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Practical Magic: Let's Talk Aboot Circles

This post is part of a series of animistic, spirit-oriented spellcasting for beginners. Go to the masterpost to see them all.

I can feel all of you veterans rolling your eyes into the back of your heads.

I know, I know.

But as this series is intended to lay out as many tools as possible on the Table Of Take What You Need, I'd be remiss to not talk about circles at least once.

Let's also maybe talk about why they're such a frikkin controversial AND ubiquitous issue!

Full disclosure: I use circles relatively often. The quick kind that takes 5 seconds to cast. I didn't do 'em when I was immobile though because yeah, standing up and turning in a circle whenever you want isn't a universal experience.

But let's get to it!

What the hell are magic circles, anyway?

Most discourse on Tumblr about magic circles is "do them!" or "you don't have to do them!" but it rarely actually gets, you know, discussed.

For the purposes of this series, a magic circle is a temporary circular energy barrier that can be "programmed" to do a variety of helpful ritual tasks.

This energy barrier is usually placed around the entire spellworking or ritual space, so that the practitioner and all the tools they use are inside of it.

Sometimes, this barrier is marked by a physical object, such as a rope or a line of flour. Often, especially in solitary practice, there is no physical boundary that corresponds to the circle.

When employed, the circle is usually raised as one of the very first ritual acts during a spell (sometimes, space clearing or prayers are done beforehand). Typically, the circle is lowered/removed as the very last step, or whenever the ritual space is no longer needed (sometimes the witch might then take spell remnants to be ritually released somewhere else, for example, and usually no circle is ever required for that part).

Magic circles are usually reserved for more lengthy, focused acts of magic. They are rarely employed by people who are like, visualizing a glamour in front of a mirror, or doing a charm to get out of traffic, or stuff like that.

(Actual steps for circle-casting will come in a later post in this series; check the masterpost)

Why are they problematic?

Because while Wicca did not invent the concept of magic circles, Wicca very much popularized a certain version of them in Western occultism.

And a lot (a lot) of Western practitioners, especially those very unaware that there are global magical practices that have nothing to do with Western Wicca or Western witchcraft, like to go around preaching that this particular aspect of their very specific cultural religious practice needs to be followed by everyone who does magic ever, seriously, even if your cultural tradition has been doing fine without them for the last four thousand years, because some British guys decided on the real rules eighty years ago.

And people very rightly push back against that, because circles are absolutely not 100% necessary for any working of magic.

In popular rhetoric, circles have also been largely reduced to being nothing more than temporary warding, used to keep evil spirits away from the shining diamond of your spell.

So when a lot of people believe that all a circle does is protect against "bad" energies and spirits, kind of a reverse justification happens: circles become necessary because bad energies and spirits are everywhere, and unless we use circles we're at risk of being preyed upon... and this promotes a feedback loop many of us have heard all our lives: that witchcraft is scary and dangerous, filled with evil things, and you need to be really really careful or else you're gunna get snatched up by a demon.

And then more people push back against this, because modern contemporary witchcraft has literally evolved to be some pretty safe shit, and no, you don't have to ward every iota of your heart out just to avoid bad stuff waiting to trip you at every turn.

What are magic circles good for?

Tons of stuff! And that's what makes them really useful tech!

Here's what we have to get on the table right away, though: an energy barrier is just an energy barrier until you ask it to do something different. You can construct circles that are purely protective and actively limit any magic or spirits from coming or leaving. You can construct circles that are basically a throne room for a sacred power to temporarily visit. You can construct them to create a liminal space that joins the physical world with the spirit worlds and makes it much easier for spirits and magics to flow back and forth.

No circle automatically does all the stuff I'm about to list, except the protection thing: you have to include what you want in the construction of the circle itself. (I'm pretty sure this is why people believe circles are only protective and even trap magic inside... yep, it does automatically, if you don't know what you're doing).

Depending on how you cast a circle, it can trance you out and help you reach a state of spiritual gnosis, and then stuff gets real wild in an awesome way.

If you've ever heard of people talking about "trancing" or entering a "magical headspace", this is one way to do it. Literally walking or dancing around in a big circle, focusing on higher powers, and chanting repetitive words can yeet you right out of normal modes of consciousness and into Big Spiritual Time. (Plus also, the more time and energy you spend on circles, the stronger and more powerful they become, so that's helpful).

Magic circles can connect the worlds.

"I don't want to connect to the spirit world!" Then get yee off my animistic, spirit-oriented spellcrafting series, where we're hella going to be talking to a buttload of spirits by the time all is said and done. In all seriousness though, if you're having trouble with spirit communication, casting a circle can help. It also just helps with gathering and accumulating various energies and powers, in general.

Magic circles raise power.

Raising power is an extremely vital component of spellcraft IMO, and it's so weird that people never talk about it? Like I'm either just missing a huge segment of magical discourse or y'all have found a sneaky new way to power your spells that I missed out on.

