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Lady Adriana
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(12/21/03 1:28 am)
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Circle Casting Basics #1
Circle Casting Basics #1
written by: Sidhedanz (Deb)
The point of casting a circle of protection before working magic is to contain the energy you are raising before you send it off, and to keep unwanted energies or entities away. There are many, many way to do this, I'm going to describe the most common, and a variation or two. There are two schools of thought as to whether this should be done before or after grounding and centering, personally, I think it's a matter of choice, what feels right to you at the time.
You will need a space big enough to hold yourself, any magical tools or other people comfortably. This area should be free of clutter and mess. The circle you cast is more of a bubble going over and under you as well as around. You can: build a visible circle around you with stones, salt, chalk, scraps of pretty fabric, flower petals, leaves, anything really. (Children often use stuffed toys.) The most usual way to do this in a clockwise direction, you standing in the center of the clock, as you look at the '12' on the dial, but it can be varied according to need. Many people like to have that 12 in the north of their circle, some adjust the starting point according to the purpose of the ritual, spell, working, or what have you.
Now, it is usual for people to invoke or call either entities associated with the different directions (or simply the powers of the elements associated with each direction) as they reach it. (I know, looking complicated here; but all you really need to do is focus on the things associated with each direction:
North=earth=stability, East=air=movement, South=fire=life energy, West=water=emotions.)
You can light an appropriately colored candle at those points, draw a pentagram in the air at them, whatever you like just so your mind takes note of them, of their meanings.
Whether you make a circle of things, or of energy alone, you need to be seeing, projecting, visualizing, making, whatever, that circle being made as you cast it. You can shoot the energy out of your finger, a wand, a sword, your mind's eye, whatever works best for you.
When you are back at the beginning point, say something like "The circle is cast" to make your mind note this formally. All magic is a matter of putting your mind into certain states, focusing it on certain things
Now that your circle is cast, you can invite whatever deities you like into it with you, or work without them, again whatever is best for you personally and the work in question. Next, you need to raise and direct the energy you want to focus to that purpose while inside your sacred/magical space in that circle.
Should you need to exit the circle for any reason (and you should do this ONLY if you truly need to, it really interrupts the energy you're trying to raise and wrecks the mood, making it hard to get back into the 'groove' so to speak), 'cut' a space through it to pass through, then seal it as you leave, cut it back open to reenter, again sealing it after you back inside. (Zippers and "Star Trek" doors also work)
When you're satisfied you've done your work, thank whatever powers or entities you have asked to help you in this work, and then deconstruct your circle. This can be done by repeating the same motion as you used casting it, or by going around the other direction. Remember to thank whoever/whatever you asked to help you, even if it's your own 'higher self.' See that energy pulling back into whatever you used to shoot it out of. Know that you are done, your purpose accomplished. Another common way to close a circle is by cutting the circle with the athame or sword and making a statement like "The circle cast is now closed" just to make sure.
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