Casting the Circle
a simple all-purpose
Circle Casting
by Valerie Walker
You
will need:
Point candles (yellow for East, red for South, blue for West, green
for North, white for Center; or all white if you prefer); an altar (set
up in the North) on which you have incense, a bowl of water, some salt,
your chalice, your athame, your wand, your pentacle, and a symbol of
the Goddess; your cord (if you have been initiated); some wine or juice,
some cakes, bread, cookies, fruit or other food.
Procedure:
Light the point candles except for the Center one; light the incense
and leave it on the altar. Coveners stand in a circle. The presiding
Priest/ess (HPs) faces altar, takes three knifepoints of salt with the
athame from the container of salt, and stirs them clockwise into the
bowl of water, saying:"Salt and water,inner and outer, soul and body
..."
HPs shakes the
water out over the altar three times, saying: "...be thou purified,
be thou cleansed. Cast out all evils of the world of phantasm."
HPs puts athame
back in sheath and picks up bowl of salt water. Turning to face other
coveners, s/he says: "Into this cup I cast---- (here follows a list
of whatever things, physical, mental or spiritual, s/he wants to get
rid of). Depart from me, and return as energy I can use." S/he blows
into the salt water, sending all negativity out into the mighty ocean;
then visualizes positive energy coming back from the ocean, and takes
a sip. HPs passes the bowl clockwise (deosil, the direction of increase)
to next person in the circle, who repeats the process. (Some people
prefer to pass the bowl counterclockwise [widdershins, the direction
of decrease] as a sign that this is an exorcism. It's up to you--if
the emphasis is on getting rid of negativity, do it widdershins; if
the emphasis is on invoking positive things, do it deosil.)
When the bowl
has been around the entire circle, have a designated water priest/ess
(WPs) take it. Have a designated fire priest/ess (FPs) take the incense.
Now the three
Ps go to each direction in turn to invoke the Guardians of the Watchtowers:
Everyone face
East.
HPs: (takes athame,
taps three times on the wall or window in front of her, stands in invoking
position with legs apart and arms wide, forming a five-pointed star
with her body)
"Hail, Guardians
of the Watchtowers of the East
Powers of AIR, Powers of the MIND:
We summon, stir, and call you up;
By the air that is Her Breath
Come to us, come to us, come to us!"
(everybody joins in on the "Come to us")
HPs uses athame
to scribe a pentacle in the air, saying: "Blessed be!" (all repeat).
WPs takes bowl
of salt water and sprinkles to the East, saying 'With Water and Earth
I purify the East. Blessed be." (all repeat)
FPs takes incense
and waves it in a circle to the East, saying "With Fire and Air, I charge
the East. Blessed be." (all repeat.)
Repeat to the
other directions. The invocations go as follows:
"Hail, Guardians
of the Watchtowers of the SOUTH
Powers of FIRE, Powers of the WILL:
We summon, stir, and call you up;
By the fire that is Her energy
Come to us, come to us, come to us!"
"Hail, Guardians
of the Watchtowers of the WEST
Powers of WATER Powers of the EMOTIONS:
We summon, stir, and call you up;
By the water that is Her blood
Come to us, come to us, come to us!"
"Hail, Guardians
of the Watchtowers of the NORTH
Powers of EARTH, Powers of the BODY:
We summon, stir, and call you up;
By the earth that is Her body
Come to us, come to us, come to us!"
When the circuit
is completed, the assisting Ps put their implements back on the altar;
the HPs. turns to the East. Reaching up with the athame, then stooping
to touch the ground, saying "As Above, So Below", HPs then turns to
face the rest of the Circle and says: "The Circle is cast. The ritual
is begun." HPs lights center candle and prepares for invocations of
the gods.