The casting of Pagan circles

As a former pagan (I seem to be a former-everything!) I got a lot of emotional and mental strength from casting a circle around my home prior to rituals and prayer.

While other religions rely on the use of a building such as a church or temple to hold worship, Wiccans and Pagans can cast a circle pretty much any place they choose. This is particularly handy on those pleasant summer evenings when you decide to hold ritual out in the back yard under a tree instead of in your living room!

Circles around a person or home have been used for hundreds of years for protection, by adherents of many different religions.

A Roman ambassador in a foreign country would draw a circle around himself with his staff, to show he should be safe from attack; the Babylonians drew a circle of flour on the floor round the bed of a sick man, to keep demons away; German Jews, in the Middle Ages, would draw a circle round the bed of a woman in labor, to Protect her from evil spirits. The Knights Templars used to cast circles as part of ritual.

The use of a circle to mark the boundary of an area which is sacred, is very ancient (e.g. Stonehenge). But the circle not only keeps the unwanted out, it also keeps the wanted – the raised power, the magical energy – in.

Traditionally, a witch is supposed to use an athame (knife) to point at the edges of the circle and visualise a psychich barrier being created. I personally always disliked the use of ritual tools and preferred to just mentally create the circle in my mind. I always put a lot of energy and focus into creating the circle around my home, and could do it whether I was alone or with a room full of people.

The benefits I got from casting a circle were enormous. I actually felt a physical sensation of warmth, along with relaxation and a feeling of protection. Whenever I cast a circle around my home, I always felt like no harm could come to those inside.