This is the second in a series on how to cast a magic circle in a correct and effective manner. As I said in the first installment, there are many ways to cast a circle that are effective. This is a method I was taught when I was first studying witchcraft, and it is a solid, proven method. With this circle, you can cast a circle that can be used for almost any purpose or working, regardless of pantheons or intent, short of a working intended to cause real harm to another or others.
Naturally, some deities prefer a specifically constructed circle, but you should be aware of that if you’ve done the necessary research before calling those deities. Still, I’ve seen this circle used with a wide array of pantheons, including most any commonly called (Celtic, Egyptian, Norse, Kabbalistic, Hindu, etc.) without any problems.
In earlier posts I discussed how to construct an altar and, in part 1 of this series, how to cleanse your ritual area. If you are not familiar with these, I highly recommend that you go read them before attempting to use the information in this post. You really need that knowledge to use this material. You’ll also need to learn how to draw Evoking and Banishing Pentagrams that co-respond to the four Cardinal directions, so let’s start there.
Drawing the Banishing and Evoking Pentagrams
In Part 1, you learned how to draw an Earth Banishing Pentagram, which co-responds to the North. Let’s go over that.
An Earth Banishing Pentagram
Using your athame, wand or index and middle finger, you drew a line that started at #1, went to #2 and so on until you were back at #1 once again. Then starting at point #2, draw a circle around all the points in a clockwise direction, finishing back at point #2. This circle is drawn the same way for each pentagram. You visualized a line of blue-white energy that remained behind as you went, and stay once you finished. The new Pentagrams you’ll need to know are drawn in much the same way, but they will start in different points and may go in different directions. They will also be larger and are drawn at the four directions, or Quarters. Here’s the chart for drawing the different Pentagrams.
So all you do is start at the point indicated and proceed around the numbered points as indicated until you are back at the point from which you started. Why are there two Pentagrams for each Quarter, you ask? Simply put, one calls forth the energy (Evoking) and the other dispels the energy (Banishing). When you are constructing the Circle, you’ll be using the Evoking Pentagrams at the Quarters, as you will calling that energy in. When you’re taking the Circle down, you’ll be using the Banishing Pentagrams, as you’ll be dismissing the energies.
Now drawing these Pentagrams well is an important skill in magic and well worth developing. Pentagrams drawn sloppily tend to leak energy and not be well recognized by the forces or entities you’re trying to work with. Far better to acquire this skill in the first place. And it’s not hard.
Ideally, your Quarter Pentagram will be as large as the swing of your arm. So get some poster-sized paper and tape some sheets together until it’s large enough to contain such a Pentagram. Then carefully draw a very accurate Pentagram of that size on the sheets. Use pencil at first so you can make corrections as needed. Once it’s as accurate as possible, go over it in black marker so it’s very visible. Then hang it on the wall so that the 4-5 line is at shoulder level.
Now you can stand in front of it and practice your various Pentagrams to your heart’s content. You should practice until you start to develop muscle-memory for this motion. This way, you’ll be able to tell if you’re doing it correctly. If you’re standing close enough to have to fully extend your arm to reach the endpoints, you’re where you should be. At this close, you’ll find that you need to bend your arm to draw some of the various lines.
That is the way it should be. Fully swinging your arm from one point to the other will draw a Pentagram that it distorted because it’s not drawn on a flat plane. So bend your arm as needed and learn how that feels. It’ll take time but do keep at it. Then you’ll be able to cast a perfectly flat Pentagram that holds, protects and does what you intend.
Calling the Lords of the Watchtowers
So now you’ve practiced your Pentagrams and feel pretty good about them. What next? It’s time to go Call the Watchtowers. So set up your altar and cleanse the area as you learned it the first installment of this series. When you’re done with that, pick up your athame, your wand or just your fingers and approach the East Quarter.
Your Altar and Circle area
Face outward, hold your athame, wand or hand and standing within where you plan to draw the boundary of your Circle, and intone the following call.
“Hail ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the Eastern quadrant.
I do summon, stir, and call you up,
That you may bear witness to this rite
And lend your protection to the Eastern quadrant.”
Draw the Earth Evoking Pentagram, doing the visualization of the blue-white energy as you learned in Part 1. Charge and energize the center of the Pentagram while visualizing it being filled with a brilliant Yellow color. Give a salute and say:
“Hail and Welcome, Ye Lords of the Watchtower.”
Now walk around the Circle to the Southern Quarter. As before, intone the following call.
“Hail ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the Southern quadrant.
I do summon, stir, and call you up,
That you may bear witness to this rite
And lend your protection to the Southern quadrant.”
