The Circle

The Circle is, above all things, a place where all the puzzle pieces fit together to make a whole- and where the perfect picture is fully realized as truly being a masterpiece of artful and separate parts. Within the Circle alone, I am known, accepted, and cherished as being a human of complete love and earth-shattering potential- and I feel as I do when I am with my most cherished friend and soul-sister. As a group, our differences make us more alike to each other than our similarities, and together we represent the heart of humanity. This is because the Circle is a Temple, a direct-link to the core of our world, free of the fetters and bows of trivial paperwork and machinery. I purposefully compose my Circle with dreams of the primary Elements, to remind myself of the Earth beneath my feet, the Air that surrounds my heart, the Fire that keeps my skin warm to the touch, and the Water that purifies and sustains me. As I take down my circle, I breathe in the attributes of each of the Elements so that, as I go about my life, I might be as adaptable as Water, and trust myself enough to own my emotions. And I may be as passionate, zealous, and full of blazing love as Fire. My intellect as well will forever remain intact, and guide me while I walk on whimsical Air. And through it all, I will be as sturdy and strong as the greatest mountains built of Earth. Here inlies the power of the Circle: within it, I am fully human, and I take with me the tools I need to remain so even outside of its bounds.
~
I conjure this, my Circle of Power
From the humility of my heart
It is built on Love, Trust, Peace and Joy
And it is protected by the powers of the North, East, South, and West
Nothing harmful can live within its boundaries
And only creativity remains

May I feel the Spirit of the World guide me
While I work herein
And with this, my Circle is sealed.

Unusually for a Wiccan Circle Casting, I do not walk the boundaries of the Circle*. I sit still, and the framework of my Circle materializes from my life’s breath and positive thoughts. As I speak, I feel and focus on each virtue that my Circle is founded on. When I list the Directions, I first imagine a casing of dirt and Earth comprising the boundaries of my Circle. The Air blows across the Earth, and stirs the sand. The Fires burn across it and they set the pivotal point for constant change and growth. Then the Water washes across it and finishes my circle as a baked and sturdy encasement about my person. And, as mentioned above, I take down my Circle by breathing in each Element in reverse order and adopting the positive attributes associated with it.

*I find it a bit troublesome to visualize the sphere that is my Magic Circle, while walking on a linear plane. A physical circle on the ground is generally held to be the marking place of where the Circle touches the Earth, no? And "as above so below," it is just as full beneath the ground. So, by nature of this curving bubble, it is impossible to remain entirely within the Circle whilst walking about the boundaries (I believe at least half of your body will be sticking out in most cases). This should not hinder the actual act- all you have to do after all is step fully into the Circle after casting it- I simply prefer to stand or sit still in the center because of this.