Circle Casting

Let’s dive into some magic! Circle casting is bread and butter when it comes to Witchcraft. I’m going to talk about basic circle casting, and everything I write is interchangeable according to your religion or type of witchcraft you practice.

While you don’t always need to cast a circle, I encourage newer practitioners to always cast at least a basic circle to help focus themselves.

Casting a circle not only helps focus you, but it also helps keep the energy focused and protect you from any potential outside spiritual interference. You can cast a circle inside or outside, and I will discuss the idea of permanent circles or spaces for magic.

The most basic way to cast a circle is to sit in your space (like in front of your altar) and swish your arms around you to move the air, focus on the cleansing motion of your arms and say;
“I call on my guardians and guides to protect me while I work”

I like this because it’s simple and you can do it anywhere anytime.

I always encourage people to write their own spells, and circle casting is no different. Some wording is long and clumsy, some circle casting rituals are excessive, and sometimes you need something substantial.

Some practitioners like to walk the circle, some mark it out, but I’m going to talk about things you can use to mark out your circle.

• Candles, white is our default, but you can use different colours for different spells or pair them up. I like at least 4 candles, but you do you! Tealight candles are a great option. If you’re working outdoors use jars, hurricanes or lanterns to stop them going out or causing a fire.
• Salt, you can use table salt, rock salt, Himalayan salt or a mixture. I don’t like to put salt on the ground because over time it can effect the microenvironment. Jars are a great option and small jars make a great little travel kit for spell work.
• Herbs, you can make your own mixture of herbs, again popping them in jars is an awesome option. Some suggestions are sage, rosemary, garlic cloves, lavender.
• Foliage, such as pine cones, gum tree branches with leaves, oak leaves and acorns, olive branches. Again, if you can’t get beautiful big branches without damaging plants, take some leaves and again, use jars!
• Smoke cleansing.

I want to talk for a minute about smoke cleansing. Eucalyptus leaves are used by the aboriginal people and are amazingly accessible for cleansing purposes in most regions of Australia. Using one or two leaves is sufficient to cleanse a small space. Always exercise caution when burning anything. You can of course use sage, rosemary, rose petals and incense, especially if that better aligns with your purpose. Sound cleansing is another great option! Bells, clapping, drums, stamping, singing bowls etc.

You may choose to incorporate the cardinal directions (North, South, East and West), call upon guardians (the Elements, Spirits, Ancestors, Watchtowers, Dragons and or Deities). I want to note here a reference to The Complete Idiots Guide, to call, summon or stir. Do not EVER summon Archangels, Dragons, Saints or Deities/Lwa, you stir or invite them. Ancestors and Watchtowers are called, while Elements and Spirits are summoned. You need to respect the hierachy. Also if you want to work with the Elements, Ancestors and Deities, you would summon the Elements first, then call your ancestors, then invite or stir the Deities.

I think it goes without saying that you don’t invite deities when you are working small spells. Also, pick what will work best for the magic you are doing. If it’s a self love spell you want Aphrodite, if it’s for safe sailing Poseidon is the go, for a court case Themis or Jupiter would do the trick. I realise I have only discussed Greek and Roman gods, but these were the ones which came to mind. You can choose from any panthenon (Egyptian, Celtic, Roman, Greek, Norse, Aboriginal, Native American, etc).

Working in pairs is a recent trick I have learned. So pairing your deities, saints or lwa makes the petition better. So lets say your petitioning for a successful appeal to a jail sentence, you may call on Themis (Law, order and justice), but also Hekate (keeper of doorways). Or if you wanted a quick result you may call Hermes (speed).

Working with gods, deities, saints or lwa if you do not believe in them (are atheist or agnostic). This is not a precondition of witchcraft.

How to build the spell/ritual

1. Cleanse the space with sound or smoke.
2. Mark the space with salt, candles, jars etc.
3. Summon, Call or Stir (if required).
4. Settle in for the magical working/petition/spell.

It’s honestly that simple! I’ll write another blog about setting up a permanent space for magical working and how to maintain it.

To dismantle a circle release everything in backwards order (deities first, then saints, ancestors etc). I like to cleanse and mark clockwise then unmark anti-clockwise.

Please let me know if there is anything I can help with or add, if you have any questions. I will be uploading some circle casting spells in the near future!