The all important circle.

I find the word circle to be a little misleading as it presents the idea of something 2D. The circle is like a protective bubble you create around your work area. This can be created and affected in multiple ways.

Firstly you should decide beforehand which deities you are going to be working with during this session. For beginners I would stick with the Goddess and the God. Simple. You don't even have to assign them a name. You could list names that they fall under, or if you have chosen your pantheon you could name your Goddess and God by the name that they go under in the pantheon. HOWEVER: make sure you say it correctly. Saying the wrong name is like saying the wrong name during sex. Awkward!

Then choose your space. Always have plenty of room for a make-shift Altar (section to come soon) and if you have yourself a group of people, make enough room so they have at least an arm distance between. Circles are your protection, so everyone needs to be inside the circle when it is cast.

You need to have 4 large candles, you can either have them on the floor, or have four people holding them depending on how you are doing this. You then need to have 4 representations of the elements. A candle for fire, a bowl of water (you can guess that one), jar of dirt and a feather for air. The consensus is that when you start to open the circle you 'call the quarters'. You call the energies from the four elements to your circle to keep watch. You can keep them nameless, or again name them if you know your pantheon. Now at this point you should consecrate any tools you plan to use, ready for the ritual. Also bless the wine and cakes to eat later. I would talk about sayings and things that should be recited, but personally myself and Myo never do say anything verbally. We like the quiet version of proceedings. Since we never say anything it's better if you make up your own words, or researching some from other books. I would suggest Kate West again, as she does simple sayings. I personally don't want to make a big song and dance, anything too wordy loses points with me, but it's up to you.

Now, this is how the elements are placed and how you should call them.

Air = East

Fire = South

Water = West

Earth = North.

You should always invoke a circle sunwise, deosil or clockwise. That is how the world runs and how things are bought to life. You should never attempt to open a circle the wrong way, that can just bring about bad things. As you open the circle imagine a light starting in the center, casting down a veil of protection. My colour is purple, it looks like a bubble when done. Imagine things bouncing off as you make it. You can practice at home by making a safe bubble for yourself by just visualising it.

You open the circle, you can sprinkle water if you wish to make a marking that will disappear when dry. Do your workings, then close.

Closing the circle is a must, no matter how urgent you are. Leaving an open circle means you have kept various deities stuck in your circle, after they have helped you, how rude! Circles can also decay and send out bad luck and all sorts. To close you can go widdershins, or anti-clockwise. Just keep any items that have been used to banish something away from the closing, because that would reverse the effect. You also close the quarters after eating the wine and cakes and leaving some for the leaving deities. Pack up and leave the area as you found it.

Simple eh?