Anyway, circles are made of energy and casting them brings power into your immediate energetic space. Yeah, most of the power is bound into an energy barrier, but you're still probably going to have tapped into an energy source greater than what you use up (whether it be your own energy or that from an external source). By casting the circle, you get into the groove of calling and raising power.

I guess this is a pretty minor point, but it clicks nicely for me.

Magic circles are a cauldron that collects energies into some nice spell stew.

Depending on how much power you raise, there can be way too much of it for you to singularly hold in your focus. Like if the extent of the energy you raise can be held in the palm of your hand, you don't need a big magical bucket to hold it for you - you've got it on your own. But if you raise so much energy that you're swimming in it like a dolphin in the deep end of the ocean, like to the point where you feel you might literally pass out and ascend to the next plane of existence, a circle is really going to help keep all that power together in one place for you. Or else it's going to get all over your house like glitter and you'll be cleaning little spell crumbs out of corners for the next ten months.

Magic circles are an ideal way to host visiting spiritual powers.

This hearkens back to the "calling the quarters" thing in Wicca. But basically, as you cast a magic circle, you can pause during (or after) you make it, and open special doorways in the circle to allow significant spirits to arrive and oversee your working. This works out well in a ritual format because since the circle is usually cast at the very beginning of a ritual, important spirits that need to be there for the whole thing can be called at the same time - and dismissed at the very end when the circle is closed. It just slots together nicely. In my way of working, calling special spirits to oversee an act of magic significantly increases its power and effectiveness.

Magic circles actually are a fantastic method of protection.

There's something magical about circles. The damn things are just nigh impossible for spirits to get through. That's why we're always summoning spirits inside of circles. Now, don't get me wrong, you're not likely to need protection for your average spell (especially if you already have home wards or personal wards set up). But there are situations in which even an average, everyday practitioner might seriously benefit from taking a little extra care:

If you're doing a ritual in an outdoors/wilderness space, it's going to be fucking chock-full of spirits and no, just because they're not malevolent, does not mean you want any random spirit getting sucked into your spell.

If you're doing divination for others, they can have icky stuff around them that follows you back (and unfortunately, I find this to be more common for people who dwell within occult circles).

If you have any concern that malefica or an unwanted spirit are on you, casting a circle will let you perform divination without any concern that your readings are being affected.

If you're doing a spell in an unfamiliar space (like a spell with a friend at their home), and you don't like the energy there, a quick circle will provide a temporary safe space to perform the ritual.

When to employ magic circles:

Whenever you want to. If you're open to suggestions, though:

As a ritual component to help you delineate when your spells begin and end,

When you intend to raise a very significant amount of energy,

When you intend to "open the roads" and invite certain spiritual powers to attend,

When you're in a space heavily populated by spirits that might choose to become involved in your working without being invited,

When you're uncomfortable with the energies in your environment,

and if you're troubleshooting success with your manifestation, so you're willing to give it a try just to see what's up.

This post is part of a series of animistic, spirit-oriented spellcasting for beginners. Go to the masterpost to see them all.

Practical Spellwork: Introductory method of Circle Casting

This post is part of a series of animistic, spirit-oriented spellcasting for beginners. Go to the masterpost to see them all.

This post is basically just going to be theory and steps to craft your own circle routine.

General guidelines, superstitions, and tidbits:

Circles may be cast through walls and furniture. For the most ideal, pristine ritual, a circle will be cast in a totally wide-open, cleared area that only contains the ritual implements used in the upcoming spell. Since that's literally impossible for a vast majority of us, don't worry about it. They work fine regardless.

Circles may be cast either clockwise or counter clockwise. Justification exists for each. Whichever direction you begin casting the circle, take it down in the opposite direction. If you cast the circle counterclockwise, close the circle clockwise. If you don't know which to choose, most circles are cast clockwise for all workings of magic.

You should always try to take a circle down when you're done with it. It doesn't do to raise up a bunch of power that might be doing weird liminal shit and then just let it stay hanging about.

Circles may be cast starting at any direction of the compass (north, south, east, or west). Traditionally, east is the common quarter to begin casting any circle, and is the "default". You may choose a different corner according to intuition, or to align to the working of a spell (a "watery" spell might start casting the circle in the direction you associate with water, for example).

Circles might be cast under your own authority, or the authority of a god or higher power.

You do not have to physically turn in a circle. You can raise an arm into the air and point, or visualize, or feel energy moving around your body.

The more time you spend casting the circle, and the more effort and focus you apply to doing so, the stronger and more durable the circle will be.

Circles are generally cast around your entire ritual area. Some practitioners cast a circle around the entire room they use.

You should not cross the circle once you cast it. "Cutting doorways" is not always a good technique. Crossing the circle physically will help break it. If you must cross the circle outwards and back again, that is probably alright; recast it if you're unsure.

Take down any circle

If you're performing a three-hour ritual where a full 90 minutes is casting the circle, I trust you to be beyond the scope of this guide, and I ask you to look towards your own resources or intuition as to how to close such a behemoth.

Generally however, closing a circle is extremely easy. You usually only need to do the following:

Turn in the opposite direction that you used to open it.

While turning (mentally or physically), speak or think something like, "this circle has served its purpose; its powers may be undone - let this space return to mundanity and physicality."

Dismiss any powers you called into the circle itself, in the reverse order that you called them. (Typically this is at the cardinal points).

Five-Second Circle

Suitable when a very quick circle is deemed useful, but the casting of the circle itself isn't being relied on to induce trance or raise any significant power.

Face in any direction, or east. Point at the ground where you want the edge of the circle to be. Physically or mentally turn in a complete, 360 degree circle. As you do so, strive to visualize, feel, believe, observe, or know, that pure and vibrant energy is laid down in the circle you trace.

While you turn this circle, speak or think a charm. Here are two for your consideration or modification as you please:

I cast this circle as a fortress with a throne room, to protect me eternally, and to create space to speak to those spirits I invite. Amen.

I cast this circle under the name of [Deity name], the [epithet], whose hand elevates and shields me with infinite love, so that my spell may be forged with power and delivered with grace. By [deity name], so shall it be.

When you mentally or physically complete the 360 degree circle, visualize, feel, believe, observe, or know, that it joins together with a resounding ethereal clunk (or boom, click, ringing, etc). You may still have some of the charm left to recite, or you may already be finished. That's quite alright either way; finish the charm if there's more left to go. Once you are done reciting the charm, the circle is complete.

Take down the circle when you're done.

Tuning Circles to Different Uses

The incantation or charm you use is instrumental in defining what your circle does. With it, you never need to engage in intense visualization; the words are doing the work. This post talks about some of the different things circles are used for.

Before you can tune your circle, you need to know why you're casting it. Then, craft an incantation that fits your needs.

This circle is cast to join the worlds and the words between them.

If you're using it to hold energies in, maybe something like,

I raise a cauldron of power so my spell may steep.

Etc.

Try writing out your own incantations and practice them, then practice taking the circle down. See how they feel for you, or if they seem to do anything at all. If you like working with circles, try developing your own circle rituals for different needs.

What about circles that are... more?

Here's the ol' problemo with casting a big chonky circle with walrus-sized incantations that invoke this-or-that power:

They're extremely path specific and the formulas given to you are going to call a specific set of powers to do very specific things.

If I write a big long post on how to cast a huge circle with such-and-such incantation, that incantation has to be path specific. It has to be. No matter what the incantation says, it has to be based on some beliefs, someone's foundational ideas, and causes the circle to do something specific that my path agrees is the best thing for it to do. And if that circle also calls on powers, then there's no way at all for you to avoid working with my path as I present it to you.

If you want to call on directional powers when you cast a circle, here's how:

When you get to the cardinal direction (north/south/east/west), pause your mental or physical circumambulation. Invoke the power, maybe a bit formally, like this:

Hail to the Crimson-Tongued Serpent, Guardian of the East! You sit on a throne of rubies, you are the flame that graces mankind with life. You raise flame from the earth to animate the land. Holy Serpent, I beseech thee: Throw open the gateways to the east, and let the red spirits of fire pour forth! Sit upon the throne I have prepared for you, Lord of Fire, and gaze upon my ritual with support and adoration, and let all this be done under the gaze of the Watchful Master, the Progenitor of Elements, He Who Rules the World!

Or, if that's a bit too... weird... you can do this:

Red Snake of the East, please join me in my circle. Please open the roads to the east so that helpful spirits may hear my requests if they so choose. I ask you to do this under the name of my God, whom I know you're chill with. Thank you.

Are these two invocations going to produce the same effect?

HELL NO.

And that's the point, man. We all don't need to be casting the same circles the exact same way because we all don't need to be doing the same shit. If you want to call powers, you should probably know who you want to call and know how to call them. You shouldn't just take my word for it and call whatever random demigods I'm hustling with this winter.

So if you want to spend half an hour conjuring a really powerful circle, that should probably be because you know exactly what kind of circle you want, and therefore you're going to be the only person who knows how to word it and visualize it.

Circles are powerful tech.

Don't conjure up really weird powerful shit if you don't need it and don't know what to do with it. Just start simple and get more intense with it if its working out for you.

Here's how to dismiss those powers, if you call 'em:

When you're going in the opposite direction in order to close the circle, when you get to the place where the spirit was invoked, you can say something really simple, even if your original conjuration was long.

Hail to the Crimson-Tongued Serpent, and farewell: I thank you for arriving. Go in peace, and take your red spirits of fire with you, and close the gateways of the east behind you. This be done in the name of the Master.

Or,

Thank you, Red Snake, for coming to help me today. Please return to your home, and ensure the spirits of your domain leave with you. Goodbye.

I generally like to keep ritual invokations very similar for all forces invoked (exact same structure, swapping out names and epithets), and the same thing for dismissals - all done the same way.

This post is part of a series of animistic, spirit-oriented spellcasting for beginners. Go to the masterpost to see them all.