Hi, everyone. I am new to almost all of this. Looking to learn and grow my natural gifts.
I have an initial question about circle casting. Once I have cast the circle (say at my desk at work), can I walk in and out of the circle as needed or do I have to end the circle and recast it every time I need to get up?
The drawing of a circle is done for a variety or reasons, so I suppose it depends on the purpose behind what you are trying to do. Generally speaking the function is to create a personal zone of protection focus and collected energy.
This is why it is a common part of many spell rituals to begin with the laying of a circle, especially if the magic involves calling on spiritual entities that are potentially aggressive. it sets up a barrier from attack or other negative outside influences. So in that respect it is like setting up a wall around yourself. Stepping out from a circle might not break the barrier itself, but it defeats the purpose of the protection to leave the zone it is protecting. And the more you step freely in and out of the barrier, the less impact it has on your own image of protection and impenetrability. After all, to the conscious mind if you can just walk through whenever you want. then why not another entity or energy as well? By treating it as an erected barrier for yourself, it solidifies the symbol and helps make the concept more solid within the mind.
That said there is a way to open a door, so to speak, so you can come and go as needed. Normally this is done on the east side of the circle. The easiest way to do this is to include something movable in the construction of your circle, like a set of twelve stones to place around it. This way you have something to physically pick up and carry with you, opening a physical gap on the east side of the circle, and giving a symbolic sense of also having a 'key' that you can then replace when you re-enter the circle to shut the door again. Then once back inside a quick cleansing and re-empowerment of the circle would close it again and good to go.
Usually it is best to be prepared with everything you need at the time of the casting to avoid having to interrupt the process, open a door, get what you need, return, close the door, and then re-empower the circle. It is most useful in working more long-term magic, such as a ritual you might need to perform multiple times over a few days, or a lunar cycle, etc. Or if you have a personal sacred space that you use regularly that is unlikely to be disturbed by others.
you might be wanting a shielding. circle casting is holy space, like going to church, you're setting up a plane where you can connect with the Gods, it sets a different mood. you cannot come and go as you please [you could cut a hole in the circle if need be, but i wouldn't cast a circle when i'm focused on work] shielding on the other hand can be done throughout the day and you can't break it by walking too far. it's a protective dome/mirror/bubble/cone [whatever you visualize] around you that can filter and reflect negative energy so less sticks to you as the day goes on [at first you might need to make one several times a day, but as you get better you won't need to as much]
basically, charge positive energy into your body [and ground the negative energy] then there are several methods to make a shield [use what works for you] a simple one is visualize/feel the positive energy in the center of your body [different for men and woman, i think woman it's the hips, men it's the stomach, but i visualize it in my solar plex chakra so again, you do you] have the energy form a tight ball of bright, warm, positive energy, then grow to cover your body. [you might also wish to visualize dark light bouncing off it] when you feel ready, you can stop and go about your day as the shield is up and running. [as time goes on a lot of negative energy will stick to it and start to break it because you're not cleansing and feeding positive energy to it, hence the multiple castings. try a morning noon night practice at first. should only take a few minutes of mediating to do it]
another simple trick you could try is draw a protection rune or symbol either under your chair or desk to have a little magickal oomph to your space. [you might also look into some form of feng shui or placing element symbols in the 4 corners. like a lamp in the south part, plant in the north, a feather in the east, and a glass of water in the west]
