Creating a Sacred Space and Casting the Circle Creating The Sacred Space To begin with your tools should be laid out, as you need them on your Altar cloth. The symbols of the elements should be placed around the outside in accordance to their corresponding points of the compass. Then the elements must be blessed and consecrated and this is done by either placing your Athame into or on to that symbol or holding your hands over them and saying 'I do bless and consecrate this symbol of (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) to make it fit for my rites. Blessed Be.' Next the elements themselves have to be summoned. Start with the element of Air, visualizing air itself and saying 'I call upon the element of Air to be with me, to watch over me, to guard, guide and protect me during my rites. Blessed Be.' Repeat this for Fire from the South, Water from the West and then Earth from the North. Then visualize the Goddess and the God imagining how they might look and invite them to be with you, then say, 'I call upon the Lord and Lady to watch over me, to guard, guide and protect me during these my rites. Blessed Be.' Casting The Circle The next step is to cast the Circle. The Circle should create a boundary around your whole working space, it is also important not to cross this boundary during ritual, so anything that you may need to use must be already prepared and with you. To cast the Circle remain in the centre of your working space and then with your Athame, Wand or finger visualize drawing a circle in electric blue light, starting at North-East and drawing in a clockwise ( Deosil ) direction until the light forms a blue sphere. As you do this say 'I conjure this Circle as a place between the worlds, a time out of time, a place of containment and protection. Blessed Be.' If you do need to cross the Circle at any time a doorway must at first be cut using your Athame/Wand, then closing behind you, then on your return re-opening and closing again. You can then perform your Magick, Ritual, or celebrate a Sabbat. Once you have finished the Circle has to be removed, to do this start again at North-East, re-drawing the same line while visualizing the Circle disappearing and saying 'I remove this Circle and return this place and this time to their own. Blessed Be.' Next thank the Goddess and the God for being with you and visualizing them departing from you in the opposite direction to which they appeared while saying 'I give thanks to the Lord and Lady for being with me, for guarding, guiding and protecting me and I bid them Hale and Farewell. Blessed Be. Then banish the elements, again starting at Air in the East and saying 'I give thanks to the element of Air for watching over me, guarding, guiding and protecting me. Blessed Be.' Repeat this for the remaining elements. Then the physical space must be returned to normal by putting out candles and grounding yourself by eating and drinking something and then putting away your tools.
|