The circle is a very important, yet easily misunderstood part of the magickal process. The word itself is misleading, because it's not really a circle - it's a sphere. Casting the circle is a process by which you create an energy barrier around yourself and your workspace. It prevents uninvited energy or entities from entering, and prevents the energy you're working with from leaking out. Many witches stress the former, citing the circle as a form of protection for the witch. But it is the circle that allows us to focus energy and release it for magickal purposes. Energy is in everything. It moves and flows like wind and water. Also like wind and water, it requires a barrier to contain it. This is what the circle is. It contains the energy for magickal use, and by doing so allows you to concentrate and focus it for a specific goal.
Erecting the circle generally doesn't require lengthy speeches, although words of power are often used. It is a process that requires concentration and visualization. The following are some steps in the casting process which are an important part of magick:
Cleansing yourself
Cleansing and charging the space (you should do this each time you work)
Cleansing and charging the quarters
Cutting the circle
Charging the circle
Some people so other things, some don't do even all of the above. Only the last consists of raising an energy barrier. The rest are steps that serve multiple purposes:
Cleansing the space
Charging the space with energy
Changing your focus to the here and now
Awakening your unconscious
Triggering a meditative state
The main point here is ritual. All of these are ritualistic practices. They quiet the conscious and rouse the unconscious into action. This is why it's important to find a pattern and stick with it, regardless of what the pattern is that you choose. A big part of being able to trigger a meditative state is consistency. There are a few important points about circle etiquette: always move in a clockwise direction while inside the circle, don't let anyone (including yourself) enter or leave the circle without first preparing a doorway, laugh, sing, and dance in the circle if you want to (magick is a celebration, so you don't have to act like you're at a funeral), don't bring any negativity in, and what's done and said inside the circle stays in the circle.
To find out more about specific rites and chants, visit the Magick: The Circle page, or visit: