(Note: I will post a ritual for the solitary practitioner as well.) The Circle represents the borderline between our world & that of the Creator. It also represents the womb of Mother Earth. It is generally nine feet across & consists of 13 members. However covens never restrict themselves to a mere 13 members, although some will seperate their coveners into several groups of 13 & have each to call its' own circle, or simply have the remaining members as "Watchers". The Watchers must also protect themselves from any negative energies, thus they will draw a seperate circle around themselves with the main ritualistic circle being cast in the center of this second protective circle.

Members of The Craft often think of the magic circle as a sort of psychic generator. Many like to perform circle dances to 'raise the cone of power'. (ritual for this later) Alternating man and woman, the members of the inner circle grasp hands & dance clockwise, or what is otherwise known as deosil, around the circle, dancing faster and faster to generate intense power. Picture an electrical generator: As the man and woman alternately pass each of the four 'poles' or elements of the magic circle, these poles (elements) themselves have to alternate between plus and minus if significant power is to be raised. This means that if the "masculine" fire is in the south, then the "masculine" air must be in the north. If the "feminine" water is in the west, then the "feminine" earth , must be located in the east. If these were switched, the generator would cease to work.

Now once the circle is drawn & the power generated, the time for rituals has come. A Ritual is a form of magick worked in a particular place, using gestures & words in a specifically thought out pattern. Usually there are specified times for each specific ritual but most can be made to work with a few simple changes, such as, take this for example: If it is the incorrect time to say, Draw money or prosperity to yourself, then the spell must be changed to "Sending negative financial aspects away, instead. All things have an answer if you but seek it. In rituals, the vibrations produced by the members entwines to work with the energies of the Universe & thus you shape your future.

One more definition that should come in handy in the future is that of the word "Spell". It is a series of thought patterns, using the same energy forces but concentrated by the individual rather than the coven. A spell can be worked at anytime, anyplace, by one or one hundred, & with little to no preparation other than the visualiztions of the practitioner. This is an avowal of your own psychic currents of energy. Use them well & wisely.

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Casting the Circle

This ritual is designed for a High Priestess and two others, one bearing the chalice of salt water and one carrying the incense. Start with candles lit at the cardinal points and a cauldron in the center of the Circle area.

The High Priestess starts at the altar. With unsheathed Athame she salutes the Sky and Earth. At the East corner the Priestess raises her Athame and calls out:

Hail, Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East,
Powers of Air!
We invoke you and call you,
Golden Eagle of the Dawn,
Star - seeker,
Whirlwind,
Rising Sun,
Come!
By the air that is Her breath,
Send forth your light,
Be here now!

As she speaks, she traces an invoking Pentagram in the air with her Athame. She sees it, in glowing pale blue flame, and through it she feels a great onrush of wind. She breathes deeply, drawing in the power, then earths it through her Athame, which she points at the ground.

The High Priestess traces the Circle as she continues around the edge. The other quarters are similarly called in turn:

Hail, Guardians of the Watchtower of the South,
Powers of Fire!
We invoke you and call you,
Red Lion of the noon heat,
Flaming One!
Summer's warmth,
Spark of life, Come!
By the fire that is Her spirit,
Send forth your flame,
Be here now!

Hail, Guardians of the Watchtower of the West,
Powers of Water!
We invoke you and call you,
Serpent of the Watery abyss,
Rainmaker,
Gray-robed Twilight,
Evening Star! Come!
By the waters of Her living womb,
Send forth your flow,
Be here now!

Hail, Guardians of the Watchtower of the North,
Powers of Earth,
Cornerstone of all Power
We invoke you and call you,
Lady of the Outer Darkness,
Black Bull of Midnight,
North Star,
Sparkling in the moonlight,
Mountain,
Fertile Field, Come!
By the earth that is her body,
Send forth your strength,
Be here now!

As the Priestess completes the Circle she again salutes the sky and earth, turns and touches the tip of her Athame to the central cauldron and says:

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW...
AS THE UNIVERSE, SO THE SOUL,
GRANT, OH GOD/DESS, THY PROTECTION
AND IN PROTECTION,STRENGTH
AND IN STRENGTH, UNDERSTANDING
AND IN UNDERSTANDING,KNOWLEDGE
AND IN KNOWLEDGE,JUSTICE
AND IN JUSTICE, LOVE
AND IN LOVE, LIGHT
AND IN THE LIGHT, THE LOVE OF ALL THAT EXISTS
THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS GOODNESS.

Now the Circle is cast.
We are between the worlds.
Beyond the bounds of time,
Where night and day
Birth and Death
Joy and sorrow
Meet as one.

Part 2: The Ritual
And Closing the Circle