Circle Casting & dismiss

First- Start by determining how big your space needs to be. If you are solitary it usually doesn't need to be more than 3 feet, but if you wish to work with something bigger, that's ok too.

Next- Figure out where your Circle should be cast. Are you doing this in your room, outside, and if so where.

Then- Which direction will your circle face? The circle is almost always oriented to the four cardinal points.

Once you get the first three steps out of the way, get all your tools, and anything else you need together and place it within the boundary of where your circle will be. You want everything inside before you cast so you don't have to run all over the place like a chicken with it's head cut off.

Now you can actually cast your circle.

But how exactly is this done? For the purposes here, I'll describe a solitary circle casting as this is the internet and most of the people here are solitares. I will also include the calling of the quarters.

You can begin by marking the circle out if you want, whether by candles, or just keeping the image of how big you want your circle in your mind. There are many methods to this, but candles and visualization are usually the best if you are secretive about it all.

Go ahead and call your quarters, and if you chose to mark with candles, light them as you come to each quater (please note this is only one way to do this, that doesn't mean you have to do it this way), starting in the East.

"Guardians of the East, I call upon you
to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven.
Powers of knowledge and wisdom, guided by Air,
we ask that you keep watch over us
tonight within this circle.
Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust."

South:
"Guardians of the South, I call upon you
to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven.
Powers of energy and will, guided by Fire,
we ask that you keep watch over us
tonight within this circle.
Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust."

West:
"Guardians of the West, I call upon you
to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven.
Powers of passion and emotion, guided by Water,
we ask that you keep watch over us
tonight within this circle.
Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust."

North:
"Guardians of the North, I call upon you
to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven.
Powers of endurance and strength, guided by Earth,
we ask that you keep watch over us
tonight within this circle.
Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust."

Now take up your athame (your index and middle together if you don't have one) and stand in the northeast point of your circle. Visualize an electric blue energy just for the circle, moving it's way from your chest, down your arms, and through the athame and hovering just an inch or two above the ground. Walk sunwise (or clockwise as an alternative) and let this blue light flow through you and out to hover above the ground as you walk the area of your circle. Go all the way around, and make sure to overlap a bit at the starting point so that your circle is closed. From here raise the light to form a complete sphere around your area, as well as below it.

Then you can go about your ritual or spell.

This circle is for you to work without distraction, and within yet without, time and space itself. It helps you to focus your energy that you raise within it, and to direct it towards your goal.


To dismiss the circle, You need to dismiss elements and deities if you call them. Then you will start at the Northeast corner again. This time instead of sending out the electric blue light, you will be reabsorbing it. Draw the light up and through your athame back into you. Walk counter clockwise (also known as widdershins) around the circle until you once again, over lap. You can say something to the effect of "May the Circle be Open yet Remain unbroken"

Ground and Center then do you clean up.

For any beginners learning on how to cast a circle Silvervixen's post is probably the most clear and precise description on how to go ahead with casting a circle.
Despite what you might read on some posts here about how or which way it should be done its best to go with your own feeling's with how you should think you should cast your circle as we are all different and believe in different things also when you state you intent for the reason of your circle/calling of the quarters/corners you can also change this to which is most suited to your needs.
I can understand how any beginners trying to make sense of some of the posts may be left more than a little bit confused as I said before the stucture of how to cast by Silvervixen is the most easiest I would think for a beginner to understand.

But I would just like to add on to it that if like me when you first learned about casting circles if you're confused about the term opening the circle when infact your actally closing it (i'm referring to the information that you may read elsewhere and circle casting and not Silvervixens post as that as been clearly defined as dismiss)
And that is exactly what opening a circle means its the dissipated energy being used/absorbed rather than the circle closing in on itself.

Love and Light

This article can also be found in the Wicca section of the forum, with an article on Circle casting.

whats is Athame how dos it look like and you the circle face a direction am confuse is the circle havin a pentergram withen it to show a particular direction,can l use white candles also if possible can you show me a picture of how this circle is suppose to look like thanks

An Athame is ceremonial double edged dagger which you can use to channel your energy.....this link explains it some more http://tinyurl.com/37lyhl7 also some pictures of different kinds of Athames http://tinyurl.com/39asdex

As for the circle if using one with a pentagram it may look similiar to this http://tinyurl.com/37tjogb although you do not need to actual use a physical cirlce you can use visualization the choice being down to what you prefer, you can also use your finger in place of the Athame.

The link for the picture of the circle is using colour candles which represent yellow for Air in the east, red for Fire in the south, blue for Water in the west and green for Earth in the north, the position of the candles can also be placed on the four points of the pentagram if you choose to use one and the top point represents the spirit..the pentagrams use is to serve as a symbol of the unity of self with nature/divine not for direction, also can be used as protection though you do not need to use a pentagram in circle casting if you dont wish too, it is also fine to use white candles for the corners if you wish.

I also think it is a good idea to invest in a small compass to help so you can know where to place the candels for each of the elements/directions

I think I have addressed all your questions hopefully this has cleared it up a bit for you.

Love and Light

thanks silver :)

Thanks Silver.

This would not act as a barrier from protecting you from a spirit / demon or whatever you would want to call them that you wished to summon would it?

probably not, but it could help in casting a binding spell i beleive, which i would suggest you would follow up with a protection spell, before you close your circle. It might help to make yourself a protection amulet. My best friend made one for me to carry around with me, She used a purple amythist crytal, and cinnamon, and i forget the blessing she said over it. It was all placed in a leather pouch on a leather cord. I carry it with me in my car, and also in my pocket, at times. I wore it in my pocket during my child custody hearing after i left my husband. I was safe.

Okay, but what if you're not a 'solitary?' There is like a whole coven where I'm at. Is it the same or is it different? Do you position the people who have the best connection with an element at the cardinal direction that represents that element?