wiccans is this the correct way of casting the circle?

Question

i found this best answer in someones else question about casting the circle and i want to know if this is right and if there is something missing:
You'll need something to represent the elements, inscence sticks (air), a candle(fire), a small bowl of water(water), and some salt(earth).
Light the inscence and the candle.
Take the inscence and walk around the space you wish to cast circle, and say
"by the air that is her breath"
Now replace the incence with the candle and repeat the motion around the circle and say,
"by the fire that is her bright spirit"
Now take the bowl of water, and dip your fingers into it, and flick water around the circle as you go, saying,
"by the living waters of her womb"
Now take the salt and sprinkle it around the circle saying
"and by the earth that is her body"
Now stand at your alter and say
"the circle is cast, we are between the worlds, byond the bounds of time, where day and night, birth and death, joy and sorrow meet as one".

As you move around the circle with the elements you should imagine/feel their qualities, their spirit surrounding and protecting you, and the space you'll be working in.
It's not a complex casting, but it is simple, and it is easy.

Answer 1

Well, My Steve and I used to be more elaborate than that, but you have the basic concept. There is at least one thing that I think you need. Do you have point candles? There's one in each of the four quarters of the compass, set as precisely as possible on the line directly from the center of the altar:

East: Yellow (air)
South: Red (fire)
West: Blue (water)
North: Green (earth)

If you can't find candles the right colors, perhaps you can find glass candle holders the right colors, and put white candles in them.

And notice that it matters whether you go clockwise (conjuring) or counter-clockwise (banishing) when you go around the circle. And go around three times.

Creating the circle is clockwise three times around with your athalme: "Athalme draws the circle round about; power stay in, world stay out." And the banishing is done with your wand: "Avante, avante, maleficam defense. Honi sua que male pance." [Won't swear to the spelling. It's French.] It means, "Come here, come here, defense against malice. Evil to him who evil thinks." I suppose you could just use the English, but the French is traditional.

Also, instead of just water with which to asperge (sprinkle) the circle and the altar, we would create a special solution. I had a little bowl and three little cups and a little cruet with each of the ingredients prepared. [I used a pretty porcelain saki set.] I'd put in a pinch of salt (pure sea salt) and say "I conjure salt for savor." Put in a few drops of oil [almond oil is nice] and say "I conjure oil for pleasure." Put in enough water to make the bowl about a third full, "I conjure water for the lightening hour." Put in some dried herb, "I conjure the five-fold leaf for power."

Then I'd pick up the bowl and swirl it clockwise, saying "Lady comb the threads through thorns, lead the light between the horns, ring the circle from the world, and may all the snarls of karma be unfurled." Then I'd gently blow my breath into the bowl, recognizing that I was putting the breath of life into it.

Then asperge the altar three times, saying "In the name of the maiden, and of the mother, and of the crone." Then walk around the circle counter-clockwise, saying the same three-fold blessing.

When you're ready to get more detailed, give that a try.

Answer 2

The directions you quote (and are quoted in your link) are NOT the traditional arrangement of elements and quarters. However, ultimately, you should use what works. That's not the same as just making stuff up. There's a reason there's a traditional arrangement: most of us find it the most functional. But if it doesn't work for you, there's nothing wrong with finding another process so long as your ritual still makes internal sense to what YOU are doing. If you just assign the elements randomly, then its really pretty pointless to assign them to cardinal points at all, don't you think? The main reason I see for people using a different arrangement is different geography. If, for example, you have a large body of water in some direction other than west, west maybe makes less sense for water. For me personally, however, that has not mattered. Regardless of geography, the traditional ararngement is the only thing that has worked, and it makes sense within my ritual structure. (When I moved to a new house, I actually got confused as to which way north was, and my castings felt "off" even though I had no idea why. The moment I figured it out and reoriented my circle, things felt right again. Go figure!)

Answer 3

Sure, that's a valid way to cast a circle. But it's not the only "right" way. Some traditions start casting their circle with the East, some start with the North...and move clockwise while casting, then counter-clockwise when opening the circle at the end of the ritual.

If you're really good at visualization, you don't even need the "tools" - you can cleanse the space and then visualize a circle of white light as you cast. There are many ways to cast a circle. Try a few different ways and then choose which ones you like best. You can find sample rituals on Pagan websites and see how others may cast a circle for more ideas. Once you're more familiar with different methods and comfortable with creating your sacred space, I would recommend writing your own ritual - cast the circle and call the elements in your own words - as this puts more of your personal energy into it.

Blessings.

Edit - a couple of you asked where is the God in this outline. For that matter, what about Goddess? To me, the wording in setting the space, referring to "her", refers to our Earth. I think the simple question here is just about casting the circle, in other words, creating the sacred space for ritual. The elements and God and Goddess are then invited into the circle after the initial space has been defined in my tradition. Do some of you do this differently?

Answer 4

Hmm... honestly I can't say that there's one correct way to cast a circle. However it seems that the person left out the calling of the quarters (which one would probably do after strengthening the circle with the incense and candles etc).

For detailed ritual instruction, I highly recommend "A Witches Bible" by the Farrars, it's a little outdated in some areas (with the old religion and all) but it's still an excellent source.

Answer 5

Others are definitely right in that there is no one way to cast a circle. If it works, it's correct. However, my impression from your description is that you're not casting so much as just repeating words from someone's post. The words don't do anything! The casting comes from you. The words are keys and focuses.

Ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish. A circle is meant to contain or rebuke energies. It's a barrier. What you just recited gives no impression (at least to me) that you are even thinking about a barrier. You never actually trace a circle. You just wander around with the elements. What you've repeated is similar to what I'd do to cleanse and consecrate _before_ the circle casting.

Answer 6

There are many, many ways to cast a circle. Actually you don't even need all of those things. Visualization is a valuable tool. That ritual above sounds fine, but where is the God? Is this a Dianic ritual or something?

Answer 7

For starters, I don't think that there is just one way of casting a circle. This version sounds fine to me; it's very beautiful. Although I am kind of wondering why the God is not mentioned anywhere in it.

EDIT: Ah I didn't think of it that way Crystal Dolphin :-) Thank you again.

Answer 8

what an asshole one doesn't have to be wiccan or pagan to work the forces of magic magic doesn't need such things to be worked although some people find that such things strengthen their control over such forces I have been doing magic for two years and have yet to once cast a circle in such a manner however for what you are doing the best way to do this is to have a person of each individual element cast each different element needed to create such a circle these elements are defined by reading up on the zodiac to find what element coincides with which symbol now believe me or not but magic is an internal thing that everyone has and everyone can use the force of this power varies and disuse makes it weaken to the point where it is useless thus the nonbelievers.

Answer 9

there is no "correct way" true magic comes from within the outer props are just to help us channel it dont let any one tell u your right or wrong only u can determin that

Answer 10

PAGAN!

xx