Paganlore.com

Casting the Circle

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Some Basic History First

A Roman ambassador in a foreign country would
draw a circle around himself with his staff, to show he
should be safe from attack; the Babylonians drew a cir-
cle of flour on the floor round the bed of a sick man, to
keep demons away; German Jews, in the Middle Ages,
would draw a circle round the bed of a woman in
labor, to Protect her from evil spirits. The use of a circle
to mark the boundary of an area which is sacred, is
very ancient (e.g. Stonehenge). But the circle not only
keeps the unwanted out, it also keeps the wanted--
the raised power; the magickal energy--in.

 

Circle Dimensions & Details

The dimensions of the circle depend entirely on
who is drawing it and for what purpose. In Ceremonial
Magick, where the Magician is conjuring entities, the
exactness of the circle (and everything within it) is
critical. But there is the other end of the scale, as it
were. In the old days, when the villagers would get
together to give thanks to their gods, they would simply
mark a rough circle on the ground, usually very crudely
drawn, and use it whether accurate or not. Its purpose
was merely to designate a space to be hallowed for the
rites; a place "special" for that purpose. Your circle
does not have to be as painstakingly accurate as the
Ceremonial Magician's (though more on this in Lesson
Eleven--Magick), yet it is drawn with a certain amount
of care and exactness. The Coven Circle is nine feet in
diameter; the Individual's Circle is five feet. The draw-
ing of the Circle starts, and finishes, in the East and is
always drawn clockwise, or deosil. If you are meeting
outdoors, then the Circle is actually marked on the
ground with the sword, as the Priest/ess walks around.
Indoors the Circle should first be marked on the floor
with a length of white cord, with chalk, or--if you have
a permanent temple--it can be painted in white paint.
But the Priest/ess will still walk around with the sword,
starting and finishing in the east, "marking" it and
directing power into it through the point of the sword.
On the line of the Circle stand four white, unlit     

candles; one in the north, one in the east, one in the
south and one in the west. If you wish, there may be
additional candles, already lit, between these four.
They should stand around the Circle but outside the
line. They would be there purely for extra illumina-
tion, if required.

 

O.K. I Know How To Make A Circle

Now What?

The first ritual performed, always, is what, in
Saxon Witchcraft, is called ERECTING THE TEMPLE.
Other traditions call it, variously, OPENING THE CIR-
CLE, CASTING THE CIRCLE, or similar. In this ritual
the Circle and all within it is properly purified and
consecrated. For now I will just deal with casting a Cir-
cle sufficient for your Self-Dedication/Initiation. Pre-
suming that you have not yet even made your athame,
this casting is of the most basic. You will need your
altar furniture: candle, censer, goblet or drinking-
horn, salt and water, libation dish and (if you wish)
figures representing the deities. There should be wine
in the goblet.

 

Taken from Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft

With Minor Modifications