Creating a special, intentional space for ritual is an important part of inviting magic. One way to create ritual space is the Wiccan practice of “casting a circle.” Here is one method: If there are four or more participants in the ritual, have one person assigned to each of the four directions: east, south, west and north. Beginning with the east, have the “east” participant light a candle at the eastern edge of a circular space (either indoors in a large enough room, or outdoors in a garden or meadow) After placing the lit candle, “east” says:

“Spirits of the East, be with us now. Energy of the dawn, of the rising sun, place of air, of beginnings and inspiration, source of thought and speaking, bless our gathering.”

Next, the “south” person places a candle at the southern edge of the circle, saying:

“Spirits of the South, be with us now. Energy of fire, of the noon-day sun, place of will and desire, source of passion and purpose, bless our gathering.

Then the “west” person places a candle at the western edge of the circle, saying:

“Spirits of the West, be with us now. Energy of the setting sun, place of water, of dream and intuition, source of the great tidal ebb and flow of feeling, bless our gathering.”

The “north” person then places their candles and completes the circle, saying:

“Spirits of the North, be with us now. Energy of the dusk that precedes dawn, place of earth, of root and soil, source of grounding in the great cycles of being, bless our gathering.”

When the circle is cast, hold your ritual within it. Be sure when the ritual is completed that you “release” the four directions. You can do this either all at once by saying something like “ spirits of the east, south, west and north, thank you for your presence and your power. We release you now.” Or you can release each direction, one at a time. When the circle is closed, Wiccans traditionally say “Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again! Blessed be!”