for casting a circle might take place like this:

Mark the circle on the floor or the ground. Place a candle in each of the four quarters –

green to the North to represent Earth,

yellow in the East to represent Air,

red or orange symbolizing Fire in the South,

blue to the West in association with Water.

The required magical tools should be in place upon the altar in the centre.  For illustration purposes let us assume that the group, called Three Circles Coven, is led by a High Priestess.

The High Priestess then enters the circle from the east and announces,

“Let it be known that the circle is about to be cast. All who enter the Circle may do so in perfect love and perfect trust.”

Other members of the group may wait outside the circle until the casting is complete.

The High Priestess then moves clockwise around the circle, carrying a lit candle (if it is more practical, use a cigarette lighter instead).

At each of the four cardinal points, she calls upon the Deities of her tradition (some may refer to these as Watchtowers, or Guardians).

As she lights the candle in the East from the one she carries, the High Priestess says:

Guardians of the East, I call upon you
to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven.
Powers of knowledge and wisdom, guided by Air,
we ask that you keep watch over us
tonight within this circle.
Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust.

The High Priestess moves to the South, and lights the red or orange candle, saying:

Guardians of the South, I call upon you
to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven.
Powers of energy and will, guided by Fire,
we ask that you keep watch over us
tonight within this circle.
Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust.

Next, she circles around to the West, where she lights the blue candle and says:

Guardians of the West, I call upon you
to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven.
Powers of passion and emotion, guided by Water,
we ask that you keep watch over us
tonight within this circle.
Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust.

Finally, the High Priestess goes to the last candle in the North. When lighting it, she says:

Guardians of the North, I call upon you
to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven.
Powers of endurance and strength, guided by Earth,
we ask that you keep watch over us
tonight within this circle.
Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust.

At this point, the High Priestess will announce that the circle is cast, and other members of the group can ritually enter the circle.

Each person approaches the High Priestess, who will ask them:

How do you enter the circle?

Each individual should respond:

In perfect love and perfect trust or In the light and love of the Goddess or whatever response is appropriate to your tradition.

Once all members are present within the circle, the circle is closed.

At no time during ritual should anyone exit the circle without performing a ceremonial “cutting.”

To do this, hold your athame in your hand and make a cutting motion across the line of the circle, first to your right and then to your left. You are essentially creating a “door” in the circle, which you may now walk through.

When you return to the circle, enter it in the same place you exited, and “close” the doorway by reconnecting the line of the circle with the athame.

When the ceremony or rite has ended, the circle is usually cleared in the same manner in which it was cast, only in this case the High Priestess will dismiss the deities or Guardians and thank them for watching over the coven.

In some traditions, the temple is cleared simply by having all members raise their athames in salute, thanking the God or Goddess, and kissing the blades of the athame.

The above method of casting a circle is a basic framework for ritual, but you can make yours as elaborate as you wish.

If you are someone who likes lots of ceremony, feel free to use creative licence –

call upon “the weavers of the wind, the breezes that blow from the East, blessing us with wisdom and knowledge, so mote it be,” etc, etc.

If your tradition associates various deities with the directions, call upon those Gods or Goddesses in the ways that they expect you to do so.

Make sure that you do not spend so much time casting the Circle that you have no time left for the rest of your ceremony!

Blessed Be!

ADAPTED BY THE MERLIN FROM AN ORIGINAL POST IN THOUGHT Co

ooooOOOOoooo

So now as we come to the end of this post it is time for me to take my leave of you but not before I say that if you have liked this and the other posts on this blog, please click the link to follow us. 

We have both a page and a group on Facebook that are CauldronFM and CauldronFM – the sound of magick respectively.

If this post has raised any questions please drop an email to cauldronfm@mail.com

So now I will wish you the best things that life can give and say

Love, Light and Blessed Be!

Merlin.