Draw the Fire Evoking Pentagram, doing the visualization of the blue-white energy as you learned in Part 1. Charge and energize the center of the Pentagram while visualizing it being filled with Bright Red color. Give a salute and say:
“Hail and Welcome, Ye Lords of the Watchtower.”
Now walk around the Circle to the Western Quarter. As before, intone the following call.
“Hail ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the Western quadrant.
I do summon, stir, and call you up,
That you may bear witness to this rite
And lend your protection to the Western quadrant.”
Draw the Water Evoking Pentagram, doing the visualization of the blue-white energy as you learned in Part 1. Charge and energize the center of the Pentagram while visualizing it being filled with Deep Blue color. Give a salute and say:
“Hail and Welcome, Ye Lords of the Watchtower.”
Now walk around the Circle to the Northern Quarter. As before, intone the following call.
“Hail ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the Northern quadrant.
I do summon, stir, and call you up,
That you may bear witness to this rite
And lend your protection to the Northern quadrant.”
Draw the Earth Evoking Pentagram, doing the visualization of the blue-white energy as you learned in Part 1. Charge and energize the center of the Pentagram while visualizing it being filled with Beautiful Green color. Give a salute and say:
“Hail and Welcome, Ye Lords of the Watchtower.”
Now walk around the Circle back to the Eastern Quarter and there give a salute to the East, completing the Circle. After that, return to the altar. Stand there and intone the following welcome.
“Hail and Welcome, All Ye Lords of the Quadrant Watchtowers.”
Now what happens if you mistakenly use the wrong Pentagram at a Quarter? No problem at all. If it was an Evoking Pentagram you got wrong, use an Earth Banishing Pentagram to clear the energies at the Quarter and then put up the correct Pentagram. If it was a Banishing Pentagram that you made a mistake on, just simply use the correct one. There’s no need to remove a Banishing Pentagram.
By now, I’m hoping that at least some of you are yelling at me. “What the hell are these ‘Watchtower’ things and why are you asking me to evoke them?" That’s what I hope ALL of you are asking yourselves. The Gods know that there are plenty of self-serving grimoires out there that try to get you to do something without realizing that are benefiting the author. So you should always ask, always be certain before you go ahead.
At each Quarter there are energies that align with the energies of that Quarter, energies of many kinds and tendencies. Also of various levels, sub-elemental to pure divinity. Calling “The Lords of the Watchtowers” forms a towering construct of all beneficial, positive, “white-light” energy that is in alignment with that Quarter.
It is NOT a specific deity energy or cohesive construct. Instead, it is a joining of all of those energies of a positive nature into a tower of energy extending to infinity, in vibrations both above and below our own level. That is why this Circle harmonizes with any pantheon or purpose of a positive nature. It covers the entire infinite spectrum and therefore is a complete seal and absolute protection.
The Laying of the Circle
Walk from behind your altar to before the Eastern Watchtower. With your athame, wand or index and middle finger, project a line of blue-white energy to where you wish the boundary of your circle to be as you walk the inside of the perimeter or your Circle, a line that remains after you have moved on around the Circle. As you walk continue drawing the Circle and say:
I conjure thee, O Circle of Power,
That thou beist a meeting place of Love and Joy and Truth,
a shield against all wickedness and evil,
a boundary between the Worlds of Man and the Realms of the Mighty Ones,
A rampart and a protection that shall preserve and contain the Power that we shall raise within thee.
Therefore do I bless and consecrate thee.
As My Will, So Mote It Be!
When you come to the East once again, join the energy you are projecting to the energy that you first placed there so that the Circle is whole and complete. There! You’ve done it, or at least you know how to do it.
On that subject, I would suggest that until this series is complete, you not go any further then the area cleansings, simply because we have not yet covered how you take down an empowered Circle and you want to be able to do that correctly. Since you’ll most likely be doing this in your home, maybe in your bedroom, you want to be able to take the Circle down smoothly and not leave a mess in the energy of your home. Practice your Pentagrams and memorizing the calls.
In the next installment in this series, we’ll be covering the Raising of the Cone of Power and Invoking/Evoking the God and Goddess. We’ll cover a way to Raise the Cone of Power both as a solitary person and in a group. (The group working is harder to learn and use as you need to be able to blend and circulate the energies raised by everyone in a cohesive band. This takes practice, be patient with yourself.)
Thanks so much for reading this installment. I do hope that it’s been useful and instructive for you. Please leave your comments and insights on this subject, as well as questions and your own techniques of Circle casting in the Comments section. Is there some aspect of this that I haven’t made clear or skipped over?
Please let me know. And subscribe so that you’ll be notified when there’s a new post, an upcoming event or anything else that comes up.
Blessed Be
Sterling Knight
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