Casting Magick

It’s helpful when casting a spell to create ritual space, and casting a circle is one way to do so. Not only does this ward off distracting energies, it helps to move the practitioner to a ritual state of mind. Not every practitioner casts a circle in the same way and often it’s best to experiment a bit and find what works for you.

Here’s a general guide:

1. Determine how much space you’ll need in your ritual. If you only need space for yourself, a good rule of thumb is to make a circle big enough to fit your outstretched arms. If you plan to stand or move around, or if your ritual includes something like an altar or more people, account for more space.

2. Make sure you have everything you need for your ritual before casting your circle. There’s nothing more distracting than realizing you’ve forgotten supplies and leaving to go fetch them. If you do need to leave for something mid-ritual, many find it helpful to visualize “cutting” out a door that you would seal up again when you return. This way, your circle is not interrupted.

3. Cleanse your ritual area. First, clean it physically by tidying up and vacuuming or sweeping (with a regular broom, not a ritual one) if needed. Then cleanse and purify the area of negative energy. Purifying processes include lightly brushing the floor with a besom (ritual broom), fanning incense around the area, smudging, sprinkling salt or salt water, and playing a musical instrument (I particularly like chimes and bells). The most important thing, no matter what method you use, is to visualize the negative energy dispersing. If you don’t focus and visualize, the physical actions will have little effect.

4. Once your space is cleansed and you are ready to begin, cast your circle. There is any number of ways to do this, but generally, people will trace out a circle with a wand, athame, or even their hand. Keep in mind that whatever tool you use does not have to actually touch the ground —you need simply point it down. Visualize protective energy coming from within you and direct it toward your casting arm (generally your dominant arm). Focus it through your casting tool and visualize a beam of energy coming from it and settling on the ground. Some like to cast a circle multiple times (for example, once for protection, once for focus, and once for power), but this is not necessary.

Sometimes practitioners like to call the four quarters (east, south, west, north), especially if their ritual involves invocations or presence with the divine. Sometimes a circle is marked with candles, stones, cord, or some other marker. Usually, a circle is imagined as a sphere or dome of energy. Keep in mind that the stronger your visualizations are, the better your circle will be cast. Take your time and focus.5. When your circle is cast, proceed with your ritual but always try to be aware of your circle. It would be unhelpful if you forgot about it and stepped outside.

They say that the longest journey begins with a single step.

So, too, the exploration of Magickal studies begins with a single step.

Though the first step in a physical journey is often self-evident, the First Step on a Magickal journey is often not quite so clear.

While formally organized groups often have a path of lessons to instruct newcomers, the solitary or isolated student is often left standing in perplexity on this broad plain of knowledge, wondering just where in the heck to begin.

And wondering, too, if it’s “okay” to start just anywhere.

While it’s true that studies can begin in any direction that attracts you, the necessary first step must be learning to make psychic shields.

There are “Things of the Dark” out there.

There are any number of explanations for what these things might be — ghosts, demons, or simply uncontrolled urges of the subconscious mind.

In truth, it doesn’t matter what they are. What does matter is that their effect is very real and unless they are put under your control, they will drag you over the borders of sanity into psychosis.

You are most vulnerable to them while you’re in an “open” trance or meditative state.

That’s why the wise practitioner always begins by taking steps to define exactly what will be permitted through the portals of their “psychic shields” — no matter how simple the ritual.

And this, in a nutshell, is what “protective magic” is about.

There are a number of ways to do this.

The most common is to begin by drawing a circle (around a group or yourself) and invoking the one or more protective powers.

Generally, this is done by candlelight, in front of an altar that holds certain magical objects.

The circle may be further “secured” and “cleared” by using salt, salt water, rum, incense, or some other method.

You may be wearing a special robe and will have taken a bath (or performed a cleansing ritual) earlier.

The powers that protect you will be called on and then you will begin your ritual.

Is it psychological?

Is there a reason why protection rituals always take this form?

Let’s take a step back and see what you’re actually doing and how the process works — from a psychological standpoint — and how to use this knowledge to help you refine your circles to enhance your rituals.

Psychologists and psychics alike view the mind’s structure as a three-part entity:

The Ego (that which you think of as yourself), the Superego (the “higher self”) and the ID (the child within).

The ID is, in a sense, a computer. Like most computers, it operates on the GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) principle.

There’s an old superstition: “As you name something, so will it become.”

Tell yourself that you’re very unlucky and your Id will obligingly give you bad days by enhancing any negatives in your environment.

Tell yourself that you are clumsy, and your Id-computer will obligingly arrange for you to break a leg while stepping off the sidewalk.

The bad news is that the Id can’t make a judgement as to whether or not this is a good idea.

It only knows that it’s received these “instructions” and must carry them out.

The good news is that you can actually program/reprogram this portion of your mind.

You begin programming this Internal Servant of yours by first drawing its attention to what you want done and then explaining what you need done in a simple and clear manner.

Repeating the instructions in a chant help fix the goals for the Id — rhymed chants seem to be easier for it to process.

Each time you perform the ritual and repeat the chant, the programming is strengthened.

Never mind that your ego and superego understand that you’re going to program the child-like ID.

