casting circles sacred space

Beginning to cast spells
Creating your own sacred place
My favorite place is a place in the woods and surrounded by tall pine trees. I sit on a cold boulder and ground myself. Being grounded is important. To "ground" visualize all of the stress flowing out of your body and feel strength coming up to your from the Earth so that you begin to feel a connection with the Earth. I am completely focused on the sounds of the woods. I can hear the water trickling in the nearby distance. It is the most peaceful place I have ever been. I go there often in my mind when I am in the city. I close my eyes and let my spirit drift there. it is the easiest place to connect with my spirit guide and my inner self. I will explain spirit guides, centering and grounding later in this book.
Now back to casting a circle in your house since many witches can not have easy access to the forest. Since I do live in the city, I most commonly use an alter to conduct my rituals and spells. This is an area that is used strictly for the sole purpose rituals and casting spells.

Casting Circles to make your Space Sacred

First, take a cleansing bath or be sure to at least wash your hands with sea salt. Your make up and attire is a personal choice. I prefer to be as clean and pure as possible. Be sure to cleanse your tools before using them. You can clean your ritual knife also known as an athame by dipping it in pure water (I make my water pure by leaving it out under the moonlight).
You need to create a sacred space for yourself before you can do any magickal work. To do this witches cast a circle between the worlds. Circle casting is an absolute necessity because you do not want any unwanted negative energies or entities to drop in on your ritual. This can be done physically or you can do it by visualizing it.
Using a wand made of white sage is a great way to cleanse your area of negativity. Light it and smudge the area with sage to rid the area being sure to leave a couple windows open so that the negativity can leave your house. These can be purchased at most stores that sell Wiccan goods.
Be sure to have all the necessary items together and place them on your alter. If you are performing your ritual outside, you can use a boulder or a log for your alter. When I am outdoors, I like to make a circle out of rocks that is about six foot to work in. Inside you can use string, rope, or a visualized circle. Now its time to cast you circle. Visualize your athame shooting the blue fire as you turn in a clockwise rotation. This way you are not having to leave your circle during magick. Start facing north, rotate clockwise ending back at the magnetic north.
Items for your alter can include candles, incense, athame, pentacle, bowl of pure water, bowl of sea salt, mortar and pestle, (or a large bowl), herbs, oils, crystals, candle holders, candle snuffer, incense holders, and any other special items. Be sure to take precautions so that you will not be disturbed by the phone ringing or people visiting you during the time that you are doing your work.
Place the elemental candle in each of the four corners. East is gold, South is red, West is blue, and north is green. Place a white candle some place on the alter.
The position of the alter really doesn’t matter because are working in a different realm, however, I think many witches prefer the magnetic north. Some witches do prefer to set their alters facing in the north, east, south, or even in the west.
Set up your alter with the items you will need before you cast your circle.
Visualize the tip of your wand or your finger creating a beam of blue flames, like a laser. Visualize the tip of your wand creating a circle around your alter or the area you intend to do your magick in. Visualize the circumference drawn by the wand’s tip as being cast in a blue flaming circle. Project the blue flaming light out of the wand to create the circle. Visualize a circle of burning blue fire that is about one foot high off of the ground.
say out loud,
“I cast this circle to protect myself from all negative energies that may cause harm.
I cast this circle to make this area sacred,
This sacred circle I cast tonight,
This sacred circle to perform this rite,
So mote it be.”
Stand before your alter and light the candles. This is when you can light your incense as well. You are now ready to create a magickal spell.
There are books that can give intricate details on casting circles, it can be a complicated procedure or it can be a simple process. I like to keep it simple. I use a basic cast to make the area sacred. Once it is done, you do not have to do it over each time you work in your alter area. You can also cast a circle in a hurry at any place any time by using your finger and visualizing the circle being cast. This is done usually to protect yourself or to do a spell public places. The basic idea is that you are creating a sacred circle to do your spell work in. You can use a broom instead of a wand if you like. Once you are finished doing your magick you simply close your circle.
Closing the circle
After the ritual, the circle may be taken up by visualizing the circle or the perimeter of the circle coming up counterclockwise (widdershins), starting in the north, while chanting:
The earth, the water, the fire, the air
Return, return, return, return.
You can make up your own words to use, I usually say something to the effect,
“In no way will this spell reverse or place upon me any curse.
I now proclaim this spell is done.
Casting circles is one of the most complicated aspects of spell working. Many people want to know where do the blue flames go when the spell is done? My answer is that you send it back into the earth. Visualize the flames or energy going back into the ground and dissolving. Which brings me to the next most common question, Do I have to recast a circle every time I do a spell. The answer I would be is yes. This is because spell work for me is done primarily for very important issues in my life. For this reason, I would like to know that I am protecting negative forces from entering my spell. Having unwanted negative energy in one’s life can be burdensome. However, I have done some spells in the traffic and in the woods where I did not have all of my tools. So, the answer is no, but it is a good idea to do so.
The circle is open but never broken.”
The idea is that you are closing your circle mentally and verbally. Visualize the blue energy swirling back into flames, and being drawn up into your athame, wand or forefinger. Ground the energy back into the earth.