How do I cast and close a circle?

[Ice_Witch]

Hi people.

I've gone through certain websites and I have found several that need a cast circle and at the end to close it, can someone please explain exactly how to close a circle? It also sais a well protected circle, how do I know which ones are more protected than others?

Ice_Witch

[Addalaide]

The way that i have always closed a cirle ( and this mite not be right or comfortable for you) is i just take my antham ( sorry i cant remeber how to spell anything at all) and halfway up to my height i just cut it in half witch i belive opens the circle for you to walk threw. As for saying something that closes it i just said now i am closeing the cicle may my works not be in vain and help me or what ever i need to say for what ever i did. And then cut it opend. But just do what you think you should do.


~Addalaide

[Skylights]

There are a million ways to close your circle, so you should just do what feels comfortable to you. My method is to start focusing at the northern point and visualize the energy dropping into the ground as I go counter-clockwise around the circle in my head (I cast clockwise starting in the east); this is pretty much the opposite of how I cast, so it feels final to me.

[hedge*]

Most spells and rituals are performed within a cast circle. There are several reasons why this is a good idea.
It creates a neutral environment where the desired types of energies can blend and work
It keeps out all unwanted energy that can affect a working.
It contains any energy raised until you are ready to release it.
It helps you focus on what you are doing by creating a boundary between everyday life and ritual.


A circle is usually cast before a ritual is begun and taken down after it is finished. The boundary of the circle is not crossed until it is taken down, after the ritual. It is my opinion that the boundaries of a cast circle should never be crossed unless it is an absolute emergency. A cast circle is a wall of energy, a boundary between the physical world and the spiritual. Imagine a spiderweb formed in a circle around an area. If you walk through it, you are going to break it, so it's no longer a boundary. It's the same with a circle of energy. Crossing over it will break the boundary, and you will no longer have a neutral environment for the ritual. Most of the time, there is no need to cross over the boundaries. Just make sure you have everything you need for the ritual before you begin. I'm not perfect, and I have forgotten things a few times myself, but when this happens, I take down the circle and start over.

This is a basic outline of a circle casting. There are many different ways to cast a circle, this is just a basic example.

The boundary of the circle is drawn with a tool, such as the athame, sword or wand. The circle itself is visualized. It is usually drawn in a clockwise direction if you're in the northern hemisphere, more appropriately it is called deosil ( same direction as the sun ) and widdershins ( opposite direction to the sun ). Some people move widdershins for dark moon rituals, rituals honoring dark moon deities or decreasing workings.

The circle is consecrated with the four elements, an example would be incense for air, a candle for fire, water, and some salt or a bit of soil for earth.

The quarters are called and a candle is lit in the appropriate direction to represent each. The starting point for this depends on the tradition or personal preference. Some people start in the east with air, some in the north with earth.

The ritual is then performed.

After the ritual, the circle is taken down by thanking and dismissing the quarters and cutting the circle by using a reverse motion of the same tool with which it was cast. This releasing any remaining traces of energy.

Again, this is only one of the many ways to cast a circle. There are more elaborate ways of doing it, and there are simple ways of doing it. For a simple prayer or meditation, visualizing a circle of protective light around yourself and your working area may be sufficient.

[[ravenwing]]

If you have a way that you OPEN your circle, the simplest way to close it is to do your opening, in reverse order!