It works just the same.

To direct the Id’s attention to the process, you first have to impress it.

Using special tools and clothing alert it that something unusual is going on and that it must pay attention.

Acquiring hard-to-obtain items, drawing symbols, and performing a symbolic sacrifice (donating money, say, to a good cause) are all ways of reinforcing the ID’s impression that this ceremony is very special and that the result will be very powerful.

Organized, meaningful symbols, speak to your subconscious mind in ways it understands, reinforcing the goals you have set.

Drawing the circle itself establishes boundaries within your environment (“The rest of the world can do what it likes Out There. All within this circle is in my control!”).

Purifying the circle and consecrating it (sprinkling water which has been blessed and salt added) further enforce your territory, defining the borders where you are “safe”.

Nothing can enter this area except what you invite inside. You further tighten these borders by calling on certain Powers.

You can call on any powers you like.

Some use traditional Christian images.

Others call up deities from the religion they are most comfortable with.

And many people use the thought/image of a beam of light that represents either God/Goddess (whichever one they like) or the power of light and life and goodness in the Universe.

The number of powers called as guardians varies.

You may choose to invoke one powerful being to protect your circle.

Or you might call on the Universal Being/Light and four guardians (one for each quarter of the compass).

A third approach is to use a guardian for the four quarters of the compass and no higher being.

There is no “absolutely correct” system; the correct system is the one that you are comfortable with.

Take time to choose the guardians of your circle carefully.

You should select guardians (gods or animals or some form of life) which have a deeper meaning to you and whose qualities are in harmony with your goals.

For the new student, it’s best to have all your Powers and Guardians from the same belief system/religion/mythic universe so that the symbols will be consistent and not confuse the Id.

As your studies continue, you will find that your totems or guardians change.

This is to be expected; as you explore new realms in your studies, you may find you need guardians who deal with very specific areas to strengthen and guide you in these new fields.

But don’t make the mistake of assuming that you’ll become so powerful that you will never need the protection of the psychic shielding circle in some form.

And don’t assume that you will not need a circle for “positive” magicks such as healing.

Open is open — and open is vulnerable. And circles strengthen and protect you by defining what psychological influences will be allowed to work with you.

First consecrate the salt symbolizing the Earth element in the North of the altar by stirring it three times with an athame, wand or crystal, and visualize radiance pouring into it.

* Stir the water, also three times deosil with the athame, wand or pointed crystal, asking the light and the Goddess to enter it.

* Add a few grains of salt to the water and stir it, saying:

May power thus be doubled,
thus increased,
as life joins life
to create a greater force
even than these.

* Stand either just within or beyond the first circle perimeter.

* Walk deosil round the circle, sprinkling the circle line, physical or envisaged, with your salt water.

In formal rituals, the High Priestess consecrates the salt and the High Priest the water and they mingle them. The High Priestess then creates the first circle and the High Priest the second.

Three is a sacred number in magick and for special ceremonies, you can create a triple circle of both power and protection. The number three represents the three aspects of the god figure in many religions: the Holy Trinity, the Triple Goddess, the three aspects of the Moon -maiden, mother and wise woman or crone – the trefoil or triple god of the Celts, and the even older Egyptian trinity of Isis,

Osiris and Horus, the young Sky God. This triplicity is still celebrated when we turn our money over and bow three times to the Moon for good luck.

* Create your first two circles of light and salt water.
* Return to the place where you began.
* Place the bowl on the altar and light your incense; you can either light a stick in a secure holder or sprinkle incense on a charcoal block burning within the censer.
* Make your final circle with incense, just beyond the lines of salt and water.

There are other variations of this, including creating your outer circle of light by walking with your candle in a broad-based holder, followed by the salt water and the incense.

When you have completed your spells or rituals, you should close the circle. This is done by simply reversing the casting process.

* Thank the Guardians and send the light of the elemental candles to whoever needs it.

* Extinguish the elemental candles in reverse order of lighting. Visualize the light fading and say,
together with any present: Let the circle be uncast but remain unbroken. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.

* Leave the altar candles to burn down.

Here is how to cast and take down a magic circle.
What to Do:

1. Center and ground.
2. Draw energy up from the earth into your core and let it
   flow down the arm of your dominant hand.
3. Imagine the earth energy flowing out of your fingers.
   Point your hand to the side and either turn slowly in
   place or walk around the perimeter of your space,
   visualizing the energy flowing out like a ribbon to
   surround your working area. Finish the circle by
   visualizing the ribbon of energy meeting the other end
   you started with.
4. Once the ring of energy is complete, visualize the
   energy stretching up to form walls, then continuing into
   a dome over your head. Visualize a similar hemisphere
   under you, so that the energy surrounds you like a full
   sphere.
5. When your work is complete, visualize this in reverse.
   See the half spheres above and below you recede back
   into the simple ribbon of energy circled around you.
   Then point your hand at where the circle began and
   ended and trace it in reverse, imagining the energy
   flowing back to your hand and up your arm to your core.
   Make sure to allow it to flow past your core and down
   your connection to the earth to allow it to rejoin the
   earth energy it came from