 Picture it. It’s a dark night in the middle of the woods. A roaring fire is in the center of a large group of people. A long-haired Priestess steps out from the crowd. She is carrying a sword, the shine of the blade getting lost in the folds of her dark skirt.
She stops near the fire, pointing the blade towards the flames as if calling the power of the fire into the metal of her sword. She then lifts the sword, pointing the tip towards the direction of North and draws a pentacle in the air. Moving in a clockwise circle around the space, she repeats this pattern three more times, facing East, South, and West. All the while, she speaks the words of magick. Finally, the blade is held above her head, pointing to the heavens. Then, the blade plunges into the earth. The circle is cast, we are between the worlds, and what happens between the worlds changes all the worlds. So Mote It Be. I’ve seen this scene before. Shoot, I’ve been the Priestess in this scene. It’s beautiful to behold, and because of that, it might look like a performance, but it can’t all be for show. Casting a circle needs to have some teeth. Why Do We Cast? We cast circles for two reasons.
Casting When I was new to magick, I would recite rituals word for word out of books. I didn’t really understand what was supposed to be happening energetically. Because of this, the circles I created were performative. I didn’t feel anything happening because I didn’t know how it should feel. This is one of the challenges of learning only through written media.I don’t know if those circles “worked” or not because I didn’t understand the power of what I was doing. There is more to it than just walking the perimeter of your space and reciting some unique words. When casting a circle, you are performing energetic magick using your body as a conduit. Ideally, you pull energy up from the earth or another source and through you. Then, you push that energy out and around you, creating a barrier. What If I Don’t See It/Feel It/Experience It? Many practitioners don’t “see” the circle; you might never see it with your eyes. If you don’t feel it or experience it in some other way, that’s okay, practice! Sensing energy doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Some folks need to work that muscle until it becomes easier to discern the energetic shift. Ideally, you should have some experience with the boundary of a circle. You may feel a subtle difference at the edge of the space. You may see a shimmer or a fuzziness at the circle's edge. It could manifest in a million big or little ways, but something should shift. Don’t feel bad if that doesn’t happen. Try again, and then again. Bubble Casting Calling it a circle casting is a misnomer because you aren’t making a circle but a bubble around yourself and the ritual space. This bubble may only extend around you, your altar, a nine-foot circle, an entire room, or an entire forest, whatever you need. The circle extends around you, above and below you, like an energetic hamster ball. Disturbing the Boundary Sometimes, the edge, or boundary, of a circle gets disturbed. This could be from someone walking through it, a weak area from a wonky casting, or a disturbance from an outside force. If you notice a weakness or opening in the circle after it is cast, this will need shoring up. I imagine this like patching a hole. You need to fill the hole with energy and seal up any weak areas. Voila! Good as new. Circle Casting Details The words spoken, the tools used, and the directional associations during a circle casting vary from tradition to tradition. There isn’t just One Way to do it. If you aren’t affiliated with a specific tradition, you can try different things, read how other folks cast circles, and discover a way that works for you and has the most impact. What If? When I teach circle casting in my classes, I often suggest people act as if. For folks new to the idea of energy work, sensing a circle boundary may be really difficult. So, what if? What if you could feel the boundary? What might it feel like? What if you could see, smell, feel, hear, or sense the edge of the circle?What might it be like? This isn’t to make circle casting a game of make-believe; rather, it is a way to remove some of the barriers for those of us who have a hard time connecting to the magickal, energetic, otherworldly, and subtle. Again, sensing a circle is energetic work, and we have to use those muscles in order for it to become easier. Keep going. Practice I’ve said this many times: This is all a spiritual practice, not a spiritual perfect. Don’t expect everything to come naturally or easily. Don’t get frustrated when it doesn’t work. Try again. Do it again. Keep going. You’ll be glad you did, and your circles will be stronger for it. So there it is, peeps! Go cast a circle and do witchy things. Phoenix LeFae Originally published at Patheos Pagan
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